As Zhou Wuji was praying devoutly, the statue of the Arctic Celestial Emperor remained silent, but a voice came from behind him.
"Junior Brother, what happened?"
Senior Brother Zhang Wuding strode into the grand hall. He had a broad, square face, thick eyebrows, and a heavy beard. Wearing a Hunyuan cap, even his loose cyan Daoist robe could not conceal his burly, powerful build.
Following behind Zhang Wuding was Fang Wuzhen. Short and lean, his small eyes gleamed sharply. He carried a longsword in hand, his face etched with vigilance.
The moment Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen stepped inside, they caught a strong burnt stench. Both of their gazes fell upon Li Yiyuan's corpse on the floor.
The corpse was charred like black coal, its original features completely unrecognizable, yet the build and posture remained unmistakable.
Both felt the corpse looked extraordinarily familiar. With a sudden jolt, they immediately guessed that it was Li Yiyuan!
Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen turned pale. Li Yiyuan was an esteemed seventh-rank registered ordained Daoist—how could an expert like him die so suddenly and violently?
Shocked and suspicious, both turned to Zhou Wuji, hoping to get answers from him.
Zhou Wuji stood up and brushed the drifting ashes from his clothes, only then turning toward Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen with a deep sigh. "Senior Brother, Junior Brother Wuzhen, Master suffered an accident during cultivation that triggered Yin Thunder. He met with misfortune."
Back then, relying on the Seven Stars Sword, their master had wiped out the various demons, monsters, ghosts, and fiends on Mount Huamei before establishing Canglong Temple.
As an altar branch of the Arctic Sect, Canglong Temple enjoyed harmonious relations with all the local factions in Siming County.
As abbot of the temple, Li Yiyuan took many scions of the county's prominent clans as disciples, which served as a way to curry favor with them.
Although Zhou Wuji was Li Yiyuan's closest personal disciple, among all the disciples he was ranked only second; the eldest senior brother was Zhang Wuding.
Zhang Wuding was twenty-four. Before taking Li Yiyuan as master, his martial arts had already reached the dark force level, making him an eighth-rank martial artist. Moreover, the Zhang family was the most influential clan in Siming County.
When such a figure apprenticed under Li Yiyuan, he naturally had to be the eldest senior brother. Zhou Wuji naturally understood his master's intentions and never contested anything with Zhang Wuding.
With Li Yiyuan around, there was no need for him to compete anyway. Good fortune would never bypass him.
Now that their master had fallen, what Zhou Wuji wanted was to take care of his master's funeral arrangements as quickly as possible; he had no interest in bickering with Zhang Wuding and the other.
Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen's expressions twisted dramatically. Even though they had suspected as much beforehand, confirming that the corpse was indeed Li Yiyuan was still hard to swallow.
"The urgent priority right now is to properly arrange Master's funeral..." Zhou Wuji said.
Just as Zhang Wuding was about to speak, Fang Wuzhen suddenly cut in: "Master dying in an accident is no small matter. It must be thoroughly investigated!"
Fang Wuzhen stared at Zhou Wuji, his face showing unconcealed suspicion. Zhou Wuji was younger than him, yet he was Li Yiyuan's direct lineage disciple, while he and Zhang Wuding were merely nominal disciples.
Canglong Temple was an altar branch of the Arctic Sect, authentic Daoist orthodoxy. Only direct lineage disciples could practice the superior secret arts of the Arctic Sect.
With Li Yiyuan's sudden demise and Zhou Wuji happening to be right on the scene, Fang Wuzhen instantly realized this was a golden opportunity to destroy Zhou Wuji.
Once Zhou Wuji was eliminated, he and Zhang Wuding could take control of Canglong Temple.
Although this Daoist temple had been established for barely ten-odd years, through Daoist Yiyuan's prestige and competence, it had already established deep roots.
It held several hundred mu of temple land. Other assets such as gold, silver, valuables, and magical artifacts were worth far more than a thousand pieces of gold.
Most importantly, Canglong Temple was affiliated with the Arctic Sect; by controlling Canglong Temple, they could affiliate themselves directly with the Yunlong Branch Abbey.
When that time came, they would have a chance to enter the branch abbey and obtain the status of true disciples of the Arctic Sect.
Fang Wuzhen was not acting on a sudden whim; ever since taking Li Yiyuan as master, he had been brooding over this very idea.
Zhang Wuding looked at Fang Wuzhen with some confusion.
His reactions were a bit slow, and he usually had decent relations with Zhou Wuji, so he did not immediately understand why Fang Wuzhen was making things difficult for him.
Fang Wuzhen shot Zhang Wuding a meaningful look and motioned toward the Seven Stars Sword at Zhou Wuji's waist.
