When the words "Calamity Cause" left the white-haired old man's mouth, Chen Yan's heart sank slightly.
Calamity Cause.
He had heard this term before, and it had left a deep impression on him.
In one of Chen Yan's reincarnations, before he died, he had heard the Black Shadow standing beside his bed mention this term.
That Black Shadow had regarded him as a "Calamity Cause."
"Martial Uncle, may I ask, what is a Calamity Cause?"
Chen Yan asked.
"Calamity Cause is a lock."
The youth in a yellow robe beside him answered:
"It is the root cause why, in the seven thousand years since Falling Star Sword Immortal Su Hongzhen, not a single person has achieved Ascension Realm."
Su Hongzhen, Chenping Continent's foremost Sword Cultivator, was also its last Sword Immortal.
Once, when Chen Yan's lifespan was nearly exhausted, he had gone to the Falling Sword Mountain Range precisely to seek Su Hongzhen's opportunity and gamble for a sliver of life.
But in the end, he found nothing.
After Su Hongzhen, no one in Chenping Continent achieved Ascension Realm.
"But that is merely an unfounded rumor."
The white-haired old man waved his hand.
"No one knows why no one in Chenping Continent has achieved Ascension Realm in these seven thousand years. Perhaps it is simply because Chenping Continent's talented people have withered away."
As he spoke, the white-haired old man paused briefly.
"The Calamity Cause theory is merely an unproven conjecture and theory. Because this view carries too much of a conspiratorial air, it cannot be brought into the light.
"However, Elder Fu Qian's branch has always been a staunch supporter of the Calamity Cause theory. As for Elder Fu Qian himself, he has even become somewhat obsessed with it."
"So then, what exactly is a Calamity Cause...?"
Chen Yan pressed on.
"They are certain living beings hidden among all living beings, yet different from the rest."
The white-haired old man said:
"It is said that twelve hundred years ago, there was a sect in the southwest of Chenping Continent called the Zhengshu Cult. At the time, it was quite renowned in the southwest of Chenping Continent, with faint signs of approaching the Five Great Sects.
"At that time, the Calamity Cause theory had yet to gain widespread recognition among the major sects of the world. And with no Ascension Realm cultivators appearing for nearly six thousand years, cultivators had become deeply uneasy.
"Against this backdrop, the Zhengshu Cult launched a massacre known as Slay Calamity Cause.
"Under the Zhengshu Cult's influence, not only did the various Top Cultivation Sects take part, but the mortal dynasties in southwestern Chenping Continent, and even common folk, joined this vast and mighty slaughter.
"Dwarves, eunuchs, the deaf and mute—later, even widows, orphans, and the disabled fell within the scope of people's hunt.
"Later still, the fundamental purpose of Slay Calamity Cause was no longer to slay Calamity Causes at all, but simply to eliminate dissidents.
"Cultivators began attacking one another, accusing enemies or rivals of possibly being Calamity Causes. Chenping Continent's entire cultivation world was thrown into chaos because of it.
"In the end, Xingtian Gate's chief disciple of its sect master was murdered by treacherous people who seized the opportunity amid the Slay Calamity Cause unrest. That made the high-level figures of the Five Great Sects realize that this farce could not continue.
"Ultimately, the Xingtian Gate sect master personally led a force to the southwest, destroying the Zhengshu Cult and its affiliated small and medium sects. Only then did the farce of Slay Calamity Cause finally come to an end.
"After that, the Calamity Cause theory was no longer mainstream in Chenping Continent."
The white-haired old man's words greatly shocked Chen Yan.
They reminded him of the witch hunts of the Middle Ages.
And the Slay Calamity Cause unrest had been a witch hunt within the cultivation world, born from people's terror at no one in Chenping Continent achieving Ascension Realm for thousands of years.
Although more than ninety-nine percent of cultivators in this world had not the slightest chance of breaking into the Upper Three Realms, the sight of no one achieving Ascension Realm still inspired panic.
Because it could very well mean that the Immortal Path had been severed.
The violent atrocity of Slay Calamity Cause had thus been born from this fear of the unknown.
