In the depths of the icy palace, the altar lamps lit up one after another, casting shadows on the curtains.
There were several hundred soul lamps placed in the center of the hall, all of them shaped like red lotuses. A strange green mist whirled above the flames, floating upwards little by little with the wind.
There was a Cultivation Alliance disciple keeping guard below the steps, wearing black clothes and carrying a long sword at his waist. He had a grave attitude as he said respectfully, “Venerable Immortal, you haven’t come out of your closed-door cultivation for a hundred years. The Qin family is getting more and more unbridled with their methods, and they’ve begun meddling with Driftflower Sect and Lightstream Sect from the nine great sects. Not long ago, Venerable Zixiao passed away. I suspect it was the work of the Qin family.”
After he finished speaking, he was silent for a while, looking cautiously at the man on the high platform.
White jade steps ascended layer by layer, the flickering light of the red lotus candles gleaming on a pair of pale hands. One hand held a cinnabar brush, the curve of the wrist like jade, and was in the middle of writing on a piece of paper.
The man holding the brush spoke.
“Continue.”
The Cultivation Alliance disciple let out a breath, but was still cautious. Every time he finished speaking a passage, he would stop, constantly aware of the Alliance leader’s reaction.
“The first point of suspicion is that we investigated Venerable Zixiao’s activity when he was alive, and found that the Driftflower Sect leader entrusted him with going to the Saintrest continent to capture a phoenix demonseed. On the road back, the demonseed injured the venerable immortal. His spiritual qi was disturbed, reaching its peak ahead of time, and so he broke open the vacuum of space in the sky above a small sect, Springturn Sect, opened his mustard-seed space, went through his tribulation ahead of time…and unfortunately failed.”
“The second point of suspicion is that Venerable Zixiao’s soul lamp only went out completely three days ago, confirming his death. But the young sect master of Lightstream Sect, Yin Wuwang, went to Springturn Sect a long time ago. When a Void Comprehension cultivator fails in their tribulation, they’ll use their lifetime’s worth of spiritual qi to create a secret realm and a mansion within their mustard seed. Yin Wuwang is of average aptitude, so Lightstream Sect has been searching everywhere for ways to boost his cultivation. I suspect that he may have been aiming for the Void Comprehension secret realm from the start. This shows that Lightstream Sect long since anticipated that Zixiao would die.”
“In the past few years, the Qin family, Driftflower Sect and Lightstream Sect have been closely connected. They’ve long since been dissatisfied with the Cultivation Alliance and Desireless Sect. I believe that Zixiao’s death must be connected to these three families. There must be something strange about that phoenix demonseed.”
There was a click as the cinnabar brush was set down.
The wind blew past the red lotus candles, stirring the translucent white curtains. The gauzy layers parted, like the waves of light in the palace master’s cold eyes, which held all the nine great sects and three noble families of the upper realm.
He swept his sleeves aside and rose, reaching out. A long sword broke apart the stars and moon, landing in his hand. He crossed the steps in his snow-white robe, walking upright toward the doors.
The Cultivation Alliance disciple was startled. “Venerable Immortal, where are you going?”
With a crash, all the papers on the table flew into the air, cutting off his question.
A piece of paper followed the threads of green smoke, landing in his hand. Several names were written on it, the scarlet brushstrokes carrying a chill that penetrated the soul.
The Cultivation Alliance disciple stood still. “These are…”
Xie Shiyi’s robes brushed against the threshold. His voice was clear and calm. “Before I return, kill them.”
***
Trouble took advantage of the chaos to fly onto Yan Qing’s shoulder. His red eyes were as big as beans, filled with shock. “Damn, why would Desireless Sect appear here?!”
Springturn Sect had a desolate location. It was eighteen thousand miles away from the rich spiritual qi, immortal families and sacred lands of the Southluster continent. Forget the nine great sects, no disciple of a sect with any reputation would come to a place like this, where the landscape was barren and the spiritual qi was scant.
