Chapter 96: Figured It Out
Shen Bingsi didn’t like Zhilan Ridge, but he had to admit that the Xuantian Sect’s Ruthless Path was superior to the Lingjing Sect’s in terms of both cultivation scale and efficiency.
Therefore, whenever the major Ruthless Path sects were mentioned, people in the cultivation world thought of the Xuantian Sect first, and the Lingjing Sect second.
However, the situation had changed in recent years.
The scale of the Xuantian Sect’s Ruthless Path continued to grow, yet no particularly outstanding figures emerged. Instead, the Lingjing Sect, with its few disciples, produced Shen Bingsi, an Adjudicator of the Ruthless Path.
The Xuantian Sect’s Ruthless Path faction must have been furious. Of the three great Adjudicators, none came from the Xuantian Sect—no matter how impressive their training scale and efficiency were, they couldn’t ignore this indisputable fact.
It was also since Shen Bingsi became an Adjudicator that Zhilan Ridge stopped sending him invitations.
The Ruthless Path Palace on Zhilan Ridge was right before his eyes.
Two reception disciples were already waiting respectfully by the gate.
“Sword Saint Shen, Master is waiting for you in Zhengxin Hall. Please follow us.”
Shen Bingsi followed them into the massive Ruthless Path Palace, walking along twisting, deep, and narrow paths. The winter night mountain wind howled overhead, carrying snowflakes that occasionally struck his face.
Shen Bingsi narrowed his eyes. Except for the wind, it was very quiet here, as if no one was around. But from the fluctuations in spiritual power, he could sense that many cultivators lived in this Daoist palace. The scale had grown several times larger since his last visit.
Finally, they arrived at Zhengxin Hall. A pitch-black gate stood before them, tightly shut.
The two reception disciples stepped forward to announce him, and an aged voice came from within.
“Martial Nephew Shen, is your master well?”
“Thank you for your concern, Elder Bai. My master is still in seclusion on the Immortal Mountain,” Shen Bingsi lied without batting an eyelid.
“Oh, that is good,” Elder Bai asked. “Why have you come?”
“A Mirror Palace mission.” Shen Bingsi said simply.
Elder Bai fell silent.
Shen Bingsi felt a chilling pressure emanating from the pitch-black gate. The spiritual consciousness inside sized him up wantonly.
“A Mirror Palace… mission?” After a moment, Elder Bai asked, emphasizing each word heavily. “What does that mean?”
This time, Shen Bingsi wasn’t lying. The Mirror Palace had indeed assigned a mission—the same one he hadn’t completed before.
This was the real reason he came to Zhilan Ridge, not to persuade Lu Yingqi to change his title.
The three great Adjudicators each had their own duties. Shen Bingsi was in charge of slaying demons and eliminating devils. The world had been peaceful for a long time, and no great demons had appeared for many years. However, great yao on the verge of becoming demons had appeared a few times, all slain under Shen Bingsi’s sword. Most missions assigned to him by the Mirror Palace were related to demons. This time, coincidentally, the mission pointed to Zhilan Ridge, right under Elder Bai’s nose.
What did this mean? It meant that demons were lurking in the Ruthless Path Palace, and Elder Bai, who presided over the palace, hadn’t noticed.
This news was simply too unbelievable. Demons appearing in the core area of the Xuantian Sect, the Zhilan Ridge Ruthless Path Palace, was tantamount to challenging Elder Bai’s authority. Although Elder Bai wasn’t the Sect Master of Xuantian Sect, he had held actual power for decades. If he couldn’t even detect demons right under his nose, what authority did he have to command the trust of others?
If this news got out, even the prestige of the Xuantian Sect would be shaken.
No wonder Elder Bai’s expression changed so suddenly.
“It means exactly what it says,” Shen Bingsi said indifferently. “However, Elder Bai need not worry. Zhilan Ridge is just one of the locations where the yao appeared. The Heaven Mirror also showed other places, and I have to check them one by one… That yao is very cunning, scurrying around like the wind. Perhaps it has already gone elsewhere by now.”
“…” Elder Bai didn’t relax his attitude because of Shen Bingsi’s explanation. Instead, he released more spiritual pressure, weighing heavily on Shen Bingsi. The two reception disciples beside him, merely affected by the collateral pressure, turned pale, their legs trembling imperceptibly.
