Each Harboring Ghostly Designs

Ling Fei listened in secret alarm, and his understanding of Xu Jiankong deepened another layer. This chief disciple of Shu Mountain was not some fool who only knew how to cultivate! Watching the way he acted, putting on such an open and upright air, who would have thought his scheming ran so deep? At that thought, Ling Fei's appreciation for Xu Jiankong turned to contempt, and he cursed inwardly: Trying to forge connections so quickly—just as expected, you're all cut from the same cloth as Xiang Hui and his bunch of disciples. Fine, Shu Mountain does have ties with Overseas Independent Cultivators, and Emei invited quite a few overseas fellow cultivators to its three sword contests, but that was ancient history. If not a thousand years ago, then eight hundred. Dragging out such stale grain and scattered sesame seeds to claim kinship is simply... By that logic, every Daoist Sect under heaven sprang from the Chan and Jie Sects, so those rogue cultivators would still count as disciples of our Kunlun.

Zhou Qing opened his mouth and let out another string of half-truths. "So you are a disciple of Shu Mountain! Even overseas, the name of Shu Mountain resounds like thunder in our ears! Back then, Ancestor Changmei shook the world with his might—who did not know of him? I am a disciple of the overseas Heavenly Dao Sect. Our Heavenly Dao Sect has dwelled in seclusion overseas since before the Qin dynasty, keeping out of worldly affairs, but we have still long known of Shu Mountain's great name."

Zhou Qing showered him with flattery, yet inwardly he thought: Why the hell do I have such an affinity with Shu Mountain? Earlier, that old ghost Ling Yun died at the hands of a Shu Mountain disciple. The one I killed to seize a sword from was also a Shu Mountain disciple. The one who ambushed me in the Monster Alliance was a Shu Mountain disciple too, and now here comes another Shu Mountain disciple. Has Shu Mountain got it in for me? In any case, none of you saw my real face, so I can brag however I please. Back in the pre-Qin era, Daoism, Confucianism, Legalism, Mohism, and the other hundred schools were all contending in a chaotic mess—who could possibly know whether the Heavenly Dao Sect existed or not? The sect I created has finally made a name for itself. Heh heh! Who would have thought I'd become a founding patriarch too?

Zhou Qing did not say that he was the sect master. Naturally, it was better to let others find him unfathomable.

Ling Fei, however, frowned deeply as he listened. It was not that he doubted Zhou Qing's words, but that hearing Zhou Qing lavish praise on Shu Mountain made him uncomfortable. After all, Kunlun was the foremost great sect! Unless a cultivator had truly reached the realm of supreme forgetfulness, severing the seven emotions and cutting off the six desires, they would place immense importance on their sect's reputation.

Hearing Zhou Qing speak thus, Xu Jiankong was naturally delighted. "So you are a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect! The Heavenly Dao Sect's Dao arts are profound indeed; I have heard my elders mention them many times. Yet I never expected it to possess a figure such as Fellow Daoist Zhou. You truly make disciples like us feel ashamed of our own inadequacy!" How could Xu Jiankong know that the Heavenly Dao Sect had been founded by Zhou Qing himself? He thought such a sect genuinely existed, and so copied Zhou Qing's example, returning the flattery in kind. In truth, unless Shu Mountain's elders were immortals capable of knowing past and future, how could they have known of a sect like the Heavenly Dao Sect? Yet he could hardly say something like, "I have never heard of your sect. I fear it must be sparsely populated and obscure," so he could only spout nonsense. It nearly made Zhou Qing laugh himself sick in secret.

This Xu Jiankong looks dignified and righteous on the surface, but he is utterly shameless! Ling Fei watched the two of them trade lavish compliments, their words so watertight that not even water could seep through, and they were only a step away from calling each other brothers. Anxiety filled his heart. Ignoring the risk of being abrupt, he stepped forward and said, "So you are Zhou Zhenren of the Heavenly Dao Sect. I am Ling Fei of Kunlun. I have also heard my master say that the Heavenly Dao Sect once flourished for a time before the Qin dynasty. Unfortunately, every one of its members was an exceptional master indifferent to fame and profit, and because they disliked conflict, they withdrew overseas. Otherwise, its name today would surely not be weaker than Kunlun's." Ling Fei spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, his words carrying two meanings. He both highlighted Kunlun's standing and indirectly flattered Zhou Qing, doing so far more skillfully than Xu Jiankong.

