Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty-Two: Huzhao Sect

Several potted emerald bamboo plants surrounded the area, dotted with rare flowers, clearly meticulously maintained; Chen Hang sat at the main seat, cup of clear tea in hand, gazing around.

The three-story pavilion had been cleaned spotless, not a speck of dust.

Though the interior held no gold or jade ornaments, a few ink paintings of verdant bamboo lent it elegance and charm.

The white foxes dared not whimper anymore; each shrank back outside the main building, only their eyes peeking out to study Chen Hang—when he looked their way, they scrambled away on all fours in panic, terrified that a moment’s delay would mean being slain outright and turned into a fur cloak.

“Your kin are quite lively.”

Chen Hang looked to Tu Shan Ge, seated below him—the yellow-robed youth slumped helplessly in a blackwood armchair, as if half-dead.

“Is that so? Before I met you, I was just as lively…”

Tu Shan Ge’s face was grim.

“Master, you’re too cruel! The magical contract you just had me sign was nearly as bad as a death deed—no, worse than a death deed. I’m now bound fast to your vessel.”

“Fortune and misfortune are unpredictable—who knows, after I attain the Dao, you might rise with me like dogs and chickens.”

Chen Hang offered a casual reassurance.

“True!”

Hearing this, Tu Shan Ge perked up suddenly, straightening:

“Forgive me for not asking—what sect are you from, Master? The Eight Great Sects of the Xuan Gate are too lofty to hope for; the Six Demon Sects as well—I’ll skip those…”

“I see Master’s killing intent is decisive, and you’re from the southern region of Dongmi Province—could you be from the Evil Feast Mountain of the Demon Path? Or the Flower God Mansion, or the Human Temple? All are great sects, ranking just below the Eight and Six, immensely powerful second-tier schools! They have True Persons who’ve achieved Primordial Spirit and returned to emptiness, capable of dominating a hundred thousand li of land and rivers!”

“I am a righteous cultivator,” Chen Hang shook his head.

“...Right! Right! How could I forget—righteous cultivators have no shortage of killers either, each with a cold, ironclad Dao heart, especially sword cultivators—all inhuman, as if their minds were mad!”

Tu Shan Ge, still clinging to hope, asked again:

“Then is Master from Luofu Sect, Divine Fire Cliff, Pure Yang Sword Sect, or Five Light Sect?”

Unconsciously,

Tu Shan Ge lowered his expectations another notch.

“Master, you killed a Qi Condensation cultivator while still in the Breath Containment stage—surely you come from an illustrious background?”

“I currently study at the Xuanzhen Sect on Xiao Ganshan,” Chen Hang replied coolly.

“What?”

“The Xiao Ganshan near Lanliang City—that’s where the Xuanzhen Sect’s mountain gate lies. You should know it.”

“Yes, yes… I know—it’s that sect whose Sect Master is only at the Cave Mystery realm, right…”

Tu Shan Ge’s vision darkened; he nearly collapsed, yet mustered strength to ask one final question:

“Forget the sect—what about your family? Surely… surely you’re from an immortal clan?”

Beneath the Eight Great Sects of Xudou’s Xuan Gate and the Six Demon Sects,

there were Twelve Immortal Clans, their roots deep, their powers vast—true noble houses of the immortal path, golden and exalted.

But if one came from one of the Twelve Clans, even the most despised bastard son would never sink to studying at the Xuanzhen Sect, a decaying house with nothing but Cave Mystery Lianshi.

Tu Shan Ge had lowered his hopes to an ordinary immortal family, yet even then, his heart pounded.

“My family is the Chen Clan of Rong State,” Chen Hang smiled.

“Damn it!”

Tu Shan Ge cried inwardly, slapped his hand, and toppled backward.

The path of cultivation: Law, Companion, Land, Wealth.

This man lacks all of them.

No family background, no prestigious sect—how can he cultivate? By sacrificing his life?

No resources, no superior scriptures, no mentors or kin to support him, no blessed lands or cavern heavens.

Among the countless thousands of lone cultivators across the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, only one Yan Xi True Person emerged—what of his contemporaries?

Either died mid-path or long ago perished, reduced to withered bones in graves!

He recalled that perhaps even elders of the Rong State Chen Clan had once burned incense for him…

At this thought, Tu Shan Ge felt the world’s cruelty even more keenly, life utterly meaningless.

“Enough.”

Chen Hang paid it no mind: “You’ve been a mountain spirit for some time—may I see your private hoard?”

“Master, you’re too polite—under these circumstances, isn’t mine yours?”

Tu Shan Ge choked on his words.

This man could have simply seized it outright, yet still added “may I”—so excessively courteous…

At Tu Shan Ge’s command, the white foxes outside the main pavilion sprang into action, hauling in pile after pile of items until the reception hall was packed.

Bound by the magical contract, Tu Shan Ge’s thoughts were laid bare—Chen Hang had no fear of concealment.

