Elixir of Immortality, Self-Created Spell

Guardian of the Demonic Sect?

Li Qingqiu felt surprised, as such information wouldn't appear on the Legacy System. He couldn't help but ask, "Which Demonic Sect? The Azure Cult?"

Feng Dai glared. "Although the Azure Cult does evil deeds, they are a thousand miles apart from the Demonic Sect!"

As if fearing the Qingxiao Sect members wouldn't take it seriously enough, Feng Dai continued, "Wu Baoyu, the Qu Bei Guardian of the Demonic Sect. In the third year of Kaiyuan, he slaughtered the entire Xiao Clan in Beiliang Prefecture—136 people, from the elderly to infants. In the same year, he also went mad from qi deviation and beat his own disciple to death, hanging him on the prefecture's city gate, defying the law and provoking the imperial court."

"In the fourth year of Ganming, Wu Baoyu led a group to seize the relief supplies sent by the court to the Southern Territory, killing seventy-three soldiers. This led to the starvation of 100,000 people in the Southern Territory, causing widespread public outrage."

"His crimes are countless and unforgivable. Sect Master Li, please do not shield him!"

His words caused everyone's gaze towards Wu Baoyu to change. Although Wu Baoyu was taciturn, he never seemed like such a heinous individual before.

Zhang Yuchun also hadn't expected Wu Baoyu to have such a background. His first thought was the trouble Wu Baoyu might bring.

Harboring a wanted criminal of the court was no minor offense.

Wu Baoyu stopped chopping wood and looked at Feng Dai, asking, "Where did you learn of these crimes?"

Feng Dai said gravely, "I saw them in the archives of the Provincial Governor's office. A few years ago, your appearance in Guzhou caused quite a stir. I thought then that I would capture you once I took office, so I made sure to remember. You have a blood-colored wolf head mark on your left wrist. I wouldn't mistake it. Are you going to deny your identity?"

The nine yamen runners had not known Wu Baoyu's background before. Now, hearing the extent of his cruelty, they were terrified and extremely nervous, fearing Wu Baoyu might suddenly attack.

Wu Baoyu's expression remained unchanged. "Actually, my surname is Xiao."

Hearing this, Feng Dai frowned deeply and questioned, "What do you mean?"

"The Xiao clan you mentioned, whose entire family was wiped out, is my family. I am the sole survivor. I wasn't home at the time; I was serving as an Imperial Guard in the palace. After this incident, the Crown Prince found me and assigned me as an inside informant to the Demonic Sect. At that time, the court had little understanding of the Demonic Sect, and didn't even know the true name of the Qu Bei Guardian. I climbed my way up within the Demonic Sect and successfully killed the Qu Bei Guardian, taking his place. However, the Crown Prince fell from power, and no one restored my identity. They even pinned all the Qu Bei Guardian's crimes onto me."

"As for the batch of relief supplies you mentioned, those supplies were not being transported to the Southern Territory at all. They were being escorted by the current Emperor to the demonic cultivators in the Southern Territory in exchange for an Elixir of Immortality. After I seized them, I distributed them among the people. However, the disaster was severe, and the grain obtained with this sum was insufficient to turn the tide."

Wu Baoyu spoke indifferently, as if the events he described had nothing to do with him.

Feng Dai's expression shifted rapidly upon hearing this. He reprimanded, "Utterly absurd!"

The members of the Qingxiao Sect also found the matter bizarre, with such a huge reversal.

Wu Baoyu continued, "You can investigate whether the records of the Xiao clan have been erased. If they haven't been, you can check if the second son of the Xiao clan, Xiao Ji, served as an Imperial Guard in the palace, and if Xiao Ji's age matches mine."

Feng Dai opened his mouth but didn't know how to respond.

Yang Jueding suddenly spoke, "I tend to believe him. The current Emperor's pursuit of immortality is no secret. Every year, various individuals enter the palace to meet him. The current rebellion in Guzhou is precisely because the Emperor only cares about immortality and neglects local governance."

"I see County Magistrate Feng as righteous and hating evil. Why not go back and investigate? If Senior Wu's words are true, Magistrate Feng can then exonerate a hero." Zhang Yu added.

Li Qingqiu remained silent, observing their conversation.

Wu Baoyu snorted, "There's no need for exoneration. The Xiao clan no longer exists. My surname is Wu now. I have no children and no regrets in this life. Once Magistrate Feng concludes his investigation and finds my words to be true, I ask Magistrate Feng to forget my existence and not implicate the Qingxiao Sect. These children know nothing of my past. I just want to find a place to live out my remaining years."

Feng Dai subconsciously looked around. The disciples of the Qingxiao Sect were all looking at him, and the vast majority were children, which softened his heart.

He knew very well that if this matter were exposed, the Qingxiao Sect would definitely be held accountable by the court. Some officials, in pursuit of merit, wouldn't care about such things. The more accomplices Wu Baoyu had, the greater their achievements would be.

"Alright, I'll go back and investigate first. I will not wrong a good person," Feng Dai gritted out.

He immediately got up, and two yamen runners quickly helped him.

"Let's go!"

Feng Dai ordered. The yamen runners, relieved, quickly escorted him towards the courtyard gate.

Wu Baoyu spoke again, "Oh, there's one more thing I need to tell you. Do you know why the Demonic Sect suddenly appeared, wreaked havoc on the martial world in a very short time, and then disappeared just as quickly?"

Feng Dai and the yamen runners turned to look at him, their expressions bewildered.

Wu Baoyu's eyes turned cold. He said, "Because the Demonic Sect was created by the current Emperor. The Demonic Sect has killed countless people and is the most sinful martial arts force since the founding of the dynasty. Now that you know this, even if you don't believe it, if I am captured, and I reveal that you know this information, they will definitely kill you to silence you."

