Even after returning to White Deer Cliff, the seat of the White Deer Sect, Sect Master Sun Huanqin still looked somewhat dazed. The Jinchuan Sect was an immortal sect whose might was by no means inferior to the White Deer Sect. Apart from having a slightly shallower heritage, its sect master, Real Man Pei, had always stood on equal footing with Sun Huanqin.
Moreover, with talents emerging in large numbers over recent years, the sect had shown signs of flourishing, subtly extending its reach into other immortal sects.
Sect Master Pei's earlier attempt to arrange a marriage for his nephew had carried precisely this ambition.
Sun Huanqin had never imagined that a sect boasting more than a dozen Core Formation elders, a sect master at the middle stage of Core Formation, deep foundation, and over a hundred Spell Comprehension cultivators—lacking only a True Person who had achieved a high-grade dan and cultivated a Yang Spirit, yet matching great sects like the Mount Mei Sect and the Baicao Sect in raw power—could be completely overturned by a wandering cultivator who had appeared out of nowhere.
And it was a single man with a single sword, roaming unhindered, cutting his way in from the mountain gate straight to the grand hall, striking down the sect master with a ferocity virtually no one could withstand.
"What kind of wandering cultivator is this? How could this possibly be a wandering cultivator... If he is a wandering cultivator, then what are we? A den of beggars?"
Remembering how her own disciples had gotten entangled in the affair, Sun Huanqin felt an oncoming headache. Upon returning to the mountain gate, she summoned a duty disciple and dispatched him to fetch her two disciples.
Even after returning to the White Deer Sect, Guan Pingxuan still appeared numb and bewildered. Yan Cai had tried consoling her several times, but she could not snap her frightened senior sister out of her stupor.
In Guan Pingxuan's heart, Senior Brother Pei was already the most formidable figure among the younger generation.
Not merely in a remote place like Jiuzhen Commandery, but even in the flourishing heart of the Central Plains, he would hardly pale in comparison against true transmission disciples of the Daoist orthodoxy... She had seen those disciples from the Daoist Academy; whenever one managed to form a mid-grade dan, they would brag incessantly and even throw grandiose banquets to celebrate.
Compared to Senior Brother Pei, who was wholeheartedly dedicated to achieving a high-grade dan, those academy disciples were indeed somewhat unworthy of praise in her eyes.
Yet such a promising young talent, renowned across the region and possessing profound cultivation, had been slain just like that simply for crossing a roving wandering cultivator of the jianghu!
The scene of Qian Chen piercing through Pei Junhu's chest had become her living nightmare.
Seeing her in such a state, Yan Cai could not help but urge, "Senior Sister, there is no need to be like this... In my view, that wandering cultivator Qian might not truly be a mere wanderer of the jianghu as he claimed. That day when Senior Brother Pei sent someone to make inquiries with the City God, I felt the City God's refusal was exceedingly resolute. It seemed he feared that man far more than offending Senior Brother Pei.
"Furthermore, when I investigated later, I discovered that another strange incident occurred not long ago... The Wei clan held a pill assembly for a practitioner of the heterodox path. In the end, no pill was refined, but the man himself was refined to death. Opinions vary on what actually transpired, but one can catch a glimpse of the truth from what City God Wei said.
"On the day of the pill assembly, the City God appeared to deliver a warning, saying this heterodox practitioner had offended an expert, and that he had lent out the hundred ghosts suppressed in the nether world to assist the expert in casting a spell... Only then was some unknown creation concocted that killed the man!
"The numerous evil ghosts imprisoned by the City God in the nether world fall strictly under his duty. How would he dare lend them out lightly?
"Unless there was a divine talisman issued by a true transmission disciple of the Daoist orthodoxy, allowing the City God a legitimate reason to grant such convenience... In that case, that man's identity is practically self-evident... An expert proficient in pill refinement, recently arrived in Jiuzhen Commandery, and possessing immense magical power... Isn't that precisely the person the young master of the Cui clan introduced to us?"
