Chapter 560: The Sect

The Weird Daoist's expression remained as indifferent as ever.

He looked at Mr. Zhuang, at this younger brother he had not seen in centuries; his pitch-black pupils revealed a flicker of wariness and solemnity, yet soon fell into stunned silence.

There was nothing here.

No setup, no lethal trap.

And this younger brother of his, his energy spent, his lamp nearly extinguished, was utterly unlike the arrogant, unruly prodigy he remembered.

A sudden surge of anger welled within the Weird Daoist, and his voice carried a chilling frost:

"Where is your Celestial Mechanism Calculation?"

"Where is your Immortal Yang Tianzhen Flow?"

"Where are your cultivation, skills, methods, and stratagems?"

Mr. Zhuang smiled bitterly, "At the end of the road, beyond redemption, why waste such effort…?"

Anger flared in the Weird Daoist's eyes.

"So you're just waiting here to die?"

Mr. Zhuang fell silent, then let out a soft sigh, "All beings are born, and all must die…"

"While alive, one believes man can conquer heaven; in death, one finally knows the futility of turning the tide…"

"I am no different, elder brother…"

In the Weird Daoist's pitch-black pupils surged a hatred born of disappointment, "Even if you must die, you could have waited longer—your Celestial Mechanism Calculation could not have found not a single thread of hope…"

"And what good would it do?" Mr. Zhuang countered.

The Weird Daoist froze.

Mr. Zhuang smiled, his tone heavy with profound exhaustion, his breath faint to the verge of extinction, "It's merely a matter of dying sooner or later…"

"The Dao numbers fifty; Heaven's evolution yields forty-nine…"

"I am the forty-ninth Master; the Dao's final number; the sect ends here, and my life ends here."

"No matter how you calculate, the outcome is the same."

"Celestial Mechanism Calculation reveals inevitable fate—it cannot be changed…"

The Weird Daoist's expression grew increasingly stern, then after a moment, all emotion faded, his face returning to cold indifference.

The Weird Daoist spoke softly:

"Very well. I shall grant you your wish."

The Weird Daoist's Bai Xi right hand clenched, and a simple, ancient longsword materialized in midair—its blade of weathered bronze, etched with intricate, obscure patterns, alternating between real and illusory.

"Xumi Sword…"

Mr. Zhuang murmured, a look of nostalgia crossing his face, alongside calm acceptance of death.

At that moment, the nearby array patterns trembled, the barrier shattered, and Bai Qingcheng appeared, having summoned the Jinxiu Shanhe Umbrella.

She saw Mr. Zhuang, his face as white as paper, hands bound, awaiting death.

She saw the Weird Daoist, his face filled with murderous intent, sword in hand.

Bai Qingcheng's heart jolted, "Elder Brother!"

The tip of the Weird Daoist's sword halted before Mr. Zhuang's chest; he turned his head, glanced at Bai Qingcheng, his expression cold and eerie, and said indifferently:

"Our master is dead. Our sect is gone."

"I am not your elder brother. You are no longer my younger sister…"

Bai Qingcheng's heart turned bitter, "Please, Elder Brother, spare him…"

The Weird Daoist's cold expression slowly faded; a mocking smile surfaced on his eerie face.

That smile was deeply unnatural—as if stitched together from the faces of many.

The Weird Daoist's voice grew discordant.

It sounded as if many voices were laughing together, speaking in unison.

"Spare him…"

"At this point, what use is sparing him?"

The Weird Daoist looked at Bai Qingcheng, his tone indifferent:

"If I don't kill him, how will I retrieve the Gui Xu Map?"

"If I don't extract the Gui Xu Map, how will your Bai family seize it? If you don't seize it, how will you find the Heaven Burial Site?"

"Before you came, didn't your Bai family elders tell you to 'stand aside'?"

"They didn't want you to interfere. They were glad to see this happen."

"They wanted me to kill my own younger brother!"

"And you?"

"You beg me to spare him—but what do you truly think?"

"Have you not been scheming against him all along?"

