After saying these words, Daoist Qinglong left cradling that insect-bodied form, leaving Nan Zhi standing alone in the ruins.
Over the past few days, Shen Luohe had frequently sent out the temple's personnel. The vast Demon Suppression Monastery was now as silent as a dead temple.
Despite such a huge commotion, surprisingly, no one came to investigate.
Nan Zhi could tell that Daoist Qinglong was already harboring killing intent. If she so much as stepped outside the boundaries of the Demon Suppression Monastery, she would likely anger the madman further; he wouldn't even wait three days and would immediately plant the Mayfly Wood in her.
Qinglong acted perversely, braving the condemnation of the world to sacrifice human lives and forcibly recall Immortal Danxia's soul, throwing in thousands of innocent lives to sustain it. Furthermore, for his own selfish desires, he had harvested human hearts to refine evil pills, indirectly causing the tragic incident of the Yin Yang Road in the past.
Nan Zhi knew full well that now that she was privy to such a shocking secret, if the planting of the Mayfly Wood failed, he would never let her leave alive.
The memories of being hunted by Huiyuan were still vivid. Being targeted and pushed around like a soft target would spark anger in even the mildest soul.
Flee?
He was a Late-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Although the world was vast, hiding and living in constant fear day in and day out would be utterly miserable.
Qinglong viewed her as a living human pillar, nothing more than a disposable consumable.
But after today, Nan Zhi viewed him as a thorn in her side, a splinter in her flesh. As long as he was not eliminated, she would never find peace of mind.
Even if to others, a Foundation Establishment cultivator trying to kill a Nascent Soul powerhouse was nothing short of a pipe dream, and they might call her a mantis trying to stop a carriage or a mayfly trying to shake a tree—so what?
If a cultivator did nothing but flee, the breath of resolve held in their chest would dissipate, and they might never muster the courage to fight again in the future.
Even if it were a mountain of blades, she would climb it.
Even if it were a sea of fire, she would charge through it.
Qinglong had to die.
But first, she needed to consolidate every single resource she could exploit.
Nan Zhi brushed off the nonexistent dust from her sleeves, her expression calm.
...
...
Over these three days, Nan Zhi remained remarkably quiet. She made no attempt to flee, nor did she try to see Immortal Danxia again. She simply sat cross-legged in cultivation atop the highest pavilion in the monastery.
The storage bag Qinglong had given her was indeed filled with spirit herbs and pills that were extremely rare on the outside: Biyuan Grass, Floating Dream Flowers, and Scarlet Flame Fruits.
There were even several types of marrow-cleansing and tendon-forging pills that Nan Zhi had seen on the Demon Suppression Division's military merit exchange board.
Nan Zhi naturally had no fear of Qinglong tampering with them. She found a Marrow-Cleansing Pill suitable for herself, placed one under her tongue, and slowly refined its medicinal power.
【Cultivator Nan Zhi has consumed the liquid of a Marrow-Cleansing Pill and seems to have gained something. Constitution +1】
【Cultivator Nan Zhi has consumed the liquid of a Marrow-Cleansing Pill and seems to have gained something. Constitution +1】
【Cultivator Nan Zhi has consumed the liquid of a Marrow-Cleansing Pill and seems to have gained something. Constitution +1】
...
Daoist Qinglong seemed certain that Nan Zhi was isolated and without aid, and since she was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, her current behavior suggested she had accepted her situation.
Thus, on the night before the planting of the Mayfly Wood, he ordered Shen Luohe to deliver some body-tempering pills.
“Master says that after tomorrow, he will accept you as his closed-door disciple. When the Qingjing Sect holds its disciple selection next year, you can return to the sect with him and cultivate in its quiet, tranquil grounds.”
Shen Luohe still had a smile on his face, but he no longer dared to raise his eyes to look at his friend. His hands gripped his fan so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
“Nan Zhi, I know I've wronged you this time. It was only to practice my sword and for the safety of my fellow disciples in the monastery that I had no choice but to trick you into coming here...
I know I should offer my life in apology, but there are still more important things waiting for me to do. Once tomorrow's matter is resolved, I will definitely pay with my life.”
“There's no need for apologies. Just when did you find out that Daoist Qinglong was the culprit behind all of this?”
