Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 421 On-site Teaching
"Chase?!" Zhou Xiang was stunned. He looked at Kong Youxin, who had fainted on the ground, and then at the darkness in the distance—the Blood God Sect's Infant Immortal hadn't gone far. He was still retreating, facing Li Wuxiang, back into the darkness. Although each step he took took him a considerable distance into the darkness, he was truly moving step by step, looking extremely cautious, as if he was very afraid that Li Wuxiang might suddenly attack him.

"You're going to pursue him... then what were you doing just now...?"

“This is his yin spirit, not his true form. Fellow Daoist Zhou…” Li Wuxiang shifted his gaze from the infant immortal to Zhou Xiang. “Let him retreat first, and then we’ll go after him. Otherwise, I’m afraid his yin spirit will lure us away. Let’s talk for a while.”

The infant fairy finally disappeared into the darkness.

The scent of grass, the scent of life, also faded in the night, eventually turning into a very faint smell of rust.

Zhou Xiang's mind was finally cleared and filled with lucidity. He then realized more clearly that the person in front of him, the mysterious Little God Lord Li Wuxiang, was the extraterrestrial demon mentioned by the sect.

Li Wuxiang smiled slightly at him: "You must have a lot of questions, and so do I. Don't rush, let's talk as we walk. I left something in that infant immortal's body, let's chase after it slowly."

He lifted his foot and stepped out. Zhou Xiang hesitated for a moment, then picked up Kong Youxin and followed Li Wuxiang.

The two walked in silence for a while, and Zhou Xiang did not speak. Li Wuxiang then said, "If you don't know where to start, let me ask you. Fellow Daoist Zhou, do you consider us friends or enemies? I'm not asking about the Taiyi Sect, the Sword Sect, the Six Departments of the Mysterious Sect, or the Five Mountains True Form Sect; I'm asking about you and me, the two of us."

Zhou Xiang shook her head: "I don't recognize you."

"You haven't recognized me after walking together for several days?"

“These past few days you are Li Xiao, not Li Wuxiang.”

"That's true. It's just that I didn't tell you my name, and I just watched from the sidelines."

Zhou Xiang's voice rose slightly: "Designing a scheme to deceive people can't be considered standing idly by, can it?"

Li Wuxiang turned to look at him, a slight smile on his face. Zhou Xiang understood immediately.

It seems that aside from not revealing his identity, he wasn't really deceiving himself. He even kept giving himself the right advice—in the North Cave, he told himself it was best to leave as soon as possible, and that Dao Shiye wasn't a good person. When he met Sun Ji in the South Cave, he also advised himself to be careful.

But then, Sun Ji… Zhou Xiang's heart skipped a beat, a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe. Li Wuxiang said Sun Ji wasn't dead, so she probably really wasn't dead, or perhaps he'd captured her. She'd heard many stories about swordsmen within the sect, and even the sect's own cultivators had to admit that swordsmen acted with integrity. Falling into his hands was probably the safest thing in the world.

But his mind had just been cleansed by the supernatural powers of the Blood God Cult's Infant Immortal and Li Wuxiang, and now his mind had become clear. Judging from the swordsman's character, if Sun Ji truly cared for him, Li Wuxiang wouldn't have taken her away and imprisoned her.

He could only sigh: "You're not a bad person. You're an enemy of the Five Mountains True Form Sect, but not necessarily mine. As for whether you're a friend, that's hard to say."

Li Wuxiang smiled faintly again, while inwardly he was overjoyed.

Finally, they managed to fool Master Zhou.

When you are at the Foundation Establishment stage, everyone can take advantage of you. When you are at the Qi Refining stage, everyone wants to harm you. When you are at the Golden Core stage, everyone is wary of you. When you are at the Nascent Soul stage, everyone will debate scriptures for you.

Li Wuxiang could fully imagine Zhou Xiang's thoughts just now—if a dignified minor deity, a Nascent Soul cultivator, wanted to use underhanded tricks on him, he would have done so long ago!
That's why he didn't directly attack the Blood God Cult's Infant Immortal earlier.

The Divine Lord used his sword intent to repel the enemy, which caused the most intense psychological shock to Zhou Xiang, making him realize how strong he was.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly again—Master Zhou was still too naive. Not only had he used underhanded tactics before, but he was still using them now.

He then said, “Since you think I’m not a bad person, then things will be easier. You come from Immovable Mountain, are the head of the Quiet Hall, and have cultivated the Lesser Tribulation Sword Scripture, so you are considered a disciple and member of the Taiyi Sect. I will no longer call you Fellow Daoist Zhou, but Senior Brother Zhou, how about that?”

Zhou Xiang was taken aback: "How did you know?"

Li Wuxiang smiled slightly again, without saying a word.

Zhou Xiang then realized—he was Baili Jianxian. Mei Qiulu was his senior sister and master, so it wasn't surprising that she knew this. But…

“Your cultivation is higher than mine, you should call me junior brother.”

