451 - A Sect Leader’s Ascension

Chapter 451: Beneath the Monument of Merit He experienced the world through ordinary senses—seeing with his eyes, smelling with his nose, feeling the breeze on his face, and savoring flavors in his heart. Even though Qi Xiu had lost his cultivator's powers of perception, he could still discern some nuances. "Pure, vast power of merit mixed with a sense of righteous energy..." The closer he got, the stronger the pleasant fragrance of the yellow mist became. Most of the monument was wrapped tightly, revealing only a hint of the details at the top. The inscribed words read: "In gratitude for Jixia's founding, a tribute to all." This monument seemed to commemorate the founding of Jixia City and the meritorious efforts of the Gui family. Crafted from white jade and shining like new, a cloud of good fortune hovered above it, resembling a virtuous scholar standing tall and urging righteousness and kindness. In the murky swamp, the monument's reflection flickered with the waves, appearing like a deceitful villain groveling before a scholar, unable to find its place. The contrast between them was stark, and the monument's profound aura was incomparable to any ordinary memorial. "What a pity..." This monument was not Zhang Shishi's destined object. Zhang's monument would have been older, weathered, with a greenish hue, and the surface defaced—impossible to read. Apart from lacking the grandeur of this monument, it had an ancient depth, with a similar demeanor and scale. No wonder there was confusion. Back then, Zhang Shishi had struggled to find a companion piece, experimenting with countless artifacts, yet never surpassed the fifth level of Refinement. Had he used this monument as a companion, perhaps the dao would have been within reach. Alas, this monument was undoubtedly one of the foundational treasures of Jixia City. Even if Qi Xiu reached the transformation stage, obtaining it was nearly impossible. Not to mention, Zhang Shishi was long gone... Suppressing the faint sadness in his heart, he focused on admiring the monument. He intended to part the yellow mist to behold its true appearance, but the power of merit's persuasion grew stronger. Advancing further might suppress and assimilate his mind, bringing harm instead. "An artifact of virtue can also take a life." He muttered a couple of sentences, abandoning further exploration. To think, the victor of the first trial was the first to reach another monument. With newfound insight, this grand monument appeared within the sky and earth, naturally kindling hope. "Could I be the one destined to receive the great opportunity?" Circling the massive monument three times, he sat meditating in front of it, but to no avail. "Or is this an illusion to trap me from leaving?" His thoughts became restless again. "No, no. If viewed with a selfless heart, leaving as promised is the gentleman's first duty. If viewed with a utilitarian mindset, trials often test resistance to temptation. Leaving might align with the trial's path! In any case, go!" Qi Xiu took out and put away the trial invitation repeatedly until its edges were nearly worn, contemplating breaking it to end the trial. Yet, a faint cry for help echoed in his ears. "Enough already! Why does this trial seem to toy with me alone?" The voice was familiar and couldn't be ignored. Frustrated, he stowed the invitation back in his clothing and concentrated on the source of the voice, surprisingly emanating from within the yellow mist, near the Monument of Merit. "Help me, save me..." The plea was faint. "He Yu!?" He quickly recognized the voice, after years of close companionship and a conversation before the trial began—it couldn't be wrong. Instinctively, he wanted to rush into the yellow mist, but his raised foot in mid-air couldn't move forward. He Yu was, after all, the prime suspect alongside the jade crane! If the cry for help was a trap, it might explain An Siyan and the others being caught off guard and killed. Moreover, previous investigations had shown that such foundational treasures of Jixia City were incredibly terrifying to approach. Recklessly venturing near, one's soul could be cleansed by the vast power of merit, potentially leaving nothing behind. He hesitated once more. "Damn it! Ever since seeing An Siyan's corpse, why do I hesitate over everything I do! I am the master of a mountain, the steadfast leader of the Bai Mountain sect for over a century!" Scolding himself, he chose to confirm first, shouting loudly into the mist, "Is that you, He Yu!?" "It is, it is, save me, please save me..." Inside, He Yu seemed to muster all his strength to raise his voice, managing a few fragmented phrases before falling completely silent. Growing increasingly anxious, Qi Xiu circled the area outside twice, his gaze met an endless marsh resembling the Black River's scenery. The monument that reminded him of Zhang Shishi brought back memories of the early days