"Hmph. Old vices die hard, and he kills at whim!"
Xiao True Person's brows stirred. Then he rose with a sweep of his sleeve, his figure blurring before vanishing.
Watching the condemned cultivators' souls return and their consciousness settle back into place, several Golden Core Upper Cultivators exchanged glances and nodded together. The formation on the altar turned, faint light flickered, and a mysterious force suddenly appeared, shredding those returning souls. Nineteen people had been offered up; now only two remained alive and whole.
The truth was that the immortals did not take lives. The Daoist Sect did!
Invoking Heaven's name, they carried out ruthless slaughter. The immortals had not struck; they had merely withdrawn the Heaven-bestowed Spiritual Roots. The Daoist Sect eliminated potential threats and dumped all the blame on Heaven...
This was the essence of the Daoist Sect's Prayer. Naturally, their main aim was to obtain Heaven's gifts, while also asking Heaven to perform a final screening. Seventeen had failed the test, so they had deserved their punishment. How could such people be allowed to live?
Of all the cultivation organizations that survived in this world, which was not ruthless? The difference lay only in degree. The Anhe Daoist Sect drew its line at leaving two alive. Other kingdoms had more radical Daoist sects that generally left no survivors at all, preferring to kill the innocent rather than let anyone slip through.
However, the two surviving condemned cultivators posed a slight problem.
In theory, since the immortals above had spared these two and had not taken their spiritual roots, it meant the sect's judgment of them had been mistaken. Either they had never killed anyone, or everyone they had killed had deserved death. Those were the only possibilities, with the second being by far the more likely.
The problem was that one of these two had actually continued killing in full view of everyone. That showed rather too little regard for the Daoist Sect. Even if his victim had indeed been beyond redemption, where had such a paltry little cultivator acquired such a murderous nature? If someone like him truly grew powerful, who knew how much trouble he would cause? Besides, he did not accord with the Daoist Sect's True Intention!
Hence Xiao True Person's remark. A True Person occupied too exalted a position to make decisions about such trifles; it had merely been a passing comment prompted by his mood. Yet his attitude still demanded the attention of the Daoists beneath him.
A cultivation ground was much like officialdom: one had to ponder a superior's tone upon departure. "Hmph!" "Hmm?" "Eh?" "Ha!" and the like all conveyed particular leanings.
This time, the True Person had said "Hmph." How should they interpret that?
By convention, the Anhe Daoist Sect would generally recruit the lucky survivors in such circumstances. In all honesty, cultivators like these often possessed exceptional qualities and were worth nurturing. But if one was a blockheaded fool who had spent years unable to advance beyond Pulse Movement, with a head full of murderous urges to boot...
It was something of a dilemma. None of the higher-ranking Golden Core Upper Cultivators wished to decide. This was the Daoist habit of wisely keeping oneself out of harm's way;
Kill him and be done with it? The immortals above had spared him, and you would turn around and deal the deathblow? Having reached Golden Core, each had developed his own understanding of Heaven's will. For the sake of their Dao Paths, who would willingly sow karmic consequences over an ant?
Arrange for him to enter the Anhe Daoist Sect? Even setting aside his aptitude, that single "Hmph" from the True Person suggested this would hardly be a safe course either.
What should have been a perfectly ordinary Prayer had now developed a minor complication. Seeing his fellow disciples look toward him, the leading Golden Core Upper Cultivator knew what they were thinking. First, they did not want responsibility. Second, they were eager to seek out Xiao True Person and learn what this Prayer had yielded. Slippery creatures, every last one!
The leading Golden Core Upper Cultivator was growing irritated too. You can pass the buck, but this old Daoist cannot?
"Who apprehended this man?"
Among the Daoists, Daoist Chongling felt uneasy. Bracing himself, he stepped forward. "This disciple apprehended him while patrolling Guangchuan. This disciple failed to judge his character or discern the facts clearly. Please punish me, martial uncle!"
The Golden Core Upper Cultivator waved a hand. "What would I punish you for? Heaven took pity and showed mercy, but his murderous disposition is beyond remedy. There is no mistake about that. Tell me, do you have any suggestions regarding him?"
Daoist Chongling gritted his teeth and transmitted his voice. "Killing him would be improper, contrary to Heaven's will. Bringing him into the Daoist Sect would bode ill; might he not corrupt its atmosphere?
