Taoist Priest Qingxu withdrew his gaze, turned around, and left behind a single sentence: "Tell him not to leave your courtyard."
Jiang Changsheng smiled and continued forward, the Devil Master close behind him.
The disciples of Dragon Arising Temple had all gone to sleep. They did not cultivate immortality, so they could not hear the commotion at the foot of the mountain. Nor did they possess Taoist Priest Qingxu's profound cultivation, able to sense fluctuations in True Qi.
Jiang Changsheng brought the Devil Master back to his courtyard and entered the room.
He sat cross-legged on the bed and said, "Heal your wounds while circulating your energy. I'll question you at the same time."
The Devil Master did not dare argue. After closing the door, he sat cross-legged beside the wooden table. Shadow Leg had struck him hard, and his internal organs had all suffered grave injuries. This climb up the mountain had cost him half his life.
"Are you a Heaven Arrival Realm expert?"
Jiang Changsheng asked the question that concerned him most. The answer would determine how he acted in the future.
The Devil Master smiled bitterly. "I... I truly am Heaven Arrival..."
"Between you and the Heaven Arrival expert in the imperial palace, who is stronger?"
"Of course he is stronger. Otherwise, I would not have come all the way to the capital... We are both Heaven Arrival Realm, but I can only reach Heaven Arrival. He is called Heaven Arrival because most people in the martial world believe Heaven Arrival is the strongest."
The Devil Master could not help glancing at Jiang Changsheng.
Jiang Changsheng asked, "How much chance do you think I have against him?"
Without hesitation, the Devil Master said, "Naturally, you are stronger!"
"Do not feed me empty words. If I die, you die as well. I planted a Life and Death Seal within you. With this technique, I can decide your life and death with ease."
"I don't know either... Twenty years ago, I challenged him. Facing him then was just like facing you now—I was crushed beyond recognition. How strong he has become after twenty years, I fear the entire Great Jing martial world does not know."
The Devil Master sighed emotionally. In the eyes of ordinary martial artists, he was already an invincible powerhouse. Yet only he knew that there were still more powerful experts out there. He merely benefited from the title of Devil Sect Master.
Jiang Changsheng continued questioning him. The Devil Master answered every question. When he did not know something, he honestly explained as much, and his attitude was fairly sincere.
He had brought the Devil Sect disciples here not to avenge Ghost Eye Evil King, but to serve as someone else's blade.
"That person called himself the Punishment Head. He wore a mask and possessed formidable martial arts. He was absolutely a Heaven Arrival Realm expert. His authority was immense. He claimed that if the Devil Sect took the opportunity to eliminate the powerful and noble within the city, along with Dragon Arising Temple, he would support the Devil Sect and clear our name..."
The Devil Master spoke with a complicated tone. As he spoke, he could not help coughing. His injuries were simply too severe.
Jiang Changsheng also knew of the Devil Sect's predicament. It was similar to the Chen Family's. The Devil Sect had once been the foremost sect of the Chu Dynasty. After Great Jing overthrew Chu, the martial world changed with it. Because the Devil Sect had once dispatched disciples to support the Chu Dynasty, breaking the martial world's rules, it was shunned by the current martial world. The imperial court also hunted them everywhere. They were like rats scurrying through the streets.
The martial world had its rules: martial sects could not participate in disputes within the imperial court, much less in struggles between dynasties. At least, not openly. This was also a system by which the martial world protected itself.
Jiang Changsheng asked, "How did you dare trust the Punishment Head? Weren't you afraid he was deceiving you?"
The Devil Master replied, "He possessed the True Dragon Token. To see the True Dragon Token is to see the Son of Heaven, so I suspected he was acting on the emperor's behalf. I never expected that this tiny capital hid three Heaven Arrival Realm experts. No, four—including you..."
Regret gnawed at his heart.
He should never have trusted the words of those powerful nobles. Had he known, he would have been better off leading the Devil Sect out of the Great Jing Dynasty. The world was vast—where could they not find shelter?
There were actually two Heaven Arrival experts!
