Chapter Fourteen
Part 2
Just then, a voice tinged with age echoed from the heavens: “Tian Gui, do not push your luck. Xiaoyan Town falls under the jurisdiction of our Wuji Immortal Sect. You keep demanding the mortals here hand over the murderer of your junior disciple—but you know full well the truth.”
Tian Gui replied, “So it is the venerable Wuxin. My apologies. I hadn’t realized your divine powers extended so far as to observe this remote town from a thousand miles away. Heh…”
Strangely enough, the moment the venerable Wuxin spoke, Er Gouzi and the others felt the pressure lifting instantly. Without another word, Gouzi and Old Wen darted back into the small temple to continue roasting their beggar chicken.
Old Wen called out to Ah Heng, “What are you gawking at out here? They’re gods fighting—we’re just beggars. It’s none of our business.”
Gouzi chimed in, “Exactly! Instead of wasting time here, why not head over to Widow Wang’s field and grab some sweet potatoes to roast?”
Ah Heng chuckled, “I’ll just watch the spectacle for a bit. You two don’t need to worry about me.”
Old Wen shook his head with a sigh and said to Gouzi, “Ah Heng is a hard one to figure out. Sometimes he seems like a simple fool, other times he seems to see things clearer than anyone. Sometimes he just stares off into space, but other times you get the feeling he’s full of mischief.”
Gouzi chuckled. “Just let him watch. We won’t share the chicken drumsticks with him later.”
Ah Heng felt utterly helpless. Was he really that bad? He admitted he wasn’t good at expressing his feelings, occasionally spoke like a jinx, and sometimes had strange insights and behaviors. But deep down, he believed he was fundamentally a good person.
Ah Heng sat on a stone by the doorway, listening to the two old men converse across the distance for a full half-hour. His heart twisted into a knot. Couldn’t these cultivators just speak plainly? They kept attacking each other indirectly, twisting every sentence into convoluted loops. Even a fool would be lost trying to follow their meaning.
“When I have my own sect someday, I’ll make sure my disciples speak plainly.” Ah Heng made a painful decision. “It’s been half an hour already, and they’re still at it.” If they kept arguing like this, Ah Heng wouldn’t even want to listen to gossip anymore.
The Wuji Immortal Sect and the Extreme Bliss Immortal Sect were geographically quite close. The patriarch of the Wuji Immortal Sect was none other than the Heartless Daoist, who was rumored to have already reached the late Nascent Soul stage. The Patriarch of the Ultimate Bliss Immortal Sect, Tian Gui Zi, was just a notch below, having only recently reached the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
Tian Huan Zhenren was the most powerful cultivator in the Ultimate Bliss Immortal Sect and also the younger brother of the sect’s Patriarch, Tian Gui Zhenren. Tian Huan was utterly devoted to cultivation and disliked handling the sect’s mundane affairs, so he served as the Grand Elder of the Ultimate Bliss Immortal Sect. Tian Gui Zhenren always looked out for his younger brother, reserving the best opportunities for Tian Huan.
Previously, the Extreme Bliss Immortal Sect and the Limitless Immortal Sect joined forces to explore the ruins of an ancient powerhouse. Within the ruins, Tian Huan clashed with a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Limitless Immortal Sect over a spirit sword. Though Tian Huan ultimately claimed the sword, the feud was set in stone.
When Tian Huan met his end in Xiaoyan Town, Qin Shiwei and Huang Dingfeng witnessed a colossal beast tearing apart their master and senior master. Upon returning, they desperately summoned Tian Gui Zhenren, who was in seclusion. Hearing of his younger brother’s murder, Tian Gui Zhenren was overcome with grief, consumed by a burning desire to slaughter every mortal in Xiaoyan Town to avenge Tian Huan.
Once calmer, Tian Gui discreetly sent men to Xiaoyan Town to retrieve Tian Jizi’s body. Yet Tian Huan’s remains vanished without a trace. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, his flesh contained abundant spiritual energy. Qin Shiwei and the others surmised that a demon beast must have devoured their senior master’s corpse.
