Chapter Seventeen: An Outrageous Act Against All Decency

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Dawn broke gently, dew glistening in the early light. A haze of mist veiled the undulating silhouette of distant forests and mountains.

A carriage traversed the wilds. The horse pulling it was a magnificent creature, jet black and muscular, its four hooves blazing with fire, as though a living mass of flame. Most astonishing of all—it bore seven heads.

This was a seven-headed steed, a symbol of status in the cultivation world. In this realm, one might lack flying treasures, but never a splendid mount. Only those imbued with the bloodline of divine beasts could be called such, and they were exceedingly rare and expensive.

The crisis in Filial Son Town had been resolved. Lu Shiqi and Chu Tiange went their separate ways; Lu Shiqi, along with Li Lingwei, who also possessed an extremely yin constitution, departed for Water Moon Sect.

In his previous life, Chu Tiange knew Lu Shiqi had never taken a disciple. But this time, to fulfill a promise made to a mother before her death, Lu Shiqi chose to become a master who could not mind a troublesome student.

Chu Tiange recalled Lu Shiqi’s words: “It’s my first time teaching, your first time learning; henceforth, let’s make allowances for each other.” Yet he understood—this was no mere compromise, for he’d seen the earnestness in her eyes.

“Tell me, do you think the underworld has projections of the living world?” Xiao Shijing suddenly mused aloud.

“I don’t know, but I’ve never come across any mention in the ancient records. After all, this isn’t the underworld, so it’s impossible to investigate,” Chu Tiange replied, shaking his head.

“However, I did read that long, long ago, there were no such projections. Then, tens of thousands of years ago, due to the upheaval in the Divine Abyss, shadows of the underworld began to manifest, casting themselves upon the mortal realm, thus creating a link to the netherworld—what became known as the Road of Yellow Springs. That’s the origin of these projections.” In his previous life, Chu Tiange was too useless for anything but solace in books, yet he had read much indeed.

“Damn it! Ever since the disaster in the Divine Abyss, this world has declined again and again. Back then, peerless immortals ruled the heavens, governed all races; everything revolved around the Nine Provinces like stars around the moon. It was an age of peace and prosperity for cultivation—there was no such strangeness,” Xiao Shijing fumed.

Tens of thousands of years ago, the calamity of the Divine Abyss echoed through all the realms, devouring seven continents—only Qingxuan and the Wildlands were spared. One lay in the far east, the other in the far north. The two continents stretched across billions of miles of ocean. Without the ancient intercontinental teleportation arrays, even a Godcrossing cultivator would need tens of thousands of years to traverse those perilous, icy seas.

Hearing Xiao Shijing mention that distant era, Chu Tiange felt a weight settle in his heart.

The world was no longer whole. If it weren’t so, the underworld would not be so restless, scheming to take the mortal realm and make it the stepping stone that sealed the Yellow Springs.

In his former life, the underworld succeeded, annihilating the human world.

But not this time. The mortal realm would not repeat its doom. This was not like rereading a book, gaining new insights but unable to change the ending.

History was veering off its original course. This rebirth marked a blank slate, a new canvas; a different ending would be painted.

The carriage rolled on. Chu Tiange sat within, eyes closed in contemplation.

What truly was the underworld? For tens of thousands of years, the sages born of the world’s destiny had sought answers, tried to dispel the netherworld’s plague, but all had failed.

Chu Tiange could only sigh.

The cold of the carriage made him draw a breath, and in the corner of his eye, he glanced at the figure beside Xiao Shijing.

It was the corpse of a woman, entombed in ice. Her spiritual consciousness had not dissipated. Xiao Shijing and Lu Shiqi had sealed her thus, intending to bring her back to the Morning Immortal Sect, saying there was a way to preserve her spirit.

“Is the method you mentioned truly possible?” Chu Tiange asked, unable to keep the doubt from his voice.

There were many strange arts, but he’d never heard of any true resurrection. Some records spoke of such things, but they were dark arts—summoning souls to possess corpses, reviving the dead for a time. Even if possible, it came at the cost of stealing the body, forever depriving the lingering soul of reincarnation.