Catching sight of this seventh-rank dharma sword, Zhang Wuding had an epiphany: by taking this chance to get rid of Zhou Wuji, they could seize the Seven Stars Sword.
This seventh-rank dharma sword was inherently worth a fortune, but even more importantly, it represented Li Yiyuan's orthodox lineage of transmission.
Zhang Wuding's expression instantly darkened, and he barked, "In the dead of night, Master suddenly suffers a bizarre catastrophe, yet Master's sword is in your hands!
"Zhou Wuji, Master treated you like his own flesh and blood, yet you betrayed your master and ancestral teachings! How dare you! How could you do such a thing?!"
As he spoke, his voice turned harsh and severe, his face full of righteous indignation.
Zhou Wuji did not get angry; in fact, he felt a grudging admiration for the two lads.
The moment they saw an opening, they turned hostile without hesitation—so decisive, and so ruthless! He had underestimated them before.
Fortunately, he was prepared.
After all, he had awakened the memories of his past life for over a decade, and this was a turbulent world overrun with martial artists and infested with demons.
Besides, he was someone deeply lacking a sense of security.
"Senior Brother, listen to me—"
Zhou Wuji put on an innocent face and began to plead his case, but halfway through his sentence, he abruptly flicked his long sleeve.
A large cloud of white powder billowed from his sleeve, spraying straight at the faces of Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen.
Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen had both expected Zhou Wuji to argue his innocence.
The two sides had cultivated together for several years, so there was at least some camaraderie between them. Even if they were resolved to kill Zhou Wuji, they still needed a moment to build up their momentum.
Neither had imagined Zhou Wuji would be even more ruthless and strike without a second thought.
What Zhou Wuji hurled was not lime, but repeatedly finely ground flour. He usually kept it in a gourd at his side.
Dust explosions worked just as well in this world. Furthermore, flour could serve as emergency rations in times of crisis—exceedingly practical.
When he saw Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen enter, Zhou Wuji had already slipped the gourd into his sleeve and prepared himself. In the critical moment, he simply crushed the gourd and flung out the flour.
Caught completely off guard, Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen could not tell what the white powder was and both covered their faces with their sleeves, retreating swiftly.
Seizing this opportunity, Zhou Wuji backhandedly whipped his horsetail whisk. Its horsetail-like bristles lashed out like a whip, snagging the ever-burning lamp on the incense altar and hurling it straight between the two men.
The spilled lamp oil turned into specks of flame, meeting the swirling dust in the air.
Instantly, the blaze flared violently, producing a deafening, thunderous boom.
Both Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen were blasted several zhang away by the fiery explosion, their vision going black as the world spun dizzily around them.
By the time the two regained their senses, they saw the grand hall plunged into pitch darkness; Zhou Wuji had already vanished without a trace.
Fang Wuzhen asked in shock and suspicion, "What trick was that?"
"Nothing but a petty parlor trick. Once seen, it won't work a second time."
Zhang Wuding was quite calm instead. His cultivation foundation was his family's Iron Tiger Fist, which made his body as tough as steel. Though the blast had looked fierce, it hadn't inflicted any substantial damage on him; only a small patch of his sideburns had been singed by the flames.
Zhang Wuding said, "Zhou Wuji reacted fast, but his martial arts are poor. He won't get far."
He sneered. "Zhou Wuji outsmarted himself. If he hadn't made a move, I would still have had some misgivings. Striking first and fleeing proves he has a guilty conscience.
"We will immediately rally the other junior brothers and announce Zhou Wuji's crimes."
Brimming with murderous intent, Zhang Wuding said to Fang Wuzhen, "At night, the mountains are full of demons and monstrosities; that kid won't get far.
"Come dawn, we'll head back to the county to gather men and make sure that brat dies."
The mountain ranges were vast and endless, concealing countless monsters, demons, and specters. These creatures could never be fully eradicated.
Even for martial artists and cultivators, venturing deep into the mountain forests at night was perilous.
Given Zhou Wuji's abilities, if he wanted to flee, he could only take the main road, which inevitably passed through Siming County.
Unless Zhou Wuji could find a boat and travel by water. But on such short notice, where could he find a boat?
Besides, the Jiuyuan River was exceedingly dangerous at night; no one would dare sail upon it after dark.
Fang Wuzhen nodded vigorously. If Zhou Wuji escaped and brought back help, it would be a huge trouble.
Now that they had dropped all pretense, they had to see things through to the bitter end!
Ruthlessness was the sole foundation for surviving in this chaotic world.
At this moment, however, Zhou Wuji had not fled far at all, but had slipped into the backyard, heading straight for the room of his master, Li Yiyuan...
Chapter 2