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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
In front of the Grand Elder's spirit hall beneath the Azure Cloud Hall, many disciples donned mourning attire, and Song Qianqiu knelt beside the spirit tablet, her expression sorrowful.
Among the Daoist Sect, nine out of ten are solitary.
As the most respected figure in the Azure Cloud Sect, the Grand Elder treated all disciples equally, like a teacher and a father.
The Azure Cloud Sect is the foremost sect under the Five Great Supremes, and the Grand Elder held considerable prestige in the Daoist World. The Azure Cloud Sect had already sent out notices of mourning to their allies, and Daoists from various sects began to arrive to pay their respects.
"The Grand Elder was so kind-hearted; how could such a vile person dare to harm him? They deserve to be tortured to death," an elderly man who came to mourn said.
The Third Elder replied, "Once our allied Daoist friends arrive, I will execute that murderous scoundrel Yang Hao in front of all of you to avenge my senior brother."
"What is Yang Hao? How could such a nameless villain bring down the illustrious life of the Grand Elder? It’s truly a tragedy," others expressed their outrage and sorrow. Just then, the Azure Mountain Bell of the Azure Cloud Sect suddenly rang out, its loud sound echoing throughout the sect: "All disciples gather at Qingyun Pavilion."
Everyone looked up towards the direction of Azure Cloud Hall. With a loud clang, the Azure Mountain Bell was struck forcefully and landed on the ground in front of Qingyun Pavilion.
Moments later, as everyone gathered, the leader of Azure Cloud Sect glared at the disciple who had struck the bell and shouted angrily, "Who ordered you to ring the bell?"
The disciple who rang the bell knelt down hastily and replied, "Please forgive me, Sect Leader. Someone forced me to ring the Azure Mountain Bell and demanded an urgent gathering of disciples."
"Who has such audacity?" The Third Elder asked furiously.
"It was me," my voice unexpectedly reached everyone's ears as I appeared atop the massive Azure Mountain Bell.
"What kind of movement technique is this?" The crowd was startled by my sudden appearance.
"Shadow Shift," someone exclaimed in surprise as they looked at me.
The Third Elder was furious, pointing at me and saying, "Yang Hao, you have a lot of nerve! You killed the Grand Elder and still dare to escape from the dungeon!"
I replied, "I only came to show my fellow disciples and comrades from various sects something. I believe once everyone sees it, they will know who the real murderer of the Grand Elder is."
"The one who killed the Grand Elder is you! What more do you want to argue about? Someone, take this villain and kill him with a flurry of swords!" the Third Elder shouted at me.
"Wait," interrupted the Azure Cloud Sect Leader. He looked at me and said, "If you didn't kill the Grand Elder, then you must know who the murderer is."
I took out the Zhou Compass and addressed the crowd, "Although I don't know who the murderer is, the Taoist Sacred Artifact Zhou Compass does know. It has the ability to recreate time. As long as I adjust the pointer on the compass to the time when I left the Grand Elder, we can find out what happened."
"Is that really the Zhou Compass? One of the Eight Sacred Artifacts of the Taoist Sect, also known as the Treasure Compass? Whoever possesses the Zhou Compass can seek out all treasures and uncover every clue, exploring ancient and future mysteries," someone exclaimed excitedly.
"Who is this person? How does he possess a Taoist Sacred Artifact? Wasn't it lost hundreds of years ago when three monks from the Buddhist Sect took it away?"
The Third Elder snorted and said, "Who knows if what you brought out is real or fake? A Taoist Sacred Artifact? My Azure Cloud Sect is the first sect under the Five Great Supremes and we don't even have one. How could a despicable person like you possess such a thing? It's just some evil artifact meant to deceive people."
"Yes, there's no need to look at this trickery from an ungrateful and disloyal person," someone shouted.
"Let him use the Sacred Artifact," a cold voice came from above. Everyone turned to see a Red-Clad Woman standing on top of the Pavilion—Yunxi.
I looked at Yunxi and said, "Yunxi, in this Pavilion where so many people cannot see inside clearly, please level this place."
Yunxi nodded, her Dao Qi swirling around her. The crowd quickly exited from the Pavilion, and several disciples carried out the Grand Elder's body. Yunxi raised her palms slightly; energy dispersed in all directions as the Pavilion trembled and lifted off into the air, landing on a nearby cliff.
In the midst of dust and smoke, I descended from Azure Mountain Bell and walked to where the main hall of the Pavilion was located. I adjusted the pointer on the Zhou Compass; a green light emanated from its jade base, casting circles of Light Shadow from within.
Within those Light Shadows, I bid farewell to the Grand Elder as I stepped out of the Pavilion. The Grand Elder returned to his room and took out a silver box from a cabinet. He opened it to reveal a Camel Mountain Tortoise Pill inside.
At that moment, the Light Shadows flickered as Song Qianqiu walked in from outside the Pavilion. Song Qianqiu bowed to the Grand Elder and said, "Master."
The Grand Elder nodded and said, "Qianqiu, both of us have been restless, fearing that something significant may happen. Now, with only three days left until the deadline set by the Three Supreme Sects, and without Zhang Jianzi found, the major sects allied with the Azure Cloud Sect are too intimidated by the Sword Pavilion to offer any help. The calamity of Qingyun may be upon us."
Song Qianqiu replied, "Master, do not worry. I will ensure your safety."
The Grand Elder smiled and said, "Just take care of yourself. The Daoist Sect is always rife with conflict. Although I advocate for benevolence, I am not a fool. I will not shy away from what is to come. If Qingyun faces a crisis of extermination, neither the Guardian of the Mountain nor I will escape. At that time, do not engage with anyone from the Three Supremes; the farther you flee, the better."
