Chapter Eighty-Nine: Disciples of the Dao Sect

If I dislike it, then it is a demon in my eyes, so I killed him.

From afar, the old Daoist holding a long banner chuckled and said, "What a domineering temperament. But if one acts only by personal likes and dislikes, and one’s Daoist heart later drifts off course, would that not make one a wanton, unruly fiend?"

Shen Yu said, "My Daoist heart is clear and bright; so long as it remains unstained, it will not stray."

"As expected, disciples of the Daoist sect all carry themselves as though they are the greatest under heaven."

Liu Shouyi rolled his eyes, finding it all rather dull. He turned and smiled at her. "Little disciple, it is time for us to go."

This immortal elder of the Kunlun sacred land had shown Lu Caiwei an unexpected indulgence and tenderness. He had even personally helped repair Elder Qu Zheng’s lonely grave, then recited a rite for the departed, without the slightest air of an immortal cultivator.

Lu Caiwei, who had at first been flustered and at a loss, was now much calmer.

Again, she instinctively looked toward Shen Yu.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Once you reach Mount Kunlun, you may remove the mask from your face."

Lu Caiwei’s eyes reddened at once, and she said with grievance, "Actually, I really am very pretty."

In the heart of a young woman still new to such feelings, when she cherishes someone, she always wants to show the most beautiful side of herself.

Most female cultivators in this world possess an ethereal, otherworldly grace, a change brought about by years of being nourished by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

But there is also a body of pure clarity, born innately of heaven and earth’s clean qi, spotless and flawless, like pure glass.

Women who possess such a constitution, whether or not they cultivate, have always been among the most beautiful in the world.

Their elegance is unmatched, without exception.

"I know," Shen Yu said with a nod. "That is why you must cultivate earnestly, and not waste the talent you were given."

Lu Caiwei lowered her head slightly, then asked, "But what if next time you do not recognize me?"

The old Daoist Liu Shouyi saw this and let out a heavy sigh, only feeling that matters of the heart were truly beautiful, troublesome things, and that perhaps he really was old now.

Lu Caiwei suddenly turned back and gave him a fierce glare.

Liu Shouyi immediately coughed twice and looked solemnly into the distance.

In the end, the two of them still left, vanishing in an instant beyond the horizon.

Shen Yu stood quietly by the lakeshore.

Lu Caiwei had taken the jade-green sword with her.

And Liu Shouyi had not done anything.

That, in truth, was strange.

The other party had traveled here from afar in pursuit of him, so he must have had some purpose, and certainly not merely to "take a look," as he had said.

Yet Shen Yu only knew that Liu Shouyi had finally given up the thought of striking at him, not the reason why.

Why, exactly?

Shen Yu frowned. The demon emperor Shang Yang had once spoken to him in similarly baffling terms.

He thought perhaps it had something to do with the rain from those years ago, or even with the old Shen family residence.

"You are Shen Yu of the Daoist sect?"

A calm voice sounded from behind him.

Only then did he realize that, at some unknown point, countless people had appeared by the lakeshore, all disciples of the Returning Cloud Immortal Sect.

A crowd of young disciples surrounded Shen Yu menacingly, while more of them chose to watch from afar.

Shen Yu glanced once, and then understood what was happening.

The Returning Cloud Immortal Sect actually had many factions and a complicated web of relations, but from the robes worn by the people before him, it was easy to see that they were disciples under the former master, Zhong Shenluo.

Their purpose in coming was simple enough.

Shen Yu had killed their master, or more precisely, when Zhong Shenluo died, their once-lofty position immediately plunged to the bottom. That enormous contrast had turned their resentment toward Shen Yu.

There were also some who perhaps truly wished to avenge their master.

"Even if you are a disciple of the Daoist sect, my junior brother Yang Yiqing has had his cultivation crippled by you, and Elder Ximen died a miserable death. This debt can never simply be dismissed."

The leading man, dressed in purple and full of wealth and refinement, declared with righteous indignation, "I do not care how noble your status may be, nor how close an acquaintance you may be with Uncle Jiang. Even if our Returning Cloud Immortal Sect has fallen, I, Qingyunzi, will still act to seek justice for them."

He sounded very righteous, very stirring. The people around him seemed to gain some mysterious courage as well, and all echoed his words.

Shen Yu remained silent.

The man called Qingyunzi saw this, his eyes flashing, and felt greatly reassured. Just as he had thought.

Because the Returning Cloud Immortal Sect had many factions, once Master Zhong Shenluo died, the status and prestige of his direct disciple had fallen sharply.

But now, amid the turmoil of a sect undergoing a change of power, with internal and external troubles alike, this was also a perfect opportunity.

So long as he could do something to establish his authority among the Returning Cloud Immortal Sect’s disciples, to build his reputation among them, he would reap many benefits in the future.

