Tianyi stilled. He never expected Sect Master Xia to say he would step down, but after thinking about it, he realized the reason. Sect Master Xia had already entered the Extremity Immortal Realm, and the position of sect master no longer mattered.
Why not use Xia Yushan’s matter to stand down?
Still, it would leave an irrevocable mark on his record. Tianyi couldn’t help but stare suspiciously at Sect Master Xia. “You aren’t just paying lip service, are you?”
Sect Master Xia shook his head. “With Grand Elder Xi’s strength and your strength, would I be able to do such a thing? Even if you and Grand Elder Xi let my disciple live, he won’t.”
“He?”
“That’s right, the Concealed Emperor,” Sect Master Xia said.
Tianyi turned silent. After a while, he asked. “Who is the Concealed Emperor?”
When his mother entered the Origin Immortal Realm, he had thought her status would exceed the eternal grand elder of the Buzhou Immortal Sect, but after visiting the forbidden grounds, Tianyi realized his folly. The Concealed Emperor likely wasn’t an immortal emperor, but an immortal sovereign or possibly a divinity of the Immortal Court from the primordial era.
Since Caishen could grasp a chance at life and survive to modern times, what about the other divinities?
Sect Master Xia shook his head. “I can’t tell you, but you should know soon.”
“What do you mean?”
“All grand elders will meet His Majesty.”
Tianyi ignored the terms of address as his mouth hung open. “You were being serious? You really are going to make me a grand elder?”
“Of course,” Sect Master Xia said with certainty. “There is no requirement for becoming a grand elder except for strength. If you don’t qualify for the position of grand elder after obliterating a part of the Earth Continent along with the Eight Pillar Sect, I think only Grand Elder Xi will be eligible.”
“That was an accident. I didn’t expect my technique to be that devastating,” Tianyi said, looking away.
“Even if it was an accident, your strength has already reached the requirement. Although it isn’t official yet, let me address you again. Greetings, Grand Elder Xi,” Sect Master Xia said with a salute.
Tianyi could feel the corner of his lips quirk upward, but he forced it down. “Don’t think I’ve forgiven you for Xia Yushan’s action just because of your words.”
Sect Master Xia only slightly smiled. He could see that Tianyi’s anger had mostly dissipated. “It’s my fault. I should have never given him the Emotion Severance Sutra.”
“Emotion Severance Sutra?” Tianyi repeated. He had heard of it before, but didn’t think much of it. Now, his views had changed. “Such a problematic cultivation method should be made taboo.”
“I was afraid that Yushan would develop an inner devil, and the Emotion Severance Sutra is the best method to overcome inner devils.” Sect Master Xia sighed. “Unfortunately, he was still unable to overcome the shadow of his heart.”
Tianyi recalled Xia Yushan’s confession to Daoyi. “Love? Did he love Daoyi that much?”
Still, he didn’t feel sorry. If you truly loved someone, you shouldn’t be willing to kill them. In Tianyi’s eyes, this wasn’t love at all, but selfishness. “Rather Emotional Severance Sutra, it should be called the Art of Selfishness.”
Sect Master Xia didn’t deny Tianyi’s words. In the long history of the Huang Realm, all those who cultivated the Emotion Severance Sutra either committed a taboo in their pursuit of the path or fell before they could do so. He had hoped Xia Yushan would have been different, but he was wrong beyond his wildest imagination.
“Grand Elder Xi—”
“Don’t call me that. Grand Elder Xi is my mother,” Tianyi said. “My Daoist title is Nine Heavens.”
“Grand Elder Nine Heavens,” Sect Master Xia said. He had thought Tianyi might have been too arrogant, but recalling his unique cultivation method, he had said nothing. Now, it seemed Tianyi had the capital to be arrogant. “I still require Yushan in order to sentence him. I heard he’s still imprisoned by you. Can you hand him over to me?”
Tianyi waved his hand, and over ten figures appeared. Sect Master Xia instantly recognized Xia Yushan, only he had none of his previous dignity. His robes were in tatters and there was not a single unmarked spot on his body. Worst was Xia Yushan’s eyes. Xia Yushan’s eyes had no clarity, and it appeared as if he had lost his mind.
