510 - A Sect Leader’s Ascension

Chapter 510: The Death of Ji Xinlong The turbulent winds howled outside as Qi Xiu buried his secrets deep within. After the incident involving Qing Fen at the Discipline Hall, he felt that Nanlin Temple was no longer trustworthy. He couldn't place his hopes on Xing Xian and Ji Yuliang, the two individuals whom he once thought might uphold justice. Upon reflection, he realized that the Guigu Sect, currently in the most disadvantageous position, might be willing to uncover the truth behind this series of events to shift the tides. "Yanran needs to handle business on the Frost Island overseas. Use the pretense of protecting her along the way and inquire about Ji Xinlong's perspective on the current situation when you reach Haidong City." With that in mind, he summoned Shano, instructing him to probe Ji Xinlong about the Guigu Sect's plans for counteraction. "Understood." Shano, well-versed in the wisdom of not asking unnecessary questions, readily accepted the task and withdrew, heading straight to Nangong Yanran. At the pinnacle hall, he relayed the excuse of his assignment to accompany her for protection. Nangong Yanran was sitting in the main seat, stewing in anger. "Then I'll trouble Lord Sha." She promptly arranged for someone to escort Shano to a cabin aboard a flying shuttle, courteously seeing him off at the door before turning back to rebuke an old Foundation Establishment cultivator seated further down inside the hall. "If no one is willing to go, then why did I hire you all just to loaf around!?" The old cultivator put on a strained smile, cautiously explaining before Nangong Yanran, "We accepted the employment merely for stability. Ironwind Archipelago is harsh, the cultivators there are brutal, and there's absolutely no business opportunity. Also, the dominant Zhaolian from the Royal Beast Sect's enclave is known for his greed that knows no bounds. Setting up a store there is a sure loss. Please reconsider, Sect Leader Nangong!" Nangong Yanran tried softening her tone to persuade him further, but the old man remained unmoved, deciding he'd rather forfeit his employment than venture to Ironwind Archipelago. "Sigh!" After the old man retreated, Nangong Yanran pressed her hand to her forehead in frustration for a while. Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind, and she issued an order to summon Liu Feng, who was recuperating and about to be expelled following Qi Xiu's orders. "I will!" Liu Feng, hobbling in, seized the chance like a lifeline, gladly agreeing before even questioning the whereabouts of Ironwind Archipelago. He, as a recognized Foundation Establishment cultivator in a renowned cultivation city like the Chu-Qin Emporium, certainly stood a better chance than becoming a vagabond cultivator. Given his notoriety from being whipped and severely injured by the Enforcement Peak, he had limited options, something of which Nangong Yanran was acutely aware. "The sect leader uncle wants you gone; I'm defying orders. Make sure you work earnestly for me once you're there." After a few words of warning, Nangong Yanran leisurely led him and her reliable administrative cultivators to assemble before being escorted onto the third-tier flying shuttle waiting at the transfer point. "Let's set off, the sooner we leave, the sooner we return." Commanding coolly, the flying shuttle slowly lifted off towards Qi Dong City. The journey went without words, but upon reaching Qi Dong City, boarding another Chu-Qin Gate shuttle heading further overseas was impractical. Whether it be the flying shuttle or beast ships, commercial routes lacking local power's security assurances were akin to inviting danger from outlaws, especially in the White Mountain Offshore region. Chu-Qin Gate's third-tier shuttles mainly served passengers and had secured the route from Black River Market to Qi Dong City, constantly flying within the Qi Yun Sect's domain ever since the chaos in White Mountain, ensuring safety. However, Chu-Qin lacked the strength to share in the strong entities' profits, only managing one cycle occasionally. In Qi Dong City, after unloading cargo, they transferred to another shuttle, setting course for the far northern Frost Island offshore. Shano, however, didn't accompany them; excusing himself for separation, he headed to Haidong City not far from Qi Dong City. There, he discovered shocking news. After verification, he hurried back, day and night, to report to Reflective Mountain. "What!" Qi Xiu, upon hearing the news, abruptly halted his body cultivation, sitting cross-legged in disbelief. "Ji Xinlong committed suicide!?" "Yes, according to cultivators from the Great Zhou Academy there, Ji Xinlong committed suicide unexpectedly outside the main gate of the Great Zhou Academy's headquarters." Shano produced a letter from his robe, presenting it. "This is my transcription of Ji Xinlong's last words. It's not verbatim, but it generally conveys his intent." Qi Xiu accepted and read it repeatedly. Once he set it down, he was calm. "I understand, you may go now." He dismissed Shano with an