Those Who Walk Different Paths Cannot Make Plans Together

Chapter 44: Those with Different Paths Cannot Make Plans Together

In the current cultivation world, the righteous path is flourishing while the devilish path is on the decline.

The five great sects of the righteous path suppress all the major devils; while one cannot say that all devilish cultivators have been eradicated, it is generally accurate to say that the situation is largely under control.

Therefore, apart from the Qinghe Sword Sect, few people in other sects are still keen on the task of eliminating devils and defending the path.

After all, the goal of cultivation is longevity; there is no need to put the cart before the horse like that Qinghe Sect Leader.

How could anyone consume their own lifespan just to stubbornly refuse to ascend?

Other sects find it difficult to understand the rules of the Qinghe Sword Sect, so in the eyes of others, the disciples of the Qinghe Sword Sect are as cold as their swords and somewhat difficult to approach.

But seeing her today, Wei Changsheng only felt that the rumors were somewhat off. This Qinghe Sword Sect disciple was clearly gentle and generous, not arrogant at all, nor cold; she was just a bit too simple.

Above the great river, Wei Changsheng and Su Chunyi were each piloting their magic treasures, flying toward Cui County.

Wei Changsheng was a disciple of the Fenxiang Sect, having received orders from his sect leader, Lu Xingzhou, to find that rogue cultivator and trade for a secret technique.

However, Wei Changsheng had no idea where Chen Ye was and could only ask Su Chunyi to lead the way.

The Fenxiang Sect and the Qinghe Sword Sect had always been on good terms, and Su Chunyi was quite polite to this Senior Brother Wei. Added to the fact that Su Chunyi had an outstanding appearance, Wei Changsheng developed a great deal of affection for her.

It was just that although the two were of similar age, their cultivation levels were quite different.

Su Chunyi was already in the Tongxuan Realm, while Wei Changsheng was only in the Gangsha Realm.

Originally, Wei Changsheng had been quite proud of himself; it was rare to find a cultivator at his age who could endure the agony of tempering the body with Gangsha. But then he turned and met Su Chunyi, a girl several years younger than him. He truly wondered how she had endured the pain of Gangsha body tempering back then.

The more he thought about it, the more he admired Su Chunyi, and he couldn't help but want to talk to her more.

From cultivation to experience, Wei Changsheng asked with a slightly ingratiating tone: "I hear that Qinghe Sword Sect disciples often go out for training. Junior Sister must have already slain quite a few devils; it is truly admirable."

Su Chunyi replied: "Senior Brother, you misunderstand. This is also my first time out for training. As for eliminating devils and defending the path, I... I did encounter one devil, but unfortunately, I didn't complete the task. I let him escape, and I almost implicated others."

Su Chunyi recalled how she had destroyed the physical body of the monk Ku'e, only to let his soul escape.

If not for Chen Ye's cautious conduct and brilliant methods, he might have been implicated and harmed as an innocent.

Whenever she thought of this, Su Chunyi felt guilty in her heart, wishing she could return to Chen Ye's side immediately to ensure his safety this time.

Wei Changsheng, however, did not know the inside story and spoke with the tone of an experienced veteran: "Junior Sister, there is no need to blame yourself. Devils are cunning; it is normal for you to have made mistakes due to a lack of experience. When I first went out for training, I also encountered a devil. At that time, I had just stepped into the Gangsha Realm and had only condensed one layer of Sha energy, while the opponent was already at the ninth layer of Gangsha, nearly at the Tongxuan Realm.

"But after all, I am a disciple of a prestigious sect. That devil only had a tattered Ten Thousand Soul Banner. Even though his cultivation was higher than mine, I was able to hold my ground. After fighting him for half a day, the devil actually had a disciple come to his aid. It was just a small devil in the Qi Sea Realm. I threw this Five Immortals Furnace at him, shattering his protective spells. Just as I was about to strike him down, that old devil rushed over like a madman.

"I seized the weakness of that devil, focusing my magic treasures on the small Qi Sea Realm devil. The old devil was blinded by his concern, and I finally spotted an opening, capturing both him and the small devil into the Five Immortals Furnace and refining them into fly ash."