Shen Bingsi also felt heaviness on top of his head, and breathing became somewhat difficult. However, even if suppressed, he wouldn’t show any sign of defeat. He stiffened his neck and stared at the black gate of Zhengxin Hall without changing his expression.
“Sword Saint Shen sure throws his weight around,” Elder Bai suddenly sneered. “With just one word from you, our Zhilan Ridge must open up for you to inspect?”
Shen Bingsi’s scalp twitched. Elder Bai suddenly turning hostile made things tricky. Being an Adjudicator was tough work. If demons appeared elsewhere, it would be fine. But if they appeared in the backyards of those powerful and domineering figures of the three major sects, should he catch them or not?
“I am merely acting under orders.” Shen Bingsi held the Shengxie Sword and cupped his hands toward the black gate.
“Hmph, acting under orders,” Elder Bai said dismissively. “If you were certain that the demon was on our Zhilan Ridge, this old Daoist would naturally have nothing to say and would open the gates for you to catch it. But—”
“You are not certain!” Elder Bai said sternly. “You are not certain, yet you want to search our vast Ruthless Path Palace. Where do you put the dignity of our Xuantian Sect’s Ruthless Path?! If you find it, fine. But if you don’t, won’t rumors spread that our Ruthless Path Palace is harboring demons? Shen Bingsi, is this your attitude in handling matters?”
“…” Shen Bingsi remained silent, waiting for Elder Bai to finish venting his temper.
“Of course I can let you search. But can you guarantee the demon is in our Daoist Palace right now? Have you checked all other places? Why didn’t you check those places first, and only check here if you found nothing? Do you think our Zhilan Ridge is a place you can come and go as you please?” As Elder Bai spoke angrily, overwhelming spiritual pressure rolled over. Before it could do much to Shen Bingsi, one of the reception disciples beside the door collapsed with a thud, and the other turned deathly pale, looking like he wouldn’t last much longer either.
Shen Bingsi had long known Elder Bai had a violent temper. Waiting until he finished venting, Shen Bingsi spoke, stating his attitude neither humbly nor arrogantly: “Elder Bai can certainly refuse my entry. I can only report back to the Mirror Palace and ask the Heaven Mirror to decide.”
Dead silence.
“Good, good, good,” the aged voice carried a harsh sneer. “Since you put it that way, if I don’t let you search, it would seem I have ulterior motives.”
“I wouldn’t dare suggest that.” Shen Bingsi cupped his hands.
“Wuyin, Wuse,” Elder Bai called out coldly. “Why haven’t you taken this Great Adjudicator from the Mirror Palace around for a careful inspection? Search carefully. Don’t let one or two demons slip through in our Daoist Palace, or we won’t be able to explain it in the future.”
“Yes, Master.” The two reception disciples answered tremblingly, one just climbing up from the ground.
“Great Adjudicator Shen, you must search well and search thoroughly. Don’t come back to find me another day. I won’t allow you to wander around the Daoist Palace like it’s a vegetable market.” Elder Bai said coldly.
“Many thanks, Elder Bai.” Shen Bingsi cupped his hands toward the black gate again.
The spiritual pressure lifted, and the surrounding air returned to calm. The reception disciple scrambled up from the ground to lead the way for Shen Bingsi.
The Ruthless Path Palace on a winter night was indeed not a good place for a stroll.
The cold winter mountain wind blew, and three feet of snow piled up in the courtyards. There were also those stark white walls and pitch-black small doors that looked almost identical at a glance. Room after room, endless.
Occasionally, faint sobbing and sporadic screams came through the wind. The sounds were suppressed by things like soundproofing talismans, but even so, with Shen Bingsi’s hearing, he could still hear some of it.
Those were sounds made by cultivators resisting the illusions of their inner demons. Although the Ruthless Path cultivation methods of the Xuantian Sect and the Lingjing Sect differed slightly, the basic links were similar. For instance, the Ruthless Path Trial was a common element—conjuring various illusions to intimidate, lure, and torture the cultivator, forcing them to face the weak side of their state of mind and gradually strengthen their defense until they were unmoved.