"Even... even if he were a true transmission disciple of the Daoist orthodoxy, how could he be so insanely savage?" Guan Pingxuan said, both frightened and furious. "The Daoist Academy leads the Daoist sects under heaven and serves as the foremost pillar of the Daoist orthodoxy. Yet as I see it, don't the inner disciples of the Jiuzhen Daoist Academy still scramble to fawn over Senior Brother Pei? In Northern Wei, there is the 'Monthly Evaluation' by the two True Men of the Xu family; in Southern Jin, there is Senior Wang Yan of the Wang clan, acclaimed as 'The Dragon Gate of an Era,' both evaluating the world's talents... Over the past sixty-year cycle, twenty-eight rising talents across the noble clans and immortal sects of every land stood out above the rest, acclaimed as the Twenty-Eight Characters.
"The Twelve Characters of Northern Wei and the Sixteen Characters of Southern Jin—together, they represent the most outstanding figures of the younger generation across the Divine Continent of Chixian.
"Cui Yan of the Cui clan received Senior Wang Yan's praise: 'Vast is the Dao of Qinghe, inward grace shining bright,' earning him a place as a candidate for the next generation of the Divine Continent's Twenty-Eight Characters. Yet his own brother was nothing remarkable!
"Even among the Twenty-Eight Characters, take Wang Longxiang, hailed as 'Peace Brings Auspicious Signs, True Dragon of the Great Calamity'...
"Or Xie Lingyun, known as 'Orchid and Jade Tree, the Xie Son of Jiangzuo'...
"I have met descendants of both the Wang and Xie clans, and none matched Senior Brother Pei. If an ordinary true transmission disciple of the Daoist orthodoxy could unleash such terrifying might, wouldn't any single one of the Twenty-Eight Characters be able to sweep through the entirety of the Jiuzhen immortal sects?"
"I have never heard of any talent among the Twenty-Eight Characters being so terrifyingly formidable!"
Yan Cai remained silent. She could hardly bring herself to tell her senior sister that the truth was indeed so! She had always possessed an exquisitely perceptive mind. Having witnessed Qian Chen execute Senior Brother Pei, she had reflected upon it: if she herself reached Pei Junhu's realm, though she still would not be a match for that wanderer Qian, taking on four or five Senior Brother Peis would be an ordinary feat.
Killing them would not be particularly difficult!
Presumably, every one of those Twenty-Eight Characters under heaven possessed first-grade Foundation Building and magical power with true spirituality. Those ranked among the top nine were rumored to have already achieved superior-grade dans and were about to step down from the Twenty-Eight Characters, which was why several new rising talents were being selected to fill their places. For figures like that to sweep through Jiuzhen was by no means unimaginable.
At that moment, a disciple came forward to announce, "The Sect Master requests your presence!"
Guan Pingxuan rose hurriedly and said, "Master has returned! Savage as that man may be, his arrogance will not last long! In my assessment, he possesses nothing more than an inferior-grade dan countenance. He took Senior Brother Pei by surprise, but how could he possibly withstand Sect Master Pei's vengeance? When the time comes, the Jiuzhen immortal sects share common roots and will surely offer aid. If that man flees, so be it, but if he does not, his head will fall in no time.
"Junior Sister, we had better think about how to answer to Sect Master Pei!" Guan Pingxuan's brow furrowed as she sighed. "Senior Brother Pei can be considered to have died on our account. If Sect Master Pei vents his wrath on us..."
"Junior Sister, directing that man to the Jinchuan Sect to seek his own death was indeed a clever move, but stopping me from reporting this to Sect Master Pei beforehand... was an error in judgment. Not to mention handing our White Deer Sect's calling card to him! Now this matter is difficult to explain. We must ask Master to intercede on our behalf... If Master is willing to help corner and slay him, Sect Master Pei surely will not hold it against us."
Yan Cai let out a helpless sigh. If Sect Master Pei vented his wrath, would Master fail to protect them?
To think only of troubling Master to take risks to avert their trouble and bowing in submission to resolve the matter, while failing to realize that Master was the great sheltering tree shielding them from wind and rain... So long as Sect Master Pei could not act openly, what was there to fear from a few petty difficulties? Why must they burden Master with such labor and strain?
