Chapter 770: To Achieve Great Things, Do Not Bind Oneself to Trivial Details

Having received the supreme technique and taken the spiritual treasure.

Shen Yi rose and left the Taoist temple.

Both tacitly agreed not to be bound by those formal master-disciple rites; as long as appearances were maintained, that was enough.

For a Jin Xian with infinite lifespan, unless encountering a great calamity or some special circumstance, the passage of time holds no meaning for them.

Even if Lingxuzi truly looked down on Master Yun Miao and wished to select a new disciple to inherit his legacy, he would rather find a young child anew and cultivate them from the Qi Refining stage than try to win over a Luo Immortal who had experienced countless things through so-called master-disciple gratitude; the latter was far less reliable.

Therefore, Shen Yi need no longer perform any so-called filial piety; he only needed to fulfill the few duties required to weather the calamity.

"..."

He glanced at the Wuwei Sword at his waist; in truth, this suited his own wishes perfectly.

After all, even for a master, when the day comes that the great sect's identity no longer needs to be used as a shield, if one must be cut down, they will be cut down.

After rushing to Beizhou and witnessing these changes with his own eyes, Shen Yi had long seen clearly that he and these great sects could never be on the same path.

No, they are immortals sitting high above; they cannot even be counted as people.

Mortals all seek immortals and the Dao, searching for eternal life, yet it is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

But when he truly arrived before this threshold, Shen Yi suddenly realized that compared to becoming an immortal, being a person was even harder, yet he still wanted to try his best.

Shen Yi casually sheathed the Wuwei Sword into his signet ring, then stepped with one foot into the realm of Grand Void.

The white robes brighter than snow and the sword drawn while leading a horse that he once dreamed of were because wherever he went, people called him "Demon and Monster, My Lord Shen"; what he liked was that indelible chivalrous spirit, not these pretentious shells.

Returning once more to Tashan.

All the disciples responsible for relief work stopped their actions and looked at the figure before them.

Clearly, the scene of their own founding ancestor personally arriving at Kaiyuan Prefecture to punish Master Youyao had already left these disciples of the Lingxu Cave staring in shock.

If before it was out of fear of Taixu Zhenjun that they obeyed the decrees transmitted by the other party, now the disciples had all put on expressions of reverence.

This Zhenjun was now, in truth, their junior uncle.

Naturally, his actions represented the entire Lingxu Cave... Originally, even this small patch of the Tashan dojo needed the charity of other elders in the sect; now, their own branch actually had the foundation to wrestle with the Qingguang Cave!

"We pay our respects to Junior Uncle Taixu!"

"..."

Shen Yi lightly nodded his chin and sat down at the mountain peak.

He closed his eyes; in his mind were two Taoist canons.

One of them was a technique to accompany the Wuwei Sword, transmitted from the lineage of the Shangqing Sect Leader, called the Pure Heart Realm; if he could master it, it would completely fill the last gap in his arsenal of techniques.

But Shen Yi's thoughts were entirely on the other scripture.

【Second Grade: Jade Emperor's Sacred Edict: Not Entered】

This object was the final stepping stone on this path of immortality.

Under the infusion of Demon Lifespan, Shen Yi gradually grasped it.

The Great Dao is fifty, with one escaping.

And this escaping one gave rise to all methods in the world; there were those of great power who, by pulling vines and seeking roots, finally saw a mere tip of this "one" iceberg.

Whether it was the Three Pure Ones and Five Emperors, or the Nine True Buddhas, the supreme techniques they deduced were all to observe this iceberg from different angles.

Then they sought a way to send themselves inside.

Shen Yi looked up and saw thousands of threads quietly emerging in the empty sky; moments later, two nearly imperceptible threads among them suddenly flickered, their faint glow seemingly representing the path he had once walked, stretching all the way to that invisible end.

At the same time, the Dao Fruit and the Fruit of Position within his body suddenly trembled violently, with an urge to burst out of his body.

Even though they were formed from calamity power, these two were ultimately lifeless things.

It was not them that were moved... but himself.

Shen Yi, expressionless, bit his lip with force until it drew blood, only then suppressing the slight trembling throughout his body.

This was the terrifying nature of the Great Dao's temptation!

How distant was the glow lit by two paths; in the process of sending oneself inside, a single mistake would result in the total destruction of the Dao Fruit.

To avoid the risk, one must prepare enough calamity power in advance.

And his Dao Fruit and Fruit of Position had long merged into one, inseparable; to send them inside, he would need to prepare double the amount... a full two hundred thousand calamities!

"Hah."

Shen Yi took out the Wuwei Sword, flicked it with a finger against the blade, wishing he could extract the calamity power trapped inside this thing.

Unfortunately, he could only think about it.

He sighed lightly; it was not yet time to gamble his life; if he failed to prove the Dao, then he would truly have to do as the Human Emperor said and hide away in a deep mountain forest.