indifferent voice. As Shano reached the doorway, he paused, hesitant. "With Ji Jiachi captured and Ji Xinlong dead, what about our connection with the Guigu Sect..." "There's no need to worry about that, just go." Qi Xiu didn't answer directly, rising to pace his quiet chamber once Shano left. Ji Xinlong's farewell clearly addressed the reasons behind his suicide; firstly, expressing doubts about recent events, including the Emerald Lake Secret Realm, and secondly, lamenting the severe infighting within the Great Zhou Academy. Naturally, Qi Xiu wasn't convinced. Given Ji Xinlong was at the forefront of the infighting, where did he get the stance to condemn it? One stance Ji Xinlong made clear was linking the Emerald Lake event to the Academy's infighting, positioning the Guigu Sect as victims, a view apparent to anyone discerning that the Confucian faction benefited from the Emerald Lake incident. 'Who breached the bottom line, killing to frame others for infighting?' was a veiled message in Ji Xinlong's last words. Moreover, Ji Xinlong expressed dissatisfaction with the Confucian faction prioritizing the opening of Fengshui sector warfare, ignoring the demonic forces from Xiao Mohou, working up a momentum. 'They ignored essentials for personal vendettas,' was his second point against the Confucians. Finally, Ji Xinlong's prediction warned, 'The calamity of Xiao Mohou won't wait for the warfare opening a century from now. If the Confucian faction ignores this area for personal interests, the entire cultivation world, including the offshore, will be affected.' "Making a statement with death," Qi Xiu sneered. Was Ji Xinlong genuinely despairing over the obstruction of warfare at Xiao Mohou, leading to his suicide? Certainly not. No matter how righteously and assertively he stated his reasons, perhaps convincing many, Qi Xiu was beyond persuasion. Why was the Confucian faction fixated on Fengshui's land disputes? Because of the ghost-path teleportation array on Northern Ding Shenshan leading there, tangled with the Guigu Sect—hence, the Confucian faction sought evidence damaging enough to strike a fatal blow to the Guigu Sect. Why did the Guigu Sect bolster Xiao Mohou's opening in opposition? As Ji Xinlong cited, perhaps due to demonic pressures, but more likely to prevent the Confucians from probing Fengshui's area, safeguarding some secret related to the ghost-path teleportation under Northern Ding Shenshan. Having participated personally, Qi Xiu comprehended these intricacies fully—Ji Xinlong's parting words couldn't sway him. "On the verge of death, words are often noble, but Ji Xinlong's death and his parting remarks are just the Guigu Sect's chess moves of resistance." Quickly discerning the implications, Qi Xiu concluded that Ji Xinlong's seemingly noble death had decorated the Guigu Sect as a wronged entity, potentially elevating them to a moral high ground. This incident's aftermath could serve as foreshadowing and a rallying call for their future reprisal. "If the Confucian faction fails to gather damaging evidence against the Guigu Sect in Fengshui's launching warfare, and should demonic chaos erupt preemptively at Xiao Mohou, it'll amplify the blame on the Confucians for diverting from warfare goals, propelling the Guigu Sect to moral superiority," Qi Xiu deduced the core of matters. "Perhaps the Guigu Sect regrets not abandoning their limits earlier. Next time, they won't miss this chance against the Confucians." "If unable to secure crucial evidence in Fengshui's field, the Guigu Sect might orchestrate worldly chaos akin to Emerald Lake, delivering a devastating blow to the Confucians next chance?" Switching to think from the Guigu Sect's perspective, Qi Xiu developed a chill at the realization, feeling sympathetic for Ji Xinlong. Possibly, his death reflected internal pressure from some within the Guigu Sect, frustrated at his failure to engineer a similar 'grand event' overseas. Ji Xinlong failed, closing his life with one last lie, shouldering certain individuals' expectations. "So, the focal point becomes whether the Confucian faction can unearth evidence in Fengshui's terrain?" Reverting to the Confucian viewpoint, Qi Xiu felt another chill, "Isn't the Confucian faction diving into Fengshui's land, assuming the blame as prime suspects among discerning eyes for Emerald Lake's incident?" "The question is, what if it's a trap set by the Guigu Sect?" "What if those 'dark hands' truly aren't working for the Confucian faction?" "That portrait I hold might be pivotal, else Nanlin Temple wouldn't risk revealing their stance, meddling the truth. According to Qi Bingyan's writings, she stashed many iron boxes; Nanlin couldn't determine how many boxes had circulated or come into whose possession. Learning of them made hiding impossible, so they camouflaged the truth with countless fake portraits." "Qi Bingyan's decision, in hindsight, was the only plausible means under those conditions to relay the truth. Old Qi, you were remarkable..." Qi Xiu sighed softly to himself, "But who exactly is the young Golden Core on that portrait?" he