Chapter 89: A Walk Through the Sect (2)

Walking through the Outer Sect, Gu Yuan couldn’t help but recall what this place had been like when he first arrived.

Back then, his first impression had been that the Outer Sect had far too many mortals.

Yes, mortals. Their numbers had been at least five times greater than those of the cultivators.

Some had been brought back by Deacons or disciples whenever they ventured outside the sect, while others had come of their own accord, hoping that by entering a cultivation sect, they would no longer have to worry about food and shelter.

There was a simple reason the Outer Sect accepted so many of them. Taking care of mortals was cheap and, more importantly, convenient.

Qi Refinement Cultivators still weren’t all that different from mortals when it came to their daily needs. Someone had to prepare their food, clean their residences, tend to the herb gardens, and handle the countless miscellaneous tasks that cultivators had no interest in doing themselves.

But that wasn’t all mortals were used for.

If a disciple wanted to test a new weapon or technique, a mortal could serve as the test subject. If someone needed blood, there were always mortals available. And sometimes, there was no reason at all.

Some women were taken away simply because a cultivator found them beautiful. Some men lost their lives because someone happened to feel like killing them.

Yet it wasn’t as though every mortal in the Outer Sect lived a miserable life.

Most didn’t.

If they kept their heads down, did their work, and were fortunate enough not to attract the attention of the wrong cultivator, they could spend their entire lives there without experiencing anything beyond an ordinary existence.

Still, Gu Yuan’s memories of the Outer Sect had always been darker than that.

Perhaps it was because of what he had witnessed when he first arrived.

Or perhaps the bad things were simply easier to remember.

Regardless, the Outer Sect had changed.

There were far fewer mortals now. Many had died during the war, especially since they couldn’t simply be moved into the Inner Sect. Their bodies were too weak to withstand the teleportation array.

But was that the only reason?

Gu Yuan looked around.

Mortals were still working throughout the Outer Sect, but something about them seemed different. They moved about without the same uneasiness he remembered, and some even wore smiles as they went about their work.

Perhaps it was simply because there were fewer of them.

Or perhaps...

Gu Yuan glanced toward the Inner Sect.

Perhaps the sect itself had changed after the twins took over.

He couldn’t say for certain. He only knew that the place he remembered and the place before his eyes were no longer quite the same.

He kept walking toward his destination, the new forge Deacon Zhao had told him he would be building, when he suddenly came across a strange pair of cultivators.

Liu Feng, the Outer Sect disciple whose arm he had once severed, and Xu Liang, the disciple who had accompanied him on that patrol mission.

"Greetings, Senior Brother."

The two bowed to him in unison.

Seeing two middle-aged men bowing to someone who looked so much younger than them was an uncomfortable sight, but Gu Yuan merely nodded in acknowledgment.

"What about the others?" he asked out of curiosity.

He was referring to Liu Feng’s lackeys, who had attacked him back then, as well as Bai Qing and Wu Jian, the two disciples who had gone on the patrol mission with him.

More than thirty years had passed since he left the Outer Sect. He found himself curious about what had become of them.

Xu Liang exchanged a glance with Liu Feng before answering.

"They’re all dead."

"...In the war?"

"Mostly for other reasons."

Gu Yuan fell silent for a few moments before nodding. "I see. Go on about your business, then."

The two men seemed to have received a pardon. They hurriedly bowed once more before making themselves scarce.

Was he really that scary?

Gu Yuan shook his head and continued on his way. Yet his encounter with the two men reminded him of something he had been putting off for a long time.

Wang Ling’s corpse.

It was still inside the space within his Orb of Creation.

Now that he thought about it, there was no reason to keep it any longer. Gu Yuan decided to dispose of it.

He flew into the sky and headed toward a nearby forest, still within the territory of the Black Desolation Sect. The place was deserted, with no one else in sight... strangely similar to the place he killed Wang Ling in.

Gu Yuan took out her corpse. He didn’t touch it, moving it to the ground with his spiritual power. Even so, he could still feel the faint warmth lingering in her body. It remained exactly as it had been when she died.

Gu Yuan stared at the corpse and let out a sigh. After a moment, he summoned the Crimson Fire and burned it.

Perhaps the flame was simply too powerful. The corpse was reduced to almost nothing, barely leaving behind any ashes. Not even a smell lingered in the air.

He stood there staring at the scorched earth, remembering the first kill he had ever made.

If he had been stronger back then, perhaps he could have simply let Wang Ling go. Things might have turned out differently.

But that was easy to say now. Back then, he had been constantly on edge, thinking only about surviving in the Outer Sect.

He couldn’t afford to be careless, and he hadn’t been strong enough to take chances.

Gu Yuan remained there for a little while longer before leaving the forest and returning toward the Outer Sect.

Before he could reach it, however, someone stopped him.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist. Might you know where the Inner Sect of the Black Desolation Sect is?"

Fellow Daoist? Gu Yuan looked at the man who had addressed him. Judging by his aura, the man was at least one major realm above him, yet he was being remarkably polite.

How unusual.