Chapter Forty-Seven: A Ruthless Cut

In the cultivation world, strength always speaks the loudest.

In a newly forged dimension, Master Liuguang and fourteen other luminaries vividly embodied this unchanging truth: no matter how the world shifts, might makes right.

With the Chosen’s selection underway and ominous warnings fulfilled, the tension between the righteous and the demonic dissipated, and both sides fought with abandon. Liuguang, in particular, who had been waiting to carve up his rivals, fought with unrestrained delight.

With strength bordering on the True Immortal realm and a nearly monstrous physical manifestation of his Dao, Liuguang first joined forces with Master Tianmu and others to subdue several leaders of the Seven Demonic Sects. But that victory proved unsatisfying—perhaps he simply wished to hone his blade. Without hesitation, he turned and used his Dao manifestation to suppress his seven allies as well.

“Liuguang, you little bastard, you can’t treat us like this! We’re allies, not enemies!” Mo Di, both furious and deeply shaken by Liuguang’s power, protested.

A mere sixty years ago, he and Liuguang had fought to a draw. Now, even seven of them combined were easily subdued—he was left reeling.

How old was Liuguang, really? Barely nine hundred years, and he’d only started on the path of cultivation partway through his life. Geniuses like him truly left others speechless.

The others felt much the same as Mo Di. Once, they’d considered uniting to pressure Liuguang. Now, that notion was clearly laughable.

If you can’t win, you have to concede. Still, they at least had to get a few harsh words in.

Far off, Xiaoyaozi, who was sitting cross-legged and tending his wounds, felt even more conflicted.

Among major sects, the strongest had always been either the City Lord of Zhenxian City or the Head of the Free Dao Sect. Both the righteous and the demonic had tacitly upheld this unwritten rule to maintain the balance of power.

But now Liuguang had burst onto the scene. Whether the old monsters of the Pure Yang Temple were seeking to upend the established order, or Liuguang himself was simply a maverick, Xiaoyaozi could not say.

If it was the latter, matters would be simple; if the former, neither the righteous nor the demonic factions would tolerate such a disruptive force.

The cultivation world of the Xuan Realm had arrived at its current stability only after hundreds of thousands of years of friction. To break that balance would surely bring great upheaval.

The two sects possessing the Free Heaven Codex and the Pure Yang Alarm Bell were already unique, privy to many hidden truths. As the current master of the Free Heaven Codex, Xiaoyaozi had understood from the start that the Xuan Realm could not withstand a major shock.

Yet the Pure Yang Temple had, since the time of Xu Jing, ceaselessly challenged the established order.

What had they seen in the Pure Yang Alarm Bell? He did not know.

But he trusted his own judgment, for at heart, he was much like Liuguang.

What is freedom? What is true ease?

How could one called Xiaoyaozi be constrained by a mere book?

He wished to speak plainly with Liuguang, and thus sought to bring this farce to an end as soon as possible.

“Fellow Daoist Liuguang, your deeds today are simply a bid to extract more benefits from us. Speak your desires—so long as they’re not excessive, I’ll agree. But I think some matters should be clarified, to avoid future misunderstandings. What say you?”

Liuguang sent a voice transmission: “Thank you for seeing through things but not exposing them. Later, I invite you to join me in the Pure Yang Secret Realm. Do you dare come?”

Xiaoyaozi replied in kind: “I would be honored to accept your invitation.”

“Ha! As expected, you’re a forthright man, Xiaoyaozi!”

Liuguang withdrew his Dao manifestation and declared, “Our Pure Yang Temple desires little: the Five Elements Divine Thunder Crystal from the Pavilion of Elements; the Scarlet Vermilion Bird and Dragon-Elephant Turtle from the Beast Mastery Sect; the Ocean Heart from the Eastern Sea Sect; the Twin Blades of Shangxie from the Divine Armory Valley; a copy of the Infinite Yang Art from the Sacred Land of Yang; a diagram of the Tenfold Heaven-Locking Formation from the Forsaken Mountain Domain. As for Zhenxian City... Mo Di, I wish to meet the one sealed on the twenty-third level below the city. What do you say?”

Mo Di was startled. “Liuguang, are you out of your mind!”

Liuguang replied, “I only wish to meet them, what are you so worked up about? I never said I’d release them.”

“You’re certain it’s just a meeting, with no ulterior motive?”

Mo Di was tempted.

The being sealed beneath the twenty-third level of Zhenxian City was so ancient that none remembered their origins, and the seal showed no signs of weakening. Letting Liuguang meet them would do no harm—he just worried Liuguang had other intentions.

Sensing this, Liuguang immediately swore an oath.

“Is that enough for you?”

Mo Di nodded. “What do I gain in return?”

Liuguang answered, “Pure Yang Temple will copy all foundational cultivation arts for Zhenxian City, and give you five artifact replicas for your use at any time. The replicas are identical in function to the originals, save that they can’t record cultivation methods.”

Mo Di asked, “Why not make more original artifacts?”

“Because there’s no need!” Liuguang retorted. “Besides, the Elemental Divine Thunder Crystals from the Pavilion of Elements are in short supply—be glad you’re getting what you are. The resources you’ll save each year would be enough for Zhenxian City to nurture several Nascent Soul cultivators.”

“The rest of you are just as lucky—count your blessings!”

Mo Di nodded in acceptance.

“Will you swear that forging the artifacts truly requires the Divine Thunder Crystals?”

Master Tianmu was clearly skeptical about the supposed necessity for Divine Thunder Crystals in artifact forging.

There were only two left in the Pavilion of Elements, and she doubted Liuguang would dismantle his own tribulation array just for this. It was likely the crystals were a pretext, and Liuguang needed them for something else.

Of course, her priority was minimizing the Pavilion’s loss; if she could keep the Divine Thunder Crystals, all the better. Who would object to extra treasures that could aid their tribulation crossing?

Liuguang shot her a glance. “I didn’t dismantle my own tribulation array—I took apart a remnant array in the ruins of the Tianyuan Sect.”

“Tsk... ruthless as ever!”

Master Tianmu accepted his terms.

She agreed to provide the crystal precisely because of Liuguang’s reckless ways. The Tianyuan Sect ruins were among the most perilous in the Xuan Realm, and even those at the True Immortal level might not return alive. That Liuguang would brave such peril for artifact forging proved the crystals’ importance.

Immortal Lingxiao, seeing Liuguang so easily sway two parties, spoke up with some reluctance. “You can have the Dragon-Elephant Turtle, but the Scarlet Vermilion Bird is my lifeblood. Don’t even think about it!”

“The Scarlet Vermilion Bird is your lifeblood? Hah, anyone listening would think it was your father!”

Liuguang mocked, “I really can’t fathom the bond between you and a beast. Have you two crossed some kind of species barrier?”

“Speak like a human for once!”

Lingxiao’s temper flared instantly. “If you don’t want me to risk everything, stop eyeing the Scarlet Vermilion Bird. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens!”

“Think carefully—this is for your own good. As long as you’re bonded with the Scarlet Vermilion Bird, you’ll never set foot in the True Immortal realm!”

“If you know I am bonded, you shouldn’t make such demands!”

The two were at an impasse.

Finally, Liuguang relented. “Since you won’t part with the Scarlet Vermilion Bird, give me a pair of its eggs. Don’t tell me the Beast Mastery Sect has none—I saw your father laying eggs with my own eyes.”

“You... shameless!”