From a Martial Arts Sect to an Immortal Cultivation Sect Chapter 104
“Utterly absurd, utterly foolish, utterly heinous!”
Inside the inn, Huang Shan, Yu Lin, and the other seven disciples of Clear Sky were having a meal in their room.
Hearing the impassioned voice from outside the window, Yu Lin and a female disciple instinctively stood and walked to the window to look down.
A temporary wooden platform had been built on the street below.
Upon it stood a scholar, holding an ancient book in his hand.
His face was flushed red, veins bulged at his neck, and his whole body trembled with agitation.
“Fourteen regions across the Nine Provinces—seven thousand years of history—countless wise rulers, countless foolish ones. Yet through the ages, no sovereign has ever been as vile as today’s emperor! He slew his brother to seize the throne, murdered his son in rage, and for the sake of the Elixir of Immortality, he indulged deceitful alchemists who bewitched the court, plunging the common folk into misery!”
The scholar’s voice grew louder and more fervent, drawing more and more townsfolk and merchants near.
“The massacre in Guzhou two years ago—how many commoners were butchered? How many soldiers died without even a body left behind? They call it the work of a so-called Demonic Cult, destroyed time and again, yet it always resurfaces. Do none of you find this strange?”
“That Demonic Cult is but Zhao Zhi’s blade! He uses it to capture children, refining them into pills! Such inhuman cruelty would make gods and men alike weep with rage! If we of the Great Li people do not rise up, calamity will soon fall upon us all—the Great Li realm itself is doomed!”
The scholar’s words carried infectious emotion, and the eyes of those listening turned red with fury.
“This realm belongs to the people, not to Zhao Zhi alone! He dared to kill even his virtuous Crown Prince and branded him a rebel! One day, when he steals our wives and sons, slaughters our parents—will he not brand us villains as well?”
At those words, the townsfolk could no longer contain themselves.
Cries of outrage rose, cursing the emperor’s sins.
At the inn’s second-floor window, Yu Lin turned to Huang Shan.
“Senior Brother, things are turning chaotic. Should we still continue our investigation?”
Huang Shan put down his bowl and chopsticks, thought briefly, and said, “Let’s return. We’ll wait for the Sect Master’s instructions. We mustn’t endanger Clear Sky Sect.”
The others nodded—they had long wished to go back.
Returning to the table, Yu Lin clicked his tongue.
“That old emperor truly is deranged—he even killed his own son, and that son was the Crown Prince! The rest of his princes are useless wastrels, caring only for pleasure. Even if the old emperor dies, this realm will know no peace.”
The others joined in.
“Indeed, the southern tribes are once again slaughtering our people, yet the emperor ignores it all, obsessed only with his elixirs. Truly a sign of the nation’s fall.”
“Let it fall, then! Born in Great Li, I’ve never known a day of peace.”
“If Great Li collapses, chaos will reign for a hundred years.”
“The Imperial Ancestor Emperor of Great Li was a man of boundless talent, sweeping across the Nine Provinces to found five centuries of prosperity—and yet he sired such a wicked son.”
“Had the Crown Prince not been slain by the current emperor, Great Li would surely have flourished even more.”
Huang Shan remained silent, worry filling his heart.
Even in such a small town, public resentment burned fiercely.
What then of the great cities? What chaos awaited the realm?
——
At the Qianwu Hall, sunlight poured across its great gates.
Xuan Gong stood upon the steps with the Forbidden Martial Guards.
All wore masks that hid their expressions, showing only their eyes.
They dared not lift their gaze to meet the emperor’s.
Upon the dais, Emperor Zhao Zhi reclined lazily upon the dragon throne, dressed in a loose white robe, hair unkempt and disheveled.
In his hand, he rolled a yellow-white pill between his fingers, studying it intently.
“Three hundred sixty-five Forbidden Martial Guards—each a martial master capable of sweeping the world’s sects. You, Xuan Gong, even claim to be Number One Under Heaven. And yet, someone managed to escape your grasp—and after so many days, still no trace?”
Zhao Zhi’s hoarse voice slithered like a serpent.
Xuan Gong half-knelt, and the Guards followed suit.
“Your Majesty, those two possessed extraordinary martial prowess—we truly could not stop them. But it also shows that within the vast lands of Great Li, heroes still emerge endlessly.”
Xuan Gong’s voice rang deep and firm.
“So, we simply let it go?” Zhao Zhi’s gaze flicked toward him with a faint, chilling smile.
“The Forbidden Martial Guards will continue the hunt. We will never let them go unpunished!”
Zhao Zhi’s expression softened.
“Xuan Qing, since childhood you’ve been my protector. My ascension to the throne owes much to you. You are my most trusted man. Should I obtain the Elixir of Immortality, I will grant you one as well. Of all the officials in court, you are the only one I trust. Never disappoint me.”
“I shall give my all,” Xuan Gong replied solemnly.
Zhao Zhi continued, “The Martial Legend’s power was indeed great—but this is no true Elixir of Immortality. I need more martial experts as medicinal guides. From now on, let the Demonic Cult sweep through the martial world. Within three years, I must complete the elixir!”
“As Your Majesty commands!”
After a moment’s thought, Zhao Zhi asked, “What of the Clear Sky Sect in Guzhou? Small as they are, they were said to have slain the Demonic Emperor. Their Sect Master must possess considerable strength. You’ve been there before—should we seize them early?”
