"Sect Master!" Several people at his sides caught Perfected Daoqing as he spat blood in the hall, each of them aghast.
For the Azure Cloud Sect to dare provoke the Heavenly Evolution Sect, it naturally could not be a pushover. It, too, was a top sect. Perfected Daoqing was likewise a Tribulation Transcendence powerhouse. Although he had only survived six tribulations, he was still unquestionably among the strongest.
In theory, six tribulations should not have been that far behind the Nine Tribulations. After all, both belonged to Tribulation Transcendence, with no essential difference in their understanding of the "Dao." Even the number of tribulations was not that far apart. Like the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement and the ninth layer, holding out for a while should have been perfectly normal, right? Fighting above one's level was hardly rare!
This had been the confidence behind Perfected Daoqing's daring to provoke Mu Xunzhen, but who could have imagined he would fail to withstand even one move? Moreover, Perfected Daoqing had used a magic treasure, while Mu Xunzhen had not even lifted a hand. They simply could not understand how she had done it.
Someone asked in bewildered horror, "How could she possibly be this strong?"
"Pfft..." Perfected Daoqing spat out another mouthful of blood and said weakly, "Surviving nine tribulations doesn't mean her strength is limited to nine tribulations. Otherwise, what are we guarding against? That is a path to divinity..."
"Then..." The speaker grew considerably more timid. "Is she going to defy the whole world and openly start a war between sects over a mere Ye Jingshan?"
"What does a mere Ye Jingshan amount to? She simply needed an excuse like this to openly cripple me and intimidate everyone else." Perfected Daoqing was so furious he nearly spat blood again. "That fool Ye Jingshan! How dare he lay hands on Mu Xunzhen's direct disciple!"
An elder beside him sighed. "Who knew a direct disciple at Qi Refinement would pop up..."
Everyone exchanged speechless looks for a long while before someone else said, "Every sect already has its own reservations. How could getting everyone to work together be easy? Now that she's established her might with such a ruthless strike, some people will surely retreat again, giving her a chance to stall for time. What can we do?"
Never mind the other sects-even their own overconfidence that they could challenge the Heavenly Evolution Sect had all but evaporated.
It was exactly like having a basin of ice water dumped over their heads. Even now, the question kept circling in their minds: how had she delivered that strike...?
Another person asked in puzzlement, "They say that woman spends all her time in seclusion, casting divinations and searching for someone. How could she be so vicious? When I saw those bloody eyes just now, I thought I was looking at someone from the demonic path!"
Daoqing said quietly, "What do you know...? In my younger years, I heard rumors that before this woman's cultivation had reached great attainment, she killed her brother, murdered her master, and slaughtered her entire sect. Clearly a bloodstained fiend. Even if the rumors were exaggerated and distorted, they could hardly have been groundless..."
Everyone shuddered. "S-surely not... We've never heard anyone mention it in all these years..."
"Those who knew kept it a closely guarded secret. Who would dare expose it recklessly? That would mean a fight to the death with Mu Xunzhen, so naturally few have heard of it. As the people of that era gradually reached the ends of their lives, even that sect's name disappeared into the long passage of time. No one knows it anymore... Even I don't know. I came later myself."
"..."
"Later, during the battle to establish the Heavenly Evolution Sect, when they fought over spirit mountains and mineral veins, I witnessed it with my own eyes. The slaughter in that battle stopped the mountain springs from flowing and shook the Heavenly Prefecture with its might. How unruly were Wan Changqing and the others back then? Yet they bowed their heads and acknowledged her as their leader after that. Do you think it was because she was pretty? I even suspect all her talk of searching for someone and ignoring affairs these past years has merely been an excuse to hide her light and bide her time!"
Everyone exchanged looks, their hair standing on end. They had no idea how much their sect master had demonized her out of hatred. Did it not sound rather exaggerated, just hearing it like this?
No one dug any deeper. They simply asked, "Then what should we do?"
