Saint Mother Wudang had never clearly taken sides. From beginning to end, she had stood with the Interception Sect as a whole.
She did not want to see members of the same sect turn against one another, much less watch the Interception Sect split into factions fighting among themselves.
The Sect of Enlightenment next door, by contrast, was divided into three factions.
The first faction consisted of Guangchengzi, True Person Taiyi, Chijingzi, and True Lord Qingxu Daode. They were the disciples most favored by Primordial Heavenly Venerate, and every one of them was armed to the teeth.
The second faction was made up of five people: Daoist Burning Lamp, Manjushri, Cihang, Samantabhadra, and Juliusun. To shore up his position, Daoist Burning Lamp had won the other four over, supporting and cultivating them with all his might.
The third faction consisted of honest folk like True Person Yu Ding and True Person Huang Long.
They devoted themselves to cultivation and did not take part in the Sect of Enlightenment's factional struggles.
Even so, the first two factions were at odds with each other. They might not openly clash, but their covert struggles had never let up.
The Interception Sect's situation was still fairly stable. Daoist Duobao alone kept all the other sects in check.
To ordinary disciples, Daoist Duobao was like an insurmountable mountain. Forget opposing him—they couldn't even decide their own futures.
Those who could stand up to Daoist Duobao were all people who valued loyalty and affection. They were unwilling to oppose him.
And yet, for that very reason, although Fang Yang had not accepted Saint Mother Wudang's offer, he was still prepared to win her over.
Fang Yang's words had been harsh, but in truth, he knew how to keep things within bounds.
He showed a different side of himself to different people.
He acted arrogant in front of Meng Zhen because Meng Zhen was inexperienced and still had the impetuousness of youth.
He dared to speak frankly before Sect Master Tongtian without being disrespectful because Sect Master Tongtian was his master. A disciple should respect his master, but not fear him.
In front of his fellow disciples, Fang Yang had to play the part of someone decisive and ruthless.
He said he would kill anyone who harmed the Interception Sect, but Daoist Duobao was an exception.
Sect Master Tongtian doted on Daoist Duobao like a son. If Fang Yang killed him, how could he ever remain in the Interception Sect?
Fang Yang knew his place. In Sect Master Tongtian's eyes, a hundred Fang Yangs together wouldn't measure up to one Daoist Duobao.
He was merely Sect Master Tongtian's disciple. How could a disciple compare to a cherished favorite?
His words had been so absolute simply because he was making a show of his resolve.
The problem between Sect Master Tongtian and Daoist Duobao was for them to resolve themselves. Fang Yang wasn't about to get involved.
Saint Mother Wudang had believed him because Fang Yang was such a good actor. He'd played the role so well that he'd nearly convinced himself.
"Senior Sister Wudang, I know you have questions. Why don't you disguise yourself as a follower of our sect and come with me somewhere? I'll show you a few things. Once you've seen them, you'll understand everything."
Saint Mother Wudang truly felt reluctant to leave. She had come here full of confidence and did not want to return empty-handed.
"All right. I'll take a look with you, Junior Brother."
Then the two transformed into a pair of utterly ordinary Daoist cultivators from the Shangqing Dao.
The robes worn by Shangqing Dao cultivators were usually embroidered with green lotus leaves. Any immortal who wasn't completely ignorant would recognize them.
With Fang Yang leading the way, the two arrived at a small Human Clan settlement.
Though it was called a tribe, the settlement was neither primitive nor ancient. It was an Immortal Tribe.
In this era, the situation between Heaven and Earth was unstable, and remnants of the Demon Race often attacked the Human Clan.
Powerful tribes were fortunate; they had the strength to protect themselves and defend their homes.
The weaker tribes had it rough. Like nomads, they could only wander across the land.
When a powerful enemy invaded, they moved their entire tribe, taking all their people and resources with them.
The Primordial World was brutally unforgiving. The Protagonist of Heaven and Earth might possess a little more karmic fortune, but it still had to abide by this law.
Whoosh!
Two streaks of immortal light descended, and Fang Yang and Saint Mother Wudang landed at the entrance to the settlement.
Though it was only a temporary encampment, it had been built with a distinctly civilized air.
The roads were broad and level, spiritual fields stretched as far as the eye could see, and a Guardian formation had been erected around the perimeter.
The formation was not very powerful; even a Mysterious Immortal could punch through it with ease. But it was the strongest defense this little tribe could muster.
There was no helping it. The Human Clan's social structure had yet to be unified, and many tribes were still stuck in a slave-owning system.
If they didn't want to become slaves to a great tribe, they had no choice but to struggle to survive out in the wider world.
Still, Mysterious Immortals weren't something one ran into at every turn. Regions like this, with relatively thin spiritual energy, could hardly support their cultivation.
"The Red Dust is a prison; all beings suffer."
At the sight of this scene, Saint Mother Wudang instinctively recited her Void White Lotus Sutra.
Fang Yang, however, shook his head.
"How is this suffering? At least they can still struggle to survive. There are other beings for whom even survival is a mere wish. Senior Sister, if you feel that all beings suffer, why not join me in dealing with the people who make them suffer?"
Saint Mother Wudang's expression stiffened, and she had no answer.
She knew, of course, what the Outer Sect of the Sect of Interception had been doing. But she had never done anything about it.
Now, standing outside this little tribe and lamenting that "all beings suffer," she seemed rather hypocritical.
While Saint Mother Wudang stood speechless, Fang Yang spoke again. "There's no need to worry, Senior Sister. I'm not mocking you. I'm simply stating a fact. If you aren't even willing to face your own true nature, when will you ever Slay the three corpses and attain the Venerable Quasi-Saint?"
People were often unwilling to face their true selves, because their true selves were never perfect.
Saint Mother Wudang's silence came precisely because she could not accept her own imperfections.
Yet Saint Mother Wudang failed to understand that perfection and imperfection were both defined by others.
As long as she accepted herself, she was perfect.
In cultivation, Fang Yang could not compare to Saint Mother Wudang. But when it came to understanding the Daoist scriptures, Saint Mother Wudang was far behind him.
Saint Mother Wudang was taken aback. She was about to say something, but Fang Yang had already entered the settlement.
"Fellow Daoist, we have come from the Shangqing Temple on East Su Mountain to spread the Dao in your settlement."
Fang Yang had already struck up a conversation with a "patriarch" of Heavenly Immortal rank.
In a small settlement, a Heavenly Immortal was already a patriarch-level figure.
The "patriarch" was a Mortal World Immortal wearing a dark green robe.
Mortal World Immortals were immortals who had not joined a Daoist sect, let alone renounced the world and entered the Dao.
Immortals who believed in the Three Pure Ones were as numerous as the stars, but there were just as many who did not.
"Shang, Shangqing Temple? Could you be..."
The "patriarch" looked Fang Yang up and down again and again, his expression growing more and more inscrutable.
Once he confirmed that Fang Yang was merely a follower of a Sage, he hurriedly took his leave.
When Fang Yang walked farther into the settlement, no one else appeared before him. Everyone in the settlement had vanished.
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