In other words, he had been killed in that previous reincarnation because someone had regarded him as a Calamity Cause.
Elder Fu Qian, who remained obsessed with the Calamity Cause theory, seemed to have been laying out plans in the Outer Court all along as well.
Could this, to some extent, indicate that the Black Shadows who had killed him were connected to Elder Fu Qian?
And how much were Chu Xiyao, and even the already dead Song Mingde, connected to these matters?
Or even the calamity that would descend upon the Outer Court three years later and cause Cheng Ziying's death...
Chen Yan did not know. The information he could obtain at present was insufficient, and these were merely the white-haired old man's one-sided words.
What, then, was the truth behind it all?
The white-haired old man before him seemed to greatly dislike the Calamity Cause theory, and thus also held deep objections toward Elder Fu Qian of Qingchan Peak.
And it seemed that his junior brother, outer court Elder Lin Qifeng, shared the white-haired old man's view. That was why he had sent Chen Yan over to deliver a warning.
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"Did your Master tell you anything else?"
The white-haired old man continued asking.
"No."
Chen Yan answered.
"Very well."
The white-haired old man nodded.
"Then what medicinal pill did you come here to collect?"
"Body Tempering Fluid."
As for requesting Body Tempering Fluid of higher purity, Chen Yan could not bring himself to say it.
"Zhao Bin."
The white-haired old man called out.
"This disciple is here."
The youth in the yellow robe beside him cupped his hands in salute.
"Take your Martial Uncle Lin's disciple downstairs and fetch three bottles of high-grade Body Tempering Fluid, as well as one Qi Guiding Pill that I refined not long ago."
The white-haired old man continued giving orders.
"As you command."
The youth named Zhao Bin replied respectfully. Then he stepped back two paces, waved his hand near the stairs, and gestured for Chen Yan to come over.
"Martial Nephew."
Just as Chen Yan was about to head downstairs, the white-haired old man behind him suddenly called out to him.
"This disciple is here."
Chen Yan answered.
"Before long, we will meet again."
The white-haired old man said with a smile.
Chen Yan said nothing. He merely cupped his hands toward the Elder in salute, then followed Zhao Bin downstairs.
Perhaps it meant that Lin Qifeng would send him to deliver more messages again before long.
Zhao Bin stood before a shelf on the second floor of the pill hall and took three crystal bottles filled with emerald-green liquid from a tray, along with a small milky-white porcelain bottle.
"One bottle of Body Tempering Fluid is enough for three baths. You need a total of nine baths, one every seven days. Simply pour the Body Tempering Fluid into the bath barrel and soak for half a shichen. Cold water is best."
Zhao Bin explained how to use the Body Tempering Fluid to Chen Yan:
"As for this Qi Guiding Pill, you must wait until you break through to the Qi Condensation Realm before taking it."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Chen Yan said.
"What do you think of what my Master said?"
Zhao Bin suddenly changed the subject.
"What?"
Chen Yan asked in confusion.
"What do you think of my Master's view on Calamity Cause?"
This seemed to be the youth's way of testing Chen Yan.
Chen Yan recalled Zhao Bin's attitude toward the Calamity Cause theory on the third floor of the pill hall just now. It seemed that Zhao Bin and the white-haired old man held differing views on it.
But could it have been an act put on for him to see?
It was better to remain cautious.
"It is only a pity for the living beings who died unjustly twelve hundred years ago."
Chen Yan answered.
It was an exceedingly vague answer, and Zhao Bin did not seem to reveal any opinion of Chen Yan's response.
"Cultivate well. Though you are still an Outer Court Disciple now, your Master is Martial Uncle Lin."
Zhao Bin said:
"Do you know what that represents?"
"This junior is dull-witted. I ask Senior Brother Zhao for guidance."
"It means that you now count as half a disciple of Kongyuan Mountain. Should the sect master forgive Martial Uncle Lin and order him to return to Kongyuan Mountain..."
As he spoke, Zhao Bin paused for a moment.
"Junior brother Chen, you will become a disciple of Kongyuan Mountain."
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