And now the solitary Shen Yu had become the perfect target for him to recover his old standing. The fame of the Daoist sect, one of the Nine Sacred Lands, was great indeed, but at the same time it could also serve as leverage.

If word of this spread within the sect, that he had made the second disciple of the mighty Daoist sect’s master kneel and admit fault, then perhaps Qingyunzi’s name could spread across all the spirit-wasteland.

As for how the other party would react, in the Returning Cloud Immortal Sect, under the pressure of so many people, the outcome was surely all but guaranteed.

He had been familiar with such intricate calculations and methods since childhood, learned from his father, who had served as an official in the mortal dynasty.

At last Shen Yu raised his head, seeming truly curious as he asked, "And so?"

"Naturally, you will come with me to junior brother Yang Yiqing’s dwelling and kneel before Senior Uncle Ximen’s grave to admit your mistakes and obtain their forgiveness."

The handsome man called Qingyunzi felt the stick had been heavy enough, and now it was time to offer a sweet date. He said softly, "Only then can my Returning Cloud Immortal Sect and the Daoist sect put aside our past grievances. Our enmity can be dissolved, and the two of us can live in peace."

"I finally understand why the Returning Cloud Immortal Sect has become what it is."

Shen Yu looked toward the ruined remnants in the distance and said earnestly, "Why not stop rebuilding it? In any case, it will only be destroyed again sooner or later."

Qingyunzi’s expression turned cold. A disciple behind him shouted angrily, "What do you mean by that? How can my Returning Cloud Immortal Sect be insulted by you in this way?"

No sooner had he spoken than many disciples’ eyes turned hostile, and they all placed hands upon the spirit treasures and immortal swords at their waists.

"The meaning is that you trash have no need to found a sect at all. Is that so hard to understand?"

At this moment, another cold voice came from behind the crowd.

"Courting death! How dare you slander my Returni—"

Qingyunzi ignored the address of "Senior Brother Shen" that the other had used. Perhaps because he had the advantage in numbers, he whirled around abruptly, and in the next instant froze in place.

In the sky not far away, no fewer than several dozen people hovered upon flying objects, their robes billowing, each bearing a powerful spirit treasure or immortal sword with overwhelming force and oppressive presence.

Qingyunzi trembled all over.

Dozens of cultivators with profound cultivation realms, and such surging, thunderous spirit treasure pressure, could only come from one place.

The young man at the front, with star-bright brows and sword-sharp eyes, stood tall and handsome as he swept his gaze over the scene and asked coldly, "What were you just about to do?"

Feeling that killing intent, held in check but never released, not only did Qingyunzi force out an awkward smile, but the disciples behind him, who had moments ago been so aggressive, also began to avert their eyes, too afraid to meet his gaze.

In the outside world, the Daoist sect was known not only in the southern barbarian demon lands, but throughout all the sects under heaven, for its domineering nature and fierce protection of its own.

With nothing more than a single look, the Returning Cloud Immortal Sect disciples instantly seemed like apprentices being reprimanded by their elders.

These invisible pressures were precisely the accumulated authority of the Daoist sect over thousands of years, forged through countless battles against great demons of the demon lands and the strong of the world.

This was the enormous chasm between the world’s first-rate great sects and the sacred lands: unseen, intangible, yet very real.

"I heard you wanted Senior Brother Shen to apologize to you trash?"

"And your Returning Cloud Immortal Sect still claimed it wanted to live in peace with us?"

"Senior Brother Shen is too disdainful to bother with you, and you actually imagined that meant he was afraid of you?"

The handsome young man in the Daoist sect’s green robe in the sky had a face like ice as he looked at Qingyunzi and said, word by word, "What do you think you are? Or do you simply place far too much importance on the Returning Cloud Immortal Sect? You trash, and you dare compare yourselves with my Daoist sect?"

Humiliated so openly before the assembled crowd, Qingyunzi’s face turned livid. He instinctively stepped forward and said, "Your Daoist sect..."

A fierce palm force came crashing down.

Qingyunzi had no chance to react. His entire body was sent straight smashing into the lake water, rolling once before a streak of crimson bloomed across the surface.

By the time everyone reacted, several breaths had already passed, and then they all showed looks of shock.

"And you are worthy of calling out my Daoist sect’s name?"

The leader stood with his hands behind his back and said no more. Looking down at the disciples of the Returning Cloud Immortal Sect, whose faces were full of indignation, he asked, "Who else?"

His voice rang out bright and clear, echoing through heaven and earth.

The surroundings fell utterly silent.

From start to finish, Shen Yu had been staring toward the distance. Suddenly he recalled that years ago, Yu Wenwen had seemed to say something very much like this.

It seemed the disciples of the Daoist sect all had such a temperament.

Not bad.