Perfected Daoqing took a few breaths before saying slowly, "Mu Xunzhen suppressed word of her past atrocities because she did not want the reputation of following the demonic path and having her sect universally condemned. Now that we are falling out openly, we should spread the story far and wide in secret to damage her reputation. Remember, those who lose the Way find little support. This is a supreme truth of the Heavenly Dao."
"Precisely."
"Also, take my handwritten letters to the Dharma Mystery Nunnery and Reflecting Void Valley. See what Abbess Jingkong and Feng Yufeng have to say. If not even powerhouses who have survived more than ten tribulations like them will step forward to organize us, then when the Witch God descends, all will be ground to dust!"
Everyone departed, weighed down by worry.
In matters like this, reputation and the Witch God's descent might both be important, but everyone's geographical circumstances differed.
The Azure Cloud Sect was only ten thousand li from the Heavenly Evolution Sect, making it the closest. Over the years, disputes and friction over peripheral spheres of influence and ownership of mineral resources had never ceased. There were longstanding grudges and conflicts of interest. Who knew how much of their constant talk of opposing the path of the Witch God was an excuse to draw the various parties into an alliance?
There were also several powerful sects somewhat closer to the Heavenly Evolution Sect that had similar conflicts. Lacking the very strongest earth immortals, they could only put on smiling faces before the Heavenly Evolution Sect. Naturally, these sects had long been secretly colluding with the Azure Cloud Sect. They were typical examples of those Yun Ranyi had described as "seeing the Heavenly Evolution Sect as a thorn in their eyes." But they absolutely would not dare stick their heads out and take the lead. They were all counting on Perfected Daoqing to stand at the front.
Only now had he realized he could not withstand it. This single strike might well have shattered everyone's resolve.
The other powerful sects were a hundred and eight thousand li away. They might talk of opposing Witchcraft, but without any direct conflict of interest, would they really put their backs into taking the lead?
Hard to say... It depended on how wary they were of the path of the Witch God.
Abbess Jingkong was said to hate evil like poison and be the most unyielding...
Qi Yan spent an entire day buried in the scripture library, studying artifact refining.
Only through studying did he learn that, purely in terms of cultivation, Dao cultivation was indeed more advanced than Witchcraft. Aside from the advantages he already knew, even the peripheral hundred arts of immortal cultivation provided paths of cultivation for the Dao Arts.
The process of refining pills, refining artifacts, and even farming could all be a process of cultivation. That was almost equivalent to cultivating no matter what one did, naturally making it faster than Witchcraft.
It could also nurture a tranquil Dao heart, which in turn nourished one's cultivation mindset. It even benefited one's bearing. Thinking of what sort of bearing all those bones and flesh in Witchcraft would eventually nurture made Qi Yan himself want to scratch his head. No wonder the little crybaby had switched specialties. No wonder Jiang Jinyue simply refused to learn it.
After all, being handsome or beautiful was a lifelong matter.
But his master was so powerful in Witchcraft, yet still so beautiful...
He was getting sidetracked. In any case, considering which attributes to add during artifact refining also gave Qi Yan a chance to sort through his own choices in the Dao Arts.
If there was anything slightly special about his mixed spiritual root, it was that his spiritual roots all carried a slight mutation. Rather than conventional metal, wood, water, or fire, they were things like lightning and ice. Of course, they were not pronounced enough to be worth much, but as his own distinctive traits, he would always favor them a little more.
Between cultivating lightning arts and fire arts, he would certainly feel more drawn to lightning arts.
As it happened, drawing wind and lightning with a sword was something many Dao cultivators who used swords as ritual implements often did. It fit perfectly. How had Lu Xueqi done it back then? Apparently, a certain little Daoist nun did it too...
That made the choice easy. From now on, his Dao cultivation would focus on lightning arts, with ice as a supplement. The material to add to his sword was therefore easy to choose. There was already a corresponding hexagram: Thunder above, Water below; thunder and rain arose-Deliverance.
