Chapter 28 Part 2

Shi Yu lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “Fellow Daoist plans to let bygones be bygones?”

Li Ruoshui shook her head. “No.” She declared righteously, “For someone to turn out like that, their friends and family bear responsibility. So, the debt passes to the relatives.”

Shi Yu: “…”

–

On the eastern coast, cliffs towered, waves crashed against the shore.

A cultivator wearing a golden crown and purple robes with a shawl stood at the coastline, gazing toward the horizon where sea met sky, her eyes sharp and radiant. Her aura loomed like a mountain range; those nearby felt an irresistible pressure, not daring to meet her back with direct gazes.

“True Person, a letter from the Prime Minister’s residence asks when you will return to court.” The speaking Nascent Soul cultivator stood several zhang away from the purple-robed woman. Sensing that vast, unfathomable outward force, cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

The Empire’s Grand Chancellor Rong Yin was also of imperial blood. Among the three kings, she backed West King Rong Man and cared little for Rong Ji’s fate. When Rong Ji was captured, she had to save face for the Empire and didn’t obstruct Tianming Marquis’s mobilization. But now with news of Rong Ji’s death and the rebel-hiding Volcano Island utterly destroyed, she deemed the matter concluded and summoned Tianming Marquis back.

The purple-robed woman said indifferently, “Those rebels haven’t been fully eradicated yet.”

Hearing her words, the Nascent Soul cultivator felt even greater pressure. He stammered, “But the throne remains undecided. The Chancellor says we’ve lost Dong Wang; we can’t lose West King or South King.”

The purple-robed woman didn’t engage, saying coolly, “Tell Rong Yin that the Prodigy List, appearing once every ten years in the Tianyan Mirror, is imminent. This time, the Prodigy Assembly shall be hosted by our Empire. I cannot allow Ying Wu Gui and the others to disrupt it.”

There were still three years until the Prodigy List. The Nascent Soul Daoist thought to himself. He opened his mouth, about to say something more, but the purple-clothed woman had already flicked her sleeve, sending the Daoist ten zhang away. The Daoist didn’t dare linger. He paid respects to the woman’s retreating figure and hurriedly departed.

The purple-clothed woman remained standing at the cliff’s edge like a stone statue. Her thoughts weren’t on Rong Ji’s fate, but on the leader of the Anti-Empire Alliance—Mingzhu Wenxia, Ying Wu Gui.

“Junior Sister, where are you hiding now?”

—

At sea.

A piece of driftwood that had been floating aimlessly suddenly gained direction. After navigating through several dangerous whirlpools, it slowly drifted into a hazy fog.

In this fog, one couldn’t even make out directions, let alone extend their divine sense outward. About a quarter of an hour later, the fog suddenly lifted, revealing a sea island with towering peaks before Li Ruoshui’s eyes. Pavilions and towers were built along the winding mountainside, shrouded in misty clouds, exuding an immortal aura.

This was Pearl Island.

One of the Anti-Empire Alliance’s countless outposts in the East Sea.

Li Ruoshui glanced around. Most of those coming and going were Daoists at the Heart Fixing or Shedding Mortality realms. Upon seeing Shi Yu, they cupped their hands and respectfully called her “Senior Sister.” Only then did they cast curious glances at Li Ruoshui.

Shi Yu said, “These people were all subjects of the Empire in the past, but not anymore.”

It was worth noting that all cultivators came from mortals. But in a rigidly hierarchical place like the Empire, commoners and lowborn clans had little chance of advancement. They could only hope that an immortal from one of the other six great sects passed by, took notice of their talent, and brought them to the immortal mountains. Alternatively, they could abandon everything they owned and enter the service of imperial families or great clans as deathsworn or house slaves.

In the latter case, they might have a chance to cultivate, but their cultivation resources were monopolized by the higher-ups, and their progress forever controlled by others. They called themselves a sect to the outside world, but in truth, they were mere appendages. Any defiance against their masters would earn them a branding mark.

