Chapter 616 - 96: Some Little Actions

After bidding farewell to Wan Zhi Daoist, Wang Ping walked around the pavilion, followed a small path along a mountain stream, and returned to the wide, jade-paved road. He looked up, but there wasn’t a single Six Heart Sect disciple in sight—not even Tong Jing, who had led the way just moments before, was anywhere to be seen.

Wang Ping exhaled, his breath forming a wisp of white mist in the cold winter air. He then looked up, gazing at the gentle winter sunlight as he recalled every word of his conversation with Wan Zhi Daoist.

"I thought this spot would be a tangible object, something like the True Yang Sect’s Fire Spirits. I didn’t expect it to be just a matter of permission from those above," Yu Lian said to Wang Ping from within his Spirit Sea. "How do they control these spots? Does it mean that even if someone successfully breaks through, they’ll be eliminated without that permission?"

Wang Ping lowered his gaze from the sky and started back the way he came, toward the main gate of the Six Heart Sect. He responded in his Spirit Sea, "The Wood Spirit is born within a Cultivator’s body, nurtured by the Locust Tree Divine Soul. It’s not like with the True Yang Sect, where one absorbs and fuses with a Fire Spirit."

"So, you’re saying the number of Wood Spirits that can be nurtured is finite? Or maybe, like the Fire Spirits, they’re split from a single entity into a limited number of individuals, and it’s just their state of being that’s different, right?"

"This is all just speculation. Don’t jump to conclusions."

Wang Ping reminded Yu Lian sternly.

Be it the Fire Spirit or the Wood Spirit that Wang Ping was currently cultivating, all their theories were merely conclusions drawn from sharing experiences. They still lacked the strength to verify any of them.

Yu Lian was silent for a long moment before replying, "To those True Monarchs, we’re no different from the common folk in Zhonghui County Town. You have to work even harder. Strive to drag those high-and-mighty bastards down and crush them under your heel."

"I’ll do my best. And... let’s not say things like that for the time being."

"Relax. I’m not an idiot."

Wang Ping nodded. Yu Lian might seem flamboyant, but that was only toward beings she could afford to provoke. When faced with those she couldn’t, she was even more discreet and cautious than Wang Ping himself.

They chatted idly, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the Six Heart Sect’s Front Hall Square.

Tong Jing had already been waiting for a long time. The moment he saw Wang Ping, he quickly walked up to greet him. "Greetings, True Man," he said. "Allow me to lead the way."

He made an inviting gesture as he spoke.

This was no empty gesture. It seemed some of the Six Heart Sect’s disciples were planning to cause trouble—perhaps by jumping out to challenge Wang Ping—and the closer they got to the mountain gate, the greater the likelihood of such an incident.

If that happened, Wang Ping would be put in an impossible situation. Regardless of the outcome, it would inevitably damage the friendship between the Six Heart Sect and Qianmu Temple. The alliance their disciples had built over several hundred years might even shatter as a result.

Such an incident would be detrimental to both Qianmu Temple and the Six Heart Sect. By accompanying Wang Ping, Tong Jing could step in and play the bad guy if necessary. It was also an indirect way of demonstrating to the world that the alliance between the Six Heart Sect and Qianmu Temple extended beyond the personal relationship between Wang Ping and Zi Luan.

One led the way while the other followed in silence. Before long, they reached the Six Heart Sect’s mountain gate, where a crowd of Cultivators had already gathered. At their head were none other than Hongyuan, Qingjiang, and Qin Zifeng.

No doubt, these were the Cultivators from Jinhuai Prefecture City. The political situation in the Chu Kingdom Court had been in turmoil these past few days. The Burial Mound outside the city was littered with mountains of corpses, and the very air in the city reeked of blood. The Noble Ministers, once so high and mighty, now spent their days in terror, while the common people silently watched the grand spectacle unfold.

When Wang Ping came into view, the crowd was still some distance away, so they simply offered silent, cupped-fist salutes. Watching them bow, Wang Ping felt a thrill at wielding such power. ’And to think of how I felt just now in front of Wan Zhi Daoist,’ he thought.