Jiang Changsheng secretly felt fortunate. Luckily, he had not acted recklessly. This was normal. No one would reveal all their strength, and the emperor was no exception.
The Devil Master's contact had been the Punishment Head. Other than the Punishment Head, he had never met any other powerful noble, leaving Jiang Changsheng unable to learn anything further.
Jiang Changsheng suspected the Punishment Head was the emperor, but the emperor had already taken a boat south to South of the River.
Afterward, he questioned the Devil Master about the Devil Sect.
The Devil Sect had over a hundred thousand disciples, more than a thousand First-Rate Experts, and over fifty Peerless Experts. Besides the Devil Master, there was also a vice sect master who had reached the Heaven Arrival Realm. However, the vice sect master had not come along, as he needed to guard the Devil Sect.
If the Devil Master did not return, the vice sect master would automatically succeed him as sect master after one year.
The Devil Sect was quite powerful!
Jiang Changsheng cultivated immortality. He was stronger than martial artists, but his spiritual power was not inexhaustible. He also needed to nurture his own forces.
The Devil Master was an excellent beginning!
Jiang Changsheng smiled. "Do you think I am a mortal?"
The Devil Master froze, unable to understand what he meant. But remembering the Taihang Sword from before, a chill inexplicably ran down his spine.
Could it be...
"Judging by my appearance, how old would you guess I am?"
"Seventeen or eighteen... What is your actual age?"
The Devil Master asked cautiously. Jiang Changsheng had become unfathomably mysterious in his heart.
With a thought from Jiang Changsheng, the Taihang Sword on the table automatically flew from its sheath and circled through the room. The Devil Master trembled from head to toe in fright.
He had not seen how Jiang Changsheng made his move at all.
Before, he had thought it was merely an illusion, like his own Black Crow Ascends the Sky technique—something used to fool people. Now, it seemed that was not the case!
Jiang Changsheng said, "I need people to work for me. If you obey, I can let bygones be bygones. I can even grant you benefits beyond your imagination, such as..."
Jiang Changsheng stared at the Devil Master and teased, "You are already sixty, aren't you? You merely look young. With the way you have trained your body, it is riddled with hidden injuries. How many years can you live? Ten? Twenty? I think that is already the limit. Do you wish to live longer? Do you wish to pursue greater power?"
The Devil Master's heartbeat quickened under the barrage of questions.
When people grew old, what they feared most was bodily decline. This was especially true for martial artists. Even the emperor was searching the world for immortals—how could the Devil Master be any different?
That night, the Devil Master's heart was in turmoil.
Within a dim palace hall, Eunuch Li stood in the hall, his expression incomparably grim.
Before him stood a figure with their back to him. The person wore purple robes and a Bronze Mask, with long hair coiled beneath a crown. He was both mysterious and filled with noble bearing.
"The Devil Master has disappeared, and more than half the Devil Sect's people have been lost?"
The purple-robed figure spoke, his voice indifferent and devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
Eunuch Li gritted his teeth. "The Devil Master has vanished. Either he is dead or he has been captured. Fortunately, he knew little, but the other side possesses the ability to kill the Devil Master with ease. We must reconsider him."
"Punishment Head, what exactly does His Majesty mean? Does he intend to kill this son, or leave him alive? Why place him within the capital?"
The purple-robed figure was the Punishment Head the Devil Master had spoken of!
The Punishment Head turned around. The Bronze Mask revealed only his right eye. That eye was as cold as a snake's, startling Eunuch Li so badly that he did not dare meet his gaze and fell to his knees in terror.
"This servant deserves death. This servant should not have presumed to speculate on His Majesty's intentions!"
Eunuch Li lowered his head, his voice trembling with fear and reverence.
The Punishment Head stared at him and said, "What His Majesty thinks is none of our concern. What His Majesty wants is the destruction of Dragon Arising Temple, the Yang Family, and the Hong Family. Yet all three matters have been ruined."
Eunuch Li kept his head lowered, not even daring to breathe loudly.
