Buddho-Daoist Dual Cultivation! The Truth Behind Caomiao Village's Annihilation?

"Cangsong?"

"Are you so eager to seek death?"

True Person Dao Xuan walked slowly in from outside the Ancestor's Hall, his face expressionless. He looked at Daoist Cangsong kneeling on the ground, still clutching that Blood Banner of Poison in his hand...

"Sect Leader Senior Brother, I..."

Daoist Cangsong noticed the Blood Banner of Poison in Dao Xuan's hand.

He silently lowered his head, offering no further resistance, but...

Though Daoist Cangsong harbored a death wish, His heart was instead filled with a strange calm!

Senior Brother Wan is still alive?

How wonderful!

He hasn't truly committed an irredeemable mistake yet?

How wonderful!

According to his plan—

He would ally with the demonic sects, find an opportunity to attack Qingyun Sect, and utterly destroy this so-called foremost sect of the Righteous Path.

But now.

He hasn't yet made an irreparable error?

How wonderful!

"Sigh."

Seeing this, Wan Jianyi let out a soft sigh.

He glanced at True Person Dao Xuan and waved his hand casually, saying, "You're the Sect Leader—handle it yourself..."

With that, He walked off to the side, listless.

Then he sat alone, quietly sipping his wine. Perhaps even he felt a bit lost now, never imagining things would turn out like this...

Wang Quan Yan stood still.

He watched everything calmly, thinking that this was actually for the best—before any true catastrophe had occurred, while there was still time to set things right...

"Sect Leader Senior Brother."

Daoist Cangsong knelt on the ground, silently bowing his head.

Hearing this, True Person Dao Xuan let out a mocking laugh.

He looked at Cangsong with a complicated expression, his tone self-deprecating: "Senior Brother? Forget it. I don't have a junior brother like you..."

Daoist Cangsong trembled slightly.

He lowered his head in silence, saying nothing.

For a moment, The scene fell into a heavy stillness.

"Sigh."

After a long while, True Person Dao Xuan let out a soft sigh.

He looked at Cangsong before him with a complicated gaze, his tone indifferent: "In your eyes, am I truly so unworthy to be the Sect Leader of Qingyun Sect?"

Cangsong trembled again.

He kept his head down, not uttering a single word.

The answer?

It was obvious.

In his heart, Only Wan Jianyi was fit to be Qingyun Sect's leader—how could anyone else compare to the Senior Brother Wan he revered!?

"Heh—"

True Person Dao Xuan let out a self-mocking laugh, his face devoid of expression.

"In your eyes?"

"Am I really that far beneath Wan Jianyi!"

His voice remained utterly flat.

Wang Quan Yan guessed that the "you" here referred to the other Peak Masters of Qingyun Sect.

Wan Jianyi took a small sip of wine.

He sat there on his own, saying nothing.

Just as he had said earlier.

Dao Xuan was the Sect Leader.

Let the Sect Leader handle matters here.

Ancestor's Hall.

The atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.

True Person Dao Xuan stared coldly at Daoist Cangsong. He was not swayed by momentary emotion but began interrogating Cangsong instead...

For instance, when had he joined the demonic sect?

And how had he obtained his Blood Banner of Poison? How many mortals had he actually killed?

Upon hearing this.

Daoist Cangsong answered honestly.

The Blood Banner of Poison had been refined by killing several hundred or even a thousand mortals—though all those he had slain were bandits and outlaws.

In other words, scum.

Hearing this.

True Person Dao Xuan's expression eased slightly.

He continued asking what other heinous deeds Cangsong had committed.

Cangsong stated that five years ago, he had plotted to murder Holy Monk Puzhi of Tianyin Temple, but had ultimately failed...

Upon hearing this.

True Person Dao Xuan's expression shifted. "Was it also you who massacred the hundred-plus households of Caomiao Village?"

"No!"

"It absolutely was not me!"

Daoist Cangsong quickly shook his head.

To be honest.

He himself did not understand how the people of Caomiao Village had died.

For no clear reason, the entire village had been wiped out...