"You seek his inheritance of primordial array flow, you wish to steal the secrets of Gui Xu Heaven Burial, to earn merit for your Bai family, to pave the Immortal Path for your twin children with Celestial Spirit Roots."

"You call him elder brother—but have you ever truly seen him as such?"

Bai Qingcheng's face turned pale; she wanted to say, "No, it's not like that…" but the words stuck in her throat, and a deep shame rose within her.

The Weird Daoist glanced again at Mr. Zhuang, his gaze complex, and said softly:

"I've hunted you for centuries…"

"This sister of yours—you treated her like your own little sister—but she has schemed against you your entire life…"

"You took in many disciples, all prodigies of heaven—but in the end, all turned against you; not one stayed by your side…"

"The Dao Court wanted you dead—they stripped your Dao Bones."

"The Mo Sect wants to kill you and seize your Dao Map."

"And your master, whom you have always revered..."

A faint sneer appeared on the face of the Guǐ Dào Rén.

"How did your Qi Sea shatter?"

"And how did your Consciousness Sea dry up?"

"Who could have orchestrated a conspiracy so vast as to conceal the heavens, to scheme against you?"

"It was... Master..."

Bai Qingcheng's pupils contracted violently; her face showed utter disbelief—she had never heard of this before.

The Guǐ Dào Rén's gaze turned sharp as he looked at Mr. Zhuang and continued:

"Your master has been using you! From the very beginning, from the moment he took you in, it was all his calculation."

"Your master, adhering to the sect's ancestral decree, has spent his entire life searching for someone born with a Natural Dao Bone!"

"He searched his whole life—and finally found you."

"Do you know why?"

Mr. Zhuang's expression was indifferent.

The Guǐ Dào Rén sneered, speaking to himself: "Because a Natural Dao Bone is the key..."

"The secrets of the Gui Xu Tian Zang are hidden within a single drop of 'Heavenly Human Blood,' passed down since ancient times, tens of thousands of years ago."

"This drop of blood is indestructible, unerasable through countless calamities."

"Thus, it must contain the seed of Immortality."

"For tens of thousands of years, no one has been able to unravel its mysteries."

"But your master—he figured it out..."

The Guǐ Dào Rén looked solemn; his gaze trembled slightly.

"This drop of Heavenly Human Blood is indestructible and unbreakable, concealing profound secrets that cannot be comprehended—so it must be fused into a human's bloodline, hatched forth..."

"And only one worthy of fusing with this drop of Heavenly Human Blood is someone of unparalleled talent, born with a Natural Dao Bone..."

The Guǐ Dào Rén looked at Mr. Zhuang and said slowly: "That is you, younger brother..."

"Your master never regarded you as a disciple—not even as a 'person'..."

"In his eyes, you were merely a pawn in celestial calculations, a tool, an embryo meant to nurture the Heavenly Human Blood and unveil the Gui Xu Tian Zang..."

"Do you know how this ancestral blood is nurtured?"

"Yes, you know..."

The Guǐ Dào Rén's eyes held mockery: "Even if you didn't before, you should know now..."

"Your master imparted the sect's entire legacy to you, made you the supreme cultivation genius of your age—and once your cultivation reached its peak, he plotted to kill you!"

"First, he shattered your Qi Sea, draining your cultivation;"

"Then, he destroyed your Consciousness Sea, crippling your spiritual sense;"

"For ordinary cultivators, once the Qi Sea or Consciousness Sea is shattered, they die and their Dao ends—but you won't, because you have a Natural Dao Bone and carry the Heavenly Human Blood."

"When both your Qi Sea and Consciousness Sea were shattered, your Natural Dao Bone became your new Qi Sea and Consciousness Sea, sustaining your life."

"This was 'pulling up seedlings to help them grow'..."

"Forcing the Natural Dao Bone, deprived of its Qi Sea and Consciousness Sea, to rapidly absorb the Heavenly Human Blood, overgrowing it, accelerating the fusion of Dao Bone and Heavenly Blood."

"Once fusion is complete, the Heavenly Human Blood will be refined."

"And upon your Dao Bone, the hidden secrets of the Heavenly Human Blood will appear—the very map of the Gui Xu Tian Zang!"

