Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 458 Who can change it?

—Liangyi Sect, Xiabo Mountain
"Fellow Daoist Xiang, things are likely to be exposed." Pu Honggu, disregarding the pain of losing his fellow disciples, spoke to Xiang Tianxing with considerable unease.

The latter gave a light rebuke, his sword-like eyebrows furrowing: "That Taoist Peng has been your fellow disciple for over two hundred years, yet he has no affection whatsoever? Now that he's fallen into the hands of that old bird from the Fei family, he's bound to surrender?! Completely helpless?!"

"There's really nothing we can do. Junior Brother Peng is very cautious. Although he has taken in a few disciples, they have no ties to the sect." Pu Honggu's face also showed a hint of helplessness.

Xiang Tianxing also frowned. In the eyes of evil cultivators like Peng Daoren, what difference is there between disciples and dead bones on the roadside as long as their own safety is at stake? Don't think that the latter will be afraid because of this little bit of leverage.

"What about that?"

"Sect Leader Xiang, could it be that the Elder Master of the Tower..."

"Fellow Daoist Pu speaks so lightly. How can one seek favors for every little thing? A True Person's slightest movement is known to everyone in every region and place. If this falls into the eyes of those with ulterior motives, things will become chaotic." Xiang Tianxing didn't completely cut off his words halfway through, and after a moment of contemplation, he continued, "Originally, I wanted your family to communicate with the Lishan lineage, but it was only to counterbalance Kuang Liuting's return from the outer sea. However, it's far too early now!"

Pu Honggu also knew the gravity of the matter. After thinking for a while, he finally mustered up his courage and said, "Sect Leader Xiang, the Star-Picking Tower also had quite a connection with the imperial clan back then, why not..."

The old man had only spoken halfway when he saw a sharp glint flash in Xiang Tianxing's eyes. He immediately realized what was happening and fell silent. The latter snorted coldly but also remained silent.

Xiang Tianxing couldn't blame Pu Honggu for being so short-sighted. After all, because Zhaixinglou had neglected Yunjiao Prefecture for so many years, it was only natural that the various families under its jurisdiction had become submissive.

But the Kuang family was not so easy to rely on. Not only were they mean and ungrateful, but they were also cruel and harsh. There were countless other families in the Immortal Dynasty that stood in opposition to the David clan.

Zhaixing Tower is not Wulao Mountain. Master Yueyin is only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He barely managed to occupy the northern route of the mountain thanks to the legacy of his ancestors and his disciples. The sect is also facing a talent shortage, and it is unknown when the next master will emerge.

The families in Shanbei Road are all relying on the remaining lifespan of Master Yueyin to keep them afloat. After Master Yueyin passes away, no one knows what will happen to them.

I've heard that a few years ago, one of the three great rogue cultivators of the Immortal Dynasty was promised by the current emperor to be the master of the northern mountain. This forced Master Yueyin to abandon his sect's disciples and become a protector of Kuangliuting.

However, Bai Canhong, the current master of the Star-Picking Pavilion, is different. He is not even nine hundred years old, but he has already reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He once sparred with the Southern King Kuang Shenzhi, and the two were evenly matched. He is vaguely known as the number one cultivator in the Southwest.

Moreover, although there are only a hundred or so disciples in the Star-Picking Tower, they are all elites, and it is difficult to find even a cultivator with three spiritual roots among them.

No matter how prosperous the Taoist tradition is or how many disciples the "Three Managers" in the Shannan region are, they still have to hand over most of their income to the Zhaixing Tower every year, and they dare not even find an excuse to delay.

The difference between the two is obvious.

The dying Master Yueyin needs to carefully protect Kuang Liuting, a rare and outstanding member of the David royal family, for the sake of his future.

Bai Canhong has the resources, so there's no need to rush.

Although there are some places within the Immortal Dynasty currently experiencing intense infighting, it is actually just minor skirmishes. You should know that while the phrase "sitting on the fence and watching" may not sound pleasant, it is the safest option.

If you choose a faction to join now, you'll only have headaches later.

Looking at the "Extinction Guard" faction alone, there are those like the Blood Sword Sect, who have a deep-seated hatred for the Kuang family clan and are determined to overthrow the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty and rebuild the state; there are also many who were frightened by the disasters during the reign of Emperor Taizu and only want to protect their own small territory and live a good life; and there are even those who are forced by the situation to remain loyal to the Han Dynasty while serving Cao Cao, and who knows when they will rebel again.

