It was clearly a longsword, yet it seemed as if a stalwart man was hovering in the air.
“Junior of the True Spirit Sect, for what reason have you summoned me from the mountain?”
Zhao Chun bowed and said, “This disciple has come on the Sect Master’s order to retrieve the Return-Kill Sword and bring it back to the sect.” The voice suddenly stopped, and only after a long while did it speak again.
“That kid Kong Jue, he left me here when he moved the sect back then, thinking there would be a chance to return. Now, is it time to leave for good?”
Daoist Kong Jue was the third-generation Sect Master who led the True Spirit Sect’s migration to the Secluded Valley and later took charge of the sect. In the mouth of this voice, however, he had become “that kid.” But it was not strange; the personal sword of Daoist Duanyi was probably over two thousand years old.
A figure from a thousand years ago was indeed young in its eyes.
“I ask you, what era is this, who is the Sect Master, and why are you taking me to the Secluded Valley?”
Zhao Chun noticed that it still used the word “go” to describe the Secluded Valley, thinking it must still hold a deep attachment to Pine Mountain. Thus, she answered, “Nearly a thousand years have passed since the migration to the Secluded Valley. The sect is now led by the sixth-generation Sect Master, Daoist Tusheng.
The current Sect Master’s life is in peril, and it is feared that the Yang Water Sect will take the opportunity to cause trouble. Therefore, he specially dispatched this disciple to come and retrieve the sect’s spirit sword.”
“It was that Yang Water Sect back then that severed the True Spirit Sect’s fortune and charged up our mountain gate! To think that now their wolfish ambitions remain unchanged, and they are still determined to devour this piece of meat that is the True Spirit Sect!”
Upon hearing this, the longsword became endlessly furious. The blade trembled, and even Pine Mountain quaked along with it. A moment later, it retracted its imposing aura and landed before Zhao Chun.
“Junior of the True Spirit Sect, I am the sword spirit of the Return-Kill Sword, and I also go by this name. Take me back to the sect at once, and on the way, tell me of the sect’s recent affairs!”
Zhao Chun said, “My apologies, Senior Return-Kill.” She then gripped the hilt, summoned a Smoke Boat Talisman, and immediately turned back toward the True Spirit Sect! At this time, within the True Spirit Sect, the air was also thick with the feeling of an impending storm...
“Senior Brother! The Sect Master has summoned that Qiu Jianying. Why didn’t you go and fight for it?”
Ge Xingchao paced back and forth, sighing from time to time, as he asked Li Su with confusion. Li Su, however, sat calmly in his chair and looked up, saying, “Xingchao, let me ask you, all these years, why have I contended with her?”
“Naturally, it was to prevent the council of elders from becoming her one-woman show, to prevent you and I from being pushed to the margins, becoming nominal elders with titles but no real power!”
Ge Xingchao strode back and sat beside Li Su.
“When she becomes the Sect Master in the future, what will be left for us senior brothers?”
“If she isn’t the Sect Master, who should be? You, me, or that Wu Yunzhang who never meddles in affairs?”
This question rendered Ge Xingchao speechless, and he sat sullenly in his chair. Li Su lightly patted his shoulder.
“When our Master passed away back then and appointed Senior Brother as the Sect Master, did you or I have any objections?”
“Of course not. Sect Master Senior Brother’s talent surpassed yours and mine. He also acted as Sect Master for a long time in his capacity as an elder, and everyone in the sect respected and admired him…”
Ge Xingchao was only headstrong, not stupid. As soon as these words were out, he instantly understood. Extraordinary talent, acting as Sect Master—wasn’t this exactly Qiu Jianying’s situation now?
“Let me ask you again, if Qiu Jianying becomes the Sect Master, will she kill you and me?”
“How would she dare!”
Ge Xingchao said with certainty. Li Su then asked, “If the Yang Water Sect attacks, will they kill you and me?” Ge Xingchao was silent for a long time.
He then heard Li Su say, “Actually, you understand in your heart. It’s just that you’ve been with me for so many years, you’ve gotten used to the struggle.”
“But no matter how muddled one is, one must understand what is proper and what is not…”
In his youth, Li Su was proud and unruly, acknowledging no one but his senior brother Daoist Tusheng and his elders. But he was not one whose eyes were clouded by greed. With a great enemy at the gates, it was almost an obvious conclusion who between him and Qiu Jianying was more suited to achieve the Profound Division Stage.
Although he was somewhat unwilling, he could suppress his thoughts and yield the opportunity. The sect, the shackles that had bound his senior brother for almost his entire life, was now firmly clasped around him as well.
“We… none of us managed to escape.”
