Reckoning

"In February, he first appeared in the market, mainly frequenting the unregulated area outside it. He befriended the Rogue Cultivator Li Changqing... Of course, young friend Changqing is now a disciple of our sect."

Steward Xiao continued, "That same month, at a Medicine Hall in the unregulated area, Junior Brother Chen sold three portions of Qi Gathering Powder and one Qi Condensation Pill. Greed seized Proprietor Han, who sent a Medicine Attendant to contact Robber Cultivators and arrange Junior Brother Chen's murder. Junior Brother Chen killed the Robber Cultivators, then..."

Zhao Shu's face remained expressionless. "Get to who was behind it. Who backed the Medicine Hall?"

"Our sect's disciple, Li Wuya."

Steward Xiao said, "He was at the eighth layer of Qi Refinement. He was posted to Cloudford Market eleven years ago as an enforcement disciple and belongs to the Hengling Li Clan."

"Where is he?" Zhao Shu asked.

Steward Xiao replied respectfully, "Senior Brother, he is downstairs awaiting orders and guarding the Immortal Boat."

"Bring him here."

"..."

A moment later, a young cultivator who looked barely over thirty walked in, dressed in a white robe. Upon seeing Zhao Shu, he said respectfully, "Martial Uncle Zhao, you wanted to see me?"

"Mm."

Zhao Shu nodded. Suddenly, Li Wuya felt the heavens spin and the earth turn. Everything around him seemed to freeze.

The next instant, his head hit the floor.

A streak of Sword Qi swept across his neck, and Li Wuya collapsed on the spot.

At the eighth layer of Qi Refinement, his head had fallen in a single breath!

"Flay Proprietor Han and the Medicine Attendant and pull out their tendons. Then extract their souls and pour them into the Sword Training Posts of Sword Qi Hall, so the younger disciples of our Sword Gate may use them for sword practice!"

With that done, Zhao Shu raised a hand and recalled the wisp of Sword Qi. Then his eyes widened. "As for the Hengling Li Clan, exterminate the clan! Kill every one of them with a Spiritual Root! Their mortal relatives from the collateral branches shall be slaves forever! As for the head of the Li Clan, I recall he's my martial nephew Li Xu. He led from the front when we wiped out the twenty-eight tribes of the Southern Wilderness. He has rendered hard service. Grant him the chance to take his own life!"

"I will report this matter to the True Person."

"One-tenth of the Spirit Stones seized from the Hengling Li Clan's treasury shall go to Junior Brother Chen as compensation!"

Steward Xiao's expression shifted at the severity of Zhao Shu's punishment. He could not help saying, "Senior Brother Zhao, isn't this... a little too harsh? Li Wuya is guilty, but his father, Li Xu, is a meritorious servant of our Sword Gate. During the barbarian uprising, he led the Li Clan's disciples in the charge for the sect. And now you would exterminate the Hengling Li Clan's dozen or so cultivators, just like that..."

"Too harsh?"

Zhao Shu gave a cold laugh, cutting Steward Xiao off. His gaze flashed like lightning. "Xiao Zhuo, that is a Heavenly Spiritual Root!"

"How many Heavenly Spiritual Roots have appeared in the Southern Wilderness over the past three thousand years? The most recent was True Person Liu of the Jade Radiance Sect. She has now reached the late Golden Core stage, governs the Southern Wilderness, and is called its foremost cultivator. Of all Golden Core True Persons in the past thousand years, she has the best hope of reaching Nascent Soul!"

Zhao Shu's voice rang with indignation. "And the earliest was High Person Clear Void, the late Nascent Soul True Lord of Clear Void Temple three thousand years ago. By his own strength, he turned the Eight Sects into Nine, raising the once-unremarkable Clear Void Temple into their ranks!"

For more than three thousand years, the Southern Wilderness had been jointly ruled by eight sects.

Those eight sects had been formed by the defeated of the upheavals in the Central Lands, when the Divine Land sank into ruin. They had fled south of the river, lost another struggle there, and been forced to continue south into the Southern Wilderness.

At the time, the Eight Sects had been one sect, with a Nascent Soul True Lord at its helm.