Li Wuxiang shook his head and said in a gentle tone, "In the Taiyi Sect, we are all brothers and sisters, there is no difference. You are older than me, so it is no big deal for me to call you senior brother. You can also call me senior brother Li. Nowadays, there are very few swordsmen left in the world, and you, senior brother Zhou, are from the ancient lineage. In fact, we are like brothers from the same family."

When he said this, all twenty or so core disciples in Wanhuafang heard him. At this moment, there was a deep darkness at the entrance of the Chen family mansion and the entrance to Wanhuafang from the outside. Li Wuxiang and Zhou Xiang's voices came from that darkness.

The disciples of the Sword Sect all held their breath, listening quietly and memorizing every word their sect leader spoke. Behind them, the Great Sword Master Zhao Qi paced slowly, taking advantage of the pauses in their conversation to offer earnest and hushed instruction—

"Listen carefully, and remember well. I'll test you tomorrow. Don't think the sect leader is just talking casually; this is called winning hearts and minds!"

"It's only because of the good fortune you accumulated in your past lives that you were able to come to our Sword Sect. If it were any other sect, your masters and sect leader would be doing you a favor by not exploiting you. How could they let you hear about such things?"

"You all used to roam the martial world, and you all understand that the martial world is not just about fighting and killing, but also about human relationships and social interactions. Let me tell you, our sect leader is a master here—did you hear what he said to Zhou Xiang? Think about the times I made you listen to those things a few days ago. If it were you in his shoes now, what would you say?"

Zhao Qi said this, and seeing his disciples nod repeatedly, he felt a surge of pride and satisfaction. However, after a brief moment of pride, he felt a pang of resentment. So he said again—

"The sect leader used this move on me before. Hehe, back then, we became friends after fighting each other. We fought all the way from the mortal realm to Mount Ling. My cultivation was slightly stronger than the sect leader's at that time, and the sect leader used this move on me—after that, we became friends."

Several sensible disciples gasped and couldn't help but ask, "Huh? Great Sword Master, you've never told us about this before! What's going on?"

Zhao Qi smiled faintly: "That's all in the past, let's not talk about it. Alright, listen carefully!"

The words "family brothers" immediately stirred a tremor in Zhou Xiang's heart. He experienced a sense of closeness he had never dared to imagine before.

This feeling was something he couldn't experience when he was with the Five Mountains True Form Sect. On Mount Immovable, he only interacted with the sect's main disciples, who didn't cultivate the Lesser Tribulation Sword Scripture but only the Original Immovable Scripture. Although Zhou Xiang was nominally and practically their master, he knew in his heart that these people would leave sooner or later; they weren't his kind.

So perhaps there is some tolerance towards them, but most of all, there is alienation.

As for the members of the Five Mountains True Form Sect, those he could come into contact with were all experts at the Refining Spirit cultivation level or above. Having cultivated the Unmoving Scripture to a high level, his human desires gradually diminished, leaving only the pursuit of power, cultivation, and realm. He had nothing to say to these people.

But now, hearing this word and recalling the days I spent with Li Wuxiang a few days ago, I suddenly realized: he really is different.

He has reached the Nascent Soul stage, which is equivalent to the Void Return stage of our sect. But if he didn't say so, who would know that he has such cultivation? They would just think he is an ordinary person with his own joys and sorrows.

Zhou Xiang always felt ashamed of the emotions of an "ordinary person," believing that his bloodline was both the pride of the sect and an anomaly within it. Because of the "Immovable Scripture," his "Minor Tribulation Sword Scripture" was difficult to cultivate, and because of the "Minor Tribulation Sword Scripture," his "Immovable Scripture" was also difficult to improve. Many emotions that were insignificant to the members of the sect were magnified into unbearable troubles in his heart.

He often felt he was too weak, lacked mental fortitude, and was overly emotional. But now, after hearing Li Wuxiang's words, he realized that it wasn't him who was abnormal after all…

Zhou Xiang remained silent for a long time before saying, "You already know what I came out here for, why are you still saying this?"

"What you originally intended to do is irrelevant; what you actually did is what matters. Senior Brother Zhou, you gave me thirty-six True Person Dharma Bodies. So whatever you wanted to do before is no longer important."

Zhou Xiang sighed and shook his head.

Li Wuxiang then asked, "What are your plans for the future? Are you looking for Sun Ji? I can return her to you."

"……really!?"

"It's just a matter of one word from you. And then what? Where are you going with Sun Ji?"

"I...I haven't thought about it yet."

Li Wuxiang smiled and said, "Actually, you've thought it through."

Inside the Myriad Transformations Hall, Zhao Qi immediately shouted and quickly explained, "Listen! Listen! Remember this! You've actually thought it through!"