Shi Yu explained the Empire’s various intolerable atrocities in detail to Li Ruoshui—things rarely mentioned on the Tianyan Mirror. The Empire’s vested interests wouldn’t speak ill of them, those under control dared not complain, and Daoists from other sects were outsiders who could simply avoid the Empire. Speaking too much risked offending people. The Wind Moon Heartless Sect cultivators would attack the Empire in the Dharma Realm, but rather than listing its misdeeds, they preferred direct insults. Cursing was enough; they couldn’t even be bothered to find reasons.

Li Ruoshui clicked her tongue twice, her dissatisfaction with the Empire growing ever deeper. She had formed an alliance vow with Shi Yu at sea. Since Shi Yu hadn’t mentioned any plans yet, Li Ruoshui didn’t press and settled down peacefully on this serene island, seizing the time to cultivate and advance her cultivation. Pearl Island was extremely secretive; the Empire couldn’t find it, making it far safer than the other islands at sea.

Several days later.

Li Ruoshui emerged from the Dharma Hall.

An isolated peak rose straight into the clouds opposite her, its summit covered in millennia-old snow that shimmered with iridescent colors under the sunlight, brilliant as brocade.

In a nearby pavilion, an immortal crane preened its silver feathers in the sun. Li Ruoshui tossed it a spirit pill. It stretched its neck to snap it up, then danced on tiptoe with wings spread.

Li Ruoshui chuckled and walked toward the pavilion to admire the splendid mountain scenery. Suddenly, she realized it had been several days since she last contacted her close friend. She quickly took out the Tianyan Mirror and greeted her intimate friend, Xin Shan.

Chen Buyan asked, “Fellow Daoist, have you left Empire territory?”

Li Ruoshui: “…” She replied vaguely, “Almost.”

Chen Buyan: “Something happened to Dong Wang.”

Li Ruoshui didn’t ask for details and simply said, “Will this cause major upheaval in the Empire?”

Chen Buyan: “No.” Seeing Li Ruoshui’s curiosity about Empire politics, she explained, “Dong Wang had long fallen behind in the struggle for the throne.”

Li Ruoshui nodded in understanding. After hearing Shi Yu’s introduction, she knew the imperial family and great clans held immense power in the Empire. The three kings cherished their lives and rarely ventured out. If not for Rong Ji being squeezed out by his two younger sisters with no room to survive in the Empire, why would he run off to the Path of No Return to seize the cinnabar sand in Azure Wood Canyon? How could he have been captured by the Anti-Empire Alliance as a prisoner?

Li Ruoshui asked again, “In that case, shouldn’t the Empire return to stability?”

Chen Buyan: “The Grand Chancellor and Tianming Marquis have differences. This time, Tianming Marquis seems determined to eradicate the scattered cultivators in the East Sea. Ying Wu Gui is only at the Nascent Soul Third Layer right now. If she can break through to the Cave Heaven Realm in this period, the situation would be different.”

Li Ruoshui’s eyes flickered.

Aside from dealing with powerful ruin spirits, Cave Heaven Realm cultivators rarely acted. For one thing, their battles could shatter mountains and disrupt qi flows. For another, they feared weakening themselves ahead of the Return to Ruins crisis. Back in the Nation-Securing Chart, several Cave Heaven experts had fallen, dealing a heavy blow to the Empire. Liang Daoqi was probably the least likely to risk fighting her peers.

The Anti-Empire Alliance faced the Empire’s sharpest edge head-on. Shi Yu had mentioned the Empire’s Cave Heaven experts without fear—was it because they had invited a Cave Heaven true person to help? Or had that one already broken through to the Cave Heaven Realm?

As Li Ruoshui pondered seriously, another message from Chen Buyan arrived: “Fellow Daoist, without entering the Cave Heaven Realm, it is all delusion in the end.”

