Chapter 1221 - 1218: Wei Zhuang
The short and stout elder sensed something wrong with the atmosphere; the Sect Master and the other six elders all wore grim expressions. This immediately gave him a sense of foreboding. His rotund body burst forth with incredible speed as he flashed into the main hall, increasing the distance between himself and Lin Chuan.
"What's going on here?" the short and stout elder asked, his eyes filled with uncertainty and confusion.
"The young lad you brought back is clearly at the Refining God stage, far surpassing your own cultivation level. How did he become merely at the third level of Core Formation from your lips?" It was the Seventh Elder speaking: "Wei Fatty, have you turned senile after being the First Elder for a few years? If you don't want the position anymore, just give it to me, and I'll take over."
"Get lost! I'm older than all of you, and you better not think of snatching the First Elder's position from me."
The short and stout elder jumped up, furious as thunder: "Back then, weren't we all assigned positions based on age? I got to be the First Elder because I'm older than you lot. And now you little kids want to fight me for this spot."
The Second Elder let out a light laugh, his gaze sinister: "Wei Fatty, you're just a bit older than me. You might as well consider giving your position to..."
"Shut up, you old fart! Even if I'm just half an hour older than you, the First Elder's position is still mine, and you can't take it," the short and stout elder interrupted the Second Elder's words.
As they argued animatedly, Lin Chuan was temporarily left out of the spotlight,
watching them quarrel with a bitter heart. He was utterly confused—a Nascent Soul stage portly old man wagging his fingers and shouting at a group of experts, each at least at the Void Transformation Realm, was truly a sight to behold.
At this moment, amid the lively quarrel, the usually silent Sect Master let out a heavy humph, silencing everyone: "Stop arguing. You've been quarreling over this for decades now. It's just a title—what's there to fight about? Aside from those five disciples, it's just us old fellows left in the Puppet Sect. What's the point in tussling over an empty name?"
Everyone fell silent. It wasn't hard to see that none of them were convinced by each other, but the Sect Master's words carried absolute authority, making them all obey.
Lin Chuan stood at the palace entrance, cold sweat soaking the floor beneath him into a small puddle. The pressure from at least seven Divinity Transformation grandmasters before him was imaginable.
"Elder Wei, tell me in detail how you brought this little guy back," the Sect Master asked, looking at Lin Chuan with interest.
Next, the short and stout elder recounted the entire story completely, without missing a single detail,
prompting sighs and exclamations from everyone. A few elders laughed and scolded the short and stout elder for his good luck, managing to capture a Refining Soul Maoshan Tao man despite being in the Nascent Soul stage. The short and stout elder blushed furiously, utterly embarrassed.
"Stop laughing, all of you," the short and stout elder, evidently ill-tempered, shouted furiously, jumping up three feet. "Even though I made a spectacle of things, there's one thing that's certain—this boy has an exceedingly rare physique, a once-in-thousands-years cultivation prodigy. If you don't believe it, check for yourselves."
The laughter ceased among the group. Although the short and stout elder's cultivation was the lowest among them, he was their only Alchemist and a highly ranked one at that. His combat skills were lacking, but his piercing gaze was well-known for its accuracy. Generally, things he had identified were seldom wrong.
When he stated that Lin Chuan was an exceptional talent not seen in millennia, they were intrigued and keen to investigate.
A dim purple light tore through the void, reaching its target, Lin Chuan, in an instant. The purple glow emanated from the Second Elder's hand, aiming directly at Lin Chuan.
Although the distance was merely a few steps, this purple light seemed to have traveled through countless ages and spaces, arriving before Lin Chuan and winding around his body.
The purple glow flickered and disappeared into Lin Chuan's body. His expression changed slightly, wanting to struggle, but his body seemed beyond his control, immovable as if his feet were rooted to the ground.
At this moment, he had lost control over his body. In the presence of absolute power, his cultivation was merely ant-like. A malevolent thought surged within him, as a murderous intent shot skyward.
Lin Chuan's eyes suddenly turned blood-red, an aura both righteous and evil exuding from him.
In this moment, all he desired was to grow stronger, refusing to remain an ant in the eyes of others. It was when his mind wavered most intensely that the Evil God saw an opportunity to seize control of Lin Chuan's body.
Simultaneously, the 'Blood Kill' path he had just comprehended began spiraling out of control.
His path was in turmoil.
"Not good, the kid's possessed. Old Two, quickly restrain him," shouted the short and stout elder, leaping up once again without knowing for the umpteenth time.