Soon, after flipping through the items and with Tu Shan Ge’s explanations, Chen Hang quickly found what he sought.

“Dao techniques—this is it. A true stroke of fortune.”

Chen Hang held three bamboo scrolls in his hands, his face lighting up with delight.

The mundane gold, silver, and scholar’s ink paintings need not be mentioned.

Aside from a few talisman coins, among these items he had actually found three Dao techniques—truly delightful.

In the Xuanzhen Sect, Dao techniques were not freely taught.

Either one learned from a mentor…

Or one earned great merit for the sect, recorded by the Merit Hall, then exchanged for techniques at the Elder’s chamber.

…

“Three Dao techniques: Qi Armor Technique, Blood Armor Technique, and Extreme Light Great Escape.”

“Qi Armor and Blood Armor are both low-grade techniques, both defensive—redundant in function; mastering one suffices. But I have a True Dharma Realm at hand, with ample time—I can cultivate both. As for Extreme Light Great Escape…”

Chen Hang mused:

“Extreme Light Great Escape is a flight technique, high-grade—superior to the other two. Though I gained no offensive methods, it’s still excellent.”

“Master, these three Dao techniques were left by the former owner. After she died in battle, we, her spirit pets, lost our patron and were expelled from the Chiming Sect… I was lucky enough to reach Yang Mountain safely and survive, but the others fared worse—many were ambushed and killed by her enemies on the way, their souls even taken to light sky lanterns—truly pitiful.”

Seeing the Dao techniques in Chen Hang’s hands, Tu Shan Ge paused, sighing: “When the former owner was alive, she always dreamed of entering the Nine Emperors’ Eternal Yang Golden Palace Cavern Heaven to cultivate—but even until death, she never achieved it… alas…”

“So that’s why you’ve always called this place ‘Nine Emperors’ Eternal Yang Golden Palace Cavern Heaven’?”

“Forgive my foolishness—but only after my former owner died did I realize how good the Chiming Sect was, how hard life truly is. Raising this entire clan of elders and younglings has been agonizing.”

Tu Shan Ge sighed and said:

“Here, I nearly got killed by the Yang Mountain Daoist. But when I served under my former owner, even the servants who brought us food and water were stronger than he was. Such is the world…”

At this, Tu Shan Ge suddenly snapped awake, as if remembering something.

“Master! I nearly forgot—these other two Dao techniques are nothing, but ‘Extreme Light Great Escape’ has a secret!”

“What secret?” Chen Hang frowned.

“Extreme Light Great Escape was taken by my former owner after she slew a disciple of the Huzhao Sect—it’s hard to cultivate, and must never be shown to others!”

“You fear the Huzhao Sect will find out and bring disaster?” Chen Hang asked.

“Exactly! The Huzhao Sect is one of the Six Demon Sects—their methods…”

At this, Tu Shan Ge shuddered violently, as if recalling something utterly horrific, his body freezing.

“In short, Master, you must be extremely cautious!”

After a long silence, he smiled bitterly and repeated:

“Extremely cautious!”

…

…

At the same moment.

In a small village outside Lanliang City, Xiao Yu walked out of a thatched hut, holding a bloodstained pair of scissors, expressionless.

Thick bloodstink drifted from behind her—the body of a short, fat farmer lay on the bed, his eyes bulging like a dead fish’s, his belly slit open, revealing dark red organs—he was certainly dead.

“You were kind—you gave me food.”

Xiao Yu turned back with regret:

“But why did you sneak a look at my calf? You’re just like that old pig-dog of Yang Mountain—just a hair’s breadth away, I could’ve spared you…”

Yesterday, wandering aimlessly, she met a farmer.

This widowed middle-aged man pitied her, gave her a bowl of wheat rice, and let her rest in a side room—but that one casual glance angered Xiao Yu.

So the farmer died.

While asleep, he was suddenly stabbed open by Xiao Yu with scissors, screaming himself to death.

“I am the lotus girl, my heart unspoken, tears falling like rain…”

Xiao Yu hummed a tuneless, off-key song, turning forward—she seemed drunk, swaying as she walked.

Today felt different.

All doors around were tightly shut; no one came to watch her performance. Thick white mist had risen, dense as rice gruel.

Silent.

As if the entire world held only her…

“Terrible—sounds like a dog barking.”

Suddenly, someone sneered.

Xiao Yu glared at the village well—there stood an elderly man with long eyebrows and drooping cheeks, arms crossed, eyes scanning her like a dead fish.

"Old bastard, who are you?"

Xiao Yu spat: "I'll peel off your flesh slice by slice and fry it in oil!"

"I am Yin Gonghao, currently an Elder of the Hu Zhao Sect."

The old man coldly barked:

"You vile beast, your heart is cruel and devoid of humanity. Today, I have come here specifically to slay demons and exterminate evil, upholding the true path!"