Chapter 132: Past Events of Yuchen

Inside the magnificent hall, save for Ai Jian, there was only a young man sitting leisurely in a chair, holding a cup of clear tea.

He wore a simple white cloth robe, his hair bound with a green hairpin, and the left half of his face was covered by an ink-jade mask, revealing only his eyes.

For reasons unknown, his pupils were entirely a vivid crimson, within which a baleful and ferocious blood shadow was sealed.

It surged back and forth and drifted aimlessly within his pupils...

Had Chen Heng been present here, he would have instantly recognized this man as the consort of the beautiful matron who had come searching for the Underworld Emperor half a year ago.

It was precisely due to his subtle advice behind the scenes that the matron extinguished her desires, allowing Chen Heng to escape a calamity.

At this moment.

Hearing Ai Jian’s stern interrogation, Chen Ying unhurriedly flicked the tea lid. After taking a leisurely sip to moisten his throat, he calmly spoke:

"Did you not hear clearly? Then I shall say it once more. Your late Master Yue’s primary disciple, your senior brother, and the one in your lineage with the greatest prospect of forging a First-Grade Golden Elixir, Wang Shu, has perished on his way to gather herbs in Nanchan Prefecture."

His voice echoed clearly throughout the grand hall, carrying a trace of an elusive smile:

"I heard that for the sake of a supreme ingredient known as the 'Heavenly Wandering Mud', he competed with Zhu Ling of the Divine Imperial Sect. In the end, inferior in skill, he lost a few moves and had to surrender the 'Heavenly Wandering Mud'. When forging his elixir, precisely because he lacked this major ingredient, he had to make do with a medium-quality 'Heavenly Wandering Mud'. Perhaps coupled with some mishap during the refinement of the mercurial fire, he only forged a Fourth-Grade Elixir, which cannot even be considered an upper-grade golden elixir."

In this world, whenever cultivators wish to forge a golden elixir, they must gather a full thirteen major ingredients, not a single one of which can be omitted.

Divine Talisman Fire is one.

Heavenly Wandering Mud is another.

Moreover, the Yuchen Sect has always maintained a monastic rule requiring disciples to venture out to gather herbs themselves; the sect does not supply these spiritual medicines.

Firstly, this is because there are numerous disciples, and spiritual medicines are truly precious.

No matter how wealthy and immense an ancient immortal sect—passing down its heritage from the bygone Dao Court era—might be, it simply cannot endure such lavish consumption.

Secondly, it is to take advantage of these opportunities for outward herb-gathering to temper the disciples' Dao hearts, making them solid and complete without absorbing stray dust.

After all, along the path of cultivating the Dao, the Dao heart is of the utmost importance.

Only secondarily come destiny, spiritual roots, and various resources.

The golden elixir is merely the beginning of the long journey of Dao cultivation—

Like the hall flowers in a hot spring room, no matter how exuberant, vernal, and dazzling to the eyes they may be, they can only serve as a spectacle and cannot withstand the onslaught of wind and rain.

Unfit for heavy responsibilities, better not used at all!

"What? Senior Brother Wang Shu actually only forged a Fourth-Grade Elixir? What kind of joke is this!"

Ai Jian's expression shook violently, forcibly resisting the continuous dizziness in his head. He clenched his hands into fists and asked repeatedly:

"If he is dead, then how did he die?"

"Suicide."

Chen Ying’s expression remained indifferent as he put down the teacup in his hand.

He glanced at the flustered Ai Jian and suddenly smiled meaningfully:

"Even if the 'Heavenly Wandering Mud' was not of the highest quality, given Wang Shu’s widely renowned innate talent, even if a first-grade eluded him, forging a second or third-grade golden elixir and cultivating an upper-grade one should have had a forty percent probability. His great name was something even I, a cultivator from another prefecture, had heard of.

Upon seeing him now, his reputation is indeed undeserved...

After the news of his death was announced, it was because he felt ashamed in his heart, having no face to return to the sect and face his fellow disciples, and thus he committed suicide."

Upon hearing this, Ai Jian saw darkness before his eyes, and a surge of rebellious blood rushed to his heart, causing his hands to tremble with rage:

"Suicide? Suicide?! Given Senior Brother Wang Shu’s disposition, how could he possibly commit suicide? Nonsense! Complete and utter nonsense!"

