Chapter 124
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Chapter 124: Because You Are Incompetent
Dongxuan Sect
The mountains in the sect always seemed to soar high into the clouds. Even at dawn, the mountain gate was still shrouded in shadows, with no sunlight to be found.
Within Dongxuan Sect, status and hierarchy were strictly observed. Disciples compared themselves based on their cultivation level and their sect. They hurried back and forth between their dwellings, the trial valley, and the Dining Hall. Those with high cultivation levels didn’t even need to visit the Dining Hall.
The broad pathways were devoid of any disciples idly playing around. Instead of chatter, all that could be heard were the sharp sounds of swords cutting through the air.
The sect leader, Supreme Immortal Qing Xuan, wore a simple grey robe and a habitual smile on his slightly plump face. He warmly asked, "Junior brother, did you gain anything from your trip to the Northern Wilderness?"
Walking beside him was a young man in black clothes, his cold expression giving off an emotionless vibe, akin to a statue.
The man kept his gaze straight ahead, ignoring Supreme Immortal Qing Xuan.
Supreme Immortal Qing Xuan chuckled and didn’t feel embarrassed, as he had gotten used to it over the thousands of years.
Everyone knew that Dongxuan Sect had three Supreme Immortals, but they did not know that the oldest one, Yang Xuan, had entered Tao Realm after closing himself off for cultivation. However, after being in seclusion for three thousand years without coming out, it is feared that he has failed in his cultivation and passed away due to exhaustion of his lifespan. After all, life and death are the laws of nature, even becoming a Supreme Immortal does not escape this fate.
Therefore, Dongxuan Sect’s strongest card right now is essentially just themselves and their junior brother Shangxuan.
Supreme Immortal Shangxuan was an orphan abandoned in the wilderness, rescued by disciples from the jaws of wild dogs and without a name, everyone just called him "Doggy". Each person fed him a mouthful of food to raise him. Originally destined to be a servant, who would have known that he secretly learned swordsmanship, and even defeated the inner disciples in one stroke, gradually reaching where he is today.
Shangxuan did not have a master; he learned everything by himself.
Apart from Shang Wuyang, he had no other disciples in his lineage, and now that Shang Wuyang has passed away… he may be left all alone again.
Qing Xuan cleared his throat, wanting to say a few words of comfort, but Supreme Immortal Shangxuan took a step past him and walked into the hall in front.
The hall was empty, with numerous Life Tokens standing inside.
Supreme Immortal Shangxuan silently gazed at one of the Life Tokens on the top, where the one inscribed with the three characters "Shang Wuyang" had already shattered into two halves.
Qing Xuan, who followed him in, sighed and suppressed his laughter, saying in a solemn tone, "Junior brother, please accept my condolences."
Supreme Immortal Shangxuan had a neutral expression on his face, he casually took the fragmented Life Token and turned to leave.
This was not allowed because the Life Token contained a trace of the owner’s soul, which could be used by the deceased to possess another person if given the opportunity.
However, no one had ever attempted this method before, as there was only a trace of soul. Even if they successfully possessed another, they would awaken with a dulled consciousness, and most likely the last trace of soul would also disappear, leaving them with no thoughts at all.
Qing Xuan frowned, could it be that Shangxuan wanted to help his disciple possess another?
*
There was no light, no sound, the whole world felt empty, even Shang Wuyang himself was unaware and ignorant.
After a long time, a powerful force suddenly illuminated the entire world. Under that dazzling light, Shang Wuyang’s dissipating consciousness gradually began to gather, slowly remembering the fact that he was already dead.
The pain of having his head cut off and his lower abdomen pierced surged like a tide, causing Shang Wuyang to shudder and his emotions to fluctuate violently.
And so, the faint blue light representing his soul trembled, flashing erratic traces of light on the dark wall of the chamber.
Shang Wuyang’s memory slowly returned, and he recognized this dark room.
The dark room was located on a steep cliff at the highest peak of the mountain gate. Whenever he felt unstable emotions after practicing the ways of killing, he would come here to calm himself down. On the wall, there were lines that he drew as a child, which were used to record the days he spent in the dark room.
Besides himself, only the master could come here.
Therefore…
Shang Wuyang’s spirit suddenly brightened. Did the master save him?!
As expected, a cold voice sounded from nearby, with a familiar and steady tone, without any fluctuations.
"You escaped."
There was no blame or question, just a simple statement of the fact that Shang Wuyang had escaped.
Shang Wuyang, who had just been filled with joy, was suddenly brought back to reality. He vividly remembered the master’s previous divine instruction –
"Kill him."
However, Shang Wuyang did not kill Ye Shubai. For the first time, he disobeyed his master’s orders and chose to escape without fighting!