Yan Qing: “You dare to speak rudely of the supreme elder of Desireless Sect, so why would you be afraid of this battle?”
Trouble: “What supreme elder, what are you talking about?!”
Yan Qing gave him a strange glance and smiled. “Nothing.”
The ignorant were fearless. This foolish bird didn’t even know who Zixiao was. Well, a fool had a fool’s luck.
Desireless Sect was the head of the nine great sects, and the number one sect in the realm. Their disciples were upright, held to their principles and valued their promises like gold. Zixiao said the token could command the sect disciples to do anything, and it wasn’t false.
Even an absurd request like marrying Xie Ying was granted by Desireless Sect. They really were worthy of being a top-level sect.
Words that were spoken must be followed through. They were the model of their generation!
Yan Qing gave them a like.
He just didn’t know whether Xie Ying knew about his marriage.
When Yan Qing thought of this, he delighted in Xie Ying’s downfall and almost laughed out loud.
There was a clang as the golden chain fell to the floor. The purple-robed Lightstream Sect elder looked up in disbelief, saying, “Desireless Sect?”
The dark green sword flew into the air and back into the elderly man’s hand. Two white-robed people from the sect flew forward on their swords. One was old, one young, and both were of Great Ascension level. The old one had white eyebrows and hair, and was hale and hearty; the younger one had a round face, and when he smiled, he was amiable and adorable.
They wore white robes and jade crowns, and with the addition of their pale blue gauze, they were as graceful as birds, like the bright wind and moon. This was the attire of Desireless Sect’s inner disciples.
The old man stepped into the hall and raised a brow. “Chengying, you’re using your golden chain on a boy who hasn’t even reached Foundation Building? You’re oppressing people with your power, relying on the strong and bullying the weak. Is this the way Lightstream Sect handles affairs?!”
No matter what Chengying expected, he couldn’t have expected that he would meet people from Desireless Sect here. A small sect like Springturn Sect was a dime a dozen in the cultivation world. Destroying this place was like crushing an ant.
He gripped his golden chain in his fist, saying darkly, “Tianshu, this is our affair. It has nothing to do with you.”
Tianshu said coldly, “You’re making a move against one of Desireless Sect’s people, so how does it have nothing to do with me?”
“One of Desireless Sect’s people?” Chengying smiled from anger. “Tianshu, if you want to come looking for trouble, there’s no need to make up such a ridiculous excuse. Who doesn’t know that when Desireless Sect recruits disciples, they have to be at least one hundred years old, of Nascent Soul cultivation and possessing a heavenly spiritual root? Try and find a single person who matches that description in this hall!”
The boy behind Tianshu smiled slightly and said, “Elder Chengying, these words of yours have left something out. Who said that the person we’re speaking of had to be a disciple? Can’t he be the cultivation partner of one of our disciples?”
Chengying was shocked. “Cultivation partner?”
“That’s right.” The boy’s cheeks showed faint dimples. “I was afraid you didn’t know, Elder Chengying. The young man you were about to strike is an honored guest of our sect. Even if you went through the entirety of Desireless Sect, I’m afraid you wouldn’t find a single person who would dare to offend him.”
When he finished speaking, the boy looked at Yan Qing, examining him with his eyes. He measured him from top to bottom for quite a while. Afterwards, he curved his lips into half a smile, but there wasn’t a hint of a smile in his eyes, only an irrepressible disdain and scorn.
Trouble: “Fuck, why is he looking down on us?”
Yan Qing said, “Haven’t you found that everyone looks down on us?”
In the eyes of Springturn Sect, he was a good-for-nothing piece of trash that turned on his benefactors.
In the eyes of Yin Wuwang, he was a vile, ignorant, starry-eyed oaf.
In the eyes of this young man, he was a shameless boy who took advantage of a favor.
Alright, he had no way to refute the last point. He really was a little shameless. When Zixiao left behind this token, he had no way to predict that there would be someone who would make this kind of request and throw a bomb at Desireless Sect.
It was really a little funny.
Trouble was furious. “Why? You can just take this?”