"You..."

Feng Dai glared at Wu Baoyu, not expecting him to be so malicious. The expressions of the other nine yamen runners also turned pale.

Li Qingqiu, however, showed a subtle smile, suddenly finding Wu Baoyu somewhat agreeable.

He had been hesitating whether to let Feng Dai and his men leave, as one could never be too careful with people's intentions.

Wu Baoyu ignored Feng Dai any further and continued chopping wood.

Feng Dai took a deep breath and signaled the yamen runners to escort him away.

Li Qingqiu said nothing and walked towards his own room. Zhang Yuchun clapped his hands, signaling the disciples to disperse.

Li Sifeng squatted on the eaves, watching Feng Dai and his men leave, lost in thought.

The atmosphere remained somewhat somber until dinner was served.

"When you're in the martial world, you'll always encounter such troubles. You can't always be safe and undisturbed," Yang Jueding coughed lightly, breaking the silence.

Zhang Yu scooped a mouthful of rice and laughed, "Don't worry, those guys definitely wouldn't dare to act rashly. Even if they report Senior Wu's whereabouts, the credit might not be theirs. But if Senior Wu implicates them, they're as good as dead, even their entire families executed, especially since it involves the current Emperor."

Li Sijin couldn't help but ask, "Is the Emperor really the leader of the Demonic Sect? How powerful is the Demonic Sect? And the Elixir of Immortality, does such a thing truly exist in this world?"

Her question prompted other disciples to start talking, bombarding Yang Jueding with questions, leading him to recount tales of the martial world.

The disciples were most curious about the Elixir of Immortality.

Who wouldn't want to live forever?

"Since ancient times, legends of immortality have been endless, but where in the world are there immortal people? It's just that the powerful and wealthy refuse to give up."

Yang Jueding shook his head and said, and Zhang Yu nodded, also scoffing at the idea of immortality.

Jiang Zhaoxia wasn't around in the afternoon. After understanding the situation, he looked at Wu Baoyu and asked curiously, "Why did the Emperor establish the Demonic Sect? The Demonic Sect wouldn't have had a significant impact on his power grab. He relied on the army back then, not the Demonic Sect."

Hearing his question, Wu Baoyu, sitting in the corner, replied expressionlessly, "He was cultivating an evil technique that required the blood of virgin boys and girls. The massacre of the entire sect was just to cover this up."

This answer sent chills down everyone's spines.

Li Qingqiu also found it sinister. His intuition told him that he would inevitably clash with the imperial court sooner or later. This world was far darker than he had imagined.

He took the potential danger brought by Wu Baoyu in stride. As long as the Qingxiao Sect recruited people, they would encounter such troubles; the only difference was the magnitude of the trouble.

Where could a master with a simple background be found?

After Feng Dai left, the Qingxiao Sect continued to develop according to the original plan. Besides occasional patrols, Li Qingqiu dedicated most of his time to cultivating and teaching Xu Ning.

He intended to groom Xu Ning into the leading figure of the next generation of disciples. He now deeply understood the power of the Heavenly Thunder Spirit Root.

His current cultivation speed far surpassed his previous pace, and he truly felt what it was like to be a genius.

As for his junior brothers and sisters, he had already taught them different spells. The rest depended on their individual comprehension.

Autumn passed quickly. When winter arrived, Li Dongyue turned fifteen. Since Lin Xunfeng's departure, Li Qingqiu and his junior disciples had all aged by one year, and the Qingxiao Sect had undergone tremendous changes.

Snowflakes drifted through the gaps in the leaves and fell into the forest. Qin Ye, wearing the Qingxiao Sect robe, was practicing his punches. With his slightly rapid breathing, he seemed to be exhaling warmth.

"This set of punches isn't good."

A voice came, causing Qin Ye to turn his head. He saw Wu Baoyu standing not far away, carrying firewood on his back.

Qin Ye quickly turned around and cupped his fists in greeting towards Wu Baoyu. He said helplessly, "It's not that the punches are bad, it's that my comprehension is too poor."

This set of punches was taught to him by Yang Jueding and was called the Ten Directions Demon Subduing Fist. When Wu Man'er performed it, it was incredibly imposing and left a deep impression on him.

Although Wu Man'er was simple-minded, his comprehension in martial arts was extremely high, especially in fist and foot techniques, which he could master easily, making many disciples envious.

Wu Baoyu looked at Qin Ye and said, "Come here at midnight tonight. I'll teach you a set of staff techniques, which might truly set you on your path in the Martial Dao."

With that, Wu Baoyu continued up the mountain without stopping.

Midnight?

Qin Ye frowned, feeling hesitant. He recalled Feng Dai's words earlier and wondered if he should trust Wu Baoyu.

Meanwhile.

Fifty feet away at the top of the forest, Li Qingqiu stood on a branch, listening to their conversation.

From his perspective, the entire mountain range was shrouded in white, and the visibility was decreasing.

As his cultivation increased, his senses also strengthened. Just like now, he could hear Qin Ye and Wu Baoyu's conversation from a distance, every word clear to his ears, unable to be obscured by the wind and snow.

"Making it so mysterious?"

Li Qingqiu muttered. He wasn't suspecting Wu Baoyu of having ill intentions. Recently, Wu Baoyu's loyalty to the Qingxiao Sect had been steadily increasing, now reaching over eighty. Such loyalty shouldn't lead him to act recklessly.

However, Qin Ye was his second disciple, so he had to come and see tonight.

Just then, a line of prompts appeared before Li Qingqiu's eyes:

[Given that someone within the Qingxiao Sect has independently created a spell for the first time, profoundly impacting the development of the Dao Lineage, you have obtained an opportunity for a legacy reward.]

Seeking recommendation votes and monthly passes~