"Once you say those words, whether the person listening to you has that thought in their mind or not, it will plant a seed in their heart! But you can't just say those words carelessly. You have to lay the groundwork and understand the other person's character before you speak. Listen carefully to what the sect leader has to say!"

“You only have three paths.” Li Wuxiang turned his head and looked at him seriously as they walked. “The first path is to ignore everything and find a place to live in seclusion, whether you take Sun Ji with you or not. This path is very dangerous because you know very little about things outside the diocese. You may be easily fooled, or your own people may continue to hunt you down.”

"The second option is to stay with me or go to Mei Qiulu. As I said, we are of the same clan, brothers from the same family. Given Senior Sister Mei's character, she will definitely protect you. This is the best option for you, as long as you put aside all other thoughts in your mind."

Li Wuxiang said these words and then remained silent.

Zhao Qi, who was inside the Wanhua Fang, immediately said, "You think everyone can create suspense and keep you in suspense, right? But look how skillfully the Sect Master has grasped it! He lets Zhou Xiang think for himself, and these ideas truly become his. Believe it or not, he himself has become interested and wants to ask what the third path is?"

"What about the third way?" Zhou Xiang asked.

"That means returning to the Five Sacred Mountains True Form Sect."

Zhou Xiang frowned: "Go back?"

“I don’t know much about what’s going on in your sect, but I think you probably don’t either. You’ve been staying at Immovable Mountain, haven’t you? With your personality, you certainly wouldn’t like to get involved in sect affairs. Now that they’ve sent you out, they’ve sent people to kill you—since neither of us knows much about this, we can discuss it together.”

Zhao Qi, inside the Myriad Transformations Formation, clapped his hands and shouted to his disciples, "Did you hear that? That's wonderful!"

"What's so clever about it? It's clever because we're thinking together! We might have been rivals before, but now we're thinking together, and it wasn't the sect leader who came up with it, it was his own idea! Let me tell you, the sect leader used this trick against me before!"

"Your sect went to great lengths to send you out, there must be a reason why you can't be killed within the sect. I heard that your Five Mountains True Form Sect has four branch altars besides the main altar—Senior Brother Zhou, is someone protecting you?"

Zhou Xiang hadn't intended to say any of this. This young deity had only revealed his identity less than a quarter of an hour ago, and was completely a stranger to him. Yet, he gave him a very good feeling… This person was very easygoing, no, he was practically gentle. Not the kind of gentleness that was feigned, but rather a natural feeling that there was no difference in their cultivation levels, no conflict over sect affiliations, but that they were truly fellow disciples, or… just two ordinary people.

The sword cultivation methods of the Taiyi Sect should be characterized by their sharpness and openness, and Li Wuxiang could certainly be considered to possess sharpness, but he seems to have concealed it very well. What was his background? How did he develop such a temperament?
With this slight goodwill, coupled with the boundless darkness around them, and the stinging pain that arose when they thought of the name "Five Mountains True Form Sect," Zhou Xiang sighed: "I don't know if you are aware that there are power struggles within our sect. The main altar and the four altars, these five lineages, have always been secretly vying for power."

"If you ask why they insisted on sending me out...maybe someone is protecting me." Zhou Xiang smiled self-deprecatingly. "But I have no clue who it could be. I never even thought that someone would want to kill me. You say I don't like to participate in the affairs of the sect, but it's not that I don't want to, it's that I'm not worthy."

Li Wuxiang shook his head and smiled: "Some people are just born unable to tolerate filth. The struggle for power has always been dirty. Senior Brother Zhou, you can't imagine that others would harm you because your heart is pure. In my opinion, and in Senior Sister Mei's opinion, this is all a good thing."

Zhou Xiang suddenly felt a warm current surge in his heart. His chest felt tight, and his throat trembled slightly. He didn't know how to express such feelings—he had never imagined that what he considered shameful weakness and emotions were actually "not dirty" in Li Wuxiang's eyes!
“So, since there are people in the church who will protect you, it means you will be very safe when you go back. This is related to what I said about your third path.”

Within the Myriad Transformations Hall, Zhao Qi smiled slightly and said to his disciples, "If I'm not mistaken, Zhou Xiang is already captivated by our Sect Master's character. That makes things easier. Next, we need to simmer him slowly over a low flame, until one day a thought suddenly pops into his head—the very thought the Sect Master wants him to have. These things can't be rushed, understand? If you rush and blurt it out, then—"

“Go back to the Five Mountains True Form Sect. Senior Brother Zhou, our Sword Sect and Taiyi Sect fully support you as the sect leader.”

Zhou Xiang was stunned: "Huh?"

The disciples in the courtyard were stunned and all looked at Zhao Qi. Zhao Qi waved his hand: "Why are you looking at me? I haven't finished yet. You can't be impatient, but sometimes it's okay to be. Like just now, it's called going straight to the point, it's called earth-shattering, do you understand? The sect leader used this move on me too! Now you better remember it!"

(End of this chapter)