Chapter 321 : The Sinister Nature of the Human Heart
Chapter 321: The Sinister Nature of the Human Heart
“Good you, Shen Yue—just how many rewards have you triggered for me? Why couldn’t you have been a woman?”
Li Qingqiu sighed inwardly. Shen Yue always managed to bring him surprises.
He began to consider whether he should send someone to support Shen Yue.
As the Sect Master, how could he do nothing upon learning that a disciple of his sect was being hunted?
Even though Li Qingqiu had great trust in Shen Yue, he still felt it necessary to dispatch reinforcements.
After some deliberation, he decided to send Jiang Zhaoxia.
Perhaps Jiang Zhaoxia’s 【True Dragon of the Mortal World】 could produce extraordinary results and bring even greater surprises to the Clear Sky Sect.
With the decision made, Li Qingqiu set the matter aside and began patiently listening as his junior sisters introduced their disciples. At the same time, he used the Dao Lineage Panel to check the loyalty of these disciples.
In the end, he found no abnormalities among the disciples of Li Sijin and Li Dongyue. This also showed that they were very rigorous in accepting disciples and had not made careless decisions.
After Zhang Yuchun and the other two departed, Li Qingqiu took out his Sect Master Token and contacted Jiang Zhaoxia through the Clear Sky Token.
After improvements made by Wu Xingyue of the Heavenly Works Hall, the Sect Master Token in Li Qingqiu’s possession could directly communicate with Hall Masters and elders.
Even Wei Tianxiong had praised Wu Xingyue for her innovative ideas in artifact refinement.
With this Sect Master Token, Li Qingqiu no longer needed to trouble Xiao Wuqing, and Xiao Wuqing could devote more time to cultivation.
Not long after—
Jiang Zhaoxia descended from the sky, landing before Li Qingqiu’s table.
“What do you need me for?” Jiang Zhaoxia asked.
Li Qingqiu said, “Shen Yue may be in trouble. I need you to cross the Western Region and find him, and assist him in completing his mission.”
He took out the jade slip he had prepared earlier. It recorded the route, identical to the map jade slip Shen Yue possessed.
After hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxia raised his hand and drew the jade slip into his grasp, then stored it in his Storage Pouch.
“Is this the task of searching for that little disciple of yours?” Jiang Zhaoxia asked curiously.
He felt no pressure about crossing the Western Perilous Lands—if anything, he felt a bit of anticipation.
“That’s right. It would be best if you can find him. If not, you must ensure your own safety. Compared to a fate that has yet to occur, I value you more,” Li Qingqiu nodded.
Jiang Zhaoxia snorted. “You really like saying these heart-winning pretty words. I’ll go prepare. I’ll set off today.”
With that, he leaped up, transforming into a streak of sword light and disappearing beyond the courtyard.
Li Qingqiu watched the direction he left, his thoughts drifting.
He planned to save the Fortuitous Fate Chance he had just obtained and use it after reaching the Heaven-Reaching Sun Illumination Realm, where its value would be greater.
Right now, he was very curious—why had Shen Yue provoked an Immortal Cultivation Sect? What exactly had he done to be hunted down by one?
……
Beneath the blue sky, a vast river stretched across the land like a coiling dragon. Up close, its waves surged like the sea, possessing the force to devour everything.
A redwood ship was moving along the river. From above, it looked like a leaf, but in reality, it was enormous—large enough to carry a building.
Lin Lingzhou leaned against the side of the ship, holding a sword in his arms, with his bundle beside him.
After leaving the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect, he had traveled eastward. The journey had been far more difficult than he expected. Fortunately, though he had not cultivated immortality, he had practiced martial arts, and his skills were barely enough to deal with trouble.
At this moment, he was starving. His face was sallow, as if he had not eaten for several days.
A boatman walked over and asked with a smile, “Planning to keep starving like that?”
Lin Lingzhou glanced up at him and said, “Once I get off the ship, I’ll find food myself.”
The boatman sneered. “Get off the ship? Look at these waves—there’s no stopping for several days.”
Lin Lingzhou fell silent. In truth, he was already dizzy from hunger, sustained only by sheer willpower.
The boatman took out a bundle wrapped in oil paper from his clothes and tossed it to Lin Lingzhou.
He caught it, opened it, and found two flatbreads inside.
He looked up at the boatman, but the latter had already turned away without saying anything.
Lin Lingzhou’s expression grew complicated. In a voice only he could hear, he said, “Thank you.”
He immediately picked up a flatbread, ready to eat. But just as it touched his cracked lips, he stopped.
He suddenly remembered his master’s warning—
The human heart is the most terrifying thing.
No!
He couldn’t act recklessly!
Lin Lingzhou glanced in the direction the boatman had left. Seeing that he had already entered the cabin, Lin Lingzhou took out the flatbreads, tucked them into his clothes, and tossed the oil paper aside.
After doing all this, he closed his eyes and tried to forget his hunger.
“Master… this journey is so difficult. How did you manage to walk this path?”
He sighed inwardly.
He had already passed the place where his master had taken him in, yet the road ahead was full of hardships. He still couldn’t find the Land of the Nine Provinces. He could only follow his master’s instructions—head east, until he reached a perilous land where towering mountains formed a wall of heaven. Beyond that lay the Nine Provinces.
Gradually, drowsiness overtook him.
The rocking of the ship quickly lulled him into sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Lingzhou suddenly felt himself being lifted. Instinctively, he wanted to struggle, but he restrained himself.
He wanted to see what these people were planning.
With his eyes closed, he could sense two people carrying him.