Nan Zhi stared intently at Shen Luohe, refusing to miss a single shift in his expression.
“Where did Fellow Daoist Hua go? Was she silenced after finding out about this, or is she imprisoned in this monastery like me?”
“You don't need to worry about Junior Sister. She is not in the monastery right now. A Nascent Soul cultivator's divine sense is vast, keeping the entire Demon Suppression Monastery under surveillance. If not for you drawing his attention, I wouldn't have found an opportunity to send her away.”
Shen Luohe bowed solemnly to Nan Zhi. When he stood back up, a trace of grief flashed in his eyes.
“Back then, Junior Sister and I investigated all the way back to the source, only to discover that the root of the white tiger demon disaster originated from the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Division.
Junior Sister was straightforward and outspoken, so she took the evidence to confront Master. The two of us had initially thought, just like you, that Master Mo was harboring evil intentions and plotting in secret, but we never expected...”
“But you never expected the mastermind to be Daoist Qinglong, the Temple Master of the Demon Suppression Monastery—your wonderful master who treated you like a father. Not only did he candidly admit to it, but he also had you use my family to lure me into his trap.”
Hearing that Hua Xijian was safe, Nan Zhi added:
“Over the past few days, you've been using the excuse of demon slaying to send out all the demon suppressors in the monastery because you're afraid that Daoist Qinglong's planting of the Mayfly Wood would be exposed to the public!
Is Qinglong really not afraid that the Qingjing Sect will find out about his actions, or that he will attract a heavenly tribulation and ruin everything at the final step?”
As expected, Shen Luohe knew a great deal. Hearing this, he merely shook his head.
“The Demon Suppression Monastery beneath your feet is built upon Master's natal magic treasure, the ‘Three-Fire Candle Turtle Ruler’. The entire monastery moves according to Master's will.
The ‘Three-Fire Candle Turtle Ruler’ was refined from the horns of the ancient mythical beast, the Kui Ox, and the spirit of a Candle Turtle. It is a secret treasure that can conceal the secrets of heaven. Over the years, it is this very treasure that has concealed Master's actions and masked the heavenly portents.
In addition, Master Mo has laid out a formation centered around the Demon Suppression Tower, which can ward off demons and prevent any outside probing. Unless a higher-stage cultivator is present to break the formation and send a message...
Otherwise, let alone a plea for help, not even a single mosquito within the borders of the Great Song could fly into the mortal realm.”
No wonder this Demon Suppression Monastery was built far from towns, situated in the wild Gobi Desert with no sign of human habitation for a hundred li around.
It turned out Qinglong had prepared all of this for his plan.
No wonder Qinglong had absolutely no fear of the Demon Suppression Division finding out.
The communication channels between the mortal realm and the cultivation world were blocked, and Nun Miaoyun and the others had their hands tied by the monk Huiyuan, unable to spare any attention.
Cultivation knew no passage of time, with units of measurement easily spanning thousands of years. Unless someone specifically went looking, no one would ever think to check on the century-long state of a single mortal country.
Even if the Qingjing Sect realized something was wrong in the future and sent people to investigate, by then, the Great Song would already be devastated, and Qinglong would have completed his divine technique. Once he fled into the mortal world with Immortal Danxia, who could possibly track him down?
Qinglong acted without fear because he was certain that no high-stage cultivator would monitor a single mortal nation at all times.
Below the Nascent Soul stage, he was confident that no one in the mortal realm could match him.
“There is great terror between life and death. Master possesses punishments far more terrifying and spine-chilling than any worldly torture you could ever imagine.”
Shen Luohe's face was pale, as if recalling something, but he forced himself to advise:
“Tomorrow, you must not show any disrespect to Master. As long as you survive tomorrow, perhaps... there might still be a glimmer of hope.”
Nan Zhi suddenly caught the underlying meaning in his words. She cast a sharp glance at him, but Shen Luohe seemed to be merely going through the motions. He dropped off the items, turned around, and departed on his flying boat.
—What kind of play was this?
Master and disciple turning against each other?
Though bewildered, Nan Zhi silently took note of it.
At this moment, the moonlight was bright and clear, with not a single dark cloud in the sky. Sitting on the roof tiles of the pavilion and looking down, she could see everything in the Demon Suppression Monastery at a glance.
Rate on N.U.
