Chapter 545 - 25: A Big Fish
True Yang Road.
This new administrative region was composed of Five Mansions and thirty-two counties. The main peak of True Yang Mountain was a separate entity. After years of development, sixty-three sects registered with the Chu Kingdom Court had established themselves on True Yang Mountain.
These sixty-three sects were mostly branches of the major sects from Zhongzhou. The highest-level cultivators stationed here were only in the Second Realm. Because of this, the various sects were locked in constant strife, both open and hidden. Every night, there were almost always killings born from feuds.
The Single Saber Sect was one of them.
Its Sect Leader, Qiuwang, relied on the reputation of Qianmu Temple to get by reasonably well in the region. After all, both the Chu Country to the south and the Datong Marquisate in the Northwest Region had inextricable ties to Qianmu Temple. Moreover, Qianmu Temple itself currently had three Third Realm Cultivators, so ordinary sects would give it a wide berth just on hearing its name.
The Single Saber Sect’s headquarters was built on the northern side of True Yang Mountain, overlooking the vast expanse of Jianglin Road.
After finishing his daily training, Qiuwang’s favorite thing to do was stand in the attic above the sect’s assembly hall and gaze down at the seemingly endless Jianglin Road below.
This morning was no exception. However, the weather was not cooperating; a light rain had begun before dawn, shrouding the foot of the mountain in a blanket of white mist. He also had to entertain an honored guest in the attic today—Wenhai, from Nanlin Road.
"What are you looking at?"
Wenhai found Qiuwang’s gaze toward the mountain’s base strange. It held unbridled ambition and suppressed greed.
Qiuwang grinned, a wide, joyful smile. He turned to meet Wenhai’s eyes and said, "Look at the terrain of Jianglin Road—a wide, open plain. When the time comes to fight for the Divine Artifacts of the world, this place will surely see rivers of blood. And I only need to set up a small Array to absorb enough spiritual energy to ascend to the Third Realm."
Wenhai studied Qiuwang for a moment, then also looked down at the vast white mist. He whispered, "So, this war must happen, no matter what!"
"That’s right. It has to happen!"
Qiuwang’s smile grew even wider. "This is the will of the people! The will of the Cultivation Realm... As for the common folk, after what happened in Shangjing City, do you really think *they* care whether mortals live or die? They only care if the flow of spiritual energy is normal. They are without emotion, or perhaps they’ve simply forgotten what emotions are."
Wenhai sized up Qiuwang again. ’He’s a complex and contradictory man.’ The Single Saber Sect’s cultivation method was rooted in the mortal world, so he valued emotion and humanity more than other cultivators. Yet, he came across as cold-blooded, ruthless, treacherous, and cunning. When faced with overwhelming power, he was like a dog.
But it was precisely because he had this cold, ruthless, treacherous, and cunning side that he also had a passionate, caring, forthright, and honest side. He gave that side to the Single Saber Sect.
The Single Saber Sect was bound by familial ties, using the most primal aspects of humanity to suppress the demonic energy and spiritual rampages within their bodies. The Single Saber Sect in Nanlin Road was a family-style city, and all of Qiuwang’s emotions were invested there.
"Fellow Daoist, once you start down the path of cultivation, you must press on without hesitation. I think you have too many reservations. I know you were exiled once, but you’ve forgotten why. You weren’t exiled for using the bodies of the Demon Race to build an Array, but for opposing Changqing Zhenren!"
When Qiuwang mentioned Wang Ping, he subconsciously clasped his fists and bowed toward the south before lowering his voice. "The number of Demon Race members you killed doesn’t even amount to a fraction of the casualties from the True Yang Mountain battle nine years ago!"
Wenhai remained silent. Although he admired Qiuwang inwardly, he didn’t want to get too close to him. That was his key to survival; otherwise, disaster could strike in an instant.
After a brief silence, he asked, "How long will the investigation you’re helping me with take?"
"Soon!"
Wenhai raised an eyebrow. "How soon?"
His mission this time was simply to inspect the goods, but when he arrived at the designated meeting point, no one was there. He had been stood up for three days straight. Left with no other choice, he had come to find Qiuwang. Qiuwang, for his part, had already received a personal letter from Zuo Xuan, but since he wasn’t in charge of the matter, he hadn’t dared to act on his own. He only sent people to investigate after Wenhai came to him.
"This territory of True Yang Mountain seems chaotic, but it’s not as bad as it looks. Every sect has its connections and relationships; they’re just divided into several factions. We’re automatically considered part of the southern faction."
As Qiuwang spoke, a set of footsteps echoed from the attic staircase. It was obvious the sound was made intentionally.
When the two men looked over, a middle-aged man in the Single Saber Sect’s martial attire was walking up into the attic. He clasped his fists and bowed. "Reporting to Master, I have news about the person you asked me to look into. However, the information is from seven days ago. He called himself the Canglan Taoist, a Taiyan Cultivator who has reached the end of his lifespan. He came from the north three years ago and has been living in a small town at the foot of Moon Mountain."
"Where is he now?"
Qiuwang’s expression darkened. He knew his disciple was sharp; he wouldn’t waste time with so much useless talk if he had a definitive answer.
The middle-aged man quickly replied, "He’s gone. Late afternoon seven days ago, he returned to the small courtyard he had purchased, just as he always did, and then was never heard from again. I had the town constable check his courtyard. It’s clean. No clues were left behind."
"Investigate everyone he has ever been in contact with. Remember, *everyone*..."
Qiuwang took a Token from his robes and tossed it to his disciple, instructing, "Contact the local officials to conduct a public investigation. You organize a team to investigate secretly."
"Yes!"
The middle-aged man took the Token and left without another word.
Qiuwang ignored his departing disciple and looked at Wenhai. "Something isn’t right about this."
Wenhai felt it too. Logically, since the other party had arranged this transaction through the Daoist Palace’s channels, he shouldn’t have just vanished without a trace. If he had been attacked, it would have been impossible to leave no sign behind unless the attacker was a cultivator at the Third Realm or higher.
If it really was the work of a Third Realm Cultivator, then things were far more complicated.
Qiuwang analyzed aloud:
"I thought something was strange the moment I received Daoist Zuo Xuan’s letter. A transaction like this shouldn’t require Changqing Zhenren’s personal attendance, yet the other party insisted on it. There are only two reasons for that. First, he wants to get the Cultivation Technique that follows the *Taiyan Talisman* from Changqing Zhenren. Second, he has an ulterior motive."
Wenhai agreed with this analysis. "Many people have been asking about Changqing Zhenren these past few years. We have several channels feeding us related intelligence every day, but very few have ever actually taken action. Unless..."
He didn’t finish his sentence, instead asking, "But why would he suddenly disappear?"
Qiuwang looked down at the vast white mist. "Perhaps there was some internal change on their side, forcing them to call off the plan. Or perhaps they realized it couldn’t succeed and saw no point in continuing."
At this point, he stared at Wenhai and said, "Knowing Changqing Zhenren’s habits, even if the ’Divine Soul Guide’ is real, he would never come to trade for it himself. The other party probably realized this and canceled the deal."
The more he spoke, the more excited he became. "He lived at the foot of Moon Mountain for three years. He must have left some clues behind. I have a hunch—he’s definitely a big fish!"