There were heaps of corresponding materials at every grade. For example, the material best suited to his current needs had a very plain name: thunder-water metal. It channeled lightning and facilitated water, making it a popular early-stage artifact-refining material among many cultivators of the corresponding Dao Arts.
Uh... Though "early-stage" referred to the Foundation Establishment Stage. No one normally did this sort of thing at the Qi Refining Stage.
As for shortening incantations, that was a little troublesome... From what he could see, Dao Arts could be simplified. Often, if the method of operation was right, silently reciting "Swift!" would suffice. Not Witchcraft. Unless the incantation was completed, it would not take effect. No auxiliary means could shorten it.
Forget it. He was only just starting to learn and practice. He should not make things too complicated yet. He would get the thunder-water metal sorted out first.
Qi Yan put down his book and went to the outer sect's grand plaza again.
The noisy plaza fell silent once more the instant he appeared. Everyone secretly sized him up with a trace of fright, saying nothing.
Most of them had spread rumors about him, and this little granduncle-master clearly knew exactly what had happened. Who knew whether he would settle accounts...?
Instead, Qi Yan said, "I want to buy a piece of thunder-water metal. Does anyone have any?"
Everyone: "?"
Wait, has our main peak really gone bankrupt?
Amid the silence, laughter suddenly rang out. "Little martial uncle, you want thunder-water metal?"
Qi Yan looked toward the voice. A young man was leaning against a distant pillar, smiling as he studied him. He looked a little lackadaisical, but had a friendly, likable face. He also seemed somewhat familiar-apparently, he was the Foundation Establishment disciple who had been chatting and joking with the person in charge at another counter when Qi Yan came to pick up a mission that time.
Seeing him look over, the disciple straightened slightly and smiled. "Thunder-water metal is a Foundation Establishment Stage material. Most of what's here is for the Qi Refining Stage, so it won't be easy to find. Are you planning to rely on yourself again, little martial uncle?"
Qi Yan said, "Do you have any?"
"I don't, but if you aren't short of money, little martial uncle, why not visit the markets in the towns outside?"
"...I'm not familiar with them."
"If you'd like to become familiar, little martial uncle, then from this moment on, we're acquainted." The man bowed with clasped hands. "Jing Chuan of Wondrous Brush Peak pays his respects, martial uncle."
Qi Yan found this rather interesting. "You mean you'll take me?"
"Why not?" Jing Chuan winked. "Currying favor with one's elders starts at Qi Refinement."
Qi Yan finally laughed and went over to walk out beside him. "Aren't you afraid people will call you a flatterer?"
Jing Chuan said leisurely, "What does the praise or condemnation of mediocrities matter...? If I make a breakthrough in cultivation, it won't be because they offered a few compliments. If I stagnate, it won't be because they hurled a few insults."
Qi Yan said, "So, Brother Jing, are you trying to persuade me not to care too much about rumors?"
"Brother Jing?" Jing Chuan stopped short in shock.
"I don't want to be called martial uncle or granduncle-master everywhere I go. It feels terribly awkward. If you aren't afraid of being called a flatterer, I'm not afraid of being called improper."
"Ha... Hahahaha!" Jing Chuan laughed for a good while, until he was breathless. "I wasn't actually trying to persuade little martial... Mm, Brother Qi, about whether to care about rumors. You were acting for the main peak's reputation, not your personal reputation. I do understand that much."
Qi Yan glanced sidelong at him. The fellow really had started calling him Brother Qi without even putting on an act. He was an interesting one, too.
"Honestly, it's perfectly normal for everyone to envy you. I'm sick with envy myself, damn it..." Jing Chuan swore, then continued, "But our Heavenly Evolution Sect places particular importance on teaching people about this. Most people might envy you, but they don't harbor much malice."
Qi Yan keenly caught the key point. "Most..."
So this man knew who that malicious "minority" were, did he?
Of course, there was also a certain possibility that he himself was one of them.