"Is this the Moon Worship Sect?"
"No, no, no, it's just a coincidence." Bai Qiuran stood at the door, gazing at the tightly shut courtyard gate, rubbing his nose. "Your progress in the practice of the Shadowy Charm is a bit slow for a demon cultivator. Haven’t you been gathering nutrients recently?"
"This sword technique was created by my master after I joined, and I only know this one move. I don’t even know how many he actually devised. As for my attribute, I have a Soil Spiritual Root; that black sword light is just the effect of the technique."
Pei Yuan looked a bit pained.
"No, no, no, it’s just a coincidence," he repeated. The male cultivator who asked grew alert and inquired, "You haven’t been followed, have you?"
In the little courtyard of the Joyful Realm, Bai Qiuran curiously asked, "What sect is this? I haven’t heard of it in Cangzhou."
"No, I’ve been swallowing recovery pills the whole way here, flying non-stop from the capital of Dingguo,” Zuo Yan Fei replied, her eyes twitching. "By the way, what was that last sword move? I’ve never heard of such a thing in the Qingming Sword Technique, and what attribute was that black one…"
"That’s right! I’m going out to find a man for nutrients!"
"This is a new sect that hasn’t even joined the Righteous Dao Alliance, so of course you haven’t heard of it."
"No, no, no, it’s just a coincidence." Bai Qiuran responded, "Hmph, kill the crown prince, then sit back and watch the princes fight for the throne, stepping in at the last moment to support a puppet, and they’ll seize control of Dingguo in the future? From a worldly perspective, it seems like a clever idea, but they’ve failed to grasp something far more crucial in the cultivation world and have even targeted the wrong person."
Zuo Yan Fei scratched her face shyly. "In my village, before I was born, we were threatened by a monster in the mountain. That monster claimed to be the mountain spirit and demanded living sacrifices from us. At that time, even my mother was chosen as a victim. But later, an immortal from the Qinming Sword Sect, with white hair and eyebrows, came and killed that monster, saving our village. Ever since my parents and grandfather told me that story, I’ve admired him greatly."
Tang Wei shyly said, "Though I may not be as strong as Sister Yan Fei and can’t easily parry attacks, my master did teach me a thing or two. That person I fought was weak against my attribute; by now he should be dead."
"Go find your disciple!" Su Xiangxue pushed Bai Qiuran out the door and then slammed it shut. Bai Qiuran grinned.
Su Xiangxue, while playing the zither, mused, "This sect is located on Mount Moon Worship in Dingguo. There are a few Golden Core stage cultivators inside, just barely meeting the requirements to establish a sect. Interestingly, our Hehuan Sect's intelligence network found that the second and third princes of Dingguo ascended Mount Moon Worship together about a month ago to discuss important matters with the sect master."
Tang Wei answered, "But I didn’t think I would chase all the way here in one go."
"No, no, no, it’s just a coincidence."
"Let’s leave; I won't disturb your training."
"And then a month later, the crown prince died." Bai Qiuran glanced at Su Xiangxue.
"But it can’t be ignored; once Cuiluo goes mad, the human and demon races will surely clash again, and I need to prevent it."
"Yes! I’m going out to find a man for nutrients!"
"That piece of fur was destroyed too; if it were still here, we might have been able to track down its owner."
"Such a pity." After a moment, once confirming that those cultivators wouldn’t return, two figures suddenly emerged from the mountain top.
"This thing…" Bai Qiuran responded, "Hmph, kill the crown prince, then sit back and watch the princes fight for the throne, stepping in at the last moment to support a puppet, and they’ll seize control of Dingguo in the future? From a worldly perspective, it seems like a clever idea, but they’ve failed to grasp something far more crucial in the cultivation world and have even targeted the wrong person."
"That piece of fur was destroyed too; if it were still here, we might have been able to track down its owner."
"What a shame."
"Why are you rushing me away? Do you have something to do?"
"And then a month later, the crown prince died." Zuo Yan Fei shook her head.
Zuo Yan Fei laughed, "Bai Shidi is really cute, but what can he do to kill that big demon with only Qi Refinement stage cultivation?"