Su Chunyi frowned upon hearing this and asked with confusion: "Senior Brother, did you investigate what heinous deeds these two devils had committed?"

When Wei Changsheng heard this, he said dismissively: "What else could it be? It was mostly devilish conduct like killing to practice arts. A devil holding a Ten Thousand Soul Banner must be full of sins; seeing one and killing him directly can never be wrong. If Junior Sister is worried that the Ten Thousand Soul Banner is powerful, I can teach you a couple of spells to conceal your form; I am particularly skilled in such techniques."

Su Chunyi did not know how to respond.

She felt that Wei Changsheng's reckless behavior was inappropriate, but her sect elders had once warned her that the rules of the Qinghe Sword Sect were not universally applicable.

When out and about, one must remember that the sect rules restrict one's own people. Unless necessary, one should not compete with others, especially those from other righteous sects, to avoid internal strife among fellow practitioners that would allow devils to take advantage.

Su Chunyi dared not disobey, and although she felt Wei Changsheng was in the wrong, she maintained a polite smile.

Wei Changsheng took Su Chunyi's smile as approval and boasted even more vigorously about his "experience."

Su Chunyi only felt her face stiffening; why did this Senior Brother have so much to say? She could barely keep smiling anymore.

She must not have been diligent enough during her Gangsha body tempering; otherwise, why would her face stiffen after smiling for a while?

Perhaps finally realizing that Su Chunyi's smile was merely polite, Wei Changsheng finally shifted the topic from his own demon-slaying exploits to Chen Ye.

"Junior Sister Su, I heard that rogue cultivator is only in the Qi Sea Realm. How did he obtain this Heavenly Book secret technique?"

"He killed a devil in the Tongxuan Realm."

Wei Changsheng nodded. So it was loot seized from a devil; this little rogue cultivator was quite lucky... wait, something seemed wrong.

Wei Changsheng asked in surprise: "Isn't that rogue cultivator just having condensed his Qi Sea? How could he kill a devil in the Tongxuan Realm? Even with the help of a magic treasure, it's impossible."

The gap in cultivation realms was not so easily bridged.

Even though those devils were mostly rogue cultivators whose magic treasures and techniques were inferior to those of disciples from prestigious sects, he had never heard of a Qi Sea Realm cultivator killing a Tongxuan Realm one. It was simply shocking.

If there were truly such a genius in the world, what would be the point of others cultivating?

Wei Changsheng did not believe it and couldn't help but ask: "Junior Sister Su, did you misunderstand? Perhaps this rogue cultivator just happened to obtain the Heavenly Book secret technique by luck; it is unlikely he obtained it after killing a Tongxuan Realm devil. You are out for training for the first time, so you might not know the character of those rogue cultivators. To build good relations with disciples of prestigious sects like us, they would dare to weave any lie."

Su Chunyi wanted to explain clearly, but seeing Wei Changsheng's high-and-mighty attitude, she instantly lost the desire to do so.

Those with different paths cannot make plans together.

Even though they were both from the five great sects of the righteous path, the atmosphere of the Fenxiang Sect was truly quite different from that of the Qinghe Sword Sect.

Su Chunyi couldn't help but recall the scene of discussing the Dao with Chen Ye in the teahouse. Even though it was their first meeting, there was a sense of mutual understanding.

Listening to Wei Changsheng still prattling on about being wary of the sinister nature of human hearts, Su Chunyi said helplessly: "Senior Brother Wei, the journey to Cui County is long; we need to pick up the pace."

Wei Changsheng nodded and said: "Junior Sister Su is right."

Su Chunyi heard this, offered a polite smile, and then vanished before Wei Changsheng's eyes.

Wei Changsheng was stunned for a moment, seeing only a white line left in the sky that parted the clouds.

"How could her sword light be so fast?!"

Wei Changsheng hurriedly urged the Five Immortals Furnace beneath him, but this magic treasure used for alchemy could not keep up with that sword light, and he lost track of her completely before flying very far.

Losing her was embarrassing enough, but Wei Changsheng discovered a more serious problem—he didn't actually know where Cui County was.