Xuan Gong replied, “The warriors of Clear Sky Sect are still young, though exceptionally gifted. I advise Your Majesty to wait. In three years, their cultivation will grow stronger. Capture them then—the yield will be far greater. When the time comes, I shall personally ascend the mountain to seize their Sect Master.”
“Very well.”
Zhao Zhi closed his hand around the pill, then shut his eyes.
Xuan Gong rose, saluted, and departed with the Guards.
Once they left Qianwu Hall, Zhao Zhi suddenly opened his eyes—cold, murderous light flashing within.
——
By the second month, the Seven Sons of Clear Sky had returned.
After hearing their report, Li Qingqiu told them to rest and focus on cultivation.
In the days that followed, Zhang Yuchun’s network continued gathering intelligence from across the land.
Public resentment flared like fire; hatred toward the emperor grew fiercer by the day.
Crowds even rioted at the state capitals.
Many noble families who had once supported the Crown Prince were executed to the last, forcing countless scions into hiding.
The martial world became a storm of blood and vengeance.
At month’s end—
Li Qingqiu finally broke through to the Eighth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm within the Subterranean Spiritual Lake.
He cultivated alone in that blessed land.
Due to the unique nature of the Hundredfold Tempered Demon Body, after breaking through, he spent three more days consolidating his strength.
Vital Energy surged within him, almost overflowing.
Though the difference between the Seventh and Eighth Layers seemed slight, the gap was as vast as heaven and earth.
Li Qingqiu had begun to touch upon the existence of Spirit Perception.
Spirit Perception was a form of soul power—a third eye, a new force altogether.
He had already glimpsed its perspective when deciphering the seals upon magic implements.
According to the Supreme Purity Primordial Unity Scripture, above the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm lay the Spirit Perception Realm, and he now looked forward to that step with anticipation.
While the use of Vital Energy resembled that of a martial artist’s Inner Energy, Spirit Perception was utterly different—it could kill unseen, and its application to magic implements was infinitely more profound.
At the Eighth Layer, his Vital Energy had multiplied a hundredfold, confidence soaring.
A faint smile appeared upon his face.
He retrieved the bronze mirror once obtained through Bai Ning’er.
Within the mirror dwelled a ghostly spirit—one he had long been unable to touch.
Now, at the Eighth Layer, he intended to see if he could subdue it with the Soul Restraining Curse.
With the fate trait of Human Ghost-God and the Hundredfold Tempered Demon Body, Li Qingqiu had long perfected his mastery of the Soul Restraining Curse.
Lin Chuan hovered nearby.
When Li Qingqiu drew forth the bronze mirror, Lin Chuan sensed something and floated closer.
Li Qingqiu ignored him and began chanting toward the ghost within the mirror.
In the darkness, a white-clad female ghost lay still—then suddenly lifted her head.
Her pale face twisted hideously, eyes blood-red.
A surge of sinister energy burst from the mirror, taking form as the White-Clad Woman herself, claws extended toward Li Qingqiu.
Lin Chuan moved to intervene—but stopped when Li Qingqiu raised a hand.
Just as the ghost was about to seize him, she froze midair, trembling, unable to move forward.
Li Qingqiu’s eyes had turned violet as he chanted continuously.
Soon, the White-Clad Woman’s eyes closed.
With domineering Vital Energy and the blessing of his Human Ghost-God fate, Li Qingqiu easily forged a spiritual bond with her and began to read her memories.
Her name was Nangong E—once a princess of the Wei Dynasty.
The Wei Dynasty, predecessor to Great Li, had ruled six provinces for three hundred years in its prime, leaving a lasting mark upon history.
Nangong E had died at sixteen, when the imperial court fell into turmoil.
Amidst a coup, her father, the emperor, realizing he could not reverse his fate, strangled her with his own hands while she was still dressing.
Her vengeful soul had since been sealed within the bronze mirror.
After the emperor’s death, eunuchs looted her palace chamber, taking treasures away.
The mirror was passed from hand to hand for over a century, until it ended up in a bandit’s trove, where Li Sifeng and Bai Ning’er had found it.
A pitiful soul indeed.
Seeing that she had committed no evil in life or after death, Li Qingqiu decided not to feed her to Lin Chuan.
She would become his second ghost servant instead.
Ghost servants had their uses.
Lin Chuan could already move freely within Clear Sky Sect, secretly carrying out his will.
Another ghost servant could only be a boon.
Half an hour later—
Nangong E awoke.
Much of her resentment had faded, and her reason returned.
She looked upon Li Qingqiu, realizing instinctively that he was now her master.
Fear filled her heart; she dared not draw near.
“From now on, follow me. One day, when I master the art of deliverance, I shall help you enter reincarnation,” Li Qingqiu said with a gentle smile.
Nangong E timidly knelt, silent.
Seeing this, Li Qingqiu said no more.
He picked up the bronze mirror and walked toward the exit of the Subterranean Spiritual Lake.
He named the mirror Nangong Mirror, in memory of the princess Nangong E.
Nangong E followed carefully behind him, while Lin Chuan occasionally turned back to glance at her, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
Both were ghost servants.
Without Li Qingqiu’s order, Lin Chuan would not devour Nangong E.
Nor would he dare—he sensed she was dangerous.
As they walked through the forest, even under bright sunlight, neither ghost was harmed—such was the advantage of being bound ghost servants.
Li Qingqiu was surprised to find Nangong E could even move physical objects, shaking nearby trees as they passed.
That was extraordinary—Lin Chuan could only touch real objects at night, but Nangong E could do so even in daylight.
Could she, perhaps, serve as a true combat aid?