Even if he were lucky enough to survive safely until the day he regained his cultivation, by the time he emerged from the mountains again, the world would have changed, and people and things would be different.

Shen Yi decisively shifted his thoughts to the Pure Realm and the Wuwei Sword.

As long as he held Kaiyuan Prefecture, Demon Lifespan and calamity power could always be gathered.

"Tsk."

The Southern Emperor and Shenxu Laozu exchanged a glance within the Wan Yao Dian, yet none dared to speak up to remind them.

Even in this situation surrounded by enemies, pursued by the Pure World Bodhisattva, and having witnessed part of the Great Dao, if it were any other cultivator, they would have already lost their temper; for instance, asking their masters to let them leave the Wan Yao Dian and stir up some trouble within this Kaiyuan Prefecture.

This vast prefecture had rested and nurtured for quite some time; with a slightly ruthless strike, thirty or fifty thousand calamities could surely be squeezed out.

After doing so, one could use the excuse of disregarding small details to achieve great righteousness to soothe one's Dao heart.

But their master had not even thought in that direction at all.

Qingguang Mountain.

Numerous disciples lined up at the temple entrance, eyes on their noses, noses on their hearts, not daring to even breathe heavily.

Even the more bold ones only dared to steal a glance inside the temple with their peripheral vision; although high walls blocked the view and nothing could be seen, everyone could imagine how furious the master was in his heart right now.

In just a mere two days.

The eldest senior sister, whom the entire Qingguang Cave lineage took pride in, first prepared to attack a nobody from Nananzhou, attempting to seize the position of the Sanxian Sect's foremost disciple through such a speculative and opportunistic means.

Yet she ended up failing.

This matter was already shameful enough; fortunately, her past reputation held her up. For a short while, fellow disciples from Beizhou still harbored various speculations. If she had simply ceased her efforts then, the damage could have been minimized.

But under these circumstances, the senior sister actually chose to recklessly attack that Taixu Zhenjun, completely cementing the fact that she had suffered a defeat in the struggle for the Dao field.

Had she succeeded, it would have been one thing.

As the saying goes, the victor becomes king, the loser becomes a bandit.

That cultivator from Nananzhou had no support; the dead cannot speak. After some time passed, no one would care about such trivial matters anymore. At most, people might mock her behind her back, but it would not affect the grand scheme.

But Jiang Shijie Youyao failed again... and moreover, in full view of everyone, she received punishment from Junior Uncle Lingxu, bearing the reputation of being cold-blooded and ruthless toward her fellow disciples.

This old, undying thing was surprisingly tough on this matter; truly strange!

But no matter what excuse was found, Jiang Shijie Youyao kept making foolish moves, finally bringing this matter to a point of no return.

It was truly something one did not know what to say about.

"How could the eldest senior sister, such a decisive and clever person, let things come to this?"

"Sigh..."

Several disciples lowered their heads even further.

Elder Yu Chi stood silently at the very back. For some reason, for a cultivator from Beizhou, such shocking news, upon reaching her ears, did not feel strange to her at all; instead, she strangely felt it was exactly as it should be.

As a cultivator whose name could stand alongside the Bodhisattva who subdued the Dragon and the Tiger, since the Taixu Danhuang could stir up wind and clouds in Nananzhou, how could he allow himself to be bullied upon arriving in Beizhou?

The disciples outside the temple had various thoughts.

And within the deepest hall of the temple.

Youyao knelt on the ground in a daze, her gaze vacant, lacking even the will to suppress the hidden injuries within her body, her entire person seeming as if her soul had been lost.

"Stand up." Master Qingguang stared at the Three Pure Ones statues before him, his voice low.

"..." Youyao raised her head blankly; the precious crown atop her head tilted slightly, and the neatly combed black hair originally in place had slipped down.

"I told you to stand up!"

Master Qingguang suddenly turned around and slapped Youyao hard across the face with a heavy, urgent motion.

Youyao's entire body swayed and fell to the ground. Covering her face, seeing the surging anger in her master's eyes, she trembled involuntarily all over. Finally, she climbed up from the ground, awkwardly clenching her fists.

"I bestowed upon you a spiritual treasure, sent that deer demon to follow you, and made many plans for you, all to see you in this state of being neither human nor ghost?"

Master Qingguang quickly reined in his emotions and swept a cold glance over.

Youyao gradually came to her senses, bloodshot lines appearing in her eyes. With her emotions somewhat collapsing, she roared: "Master, that old thief Lingxu bullied me!"

"Silence." Master Qingguang frowned and lightly rebuked her.

Any disciple with ambition, regardless of what they thought in their heart, would never speak such words.

Within the Sanxian Sect, disrespect toward elders was the greatest taboo. If this were to spread, the resulting impact might be even more severe than this failure in the struggle for the Kaiyuan Prefecture.