Suddenly, Xia Yushan’s eyes focused and stared at Sect Master Xia. Without warning, he giggled like a little kid without a care in the world.
Sect Master Xia couldn’t help but stare at Tianyi. Tianyi opened his mouth and wanted to say that he didn’t do anything. It was all Daoyi. However, he shut it after a moment and refused to answer.
Seeing Tianyi’s refusal to answer, Sect Master Xia coughed and observed the unmoving figures. It didn’t take long for him to recognize the immortal monarchs of the Eight Pillar Sect, but what caught his eye was the last figure, or rather, a corpse. “This is a jiangshi?”
Tianyi nodded. “Emperor Soulsilk transformed his body into an emperor-level jiangshi. I had also wanted to capture him alive, but he didn’t give in. When he died, his soul dissipated, and I couldn’t save him even with all my authority in the Nine Heavens Universe.”
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“No worries. I hadn’t expected to capture any of them alive, much less an immortal emperor,” Sect Master Xia said. “Although it’s a pity that Eight Pillar Sect’s technique repository had been destroyed.”
“Hey, I couldn’t help it,” Tianyi said. “You sent me alone against the entire Eight Pillar Sect. I thought they were going to be much stronger. Who knew they would be so weak?”
Sect Master Xia’s lips twitched. “Only you are able to say this.”
Tianyi snorted, but pride flashed across his face. He waved his hand and a few jade slips appeared. “Although most of the techniques and manuals were destroyed, I still managed to retrieve a few of their higher techniques, like the Yin-Yang Reversal and the Dual Yin-Yang Transformation Technique.”
“Since that’s the case, I’ll take them,” Sect Master Xia said. He used his qi to move Xia Yushan, the immortal monarchs, and Emperor Soulsilk’s corpse away. He looked away from Xia Yushan, unable to bear looking at him. After all, Xia Yushan had once been his proud disciple, a genius of a generation. “I’ll lock them up in the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Abyss for now.”
“Seven Emotions and Six Desires Abyss,” Tianyi muttered. “Wait.”
Sect Master Xia stopped and turned around. “Is there anything else?”
“What happened to Lei Jingye?” Tianyi asked.
“Lei Jingye?” Sect Master Xia asked. It took a moment, but he finally recalled the person Tianyi asked about. “He died decades ago because of old age.”
“I-I see,” Tianyi said.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll excuse myself. The war might be over, but there’s still a lot of matters I need to take care of,” Sect Master Xia said.
Tianyi only nodded without paying attention. Of all his enemies, Lei Jingye had left the deepest impression on him. And now, his first rival and nemesis had died. Tianyi didn’t know what he expected. Maybe Lei Jingye would break out and cultivate in the Immortal Realm for one last battle with him. During the battle, he would personally kill Lei Jingye and end this karma. But for Lei Jingye to die of old age seemed so… anticlimactic.
“Forget it,” Tianyi said. He had other more matters to consider, like breaking out the news that he was a reincarnator to his mother.
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Sect Master Xia was still in the process of dealing with the aftermath of the war. As Monarch Fiveseal expected, the reason there were so few immortals at the Cloud Goddess Cult was because the others were dispatched to destroy the Anti-Heaven Alliance’s headquarters.
Although not all the immortals of the Anti-Heaven Alliance had gone to the Cloud Goddess Cult, the majority of them did under the Cloud Goddess’s orders. So, even if it was troublesome to deal with the guardian formation, the difficulty had decreased significantly.
During this process, they reaped many benefits. The Buzhou Immortal Sect had much greater resources, but mosquito meat was still meat. No matter how small it was, there was no need to waste them. To decrease the resistance of all parties, antagonistic and neutral, the truth of what happened gradually disseminated throughout the Huang Realm.
At this point, Sect Master Xia had transitioned to planning the ceremony announcing the Buzhou Immortal Sect’s hegemony over the Huang Realm.
He didn’t know why the Concealed Emperor ordered him to plan the ceremony when the Saintly Scholar School still remained. Sect Master Xia knew that the Saintly Scholar School wasn’t their secret ally like the Cultivator Alliance. Otherwise, they would have unified the Huang Realm over a hundred thousand years ago. Still, that didn’t prevent him from obeying the Concealed Emperor’s decree.