"According to what I know, Wang Shu had as many as seven sword wounds on his back, and in the end, he was directly decapitated by someone using the Sword Qi Thunder Sound, only to be forcibly branded with the label of suicide."

"..."

Hearing these words,

Ai Jian’s facial muscles twitched violently, and finally, unable to hold back any longer, he vomited several mouthfuls of blood consecutively, plunging straight toward the Black Crane Jade Couch behind him, trembling all over.

A crisp "crack" echoed from his chest, as if something had shattered, agitating the originally bright and clear sky into rolling winds and clouds, with the continuous rumble of thunder!

At the same time.

Among all the Xuanzhen Sect Taoists in the Earth Abyss, the red-cord talismans on their bodies all spontaneously caught fire. The strand of Dragon-Tiger Primordial True Qi vested within them flared with immense power, startling everyone!

After Ai Jian collapsed, several young Taoist acolytes rushed into the hall in a panic. Without even bothering to pay their respects to Chen Ying, they tremblingly took elixirs out of a glazed pure bottle, preparing to administer them to him.

"Wait, when he was extracting the Five Essences, he absorbed too much of the nature of metal and fire without harmonizing and nurturing the Five Elements. Driven by sudden fury and grief, he has fractured the Dragon-Tiger Cauldron within his body."

Chen Ying had originally been full of smiles, watching a good show.

But upon seeing the elixirs they took out, he frowned.

Then, seeing those acolytes hurriedly attempting to dissolve the elixirs, he finally couldn't bear to watch and couldn't help but offer a word of guidance.

Winning over Ai Jian concerned a grand scheme of his in the future; he could not be careless.

"Senior... Senior..."

The acolyte holding the glazed pure bottle was frightened to the point of almost crying:

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"Then what kind of elixirs should be used?"

Seeing this, Chen Ying couldn't help but palm his forehead and said slowly:

"No elixirs are needed. He is, after all, at the second stage of Dongxuan. When has there ever been a Dongxuan refining master in this world who was literally angered to death? Even if his emotions are momentarily agitated and he suffers a deviation, after a short while, his consciousness will clear, and he will wake up on his own."

After he finished speaking, those acolytes still had tearful eyes, kowtowing and pleading incessantly.

Left with no choice, Chen Ying could only muster his patience, press his hand down, and channel a stream of deep, cold, and damp vital energy like heavy water to dissolve within Ai Jian's body.

Once that stream of vital energy was released,

suddenly, the entire hall became bone-chillingly cold, with misty dampness pervading everywhere and a biting frost that turned the acolytes' skin pale blue and caused their teeth to chatter uncontrollably.

"..."

Even with Chen Ying's gloomy disposition, he felt that today's spectacle was truly an eye-opener.

Suppressing a smile, he raised a finger and recalled the cold Qi drifting outside, thereby sparing those acolytes from freezing to death on the spot.

He slowly shook his head and said:

"Although your master was expelled by the Yuchen Sect and exiled to the Southern Domain, he is still a disciple of a major sect, and furthermore hails from the Shangyu Ai clan. Could it be that there are not even a few competent serving acolytes by his side? Your cultivations are altogether too weak; it truly brings shame to Ai Jian's reputation."

Shame appeared on the faces of those acolytes as they stammered incoherently.

It was only when a bolder one stood up, swallowed hard, bowed respectfully, and gave a wry smile in reply:

"Forgive this senior for laughing at us. Above us servants, there is actually a Great Steward who usually attends to the master's side. It's just that recently the Great Steward left the mountain gate and was stretched too thin, so..."

Chen Ying interrupted him, asking: "Did the Ai clan have any servants or maidservants follow Ai Jian to the Southern Domain?"

The acolyte stammered wordlessly, keeping his head lowered and not daring to answer.

Chen Ying understood the situation in his heart instantly and let out a chuckle.

"It seems the rumor of Ai Jian being cast out of his sect holds some truth. Even now, he has yet to reconcile with his clan?"

He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair and thought to himself:

"But precisely because of this, an opportunity arises for me. My chances of winning over Ai Jian have just increased by a few points!"

At this moment.

aided by Chen Ying's vital energy, Ai Jian slowly regained consciousness.