This could only mean that Youyao had completely lost the will to compete and had started to give up entirely.

Thinking of this, Master Qingguang's cold and hard expression gradually softened somewhat.

The experiences of this eldest disciple were indeed too smooth. Not to mention that from childhood to adulthood, she had always left her fellow disciples far behind, but even after entering the tribulation, she quickly became one of the most famous.

Taking failure too seriously, while certainly making one go all out in every endeavor, also makes it easy to be crushed and unable to recover.

"Your junior uncle's matter, I will handle it myself."

Master Qingguang said indifferently: "As for you, what you should be thinking about now is this great tribulation."

He naturally knew what Lingxuzi was plotting; otherwise, he would not have reminded Youyao to hurry before she departed.

That old fellow was simply barefoot and unafraid of those wearing shoes. The Lingxu Cave's performance in the tribulation was already in this state; how much worse could it possibly get?

He could simply take in some random boy from the roadside, let him do as he pleased; even if he gained just a little bit more, it would still be a profit.

But the Qingguang Cave was different. Youyao had already stabilized the situation; suddenly encountering such a barefoot person, feeling at a loss was normal.

"Do not forget, no matter how you put it, he has only occupied the Kaiyuan Prefecture."

"But you still hold four prefectures under your command."

Upon hearing this, Youyao was stunned for a moment, her face bitter: "But my reputation is ruined; I am now ineligible for that position."

"Hold tight to the four prefectures in your hand. Reputation can be regained. Do not forget, you are currently responsible for investigating the chaos of the Puti Sect."

"Stop paying attention to that boy." Master Qingguang slowly turned around: "Once you become the Immortal Emperor, no matter how many Dao fields he occupies, in the end, he will still have to kneel and bow to you. What you truly need to pay attention to remains Li Shan and Qi Xian."

Youyao was awakened by her master's words.

Indeed! Those monks committed slaughter in Beizhou; this grievance is still pent up in the hearts of many fellow disciples, urgently needing an outlet.

Whoever can handle this matter well is the true person who can act as the master for the fellow disciples. As for the gains and losses regarding these Dao fields, they are merely small issues.

"Master, I suspect that Taixu Zhenjun is colluding with the Puti Sect!"

Youyao gradually recalled the previous events. At that time, her first suspicion was Shen Yi. Unfortunately, those monks suddenly appeared and killed several disciples of the Sanxian Sect, which diverted her attention.

Now, upon careful reflection, without the backing of the Sanxian Sect's foundation, how could that thief, relying solely on a worm demon, achieve the extreme of the Nine-Nine Transformations?

One must remember, Nananzhou is the territory of Mount Sumeru.

True Person Qingguang did not ask her for evidence this time. Instead, he glanced back slightly and said meaningfully: "If you investigate and clarify this matter, whether there is collusion or not, naturally you will see it most clearly. There is no need to explain the details to me."

"..."

Youyao fell silent for an instant, then her eyes lit up with brilliance.

She let out a long breath, straightened her precious crown, adjusted her appearance, then turned and respectfully bowed to her master before turning to walk out of the temple.

"Eldest Jiang Shijie."

The numerous disciples watched the eldest senior sister come out with wide eyes and hurriedly bowed in unison.

Just then, a figure rushing in panic and haste swooped down from the bottom of the long stairs.

"Jiang Shijie Youyao!"

True Person Master Yun Miao had grown more and more fluent in calling her senior sister; his mind was in such disarray that he failed to notice anything off about the atmosphere. The moment he landed he blurted out hastily: "That dao arena absolutely must not—"

Before he could finish, Youyao had already grabbed him by the collar with an expressionless face. She stared at him coldly: "Listen carefully. Back then I said I'd share a dao arena with you only if you worked for me. As for what to do and how to do it, I decide."

"Right now, all you need to do is focus on helping me investigate the Puti Sect scoundrels. Don't bring up other matters."

With that, Youyao pushed him aside without another word and strode down the mountain.

Master Yun Miao stood rooted to the spot in a daze, feeling the strange gazes from the crowd behind him. His face suddenly flushed crimson.

Although he knew there was still a gap in foundation between himself and this Youyao, this woman ought to give him some face. To use such a tone — the way one would address a menial servant — in front of everyone, she clearly didn't take him, the chief disciple of Spirit Void Grotto, seriously at all!

But as soon as he thought this far, True Person Master Yun Miao fell silent again.

Chief disciple of Spirit Void Grotto… Just look at how his master had returned from outside, too lazy to spare him even half a word. If things kept going in this direction, how many more days he could remain chief disciple was anyone's guess.

As the saying goes, to repel the outer threat one must first pacify within.

To accomplish great things, one must distinguish what matters most.

True Person Master Yun Miao clenched his teeth hard and looked toward the east. Killing intent slowly gathered in his eyes.

If not for that insect-demon disciple, how would he have had to endure such humiliation!

(End of chapter)