The sequence seemed logical yet was riddled with oddities. First, Qin Shiwei claimed they encountered a monster absorbing human spiritual energy in Xiaoyan Town. Then, Tian Jizi and Tian Huan came to investigate only to be swallowed by a giant beast. But where was this monster? Where was this demon beast?
Xiaoyan Town happened to be an inconspicuous settlement under the jurisdiction of the Wuji Immortal Sect. Tian Gui Zhenren didn’t believe for a moment that this was all coincidence. He suspected his junior disciples had been ambushed by the Wuji Immortal Sect—that the spirit-energy-absorbing monster and the demon beast capable of tearing Tian Huan and Tian Ji apart with a single claw were both traps set by the sect.
The Wuji Immortal Sect’s Patriarch Wuxin was on the verge of breaking through to the Out-of-Body Realm. Over the past ten thousand years, cultivators capable of achieving this breakthrough in the Spirit-Taming Realm were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. If Patriarch Wuxin perished in the heavenly tribulation, the Wuji Immortal Sect would stand no chance against the Extreme Bliss Immortal Sect.
Tian Gui concluded that Wuxin must have feared his own demise, so he paved the way for the Wuji Immortal Sect in advance. The Extreme Bliss Immortal Sect originally had only him and Tian Huan as Nascent Soul cultivators, with just a handful of Golden Core cultivators. By killing Tian Huan and Tian Ji, the Extreme Bliss Immortal Sect would be unable to stand against the Wuji Immortal Sect!
Ah Heng listened below, his lips twitching. This was nothing but an old man’s wild imagination running wild. As the most crucial witness in the story, the monster that absorbed human spiritual energy and the demon beast capable of tearing Tian Huan apart with a single swipe had already been reimagined by Tian Gui as Wu Xin’s magic. Tsk. That powerful imagination—Ah Heng was ready to bow down to him.
The wrongly accused Wuji Immortal Sect was also annoyed. Wuxin thought, You’re just picking a fight for no reason. If you’ve got the guts, let’s settle this in a fair duel. Stop whining like a woman from behind.
Tian Gui spoke again: “I can’t beat you yet, Wuxin. Though I’m no match for you now, my sect will become immensely powerful in the future.”
Ah Heng actually stood there clutching his beggar’s staff, utterly dumbfounded, listening to their half-hour tirade. Arguing among the great sages sure was convenient—they could transmit their voices across thousands of miles, dragging a bunch of bystanders into their quarrel…
Old Wen beckoned Ah Heng: “Ah Heng, come inside. Wandering out like that—don’t you want to live? Are you trying to make sure they know you’re that spirit-sucking thing?”
Gouzi shrugged indifferently: “Our shabby temple can’t resist cultivators’… um… divine sense anyway. Heard once that sense sweeps through, nothing stays hidden. Ah Heng, coming in won’t help.” Ah Heng, you really can absorb spiritual energy? What’s that like? Tasty?”
Ah Heng’s mouth twitched. The conversation had veered so far off track he couldn’t respond. But Tian Gui and Wuxin were so powerful—once their divine sense swept over him, he’d have nowhere to hide. Why didn’t Tian Gui use his divine sense like Tian Ji and Tian Huan?
Truth is, people are biased. They only see what they want to see. Take now, for instance. Tian Gui was convinced Wuxin was behind this mess, while Wuxin was certain Tian Gui was framing him. These two old men clung to their own judgments, preferring to bicker fiercely across the void rather than join forces to uncover the truth.
A Heng had heard enough. He turned to head back into the dilapidated temple, leaving the two old men to squabble however they pleased. Suddenly, he felt something terrifying fix its gaze upon him. Every cell in Ah Heng’s body trembled, screaming to hide.
He spun around, turning his back to the dilapidated temple and scanning his surroundings intently. But… there was nothing there. Yet that thing that filled him with dread and made him shake continued to stare at him. Cold sweat broke out on Ah Heng’s skin. What on earth was this? Could it be that demon beast coming for him?
No. This thing felt a thousand times more dangerous than a leopard. What was it that made him feel like thorns were piercing his back?
Author’s Note:
Wen Heng: I feel like something terrifying is watching me…
Lian Wushang: Hmm.
Wen Heng: Looking closely, it turns out it’s just my own pet staring at me.
Lian Wushang: …
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://novels.space/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")