"At that moment, you are killed..."

"Your Dao Bone is stripped away..."

"And you obtain this complete map, imbued with ancient destiny—the Gui Xu Tian Zang Map!"

Bai Qingcheng's face grew paler and paler.

She never imagined her once kind and gentle master harbored such deep, so... cruel a scheme...

Her master had taken in her senior brother, treated him like a son.

Yet his intent was the same as a tiger devouring its own cub.

And in her eyes, the peerless, heavenly-gifted Senior Brother Zhuang was merely a tool, exploited by the master...

The Guǐ Dào Rén looked at Mr. Zhuang, his tone somber yet tinged with mockery:

"You mastered celestial calculations—no one in your life ever outmaneuvered you. Yet from beginning to end, from birth to death, you were never free from being schemed against..."

"Those people revered you, feared you—but no one cared for you."

"Whether the Dao Court or the Mo Sect, everyone only wants you dead!"

"They only want to kill you, rip open your heart, break your Dao Bone, and see what destiny lies within you!"

Mr. Zhuang's face bore a touch of melancholy—but mostly, serenity.

"Yes..."

He glanced again at the Guǐ Dào Rén, as if trying to discern, in that sinister face, the faint shadow of his once gentle, kindly Senior Brother.

But he could not see it anymore...

He had gradually forgotten what his former Senior Brother had once been like.

Mr. Zhuang felt a pang of regret, and sighed softly.

The Guǐ Dào Rén looked at Mr. Zhuang, his eyes surging with unspeakable anger and disappointment!

After all he had said, Mr. Zhuang still wore that same detached, untroubled, serene acceptance of life and death.

On the Guǐ Dào Rén's face, grotesque human visages flickered chaotically, then merged into one, vanishing without a trace—his gaze turned cold and merciless.

The Deceiver raised the Sumeru Sword and pointed it at Mr. Zhuang.

"Senior Brother, stop!"

Bai Qingcheng cried out in shock.

She tried to rush forward, but the Deceiver reversed his hand and bound her with Deceiver Array Runes.

Bai Qingcheng's gaze hardened; she summoned the Brocade Shanhe Umbrella, and as it spun, radiant brocade light flowed—but these lights were each dissolved by the eerie array runes.

Without invoking Liu Yuhua's power, she could not break free.

Bai Qingcheng's heart turned bitter.

Whether in cultivation, spiritual sense, array techniques, or even spiritual algorithmic computation, she was no match for her former senior brother, now the Deceiver.

She could only watch helplessly.

Watch as the Deceiver's Sumeru Sword pierced Master Zhuang's chest, then split his heart meridian to extract a translucent, jade-like fragment—the "Innate Dao Bone" that had stabilized his withered spiritual sea and shattered qi sea.

Not a single drop of blood flowed.

All the blood had been shattered by the Sumeru Sword's aura.

The Dao Bone was crystal-clear.

It bore extraordinarily complex, vast, ancient, and profound patterns, naturally formed and fused with blood and bone.

This pattern resembled an array diagram.

It was none other than the Gui Xu Tian Zang Diagram, coveted by all cultivators and masters.

The instant the Innate Dao Bone was stripped, Mr. Zhuang's vitality began to wither.

His face grew paler, the light in his eyes dimmed, and his entire aura faded, becoming ethereal, nearly void…

Bai Qingcheng's heart ached.

The Deceiver stared at Mr. Zhuang, lost in thought.

He knew this moment would come eventually.

But he had never imagined it would truly happen…

He had killed his own junior brother with his own hands.

Mr. Zhuang's aura was already faint, yet he clung to one last breath, as if still holding onto something.

He did not care much for the Heavenly Blood, the Innate Dao Bone, or the Gui Xu Tian Zang Diagram…

"Senior Brother…"

Mr. Zhuang whispered softly, "For the sake of our brotherhood, don't harm… my few little disciples…"

The Deceiver's expression grew dazed, then cold; he was about to sneer in reply.

At that moment, several golden shackles suddenly appeared in the air.

These shackles bore vast, rugged Great Dao array runes; the moment they appeared, they formed a cage, as if intent on locking the Deceiver in place.