"Master, as the chief disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, how could I abandon you in a time of crisis?" Song Qianqiu said with a sympathetic gaze.
"You are good in many ways, but you are too kind-hearted. Over the years, I have watched you grow from an ordinary talent into a pillar of our sect, and it truly brings me joy," the Grand Elder said as he took out a Tortoise Dan. "I intended to give this Tortoise Dan to you, but I discovered someone equally intelligent and eager to learn named Yang Hao. His cultivation is not as strong as yours, but he still has potential. I am considering whether to give this Tortoise Dan to him."
Song Qianqiu's expression changed slightly. "Yang Hao is indeed clever and eager to learn. If Master could take him as a disciple as well, Qianqiu would have a junior brother."
"It is good that you think this way," the Grand Elder replied. "After all, you are my eldest disciple. If you want this Tortoise Dan, I will not give it to anyone else. However, given that the Azure Cloud Sect is about to face great peril and is isolated and helpless, you must ensure the safety of your junior brothers during their retreat—especially those on the Dragon-Tiger List; they are the hope for our sect's future."
"In fact, I have a way to summon people from various sects when news spreads," Song Qianqiu said as he walked over to the table behind the Grand Elder and poured himself a cup of tea.
"Let’s hear it."
Just as the Grand Elder finished speaking, he felt a sharp pain in his neck. He reached back to touch it but was caught by Song Qianqiu who seized his wrist. A silver needle had been inserted into the back of the Grand Elder's neck.
"Qianqiu, what are you doing?" The Grand Elder's face changed dramatically.
Song Qianqiu scoffed and said, "What do you think I'm doing?"
Holding the teacup in front of him, Song Qianqiu stepped closer to face the Grand Elder directly. "Twenty years ago, when I was just eight years old and got into a fight with someone from our sect, you didn’t help me; instead, you punished me publicly by making me kneel in front of the Outer Hall all night. After that, how many times was I bullied while you turned a blind eye? You even told me that those who are entrusted with great responsibilities must first endure hardship and toil; does your theory really hold up in the Daoist Sect? Do you know that if it weren't for me secretly poisoning someone to death back then, I would be nothing now? Since I was eight years old, I've been thinking about how to harm others—all thanks to you. Did you know any of this?"
"Qianqiu..." The Grand Elder found it hard to adapt to Song Qianqiu's transformation.
"Ten years ago, on the second day after my coming-of-age ceremony, someone in our sect found a Wind Monkey's inner dan. At that time, I was only at Foundation Establishment Realm—the most critical period for building my foundation—and that inner dan would have been perfect for me. But because Second Elder asked you for it and you were too embarrassed to refuse him, you gave it to his disciple instead. I remember that boy’s name—Feng Xingyue—what a beautiful name! A once-in-a-century talent destined to be our future leader; he was even called the Wind Child of Daoist Sect. Unfortunately, in the end, I boiled him alive; you should have seen how he looked being cooked in boiling water—how tragic it was." As Song Qianqiu finished speaking, he let out an evil laugh filled with malice.
"The truth is, Feng Xingyue was not missing; it was you, the traitor, who killed him," the Elder's voice trembled.
"Yes, I killed him. In the Inner Sect, everyone on the Dragon-Tiger List was arranged by me. Whoever I wanted to put on the list went on, and whoever I wanted dead had to die, including the Old Sect Leader," Song Qianqiu said with a cruel smile on his face.
"The Old Sect Leader," the Elder could hardly believe Song Qianqiu's words.
Song Qianqiu continued, "Ten years ago, aside from you, the hypocrite who did nothing, everyone—including the Sect Master and all the Elders—joined forces to kill the Old Sect Leader because we suspected he was colluding with the Serpent Cult to betray the sect. The Old Sect Leader was severely injured and had no choice but to pass the position of Sect Master to Yun Donglai, using the South Sea Sect's secret techniques to transfer his power to Yunxi. But what you don't know is that it was all instigated by me. That old fox never imagined his disciples would want to kill him."
"You ungrateful wretch! Back then, members of the Serpent Cult admitted they were in cahoots with the Old Sect Leader to betray our sect. It was you who orchestrated everything!" the Elder cursed.
Song Qianqiu laughed heartily. "Yes, I am a beast, but so what? You are dead, and I am alive; that means I win. Unlike you, who nurtured me like a Saint while refusing to provide me with adequate resources. It has always been this way; even the Tortoise Dan was first offered to an outsider. Think about it: who betrayed whom first? What price did I pay to achieve what I have today from being an ordinary person? What you refused to give me, the Serpent Cult could provide. This is the cost of wanting a Saint; you should come to terms with it."
The Elder sighed. "I truly regret taking you as my disciple; you've brought great calamity upon Azure Cloud Sect."
"Likewise," Song Qianqiu said casually as he took a sip of tea and then poured the remaining contents over the Elder's head. "I have a method to summon people from various sects. With three days left until Zhang Jianzi is due to be handed over, many will rush here upon hearing of your death. Azure Cloud Sect will have helpers."
After finishing his words, Song Qianqiu clenched his fist and suddenly struck the Elder in the chest with all his might. The Elder's bones shattered as he fell to the ground, blood streaming from his seven orifices, eyes wide open as his Dao Qi dissipated.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you—Zhang Jianzi is in my hands," Song Qianqiu said, looking at the Elder's lifeless body. He threw his teacup beside the Elder's ear, shattering it into pieces before snorting and walking out of the Pavilion.
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