“She is different. Her body had awakened intelligence; now she has merely lost the support of the underworld projection—in other words, she lacks pure yin energy. But we hold the Yin Pearl. The Grandmaster will know what to do.”

“You must know, the Grandmaster is said to be the wisest person in ten thousand years. Since you love books, have you ever heard his famous saying?” Xiao Shijing’s gaze, too, lingered on the figure beside him.

“Which saying?” Chu Tiange asked.

‘Give me a fixed point, and I will split apart the entire Qingxuan Continent.’

“It’s him!” Chu Tiange gasped in shock.

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A wisdom of ten thousand years—Ami Xiao! His true name—Xiao Yicai, Grandmaster Xiao!

A legendary figure, creator of countless miracles: allowing mortals to travel a hundred li a day, to fly, to speak across great distances—he was the lucky star of Qingxuan.

“That’s right. Grandmaster Xiao’s other identity is that of a genius inventor, Ami Xiao. His lifelong project was the conservation of energy.”

“The conservation of energy?” Chu Tiange was perplexed.

“Precisely,” Xiao Shijing replied. “The law of energy conservation has its roots here. My uncle called it ‘science.’ The existence of any matter or energy is justified only by the energy that sustains it; but what creates energy? It is both substance and air, something between the tangible and intangible.”

“The Grandmaster experimented with all kinds of materials, heating them with special methods, causing energy to expand and explode at high temperatures. Yet the result was always more energy—never did it turn into another material. That’s the law: energy is never lost, only transformed. He could divide energy into parts, each with different properties. For example, the energy from a tiny flame is wholly different from that of a great blaze.”

Chu Tiange listened, baffled, as Xiao Shijing expounded.

“In simple terms: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another, or transferred between objects. The total amount of energy remains constant. Or, a system’s total energy can only change if energy enters or leaves it.”

“For instance, water and ice hold the same energy. And as for ghosts and humans? The answer is yes—their soul material is the same, only in different forms. The trouble is, when a ghost kills, it absorbs a massive soul, growing far stronger and drifting further from the human state—making conversion impossible unless the soul is forcibly suppressed to its origin. But that is nearly impossible; my uncle has tried many times and always failed.”

“But this woman is different.” Xiao Shijing’s eyes shone. “She hasn’t killed; her soul’s energy is unchanged. This time, my uncle will surely succeed—a sensation for the entire cultivation world!”

Chu Tiange shook his head, then nodded.

He understood none of it—not a word—but it all sounded very impressive.

To turn a ghost into a human—surely the craft of a sage among immortals. Grandmaster Xiao was indeed a genius.

The speed of a seven-headed steed far surpassed that of a three-headed one.

In half a day, they arrived at Chaoyun Mountain, home of the Morning Immortal Sect.

At Xiao Shijing’s invitation, Chu Tiange entered the Cloud Hall for the first time.

On Chaoyun Mountain stood the magnificent palace of the Grandmaster, an array of pavilions and towers hidden among each other.

The words “Cloud Hall” were inscribed in bold, sweeping calligraphy, brimming with an air of unstoppable dominance. The aura here was dozens of times richer than any common spiritual mountain! One breath was intoxicating, clearing the mind and lifting the spirit—anyone who cultivated here would progress by leaps and bounds.

Behind the Cloud Hall, a silver waterfall thundered, its roar deafening. The surging water and tumbling spray were a spectacular sight, a hanging Milky Way—a scene of spiritual beauty and fortune.

The hall itself was cool and tranquil, ancient and solemn, with curling incense smoke filling the air, soothing the heart.

Xiao Shijing went to settle the frozen woman, while Chu Tiange wandered, observing.

He noticed three statues enshrined within the hall.

All three were lifelike—almost real people—yet looked oddly familiar.

He looked closer.

Damn it, all of them were Lu Shiqi.

This woman had been placed here as an ancestor to be worshipped?

Chu Tiange instantly felt Morning Immortal Sect was doomed. He would have to find another path.

Moments later, Xiao Shijing returned from the back, saw Chu Tiange before the statues, and hurriedly called out, “Don’t touch them! These cost me a fortune—they’re my lifeblood.”

Chu Tiange turned to him, exasperated. “You put these here?”

