Chapter 496: The Deeper Meaning of the Iron Law

On a platform in front of a cliff somewhere, Yang Sixuan sat alone at a Stone Table.

At the edge of the cliff, a circle of Guards holding blades stood guard.

Before long, several people arrived at this platform, escorting an old man who was walking with a stumbling gait.

The old man's hair was disheveled, and there were dry grass clippings stuck to his hair and clothes, yet his expression remained calm; this man being escorted was Ge Rusong.

His Cave-Abyss had collapsed, his dantian was destroyed, and his cultivation had been completely crippled; he had already been reduced to a useless person.

Having walked this short distance, he was actually already struggling to catch his breath.

Those men escorted him to a spot not far in front of Yang Sixuan, and after Yang Sixuan raised his hand to signal, those men retreated.

Ge Rusong looked at Yang Sixuan and smiled, coughed once, and then sat directly opposite Yang Sixuan.

On that Stone Table were placed a few plates of light side dishes and a pot of wine.

Seeing Ge Rusong take his seat, Yang Sixuan lifted the pot to pour him a cup of wine and said indifferently, "We were fellow sect members, Elder Ge; I offer you a cup!"

Ge Rusong pinched the wine cup on the Stone Table and laughed, "It's rare that you're still willing to call me Elder Ge at this stage! Brother Yang, you have character!"

In truth, Ge Rusong still admired Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan deep down. No matter what these two did, they had their own bottom lines; they were completely different types of people from him and Zhu He.

Yang Sixuan said, "The words of a dying man are good. Does Elder Ge have any final words?"

Ge Rusong drank the wine in his cup in one gulp and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Brother Yang. I have nothing to say."

Yang Sixuan said calmly, "That is also fine."

Ge Rusong had been cultivating for over two hundred years and had long since fully refined the Womb Treasury Sutra; his Divine Soul was far stronger than Yang Sixuan's, otherwise Yang Sixuan could have used the Divine Illumination Seal to search his soul.

Yang Sixuan could do nothing about what Ge Rusong was unwilling to say.

While drinking, Ge Rusong ate a few bites of the side dishes on the Stone Table; they were just almonds and fruits and vegetables, very bland.

Yang Sixuan had been a vegetarian for many years, and the dishes he provided for his send-off were actually all vegetarian as well.

After eating two bites, Ge Rusong lost interest; he drank another cup of wine, looked at Yang Sixuan, and said, "Brother Yang, it's not that I want to criticize you. Your food, just like you, is dreadfully bland and boring."

Yang Sixuan said, "Thank you for the instruction, Elder Ge. It is just that Yang believes this bland taste is the only one that can last."

Ge Rusong laughed, "I told you you were boring. Even on the verge of death, you still want to lecture me."

Hearing this, Yang Sixuan smiled slightly, noncommittally.

Just at this moment, Ge Rusong suddenly saw a person carrying a basket behind the Guards, craning their neck to look over here.

He recognized that person; it was his personal old servant, Jing Chou.

Ge Rusong looked at Yang Sixuan and said, "That old thing with the basket over there has followed me since I was young and served me for decades. Let him come in to see me off."

Yang Sixuan's brows furrowed slightly. When he had just arrived here, the old man had been waiting there with a basket; he had let the Guards drive him away, but he hadn't expected that this person hadn't gone far and was actually waiting there again at this moment.

Yang Sixuan gestured to the few Guards over there, and those men cleared a space.

The old man then walked in, carrying the basket and limping; his hair was gray, and his eyes held hidden sorrow.

The old man walked to the front of Ge Rusong, set down the basket, knelt down, and cried out sorrowfully, "Master, your old servant is here."

After saying this, he couldn't help but shake his shoulders and weep.

Ge Rusong sat there, looked at the old man, and said, "Jing Chou! Get up! Don't be like a woman, blubbering away."

Seeing his master speak this way, the old man struggled to stand up and wiped the tears from his face.

