Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 294 The Cult Leader's Authority

The first thing Li Wuxiang wanted to say was, "You can be considered my grandmaster." But he realized his mistake in time and didn't say it.

Qingnang Xian doesn't shed tears or blush, but Li Wuxiang knows that the trembling of his skin is due to his turbulent emotions and unbearable suffering. He knows that Lou He has feelings for the Sword Sect and the Taiyi Sect, but he never imagined they would be this deep.

Perhaps it's because of the apocalypse. As he had thought before, many people's thoughts would change once they knew they had experienced an apocalypse and a rebirth.

He chuckled again: "You're welcome to come if you want. But you don't have to be the senior disciple; you can be an elder. My sect is newly established and desperately needs management talent—you've seen a lot in the True Form Sect, so you're a perfect candidate."

Lou He released his hand, seemingly realizing he had lost his composure. He sighed and continued walking, saying, "Actually, I... sigh. I was thinking about you, and I think you're truly remarkable."

Amazing? Li Wuxiang himself thought so too. There aren't many people in this world who can reach the Nascent Soul stage in just over half a year, right? Even a Beggar's Nascent Soul cultivator is considered a Nascent Soul.

"It's not about your cultivation level, but about your character."

"Brother Lou, isn't your temperament also very good?"

Lou He finally smiled: "Good? No, not good. When it comes to temperament, it's about consistency. Am I consistent? I used to think so... I wanted to become a true immortal, so I could do anything, and I thought I was decisive and ruthless enough. But after what happened this time, I thought about it, and it's nothing... Even mortals who go up the mountain to become bandits are considered ruthless."

“When I encounter difficulties, I always think about whether there are other ways... I abandoned my cultivation to go to Youjiuyuan, and then abandoned my cultivation again to go to Coffin City. In fact, according to Senior Sister Mei, these are all crooked paths. I used to disagree, but after looking at you, I know that Senior Sister Mei is right.”

“You won’t think of crooked ways; you’ll face difficulties head-on. You won’t take shortcuts; you’ll want to go all the way down the main road, and you won’t be afraid of death.”

As he said this, his emotions seemed to gradually calm down. He took a few more steps and looked into the dark forest: "There are elm trees here. Great! Elm bark is edible. Let's peel some here."

It was indeed a grove of elm trees, their branches growing very tall, their canopies like umbrellas. Lou He walked over and tore off strips of bark by hand, draping them over his shoulder: "Don't peel them all off, leave half. You can boil them and eat them, almost like eating jerky."

Li Wuxiang then walked to the side and began peeling bark from the tree. As he peeled, he hoped that Lou He would stop praising him.

Firstly, he was terrified by Li Ye; he truly understood the meaning of "a dying man's words are kind." Now, Lou He's tone of voice made him uneasy as well.

Secondly, although Mei Qiulu spared Lou He and expelled him from the Taiyi Sect, Lou He's calamity was still incredibly intense. Since she said she would plant a seed of calamity in him, he might truly face an extremely perilous life-or-death ordeal.

He said in a low voice, "Brother Lou, you can actually think more positively. There are very few people in this world who know how to reflect on themselves. Speaking of character, you are quite remarkable."

Lou He chuckled in the darkness: "I'm afraid it's too late for me to reflect. Sometimes I think that if I really die, I probably won't become a heroic spirit of the Sword Sect—and naturally I won't be able to go to the Heavenly Realm of the True Form Sect. Instead, I can only be a lonely ghost in the world or on Mount Ling. A disgrace to the sect like me, alas, will be rejected by the founder."

Is it because of this? Li Wuxiang suddenly understood.

There really is such a thing as reincarnation, which is why people in this world value what happens after death more—just like those devout religious believers in their previous lives, who fear going to hell.

Mortals go to the underworld after they die, and based on what he knows now, this kind of death is almost true death; they may stay there forever.

Those who cultivate themselves, belonging to the Thirty-Six Schools, etc., will go to Mount Ling if they do a good job of preparing before death. But with so many vengeful ghosts in Mount Ling, it is clear that the vast majority of them do not meet a good end.

However, sects like the Sword Sect and the Six Ministries of Mysterious Cult have a place to belong after death, which can be considered a safety net.

However, the Sword Sect is no more now. The place where the swordsmen go after they die should be Yedu, which Li Ye took him to. He fought a great battle with the Heavenly Fate Master there before, and all the heroic spirits of the Sword Sect there were exhausted. I'm afraid that place has become a ruin. Otherwise, I wouldn't have seen so many dead souls wandering around Youjiu Abyss.

