Chapter 444

Li Xuanfeng was all alone, clad in armor and robes, his feet treading upon a golden flying shuttle as he stealthily darted forward at high speed amidst the pitch-black, surging waves.

Taking advantage of the storms rising across the sea, he found an excuse to silently leave the Fenkuaidao market. He rode the wind through thunder and torrential rain, heading east all the way, utilizing the water veins to travel a thousand miles until he reached the Zhu Zhu Lu Hai.

Even though the East Sea was fickle and its climate temperamental, such a massive thunderstorm was rare. The night was heavy, shrouded in boundless, oppressive dark clouds, and the Zhu Zhu Lu Hai had turned a deep green bordering on ink-black; looking out, there was only endless, pitch-black darkness.

The golden light on Li Xuanfeng's flying shuttle converged, and he rode the wind forward silently. The torrential rain struck his black-gold spirit armor, only to be shattered by the magic light and transformed into a pervasive mist of water.

Jindao Island appeared in the distance on the horizon. Li Xuanfeng silently docked, retreated from the formation, and took that jade box out from his storage bag.

Although he was confident that this monk would take the bait, Li Xuanfeng would not act recklessly. He first estimated a distance of a hundred miles, took the statue out of the jade box in advance, and very casually brushed past the edge a hundred miles from Jindao Island. After strolling around, he flipped his hand to store it back in the jade box and found an island to land on, waiting to see what reaction Jindao Island would have.

……

Jindao Island.

Situ Mo had been ambushed by the Li family in league with Kong Tingyun and had suffered a great loss. But now, after cultivating on the island for several years, he came out of seclusion to find that the situation did not seem as bad as he had imagined.

For one thing, he was fortunate to have been cautious, placing Kong Tingyun in the position of a proper opponent, which not only saved his life but also left him with only minor injuries. That day, upon returning to the island, he felt lucky again and again.

For another, it was that this Mutuo had fallen into his hands.

He had thought that with Mutuo dead, he had lost a major asset. Unexpectedly, having only been on the island for half a year, one of the women Mutuo had favored had actually given birth to an heir. Upon coming out of seclusion, he discovered something was wrong and quickly had someone bring the child over.

Sure enough, the half-year-old child in front of him could already walk on the ground, looking at him with a wrinkled, ugly face; it was clearly Mutuo himself.

Situ Mo was very curious and simply asked:

"Why didn't you return to the North! With your reincarnated body, even if you start cultivating from scratch, it will take at least several decades to return to being a Dharma Master, right?"

Mutuo rolled his eyes, appearing very irritable, and said bluntly:

"Can the North be as safe as your Jindao Island?"

He asked carefully and only then learned that the Wrathful Orthodoxy in the North had long since descended into chaos. He didn't know how many of his senior and junior brothers were lying in wait for his various backups in the North—statues, heirs, or spare physical bodies—just waiting for him to reincarnate back.

Mutuo had a change of heart and actually returned to Jindao Island. Only then did Situ Mo understand that when Mutuo first came to Jindao Island, sleeping with women day and night was actually to leave behind a backup plan.

"After all, being able to cultivate into a Dharma Master... there are still means of preserving one's life."

With Mutuo in his hands, Situ Mo immediately felt much more relaxed, to the point of being somewhat overjoyed:

"Mutuo has capsized in the gutter this time and has to rely on me. From now on, it won't be a matter of games and compromises; this guy will have to be used by me for the next few decades, acting as my lackey."

This Mutuo was not good at fighting, but his life-preserving techniques and calculations were outstanding. With the weakened Mutuo in his hands, he could almost avoid most risks.

He immediately built a small temple for him, raised him comfortably to fatten him up for calculations. Only two years had passed, and he had initially treated his injuries when he received another piece of good news:

"Kong Tingyun has finally been transferred back!"

Situ Mo felt much more relaxed now. He was very cautious; although Kong Tingyun generally wouldn't use such a stupid scheme again, he still guarded the island strictly and would not go out until he had finished healing.

Regardless of how Mutuo and the guest ministers tried to persuade him, even when news came from the sect that Kong Tingyun had been seen at other strongholds, he insisted on not leaving the island.

Situ Mo was not stupid. The enmity between the Li family and himself was already out in the open. Even without Kong Tingyun, wouldn't it be easy for the Li family's influence to hire a few Foundation Establishment cultivators? Combined with those three from the Li family, if he were injured and ambushed, he would be in big trouble!

Situ Mo himself also hated the Tangjin Sect, and by extension, he hated this world. He loathed the Tangjin Sect for using the Ji family to harvest blood energy and then discarding them at will. To draw a clear line, he was even unwilling to use blood energy to heal and cultivate, taking his serious injuries even more seriously.

He had just come out of seclusion and pondered for a while, when unexpectedly, Mutuo rushed up again and said urgently:

"Situ Mo!"

Over the years, Mutuo had used blood energy to at least restore his appearance to its original state. Situ Mo felt disgusted just looking at him, but he had to suppress his temper and said in a deep voice:

"What is it again! If you want blood energy, go buy it at the market yourself! Don't set your sights on the people on my island!"

Mutuo said excitedly:

"There is a precious artifact!"

After the red-faced monk hurriedly finished speaking, Situ Mo listened patiently and frowned:

"What kind of damn precious artifact! It must be Kong Tingyun's handiwork, trying to lure you and me out!"

Mutuo opened his mouth to call him a turtle's grandson, but suddenly remembered that he had saved his life last time because of his caution, so he could only say sullenly:

"So what? Kong Tingyun has long since returned to the Yue State! Moreover, it's only a mere hundred miles away; what's the use of setting an ambush there? If a fight breaks out, as long as one releases a beam of magic light into the sky, the island can see it at a glance. How could there be an ambush like that?"

Situ Mo frowned, looking at the monk with a headache:

"What can this precious artifact do?"

There was no one else here, so Mutuo simply said bluntly:

"It has great uses. My Wrathful Orthodoxy has some methods that can still utilize certain special precious artifacts to control others from afar and declare their sins. The effect is very good!"

Mutuo said:

"This transformation is not an illusion. If one is hit by the technique, they truly and genuinely turn into a deer, as if born that way."

Situ Mo was horrified, staring at him deeply, feeling chilled in his heart. Seeing that he spoke with certainty and finding nothing wrong, he was silent for a while, then suddenly said:

"What is the difference between eating people and eating deer."

"All living beings are equal, there is no difference."

"So eating deer is eating people, which is a boundless sin... neither should be eaten... I..."

Situ Mo really couldn't hold it in, interrupted and cursed:

Mutuo shook his head and said:

"Me? When I cultivate the Dao, these people and deer will help me cultivate, and all can ascend to the Ultimate Bliss, which is a great blessing."

Situ Mo suppressed his temper, glanced at him, and said in a deep voice:

"Stop talking nonsense. I can't listen to this. I will first send someone to that direction to take a look for you. Don't be reckless."

The text is purely fictional, please do not apply it to reality^

(End of chapter)