"What did you bring? Hurry up and give me something to eat. I won't be able to eat in a moment!" Ge Rusong said, a faint smile actually hanging on his face.

The old man immediately took off the cotton cloth covering the basket and brought out a plate of braised beef, a roasted chicken, and a pot of wine from inside.

As soon as Ge Rusong saw the beef and roasted chicken, he immediately laughed, "You still know my temperament; you haven't followed me for decades in vain."

Ge Rusong ate several slices of beef in a row, tore off a chicken leg, took a few bites, and then washed it down with wine.

Ge Rusong burped with satisfaction, looked at Yang Sixuan, and laughed, "Brother Yang, this is what you call food!"

Yang Sixuan just sat there, silent with a calm expression.

Ge Rusong took one last deep look at Jing Chou; Jing Chou understood the meaning in that look instantly. He nodded silently.

Seeing that Jing Chou understood, Ge Rusong suddenly looked at the rolling clouds and mist outside the cliff, let out a long whistle, and said loudly, "Yang Sixuan, strike, don't be dawdling."

Yang Sixuan glanced at Ge Rusong's back, and in an instant, spatial ripples flickered faintly above his head.

Yang Sixuan's gaze tightened, and a ripple invisible to the naked eye pierced through Ge Rusong's temple.

With just that one strike, Ge Rusong's entire brain had been shaken to a pulp, and his skull even had several fine cracks, though they were hidden under his hair and could not be seen.

Ge Rusong had just been whistling, and the next moment he suddenly went limp and collapsed to the ground. Throughout the entire process, Yang Sixuan remained seated there, not moving at all.

Ge Rusong was already a useless person; killing a useless person was as easy as blowing away dust for Yang Sixuan. That he was still willing to strike personally was merely based on his respect for Ge Rusong.

He knew that Ge Rusong had come from a poor background, just like himself, and that reaching this point had been truly difficult!

Many things in this world are nothing more than the success of the king and the defeat of the bandit!

When Jing Chou rushed over, Ge Rusong had already stopped breathing! He hugged Ge Rusong's corpse and could no longer suppress himself, immediately wailing loudly!

As soon as Jing Chou's crying started, several Guards immediately came over and pulled him to the side.

Jing Chou's face was covered in old tears as he struggled and shouted, "My Lord, please let this old servant collect my master's body! My Lord!"

Yang Sixuan knew that Ge Rusong was dead beyond any doubt; he looked at the Guard leader and ordered, "Confirm the body is fine, then let him collect it."

After Yang Sixuan finished speaking, he turned and left the platform.

The Guard leader immediately began to inspect Ge Rusong's corpse; he stripped off Ge Rusong's clothes and turned him over and over on the platform, naked.

Seeing his master dead and still being humiliated, Jing Chou could do nothing but swallow these things down.

The Guard leader finished his inspection, gestured with his hand, and led the group of Guards away from the platform.

Only then did Jing Chou rush over and dress Ge Rusong in his clothes again.

Jing Chou stumbled as he carried Ge Rusong's corpse on his back and limped away along the mountain path.

Walking to a place where there was no one, Jing Chou muttered, "Master, rest easy. This old servant will definitely avenge you."

Late last night, he had already received Ge Rusong's secret order before his death.

As for that person named Duan Rong, Jing Chou had no idea who he was, but it did not matter; he would find out clearly soon enough.

Yunfu Peak, inside the Cultivation Secret Chamber behind the Main Hall on the first floor.

Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan were each sitting in a corner of the Secret Chamber.

After four or five days of continuous cultivation, Ximen Kankan had already advanced to the Qi Refining Realm. At first, he had been somewhat excited, but then he thought about how Duan Rong had already achieved the Qi Cyclone Realm, a full major realm higher than him, and they had even entered the Sect together to become Registered Disciples.

Ximen Kankan watched Duan Rong diligently cultivating on the other side of the Secret Chamber, and the excitement that had just risen within him promptly fell away.