Perhaps because of his short stature, he particularly liked to 'jump'.
There was no need for him to say anything. At the moment Lin Chuan's body underwent a sudden change, the Second Elder, along with several other elders, swiftly acted together to suppress him immediately, without waiting for Lin Chuan to react.
Lin Chuan only sensed a blacking out of his vision before he fainted.
Though he fainted, the elders looked at him as if he was a national treasure, surrounding him and discussing something among themselves, making the atmosphere feel strange.
"Ah, Wei the Fatty's eyes are indeed sharp. This kid's physique is out of the ordinary, his bones are clean and his meridians and bones are almost free of impurities. His body is clearer than ours old monsters and his meridians are wide open. Truly a rare cultivation talent."
"Old Liu, what do you mean by that? What do you mean 'with you'? I'm older than you and I'm Old Wu; you didn't let me speak, yet you chimed in? I feel this kid is fit to follow me; did you see the resilience in his eyes just now? Such a seedling must follow someone like me in Body Cultivation to achieve greatness."
For a moment, the sound of arguments arose again. These elders, at least at the Void Transformation level, were vying for Lin Chuan's physique, his resilience, and the blood-killing path he comprehended.
Among the six elders, all their gazes heated up, except only the short and fat old man and the white-haired Sect Master remained calm.
A dilapidated sect, with an elder at the Nascent Soul Third Layer, in addition to six strong elders at least in the Void Transformation Realm, but only five disciples, all at the Foundation Establishment Stage; it was somewhat strange.
At this moment, the six strong elders were vying for him, while those few disciples of low cultivation were outside watering flowers and feeding chickens, showing no trace of being cultivators.
It seemed to happen in the blink of an eye, yet also seemed like it had been a long time.
When Lin Chuan opened his eyes, the sky was dim, with the setting sun bleeding like blood, hanging at the horizon, burning the clouds red across the sky.
"What happened? I haven't been imprisoned?" Lin Chuan glanced around the place with calm eyes. It was a clean and tidy little room with simple furnishings: a wooden bed, a few wooden stools, a table, and some overturned porcelain cups atop the table, the entirety of the room's contents.
He furrowed his brows, trying to recall the events before he fainted, which were electrifying in his mind.
"Kid, you're awake." At this moment, the short and fat old man entered the room, looking at Lin Chuan with interest, showing no fear despite Lin Chuan's higher realm.
Initially, he did not see through Lin Chuan's cultivation stage, and despite knowing Lin Chuan was stronger, he felt confident in this place.
Lin Chuan frowned, looking at the short and fat old man, and remained silent.
"What's the matter? Kid, did you turn mute after a nap?" The short and fat old man jumped in front of Lin Chuan, raising his hand as if to knock Lin Chuan's head, but Lin Chuan dodged it.
"Where is this place? Are you planning to keep me here, or let me go?" Lin Chuan spoke calmly.
He understood clearly, although he was at the Refining God stage, there were at least six Void Transformation elders here; attempting to escape was daydreaming, so he might as well accept his fate.
Looking at Lin Chuan's calm demeanor, the short and fat old man appeared slightly surprised: "Kid, you're not thinking of escaping?"
Lin Chuan looked at him amusedly and said, "Why escape? Do you think I can escape?"
The short and fat old man rubbed his big, fat face and said, "You don't act according to common reasoning; normally people would escape, but you are an exception."
Lin Chuan shrugged indifferently: "I am, of course, an exception."
Indeed, he was an exception, not merely echoing the old man's words. He had long kept this sentiment in his heart; he was the exception.
"Let me tell you, I am now your master, so you better speak respectfully, understand?" the short and fat old man abruptly said, "Let me introduce myself. I am Wei Zhuang, your master, King Rank pinnacle alchemist, Nascent Soul Third Layer cultivator..."
Lin Chuan furrowed his brow: "Since when did you become my master?"
The short and fat old man answered: "Just now, while you were unconscious. Your bones are peculiar, with few impurities, wide meridians, resilient character, and adaptable nature. Plus, you are an exception, so we old fellows decided to take you as a disciple. Now you are the senior disciple of Puppet Sect, and I am your master."
Lin Chuan frowned; he could not possibly stay with these people. His goal was to stop Maoshan Tao from running rampant across the Three Realms. The plan was to rapidly enhance his cultivation in the hellish world, fully integrate the Extreme Yin Power of the Illusion Yin Flower into the Heavenly Heart Skill and Sealing Heart Skill, and strive to escape the hellish world as soon as possible.