Li Ruoshui fully agreed. And it was more than that—even upon reaching the Cave Heaven Realm, one might not withstand the apocalyptic calamity. “I’ll seize the time to cultivate the Universe One Qi Palm,” Li Ruoshui replied.

Chen Buyan: “Fellow Daoist walks the Causal Vow Dao. As long as you fulfill your vows, nothing is impossible.”

Encouraged by her friend’s faith, Li Ruoshui felt happy and naturally steered the conversation to cultivating the Universe One Qi Palm. She had barely gotten started after finding wood element cinnabar, and its power had grown considerably after refining fire element cinnabar. But to truly master it, she needed all five elements. She was currently short on metal, earth, and water cinnabar. Metal and earth could wait, but water element cinnabar—thanks to the alliance vow with Shi Yu, Shi Yu had promised to help her find some.

Chen Buyan asked, “Have you found the water element cinnabar already?”

Li Ruoshui: “Almost.”

Chen Buyan: “Fellow Daoist Shangshan, you’re still in the East Sea?!”

Seeing Chen Buyan’s words, Li Ruoshui’s heart chilled. She carefully reviewed the chat history—not a single mention of the East Sea! How had Chen Buyan figured it out?

Chen Buyan: “Fellow Daoist, you’re deceiving me.”

The low-version Tianyan Mirror didn’t show people, so Li Ruoshui had no idea what expression Chen Buyan wore.

Staring at the word “deceive,” she finally felt a twinge of guilt.

But soon, she justified it to herself and righteously thought: How can a white lie be called deception?

The words floated up with her thoughts but were deleted before sending to Chen Buyan.

She asked, “Why do you say that, Fellow Daoist Buyan?”

Chen Buyan: “You couldn’t possibly buy a large quantity of high-grade water element cinnabar from the Immortal Market. The Empire’s Nation-Securing Chart has been sealed. If you’re mining it yourself, the most convenient and likely source in Empire territory is the cinnabar ore vein in the depths of the East Sea.”

Li Ruoshui’s eyes widened. There was water element cinnabar in the East Sea? Why hadn’t her purchased treasure map marked it?

“Close friend, you’ve misunderstood me.”

“The water element cinnabar was a gift from a friend I know.”

“I swear to the heavens, I haven’t deceived you.”

She had merely hidden part of the truth.

Chen Buyan: “You didn’t accept my spirit jade pills before.”

Li Ruoshui: “…”

Staring at those words, she felt thoroughly off-balance.

Had her close friend lost her temper? No way. From their exchanges so far, she had sketched an image of her friend as an emotionally stable philanthropist who seemed devoid of feelings yet upheld great justice.

Was her friend reproaching her for not accepting the spirit jade pills?

Impossible. Her friend was probably condemning her for shady dealings with unsavory people in the East Sea.

“Fellow Daoist Shangshan, what are you doing?” A voice stabbed out from the side, startling Li Ruoshui. The crude Tianyan Mirror nearly flew from her hand over the cliff.

With quick reflexes, Li Ruoshui snatched it back like a monkey fishing for the moon.

She sat there blankly, murmuring to herself, “It’s over. In my close friend’s eyes, I’m tainted now.”

Shi Yu approached curiously. Once she made out the mutterings, her expression changed, as if looking at a fool.

Was bringing Li Shangshan as a helper really a good idea?

In the Taiyi Sect.

A figure stood at the cliff’s edge. She wore a white-gold Daoist robe draped with a large-sleeved cloak embroidered with flowing golden clouds. A lotus jade crown adorned her head, and a dot of cinnabar marked her brow. Her bearing was lofty and otherworldly, like a meticulously carved jade statue.

But soon, ripples disturbed her serene, tranquil gaze, like wind over water. Lian Rusu pursed her lips, her fine brows knitting tightly.

“If someone refuses your gifts but accepts others’, why is that?”

A beam of clear light swirled uncertainly. After a few breaths, the Undefiled Sword Spirit emerged from the sword in a blue robe and said with certainty, “They dislike you.”