Duan Rong suddenly opened his eyes, and seeing Ximen Kankan looking at him, he waved his hand and tossed a Black Jade Box from his side toward Ximen Kankan.

That Black Jade Box, like a falling leaf, landed lightly beside Ximen Kankan.

Ximen Kankan's expression shifted; he looked at Duan Rong and asked, "What is inside this?"

For the past few days, Duan Rong had been using the item in the box to cultivate, and Ximen Kankan had been very curious to know what was in the box, but Duan Rong had been sitting there cross-legged, motionless, and Ximen Kankan had felt embarrassed to disturb him.

For these past few days, Duan Rong had not even eaten a meal.

Duan Rong had already realized that after he achieved the Qi Cyclone Realm, his body had undergone certain changes.

Simply put, his body could now enter a state of complete Inedia.

This change was related to the formation of the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.

As the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown opened and closed freely, it could communicate with the surrounding Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, and at the same time, it connected the Qi mechanism within his body to the Heaven and Earth Qi pulses.

It was as if the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth were nourishing him. Compared to this, the nutrients in food contained too much filth and impurity.

These impurities, accumulated over long years, were actually detrimental to cultivation and acted as an obstacle.

After discovering this problem, Duan Rong had already decided not to eat anymore in the future.

The delicacies of the world were merely a matter of gluttonous desire; if they were to be an obstacle to his cultivation, Duan Rong would rather abstain!

Duan Rong did not eat or drink, sitting there for days on end, which made Ximen Kankan feel quite ashamed of his own inferiority.

At this moment, seeing Duan Rong suddenly throw a Black Jade Box over, he immediately seized the opportunity to speak with Duan Rong.

A flash of fatigue crossed Duan Rong's face as he said, "Inside is the flesh and blood of an Origin Beast."

"The flesh and blood of an Origin Beast?" Upon hearing this, Ximen Kankan glanced at the small stone door not far away and said, "Is it the stuff in that Black Jade Pool?"

Duan Rong nodded and said, "Correct!"

Ximen Kankan recalled the Black Jade Pool he had seen at the beginning, which was emitting cold air, and the things inside that were frozen like ice sculptures; at the time, he had asked Duan Rong what was in there, and Duan Rong had told him they were Origin Beasts hunted from the Dark Forest.

Duan Rong said, "The flesh and blood of an Origin Beast contains pure Origin Qi that has been refined by the Origin Beast. For a cultivator, it is easier to absorb and condense than the Origin Qi in the space of Heaven and Earth."

"Oh, I see!" Ximen Kankan wore a look of vague understanding.

In truth, although he had not experienced these things, he would have known them if he had just read more materials in the Scripture Repository. But Ximen Kankan happened to be the type who least liked reading those dry and tedious materials.

Therefore, what Duan Rong told him was still the first time he had heard of it.

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he continued to sit cross-legged and sank back into his own cultivation.

Ximen Kankan looked at the Black Jade Box beside him and touched it lightly; it felt ice-cold to the touch, as if he were touching a block of ice. He gathered his Qi to open the Black Jade Box, and as the box opened, wisps of cold air visible to the naked eye actually rose curling above the mouth of the box...

Ximen Kankan was very close and could not help but shiver; he saw that inside the Black Jade Box lay five block-like objects, none of them large. Each piece was wrapped in a layer of ice.

Ximen Kankan pinched one piece and swallowed it; before long, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"The Origin Qi contained within this thing is indeed pure..."

For the next few days, both of them cultivated in the Secret Chamber. Seemingly influenced by Duan Rong, Ximen Kankan actually sat still for several days without a single complaint.

Duan Rong had actually been keeping an eye on Ximen Kankan's state the whole time.

The more than half a year in the Tower Forest had truly not been wasted; Kankan's temperament had clearly improved significantly.

Duan Rong had previously felt that the rules of the Tower Forest were a bit too iron-fisted and ruthless. If one did not achieve the True Qi Realm Great Perfection, one would never be allowed to leave the Tower Forest for all eternity.