Shen Bingsi had undergone the Ruthless Path Trial himself, so he knew it was inevitable to make some noise during the process and didn’t find it strange. However, the Xuantian Sect seemed to treat the Ruthless Path Trial as a primary cultivation method. Many cultivators were undergoing trials simultaneously, and their cultivation grounds were very densely packed, quite different from the free-range style of the Lingjing Sect.
Shen Bingsi couldn’t help but think, With just this, the Xuantian Sect’s Ruthless Path cultivation method isn’t that great. It’s ridiculous that Cloud Peak wanted me to come steal their teachings.
As Shen Bingsi walked, he also kept an eye out for any strange auras nearby.
After a full round, he found nothing but the soaring resentment of Ruthless Path cultivators.
“Is this the end?” Shen Bingsi asked.
The two reception disciples meekly stated that this was the extent of the Ruthless Path Palace open to outsiders. Further in were the seclusion rooms of Elder Bai’s direct disciples, which could not be disturbed.
“Oh…” Shen Bingsi asked casually as if it were nothing, “Is Lu Yingqi inside too?”
“Of course, Senior Brother Lu is…” Before the reception disciple could finish, the other one winked at him, and he hurriedly shut his mouth.
Shen Bingsi thought, So he is here?
“Remove the barrier on this gate. I want to check inside too.” Shen Bingsi kicked the threshold. An invisible ripple spread out from where he kicked—that was the barrier.
“This…” The two reception disciples looked at each other. “I’m afraid…”
“What, can’t do it?” Shen Bingsi held the Shengxie Sword and looked at the two sideways. “Your Elder Bai told me to search carefully and not miss any corner. Now there’s such a large area inside that you won’t let me check. If a big monster escapes and grows into a world-destroying Heavenly Demon one day, what then?”
The two reception disciples shuddered. This black pot of blame was truly too big; they couldn’t carry it.
“We can’t open this barrier either. We have to report to Master…” the two reception disciples said.
“No need for you; I can open it.” Saying this, Shen Bingsi took out a token. The token looked plain and could serve as a mirror—this was the world-famous Mirror Palace Token. No matter what barrier, a swipe of this token could break it open.
Seeing Shen Bingsi opening the barrier himself, the two reception disciples scrambled to report to Elder Bai. Shen Bingsi walked into the seclusion rooms of the Daoist Palace alone.
Though called seclusion rooms, they were just small rooms one after another, with white walls and black doors, same as outside.
Shen Bingsi walked along the central corridor, holding the Shengxie Sword to detect demonic aura while observing these rooms, pondering how to find Lu Yingqi—should he just call his name directly?
Suddenly, he saw a nameplate beside each black door. Some were empty, while others held tokens with names. Upon closer inspection, they were the waist tokens of Xuantian Sect disciples.
So this was how the seclusion rooms worked: when someone went into seclusion, they hung their waist token at the door. That was convenient.
Shen Bingsi searched one by one. At the second to last room, he finally saw the name “Lu Yingqi.”
He hesitated, then leaned in close.
Both reception disciples had run off, and no one told him how to communicate with someone in seclusion, so he could only do it the most direct way.
Knock knock knock!
Shen Bingsi knocked on the door a few times.
It was very quiet around, with only the sound of the wind, making the knocks exceptionally clear.
Then, Shen Bingsi cupped his hands around his mouth, pressed against the door, and shouted inside, “Hey, Lu Yingqi, can you hear me?”
Inside was quiet, with no echo.
However, this didn’t stop Shen Bingsi from continuing to shout.
“Come out quickly—someone is looking for you! My Rong Xie is looking for you—”
That night on Cloud Peak when the moon rose among the clouds, Shen Bingsi figured out two things.
First, the future of the Ruthless Path likely rested on him.
Second, his best friend Rong Xie responded to coaxing but not coercion. Instead of arguing with him and forcing him back to his side, it was better to go along with his wishes and help him find the person he wanted. Knowing Shen Bingsi was useful, Rong Xie naturally wouldn’t have the heart to drive him away.
As the saying goes, if the mountain won’t come to me, I will go to the mountain.
Once he figured it out, everything became clear. As long as the two were together, did it matter who was sticking to whom?
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