Severing Ties: The Sect Regrets My Departure Chapter 93

"Junior Sister, you... you want to avenge Gu Xiu?"

Nian Zhaoxi’s eyes lit up with a sudden, desperate hope. Since she had announced Gu Xiu's death, some had rejoiced, others had fallen into an indifferent silence, but not a single soul had spoken of vengeance.

Their excuses were impeccable. Gu Xiu was an outcast. Why should the mighty Azure Mystic Sacred Land make an enemy of a Soul Formation expert—one skilled in the art of escape and Deceiving the Heavens to Cross the Sea—for the sake of a man who had signed the Sect Severance Treaty?

Yes, the Azure Mystic was a Sacred Land. But they had assets to protect, disciples to nurture. A rogue Soul Formation expert on a vendetta could cause immense trouble.

For Gu Xiu? It simply wasn't worth it.

Nian Zhaoxi understood this logic. It tasted like ash in her mouth, but she had accepted it with a bitter sigh. But now... Shi Siling was the first, the only one, to ask about Lv Dongshan's location.

However...

"Avenge him?"

Just as Nian Zhaoxi’s heart began to beat with anticipation, Shi Siling shook her head. Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "Of course not."

"Not?" Nian Zhaoxi froze.

"Naturally not. Gu Xiu abandoned the sect. Why would I avenge him?"

"But..." Nian Zhaoxi stared at her, dumbfounded, clinging to the last shred of her delusion. " Then why do you want to kill Lv Dongshan?"

"Lv Dongshan was once considered a prodigy. He was trapped by his Inner Demon for five hundred years, a failure. Now, he has suddenly achieved enlightenment and broken through." Shi Siling’s eyes were cold, calculating. "With five hundred years of accumulation, his cultivation will likely soar a thousand miles a day. He will be strong."

She paused, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"I wish to use him as my whetstone."

Nian Zhaoxi felt a wave of nausea.

Of course. This was her Fourth Junior Sister, the one who pursued the Dao with single-minded obsession. How could she possibly care about brotherhood or justice?

"Fourth Junior Sister," Nian Zhaoxi whispered, her voice trembling, "do you really not have the slightest bit of concern for Gu Xiu? Not even a little?"

Shi Siling shook her head. "Senior Sister, a cultivator has only one path: forward. Those who die along the way, who turn into yellow earth... they are merely failures."

"Since he failed, what is there to discuss?"

"But he was Gu Xiu! Our former Junior Brother! Is there no sentiment left in you at all?"

Shi Siling looked at her with eyes like frozen pools. "Senior Sister, you said it yourself. That was only in the past..."

She stopped mid-sentence. Her gaze fell upon Nian Zhaoxi's hand.

There, Nian Zhaoxi held a compass. It was crude, ordinary, something a mortal fortune teller might use.

But the sight of this simple, battered compass caused Shi Siling’s impenetrable mask to crack.

Cloud Firmament City, Listening-to-Rain Pavilion.

"I feel... a mass of Qi moving inside me. The ache in my shoulder is gone. Wherever the Qi goes, it feels warm and comfortable."

Xiao He looked at her hands in wonder. "It's amazing, Immortal Feng! Is this what it feels like to be an Immortal?"

Gu Xiu nodded. He spent the next hour guiding her through the essential mnemonic chants of Qi Condensation. Without guidance, a novice could waste years wandering in circles. Gu Xiu had mentored many disciples in his past life; teaching the basics was as natural to him as breathing.

Xiao He listened with rapt attention, nodding and memorizing every syllable.

"Alright, that is enough for today. You must explore the rest on your own. If you encounter difficulties, you may ask me." Gu Xiu stood up, smoothing his robes.

"Immortal Feng!"

Xiao He hurriedly blocked his path, then fell to her knees, kowtowing deeply. "Thank you! Thank you for teaching me, but more than that... thank you for giving me the chance to ascend!"

"Your cultivation is a result of your own fortune and opportunity. There is no need for such gratitude." Gu Xiu shook his head gently. "The path of cultivation is solitary. The detours you take are not always wasted; often, they become the foundation of your future strength."

Leaving her with those words, Gu Xiu turned and walked out into the sunlight.

Xiao He’s sudden, inexplicable rise to cultivation was strange, but Gu Xiu did not dwell on it. He certainly didn't connect it to himself.

He walked through a dark alley, his appearance shifting and blurring until he emerged as a completely different man. After visiting a tavern to sell his daily batch of talismans, he navigated the winding streets to a teahouse in the eastern district.