He coughed twice, pushed away the cluster of acolytes surrounding him, and with a face as dark as water, calmed down to regulate his breath for a few cycles before his expression eased slightly.

"Senior Brother Wang Shu... who killed him?"

The acolytes exchanged glances, tactfully walked out of the grand hall, and closed the doors behind them.

After a long silence,

Ai Jian finally managed to suppress his overflowing anger, flicked his sleeves to activate all the restrictions, and muffled all sounds within the hall.

Having done all this, he uttered word by word: "Who could kill him with swordsmanship? Who actually cultivated the Sword Qi Thunder Sound?!"

Chen Ying was not in a rush to answer, saying: "You are currently at the second realm of Dongxuan—the extraction of the Five Essences. You must still settle your state of mind; otherwise, the moment of forming the elixir will prove difficult."

"Chen Ying, I have no time to discuss the profound Dao with you! Since you already know the truth, why bother to hide things from me? You came here simply to win me over, didn't you?"

Ai Jian sneered repeatedly.

Chen Ying smiled slightly: "Indeed, I came here specifically to win you over. As for who killed Wang Shu, and who doesn't want you to return to the Yuchen Sect...

In your heart, you actually already have a name, do you not?"

Hearing this, Ai Jian froze, his gaze turning sharp as he spoke in a deep voice:

"Was it that old dog Gu Zhao who sent people to do this?"

Upon seeing Chen Ying nod,

Ai Jian's inner fury intensified further. His lips trembled slightly, and new hatreds and old grudges surged up together, causing the veins on his temples to bulge fiercely.

Gu Zhao and Ai Jian's late master, Master Yue, were both elders of the Yuchen Sect and served in the Xuanjiao Hall among the nine halls of Yuchen.

Competing for power within the Xuanjiao Hall, the two frequently harbored discord, engaging in overt and covert struggles for many years. Even their disciples never interacted, drawing a clear line of demarcation.

And Ai Jian being expelled by the Yuchen Sect and driven to the Southern Domain was also inseparable from Gu Zhao...

During an extraterrestrial expedition alongside Zhu Jingtian, Gu Zhao and Master Yue presided over the same battle formation. Afterward, although they crushed Zhu Jingtian's sect forces, beheaded countless enemies, and recaptured a realm boundary, Master Yue inexplicably perished in the process, his soul returning to the Great Void.

Master Yue and Gu Zhao had long been at odds for years, and this time he died in obscure circumstances, leaving his disciples no choice but to suspect foul play.

After lodging several appeals that yielded no results,

and watching as Gu Zhao ruthlessly seized the power that originally belonged to their teacher, suppressing dissenters and flourishing as the most prominent figure in the sect, Ai Jian could no longer endure it.

Although he could not kill Gu Zhao to avenge his master, he had other methods.

After consultation, he and his junior brother, Wan Song, used a magical artifact as bait to lure Gu Zhao's only son out of the mountain gate, and then ambushed and killed him together.

Such a scheme naturally could not be kept hidden for long. Furthermore, with their minds clouded by rage, the arrangements they made were not particularly subtle. Anyone with a discerning eye could see through them at a glance, filled as they were with flaws and omissions.

Fratricide has always been a major taboo on the surface for all sects—even the six Demonic Sects are no exception, though they are somewhat more lenient.

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Within just a few days, Ai Jian and Wan Song, who had fled beyond the heavens, were captured by an elder of the Dao Discipline Hall and brought back to await punishment according to sect rules.

If there were no living proof, they might still have managed to maneuver for a few days to see if anything could be salvaged.

However, the primordial spirit of Gu Zhao's only son used a secret technique to forcibly escape back to the Yuchen Sect without being completely destroyed.

Thus, with both human and physical evidence present, it was impossible to argue otherwise; the proof was conclusive.

Even several sect elders who had been on good terms with Master Yue during his lifetime found it difficult to step in and help.

Wan Song was immediately executed by the Dao Discipline Hall to pay with his life and uphold the sect's discipline, leaving behind only a single primordial spirit to undergo reincarnation. Without guidance, it remained unknown whether he would have another chance at Dao cultivation in his next life.

As for Ai Jian, because his mother had remarried into the clan and his stepfather was an influential elder of the Ai clan with unfathomably high cultivation and extensive connections with various sects, he narrowly escaped death after repeated pleas and a heavy price paid by the Ai clan to negotiate with Gu Zhao.