During the labor, his attendant reported something out of the blue. “Redseal wants to see me?”
Originally, Redseal should have been sealed for at least a few hundred more years, but because of the arrival of war, he was released. If he performed well, his sentence would be reduced and he may even be rewarded if he contributed enough. Because of their friendship, Sect Master Xia had dispatched him to destroy the headquarters of the Drifting Feather Sect.
As Sect Master Xia willed, Redseal had performed admirably. Although it wasn’t likely for him to return to his previous position as the Head Elder of Justice Hall, he could still take other important positions.
“Let him in,” Sect Master Xia after a moment of consideration.
Redseal’s appearance became even more fragile instead of recovering. Now, instead of a middle-aged man, he appeared closer to an elderly man now. His back had a noticeable slouch and his hair seemed thin, capable of falling out at any moment. He didn’t even greet Sect Master Xia and practically shouted, “Do you know where Ban’er is?! I tried looking for him, but it’s as if he disappeared.”
Sect Master Xia frowned. He couldn’t help but stare at Redseal. Did he develop an inner devil? “Have you checked his soul lamp?”
Redseal’s eyes light up. “Yes, Ban’er’s soul lamp!”
Without bidding goodbye, he flew out of the room. Sect Master Xia returned to planning the ceremony, but he couldn’t help but feel something was off. He ordered his attendant to send someone to check on Lovespot’s soul lamp.
His feeling turned true as he the attendant reported that Lovespot’s soul lamp had extinguished. Still, that ominous premonition didn’t disappear and only increased. Not knowing what crazy actions Redseal would commit in his grief, he ordered the Brocade Immortals to monitor Redseal while he pulled up a report on Lovespot’s actions.
Sect Master Xia noticed something was off after reading the report. Lovespot had been dispatched to the Drifting Feather Sect with another squad. Redseal should have paid more attention to Lovespot, yet, how did Lovespot’s entire squad disappear without a trace?
He also noticed that Zi Zun was also part of the squad. As a potential Heavenblessed, Sect Master Xia kept tabs on him too. Coupled with Lovespot’s mysterious “death”, Sect master Xia felt something off. This feeling was cemented when he noticed that someone actually dispatched Brocade Immortal Thirty-Seven to monitor Lovespot and that the Brocade Immortal had mysteriously vanished, too.
Aside from himself, the only one able to order the Brocade Immortal was the Concealed Emperor. Sect Master Xia had originally only thought it was strange, and planned to investigate after everything settled down, but the Concealed Emperor’s involvement changed things.
Sect Master Xia immediately left Central Peak and made his way toward Broken Heaven Valley.
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While the situation on the Heaven Continent and Earth Continent calmed down as the truth disseminated. Confucius entertained a guest. “Oh, you want to follow me? Are you sure you don’t want to stay in the Huang Realm?”
Across from the grand founder of the Saintly Scholar School was a slovenly Daoist with a sword strapped across his back, Daoist Lu. “Hehe, that Xi kid might be interesting, but there’s really not much that makes me want to stay here. I plan to watch the creation of a new realm and maybe I can go further on my path. If not, I’ll go travel to the Broken Primordial World again.”
Daoist Lu took a swig from his wine jug and then glanced at Confucius. He sighed. “Besides, there’s not many of us from our era that survived.”
“Isn't there one in the Buzhou Immortal Sect?”
“Haha, compared to us, he can only be considered a junior,” Daoist Lu said. “Besides, I don’t like the Jade Pure Lineage much.”
Confucius smiled and said nothing as he brought a teacup to his lips. After taking a sip, “It seems the Buddhists might be taking action soon.”
“Hehe, the Huang Realm just experienced a great war, but the Buzhou Immortal Sect has already set their sights on the demon clan. The next Divine Beast-Human War might erupt much sooner than any of us think. And now, those Buddhists want to interfere. Did they think their chance has come?” Daoist Lu asked.
“Who knows,” Confucius said.
Daoist Lu took another swig from his jug before snickering. “Since time immemorial, it looks like you never do anything, but don’t you always benefit the most?”