The Sect Master's Seat Through a Thousand Years

Although the tasks in those two stages had been completed in something of a muddle, it didn't affect the bigger picture.

After putting down the wine, Chen Ning left the Law Enforcement Hall.

Next, he decided to find the Eighth Elder.

There was no other reason than that he knew only a handful of the sect's higher-ups.

And of them, he had dealt with the Eighth Elder the most.

In his memories, the nine elders had been infiltrated most heavily.

Almost all of them were undercover agents.

The First Elder had the greatest influence, the highest cultivation, and the hottest figure.

The last point was, of course, of no consequence.

Even so, Chen Ning was quite apprehensive about facing Cang Yue.

Having considered them all, the Eighth Elder was still the easiest to bully.

Mainly because his face was familiar.

Once at the Azure Cloud Platform and once in Gold and Iron City, both encounters had been awkward.

Yet the Eighth Elder had still managed to put on a calm, righteous face. He was quite the veteran actor.

Both times, he had severed his own wrist like a resolute warrior, personally disposing of his subordinates.

Chen Ning was also worried that if he kept shearing the same sheep, he would inevitably strip it bald one day.

He could only ask the Eighth Elder to make another sacrifice.

Chen Ning returned to his residence, and the moment he stepped into the courtyard, he sensed a pressure bearing down on him.

Looking over, he saw Cang Yue sitting at ease on a stone stool, her gaze resting on the stone table.

There lay some things Chen Ning had used to inscribe talismans that morning, which he hadn't had time to clear away before going out.

There was yellow paper for inscribing talismans, a fine weasel-hair brush, and some scraps and the like.

"What brings the First Elder here?"

Chen Ning walked over, hoping to block the table with his body. He was afraid the little things he had inscribed wouldn't be worthy of Cang Yue's notice.

It would be embarrassing if this undercover agent from the imperial dynasty laughed at him for them.

He still cared about his reputation.

When Cang Yue noticed Chen Ning shielding the stone table with his body, something stirred in her heart. She felt she had indeed been somewhat rash.

She had taken it upon herself to peek at a talisman master's worktable without permission.

Even if the worktable was rather crude.

She had already breached certain taboos.

This counted as secretly learning someone else's craft, an act looked down on in the world of talismans and even throughout the cultivation world.

"I was presumptuous. I hope you won't take offense, Sect Master."

Cang Yue rose and bowed slightly. Her neckline was so low that Chen Ning could even see the deep cleavage clearly.

"It's fine."

Chen Ning spoke calmly, thinking that the First Elder was unexpectedly polite.

She had merely paid a quiet visit without giving notice, yet she was apologizing so profusely, as though she had done something wrong.

"By the way, First Elder, what brings you here today?"

"Sect Master, I heard you helped a Lineage establish itself in Gold and Iron City. Do you have something in mind?"

So that was what this was about.

Chen Ning said casually, "No, it just happened by chance. I don't have any plans."

Cang Yue nodded without showing any change in expression, then asked, "Then have you made any specific arrangements for the sect's next steps?"

With a change of sect master in the Dragon-Seeking Sect, everything should have taken on a new look.

Yet even now, Chen Ning had announced no course for its development.

That was already somewhat strange.

Over the past thousand years, the Dragon-Seeking Sect had been a rising star, but one that had soared spectacularly.

Standing tall in the Nine Provinces, it had entered the ranks of the super sects in the shortest time.

It had relied entirely on the strategies of successive Dragon-Seeking Sect masters.

It had flourished.

Every generation of sect masters had a very different plan for its development.

The first sect master had advocated expansion.

In just a few years, he had established a base in Spirit Province.

There, he had put down roots and made it the sect's headquarters.

He had built goodwill far and wide, taking the initiative to forge alliances with countless allies across the Nine Provinces and giving the sect a foundation for growth.

The second sect master had advocated conquest and slaughter. Leading the Dragon-Seeking Sect, he had seized considerable territory. That era had also been when the Dragon-Seeking Sect was at its strongest, striking fear into all who heard its name.

Even now, many factions that had endured for a thousand years turned pale at the mention of the second sect master.

Much of the Dragon-Seeking Sect's present-day prestige had been won during that time.

The third sect master had advocated cultivation.

In the ways of the world, strength was revered. Only with formidable cultivation could one secure a firmer foothold.

During the third sect master's tenure, talents emerged one after another, and the sect had countless powerhouses. It was revered and enjoyed an incomparably exalted status.

By the fourth sect master's time, he was renowned throughout the world for his recklessness. It was also during his generation that the Dragon-Seeking Sect was nearly destroyed.

The fourth sect master's principle was to fight anyone who refused to submit.

Whether they were overlords ruling imperial dynasties or ancient sects that had endured for tens of millions of years, he fought whoever he came across.

He rampaged about, an awe-inspiring sight.

But what followed was the sect's near destruction in battle after battle.

It took the next three generations of sect masters, striving diligently to restore the sect, to bring the Dragon-Seeking Sect back to life and return it to the ranks of the super sects.

"By comparison, only the previous old sect master's tenure could be considered somewhat calmer, with steady development on all fronts."

As Cang Yue slowly recounted the sect's history, a bitter smile appeared on Chen Ning's face.

Good grief, the Dragon-Seeking Sect really was something.

Every generation had been different, with moments of glory and times in the depths.

And right now, he very much wanted to correct something Cang Yue had said.

The previous old sect master's generation had not been peaceful, much less steady on all fronts.

On the contrary, the old sect master's tenure had been the most fucking incredible period of all.

The whole fucking sect was full of undercover agents.

Every last one was a villain!

"I really want to run away... but I can't escape..."

"Sect Master, what are you singing?"

Chen Ning waved a hand. "It's nothing. I remembered something that made me happy."

But he had to admit, the Dragon-Seeking Sect really did have tenacious vitality. No matter how a sect master squandered its fortunes or charged recklessly ahead, it could return to its peak after some years had passed.

It was indeed hard not to suspect that a mysterious secret treasure was protecting the sect, preserving this foundation through some wondrous power.

"What about you, Sect Master? Do you have any principles of your own? I can pass them on as soon as possible so the whole sect will know."

Cang Yue asked with a smile, waiting for Chen Ning's instructions.

"Buddha-like."

Chen Ning's eyes darted about, and the words slipped out.

"What does 'Buddha-like' mean? Please enlighten me, Sect Master." Cang Yue looked at Chen Ning in puzzlement.

Chen Ning smiled faintly and gazed into the distance, his eyes full of meaning. "Rest and recuperate, and keep to our place."

Cang Yue's beautiful eyes froze for a moment as she carefully savored the sect master's words.

"Do not contend, do not compete. In quiet moments, often reflect on your own faults; in idle conversation, do not speak of others' wrongs..."

Chen Ning closed his eyes and maintained his lofty bearing. After a long while, he lifted his eyelids slightly to glance at Cang Yue's reaction.

Seeing that he seemed to have impressed her, he sat down with a smile and silently tidied the clutter on the stone table.

"Sect Master, there is actually one more thing I came to ask you to agree to."

As though she had been gathering her thoughts for a long time, Cang Yue spoke unhurriedly, a note of inquiry in her lovely voice.

"Go ahead."

Chen Ning continued arranging the table without betraying his thoughts. He had no idea what medicine Cang Yue was selling in her gourd.

He could only hear her out first.

An immensely powerful fluctuation of primordial force enveloped the space, and the courtyard was instantly cut off from the outside world.

Chen Ning's heart tightened at once. What is this woman going to do?

She had even set up a barrier.