But after seeing the changes in Ximen Kankan, his view on this Sect Iron Law had changed slightly.

This Sect Iron Law was indeed inhumane; it used life and death to squeeze out the last bit of a person's potential.

Duan Rong believed that under the high pressure of this Sect Iron Law, many people who originally could not break through would ultimately be able to survive death and succeed in breaking through!

But the price was that those who could not break through would become bones.

Moreover, after the tempering of the Tower Forest, the temperament of many Inner Sect Disciples would change, making them into usable talents.

With the three years of training for Outer Sect Disciples, plus the training in the Tower Forest, although the Sect was iron-fisted, it was indeed cultivating people.

Within the Tower Forest, cultivation resources were absolutely abundant.

At this moment, Duan Rong could vaguely understand why the rule that one could never leave the Tower Forest without achieving the True Qi Realm Great Perfection had become a Sect Iron Law.

This was to ensure the strength of the Sect's fresh blood!

Although he understood the profound meaning of this Sect Iron Law for the longevity of the Sect, Duan Rong still could not accept Xiao Yu being trapped in the tower and turning into white bones.

The Sect is the Sect, and his wife is his wife!

Even for the sake of righteousness, one cannot use one's own wife as cannon fodder!

"Unless Xiao Yu can complete a transformation under the high pressure and eventually break through..."

This thought flashed through Duan Rong's mind.

Xiao Yu certainly had the possibility of eventually breaking through, but she also had the possibility of being unable to bear the burden!

He had to prepare two plans.

"Women are truly troublesome..."

As Duan Rong cultivated, his mind could not help but become as tangled as a ball of hemp.

In his early years, he had indeed wanted to get married to fulfill the regret of not having a family in his previous life. But now, he only wanted to be alone and focus entirely on profound cultivation.

Especially after achieving the Qi Cyclone Realm and witnessing the battles of those great experts, this desire had become increasingly strong.

But he had already formed a deep bond with Xiao Yu. This bond was something he could not ignore.

Therefore, if Xiao Yu could not hold on, he would spare no cost to save her from the Tower Forest!

Over these past few days, Duan Rong had thought of several preliminary plans to rescue Xiao Yu, but they were all eventually overturned by him.

Within the dense forest surrounding the Tower Forest, four cultivators of the Qi Cyclone Realm were standing guard. The Inner History Department had rough records on file for all four of these individuals.

One of them was at the Qi Cyclone Realm Second Layer, while the remaining three were at the Qi Cyclone Realm First Layer.

With such defensive strength, given Duan Rong's current cultivation base and without any help, if he were to force his way in, let alone bringing someone out, he would likely struggle to even enter the Tower Forest.

Just at this moment, the wall behind Duan Rong suddenly trembled and sank like a mud pit, and then a figure walked out from within it.

The person who arrived was none other than Zhu He.

Zhu He walked silently to a position in front of Duan Rong and suddenly gave a light cough.

This light cough rang out abruptly in the quiet Secret Chamber, giving Duan Rong a start.

He opened his eyes and saw Zhu He standing not far from him, holding a Porcelain Bottle.

Ximen Kankan also heard the commotion and opened his eyes, immediately seeing an old man wearing a worn-out Daoist robe standing beside Duan Rong.

Ximen Kankan looked at the stone door of the Cultivation Secret Chamber in surprise; the opening of that heavy stone door would make a sound. He was very certain that the stone door had absolutely not moved just now.

Then where did this old man come in from?

Just as Ximen Kankan was wondering, he saw the old man glance at him and ask Duan Rong, "Who is that silly boy over there?"

Duan Rong said, "He is a silly boy from my hometown."

Zhu He let out an "oh" and then ignored Ximen Kankan.

After that, Ximen Kankan only saw the mouths of Zhu He and Duan Rong opening and closing; the two were clearly conversing, but he could not hear a single word of what they were saying.

In that instant, it was as if he had become deaf.

Ximen Kankan dug at his ears, a look of having seen a ghost appearing on his face...

(End of this chapter)