Chapter 312: Chapter 312

When she spoke of ascension and the “supreme truth” of a pure, unstained consciousness, Li Xun was all ears. But there was something off about this method she described… why did it feel so weird?

Li Xun mulled it over, then smirked. “Most of what you just said is still pure speculation on your part. Otherwise you wouldn’t have ended up in this pathetic situation.”

Yin Wanderer didn’t seem bothered at all. His fingers didn’t loosen or tighten even a fraction; she said calmly: “Everything’s hard at the start. Nobody ascends in one leap, and nobody comes out of the womb already knowing these principles.

“If you want to stand out among a million cultivators, it’s not enough to cultivate through the stages of ‘three transformations and two truths.’ You also have to roll around in the real world and be tempered by it. But by the time your strength is sufficient and the principles are clear, you’re already tangled up in countless worldly threads. Tug on one and the whole web moves. How could you possibly cut yourself free so easily?

“I got involved with Jade Wanderer through my elder sister. Through Jade Wanderer, I betrayed my sect and went down the wrong path. That led me to Zhong Yin, and Zhong Yin led me to you. One link after another, endlessly intertwined, full of variables. It wouldn’t be fair to say I fell this far because of you alone.”

At that point, her hands paused. Suddenly, she broke into a bright smile. “That said, I admit it. When I ran into you, I was arrogant. I couldn’t see clearly what kind of trouble it really was, yet I thought I understood all the pros and cons. In the end, I didn’t clean things up properly. Ending up like this? Honestly, I can’t say I didn’t deserve it.”

Li Xun knew damn well she was just flattering him, but it still felt good. He let out a loud laugh, reached out and hooked his arm around her slender neck. As the beauty let out a low, throaty moan, he pulled her down hard. Their lips and tongues tangled , but in the middle of it all, Li Xun’s mind stayed oddly clear.

Pros and cons. Variables. Uncertainties… In the more than seventy years I’ve lived, how many things I’ve done actually measured up to these standard?

The answer was honestly a pretty depressing one.

After days of on-and-off snow, it finally stopped for good, leaving behind a bright, clear sky. The heavens were unusually clean; not a single wisp of cloud in sight, just a blue so sharp it almost hurt to look at. Under that kind of sky, Li Xun and the others left Lianxia Mountain far behind, flying on in quiet silence.

Because of what happened with Shan Zhi, Ming Song had been placed in seclusion and barred from leaving. This threw the sect into total chaos and caught everyone off guard. Luo Nanchuan, who had originally been meant to lead the group, had to stay behind to handle sect affairs so their remaining strength would not be weakened. As a result, the cultivators heading to the Water Mirror Assembly were now led by Ming Ji.

So the group was made up of Ming Ji, a direct-line second-generation immortal master, along with Ming Huo, a collateral-branch immortal master. Add to that Li Xun, Wu Lingquan, Ling Zhe, and Ling Ji, four third-generation disciples, and the party was far more streamlined than on any previous journey.

That said, setting Ming Ji and Li Xun aside, Wu Lingquan and Ling Zhe were ranked among the “Three Spirits of Mingxin,” the very best of the third-generation disciples.

As for Ming Huo, who kept a notably low profile within the sect, his cultivation among the collateral branches was second only to Ming Je, Ling Ji’s master. He had already stepped into the True Person realm thirty years ago and was counted among the sect’s top experts.

Come to think of it, this Immortal Master Ming Huo also had a bit of history with Li Xun. Back then, it was he who could not withstand Li Xun’s grandfather’s relentless devotion to the Dao and brought Li Xun up the mountain, setting him on a completely different path in life. Looking back now, it seemed likely that Ming Huo had been thoroughly “bewitched” by Blood Wanderer at the time, which was what led to all these troubles in the first place.

Because of that connection, Li Xun figured they were fated in some way anyway. Ming Huo was also famous up on the mountain for having the mildest temper around. So along the journey the two of them traded remarks back and forth. Before long, what had been a somewhat distant relationship began to warm.