*Senior Sister appeared rather clever before, so why does she become so foolish whenever major events arise?*
*Besides, that man's dan qi arose from behind him, clearly not stemming from the foundation of his dantian. How could a cultivator with such decisive swordsmanship and exquisite alchemy possibly have formed an inferior-grade dan?*
*In the hurdle of Core Formation, alchemists enjoy tremendous advantages. I have never heard of any grand alchemist forming merely an inferior-grade primordial dan.*
Yan Cai criticized inwardly. She was not as indecisive as Sun Huanqin assumed; rather, she was sometimes simply too lazy to voice her opinions or correct others' misconceptions... It was precisely because she was too smart that she never engaged in such folly. As long as she knew what to do herself, why force herself to persuade others? Such thankless effort was not the way of the wise.
Yan Cai knew she had comprehension, patience, and could endure hardship. The only thing she lacked was an unyielding, relentless drive that would not rest until its goal was reached.
That was why she gave others the impression of being timid and devoid of initiative.
On the contrary, Qian Chen's decisive and resolute attitude—'If I cannot persuade you, my sword will speak for me!'—earned Yan Cai's quiet admiration. Perhaps everyone envied what they themselves lacked. Constantly holding back a bellyful of words meant for fools, she could not help but envy such a straightforward manner of communication.
The two entered the hall. Before Sun Huanqin could speak, Guan Pingxuan recounted the matter... She did not embellish, but from her own perspective, she conveyed a partial account emphasizing Qian Chen's tyranny and unreasonable violence.
Expecting her master to erupt in defensive rage and resolve to take action...
Guan Pingxuan finished speaking, only to see Real Man Sun let out a deep sigh.
"Do you know... the Jinchuan Sect has been breached, and Sect Master Pei is already dead!" When Real Man Sun spoke, she delivered news that left Guan Pingxuan dizzy, unable to tell east from west.
"Master... this matter?"
"Indeed... it was done by the very man you spoke of. Pingxuan... during this period, our sect will shut its mountain gates tight and restrain all disciples from going out to court trouble... Cultivation demands caution. Even if there are karmic entanglements or verbal disputes, one should negotiate amicably with fellow Daoists. You must never act imperiously again! A clan like the Pei of Jinchuan could afford to be arrogant, but we are a modest sect and cannot afford to provoke such a powerhouse! It is better to keep our distance..."
Guan Pingxuan stood as quiet as a quail, nodding gently and meekly. "This disciple understands!"
"Pingxuan..." Real Man Sun sighed. "Go into seclusion in Golden Sha Cave for seven years to temper your character. Do not come out without my written order!"
Guan Pingxuan's face turned pale, but she could only reply, "This disciple understands!"
Yan Cai, however, felt a slight pang of disappointment. This was the first time in her life she had seen a cultivator who so thoroughly eclipsed his peers. If she could have befriended him, she might have caught a glimpse of the vast vistas visible only to the truly boundless geniuses of heaven! She recalled when she was a little girl looking up at the courtyard skylight, believing the world was merely that tiny patch of sky.
Now, she yearned to look beyond the heavens!
A day later, after harvesting all the Extreme Yin True Sha suppressed beneath the Jinchuan Sect's grand hall, Qian Chen drifted away. The Jinchuan Sect was eager to send this plague god off, immediately opening the mountain gate restrictions and letting Qian Chen depart atop the clouds.
Qian Chen sought out a lakeside villa that Cui Dan had secured for him. Sealing the pavilion with the Heavenly Net Umbrella, he began preparing to refine the Ice Soul Cold Light Gangqi and the Extreme Yin Primordial Sha to form his primordial dan.
At this point, more than a month still remained before the Dragon Boat Festival, the peak of Yang, when Qian Chen had originally planned to venture deep into the great marsh to harvest the sha.
Sitting cross-legged inside the quiet room, Qian Chen melted down the Ice Soul Divine Needle. Wisps of white frost, carrying astonishing coldness, dissolved within the divine chamber of the Mysterious Gate aperture, nearly freezing Qian Chen's yin spirit solid. Then, like a surging tide, black sha qi churned in another divine chamber. Following the method from his previous dan gestation, Qian Chen began fusing the two together...
Chapter 75