As was his habit, he chose a secluded corner table.

He ordered a pot of tea and sat, listening to the gentle pluck of the guzheng.

He waited for over an hour. Just as he finished his tea and prepared to leave, the entrance chime rang. A woman walked in. She was dressed in flamboyant, revealing silk, exuding a heavy scent of rouge and the weary air of the red-light district.

Seeing her, Gu Xiu’s hand paused on his cup. He set it back down.

The woman’s cultivation was unremarkable—Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation—common enough in a city teeming with loose cultivators. She scanned the room, her eyes sharp, before settling at an empty table adjacent to Gu Xiu’s.

Moments later, two men entered.

One was shrouded in a heavy black robe, radiating a gloom that made nearby patrons shudder. The other wore a dark Daoist robe and sported a goatee. He wore a perpetual smile, but his eyes were flat and cold, devoid of mirth.

Unlike the woman, these two masked their cultivation perfectly. Yet, the heavy, oppressive pressure in their movements betrayed them. They were strong.

The three sat together.

The smiling Daoist with the goatee casually produced a talisman and slapped it onto the table. Instantly, their figures blurred, becoming hazy and indistinct to the outside world. A sound barrier snapped into place.

Gu Xiu felt a surge of satisfaction.

He had waited in Cloud Firmament City for weeks.

He was waiting for them.

Logic dictated he should leave; he already knew every word they would say, having seen it all in the dream of A Glance of Ten Thousand Years. But as he watched the Heavenly Dao Rhyme ripple around their table, curiosity sparked within him.

His path of talismans was unique. He could forge them with a wave of his hand.

Could I also control the talismans of others?

Gu Xiu silently activated the Heavenly Book of Talismans within his mind. He reached out with his spiritual sense, gently touching the barrier.

In an instant, the Dao Rhyme flowing around the three strangers shuddered and then... opened a back door.

Gu Xiu blinked.

Immediately, their voices drifted into his ears as clearly as if they were sitting next to him.

"Tang Ping'er, put away your Joyous Union Sect tricks. If you want to cooperate, stop with the seduction arts."

"Hee hee! You Blood Fiend Sect disciples are so dull. All you know is kill, kill, kill. You don't understand the ultimate joys of the mortal world. Daoist Sanquan is much more fun..."

Gu Xiu raised an eyebrow. He turned his head slightly. The three figures, previously blurred, were now crystal clear to his vision. He glanced around the teahouse; the other patrons remained oblivious, drinking their tea and chatting.

The backdoor opened by the Heavenly Dao Rhyme was exclusively for him.

Protected by their high-grade talisman, the three conspirators believed themselves perfectly secure. They spoke without inhibition, unaware that their shield had become a speaker for the man in the corner.

"I invited you two here because the matter at hand is grave," the goateed Daoist said, his smile vanishing. "A single mistake could lead to the destruction of our bodies and spirits. We must be of one heart."

"Daoist Sanquan, you're not being honest," the black-robed man rasped. "I've asked you repeatedly what this 'opportunity' is, yet you refuse to speak. If you don't tell us, how do we know it's worth the risk?"

"Fairy Tang, Brother Ghost, patience," Sanquan said smoothly. "One must maintain a little mystery. But since we are here... let us discuss the plan."

Listening to them, Gu Xiu confirmed his suspicion. The dream was real.

These three hailed from the chaotic Northern Nether Region—Beiming. They were pure demonic cultivators. Daoist Sanquan was a loose cultivator, but the other two were elite disciples of notorious demonic sects.

And all three were Golden Core experts.

They had gathered here for one purpose: to steal a heaven-defying opportunity hidden within Cloud Firmament City.

"What we are plotting," Daoist Sanquan leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "is a treasure hidden within the deepest vault of the Four Seas Gang."

"I infiltrated the Four Seas Gang two years ago. I know their defenses inside and out. But I cannot breach the final vault alone. I need your unique skills..."

They were bold. Insanely so. To rob the Four Seas Gang in their own stronghold was a mission of Nine Deaths and One Life.

In the prophetic dream, these three had schemed for months, nearly tearing the sky apart with their chaos. They had succeeded in stealing the treasure, but as the saying goes, Man's plans are inferior to Heaven's plans. In the end, they were scattered—dead or fleeing.

And the treasure had fallen right into the lap of a passing Jiang Xun.

Gu Xiu’s eyes narrowed.

He was determined to obtain that item. He would not let destiny hand another victory to Jiang Xun.

He was going to intercept it.