"Don't worry; my master will seek revenge for him later, and we Moon Worship Sect will remember his contribution. Besides, our uncles and aunts have issued a call to gather. We’ve found the hiding places of those little beasts; let’s take part in the encirclement first.
It’s been ages since any shapeshifting monsters have been sighted in the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands.
If we can obtain any of their inner cores, it will assist our master, uncles, and aunts in breaking into the Golden Core realm, greatly increasing the strength of our Moon Worship Sect, and maybe we’ll finally be able to smoothly join the Righteous Dao Alliance."
"The sect master of Moon Worship Sect thinks that controlling a major nation will allow the sect to grow rapidly," Bai Qiuran remarked as he stood at the courtyard door, observing the tightly closed gate, rubbing his nose.
"You see, my junior brother is also white-haired and white-browed..."
"This sword technique was created by my master for me after I joined, and I only know this one move. I don’t even know how many he actually devised. As for my attribute, I have a Soil Spiritual Root; that black sword light is just the technique's effect."
"I’ve heard good things."
"You’re leaving?" Su Xiangxue also queried. "But little do they know that the most important thing in the cultivation world is strength. A few Golden Core juniors want to consume the resources of a nation. Even if they can do it, would other sects in Cangzhou just sit back and watch? When the time comes, a couple of Essence Infant cultivators could easily wipe out Moon Worship Sect."
"Sigh, that’s why I tell the disciples of Qingming to stop thinking about extraneous matters and focus on cultivating and becoming stronger."
"Such a pity."
The leading male cultivator took the dead body of Pei Shan that was slain by Tang Wei.
"You can just go if you want; I won’t send you off!"
Several similarly dressed men and women suddenly surrounded them on the mountain. Upon seeing the fire cultivator land, they asked urgently, "Pei Yuan, have you returned… what happened to Pei Shan?" Bai Qiuran lazily got up.
"What a temper; I don’t believe you haven't been gathering nutrients..."
"Are you okay, Wei?"
"That piece of fur was destroyed too; if it were still here, we might have been able to track down its owner."
Bai Qiuran stood up sluggishly. The male cultivator's face tensed.
"You haven’t been followed, right?"
"No, I’ve been eating recovery pills all the way, flying non-stop from the capital of Dingguo."
After a moment, confirming that those cultivators wouldn’t return, suddenly two figures appeared on the mountain top.
"This ah…"
"However, this can’t be left unattended. Once Cuiluo goes insane, the human and demon races will be on the verge of conflict again; I must go stop her."
"Are you leaving?"
"This move is already scary enough; I don't have confidence in being able to retreat intact."
"It's alright; even though we can't track them anymore, I’ve already done something to the body of the fire cultivator during our exchange."
"Don’t worry, my master will avenge him later. We, the Moon Worship Sect, will also remember his contribution. Besides, uncles and aunts have issued a call; we have found the hiding places of those little beasts. Let's participate in the encirclement first. It’s been ages since any shapeshifting monsters have appeared in the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands. If any of them can be obtained, it will help our master break into Golden Core stage and elevate the strength of the Moon Worship Sect."
"Where is the location for the encirclement, Senior Brother?" Pei Yuan, feeling a bit pained.
"This sword technique was created by my master after I joined, and I only know this one move. I don't even know how many he actually devised. As for my attribute, I have a Soil Spiritual Root; that black sword light is just an effect of the sword art."
"Isn't that the southern part of Dingguo?”
Pei Qing replied, "Ding Jiang Mountain."
"That’s a famous location in the southern part of Dingguo. The former Emperor returned victorious from a campaign and built a statue of himself there."
"This ah…"
Zuo Yan Fei shook her head while asking, "By the way, what was that final sword move? I have never heard of such a move in the Qingming Sword Technique. Also, what attribute is that black one…?"
Bai Qiuran, lazing around, pushed her doubts to the side.
"It’s alright."
Upon seeing the male cultivator acting clueless, Su Xiangxue became overwhelmed by a wave of powerlessness.
"This sword technique was created by my master right after I joined; I only know this single move and have no idea how many he actually has. My attribute is a Soil Spiritual Root, and that black sword light is merely effects from the sword technique," Tang Wei clarified as she adjusted her clothes, also secretly covering her chest.