Yan Qing smiled. “It’s fine. Good fengshui can be found to the east of a river for thirty years, then to the west of a river for thirty years. We’ll take it as we go.”
The script he had was one where a young man couldn’t be bullied when he was poor, because one day, he would rise to power!
Springturn Sect hadn’t seen a scene like this since it was founded. When that sword qi streaked across the sky, everyone screamed and then knelt down, their legs shaking.
Big beads of sweat rolled down the sect leader’s forehead. His face was white as ash.
Even when they planned to give the siftrain flower to Desireless Sect at the Bluecloud Conference, that was through a noble family acting as an intermediary. They could never dream of actually seeing people from Desireless Sect. And now, two elders came right along?
Bai Xiaoxiao’s black eyelashes trembled slightly. He was a little afraid. But when he saw the fine, intricate, icy robes of the Desireless Sect disciples, his fingers unconsciously curled, and endless envy surged in his heart.
In a daze, he thought, it turned out this was one of the nine great sects, and this was the Southluster continent? He seemed to be like a frog with limited experience, sitting in a well and watching the sky. Behind a small leaf, he found an entirely different, dazzling world.
This was the true summit of power in the cultivation realm, the center of all the changing winds and clouds. Here were the sons of nobility with peerless talent, and here were unheard-of spiritual weapons and divine beasts.
Chengying slowly came back to himself and said with caution, “What do you mean?!”
The boy’s face was round, with slight dimples. When he smiled, he was very cute.
“We’re the ones who should be asking that. Chengying, what did you mean just now?”
“You said who seduced who? You said that the cultivation partner of our Venerable Duwei seduced the young sect master of your sect, who hasn’t cultivated a golden core even after a hundred years?” The young man said sardonically. “Chengying, you really dare to come out with just anything.”
His words were like thunder booming over the earth, striking everyone into a daze.
The nine great sects, the Southluster continent and the Bluecloud Conference were like a mysterious mist covering the sky. Through the mist, they saw flowers, myriad and varied, when the wind stirred and the clouds surged. That was the cultivation world.
But Venerable Duwei was like the bright moon in the sky, too far to reach, but gazed upon by all.
Everyone had heard of him. Everyone knew him.
Chengying’s pupils shrank. “You mean Xie Ying?!”
The boy smiled, his dimples showing. He looked down at him. “That’s right.”
His words were like vipers. “It sure is strange. Your young sect master, who doesn’t even dare to attend the Bluecloud Conference, and whose cultivation is propped up with divine pills and spiritual medicine, is worthy of comparison with our da-shixiong? Chengying, how could you say such words?”
“Shut up!”
Yin Wuwang had been hiding behind the crowd of people from Lightstream Sect. Now he could no longer suppress himself, and he glared at the boy.
His dignity was about to shatter, like glass balanced on a spiderweb.
The boy jeered at him, cocksure and undisciplined.
Chengying still couldn’t believe it. “You’re telling me that this boy is Xie Ying’s cultivation partner?!”
“Why would I lie to you?”
Huaixu was struck stupid. His voice trembled. “Yan…Yan Qing, what’s going on?” He could no longer concentrate on the fight between immortals before him. His heart almost stopped. All he wanted was an explanation.
How could this be, how could this be? How could his son have any connection with that man?
Yan Qing let out a dark breath. He enjoyed the nigh-on terrified gazes of everyone in the hall. First he smiled at his cheap father, and then he smiled at the two elders from Desireless Sect. He said unhurriedly, “Thank you for your help today. However, some matters aren’t suitable for discussion before a crowd. Let’s talk about this in private.”
The round-faced boy glanced at him, sneering. He looked down on Chengying, but he looked down on Yan Qing as well.
Elder Tianshu, on the other hand, had a warm attitude toward Yan Qing. “That’s fine. You’ve done our sect a favor, so there’s nothing you can’t say.”
Yan Qing reservedly accepted this praise.