True Person Dao Xuan furrowed his brow.

Not Cangsong?

Could it be Puzhi, then?

At that thought.

Cangsong seemed to recall something.

He hesitated. "Sect Leader Senior Brother, at the time I tried to seize the Blood Devouring Pearl from Puzhi, but I failed. Before I left, I noticed Puzhi was showing signs of falling into demonic possession..."

"What?!"

True Person Dao Xuan's expression changed.

The Blood Devouring Pearl was a supreme treasure of the Blood Refining Hall of the demonic sect.

If Puzhi had been corrupted in mind and fallen into demonic possession...

True Person Dao Xuan's face flickered with uncertainty.

A person who had fallen into demonic possession? Their inner obsessions would be magnified without limit, making extreme actions entirely possible.

But—

If Caomiao Village had truly been massacred by Puzhi?

Then why had he spared Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu?

True Person Dao Xuan's eyes flickered slightly.

Suddenly—

He thought of something.

If a demon-possessed person's obsession was magnified without limit, then what was Puzhi's obsession?

Several years ago.

Holy Monk Puzhi had visited Qingyun Sect, attempting to exchange cultivation methods with them, hoping to achieve Buddho-Daoist Dual Cultivation and see if he could uncover the secret of 'Immortal Ascension.'

To this, True Person Dao Xuan resolutely refused.

After that, Puzhi frequently exchanged letters with True Person Dao Xuan, repeatedly trying to persuade him to set aside sectarian prejudice and discuss the secrets of Immortal Ascension together...

So.

Puzhi's obsession was Immortal Ascension?!

His obsession was Buddho-Daoist Dual Cultivation!!

Suppose—

He slaughtered Caomiao Village, left behind one orphan, taught him the Great Brahma Prajna, then had him join the Qingyun Sect... Wouldn't that smoothly achieve Buddho-Daoist Dual Cultivation?!

The more True Person Dao Xuan thought, the more alarmed he became.

He felt he was getting closer to the truth?

Thinking of this, True Person Dao Xuan hesitated for a moment.

He looked at Daoist Cangsong and Wan Jianyi, and recounted the conjecture in his mind.

Upon hearing this, Daoist Cangsong and Wan Jianyi were greatly shocked.

Slaughtering the entire Caomiao Village for a single obsession?

This...

This was even more Demonic Path than the Demonic Path itself!

"Junior Brother Cangsong, have you noticed anything unusual about Lin Jingyu over the years? Has he been secretly cultivating any Buddhist Techniques!?"

True Person Dao Xuan inquired.

He instinctively thought of Lin Jingyu.

After all, Lin Jingyu's cultivation aptitude was indeed excellent.

Who else would anyone think of?

They would likely think of Lin Jingyu.

Upon hearing this, Daoist Cangsong shook his head and said, "Sect Leader Senior Brother, I have been keeping an eye on that child Jingyu all these years. He hasn't been secretly cultivating any Buddhist Techniques. But that Zhang Xiaofan..."

Cangsong hesitated for a moment.

He glanced at Wang Quan Yan, then recounted what he had discovered during the Seven Meridians Martial Arts Tournament.

"That Zhang Xiaofan's magic treasure possesses a formidable Bloodthirsty Ability."

"It looks like it should be the power of the Blood Devouring Pearl."

True Person Dao Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

The Blood Devouring Pearl?

That thing was supposed to be in Puzhi's hands.

Now it suddenly appears in Zhang Xiaofan's hands? Then the result speaks for itself!

Zhang Xiaofan is the candidate Puzhi chose for 'Buddho-Daoist Dual Cultivation'!

With this thought, True Person Dao Xuan turned his head to look at Wang Quan Yan.

"Xiao Yan, have you noticed anything unusual about Zhang Xiaofan over the years..."

Hearing these words, Wang Quan Yan was somewhat surprised in his heart.

He hadn't expected that True Person Dao Xuan, based solely on a few words from 'Daoist Cangsong,' could so quickly deduce the outcome of Caomiao Village...

Truly worthy of being the leader of the Righteous Path.