He stood up and walked outside, his voice gradually reaching Ge Xingchao’s ears.
“From now on, of the three senior brothers, only you and I are left. Be more steady.”
Ge Xingchao slumped in his seat and whispered, “But, I always feel that she’s different from Sect Master Senior Brother.” ... Outside the Upper Strict Hall, Zheng Chenqing stood behind Qiu Jianying with a grave expression.
Although he was the Sect Master’s apprentice, because Daoist Tusheng’s lifespan was nearing its end, he often had to enter seclusion and see no one. Thus, it was often Qiu Jianying who instructed him in cultivation methods. Though she was his senior sister, she could be considered half a master to him.
“The Yang Water Sect is advancing menacingly. The sect is already in extreme danger.”
Qiu Jianying stood in a daze, as if she hadn’t heard his words. After a long time, she was finally heard saying, “Do you know how old Master is this year?”
“Including this year, merely one hundred and twenty.”
This question she asked was not for Zheng Chenqing, but seemingly for herself.
“Master forcibly broke through from the peak of Core Formation to the Profound Division Stage, sacrificing two hundred years of his lifespan. Even after sacrificing his lifespan, with his life force draining several times faster than others, he shouldn’t have had to face dissolution in just ten years. From the moment he became the Sect Master, Master has never left the Upper Strict Hall. This ironclad Sect Protection Formation… who would know that he has been sustaining it with his own life force…”
Zheng Chenqing was both shocked and saddened, not knowing how to reply. And Qiu Jianying had no intention of him responding, she just continued to speak to herself, “If he wasn't the Sect Master, he would surely be a genius who commanded the winds and clouds of the Southern Region. Is the sect… really that important?”
“Senior Sister!”
Seeing her vacant gaze, as if she had fallen into a demonic state, Zheng Chenqing hurriedly called out. Qiu Jianying stepped into the hall, her gaze firm. She suddenly stopped and said, “From the moment he closed the hall doors, I told myself that in this life, I would never be like him, so pitiful and foolish.”
After speaking, she strode inside, leaving behind a pale-faced Zheng Chenqing to ponder the meaning of her words. Inside the inner hall, Daoist Tusheng sat cross-legged amidst a circle of immortal cranes. Qiu Jianying’s expression was solemn; she knew this was the eye of the Sect Protection Formation.
After the previous Sect Master had exhausted his lifespan here ten years ago, counting today, it had already devoured the lives of two Profound Division cultivators.
“My girl…”
He was already too old. The young Daoist, clear as the wind in Qiu Jianying’s memory, only had a pair of eyes that still resembled the old man before her.
“Your father… is very guilty…”
Daoist Tusheng couldn’t straighten his back, so he could only tilt his head to look at her.
“I’m very guilty for making you follow in the footsteps of your master and me at such a young age. Don’t be sad, your father has found a way. I will absolutely not let you become like your father…”
Qiu Jianying supported his emaciated body, remaining silent. Since ten years ago, the two had gradually drifted apart and had not spoken heart-to-heart for a long time. Daoist Tusheng knew his lamp was out of oil.
Unwilling to let Qiu Jianying enter the Profound Division Stage by sacrificing her lifespan as he had, he sought a secret technique of spiritual energy infusion from that venerable one. He gave up reincarnation, paying the price of having his soul scattered and dispersed in exchange for a Profound Division cultivator whose lifespan would not be damaged.
His entire body’s True Essence flowed into Qiu Jianying. He could no longer speak a complete sentence, only repeating, “Don’t be sad… don’t be sad…” His voice gradually grew faint, and even his body began to dissipate, becoming a phantom.
Qiu Jianying stared at the phantom, not responding for a long time. She took out a dark purple flower branch—it was precisely the Amethyst Spirit Branch. Upon seeing it, Daoist Tusheng was first gratified, then suddenly alarmed, and then his eyes revealed a deep sorrow.
As his phantom dissipated, he left behind only one sentence: “Don’t… make one mistake after another.” Suddenly, above the Secluded Valley, an azure radiance split the heavens and the earth. Patterns spread across it, transforming into all kinds of living creatures.
Zheng Chenqing’s heart settled, and for a moment he set aside his doubts, saying to Qiu Jianying who had walked out of the hall, “Congratulations, Senior Sister, on dividing the Revolving Vital Treasure Light and entering the Supreme Profound Division!” However, there was not a trace of joy on Qiu Jianying’s face. She said faintly, “No need to congratulate me.
You should be worried about yourself.” With a press of her large hand, Zheng Chenqing’s sinews and bones were instantly broken, splattering blood all over the ground!
(End of Chapter)