Chapter 42: The Graveyard of Geniuses—Soaked in Dog Blood

Wunian Sect was openly saying this much, yet Qingxuan Sect still didn’t respond. Two elders from Chixiao Sect were present, and one of them couldn’t help but say, “That’s not quite right—”

Before he could finish, the other Chixiao Sect elder secretly stepped on his foot, signaling him to shut up.

The conflict between Wunian Sect and Gui Xian Sect was none of Chixiao Sect’s business. Watching the drama unfold was enough.

“……”

On the other side, the alchemy disciples of Gui Xian Sect were completely furious. Everyone knew that Elder Xin’s incident was inextricably linked to Wunian Sect. Yet, not only did Wunian Sect pretend to send people over to offer their sympathies, but they also had the audacity to question them?

“You’re pushing us too far!”

One of the alchemy disciples rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge forward, but the senior brother leading them held him back.

The Wunian Sect elder remained still, not even moving a foot. “Want to fight? We’re just here to take a look—we haven’t touched a single spirit plant. On what grounds do you attack?”

The situation reached a stalemate. The disciples of Gui Xian Sect couldn’t recklessly make a move. The other party was, after all, from Wunian Sect. While Wunian Sect was on the same level as Gui Xian Sect in the four great sects, they had strong ties to the immortal aristocratic families and connections with the other two sects. If a fight broke out, Qingxuan Sect and Chixiao Sect might not necessarily side with Gui Xian Sect.

The elder from Chixiao Sect said, “Enough. You’re all grown men arguing with a bunch of kids—aren’t you afraid of being laughed at if word gets out?”

Chixiao Sect had had their fun watching and was about to leave when one of them suddenly asked, “Gui Xian Sect has a newly admitted Heavenly Spiritual Root body cultivator, right? The one called Wen Yun?”

As soon as he said this, the expressions of the Gui Xian Sect disciples changed.

Everyone knew that Chixiao Sect was famous for body cultivation. Each year, the most talented body cultivators either joined Qingxuan Sect or, more commonly, Chixiao Sect. Gui Xian Sect had rarely, if ever, been a choice. But this year, a Heavenly Spiritual Root body cultivator had joined them.

For Chixiao Sect to suddenly bring this up, it was hard not to suspect their motives.

The senior alchemy disciple of Gui Xian Sect replied, “And what does that have to do with your sect? No matter who it is, once they join Gui Xian Sect, they are one of us.”

His words made it clear—don’t even think about poaching.

The Chixiao Sect elder chuckled, “No need to be so defensive. I was just asking.”

“Hah, how amusing,” said the Qingxuan Sect elder with a half-smile. “It’s just a Heavenly Spiritual Root. Is it really worth all this fuss?”

The moment he spoke, the Chixiao Sect elders’ faces turned unsightly.

A Heavenly Spiritual Root might be a talent worth fighting over in most sects, but Qingxuan Sect had no shortage of such disciples. They even had an abundance of highly talented cultivators being sent to them every year.

Chixiao Sect, as the second most powerful sect, naturally had excellent disciples as well. But compared to Qingxuan Sect, they had far fewer cultivators with high-tier spiritual roots.

Wunian Sect, unconcerned, seized the opportunity to add, “You guys got lucky a few years ago and picked up a Heavenly Spiritual Root artifact refiner. But an artifact refiner of unknown origins… I doubt they’ll amount to much.”

The moment he finished speaking, two figures suddenly descended from the sky, landing before the Spirit Plant Garden. The silver falcon landed steadily.

“I heard the esteemed elders mention me just now—what’s the matter?”

Xu Xianxing leaped off the falcon. The elders of the three major sects didn’t recognize him, but they did recognize Bai Li Que standing beside him.

The Wunian Sect elder was the first to speak, “Bai Li Que? So you really did join Gui Xian Sect. You’re the eldest son of the Bai Li family, yet they allowed you to enter Gui Xian Sect?”

Bai Li Que replied coolly, “Where I choose to be—what does that have to do with you?”