He heard the voice of the boatman who had given him the flatbreads, and anger surged within him.
His master had indeed been right.
During his days aboard the ship, he had observed that all the boatmen knew martial arts. Not to mention the guards of the nobles—if a fight broke out, he would have no chance of survival.
If he jumped into the river, given its vastness, he would be devoured by the beasts in the water before reaching shore.
He decided to remain still and play along.
Soon, he felt himself thrown into a room. He quietly opened his eyes and saw the two boatmen shut the door. Then came the sound of chains locking outside.
Only after their footsteps faded did Lin Lingzhou get up.
The room was dim, with only a small hole in the wall letting in sunlight.
Turning around, he saw several other people lying on the ground—men and women, of varying ages, but all quite young.
“What are they planning?”
He frowned, confusion filling his heart.
He was about to step forward to check if they were still alive.
“Better not move. Lie down quietly and keep pretending to be unconscious. Otherwise, if you alert the lackeys of the Ten Thousand Yin Sect, you’ll be in serious trouble.”
A voice came from the darkness.
Lin Lingzhou couldn’t tell who was speaking, but the warning shocked him. He cautiously lay back down, staring into the darkness.
“Who are you? Are you in this room?”
“As long as you don’t act recklessly, I’ll ensure your safety. Wait until they dock.”
The voice sounded again—it seemed to belong to a man.
After thinking it over, Lin Lingzhou decided to follow his arrangement for now.
“What is the Ten Thousand Yin Sect?” he asked softly.
“A cultivation sect that stands above the mortal world—and a demonic one at that.”
An Immortal Cultivation Sect!
Hearing this, Lin Lingzhou’s heart surged like a storm. Having once stayed in the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect, he knew full well how terrifying cultivators were.
Why would he encounter another cultivation sect on the way to the Nine Provinces?
Why hadn’t his master encountered this before?
Then he thought—if his master had encountered the Ten Thousand Yin Sect first, he would likely have died, and never would have met him afterward.
In that sense, it was fortunate.
At that moment, footsteps sounded outside the door, frightening Lin Lingzhou into silence. The room fell into complete stillness.
……
One month after Jiang Zhaoxia’s departure, a major event occurred in the Clear Sky Sect—
Yuan Li underwent tribulation.
Undergoing lightning tribulation was no longer rare. Every so often, disciples would cross tribulation and step into the Spirit Perception Realm. As more people experienced tribulation, the sect’s disciples had gained some understanding of Heavenly Tribulation.
It seemed that the stronger a person was, the more terrifying the Heavenly Tribulation they would face.
Yuan Li fully proved this point.
He endured a total of ninety-nine bolts of heavenly lightning. Each strike carried terrifying power, as if it could shatter Establishing Snow Peak entirely.
Ninety-nine lightning bolts were enough to prove the gap between Yuan Li and the other disciples.
Some even thought of the Sect Master—rumor had it that when he entered the Spirit Perception Realm, he had also endured ninety-nine bolts of heavenly lightning.
For a time, discussions about lightning tribulation swept through the sect.
Yuan Li’s tribulation had the greatest impact on those in the Spirit Perception Realm. Only now did they realize that the overwhelmingly powerful Yuan Li had previously only been at the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
No one dared challenge Yuan Li anymore.
After all, it was already known that Jiang Zhaoxia had been defeated by Yuan Li’s fists. With such a precedent, who would dare challenge him?
Time passed into early autumn.
Only a few months remained before the Grand Dao Tournament, and the sect had already become lively. Many disciples who had gone out for tempering returned early, unwilling to miss this grand event.
On this day, news arrived from the Demon-Repelling Immortal City in the Northern Border—
Demonic creatures had been sighted, and Li Yang had yet to catch up to them.
Upon hearing this, Li Qingqiu immediately ordered Xiao Wuqing to ring the Lingxiao Bell.
The Hall Masters quickly gathered. Li Qingqiu shared the news and had everyone discuss countermeasures.
“We cannot be careless. I suggest sending more True Transmission Disciples in the Spirit Perception Realm,” Zhu Yan spoke first.
In the tragedy of Zhongtian Immortal City, the Zhu Clan had suffered heavy losses. Since Zhongtian Immortal City was the first branch city, they had invested heavily and sent many people there—only for more than twenty clan members to perish in that disaster.
Naturally, there were grievances within the Zhu Clan, but they also knew no one could be blamed. They could only endure and comfort the families of the deceased.
“We do need to send more Spirit Perception Realm disciples. The Clear Sky Sect is no longer what it used to be—we can deploy greater strength now.”
Xue Jin agreed, even volunteering to head north.
Other Hall Masters spoke one after another. None showed fear; all chose to confront the demonic creatures head-on.
Wei Tianxiong did not speak. After all, he was only a Deputy Hall Master. Being allowed to attend was already a sign of respect.
Though he had decided to help develop the Clear Sky Sect, he knew that those in power needed to go through repeated decisions to truly grow.
Seeing no dissenting opinions, Li Qingqiu immediately called out names, selecting fifteen Spirit Perception Realm disciples in one go, including Zhao Zhen and Ji Ya.
“Deputy Hall Master Wei, is the Teleportation Formation ready for use?” Li Qingqiu asked.
Wei Tianxiong nodded. “It is. I’ll have people prepare the Spirit Stones.”
With the matter settled, Li Qingqiu ordered them to carry it out immediately.
This was the first time the Clear Sky Sect would use the Teleportation Formation for reinforcement.
Li Qingqiu was also looking forward to the results.