The master only had one disciple, who he raised, taught swordsmanship and the Power of Rules, and even took to practice in numerous lower realms. Although the master always appeared cold and distant, these actions showed his care for his disciple.
Therefore, even though the master was displeased, he could not truly be angry.
Shang Wuyang’s heart quivered, remembering the sword intent of Ye Shubai, he still felt fear.
He had experienced defeats and faced life-threatening situations before, during his adventures in countless lower realms. There were many strange worlds of cultivation methods that gave him unforgettable memories, the feeling of facing death repeated time and time again. Killing or being killed was actually just in a moment, if not for this, he could not have understood the Law of Death so deeply.
Except for Ye Shubai.
"I, as a disciple, have disappointed my master. But for some reason, the sword intent of the other party always suppresses me. Every time I face them, I feel completely oppressed without the ability to fight back, unable to even feel the desire to resist."
Although he had intended to slay the other, when he truly faced that person’s aura, he could not muster any courage to resist.
"Indeed." The voice of Supreme Immortal Shangxuan echoed in the dark stone room, drifting mysteriously.
Changing the subject, he suddenly asked a strange question, "Do you know how to master the Law of Death?"
Shang Wuyang quickly replied, "By controlling life and death, achieving the highest path in this world!"
"Hmm."
Supreme Immortal Shangxuan seemed to smile briefly, but it was not a happy smile, rather a condescending smirk from a position of superiority.
"The Law of Death can only control death, not life."
His finger lightly touched the small soul in front of him, a strange power called the Power of Rules overflowed, causing the light at his fingertip to brighten.
A surge of vitality flowed out, and Shang Wuyang could feel his soul starting to revive, yet he was in a daze.
Apart from the time thousands of years ago when Supreme Immortal Shangxuan wiped out all the Orcs with a single sword strike, Shang Wuyang had never seen his master take action.
In his heart, the master was the one who had perfected the Law of Death, which allowed him to wield his sword and destroy a world.
But at this moment, with a simple raise of hand, the entire dark room was filled with the Power of Rules. Only then did Shang Wuyang realize that he had been wrong for three thousand years. He finally understood why he lacked the courage to face Ye Shubai in battle.
Ye Shubai’s Power of Rules turned out to be exactly the same as the aura released by the Supreme Immortal Shangxuan. When facing Ye Shubai, the fears that he had forgotten naturally resurfaced, making him unable to resist!
Memories that had been buried for countless years were brought to light. Shang Wuyang remembered the bloody night when he lay among the corpses, while the master stood in the night wind with his sword raised. As the wind blew, countless Orcs hidden in the shadows were instantly killed, unable to even scream before their deaths.
At that time, he sensed a presence that was extremely similar to the Law of Death he had just comprehended, but it was many times stronger, almost completely suppressing him from his roots.
At that time, Shang Wuyang was convinced that it was the power of the Law of Death taken to the extreme.
But what was Ye Shubai’s true identity?
Could Ye Shubai be a projection of the master? Or perhaps another disciple of the master? Or maybe a descendant of the master? Could it be that there was another person in the world who had mastered the laws as perfectly as the master?!
Shang Wuyang’s semi-transparent spirit hovered above the Life Token, like a fading shadow. He sensed that something was brewing beneath the dim light, about to emerge.
"Opposite of death is life," Real Person Shangxuan’s gaze looked through Shang Wuyang, as if observing him and another person at the same time.
He rarely spoke so much, perhaps because no one had listened before, so this time he spoke more, even initiating to share his own experiences.
"I am going to the Northern Wilderness to find the person who has mastered the Law of Life. You might have heard of her, known as Fairy Mercy."
Shang Wuyang was surprised. Despite his focus on cultivation and not worldly matters, he had still heard of Fairy Mercy. She was considered the most talented Medical Cultivator in thousands of years, having saved countless lives. Even within the Dongxuan Sect, many disciples owed her favors.
She was rarely seen, often moving between different realms in search of rare herbs. It seemed that her visit to the Northern Wilderness was also for collecting medicinal plants.
So she actually mastered the Law of Life! No wonder she saved so many people! But why did the master want to find her?
"The path to find her was a bit complicated, but finally returning smoothly," real Person Shangxuan said.
After saying this, Supreme Immortal Shangxuan took out a small dot of light. It emitted a powerful vitality that was impossible to ignore, stabilizing Shang Wuyang’s soul significantly.
A small hope arose in Shang Wuyang’s heart.
He wanted to ask the master if he had known in advance about his great difficulty, so he intentionally sought out Fairy Mercy to save him.