Yu Lian had already slipped out of his sleeve. She circled Wang Ping on a cloud, smugly surveying everyone present and brazenly inspecting their divine souls.

As Wang Ping stepped out of the mountain gate, the Cultivators, led by Hongyuan, Qingjiang, and Qin Zifeng, shouted in unison, "We pay our respects to Changqing Zhenren!"

Their voices were not perfectly synchronized, but they sounded exceptionally deferential.

But in the midst of this peaceful atmosphere, a piercing voice shouted, "Changqing, you betrayed your word and launched a sneak attack on Zi Luan Zhenren! You allowed your disciples to slaughter loyal officials of the Court! And now you collude with the Demon Race to persecute Human Dao Cultivators—"

"Silence!"

Wang Ping had pinpointed the man’s location the moment he spoke. ’This is interesting,’ he thought, and made no move to stop him.

However, Hongyuan, who stood at the head of the crowd, quickly cut the man off with a shout. In the same instant, he locked onto the man’s position, blurred into motion, and slammed his head into the ground. A dense wave of Wood Spirit Qi flared out, sealing the man’s throat and Divine Soul.

It all happened in a flash. The Cultivators surrounding the man scrambled away as if he had the plague, and the scene briefly descended into chaos.

Wang Ping looked over. The man who had shouted was wearing a blue, Narrow-sleeved Daoist Robe; he was an Entering Cultivator. Pinned to the ground by Hongyuan, he struggled so violently that his head was already a bloody mess, his features completely obscured.

Yu Lian’s body suddenly swelled to over two zhang long. Her vertical pupils fixed on the Cultivator, her forked tongue flickering with murderous intent.

Tong Jing, meanwhile, carefully scanned the surroundings. He had only one task today: ensure nothing unexpected happened to Wang Ping on Six Heart Sect grounds.

Just as Hongyuan was about to deliver the killing blow, Wang Ping took a step forward and said with a smile, "You remind me of an old acquaintance. He questioned the Xiao Shan Lord right here in this very spot. Are you trying to follow in his footsteps?"

For some reason, after saying this, Wang Ping suddenly lost all interest in the matter. He waved a hand at Hongyuan, who had begun to loosen his grip. "Dispose of him. What we need right now is stability. All elements that threaten stability must be eliminated."

As he finished his last sentence, a chill went down the spine of every Cultivator present. When Wang Ping’s gaze swept over them, they all instinctively cupped their fists in another salute.

Today’s Zhongzhou was not the Zhongzhou of the Xia Dynasty. The Wang Ping of that era would never have spoken such words. But the man he was now could not only say them but also act on them. Most people despise rules when they exist, but when they disappear, there is no one left to hear them cry.

Wang Ping found the sight of the timid, sycophantic Cultivators even more tedious. He turned to Tong Jing and said, "Fellow Daoist, you may return. Please, come visit my Qianmu Temple when you are free."

Upon hearing this, the stern expression on Tong Jing’s face instantly warmed. He followed up on the invitation, "I’ll be leading the delegation for the grand competition between our two sects in three years. I will undoubtedly have to impose on you then, True Man!"

Wang Ping clasped his hands in a farewell salute. "Then I shall take my leave."

With that, he called to Yu Lian. The seals for a Spell formed in his hands, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight.

Just as Wang Ping vanished, two Tiger Demons in silver armor arrived, running late. They were the reinforcements Hu Yin had promised. In the past, Hu Yin’s primary outpost had only ever been staffed by a few Qi Cultivation-level Little Demons. The only exception had been during the period when Zhi Gong Daoist was guarding the Daoist Palace; a Core Formation Realm demon had been dispatched then.

Watching the two tardy Tiger Demons, Tong Jing instantly understood the group’s original plan and intentions, which had been derailed by the unexpected outburst. He called out to Hongyuan, "The Six Heart Sect, from top to bottom, firmly supports Changqing Zhenren’s decision! Find out who was backing that man, and then, in the name of the Six Heart Sect, we will declare war on them!"

He said this loud enough for everyone to hear, making it clear to the world that the alliance between Qianmu Temple and the Six Heart Sect was unbreakable.