Tianshu said, “In his last words, Zixiao said that when he failed his tribulation and was on the verge of death, you found a heavenly treasure to heal his wounds. You were pure and kind, a good boy.”
“Our ancestor gave that token to Zixiao, and then Zixiao gave it to you.”
“With this token, you became Desireless Sect’s great benefactor, and so you could make any one request of our sect. Even if your request was a little…surprising.”
Tianshu paused for a moment to find a suitable adjective. He coughed and said, “But we’ll still help you to the best of our ability.”
Yan Qing smiled.
Help me to the best of your ability?
Oh, so it turns out they haven’t notified Xie Shiyi.
In fact, Tianshu had been pushed into accepting this mess of a task.
Heaven knows how spectacular the scene was when Desireless Sect received this token. The entirety of Statecraft Palace was dead silent. The sect leader and several elders looked at each other, their expressions as if struck by thunder. A request to marry Xie Ying?!
Xie Ying was the sect’s head disciple in name, but you might have to add quotation marks around the word “disciple.” This was because Xie Ying’s cultivation method had been passed down from the period of ancient gods and demons, when the long-gone founder of Desireless Sect, Lord Nandou, still lived. The lord had personally passed down this method. When it came to seniority, who could rank above Xie Ying in all of Desireless Sect? They didn’t want to publicize this, so they called him the head disciple. As for his marriage…
Tianshu said diffidently, “No matter what, you should come back to Desireless Sect with us first.” Who could say if after seeing the Southluster continent and the larger world, you might not see the gap between you and Xie Ying, and give up this foolish infatuation?
Yan Qing arched a brow and smiled. “Sure.”
In his last life, he had stayed in Tenside City, using his wits and valor in a power struggle with Huai Mingzi. He was pretty curious about the upper realm.
Chengying seemed to have petrified. He looked at Yan Qing as if he had gone mad. “He’s really Xie Ying’s spouse?!”
The boy raised an eyebrow. “What, if he isn’t, could it be that you are? Do you want to marry our Xie-shixiong as well?”
Chengying gave him a nasty glare.
“Enough.”
Yin Wuwang’s face was ash-white. His fingers curled into fists, and the diamond on his forehead turned red as an open maw. All the blood in his body froze, and his mind was blank.
He shouted, “Chengying.”
Only now did Chengying shake himself out of his competition with the two men from Desireless Sect. “Young Sect Master.”
Yin Wuwang gently closed his eyes, then opened them again, saying wearily, “Let’s go home.”
He no longer wanted to stay here for a single moment. In Lightstream Sect, his aptitude was the worst among his brothers. He had always lived in the shadow of the talented people of Southluster.
The Bluecloud ranking was the long ladder to heaven that proved one’s talent, and Xie Ying stood at the top of this ladder.
The more insecure he felt, the more conceited he was. So when he came to Springturn Sect, and found that Yan Qing loved him more than life itself, he had enjoyed everything he gave him as if it were only natural. At the same time, he put on airs. If Yan Qing dared to slight him, he felt humiliated, and his hatred overflowed.
Just now, when Chengying attacked Yan Qing, he had been waiting to see the young man’s expression.
He wanted to see his regret and terror!
He wanted to see him so scared he knelt on the ground and cried, completely miserable!
He wanted to see Yan Qing finally understand that he was nothing but dust and didn’t deserve him!
Who could expect…
Who could expect…
Tianshu said, “Since your young sect master has asked to leave, I’d like to ask you to hurry and leave now.”
The hatred Chengying felt for Desireless Sect grew by another notch.
The round-faced boy looked at Yin Wuwang as if he had thought of something. “Wait, I’m suddenly a little curious. Yin Wuwang, why did you run over here in the first place?”
Yin Wuwang’s heart missed a beat. He instantly was on his guard.
It wasn’t a coincidence that he came to Springturn Sect.
His mother had told him there was an opportunity waiting for him here, and that he should come here without letting anyone know. But as soon as he came to the sect, he was injured, and Yan Qing began to cling to him. He didn’t have the time to find any secret realms, and had put it off until now.