The Punishment Head continued, "From this moment onward, halt all operations. Select more experts from the Heavenly Prison and await instructions from His Majesty and me."
"Yes, sir!"
Eunuch Li hurriedly answered.
The Punishment Head walked toward him, his figure suddenly vanishing. The next instant, he appeared at the entrance of the palace hall. Looking up at the Ming Yue, he said, "Investigate which great experts have disappeared from the martial world over the past ten years. To enable an eighteen-year-old child to attain the Heaven Arrival Realm, he must be a Grandmaster figure. Choosing Changsheng may be connected to remnants of the former dynasty. Everyone involved in that operation back then must be investigated."
Eunuch Li turned around and said, "This servant understands!"
The Punishment Head vanished from before the entrance as well, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.
The moon set, and the sun rose.
At noon, within the courtyard.
Jiang Changsheng was using spiritual power to treat the Devil Master's injuries. The Devil Master had already changed into Dragon Arising Temple's Daoist robes. He looked like a frail old Daoist priest, utterly lacking the Devil Master's sinister aura and domineering presence.
Feeling that mysterious True Qi within his body, the Devil Master was shaken to the core.
Such terrifying cultivation... What martial art is this? His True Qi is more than ten times stronger than mine...
The Devil Master thought of what Jiang Changsheng had said the previous night, and his heart surged like the tides.
Perhaps this truly was an opportunity!
No matter how he thought about it, he could not understand how an eighteen-year-old could possess cultivation far surpassing a Heaven Arrival Realm expert. Even the young sect master of the Returning Origin Divine Sect was nowhere close. This Daoist must surely be an immortal god descended into the world, no ordinary man.
Jiang Changsheng withdrew his hand and said, "Go inside and recover from your injuries. The medicine on the table was personally refined by me. You may take it."
The Devil Master rose, bowed deeply, and entered the room.
White Dragon left Jiang Changsheng's shoulder and slithered toward the room after him.
Jiang Changsheng stood, lightly brushed the dust from his Daoist robe, then clasped his hands behind his back and gazed up at the sky, enjoying the sunlight.
Not long afterward, two figures entered the courtyard.
It was Chen Li.
Behind him followed a constable, thin and slight, with her head lowered.
Chen Li hurried over to Jiang Changsheng and said in a low voice, "Changsheng, I have something to say. Let's go inside."
"There is no need. Within thirty zhang, there are only the three of us. Oh, and one snake."
Jiang Changsheng smiled. He had already seen through the constable's identity. She was the white-clothed person from last night. Her aura was identical.
Immortal cultivators were exceptionally sensitive to auras.
Chen Li paused, then said, "The person behind me is from the White-Clothed Guard. She is my friend. I asked her to kill the Devil Sect fiends, yet dragged her into a whirlpool of conspiracy. She has nowhere to go now, and it would not be appropriate to keep her in the Chen Family. The entire city is under strict guard. I can only place her with you. Can you agree? Consider it your elder brother begging you."
Jiang Changsheng smiled. "Of course. Rest assured, Brother."
Chen Li let out a long breath, and the gloom on his face was swept away. He patted Jiang Changsheng on the shoulder and thanked him repeatedly.
He did not stay long, leaving in a hurry. Only Jiang Changsheng and the disguised constable remained in the courtyard.
Only after sensing Chen Li's aura grow distant did Jiang Changsheng speak. "What are your plans from now on?"
The constable stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and gritted her teeth. "Senior, please teach me martial arts. I am willing to give everything!"
Last night had not only overturned the Devil Master's understanding—it had also shattered her faith. She suddenly felt that everything she had struggled for in the first half of her life was a joke.
Jiang Changsheng asked, "Everything? What if I told you to kill Chen Li?"
A Peerless Expert had come to pledge allegiance. There was no reason not to accept her!
The constable said in a deep voice, "I would kill him. Though he has a benevolent and righteous heart, he lacks strength and methods. If he remains alive, he will only drag more innocents toward the Yellow Springs."
"What is your name?"
"This humble woman is called Jian Xin... My surname is Hua."
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