Within the Bao Kuang faction, it was difficult to find many who were of one mind. There were members of the Kuang family clan, new and old nobles, court officials, powerful families in the capital, and local governors. The interests of these people seemed to be opposed, but they were actually intertwined and entangled, so much so that it was hard to find a single person in the entire Dawei Xian Dynasty who could untangle them.

Moreover, compared to Emperor Taizu and the late Emperor, the current emperor is indeed far less capable.

Although he was fortunate enough to be born, for many years he could only rely on the word "benevolence" to establish himself and work as a paperhanger. Without any major changes, it would be extremely difficult for him to achieve anything remarkable.

Therefore, there are not many people who have clearly joined either faction, because everyone is afraid that they will be dragged in and rot into the dust if they are not careful.

Of these thirty-three Nascent Soul sects, most were like Benying Temple and Zhaixing Tower, unrelated and observing from afar.

Despite the fact that the current prime minister, Gui Xuantong, led the court and upheld the government, the Gui family of Liaoyuan, which he controlled, still met a tragic end. There are many reasons for this, and it is difficult to explain them in a short time.

Xiang Tianxing didn't need to elaborate on these principles with Pu Honggu. After rejecting the latter's advice, he asked softly, "Perhaps this matter still needs to be reported to Master. At worst, we can just learn a lesson. But does Fellow Daoist Pu know which demon master in the Lishan lineage your junior brother contacted?"

"I don't know, but I do have a general direction." Seeing that Xiang Tianxing's gaze had become much more serious, Pu Honggu said again, "After I go down, I will gather my disciples to search in Hanya Mountain. I think that after some time, even if I can't be sure, I should have some clues."

After nodding, the latter said in a low voice, "I'll leave this matter to Fellow Daoist Pu. Later, my Zhaixing Tower will also transfer some disciples over."

"I dare not complain about the hardship. It was the sect's incompetence that implicated Sect Leader Xiang. I would appreciate any help from Sect Leader Xiang regarding the Elder."

Pu Honggu adopted a very humble attitude, which Xiang Tianxing had seen for many years and had grown accustomed to. He casually agreed and then left Xiabo Mountain on his own.

While walking on the clouds, Xiang Tianxing leaned on his spear and looked down, only to see the entire mountain covered in white.

For many families, reaching the Golden Core stage is considered a significant achievement, and the fall of even one could lead to the downfall of the entire family.

As one of the "Three Masters," the Liangyi Sect naturally possesses a much stronger foundation, but Huang Siniang's death is still a heavy blow. Although Pu Honggu enjoys great prestige, cleaning up this mess will likely be a major headache for him.

"Fellow Daoist Pu will probably have to work even harder," Xiang Tianxing remarked briefly before turning his gaze away. In this great upheaval, what does the death of a Golden Core cultivator amount to? It's only now that it's being brought up as gossip.

Xiang Tianxing walked towards the sunset, and Pu Honggu only breathed a sigh of relief after his divine sense could no longer detect his whereabouts. A pill he had stored in his internal organs, which had not yet been refined, was constantly flashing with a bright red light, which was extremely alluring.

As Pu Honggu watched for a long time, even the sadness he felt over the death of his junior sister, whom he had raised since childhood and spent every day with, dissipated.

The old cultivator spent half a day alone, his expression changing countless times. He took turns tapping his ten hands on the jade table, leaving bloody marks, but he still couldn't make up his mind.

He merely tapped the old pine trunk, and the spirit understood. A thick, gnarled root was pulled from the soil, scattering a large amount of earth across the sky, while also revealing a hidden formation beneath the pine.

The old cultivator flicked his index finger, sending wisps of spiritual light flowing to his fingertip and condensing into a profound rune, which he then shot onto the formation.

The magic array opened, revealing the secret treasury of the Liangyi Sect. Pu Honggu, familiar with the place, strode forward and took out a jade slip with only a few annotations from the most secluded esoteric bookshelf.

Just then, Li Yun arrived to investigate. After entering the secret vault, he saw his senior brother with a pale face, holding a jade slip and remaining silent.

“Junior Brother Li, you have mastered the Daoist military manuals stored in the sect the best. If we take Foundation Establishment as our foundation and Golden Core as our bones, after one or two hundred years, could we forge a Daoist army that is as powerful as the Xuanqiong Palace Imperial Guard and capable of fighting against True Persons?”