And his mother had only been willing to tell him that the opportunity was at Springturn Sect. She was quiet about everything else, and was unwilling to even give him subordinates to use. Now, he had nothing to show for his efforts.
He began to suspect that some strange book had fooled his mother.
Yin Wuwang said coldly, “No comment.”
Chengying didn’t know why this little ancestor had run over here either. The sect madam had given him a secret command, so he came here to pick Yin Wuwang up. All he thought was that the young sect master had gone out to gain experience. He said disdainfully, “Get out. Who are you to manage our sect’s private matters?”
Yan Qing had watched the show for quite a while. Now, he finally had a sense of belonging. He smiled. “We’re about to leave.”
“......”
When they heard his voice, everyone had a complicated feeling.
Yan Qing swept his sleeves to the side and blinked. “Should we escort you home?”
Yin Wuwang’s fingers trembled faintly. He looked at Yan Qing with a dark light in his eyes.
Springturn Sect was located in a valley between mountains. There were peach trees planted before the gate. It was the third month, and their fragrant glory was on full display, delicate stamens flickering in the spring wind, branches supple and green and flowers falling like rain.
When Chengying left, his expression was cold as he stood above the clouds. His initial shock had passed, leaving only humiliation. He looked back down at Yan Qing, his eyes revealing a sinister chill. He said darkly, “Yan Qing, danger lurks around every corner in Southluster. Serving men with your looks isn’t a long-term strategy.”
Yan Qing said, “Sure.”
His careless manner infuriated Chengying. With a gesture of his sleeve, he turned a peach branch into a razor-sharp blade, throwing it toward Yan Qing!
“Chengying!” Tianshu was enraged. With a wave of his sword, he turned the peach branch into slivers in the sky.
But the spiritual qi still had a trace left, rushing toward Yan Qing’s face. It drew blood, creating a tiny cut.
Yan Qing’s face was expressionless. He raised a hand and felt the blood. When he saw that rich red color, his eyes darkened slightly.
Chengying laughed coldly. “I advise you to hurry and wake from your infatuation! Do you believe Xie Ying will protect you so you can live carefree? What does it matter if you’re his cultivation partner? Xie Ying practices the heartless path of cultivation, and he’s the head of the Cultivation Alliance. For almost a hundred years, he’s been like a madman, killing people as if he were scything down flax. There’s nothing he’ll bring to you but disaster. This blow of mine was the first lesson for you.”
When he finished speaking, Chengying stepped onto his flying ship, his sleeves fluttering, about to leave this place.
Who could expect that at the moment he left the valley, he was suddenly attacked, and fell straight off of the ship?
A strike of sword qi devastated the valley, crushing the peach blossoms to dust.
Chengying had suffered a heavy blow to his organs. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression changing. “This is—”
The sky full of peach blossoms turned demonic. A rain of blood flew down.
A vast and icy presence covered all of heaven and earth. It seemed to have come from the depths of a cold spring, or from a remote and secluded prison.
A crowd of people appeared in the sky, robed in black and carrying swords. Golden lotuses were embroidered on their sleeves. Creating a formation with their swords, they blocked off the entire valley.
Not even birds could escape.
Chengying’s eyes widened. “The Cultivation Alliance!”
At the same time, a voice came from midair. It was calm, and carried the chill of ice and snow.
“Did I say you could leave, Elder Chengying?”
***
cela’s notes:
I was super busy today and didn't eat dinner until eleven...I usually go to sleep at midnight, but it's half past twelve now... 😔
Yīn Wúwàng‘s name is 殷无妄, or “abundant” and “not reckless.” I mean, he seems kind of reckless to me…
2 hours and 40 minutes for 3,806 words, or 4.2 minutes for every 100 words. An increase in rate by 0.2 minutes…
A total of 19 hours and 48 minutes for 25,340 words, or 4.7 minutes for every 100 words. A decrease in rate by 0.1 minutes!
If you would like access to the next six chapters, please consider encouraging me on Ko-fi! 💛
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