So now that the swordsmen are dead, they have nowhere to go.

He looked at Lou He in the darkness—his head was still tilted to the side. He had no golden shackles inside him, and his physical body was damaged, probably in a similar state to his own golden shackles, causing him to feel pain and weakness.

So Lou He tilted his head, bent his body slightly, and slowly peeled the bark off the tree, looking rather pitiful.

"Actually, before Senior Sister Mei and Leader Cui, there was another leader in our sect. The Dutian Siming that Senior Sister Mei just mentioned was achieved by that leader."

Lou He was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at him: "Huh?"

"Senior Sister was probably afraid that everyone would be disappointed, so she only mentioned the Heavenly Fate Master and didn't mention anything else. Actually, that leader is named Jiang Jie. He has been the leader of the Sword Sect for the past three hundred years, but you have all forgotten."

Li Wuxiang briefly explained Jiang Jie's situation. Lou He initially stood in the dark listening, then slowly peeled the bark from the tree as he listened. When Li Wuxiang finished speaking, he sighed, "Alright, when you told Senior Sister Mei before, I vaguely heard a little bit, but not clearly. So that's what happened."

"So... now that the swordsman is dead, he has nowhere to go?"

“That’s not what I meant.” Li Wuxiang hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I meant that Sect Leader Jiang told me to tell Senior Sister Mei that I would keep you in the sect for my use.”

Lou He suddenly turned his face: "You...you didn't say this to your senior sister!?"

"said."

Lou He watched him in the darkness for a while, then slowly turned his face to stare at the elm tree in front of him. He tore off a few more strips of bark, smiled, and said, "Well, alright. I understand now. If we can't mention Sect Leader Jiang, then Senior Sister has no reason to keep me in the sect—otherwise, if those who harm fellow disciples aren't executed, where is the authority of the sect's doctrine?"

"Besides, she is now the leader of the sect, not just the swordsman. Why should she, as the current leader, have to listen to the orders of the previous leader?"

Li Wuxiang shook his head: "Senior Sister Mei isn't that kind of person." "Was Emperor Ye like Donghuang Taiyi before? Didn't you say that people change when they reach a position of power?" He waved his hand, "Don't worry, I'm fine. What I did deserved to die, but I don't care about anything else."

Li Wuxiang stopped speaking. The two tore off a lot of elm bark and wrapped it around their bodies like armor. They also dug up some dandelions and picked some nightshade and foxtail grass.

As they were about to turn back, Li Wuxiang said, "If you manage to get through this ordeal, come to my Sword Sect and become an elder. I'm serious. Have you ever considered that maybe your senior sister wants you to come here?"

Lou He walked alongside him for a while before saying, "You once advised me not to go astray. Aren't you afraid I might do something else in the future?"

“If that’s what you’re talking about, then this place is perfect for me. I’ll settle things with the leader of the Great Calamity Alliance in the next few days and then go back. After that, I’ll find a place to establish my own sect and slowly cultivate. I won’t be involved in the affairs of the martial world for a while. These past six months have been too tiring. I feel like I still have the physical strength, but my mental strength is almost gone.”

"You've spent the last six months cultivating from Foundation Establishment to Nascent Soul, and now you don't want to get involved in the affairs of the martial world anymore? Can you really hold out?" Lou He turned to look at him seriously. "From what I know of you, although you always say you want to stay put, you're actually quite worried about everything. These are chaotic times; don't you want to seize this opportunity and do something?"

Li Wuxiang shook his head: "I used to. But now, after experiencing what Li Ye led me to do, I've suddenly come to a realization."

“We’re all too hasty… Even when we think about something, on a monthly, yearly, or even decades-long scale, it’s still too hasty and too short-sighted. I used to be very afraid of death and the death of others. I always felt that the situation was critical and that if I didn’t do something, it would be too late. But now I know that some things are destined by fate and will be there sooner or later.”

"I'm not saying I've given up on my fate, but rather that many things can be remedied, and the ability to do so is the most important thing. If I really want to do something, whether for myself or for others, I have to settle down and cultivate myself properly, otherwise it will be a loss."