Still, for most of the time, the shadow of Shan Zhi hung over everyone’s hearts, making conversation difficult. As the days passed, the atmosphere only grew heavier. Even the usually carefree Ming Ji seemed to be preoccupied with something, noticeably quieter than usual.

In that kind of mood, even if Li Xun had been in the best spirits imaginable, he would not have been able to hold on to a shred of it.

The first couple of days were manageable. He chatted now and then with Ming Huo and Ling Zhe, offered a few words of comfort to Ling Ji, and didn’t feel much strain.

But as time went on, the irritation in his chest kept building. It was like someone had lit a fire under his ribs, and every breath he exhaled carried nothing but restless heat.

This was one of the aftereffects of cultivating the Blood God Child. His Heart Demon Refinement Method had already reached a small level of success, which naturally left him with far more violent and agitated impulses. The problem was that he had no good way to vent them. All he could do was silently recite calming techniques to steady his mind and force things down.

Kept up for too long, though, that pent-up inner fire only grew stronger. And those mind-calming methods became less and less effective.

Faced with that reality, Li Xun had no choice but to start thinking ahead. When the Water Mirror Assembly came around, it would be best to slip away during the chaos and go let off some steam elsewhere. One way or another. The Mingxin Sword Sect really was not a place he could stay for long.

As that thought crossed his mind, another person suddenly came to him. She had practiced the same Heart Demon Refinement Method. How had Mistress Tianzhi managed to endure it back then? You could say her earlier methods had been crude and unrefined, but now? How was she dealing with it now?

That question fascinated Li Xun more than a little.

The closer they got to the Water Mirror Sect, the more cultivators they ran into along the way. Most of them were rogue cultivators, just there to see what the fuss was about. Every now and then they’d pass a sect group. Like the Boundless Heaven Sect, which was based on the Boundless Sea.

Those ox-nosed Daoists counted as near neighbors, and in their day-to-day conduct they could be called upright enough. Still, for hundreds if not thousands of years, they had been locked in an endless dispute with the Mingxin Sword Sect over the boundary between the East Sea and the Boundless Sea.

When the two groups crossed paths, the leading immortals exchanged only brief greetings before each side led their disciples off, widening the distance between them. They flew on at the same speed, facing each other from afar, the tension still there.

The two sword-riding formations were only a little over ten li apart. Under the clear sky, with everyone’s keen eyesight, every move the other side made was plain to see.

Compared to Mingxin Sword Sect’s small group of just six people, the opposing side cut a far more imposing figure. Four immortal masters led the way, with more than twenty disciples arranged above and below them in a structured formation, advancing through the air with overwhelming presence.

Strangely enough, having a rival to measure themselves against lifted the mood on the Mingxin Sword Sect’s side.

Ling Zhe, who had been holding it in for a long time, sidled over and let out a sly chuckle. “Looks like this bunch plans to stick with us all the way,” he said. “Junior Brother Xun, got any ideas to show them what’s what?”

Ling Zhe was the prized disciple of the “Sorrowing Wind Sword” Li Minghe. His temperament, though, couldn’t have been more different from his impassioned and heroic master. He was full of mischief, the kind who loved nothing more than stirring up chaos and watching the world burn.

Even so, he was unusually broad-minded. Over the years, the title of “the Three Spirits of Mingxin” had been completely overshadowed by Li Xun’s reputation, yet Ling Zhe never took it to heart. He still joked around with Li Xun as always, which Li Xun found genuinely likable.

With someone to talk to, the irritation in Li Xun’s chest eased a bit. He elbowed Ling Zhe back and laughed. “Give it a rest. If you annoy them so much they turn around and leave, and the Water Mirror Assembly ends up short a sect, our sect will be blamed by everyone. When that happens, are you taking responsibility, or am I?”

