Chapter 303: At the Hehuan Sect, Do Not Disturb
“Let me be clear—my communication talisman was being played with by my kid. I had nothing to do with this.”
“My communication talisman got soaked and broke—it connected on its own. I didn’t say a single word.”
“I’m old and don’t know how to use these things. Oh, it’s already connected?”
“I’m a thief. I stole this from the Four Seas Dragon Palace. It’s my first time using one—by the way, the Four Seas Dragon Palace doesn’t know about this.”
Only Ji Zhi’s excuse was different from the others: “I saw the outcome long ago with my dual pupils. I just came for the comedy.”
Bai Hongtu gritted his teeth. “Ji Zhi, you son of a b*tch…”
“Everyone, don’t panic. Bai Hongtu’s idea was quite good. I’m not angry,” Jiang Li said to reassure the crowd as they all pretended they weren’t involved and tried to slip away.
“Even though the Nine Provinces Spirit Plant Grand Array won’t be able to defeat me, it’s still very useful as a secret weapon for protecting the Nine Provinces.”
Something about Jiang Li’s words didn’t sit right with Bai Hongtu.
“This matter concerns the defense of the Nine Provinces. The Human Sovereign Hall should also contribute. After the meeting, I’ll assign two capable commanders to assist.”
Jiang Li planned to give the Ma Zhuo couple something to do.
He asked Bai Hongtu for the formation diagram of the Spirit Plant Array and clearly explained the tasks to the various factions present, defining boundaries and responsibilities.
“Your Mortal World Celestial Lands are unique and not suitable for entering sect territory to lay the array. Instead, you can serve as the core of the formation, with the Celestial Peach Tree as the core of the core. Is that okay?”
Holy Maiden Jingxin turned red under Jiang Li’s gaze and replied softly,
“Okay.”
Once everything was arranged, Jiang Li dismissed everyone.
They all left with their heads hanging low, as if disappointed they hadn’t managed to mess with Jiang Li.
“Old Bai, don’t go just yet.” Jiang Li called out to Bai Hongtu, who was so startled he thought Jiang Li wanted a final showdown.
“Do you know where the Artifact Peak Master is?”
“Why do you want him?”
“I picked up some clothes by the roadside—thought they might be his. I want to return them.”
“What clothes?”
“Invisibility clothes.”
“Sounds like a normal enough name. Doesn’t really sound like his style…”
“It only makes clothes invisible.”
“Then it’s definitely his.”
“Is he at Artifact Peak?”
“No, he’s out on business.”
“Where is he? I’ll go find him.”
Bai Hongtu looked strange. “Hehuan Sect. You sure you wanna go?”
“……” Jiang Li was silent for a moment, but figured he was a man of his word.
“You’re coming with me.”
“Alright then.”
…
Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu met up on the way to the Hehuan Sect and chatted casually.
“You know anything about the Three Corpses Severing cultivation method?”
Bai Hongtu looked at Jiang Li curiously, unsure why he was asking. “I know the general idea, but not the specific techniques.”
“If you’re looking to actually learn how to sever the three corpses, I can’t help you—and even Immortal Elder Changcun probably can’t.”
“Just tell me what you know.” Jiang Li asked offhandedly.
“The ‘three corpses’ represent three types of obsessions within the body. Specifically, the good corpse, the evil corpse, and the self corpse. To cultivate the Three Corpses Severing method, one must split these corpses apart, then subdue them with immense willpower, cultivation power, and mental state, eventually merging them back into one. That’s when the path is complete.”
Bai Hongtu added mysteriously, “It’s said that severing the three corpses is a crucial step to attaining the Dao. Even in the Celestial Realm, few make it that far. What’s confirmed is that the Dao Ancestor of the Celestial Realm is definitely cultivating this method—we just don’t know how far he’s gotten.”
“Are you suggesting that our Dao Sect Dao Ancestor is one of the severed corpses?” Bai Hongtu asked naturally.
“That’s one possibility.” Jiang Li didn’t deny it.
Bai Hongtu nodded. “That’s what I think too. But Immortal Elder Changcun is cautious—he believes the Dao Ancestor might not be directly related to the Celestial Realm’s Dao Ancestor. With the vast power of the Celestial Realm, maybe he used some other method to create our Dao Sect’s Dao Ancestor.”
“That makes sense. The Dao Ancestor of the Celestial Realm is said to be one of the oldest beings, existing since the birth of the universe. Who knows what methods he might have?” Jiang Li didn’t blame Immortal Elder Changcun for being cautious.
“The only question is whether the Celestial Realm Dao Ancestor actually succeeded in attaining the Dao.”
Bai Hongtu gave Jiang Li a strange look. “If our Dao Sect Dao Ancestor is one of his corpses and he died… then how could the Celestial Dao Ancestor have succeeded?”
“True.” Jiang Li nodded.
They didn’t dwell too long on that topic—because they’d arrived at the Hehuan Sect.
…
The Hehuan Sect was worthy of its reputation as the most renowned pleasure-seeking sect in the Nine Provinces. Compared to the elusive and untouchable Mortal World Celestial Lands, the Hehuan Sect was far more familiar to the public.
Gorgeously dressed and attractive women posed gracefully at the entrance, their makeup light yet refined, exuding a gentle fragrance rather than anything overpowering.
The disciples of the Hehuan Sect didn’t wear overly revealing clothes. Some wore semi-transparent garments to evoke mystery, others wore form-fitting outfits to accentuate their curves, and still others wore outfits from other sects with seductive expressions.
They believed that seduction was a matter of strategy—simply showing skin was the lowest tier. To attract men, one needed mystery, novelty, and anticipation.
Men, after all, weren’t intrigued by nakedness, but by what one wore.
The Hehuan Sect was a legitimate orthodox sect, emphasizing the harmony of yin and yang and the complementarity of men and women. The Hehuan dual cultivation methods benefited both partners greatly.
That was how the Hehuan Sect described itself. And everyone who’d ever visited agreed—so calling it an orthodox sect was surprisingly convincing.
The Hehuan Sect had close ties with the Human Sovereign Hall. Many generations of Human Sovereigns had liked to hang around there to “let loose.”
Jiang Li’s generation was no exception—he had even closer ties.
Commander Ma Zhuo was a hidden elder of the Hehuan Sect.
Though members of the Human Sovereign Hall weren’t allowed to join other sects, both commanders had joined secretly. Without proof, they couldn’t be expelled.
Plus, they provided technical instruction, contributed unilaterally, and never asked for anything in return. At most, it was volunteer work—not actual membership.
That was the official explanation Commander Liu had given Jiang Li.
When Jiang Li asked for the real reason, Liu’s answer was:
“Generations of Human Sovereigns have asked me to take care of the Hehuan Sect.”
Jiang Li had no choice but to pretend he didn’t know Commander Ma Zhuo was part of the sect.
“This isn’t our first time here, is it?” Bai Hongtu recalled past events as they arrived.
“Right. That time, you challenged me and got sent flying—smashed through a bunch of buildings before crashing into the Hehuan Sect.”
“Not that time. I mean when the demonic cultivators hid here, and we came to search for them.”
Jiang Li remembered. “Oh yeah, that was our second visit. We were still young then. The Hehuan Sect’s temptations were no joke—but I had a strong Dao heart and resisted. Did you hold out?”
Bai Hongtu dodged the question. “Let’s go in.”