Upon hearing this, Li Yun's expression suddenly turned extremely ugly: "Senior Brother, why go to such lengths?!" Pu Honggu smiled wistfully, stuffed the jade slip into Li Yun's arms, and sighed softly: "In this era of great strife, one must always accumulate some capital to ensure the preservation of one's lineage. Well, I know that Junior Brother Li harbors some reservations, but this is quite common. Perhaps I was wrong all along. As for what to do, Junior Brother Li can ponder it himself."

After speaking, Pu Honggu walked out of the secret vault with a hunched back, as if his spine had been removed, leaving Li Yun alone to stare at the two characters "Yi Yin" on the jade slip in his hand. After a long silence, he took out a prescription from his sleeve and focused his gaze on it.

He stared at the three large, dark purple characters at the top of the pill formula, "Blood Foundation Pill," almost as if he could see right through them with his eyes.

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Master Kang was unable to interrogate Peng Daoren together with Fei Tianqin. In fact, after Peng Daoren uttered the words "True Man," the only one who remained in the prison with Fei Tianqin was Fei Nanying.

The Fei family patriarch was clearly a man of rough exterior but meticulous interior. He knew perfectly well when to be unrestrained and when to be cautious, without needing any reminders from others.

The patriarch said he could return home, but Kang Dabao was in no hurry to leave. He examined his eldest son's cultivation and was quite satisfied. He instructed Kang Changyi to cultivate diligently and not to let romantic feelings ruin his path. After that, he paid his respects to Lady Qi and her husband and returned to Xiaohuan Mountain.

With Peng Daoren captured, the visiting troops who were originally stationed in Pingrong County returned to their hometowns one after another. Before leaving, they bought some local products, which made Master Kang quite reluctant to part with them.

It's not yet possible to calculate how many spirit stones each family has earned from these people, but just by looking at how the women of the Mandarin Duck Hall have all experienced a significant increase in their cultivation over these past few days, it's clear that they must have made quite a fortune.

Upon learning of Kang Dabao's return to the mountain, Zhou Xinran hurriedly brought the account book to report, while the former plunged into his secluded cultivation room. Now that Headmaster Kang possessed two Songxi Pills, it was time to properly improve his cultivation.

—In the prison cell

"I have long heard that there are few who can rival the old master of the Fei family's Tianqin Sect. I used to think that was an exaggeration, but today I realize that the senior's Taoist skills are indeed profound. I truly admire my own inferiority."

Although Peng Daoren's words were mostly flattering, they were also very sincere, and coupled with his current destitute and pitiful appearance, they made them even more believable.

However, Fei Tianqin ignored his flattery and said in a deep voice, "Young man, you don't need to say anything more. I suppose that you have cultivated to such a level that you have gotten rid of many naive and ridiculous faults. I only ask you, what exactly are you hiding? The entire Liangyi Sect is not enough, and you even need Xiang Tianxing to come and save you?"

Peng Daoren's face darkened, and he continued, "Senior, you ask questions without giving any promises?"

Fei Nanying played the good cop and earnestly advised, "Fellow Daoist Peng, no one can save you now. As long as you still have the will to abandon darkness and embrace light, you should just confess directly."

Fei Tianqin, however, was much more domineering. He disdained to play the good cop to Peng Daoren, so his tone lacked any sense of certainty, and was rather casual and composed.
"Don't keep me in suspense. Speak if you want to, or if you don't want to, just say it. Your Golden Core form is quite rare. I could easily find a demon school I know and sell it to them for some supplies."

If the market is really bad and you can't sell them, then hand them over to the Liangxi Road Imperial Horse Stable to fight the demons. As for whether the Emperor will take some of your possessions to make you a clean soldier, or bestow a third-tier spirit talisman upon you to be made into a conscript, that's beyond my control."

Even though he knew that the old bird in front of him was pressuring him, Peng Daoren still felt a chill in his heart. This was because Fei Tianqin was not one to just make threats; if what he said really came to pass, even a villain like Peng Daoren would be moved to tears.

Without pondering for long, Peng Daoren closed his eyes and spoke from the heart: "This junior... In the past few years, I have been bewitched and coerced by Pu Honggu to go to Hanya Mountain and collude with the Lishan lineage on his behalf."

"Colluding with the demon race. The Liangyi Sect really has some nerve!!" Fei Nanying's indignant expression seemed genuine, while Fei Tianqin's eyes lit up, and he immediately became interested: "Oh, that's interesting."