Bold as Ling Zhe was, even he did not dare joke about that. He shook his head at once, then let out a sigh. “I’m just bored out of my mind. Look at this trip. You can’t cry, you can’t laugh. It’s miserable… And have you seen Senior Brother Wu? He has no idea how to even talk to Ling Ji. Honestly, he ought to be grateful. Otherwise, Third Martial Uncle’s lifetime reputation might have been ruined by Shan Zhi alone.”

Ling Zhe’s words were clearly pointed. No one there was deaf, and everyone understood exactly what he meant.

The one most directly named was Wu Lingquan. He was usually the most attentive toward his junior brothers and sisters. Very much the reliable eldest-brother type. Yet because of what had happened with Shan Zhi, he had not spoken a single word to Ling Ji in the past few days of traveling. Even Li Xun ended up being given the cold shoulder. Hearing Ling Zhe’s remark, Wu Lingquan’s face twitched, but he still said nothing.

Li Xun sighed too. He could tell that Ling Zhe had deliberately said “didn’t know how” rather than “didn’t want to,” offering Wu Lingquan a way to save face. Seeing that it had struck home, Li Xun relaxed a little, then glanced at Ling Ji, who was flying close at his side.

Ling Zhe had not bothered to lower his voice, and there was clearly an intent to comfort Ling Ji as well. Sure enough, Ling Ji, who had kept his head down the entire time, lifted his face slightly. Gratitude filled his eyes, so strong it looked like he might cry.

Exchanging a look with Ling Zhe, Li Xun gave a small shake of his head, signaling him to keep it in check. Ling Zhe got the hint and switched topics, turning his barbs toward the ox-nosed Daoists of the Boundless Heaven Sect instead.

“Look at them,” he clicked his tongue. “Whisk in hand, pine-patterned sword on their backs, jade-colored robes, all bright and proper… … What a quintessential Boundless Heaven Sect. Every last one of them stamped out of the same mold!”

He’d raised his voice a bit, and everyone looked over at the group in the distance. They were dressed almost identically and flying in perfectly neat ranks. Ling Ji couldn’t hold it in and let out a muffled laugh.

Mingxin Sword Sect took in both secular and Daoist paths and had very few rigid rules, so its disciples all had distinct personalities. The Boundless Heaven Sect, on the other hand, was famous for its strict discipline. Its disciples were stiff and old-fashioned, and when trouble arose they tended to be narrow-minded and overly harsh. That was precisely why the sect did not rank among the Ten Righteous Sects.

Given Ling Zhe’s temperament, it was only natural that he found them hard to stomach.

Still, seeing him go a bit too far, Ming Ji, who had been watching with a smile, flicked a finger. A gust of force struck Ling Zhe on the shoulder. “It’s windy up here,” she said, half-scolding and half-amused. “Keep your voice down!”

Ling Zhe himself didn’t react much, but Immortal Master Ming Huo let out a cough and quickly turned his face away. Compared to Ling Zhe’s long-winded rant, the two Immortal Masters’ awkward reaction were way funnier. Li Xun was the first to crack up laughing out loud. Ling Zhe slapped him on the back, laughing so hard his eyes disappeared. Even Wu Lingquan’s face softened into a small smile.

Their laughter carried on the breeze, drawing attention from the other side. Seeing the looks shot their way, everyone lost it even harder, laughing without a shred of restraint.

Li Xun kept a smile plastered on his face, but in that moment his mind was already a million li away. He understood even more clearly now what gave Gu Yin that calm, unruffled confidence. Whether they were “righteous” sects or “demonic” ones, none of the major powers in the Tongxuan Realm had the slightest intention — or even the basic awareness — of truly uniting as one. Thousands upon thousands of years of grudges, feuds, and bad blood couldn’t be patched over that easily. No matter how hard anyone tried to smooth things out, there would always be cracks left wide open for someone to exploit…

This didn’t mean Ming Ji and the others were shortsighted or anything. It’s just that in this world, from ancient times till now, the most stable order had always been this way, and there’s never been any real need or reason to change it.

The grand alliance… heh. You think you can just slap some skin back together and have it actually match the muscle underneath?