It was Chen Xun's second year in the Heavenly Dao Sect.
He still spent each day eating, sweeping, and sleeping.
Nangong Yao also often came to the Thatched Cottage, listening to his teachings like a student.
Every word Chen Xun uttered was clearly the wild, unbridled rambling of a madman, yet some of those words gave Nangong Yao tremendous inspiration.
The difference was that Nangong Yao sometimes came alone, and sometimes brought elders with him.
Over time, the core elders gradually grew familiar with Chen Xun.
After spending more time with him, they finally understood why the sect master addressed him as Teacher.
Sometimes, Chen Xun's words rang through the elders' minds like a great bell, or flowed into their hearts like a clear spring, benefiting them immensely.
The elders had never heard anything like Chen Xun's mad ramblings, but they committed every word to heart.
For instance.
"A tree so broad it takes two arms to embrace grows from a tiny shoot; a nine-story terrace rises from piled earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet."
At first, the elders did not understand. After pondering it carefully, they felt it was indeed the truth.
Cultivation was a long process. One had to begin with the smallest things, keep one's feet firmly on the ground, and steadily accumulate progress to attain the Great Dao.
For instance.
"Those who understand others are wise; those who understand themselves are enlightened. Those who overcome others have strength; those who overcome themselves are truly strong."
To the elders, this meant that on the path of cultivation, one had to understand not only others, but oneself as well. Only by refusing to let desires and weaknesses take hold could one attain the Great Dao.
For instance.
"The Dao gives birth to one; one gives birth to two; two gives birth to three; three gives birth to all things."
This statement shook the elders even more deeply. On the path of cultivation, the Dao was the source of all things, and cultivators had to pursue a state of unity with it.
And another example.
"Heaven and earth are without benevolence, treating all things as straw dogs; sages are without benevolence, treating the people as straw dogs."
These words dealt the elders another blow on a spiritual level.
Cultivators had to transcend worldly notions of good and evil, treating all things equally, without favoritism or discrimination.
Yet looking back, the cultivation world had always set itself apart from the mortal world. Cultivators stood high above everyone else, claiming they avoided mortal affairs for fear of being tainted by worldly influences. In truth, they regarded mortals as ants and disdained their company.
Every cultivator had clearly begun as a mortal, yet in the end, they came to dislike who they had originally been. Why was that?
It was worth deep reflection.
Liu Yunjian and the other core elders benefited greatly from Chen Xun as well. Many things suddenly became clear to them, and their Dao hearts felt increasingly firm.
From then on, whenever Liu Yunjian and the other elders saw Chen Xun, they would also address him as Teacher with heartfelt respect.
During the second year.
Zhao Ting broke through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and his cultivation speed finally slowed down completely. He needed to spend considerably more time consolidating his foundation, because Core Formation was a major hurdle ahead, one that demanded extreme caution.
Perhaps in the early stages, Zhao Ting could make rapid breakthroughs with the sect pouring resources into him. But once he passed the late stage of Foundation Establishment, future breakthroughs could no longer come so swiftly. Each would take years, decades, or even centuries.
Whenever Zhao Ting emerged from seclusion, he would go to Chen Xun to share his good news.
On several occasions, Nangong Yao and the elders were outside the Thatched Cottage when they sensed Zhao Ting approaching. They hurriedly concealed themselves to avoid being discovered.
Then, watching from the shadows as Zhao Ting slung his arm around Chen Xun's shoulders, Nangong Yao and the others felt their eyelids twitch, inwardly cursing his lack of respect for his elders.
They would turn to Chu Ningshang and ask through voice transmission, "Fourth Elder, this disciple of yours has fine aptitude, but his conduct still needs some polishing."
Whenever this happened, Chu Ningshang was speechless as well, and could only say awkwardly, "Those who don't know aren't to blame. Those who don't know aren't to blame..."
Once she returned, however, Chu Ningshang would always give Zhao Ting a stern dressing-down with a dark expression.
Zhao Ting, of course, was utterly bewildered. I haven't caused any trouble since coming out of seclusion, have I? Why is Master scolding me out of nowhere?
At the end of the second year.
Quite a few disciples on Servant Disciple Peak reached their limit and left the sect in dejection to spend their remaining years in the mortal world. Still, with even their meager cultivation, their remaining lives there would surely be colorful.
As some disciples left, others naturally advanced to become outer disciples.
There were very few, but at least there were some.
For those who advanced to the outer ranks, the future still held a cultivation journey of tedium and hope.
To put a pleasant spin on it, these newly promoted disciples were continuing to pursue that elusive, ethereal path to immortality in place of the servant disciples who had left. That could count as something beautiful.
Perhaps in the end, they too would find the immortal path beyond their reach and fade into the crowd.
But what did that matter?
It was Chen Xun's third year in the Heavenly Dao Sect.
Turmoil engulfed the Northern Mystic Cultivation World.
After years of stability, war suddenly erupted between the righteous and devil paths.
It began when a Demonic Sect was exposed for abducting righteous sect disciples out on missions and turning them into blood slaves!
