Chapter 399: The Ancient and Modern Recorder (10)
Within the Heavenly Origin Sect.
Dong Qiang was already past seventy. Over these years, under his brush, he had recorded the lives and deaths of many sect disciples and elders. He had also witnessed a sect rise from destitution and gradually move toward new life.
As the sect grew powerful, new conflicts were inevitable... The position of Recorder was no longer limited to Dong Qiang's single line of succession. Important figures had set their sights on the duties of the Recorder.
After all, with the expansion of the sect's scale, the Heavenly Origin Sect was no longer confined to the Wooden Scenery Dynasty and had even begun to reach beyond its borders. Dong Qiang alone was already overwhelmed with work, not to mention that his cultivation was only at the Spirit Awakening Realm... and he had grown old.
The sect proposed the establishment of a History Pavilion to compile the deeds of all disciples and elders. This meant that the position of Recorder would transform into one of power, and power inevitably brought struggle.
Dong Qiang looked at the person who had arrived, his eyes calm.
Throughout a lifetime of storms, he had never taken part in the internal struggles of the sect. He had only diligently fulfilled his own duties. Yet that did not mean he was unaware of the various affairs within the sect.
Some things that appeared to be "accidents" were in fact no accidents at all.
"Dong Qiang, this is a Blood Qi Pill granted by the sect. You are old, and your vital energy is declining. Although you have no great meritorious achievements, you have still labored diligently. The sect bestows this upon you."
Dong Qiang looked at the pill in the disciple's hand. It was bright red and surrounded by a thin layer of crimson mist.
It was indeed a Blood Qi Pill, a rare second-grade pill refined from the essence of a second-rank demonic beast. It was of great benefit to a martial artist's cultivation.
Yet... the medicinal properties of a Blood Qi Pill were extremely violent. Dong Qiang was already old. How could he possibly suppress such fierce medicinal force? It would more likely tear him apart completely.
Clearly, the disciple gave Dong Qiang no chance to refuse. Seeing that Dong Qiang did not respond, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He reached out and rendered Dong Qiang completely unable to move.
Despite his young age, the disciple was already a martial artist of the Spirit Vein Realm. Dong Qiang knew this was an elite inner disciple. He could not resist. The gap between the Spirit Awakening Realm and the Spirit Vein Realm was simply too great.
Seeing that Dong Qiang had given up resistance, the young disciple finally smiled. "If you had known this earlier, why bother struggling in vain? Otherwise, you would not have had to suffer these hardships."
The violent medicinal force tore through Dong Qiang's meridians. Blood seeped out from beneath the mask. Dong Qiang's eyes widened as all traces of life left him.
The young disciple wiped the bloodstains from his hands with a white handkerchief, then took up a brush and made a simple record.
Recorder Dong Qiang purchased a second-grade Blood Qi Pill in an attempt to use the opportunity to break through to the Spirit Gathering Realm. In the end, he failed and died from the backlash.
A single, simple sentence sealed the conclusion of Dong Qiang's death.
"Old thing, if you must blame someone, blame yourself for living too long. Had you died earlier, you might have passed away peacefully of old age."
After Dong Qiang's death, the young disciple was about to leave, yet he noticed that the mask on Dong Qiang's face was actually emitting a brilliant light.
"This is actually a high-grade spiritual artifact."
The young disciple found it rather interesting. A high-grade spiritual artifact was nothing special to him, yet... it was still worth at least a hundred lower-grade spiritual stones.
No one would refuse spiritual stones.
The young disciple's name was Zhu Hao, an inner disciple of the Heavenly Origin Sect. Even so, earning a hundred lower-grade spiritual stones would take him more than half a year. This unexpected windfall was a great fortune for him.
Zhu Hao reached out and pulled the mask from Dong Qiang's face. To his surprise, he found that the mask was completely free of bloodstains. The blood had slid off it, leaving the mask brand new.
"What a fine thing!"
Zhu Hao clicked his tongue in admiration. He had never expected this destitute old man to have privately kept such a treasure, a high-grade spiritual artifact. Unfortunately... Dong Qiang had never broken through to the Spirit Gathering Realm, even until his death, so he had been completely unable to bring out the true wonders of this high-grade artifact.
Zhu Hao decisively placed the mask on his own face and circulated the vital energy within his body. He discovered that his aura had actually vanished, becoming completely undetectable.
This made him even more excited. A treasure that could conceal one's aura, even if it was only a high-grade spiritual artifact, was no less valuable than some top-grade spiritual artifacts. This time he had truly struck it rich.
Wearing the mask, Zhu Hao sensed nothing amiss. He removed it and carefully put it away for safekeeping.
Dong Qiang was dead. No one would investigate the cause of his death. A weak cultivator of only the Spirit Awakening Realm was of no consequence, alive or dead.
Before long, the position of Recorder was replaced. The disappearance of the mask from Dong Qiang's face also raised no waves.
Having obtained the mask, Zhu Hao found that no one paid him any attention. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. He touched the bronze mask in his hand, and the cool sensation brought a smile to his face.
Several days later, Zhu Hao left the sect. He put on the acquired mask and moved without a sound.
"It's you?"
Zhu Hao looked at his old enemy, his eyes filled with ruthless intent. The first thing he decided upon learning that the mask could conceal his aura was to eliminate this eyesore of an old enemy.
His former enemy completely failed to detect Zhu Hao's aura. By the time he noticed, it was already too late. Zhu Hao sealed his throat with a single slash, looted the resources from his body, then lured demonic beasts to devour the corpse and clean up all traces of the scene.
"It truly is a fine treasure!"
Zhu Hao's eyes shone with delight. Even his former enemy had been unable to detect his aura and had ultimately been ambushed and killed. There were no signs of a fight at the scene. Even if the sect sent people to investigate, they would find nothing.
Was he, Zhu Hao, destined to rise to success?
Zhu Hao returned to the sect. As expected, no one discovered the cause of his former enemy's death. This filled him with secret joy. With the cultivation resources he had seized, he soon advanced further.
Zhu Hao committed one crime after another. From the initial caution, he gradually grew reckless and unrestrained. As long as he did not touch disciples of powerful strength, he was able to clean up every trace perfectly.
In less than a year, eleven inner disciples had died or been injured.
Zhu Hao discovered that this mask was far more powerful than he had imagined. Even some true disciples among the inner sect were unable to detect his aura.
Over the course of this year, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and the greed in his heart rapidly expanded.
Zhu Hao wanted to be promoted to true disciple... The elder behind him had already agreed, yet halfway through, a competitor suddenly appeared.
"As long as I kill him, the position of true disciple of the sect will be mine."
The mask was Zhu Hao's reliance.
Yet this time Zhu Hao miscalculated.
"You... how could you discover me?"
Zhu Hao did not succeed as easily as usual. His confident strike was easily dodged, leaving him greatly puzzled.
The other man wasted no words with Zhu Hao.
After missing his first strike, Zhu Hao's mind fell into panic, and he was directly beaten to death, his flesh and blood separated.
"Fool... relying on a stroke of fortune yet repeatedly striking at fellow disciples."
Such ruthless methods were pure stupidity in the eyes of Li Zhiyuan, stupidity of which the perpetrator remained unaware.
Zhu Hao's changes had long been noticed by the sect elders. Elders had already linked the deaths of the inner disciples over the past year with Zhu Hao's sudden rise. Yet the elder behind Zhu Hao held enormous power... and Zhu Hao was merely the bait that had been put forward.
Zhu Hao took the bait, and so he died.