The Wunian Sect elder: “……?”

Why did that sentence sound so passive-aggressive?

“As someone from an aristocratic family, you should understand how to weigh the pros and cons,” another Wunian Sect elder said. “Your cousin has already made his choice. Just don’t regret yours in the future.”

Bai Li Que: “You mean Bai Li Yu? He didn’t even pass Gui Xian Sect’s initial entrance trial, yet somehow, he managed to get into Wunian Sect.”

Xu Xianxing, who knew that Bai Li Que and his cousin didn’t get along, smirked. “Wunian Sect is known for producing top-tier talisman cultivators, and yet… you still have to take in rejects from Gui Xian Sect?”

The Wunian Sect elder’s face turned black. “What did you just say?”

Xu Xianxing grinned. “Elder, don’t be angry. You’re so much older than me—why bicker with an ignorant junior?”

His words sounded sincere, but his tone carried not the slightest hint of apology. Instead, his playful attitude made the whole thing even more infuriating.

The other sect elders: “……”

Is this really how a junior should be speaking?

Bai Li Que added, “If I remember correctly, no one is allowed into the Spirit Plant Garden today. Esteemed elders, you should probably leave now.”

“The sky is getting dark, and the disciples of Yinxian Peak will soon begin their night patrols,” Xu Xianxing added helpfully. “If they mistakenly take you for thieves and attack, that would be rather unfortunate.”

A Chixiao Sect elder sneered. “A bunch of alchemy cultivators trying to ambush us? They’d be overestimating themselves.”

The two Chixiao Sect elders present were both body cultivators, so they naturally didn’t feel threatened. One of the Qingxuan Sect elders was an artifact refiner, while the other was a sword cultivator—neither of them were concerned either. The two elders from Wunian Sect, however, were both alchemy cultivators. They had come specifically for the Spirit Plant Garden and weren’t willing to leave empty-handed.

Xu Xianxing sighed. “Fine, I guess we’ll just leave then.”

Bai Li Que waved his hand, signaling for the surrounding alchemy disciples of Gui Xian Sect to follow him. Although they didn’t fully understand the situation, they all left without hesitation.

Xu Xianxing also slipped away, leaving only the six elders standing there.

One of the Chixiao Sect elders sneered, “Guess they’re used to being dead last. No backbone at all.”

The two Qingxuan Sect elders exchanged glances, sensing that something wasn’t quite right. Without hesitation, they turned to leave as well.

Seeing that Qingxuan Sect was leaving, the Chixiao Sect elders followed suit.

In the end, only the two Wunian Sect elders remained in the Spirit Plant Garden.

An elder of the Chixiao Sect had just stepped outside when he saw a group of people from the Gui Xian Sect gathered together, seemingly in deep discussion.

Then, he noticed Xu Xianxing fiddling with a spiritual artifact nearby. With a gentle press, a barrier rose around the spiritual plantation.

A quarter of an hour later, a piercing scream echoed from within the plantation. The stench of blood seeped through the cracks in the barrier. Soon after, two members of the Wunian Sect burst out, drenched from head to toe in dark, sticky blood that emitted a faintly foul odor.

The elder of the Chixiao Sect: “……”

“Apologies.” A silver kite flew out from within the barrier, with Lian Mu standing on top, carrying two buckets. “I was just fertilizing the spirit plants and didn’t see you two, esteemed elders. You’re all right, I hope?”

She was all smiles, her tone light and cheerful.

Lian Mu set down the buckets filled with the rancid blood of magical beasts.

“Who are you?”

Lian Mu: “Just a farmer.”

The two elders of the Wunian Sect, having been drenched in foul-smelling blood, were too furious to speak.

Lian Mu offered an utterly sincere apology. “I truly didn’t mean to. You two just happened to show up at the wrong time—right in the middle of fertilization. Next time, do pick a better moment to visit.”

For some reason, the Wunian Sect elders had a nagging feeling that this person was mocking them.

“You’ll pay for this!”