The old bird could no longer hide the curiosity in his eyes: "Which demon general's subordinate have you allied with?"

Peng Daoren immediately became serious: "So that you may know, senior, that they are the Iron-Haired Captain and the Golden-Bone Captain under Huang Shiwei. When I was in a humble position, I had some dealings with these two demon captains by chance."

Fei Nanying's face immediately turned horribly ugly: "Go to hell! What fate or coincidence? It's just trafficking people into Cold Crow Mountain. Who can we hide it from?"

Peng Daoren's face twitched: "Lord Gucheng, please report that they are all lonely widowers and widowers. Even if I did not sell them, I would not live for long."

"So, it seems I've wronged you, the Bodhisattva?" Fei Nanying's expression hardened, while Peng Daoren calmed down, simply cupping his hands in apology and closing his eyes without saying a word.

Upon seeing this, Fei Tianqin sighed inwardly. He didn't say much to Fei Nanying, but instead spoke to the composed Peng Daoren: "What did you achieve?"

The latter replied seriously, "Those demons and barbarians are all driven by self-interest. They've taken back nearly 100,000 people, but they haven't loosened their grip at all, and nothing has been accomplished."

Fei Tianqin pondered for a moment after hearing this before saying, "Oh, the Lord of Zhaixing Tower must be holding the array positions of the Shannan Road barrier, which he intends to use to make a deal with the demon officers?"

A genuine look of shock appeared in Peng Daoren's eyes: "Senior's predictions are truly divine!"

"Heh, Bai Canhong doesn't have much capital on hand, and all he can guess is the same few things." Fei Tianqin sneered. Once the matter was explained, he lost all interest in Peng Daoren. He simply called Chu Yanran and Yang Baoshan back to the prison to look after them, while he himself led Fei Nanying out of the cell.

Fei Nanying's complexion had improved considerably by this time, and he asked in a questioning voice, "How did the Ancestor know about the Star-Picking Tower's plan?"

"Heh, how would I know?" Fei Tianqin sighed softly, then said, "These are just a few key points that my brother asked me to worry about before he left. My brother previously guessed that if the Marquis of Nan'an really became a top-grade Golden Core cultivator, the situation in the world would definitely be in turmoil."

"If the Celestial Dynasty pushes us too hard in the future, the Star-Picking Tower might as well loosen the barrier within Cold Crow Mountain and allow the few demon officers of the Lishan lineage stationed here to lead their beast hordes in and rampage in, turning the southern part of the mountain into a demon-infested land like Liangxi and Haibei."

Fei Nanying understood Zhaixinglou's scheme very quickly. Since they couldn't keep something anyway, they wanted to destroy it completely before returning it to its original owner.

The Star-Picking Tower had few people, so a single flying boat could easily take them away. They should find another place to eat.

"Ancestor Ye Sui is indeed omniscient! With him in charge of the family, it is truly a blessing for the Fei family of Yingzhou."

After spending a long time together, Fei Nanying figured out some of the old bird's temperament. The latter didn't like flattery, but as long as you kept praising Fei Yeying in front of Fei Tianqin, it would make him feel happy.

Sure enough, upon hearing Fei Nanying praise his younger brother, Fei Tianqin's tone noticeably improved: "Of course."

In a better mood, Fei Tianqin also felt like giving Fei Nanying a word of advice: "Why did you have to expose that guy just now? It just made things awkward for everyone."

Fei Nanying's face darkened: "Ancestor, that scoundrel colluded with the demon race, selling immortals and mortals as food for demons; his crime is unforgivable!"

Fei Tianqin didn't care at all: "This matter has been going on since the previous dynasty. Except for a year or two when Emperor Taizu inspected the southern mountains, it has never stopped. You haven't even gotten used to it yet, which is laughable." He paused here, and then continued:
"Don't think that just because I don't have human blood, I have no compassion. My bloodline comes from the Bitter Spirit Mountain lineage. Although I don't eat human flesh because of the tradition passed down from my father and grandfather, I know that in the eyes of cultivators, humans are not human; and in the eyes of demons, demons are not demons."

Seeing that Fei Nanying's expression had become much more solemn, it said in a deep voice, "This principle cannot be altered by a true person or a true lord; it has always been so."

Fei Nanying had no way to answer, but after this old bird's guidance, he felt much more relaxed. He remembered the old ancestor's teaching: "Conscience is indeed useless for cultivation."

Enough is enough. This is how the world is. Who can change it?

(End of this chapter)