pondered silently. With Ji Xinlong's suicide and Ji Jiachi's disappearance, Qi Xiu's connection with the Guigu Sect was entirely severed. Now, any newcomers were untrustworthy. Perhaps the higher-ups in the Guigu Sect had considered this and chose not to reconnect. Alternatively, they might have decided to sever ties with the Chu-Qin and Duochu, taking this chance to kick them away. "It seems we must wait until the Fengshui Region war unfolds to uncover some of these mysteries." Qi Xiu had no intention of actively unraveling any of these riddles. In the vast and surging current of world affairs, his years of resilience and forbearance had taught him that the key to survival lies in recognizing the landscape and adapting accordingly. The Xiao Mohou region was just offshore to the east of the Qi Yun Sect's domain, while the Fengshui area was far and wide. Nonetheless, with Lu Yunzi’s approval and Nangong Mu personally pushing forward, the Confucian faction had garnered strong support from Qi Yun, bolstered by a Nascent Soul expert’s promise to intervene. As a result, the warfare preparations accelerated significantly and were now imminent. When news of Ji Xinlong’s death spread, the interested parties began contacting each other, ready to depart. Reflective Mountain was soon to receive a visit from the Jiang family. The Jiang family came seeking to borrow resources and men. Qi Xiu certainly wouldn’t lend any people, but viewed positively, their future neighbor, with opening and establishing a sect promised by Lu Yunzi, had a secured the legacy for three generations. The Jiang family could afford to lend materials, essentially currying favor. With Nangong Yanran absent, Kan Xuan supervised the Reflective Mountain gate’s affairs, allocating 100,000 third-grade spirit stones from the Chu-Qin Alliance coffers. Combined with another 100,000 sourced from member families’ reserves, they sent the Jiang cultivators away satisfied. It was evident that life in Qi Yun wasn't easy for them. The White Mountain cultivators showed little interest even in the nearby warfare, let alone venturing to an unheard-of Fengshui region. Additionally, after the internal conflict in White Mountain, the major sects consolidated their hold over the gates, using surplus resources to select and recruit scattered cultivators, which increased their strength. This meant those with ambition and ability only had to pledge allegiance to secure a passable territory; thus, even fewer were willing to join the battle. The individual families of the Chu-Qin Alliance had even less motivation, content with the current state of affairs. As for the Qi Yun Sect itself, their territory was already occupied, with every niche filled. As the cultivation population increased, pressure to release arose. A small faction followed the Nangong and Jiang families to relieve this pressure. Beyond this, Qi Xiu had no further concerns. When Fah Yin and his master bid farewell, Qi Xiu personally saw them off. "If things don't go well, you are always welcome back to Chu-Qin." This was Qi Xiu's message to Fah Yin. Though reluctant, Fah Yin had to follow his master's insistent decision to leave, leaving behind the responsibility of Chu-Qin Inspector. As they departed, he tried to return the [Merciful and Universally Saving Sword] and other items Qi Xiu had gifted him once, but Qi Xiu refused the return, providing instead additional spirit stones and necessary supplies before letting them go. One day, Nangong Meng came to visit personally. "I'd like to invite Sect Master Qi to Fengshui. The Nangong family will certainly reward you handsomely." Her request was blunt. "Sigh! My path to the Dao is difficult; I won’t make that trip." The very thing he feared had now come to pass, Qi Xiu sighed internally and refused bluntly on the spot. Nangong Meng didn't anticipate such straightforward refusal from Qi Xiu. Startled initially, she questioned him, bewildered, "Do you think you have a choice?" "When the Dao is impossible, living is worse than dying, just death. At worst, I learn from Ji Xinlong, dying a bold death." Qi Xiu nonchalantly used recent events to retort. "Uh...this..." Nangong Meng was momentarily moved, silent for a while, unsure whether she sympathized with Qi Xiu or feared him mimicking Ji Xinlong by publicly lambasting the Confucians while exposing the Nangong family, and said, "I will ask again and let you know." Then, she took her leave. Two days later, the Nangong family sent an unfamiliar Nascent Soul elder instead, immediately laying down cold terms: abstaining from Fengshui was permissible for now, yet residence in Qinan City was mandatory, awaiting orders at any moment, or face total annihilation. "I'm sure many aspire to replace Chu-Qin," the Nascent Soul elder smirked. "Very well, Qinan it is..." Having no illusions, Qi Xiu could still afford humor, "I'm sure your Nangong family wouldn't be stingy with a nice cave dwelling?" He quipped to the elder. "Naturally." Quite pleased with his attitude, the elder stroked his beard and nodded affirmatively. (Continued in the next chapter)