One righteous sect noticed something amiss after its disciples repeatedly vanished while away. It went to a Demonic Sect to demand an explanation, only to stumble upon senior figures from more than half of Northern Mystic's Demonic Sects gathered there to plot. With its secret exposed, the Demonic Sect decided to go all the way, detaining every senior figure and disciple who had come from that righteous sect and locking them in the Blood Slave Hall.
This stirred towering waves throughout the Northern Mystic Cultivation World, and the righteous sects vowed to crusade against the devil sects.
Yet even after being exposed, the Demonic Sect showed no remorse. Instead, it became increasingly brazen, fully baring its cruel fangs.
During that third year, righteous sect disciples frequently disappeared while away. Without exception, the devil path was responsible.
It was not as though the righteous sects had never joined forces to fight the devil sects. They fought for more than half a year, but unfortunately suffered repeated setbacks.
The reason was that the devil sects were tightly united. On the righteous side, by contrast, many sects that had not been affected hung the matter high out of reach, treating it as none of their concern.
At the end of the third year, the war subsided.
But everyone knew this was only a temporary respite for the righteous path to catch its breath after failing to defeat the devil path.
The entire Northern Mystic Cultivation World lay in the calm before the storm.
The major righteous sects all issued bans forbidding their disciples from leaving, but this could not last, because it severely hindered their development.
It was manageable in the short term, but after even a little more time, the sects would inevitably run short of resources.
Thus, as time passed, quite a few righteous sects could no longer hold out. They had no choice but to lift their bans and quietly send people out under the leadership of deacons or guardians.
What they never imagined was that the devil sects had long since stationed people to watch them day and night, waiting for an opportunity. The moment there was any movement, they launched their abductions.
Even with deacons and guardians leading the groups, the sects still suffered heavy losses.
Helpless, the righteous path could only impose the bans again, leaving things locked in a stalemate for the time being.
The Heavenly Dao Sect.
The entire sect was quieter than in previous years.
The servant disciples remained busy each day with chores and cultivation. Though their strength was meager, at this particular juncture, they were actually the safest, since servant disciples had no missions outside the sect.
The disciples and elders of Human Mystic Peak and Earth Profound Peak, however, mostly wore sorrowful, grave expressions. Distracted and in no mood to cultivate, they glanced toward Heavenly Dao Peak from time to time, their faces filled with hope and unease.
At that moment, inside the Inner Pavilion on Heavenly Dao Peak.
Nangong Yao and the core elders sat upright. No one spoke, and the atmosphere was solemn.
Nangong Yao drew a light breath and spoke first. "In a little while, it will have been a full year since the Northern Mystic Orthodox and Demonic Paths began fighting, won't it?"
The elders nodded, their expressions heavy.
Who could have expected something like this to happen suddenly in Northern Mystic after so many peaceful years?
No wonder the major Demonic Sects had behaved themselves before. They had actually been doing all this in secret.
And over this past year, their Heavenly Dao Sect had suffered heavy losses as well...
After a moment of silence, Nangong Yao said flatly, "Bring me the list."
Liu Yunjian paused, then hurriedly took out a list and handed it over.
At the sight of that list, the elders pressed their lips together and remained silent.
Nangong Yao took the list, opened it, and read as he looked through it:
"Two hundred and fifteen outer disciples missing, twenty-four inner disciples missing, and purple-robed disciples... one missing."
Hearing this, the elders sighed deeply, pain appearing in their eyes.
Everyone knew that although they were called missing, they had actually been captured by Demonic Sects and made into blood slaves.
Jiang Bailu abruptly rose to his feet and said in anguish, "Sect Master, we must save Jingyao! If we keep delaying, her life may be in danger!"
The Jingyao whom Third Elder Jiang Bailu spoke of was his True Inheritance Disciple, Su Jingyao. She too had been captured by a Demonic Sect while away, and there had been no news of her since.
The elders sighed, their faces downcast, filled with both anger and helplessness.
The main problem was that even now, they did not know which Demonic Sect had captured these disciples. They felt they had no idea where to begin.
Was their Heavenly Dao Sect supposed to challenge every devil sect in Northern Mystic alone?
That was utterly impossible.
The Heavenly Dao Sect was indeed a first-rate righteous sect in Northern Mystic, but it was not the strongest. Even setting that aside, if it were the strongest sect in Northern Mystic, it still would not have the power to face the entire devil path.
Purple-robed disciples were so precious. The Heavenly Dao Sect had only fifteen of them, but reality stood before their eyes, and there was nothing they could do.
If they could learn exactly which Demonic Sect had abducted their disciples, they would have gone to its doorstep to settle the score long ago.
Nangong Yao frowned slightly and said coldly, "Third Elder, calm yourself first. This matter requires careful deliberation. Jingyao is indeed a purple-robed disciple, and she is also your personal disciple, but you must not let favoritism color your words."
As he spoke, Nangong Yao shook the list forcefully in front of Jiang Bailu and said:
"Are those two hundred and fifteen outer disciples and twenty-four inner disciples not treasures of our Heavenly Dao Sect as well?!"
"What good does fretting do? As sect master, I am more anxious than you!"
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