The two from Wunian Sect stormed off. Lian Mu jumped down from the silver kite, and Xu Xianxing tossed her a bottle of magnolia mist.

The alchemy disciples quickly rushed into the spiritual plantation to check if any plants had been trampled.

Lian Mu sprayed herself with the mist to remove the stench of magical beast blood and said, “So those were Wunian Sect people? Their hostility toward us is quite strong. They’re on someone else’s turf and still dare to provoke us so openly.”

Xu Xianxing put away the silver kite. “Ever since Master Feng Tianche passed away in the Gui Xian Sect, the Feng family backing Wunian Sect has been eyeing the spiritual plantation. Back when Gui Xian Sect was still the top of the Four Great Sects, they didn’t dare to make a move. But now that our sect isn’t what it used to be, they’ve become brazen.”

“But this land belongs to Gui Xian Sect. Even if they want it, it’s not like they can just move it back to Wunian Sect, can they?” Lian Mu asked.

Bai Li Que replied, “Actually, they can. The Wunian Sect’s talisman cultivators are highly skilled. It’s said that their sect has a talisman master who specializes in formations that can shift mountains and rivers, allowing them to relocate the plantation. However, before Master Feng Tianche passed, he anticipated that someone would covet the plantation and set up a formation to anchor it in place. Only the successive Sect Masters of Xiang Peak can undo it.”

Xu Xianxing added, “It’s not just the spiritual plantation. Our Qianling Peak’s spirit tower and sword pavilion are also being watched by other sects. If Gui Xian Sect ever falls out of the Four Great Sects, our assets will undoubtedly be carved up.”

Hearing this, Lian Mu was surprised. “Our sect has so many valuable things, and yet we still ended up in this situation?”

“There’s no helping it. No matter how great the resources, you need people who can wield them.” Xu Xianxing sighed. “Back when Gui Xian Sect was at the top of the Four Great Sects, it was full of cultivators with Heaven-grade spiritual roots, overflowing with talent, and masters were everywhere. The number one alchemy cultivator, Master Feng Tianche, the number one sword cultivator, Gong Liang, and the number one talisman cultivator… they all came from Gui Xian Sect.”

“And then?”

Bai Li Que’s face was expressionless. “All the renowned cultivators who came from Gui Xian Sect… died.”

Lian Mu: “…Why?”

Xu Xianxing said, “Various reasons. It’s hard to explain in a short time. After Master Feng passed, the other grandmasters followed one after another.”

Because of this, Gui Xian Sect earned a grim nickname among the Four Great Sects—the Genius Graveyard.

Too many prodigies who shouldn’t have perished met their ends here. As a result, the sect’s reputation among the Four Great Sects plummeted, and fewer and fewer high-level spiritual root cultivators were willing to join. Over time, the once-glorious first-ranked sect dwindled into its current state, bullied and oppressed by others.

Lian Mu fell silent for a moment before asking, “…Then why did you two choose to join Gui Xian Sect?”

Xu Xianxing shrugged. “No special reason. It was close to home, so I came. Plus, it’s quite comfortable here.”

“I don’t like the other three sects.” Bai Li Que said. “Wunian Sect has a bad atmosphere, full of schemers and petty people. Qingxuan Sect may have many cultivators with Heaven-grade spiritual roots, but it’s cold and silent, like a village of mutes. Chixiao Sect is by the sea, and I don’t like strong winds.”

“What about you? Why did you join Gui Xian Sect?” Xu Xianxing asked Lian Mu.

Lian Mu thought for a moment and said, “Pretty much the same reason—it’s close.”

In truth, she had chosen Gui Xian Sect to restore her spiritual roots and find a way to make a living.

Proximity was the least important factor.

“Well, since those other sects are so insufferable, when the next Grand Sect Tournament comes around, we should give them a proper beating first,” Lian Mu said.

Bai Li Que warned, “After today’s incident, Wunian Sect won’t let this slide. If you end up as the next Second-Seat Sword Cultivator, be extra cautious.”

“I know.”