“Senior Brother Lou, this is why I placed the seed of tribulation on you. If you can overcome it, you will know that the debts you owed in the past have been paid off, and you may also be able to let go like me. If you can't overcome it... then you were not meant to overcome it.”

Lou He nodded: "You have finally attained a certain level of enlightenment. What you said... sounds truly profound, almost like divine revelation."

Li Wuxiang smiled and said, "So what do you have to say? If you get through this, will you come with me to live a secluded and quiet life of cultivation?"

Lou He smiled at him and said, "Okay. I'll go."

After walking a few more steps, they spotted a gourd vine in the woods, laden with fruit. The gourds were growing well, some as small as a fist, and still green. Lou He stopped: "Let's pick some gourds to take back. After a while, we can use them as water bottles—we're running low on water in the cave."

So the two followed the vines, intending to pick them all. Li Wuxiang's illusion of Mount Ran was still there, so he wasn't worried about not being able to pick them. But after he had picked a dozen or so, he heard a voice: "Mei Qiulu, the leader of the Taiyi Sect, keeps her word. Now that you are the sect leader of the Sword Sect, you should also keep your word."

It is Li Guichen.

Li Wuxiang stopped: "What's wrong?"

"Do you remember what you promised me before? After the Great Calamity Mountain incident, you will give me my freedom."

Li Wuxiang was silent for a moment, then turned to Lou He and said, "Senior Brother Lou, you pick them first, I have something to do."

Lou He glanced at him and nodded: "Okay. I'll go over there first and see how many are left."

Once Lou He had gone far away, Li Wuxiang spoke in his mind: "Yes, I did say that. I said that on Earth, our situation would be considered mental illness, but here we have the Golden Curtain. From now on, the Golden Curtain is mine, and the skin that Guang Chanzi refined is yours."

Yes. That's what you said.

"But at this time? Li Guichen, you are my earth spirit. If you leave... Besides, I can do without this body at other times, but this body was given to me by those swordsmen with their own flesh and blood. If you leave, I can't ask them to give it to me again, can I?"

"Why do you want to leave these swordsmen?" Li Guichen asked. "Besides wanting to find a peaceful place to cultivate, why do you want to leave?"

Li Wuxiang was taken aback, unsure of the meaning behind his question. But he told the truth: "I miss Xue Baoping."

"Why do you miss her? Is it romantic love? Or do you want to marry her? We are just ordinary people with no desires, so why are you thinking about women?"

His question was somewhat unsettling. But Li Wuxiang knew what kind of person Li Guichen was—when they first communicated, he referred to himself as an old man, and the tone of his writings was quite mature and composed. For him to say "want a woman" now wasn't a sarcastic or cynical remark.

Li Wuxiang patiently explained, "I'm not thinking about women. As for her... I don't know about her, but mine, I don't think it's romantic love. She saved me, raised me, and is like family to me. You know my background; in this world, she makes me feel like I'm not just a passerby."

"So if I had to choose one place, I would choose the place where she is."

Li Wuxiang felt a slight resistance on his neck, as if Li Guichen wanted to nod.

Then I heard him say, "You miss your family, and so do I. I want to go see my family too."

“As I said, I was born in Fuhe Town and went out to cultivate myself when I was very young. Now I am sixty years old. When I left, I had a younger sister at home, who might still be alive. Given the state of the world today, who knows what will happen to my sister if she has children? That's why I want to go back to see them, perhaps I can save their lives. At other times, I will stay to help you, but now, just as you worry about Xue Baoping, I also worry about my family.” [Note 1]

"Your family—" Li Wuxiang almost screamed inwardly, feeling like he might really be going crazy, that what he was saying was too absurd—it was fake! It didn't exist!
“Li Guichen, are you… serious?” It took him a while to barely suppress his emotions. “You should know, right? You are my other personality. You have your own identity, memories, and even your gender may be different from mine. But these are not real. You think you are sixty years old because you hope that someone can advise you. That person should be experienced and have a stable personality—at that time, my subconscious still regretted that I felt like a wanderer in this world, so you also have a family in this world… You should understand all of this!”

After a while, Li Guichen said, "I understand. But I didn't exist in this world before, but I do now. This world was destroyed not long ago, and now it has been reborn—the false has become real, so I am real too. Li Wuxiang, I really have family in this world. You have experienced the power of Taiyi, have you ever thought that it is because I am the one you once made a vow for, and now that vow has come true?"

……

Note 1: See Chapter 235 for details.
(End of this chapter)