“Of course! We used to have the three founders of the sect, but I found that too old-fashioned, not in tune with the times. So I replaced them with the greatest beauty of Qingxuan. Just look at her every day—what a treat, puts me in a good mood every time.” Xiao Shijing grinned. “Admit it, you feel happy just looking at her, don’t you?”

Chu Tiange rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you afraid the Grandmaster will be furious when he finds you replaced the ancestors with Lu Shiqi of Water Moon Sect?”

“My uncle is in seclusion. He won’t emerge until he conquers energy conservation. Besides, his rules are few—unless you break the core laws or commit some heinous evil, he won’t interfere.”

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“However, my standards are a bit higher than his—what he ignores, I take care of,” Xiao Shijing added.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t take care of yourself first?” Chu Tiange was incredulous. “You’ve not only broken sect rules, this is outright rebellion!”

Xiao Shijing shook his head. “Sect reform and cultivation innovation are my responsibilities—how is that violating the core code? Remember, Tiange: if the Grandmaster isn’t present, my word is law here. If I made you an inner elder and gave you command of a main peak, everyone would think it only right.”

“The Maiden’s Peak is still vacant, after all…”

“I don’t believe it,” Chu Tiange replied, shaking his head.

To command a main peak was a tremendous honor. Even if the Grandmaster agreed, the other elders would never accept it.

Morning Immortal Sect had four main peaks and twelve subsidiary ones. Not just anyone could be a peak master—even for the lesser peaks, one had to reach the Returning to Truth stage. The main peaks were led by Worryless stage experts.

How could a mere Mortal Bone disciple command a peak? Who would accept it?

“Heh.” Xiao Shijing chuckled. “Enough of that. Let’s talk business—a guaranteed, risk-free deal. Interested?”

“What kind of deal?” Chu Tiange asked warily.

“How about this—what do you think of Chaoyun Mountain?”

“A paradise for cultivators. Far better than my wretched dormitory,” Chu Tiange admitted.

“You’ve already succeeded in bone transformation and are ready to ignite your lantern, yes?” Xiao Shijing smiled.

“If not for the delay in Filial Son Town, I would have done it already,” Chu Tiange replied irritably.

“The four stages—Igniting the Lamp, Gathering Qi, Condensing the Core, and Foundation Building—each require vast spiritual energy. High-grade spirit stones alone won’t suffice. Spiritual energy is like fuel: the brighter you wish the lamp to burn, the more you need. Lamp-lighting is critical—the stronger your foundation, the farther you’ll go,” Xiao Shijing explained.

“So you want me to cultivate here?” Chu Tiange understood at once.

Indeed, as Xiao Shijing said, to ignite the brightest lamp, one needed boundless spiritual power. Nowhere on the mountain was richer in energy than here.

“Yes, the aura here is excellent for cultivation.” Xiao Shijing smiled. “Talent and resources are two sides of the coin—without resources, even genius is for nothing. That’s why the gifted scramble to join the great sects.”

“So what’s your deal? Another ghost-hunting scheme? Some shadow of the underworld waiting for a Gathering Qi cultivator to lure it in?”

The prospect of cultivating here was tempting, but Chu Tiange had to be sure—not to be made a fool.

“No, nothing like that. If I’m not mistaken, you traded three high-grade spirit stones for a warding ring in the treasure vault, and left one stone as a deposit for a storage pouch. That leaves you with eighty-eight stones. Here’s my offer: for the friendship price of eighty-four stones, you can cultivate here for a month, and keep the last four for your use. What do you say?”

…

Chu Tiange said nothing, glancing at Lu Shiqi’s statue.

Xiao Shijing was rich beyond measure, tossing out thousands of supreme-grade stones at a time, yet he still wanted to claw back the handful he’d given away.

At this moment, Chu Tiange truly wished he could be Lu Shiqi for once.

But he did not hesitate. There was no better place.

Once the deal was struck, Xiao Shijing looked at the three statues of Lu Shiqi and said, “Before entering a blessed land, one must offer incense to the statues to show gratitude.”

He produced three sticks of incense, lit them, and handed them to Chu Tiange.

“…?”

“I’m a disciple of Morning Immortal Sect, and to cultivate here I have to offer incense to a member of a rival sect?” Chu Tiange hesitated before the three statues.