when the Chu Qin sect relocated south. Despite hardships, the sect fostered harmony and love. The river of time silently flowed, moistening his eyes. "Is this my destiny?" Finally determined, he recited the [Sutra of Clarity] under his breath, charging towards where He Yu had cried out. The clamor was overwhelming, as if caught in torrents and hurricanes. The mighty energy of righteousness churned around him, targeting not his body but cleansing his soul. "Infanticide!" "Genocide!" "Fields filled with the dead!" "Hands stained with blood!" "Harboring demonic entities!" Countless suppressive forces roared like raging beasts in his ears, magnifying every mistake in his life for scrutiny. His soul, like a tiny boat, trembled, always on the verge of capsizing. "I am guilty! I am remorseful! I deserve death!" Never one to claim a clear conscience, he nearly collapsed under such pressure, surrendering to repentance and supplication, desperate to offer everything he had to respond to and please this power. With the tenacity of a Bai Mountain man and continuous recitation of the Sutra of Clarity, he nearly crawled his way to the base of the Monument of Merit. Upon discovering the curled-up gray-robed figure on the ground, he immediately grabbed him and rushed outward. He had no memory of how they escaped, only realizing he had moved a dozen or so feet from the monument when cold water jolted him awake. Standing like a drowned rat in a waist-deep swamp, He Yu remained unconscious nearby, face down, limbs sprawled on the surface. Hastily, Qi Xiu flipped him over and dragged him to the shore. He Yu's gray robe was tattered and torn; his attire resembled that of a mortal beggar rather than a Golden Core cultivator. His breathing was relatively stable, suggesting he wasn’t gravely injured. His long eyelashes still bore glistening droplets, and his pale face made him appear exceptionally forlorn and fragile. In his pitiable state, it was hard to see him as a suspected killer. Qi Xiu's heart was a complex tangle of emotions. He Yu's determination to seek the Dao had always been more intense and resolute than his own. Such a desperate act, entering under the Monument of Merit seeking fortuity, was entirely plausible. Pure and callously single-minded, he pursued the Dao, his actions during the previous treasure hunt in the Black River showing even more ruthless pragmatism. Yet, Qi Xiu found it hard to hate him now, let alone think of revenge. Recalling the Nangong family's deceit and his own role in their schemes, Qi Xiu even felt a sense of guilt. "Perhaps here we can avoid the Nangong family's scrutiny. Why not reveal Nangong Zhi’s plans to him and see if we can find a way out?" Decidedly, Qi Xiu fearfully splashed water on He Yu’s face. "Cough, cough..." After sprinkling six or seven handfuls, He Yu finally awakened but immediately began violently coughing, curling up like a shrimp on the ground. "How do you feel? Any injuries?" Concerned by He Yu's poor condition, Qi Xiu asked. Only then did He Yu look up. Their eyes met, and Qi Xiu found He Yu’s pupils dilated with confusion, as if he didn’t recognize him. Previously in the Jixia City main hall, He Yu had shown a similar demeanor, attributed to injuries. Now it seemed there was a mental issue. "Sigh! What's wrong with you!?" Suppressing his bitterness, Qi Xiu waited until a flicker of clarity returned to He Yu's gaze before hearing him murmur, "Senior Brother Sect Master." "To be concise, I don't care what conflict lies between you and the Nangong family, but I'll tell you..." Just as Qi Xiu spoke critically, He Yu suddenly scrambled up and began frantically searching himself, "My storage bag, where is my storage bag!?" Madly patting himself down but finding nothing, he ignored Qi Xiu's stunned expression nearby and ran headlong toward the Monument of Merit, intending to search. "Fool! To throw away your life over material things!" Witnessing his current state, it was clear he wasn’t rational. Stifling his regret, Qi Xiu chased after him to stop him. Vestibule He Yu, weak and stumbling, was easily caught, yet just as Qi Xiu reached for his collar, He Yu dexterously ducked, slipping away as though he had eyes in the back of his head. "What?" Qi Xiu's grasp missed, stumbling forward, while He Yu spun on his heel, shedding all traces of his earlier frailty. Puzzled, Qi Xiu didn't understand until something sharp pricked the back of his neck. Images of Wang Huixi, An Siyan, and Xi Yu's gruesome deaths flashed before his eyes, those eerie bloody holes... Everything became clear, all too late. No! Not too late! The sharp object had stopped mid-stab, lodged in his skin, the force transmitted to his neck and upper body. Qi Xiu, losing balance, fell forward, hearing He Yu's surprised gasp from behind. "You are the killer!" Shouting the truth he had once suspected but never wanted to accept subconsciously, Qi Xiu ignored the throbbing pain and blood loss at