Chapter 175: The Sect’s Foundation
“Since you know my identity, you still dare to let me take the position of Sect Master?” After a moment’s thought, you did not rush to leave, but asked in return.
To see through my identity, there must have been a Great Vehicle stage powerhouse who acted! Facing an expert of that level, fleeing or not fleeing seems to make no difference.
“Don’t be nervous. Letting you take the position of Sect Master will not change.” Sect Master Moyang said with a chuckle.
“Oh? I currently have a kill order issued against me by the royal family of the Purple Firmament Immortal Dynasty!”
“Would your Heavenly Blade Sect really dare to oppose the royal family?”
“The royal family? Heh!” Sect Master Moyang sneered. “You don’t need to worry about that. As long as you become the Sect Master of my Heavenly Blade Sect, a mere kill order is nothing. Someone will erase it for you.”
You glanced at Sect Master Moyang, thinking to yourself, If it is truly as the Sect Master says, then I’m afraid the Heavenly Blade Sect’s strength is far from as simple as it appears on the surface!
“Oh, right. When the time comes, you can also take over that Martial Sect in the Northern Region.”
It seems you’ve investigated me quite thoroughly! You had already begun cursing inwardly. Anyone whose background was investigated down to the last detail would feel unpleasant.
“Alas, blame this I for being on the verge of death, with no time left to waste.” Sect Master Moyang sighed.
“I don’t understand. Why must it be me who becomes this Sect Master? The First Elder and the Vice Sect Master have been in the sect for many years, their influence deeply rooted. They are undoubtedly better choices.” You asked the question in your heart.
“Because you have limitless potential!”
“What?” You were stunned. This counted as a reason?
“Come out.” Moyang clapped his hands.
Then, you saw Xiao Fan, who had survived a great calamity!
“Greetings, Sect Master, Elder Ye.” Xiao Fan, who had barely survived in the Secret Realm, bowed to the two of you.
“Many thanks to Elder Ye for saving me in the Secret Realm. This humble one is endlessly grateful.”
“A small effort, nothing more.” After seeing Xiao Fan, the answer in your heart became clear.
“The successive Ancestors of my Heavenly Blade Sect are irreconcilable with the Desolate Force!!!” Sect Master Moyang left these words, and his figure vanished.
With these words, your heart was somewhat put at ease. Your ideals aligned with the Heavenly Blade Sect, and your life was at least safe now.
The next day, you rose early, changed into a set of clothes, and went to attend the sect celebration.
Today, you were the protagonist!
“Fellow Daoist Ye, terrible news!” The First Elder hurried over and spoke to you in a low voice.
“What is it?”
“Yesterday’s assassination of the Vice Sect Master failed. I reckon the Sect Master already knows about it now. The position of Sect Master is hopeless!”
“Oh, I know.” You nodded, unconcerned.
“Today, the Sect Master will announce the new Sect Master candidate at the grand ceremony. It must be the Vice Sect Master without a doubt!”
“Alas, once the Vice Sect Master becomes Sect Master, there will be no place for us anymore!”
“To think that my lifetime of glory would end at the hands of the Vice Sect Master!”
“Fellow Daoist Ye, why don’t we run? While there’s life, there’s hope!” The First Elder wailed with a bitter face.
“Who told you the position of Sect Master belongs to the Vice Sect Master?” You glanced at the First Elder.
“Within the entire sect, only I and the Vice Sect Master have hope of ascending to the Sect Master position. Now that my scheme has been exposed, how could I possibly have even a sliver of a chance?”
“Is that all?”
“That is all.”
“Heh.” You smiled and shook your head, then told the First Elder about your impending appointment as Sect Master.
“What? How could that possibly be!” After hearing this, the First Elder said in disbelief.
“The two of us schemed for decades, and in the end, Fellow Daoist Ye plucked the peach.”
“Alas, truly, fate plays tricks on people!”
“Enough. Tell me about the situation within the sect.” Since you had decided to become this Sect Master, you naturally needed to understand things properly.
“My Heavenly Blade Sect is divided into Outer Sect disciples, Inner Sect disciples, Core Disciples, and Core Disciples.”
“Among them, Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment are Outer Sect disciples; Golden Core and Nascent Soul are Inner Sect disciples; Spirit Transformation is Core Disciple; and the Return-to-Void realm is Core Disciple.”
“Wait, Return-to-Void realm Core Disciples? Then doesn’t that mean you are…?” You glanced at the First Elder and asked in confusion.
“Cough, cough.” The First Elder’s old face reddened. He explained, “After one’s cultivation reaches the Return-to-Void realm, one either gets taken in as a Core Disciple by one of the Ancestors, or becomes an Elder like me.”
“Are there many Ancestors in the sect?”
“Currently, there are still ten Ancestors moving about within the sect. All of them are Fusion realm powerhouses.”
“The rest of the Ancestors have either vanished without a trace, or like Ancestor Yunyi, buried themselves and slumber without waking.”
“Wait, why would they bury themselves? Could it be their lifespan is nearly exhausted?”
The First Elder glanced at you in surprise. “No. The Ancestors know there is no hope ahead. To avoid wasting time, they bury themselves, prolonging their lifespans to wait for a change in heaven and earth.”
“Moreover, in the two thousand plus years since I joined the sect, I have never heard of any Ancestor whose lifespan was nearly exhausted!”
“And from time to time, Ancestors emerge from the world and wander about the sect.”
“Hisss! So that means the ones buried in the sect’s forbidden grounds are all Old Monsters whose cultivation has reached its peak, with lifespans vast beyond measure?!!”
“That should be the case.” The First Elder said with absolute certainty.
“This is hidden far too deeply!” You cursed under your breath.
It seems there are quite a few hidden Old Monsters in this Cultivation World. I’d better be careful from now on.
“By the way, do those Core Disciples taken in by the Ancestors not have the qualifications to become Sect Master?” You suddenly remembered something and asked.
“Them? They are a group of people single-mindedly seeking the Dao, only wishing to become Immortals. How could they be bound by a mere Sect Master position?”
“It is only people like us, with ordinary cultivation talent, who have the spare time to manage the sect.”
Hearing the First Elder’s explanation, for a time you did not know what to say.
You decided that after the Sect Master died, you absolutely had to dig out his corpse and whip it!!!
I thought the position of Sect Master was something everyone coveted. I never imagined it was something nobody wanted!
“What are you chatting about?” The Sect Master’s figure suddenly appeared before you, saying with a smile.
“S-Sect Master!” The First Elder, whose scheme had been exposed, became extremely nervous upon seeing the Sect Master.
“Don’t be nervous. Those things you did will be decided by the new Sect Master once he takes office!”