After being imprisoned in the Bitter Realm of Famine for three years and enduring full punishment, Ai Jian was expelled from the mountain gate and sent to the Southern Domain—a barren land like this—to establish a lineage of his own and propagate teachings.

Though he lost all his dignity, his life was ultimately preserved.

Master Yue had only three disciples in total.

Knowing the disposition of their senior brother Wang Shu, Ai Jian and Wan Song were certain he would never consent, and unwilling to delay Wang Shu's Daoist career, they did not rope him in, instead acting entirely on their own accord.

With one dead and one exiled,

only Wang Shu was left of Master Yue's disciples, escaping alone and remaining in the sect, yet presenting the appearance of a solitary pillar unable to prop up a collapsing building.

During these past few years in the Southern Domain, Ai Jian's progress in Daoist attainment had been negligible, and his deep hatred for Gu Zhao had already seeped into his bones.

He only hoped that Wang Shu could forge an upper-grade golden elixir, become an inner legacy disciple, and rescue him from this sea of suffering!

And if he were fortunate enough to forge a First-Grade Elixir—

not to mention becoming an inner legacy disciple, he could even contend for the seat of the Dao Child!

Even a supreme Dao Lord would divert a sliver of divine intent from the boundless Great Void to personally expound the profound Dao to him!

If matters reached that realm, what could a mere Gu Zhao of the Xuanjiao Hall possibly count for? What could he possibly obstruct?

For Ai Jian to return to the Yuchen Sect's mountain gate would be nothing more than a matter of a single word!

At that time, if he wanted to knead Gu Zhao however he pleased, he wouldn't even need to step forward personally; countless people would understand the hint at the slightest sound and eagerly rush to do the bidding for him.

A single word can revive a state! A single word can ruin a state!

Only thus—

could one be considered the actions of a true hero!

It was precisely clinging to this thought that Ai Jian endured humiliation and hardship, lingering day after day in the Xuanzhen Sect.

Yet Wang Shu forged merely a Fourth-Grade Elixir and then perished overnight.

This piece of news undoubtedly shattered all of Ai Jian's grand ambitions...

He slumped despondently onto the ground, his hands clenched into tight fists, momentarily losing his mind in sheer disorientation, unable to recover for a long time.

Seeing his state, Chen Ying smiled inwardly and silently shook his head.

Although his journey of tens of thousands of miles from Nanchan Prefecture to Dongmi Prefecture was for the sake of the great fortune tied to the corpse-liberated immortal in the Earth Abyss, he actually also harbored the intention of recruiting talents from various prefectures, cultivating his own wing, and facilitating his struggle against Chen Chenzuo, Chen Daozheng, and others.

This Ai Jian was one of his preselected candidates.

However, judging by his temperament, his laughter and anger were all displayed outwardly.

Such a figure, even if brought under his command, would require a period of tempering and conditioning; otherwise, he could hardly achieve anything major.

...

"Brother Ai should restrain his grief and accept fate; the moon has its waxing and waning, and humans have their fortunes and misfortunes. These are all fixed by the Dao of Heaven and cannot be violated."

After a while.

seeing that Ai Jian remained sullen and refused to utter a single word,

Chen Ying had no choice but to speak first, casually picking a topic:

"Last time, when I disguised myself as a consort and accompanied Ai Yuan of your clan to search for the Underworld Emperor here, I happened to see a wandering brother of yours. His name is Chen Heng. I wonder where he is now, and if he might be called out for a meeting?"

Hearing this, Ai Jian was startled, finally snapping out of his benumbed state.

And when he finished explaining Chen Heng's whereabouts, Chen Ying was likewise slightly surprised.

"The Earth Abyss? Before long, once the elders of the Huzhao Sect and I trigger the turbid tide, all flesh-and-blood living beings in the Earth Abyss will be reduced to ashes. How could he possibly survive?"

Chen Ying sighed, shaking his head:

"What a pity, what a pity. It seems Chen Heng will be killed by mistake.

Originally, I intended to take the opportunity to send him to Chen Runzi and Chen Yuan吉 as a bargaining chip to secure a favor involving the Yulu Immortal Mansion, but now it is a pity..."