the back of his neck. He rolled continuously in the swamp to dodge each subsequent wave of ferocious attacks from He Yu. He Yu let out an eerie laugh akin to a jackal, licking his upper lip repeatedly in a predatory manner. His right index finger had somehow become nothing but a silver-white metallic bone with a sharp, blood-stained tip. "Why! Why!?" Driven by the will to survive, Qi Xiu rolled frantically, evading He Yu's hawk-like attacks. His heart ached, and the injury at the back of his neck sent waves of pain through him. Conflicted and confused, he could only repeatedly ask why. There was no answer. He Yu, seemingly disdainful of providing one, relentlessly pursued with sardonic laughter, flashing his bone spear towards vital points. "Why, why..." Finding no escape, he plunged with a splash into the swamp water where he had initially rescued He Yu. The cold water jolted him awake, and he reassessed the balance of strength. "My skin, a combination of ape, snake, and human textures, is much tougher than human skin. That's why the first attack didn't penetrate. Given this, why should I be so afraid? Moreover, after years of body refinement, my physical strength may well match his..." Determined to fight back, Qi Xiu seized a chance when He Yu leapt at him, advancing rather than retreating. He used a technique from the first edition of the [Spirit Monkey Movement], which relied purely on physical strength, crossing his hands to grab He Yu's wrists. "Ugh..." He Yu, once triumphant, now found both his hands restrained. Involuntarily, he struggled to break free, leading to a tussle that had both men falling into the swamp water. No matter how hard He Yu twisted or fought, and regardless of his biting and kicking, Qi Xiu's grip remained unyielding as iron shackles. Once a Golden Core cultivator, a dragon among men, now He Yu lay helpless as a stranded fish. Once a genius and formidable leader, he had become a fugitive in the streets. Past grievances and entanglements now left no room for resolution; it was either one’s survival or the other's demise. Rolling in the water, breaths hit each other's faces as they fought, turning into mud-covered figures. Only their fiercely bright eyes remained unchanged—Qi Xiu's filled with pain and rage, while He Yu's gleamed with greed and madness. After a long stalemate, He Yu's strength began to wane, and panic shone through his gaze. It seemed his forte lay in setting traps and ambushing, with that bone dagger being his only notable asset. "Why?" Despite gaining the upper hand, Qi Xiu grew increasingly calm, asking the question once more, applying pressure to He Yu's wrist until a sharp snap was heard, breaking the wrist in his grip. With the bone dagger pointing back at He Yu’s own heart, he whimpered pitifully. "No, no! Senior Brother Qi, Sect Master Brother..." He Yu seemed unaffected by the pain of his broken wrist. Acknowledging the shift in power, he ceased struggling and adopted a servile demeanor. There was no transition between his murderous frenzy and his groveling for mercy; he immediately attempted to placate Qi Xiu. "Spare me, please spare me. I was blinded by greed." "For the sake of our old ties, let me live, and I'll repay you generously!" "For the sake of Senior Brother Zhang and Elder Kan, spare my life!" "Sect Master Brother! Of the ten who went south, only you and I remain. If you kill me, you'll be alone!" Every pleading word conjured up images of past scenes in Qi Xiu’s mind, each like an arrow piercing his heart, nearly causing him to faint. "Let me ask you one last time." The bone dagger pressed through the fabric to He Yu's heart. "What kind of Dao are you pursuing that requires killing me?" Without thunderous roars of anger or heart-wrenching accusations, Qi Xiu restrained his emotions, asking coldly and calmly. "Heh, it's merely a technique that corrodes the mind and seizes the soul to augment oneself. Simple, I'll teach..." He Yu, forcing a flattering smile, planned to bargain, but his throat suddenly gurgled, and blood began to gush from his mouth. His gaze dimmed, losing the vibrance of life. Releasing his grip slowly, the bone dagger, once poised above He Yu’s heart, pierced fully in. "Why did it come to this?" Rising slowly, Qi Xiu stared at He Yu’s corpse in the swamp, struggling to reconcile this lifeless figure with the graceful, diligent junior brother he once knew. The bone dagger in He Yu's heart inflicted pain in Qi Xiu’s own. "What kind of Dao do you pursue by killing me? I, killing you?" Muttering to himself, he dragged his weary body to the shore. He spat out a jet of blood and collapsed, unconscious. By then, the Monument of Merit had vanished without a trace, as if it never existed. He Yu’s body in the water underwent a rapid transformation, flesh melting like snow in spring, soon leaving behind a mummified corpse wrapped in bark-like skin. The bone dagger remained embedded in his heart. (To be continued)