After that True Lord passed away, the sect fractured into eight, which shared rule over the Southern Wilderness.

Clear Void Temple, however, was native to the Southern Wilderness. After one of its cultivators attained Nascent Soul, he raised that once-unremarkable little sect into one of the Nine Sects.

"Apart from the one assassinated by the Southern Barbarians, which of them did not become a Golden Core True Person?!"

Zhao Shu said, "With Junior Brother Chen, no one will be able to shake our Sword Gate's standing for five hundred years. We could even surpass Clear Void Temple and the Jade Radiance Sect to become the greatest sect in the Southern Wilderness. Should he reach Nascent Soul, we could unite the Eight Sects again and restore the Azure Immortal Sect's former glory!"

"If you, Xiao Zhuo, were not a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, you and the Xiao clan would be punished alongside them! Your lax oversight allowed a Southern Barbarian spy into the market, where they nearly harmed a prodigy of our sect. That was your failure!"

Steward Xiao felt awkward at those words and sighed inwardly.

At first, Xiao Zhuo had thought Zhao Shu's handling of the matter far too severe.

After all, besides its head Li Xu, who stood at the peak of Qi Refinement, the Hengling Li Clan had several other members in the middle and late stages of Qi Refinement.

They had all trained at the Qiwu Sword Sect and could be counted as sect disciples.

Wiping them out at a word would not only alarm the other Aristocratic Clans within the sect, but might also draw criticism from some disciples.

But when he considered how extraordinary a Heavenly Spiritual Root was, this was indeed what had to be done!

If trading one small cultivation clan could secure a Golden Core True Person, the Nine Sects of the Southern Wilderness would long ago have turned into demonic sects, raiding households and exterminating clans day after day.

Even across the entire history of the Southern Wasteland Immortal Cultivation Realm, prodigies like this could be counted on one hand.

If Chen Zhuo grew into his potential, becoming a Golden Core True Person would be only the beginning. Reaching Nascent Soul was not impossible!

When that day came, the entire Qiwu Sword Sect would flourish because of him. It might even become the greatest sect in the Southern Wilderness!

Compared to that, what did one mere Hengling Li Clan matter?

Senior Brother Zhao was right. If Xiao Zhuo were not a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and a fellow member of the Qiwu Sword Sect, he would probably have been punished too!

At this thought, Xiao Zhuo hurriedly lowered his head and cupped his hands. "Senior Brother Zhao, you see the matter clearly. I was foolish."

"Enough."

Zhao Shu waved a hand, unwilling to pursue the matter further. He merely said, "Continue your report. Did anyone else trouble Junior Brother Chen during his time in the market?"

"Yes."

Xiao Zhuo took a deep breath and continued, "While Junior Brother Chen was renting a Cave Abode, several cultivators led by a man surnamed Liu repeatedly knocked on his door to harass him. My investigation found that they're habitual offenders who specifically prey on Rogue Cultivators in the market."

"Their leader is Liu Lou, at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. He appears simple and honest, but is ruthless at heart. From what I found, over the past six months he has coaxed at least four or five Rogue Cultivators at Middle Qi Refinement out of the market. None ever returned."

"A few days ago, when Junior Brother Chen broke through to the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, his spiritual energy leaked out. Liu Lou noticed and paid him a visit, inviting him to join a Monster Hunting Team."

"But Junior Brother Chen did not fall for it, and Liu Lou did not press him further."

Zhao Shu gave a cold snort. "Why was this not reported?"

"Please calm your anger, Senior Brother."

Xiao Zhuo's expression changed, and he hurried to explain. "There are many Rogue Cultivators in the market, and things like this happen often. As long as no one acts inside the market, we usually turn a blind eye..."

He could only count himself unlucky.

Every market operated this way.

Who could have expected a Heavenly Spiritual Root prodigy to appear here, unaffiliated with any sect?

If anything, he and those Robber Cultivators had simply been unlucky.

"Go personally and capture those Robber Cultivators. I have a Blood Sword in need of a few Qi Refinement souls for a Blood Sacrifice. Their souls will do nicely!"

"Once the sacrifice is complete, I can give it to Junior Brother Chen. He can wield it and withstand its Killing Intent to temper his sword heart!"