Persuading Wudang

Before Saint Mother Wudang arrived, she had been confident that her identity as a Shangqing Daoist would earn her a warm welcome from this tribe.

Who could have guessed that the tribespeople would avoid her and Fang Yang as if they were the Nian beast? Wherever they went, doors shut. Wherever word of their arrival spread, people fled at the first sign of trouble.

They weren't some kind of flood or ferocious beast!

At last, Saint Mother Wudang spotted a little girl wailing on the main road. She put on a warm smile, but a middle-aged woman suddenly rushed out of a house and carried the girl back inside.

"Forgive us, Immortal Master! Please forgive us! The child doesn't know any better. I'll recite the Duobao Good and Evil Sutra."

"Among the Myriad Races of the Primordial Era, the Human Clan is supreme. Win all races over with virtue, and they will unite with you. If the world slanders me, I'll simply smile. If Demons kill me, I'll move them with love."

"All Beings are Equal. Let kindness guide benevolent deeds. Give your flesh to feed the hawk, and bring blessings to all living things."

"Do good and build virtue; taking a loss is a blessing. All under heaven are one family; may all races live in harmony."

As she hurried along, the middle-aged woman recited the Duobao Good and Evil Sutra, as if monsters and ghosts were chasing her and she could drive them off with scripture.

Saint Mother Wudang was stunned. She had read the woman's thoughts.

"Those Demonic Daoists from the Interception Sect are back. Last time, they devoured half the tribe. Who knows how many people they'll kill this time?"

"Damn Demonic Daoists! They go around all day swindling people under the banner of Intercepting a Glimmer of Life for all living things. If Heaven has any justice, it'll strike you wicked fiends down with a bolt of lightning."

The woman's movements were frantic, and her thoughts were even more so. As Saint Mother Wudang heard what was in her mind, a chill ran down her spine.

"Interception Sect" and "Demonic Daoists" had nothing in common. They should never have gone together.

And yet, in the eyes of this tiny mortal, Shangqing Daoists were actually Demonic Daoists?

Disciples of the Orthodox Pangu, members of the orthodox Xuanmen—were they really being regarded as Demonic Evils?

Saint Mother Wudang could hardly believe it.

Wasn't the Interception Sect a sect that Intercepted a Glimmer of Life for all living things? Weren't all living things supposed to be grateful to and admire the Interception Sect?

"Senior Sister, the hearts of the people are a measuring stick. Why not sense the Dao Charm hanging over this tribe and see the results of our beloved junior brothers' and sisters' preaching?"

Fang Yang really couldn't understand how Saint Mother Jin Ling, Saint Mother Wudang, and the others had developed a Righteous Love Brain.

Everyone criticized Love Brains, saying how terrible they were. But a Righteous Love Brain was just as bad.

How was a Righteous Love Brain any better than a Love Brain?

One made people lose their minds and do anything for love; the other made them disregard the sect's rules for so-called brotherhood. Was it somehow noble just because it involved more people?

A Love Brain could bring about the destruction of the world, and so could the Interception Sect's Righteous Love Brain.

In truth, both were the same. The end result made no difference.

At his words, Saint Mother Wudang didn't hesitate. She gathered her Divine Sense and began absorbing the Dao Charm around her.

Dao Charm was a wondrous thing. The Dao Charm gathered after each sect preached carried the unique imprint of the Great Dao. Only disciples of that sect could comprehend and benefit from it.

Above Saint Mother Wudang's head appeared a Green lotus leaf that blotted out the sky.

The thoughts of all living things intertwined upon it, weaving through the leaf's veins into clusters of profound, mysterious radiance.

Yet the radiance was dim. Within it, all kinds of resentment and hatred tangled together.

As soon as Saint Mother Wudang's thoughts touched the radiance, numerous strands of Dao Charm with an evil aura entered her mind, trying to taint her Great Dao.

"How is this possible? How could the Great Dao Evolution Method taught by our sect have produced something like this?"

Saint Mother Wudang was shocked. She had never imagined that a Great Dao derived from the orthodox Xuanmen could be so evil and so dark.

She hurriedly withdrew her thoughts and stopped absorbing the Dao Charm of all living things.

She truly didn't dare absorb Dao Charm like this. If she did, her own Great Dao would surely be tainted.

"Senior Sister, you felt it just now, didn't you?"

Fang Yang looked at Saint Mother Wudang, his expression grave.

On Golden Ao Island, Sect Master Tongtian refined the Dao Charm, allowing disciples throughout the Interception Sect to comprehend pure Dao Charm.

But Sect Master Tongtian's ability to refine it had its limits.

If all the Dao Charm produced by the paths of all living things were harmful, then no matter how powerful Sect Master Tongtian was, he couldn't turn evil Dao Charm into beneficial Dao Charm.

This was a rule governing the paths of all living things, a law of Heaven and Earth. Not even a Saint or a great cultivator could defy it.

Saint Mother Wudang understood this. She was a Core Disciple of the Interception Sect, not an ignorant Rogue Cultivator.

After sensing how the Dao Charm had changed, Saint Mother Wudang finally understood what Fang Yang meant.

It wasn't that Fang Yang insisted on dealing with the Outer Disciples. The problem was that the Outer Disciples had stopped behaving like people.

They ate the Interception Sect's food, used its resources, and made a habit of doing things that harmed the sect.

If the sect didn't deal with a group of Furred and Horned, Born from Wetness and Eggs disciples like this, the Interception Sect might not have a future.

Now that she knew the truth, Saint Mother Wudang no longer thought Fang Yang had gone too far. The problem with the Outer Disciples had reached the point where it had to be dealt with.

"Junior Brother, it seems you were right after all. Senior Brother has turned a perfectly good Interception Sect into a mess. He really was wrong."

Saint Mother Wudang sighed, then spoke to Fang Yang.

She stood with the Interception Sect. Since Fang Yang was acting in the sect's interest, she naturally wouldn't keep opposing him.

However, if Fang Yang really intended to go after Daoist Duobao, she couldn't help worrying about him.

"Junior Brother, Senior Brother's standing in our teacher's eyes is extraordinary. Even if you're doing what's best for the Interception Sect, don't forget who the sect belongs to."

Saint Mother Wudang thought Fang Yang needed to understand who held the power.

Fang Yang was merely an ordinary Core Disciple, while Daoist Duobao was a Core Disciple raised by Sect Master Tongtian himself.

Fang Yang had no chance of competing with Daoist Duobao.

Fang Yang understood Saint Mother Wudang's concern, and he was even more worried than she was.

His life and fortune were at stake. How could he afford to be careless?

"Don't worry, Senior Sister. Senior Brother has merely failed to act; he hasn't directly damaged the sect's fortune. Those Duobao Good and Evil Sutras spreading among the people were made by that nest of wicked fiends on Penglai Island to curry favor with Daoist Duobao."

If Fang Yang took action, he would get to the bottom of everything.

Daoist Duobao never acted with his own hands. He always kept them clean. Otherwise, how could Sect Master Tongtian tolerate him?

Saint Mother Wudang finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was all for the best if Fang Yang wasn't going after Daoist Duobao.

After all, Saint Mother Wudang still felt deeply for Daoist Duobao.

Sorry, my mother had a stroke, and I'm staying with her at the hospital.

It feels like something always happens at home whenever I get a recommendation. It's a little eerie. Big shots, please leave me two words of blessing so I can share in your good fortune.