The Deceiver sneered, "Old fool, trying to profit from others' strife!"

He fixed his gaze and swallowed the Innate Dao Bone whole; then black-gray array runes spread over his body, consuming and dissolving his flesh from outside to inside…

And the Deceiver's figure gradually thinned, fading away…

A deep, ancient voice echoed through the void:

"Heavenly Mechanism Deceiver Escape… You think you can run?"

Golden light intensified; chains piled upon chains.

But they could not stop the Deceiver's escape technique.

His body slowly dissolved, vanishing—yet before disappearing, he cast one final glance at Mr. Zhuang.

That gaze was extraordinarily complex, filled with pain, and finally resolved.

Then the Deceiver vanished.

A cold snort echoed through the air; the golden light faded and disappeared, as if an unknown powerful figure had followed the Deceiver's trail to pursue him…

In the Hidden Array Pavilion, only Mr. Zhuang remained.

Without the Gui Xu Tian Zang Diagram, the dying Mr. Zhuang was no longer cared for by anyone…

No one cared whether he lived or died.

Bai Qingcheng stepped forward, lifted Mr. Zhuang—and felt his body lighter than willow fluff, thinner than paper; her heart trembled.

"Senior Brother…"

Mr. Zhuang slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Bai Qingcheng, smiled faintly, warmly—but said nothing.

He seemed to lack the strength to speak further.

Bai Qingcheng's expression tightened, "Senior Brother, you cannot die!"

After a long pause, Mr. Zhuang spoke; his voice was faint, exhausted:

"I've calculated my whole life—I'm tired. I want to sleep for a while…"

Bai Qingcheng's heart ached, "Senior Brother, you cannot die! Is there nothing left in this world you wish to do? No one you wish to see?"

Mr. Zhuang hesitated, then shook his head, murmuring:

"No one… There's no one left in this world I wish to see…"

Mr. Zhuang finished speaking and slowly closed his eyes; no matter how Bai Qingcheng called, he gave no response.

The last trace of color on his face vanished entirely.

The faintest spark of life, like springwater seeping into desert sand, slowly dried up…

Bai Qingcheng stared at Mr. Zhuang's face, utterly bewildered.

She had never imagined she would witness this.

To see her own senior brother die before her eyes.

That was Senior Brother Zhuang…

Such a prodigy of heaven, such unparalleled grace, such supreme arrogance.

No matter what happened, he always planned perfectly; no matter what mistake I made, he would forgive me; no matter what I wanted, he would find a way for me.

Senior Brother is right.

I, too, have been plotting against Senior Brother.

But…

She had always believed that no matter how much she schemed, Senior Brother would still be the same Senior Brother—the one who mastered the Art of Heavenly Mechanism, who held all things in perfect certainty.

Not like this—pale as death, utterly devoid of vitality…

"Senior Brother… is he going to die?"

A great terror spread through her entire body.

Bai Qingcheng trembled all over.

All men must die.

Yet she had lived for centuries, never realizing, never imagining, that one day the Senior Brother who treated her like a younger sister, who had always forgiven and cared for her, would… die?

She felt a tightness in her chest, her heart pierced by knives.

Two trails of tears silently rolled down.

Bai Qingcheng wiped her cheeks, staring at the tear on her fingertip, murmuring: "So… I can still cry…"

Die…

Bai Qingcheng suddenly jolted.

"No, he cannot die!"

"Senior Brother… he cannot die!"

Master is dead…

Senior Brother has fallen into demonic corruption…

If Senior Brother dies too, then everyone in this world who once cherished me… will be gone…

"Senior Brother cannot die!"

"But… how can I save him? What do I have to save him with?!"

The Qi sea is shattered, the mind sea is dried up, the Dao bones have been stripped away, vitality has scattered… under such conditions, no pill can help…

A suffocating pain filled Bai Qingcheng's heart; she gripped her chest, enduring the agony, her thoughts racing.

After a moment, a flash of insight struck her; she exclaimed:

"Sister Situ… the Qiankun Clear Light Vessel…"

Another chapter will come later, but it will be late.

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