Chapter 420

Seven days brought a considerable upheaval across the Xijiang region.

Over a hundred Daoist monasteries and nearly a thousand cultivators were unified and reorganized within those seven days, their banners replaced.

Most of these people fell under the seven Zhai Leaders, except for Jingtu Monastery's abbot Xu Changshou, who had long feigned illness, and Pei Pei Buqi, who declared his withdrawal from Xijiang; the other five Zhai Leaders swiftly completed their unification, changed their banners, and pledged allegiance to Fanmen.

"We've fully boarded the ship."

On this day, Ling Du, Xiao Xiao Xiaole, Chang Chang Jinzhi, and Hua Hua Wuhuan—the four Zhai Leaders—gathered together.

Having gathered their scattered cultivators, completed the unification, and raised the banner of Fanmen, they had no path left to retreat.

"Life is full of rapids; I never imagined that after reaching the Zhai Leader realm and forming my inner elixir, I'd still be caught in such a great upheaval, powerless to resist." Chang Chang Jinzhi sighed.

For mortals, achieving the Great Work of Life means becoming like a celestial immortal.

Even among Daoist cultivators, they rank among the top experts.

In ancient times, such individuals were true masters of Dan cultivation.

Yet even these masters, immersed in the mortal world, face helplessness and impossible choices.

Unless one truly attains immortality, one remains susceptible to entrapment, weighed down by calamities that drain the body, and destined by fatal destiny.

"Blame ourselves for underestimating these two youths," Hua Hua Wuhuan said coldly.

"Who could have guessed that Zhang Wu, merely a negligible figure in North Zhang with no divine statue, possessed such deep scheming?"

"And that Zhao Zhao Jiexuan—so young, yet wielding such extraordinary abilities—it's simply inconceivable."

"Such skill and talent, yet utterly unknown—who could have anticipated them joining forces?" Xiao Xiao Xiaole couldn't help but say.

"Enough. This is already the best outcome."

Ling Du raised his hand. "Otherwise, Pei Pei Buqi would be our fate."

At these words, all fell silent.

That day, Pei Pei Buqi chose to abandon everything and leave Xijiang; yet that very night, he was found dead in his home, his Nascent Soul extinguished, his Golden Core stolen.

In these past days, his forces were entirely divided among others.

"Ling Du, who do you think did it?" Chang Chang Jinzhi whispered.

"Is it even a question?" Ling Du said grimly.

"Pei Pei Buqi may have had a flawed character, but he was a Zhai Leader. Ordinary experts couldn't even get close to him. I saw his corpse…"

Here, Ling Du paused briefly.

"White Bone Method."

"Jiangzhen Xiang Nantian!?" Chang Chang Jinzhi's brow shot up.

The White Bone Method involves visualizing the human skeleton, crafting within the Nascent Soul's inner landscape a statue of the White Bone Great Saint, using it to refine the Nascent Soul and cultivate the body, transforming all two hundred and eight bones into indestructible, translucent gold—thus completing the Great Work of Life and solidifying the Golden Core.

Since ancient times, entering this method has been extremely difficult, requiring endurance of suffering beyond human limits, refining bones and marrow as if descending into hell, demanding a hundredfold more effort than other methods; merely the medicinal herbs needed for monthly body soaks amount to thousands of kilograms.

Practicing this method requires at least thirty years of arduous cultivation to achieve results.

The time, energy, wealth, and agony involved are unimaginable to ordinary people, yet once perfected, its powers are immense, far surpassing those of peers at the same level.

Jiangzhen Xiang Nantian, abbot of Chixia Monastery, practices the White Bone Method.

His realm already towers above the rest, and with this supreme technique, his strength is beyond imagining.

"That doesn't make sense," Xiao Xiao Xiaole said. "If Jiangzhen Xiang Nantian truly did it, he wouldn't have left any trace."

"Can't you see?" Ling Du sighed.

"He did it on purpose."