"After this disciple advances, I will be assigned to Liuyang, in Anhe's border province. It adjoins the Demonic Sect of the Shan Kingdom, where the situation is delicate and disputes are frequent. This disciple wondered whether we might plant a pawn among them, to sharpen our eyes and ears?"
The Golden Core Upper Cultivator nodded. "That is a sound approach. His temperament would suit those murderous Demonic Sect brutes perfectly. But his cultivation is far too ordinary. We find him beneath notice; would a place like the Demonic Sect value him?"
Daoist Chongling said awkwardly, "This disciple's cultivation is not high either. Having a little pawn to use would suffice. I would not expect much..."
The Golden Core Upper Cultivator shook his head and chuckled. "True enough. What great use could we expect of him? Very well, make the arrangements. There is no need to report the details. You alone will be responsible, and do not spread word of this."
He wanted to cast off this burden as soon as possible. Chongling saw that as clearly as a mirror and bowed deeply.
"I respectfully obey your decree, martial uncle. This man will be appointed a covert agent of the Daoist Sect, without entry in either the ordination register or the secret records..."
...Hou Niao opened his eyes, his soul returned to his body. He had no time to examine himself, for the scene around him was far too alarming!
What had been a bright, clear day was now overshadowed by black clouds, with wind and rain looming.
Nineteen had ascended the sacrificial altar; eight and a half pairs had fallen. Only two remained standing whole: himself and Zhou Qianyang of the Flying Feather Way.
What had happened? He dared not guess! When they came down, apart from Old Man Baoshi, whose soul he had crushed, everyone else had been perfectly fine. Now corpses littered the ground. The implications sent a chill through him.
Nor did he know whether he had passed this ordeal. Since he was not dead, it could not count as failure, but he did not seem to have gained anything either.
He was still himself, still that little Pulse Movement cultivator, mud that could never be plastered onto a wall. His spiritual root remained, yet there had been no improvement or change. The dramatic increase in power spoken of in rumors had not happened to him. No wondrous cultivation arts had appeared in his mind, nor were any Dao treasures or immortal artifacts concealed in his Dantian.
Neither success nor failure, just utter ordinariness. Yet ordinariness was precisely what he least wanted to see now! It rendered his gamble meaningless.
A Daoist stepped forward, expelling his breath in a shout. "Attend! Heaven cherishes life, and the Daoist Sect aspires to aid the world. This is the foundation of the Dao.
"As the saying goes, believing in the Dao is easy, practicing it is hard; practicing it is easy, attaining it is hard; attaining it is easy, upholding it is hard. Uphold the Dao without losing it, and your body shall endure.
"Since Heaven has left a thread of hope, the Daoist Sect comes to meet you. Rein in your heart and begin anew. Zhou Heyang of the Flying Feather Way, are you willing to enter our Anhe Daoist Sect?"
Zhou Heyang was no fool. After such an experience, how could he not know what choice to make? Even though he was accustomed to independent cultivation and disliked restrictions, he knew this was his best chance to gain legitimate standing.
At once, he fell in obeisance like a golden mountain toppling and a jade pillar collapsing. "Zhou Qianyang is willing to enter the Daoist Sect, unwavering for the rest of this life!"
The Daoist laughed heartily, swept his sleeve around him, and led him away. The assembled Daoists dispersed in a rush, not a single one remaining.
On the altar, Hou Niao was rather bewildered. What, did they think I didn't exist?
Worse humiliation than slaughter was being ignored!
He gritted his teeth. Knowing he fell far short of the Flying Feather Way, he could not expect the Daoist Sect to recruit him of its own accord. This was no time to worry about dignity or face. He could only thicken his skin and call out,
"Daoist master, this disciple would also like to join the Daoist Sect and contribute to Anhe..."
A Daoist swept his long sleeve backward. A gust knocked him head over heels, while a disdainful voice rang out:
"The Daoist Sect does not accept trash. A horse never knows how long its own face is. Why not go to the western pavilion and look in a mirror?"
Hou Niao felt hot blood surge within him, his eyes spitting fire!
Indeed:
Black clouds bore rain toward the Divine Capital; white clouds raced with thunder as fierce winds rose.
Only through headwinds all the way could fair winds be found; in a hundred years, what day was free of blame?
At the pine grove's preaching altar, flying sand raged; the Daoists' cold gazes struck the heart dead.
The world laughed and spoke of every ugliness; how could it know young Hou was no true man?