However, for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to ask this question. A dreadful suspicion crept into his mind, slowly erasing that glimmer of hope.
In the end, Shang Wuyang could only muster the courage to ask, "Where is Fairy Mercy?"
Supreme Immortal Shangxuan gazed at the light spot before him, lifting his eyes slowly, remaining silent.
Some facts were already self-evident.
The master killed Fairy Mercy and took away her Power of Rules.
Shang Wuyang murmured, "Why…"
"Because of your incompetence, I had to exert more effort," Supreme Immortal Shangxuan stated simply.
Shang Wuyang felt completely bewildered.
He didn’t know what the master wanted to do, all that was left in his mind were the words "incompetent".
The word felt like the sharpest icy knife, cutting through his soul.
Shang Wuyang worked tirelessly to practice, sacrificing sleep and rest. He finally earned praise from others and the sect’s attention. In order to practice, he suppressed his own emotions and desires. What he sought was the great path, as well as a word of praise from the man who was both his teacher and father. He still remembers the two words "well done" to this day.
He thought that perhaps he had once made the master proud, but now he realized that he was only…
Incompetent?
Supreme Immortal Shangxuan spoke coldly, revealing the cruelest reality.
"I thought you were the most talented one, that’s why I took you under my wing to nurture you. It seems that was a wrong choice. She understood the Law of Life through medicine and even with fewer resources for practice than you, she has reached perfection. It took me some effort to eliminate her."
"And he…"
Shang Wuyang shuddered, he knew this time it was about Ye Shubai.
"He was born in the lower realm, but understood the true laws of life and death, and could easily kill you."
Supreme Immortal Shangxuan said calmly, "Compared to them, you are the most incompetent person, which disappoints me."
He reached out and touched Shang Wuyang’s soul.
Not to revive the disciple, but to coldly strip the Law of Death from his thread of soul.
Shang Wuyang didn’t run away, and there was no room for him to escape.
His soul flickered, staring straight at the master in front of him, gradually dispersing into the world.
The light in front gradually faded, and the sound turned into silence.
In the final moment, Shang Wuyang remembered not the glory of being worshiped by everyone during his ascension, nor the despair and fear when he was killed by Ye Shubai.
He suddenly remembered the first day he entered the Dongxuan Sect.
The road to the mountain gate is long and high, the young boy has never wielded a sword before, and he starts to cry once he stands on one.
At that time, the lonely immortal at his side reaches out his hand to the little child, leading him up the steps step by step, entering the path of cultivation.
The sunlight of that day…
How wonderful.
*
The Law Enforcement Hall of Dongxuan Sect is actually a series of dark rooms, with no sunlight coming in at all, like a prison.
Supreme Immortal Qing Xuan, guarding the Law Enforcement Hall, with a stern face, after questioning everything thoroughly, couldn’t help but look down at the kneeling disciples.
Frowning, he sighs and warns, "After all, Shang Wuyang is his only disciple. If he is angry with you, I might not be able to stop him, so I have to act first to silence him."
Getting whipped is better than losing your life in the end.
Liu Shan fell to the ground, having been whipped hundreds of times. He bowed deeply and said, "I understand the hardships you’ve faced, Master."
"As long as you understand," Supreme Immortal Qing Xuan nodded, frowning as he looked towards the direction of the peak, only to see Supreme Immortal Shangxuan had already appeared.
He worriedly glanced at his disciple kneeling on the ground, finally deciding to swallow his pride and intercept Shangxuan.
"Shangxuan, junior brother!"
Supreme Immortal Shangxuan, upon being called, stopped in mid-air and coldly looked at the sect leader.
Supreme Immortal Qing Xuan politely said, "I wonder, nephew of Master Shang…"
Since Shangxuan took Shang Wuyang’s soul, it seemed he was preparing to help his disciple take over a body. As for whom to possess, Qing Xuan didn’t care as long as it wasn’t his disciples. To be chosen by a Supreme Immortal was an honor for the sect’s disciples.
Expecting no response this time, Qing Xuan was surprised when Shangxuan unexpectedly spoke, "He is dead."
Supreme Immortal Qing Xuan frowned. Shang Wuyang had been so unlucky. Even with the intervention of powerful immortals, his residual soul failed to possess another body?
However, before he could react, Supreme Immortal Shangxuan had already disappeared into thin air, heading who knows where, perhaps to calm down after his disciple’s death.
Didn’t even blame Liu Shan?
Feeling relieved, Supreme Immortal Qing Xuan ignored the departure of Supreme Immortal Shangxuan and hurriedly flew down to comfort his severely injured disciple.
"Dear disciple, don’t kneel in the dark room. The sunlight is perfect today. Let me take you out to get some fresh air!"