Ling Fei had his own plans. Having been removed from his position as leader of the Dragon Group this time, he had indeed been wronged. Yet such a major incident had occurred, and he could not entirely escape blame. Still, he remained a member of the Dragon Group. As long as he uncovered the truth behind the matter, he would have grounds to regain his post. Xiang Hui was overbearing and tyrannical, bound to make mistake after mistake. When the time came, if Xiang Hui committed even a small error, Ling Fei's Lineage could put in a few good words and pull a few strings with those above. The position of group leader would still be his.

But uncovering the truth was easier said than done. Ling Fei had heard that the other party was a cruel and vicious expert of the demonic path, with immensely profound cultivation. Even Old Taoist Chen Kong, who had long entered the Spirit Transformation realm, had been slain on the spot. He was absolutely not someone Ling Fei could handle. Yet his master's attitude was strangely unusual. Not only would his master not leave the mountain, he seemed to have entered seclusion again to comprehend some Dao art. They lacked manpower. If Ling Fei could recruit the expert before him, and have his younger sister ask Senior Brother for help, then with two Transformation Stage experts plus himself, their chances of success would become far greater. Demonic path experts were generally solitary, proud, and aloof, coming and going alone and rarely gathering together. Three against one gave them considerable odds of victory. If Zhou Qing had known what he was thinking, he would surely have laughed himself to death. This was nothing less than inviting a wolf into the house!

Xu Jiankong had plans of his own as well. In modern society, the situation was exceedingly delicate. The civilization of cultivation had long since declined and withdrawn from the mainstream of the age. New civilizations and ideas emerged one after another, and under the impact of new concepts, whether native or imported from the West, the thinking of the older generation of cultivators appeared unbearably outdated. They had all returned to the mountains to cultivate in seclusion and would generally not descend without special circumstances. All worldly affairs were entrusted to the younger disciples. It could be said that the younger generation of disciples formed the pillars of every major sect, while the older masters were merely nuclear weapons, serving as deterrence.

Xu Jiankong had grown up in Shu Mountain, so naturally he placed Shu Mountain's interests first. As the outstanding figure and Senior Brother among Shu Mountain's new generation of disciples, Xu Jiankong surveyed the entire Daoist Sect of China and saw that among the younger generation, only Kunlun steadily held Shu Mountain down by a head, because Kunlun's Yi Yunzi had entered the Transformation Stage! Though Shu Mountain had many disciples, most were still at the Qi Induction Stage - Mid Phase. Xiang Hui was fairly capable and deeply calculating, but his cultivation was somewhat lacking. Now that he had become the leader of the Dragon Group, there were far more matters, people, and monsters for him to deal with. Although the Dragon Group had several hundred disciples, Shu Mountain disciples numbered only around ten when averaged out. The disciples of the other sects each harbored their own ghostly designs, all waiting for Shu Mountain to suffer misfortune. When carrying out missions, it was already quite good if they did not drag Shu Mountain down. How could they possibly offer wholehearted help?

With low cultivation, they would certainly be unable to handle powerful monsters while carrying out missions. One moment of carelessness could smash Shu Mountain's signboard, and that was no trivial matter. This was also why Xu Jiankong wanted to recruit Zhou Qing. With Zhou Qing, a Transformation Stage expert, things would proceed much more smoothly.

Besides, Zhou Qing was an overseas Rogue Cultivator. Establishing such a connection with him would vaguely bring benefits as well.

For a time, all three of them nursed their own calculations. Zhou Qing had no idea that the moment he appeared, he had become a prized morsel in the eyes of two great sects.