"You mean…" Hua Hua Wuhuan's mind stirred.

"Kill a chicken to scare the monkeys," Ling Du said grimly.

"Pei Pei Buqi's mistake was failing to see the situation. Zhang Wu's depths are so great—he'd never let him leave Xijiang alive, or watch him board another's ship."

"The moment he chose to leave, death was inevitable."

Ling Du spoke softly but firmly.

"Jiangzhen Xiang Nantian could have erased all traces—but he didn't. He did it to make us see: anyone who dares harbor disloyalty will meet Pei Pei Buqi's fate."

Ling Du looked at them all. "You don't think Zhang Wu truly trusts us, do you?"

"Why did he visit Jiangzhen Xiang Nantian? First, to get him to take charge and ease tensions between us and him; second, to hang a sword over our heads."

Ling Du saw further and deeper than anyone else.

"How could someone like Jiangzhen Xiang Nantian be swayed by a mere child's words?" Chang Chang Jinzhi asked.

"That brings us to the young man named Zhao Zhao Jiexuan," Ling Du said gravely.

He was the key to this entire scheme—without Zhao Zhao Jiexuan, Zhang Wu's plans meant nothing.

"Jiangzhen Xiang Nantian's willingness to appear likely stems from this man," Ling Du speculated.

"How so?" Chang Chang Jinzhi asked.

Ling Du hesitated slightly before speaking: "Zhao Zhao Jiexuan is clearly a pseudonym… do you remember, when Zhang Wu signaled him to act, he called out another name?"

"I think I recall—he shouted… Zhang… Zhang what?" Xiao Xiao Xiaole tried to remember.

"He shouted, 'Act! Zhang Fan!'" Ling Du lowered his voice.

"That young man also bears the surname Zhang."

"Think about it—if they share the same surname, why hide their true identity?"

The others exchanged glances, puzzled.

"It means his Zhang is something that cannot be revealed."

Ling Du shifted tone: "Don't forget, Jiangzhen Xiang Nantian once received great favor from the Zhang family—but that Zhang was not North Zhang…"

At this point, all scattered clues snapped together like a stringed necklace.

"You mean… that Zhao Zhao Jiexuan is actually…"

"Southern Zhang bloodline!?"

Their faces turned pale—even Zhai Leader cultivators struggled to remain composed at those four words.

The Immortal Clan, split into North and South; over thirty years ago, a great catastrophe wiped out Southern Zhang overnight, and since then, it has become a taboo.

"No way—is Zhao Zhao Jiexuan a Southern Zhang descendant? But Zhang Wu is from North Zhang—how could they…" Xiao Xiao Xiaole frowned skeptically.

"Precisely because he's from North Zhang, denied divine statue status, destined never to rise—he's no ordinary man. His talent and ambition are far beyond ordinary bounds, just like the Three Corpses Daoist of old," Ling Du analyzed.

"No one else would dare ally with Southern Zhang's remnants—but he's the one most likely to."

"This boy has rebellious blood. He founded Fanmen to break from North Zhang and establish his own sect?"

Hua Hua Wuhuan's expression turned grave; only now did she realize she had once again underestimated this youth.

"Inconceivable—utterly inconceivable—is this boy's plan truly so long-term?" Xiao Xiao Xiaole blurted.

"If true, then we hold his fatal secret—report him to North Zhang, and we'd earn great merit…" Chang Chang Jinzhi's eyes gleamed with new ambition.

"Don't even think of it," Ling Du shook his head.

"Why not?"

"That boy's scheming runs too deep—he wouldn't leave such a flaw. This is likely a trap, baiting us to expose ourselves," Ling Du said gravely.

"If you betray him, Pei Pei Buqi is your fate."

At these words, their expressions darkened.

Zhai Leader status isn't invincible—death is still possible. Pei Pei Buqi was the proof.

Clearly, the death of this former ally had cast a heavy shadow of dread over them all.