10: Farewell, Taixuan Immortal Sect

The Jianghu of Great Chu exploded!

In just a few days, the sky had fallen!

Black Fiend Old Ancestor, a Demonic Path giant, was gone!

Zen Master Liaofan, an eminent monk of Shaolin, also passed away!

Even the stabilizing force of the Great Chu Imperial Family, King Zhen, Xiao Wuji, had vanished!

Three Grandmasters, figures so influential that a mere stomp of their feet would make the Jianghu tremble, had disappeared so silently!

Immediately after, another earth-shshattering piece of news dropped.

The Black Fiend Sect, a major Demonic Path Sect with a Legacy of several hundred years, was uprooted, from top to bottom, completely wiped out, not even a dog left alive!

This series of news was more terrifying than a thunderbolt, scorching the entire Jianghu.

Everyone was stunned, their minds buzzing, unable to process it.

Those were Grandmasters!

Normally, it was as hard as ascending to Heaven to even meet one, but now they were disappearing like dumplings dropping into a pot?

Among them, two were a renowned Buddhist elder and a pillar of the Imperial Court; this matter was huge!

The destruction of the Black Fiend Sect was even more inconceivable.

A Sect with a Grandmaster presiding over it, and you say it was massacred just like that? Who the Hell would believe it!

For a time, the entire Martial Forest of Great Chu was filled with alarm, and all sorts of speculations flew around.

Some claimed, with detailed accounts, that an Old Ancestor who had been living in seclusion had made a move to clean up the Sect.

Others asserted, with certainty, that a mysterious force had bared its fangs, intending to unify the Jianghu.

Even more people connected this incident with the recent destruction of the Blood Fiend Gate in Liuzhou City, and the more they thought about it, the more they felt that the mastermind behind this was likely the same person, or the same group of people!

The Great Chu Imperial Family and Shaolin Temple were practically fuming with rage.

Xiao Wuji was the face and confidence of the Imperial Family; with his death, Great Chu's backbone was half broken.

Zen Master Liaofan held an extremely high position and was highly respected in Shaolin Temple; his death cast a shadow over the entire Shaolin.

Both forces immediately dispatched a large number of experts, frantically searching everywhere, vowing not to rest until they dug up the culprit.

Unfortunately, Lu Yuchen was too swift.

Aside from the corpses (minced meat), no useful clues were left at the scene. All that was known was that the three Grandmasters were almost all killed by an extremely overbearing Fist Intent in a single strike, unable to even put up a decent resistance.

Who was the culprit? What was their background? What was their motive?

No one knew.

The entire Jianghu of Great Chu was shrouded in an impenetrable fog.

...

At the peak of Black Fiend Ridge.

Lu Yuchen glanced at his Disciple, Lin Fan, who was standing before him.

Not bad, after Foundation Establishment, his aura was much more stable. The sharp edge of a naive youth that he had before was gone, replaced by the introversion and depth that a cultivator should possess.

"Fan'er, you have completed Foundation Establishment, and your magical power has been fully converted to the wood attribute."

"You have mastered the Human Path and Asura Path of the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist. Today, I, your Master, shall impart to you the true meaning of the remaining four Paths: Heavenly Dao, Animal Path, Hungry Ghost Path, and Hell Path."

Lin Fan's spirit was invigorated, and he bowed, saying, "Please impart the Dao, Master!"

Lu Yuchen did not waste words, speaking concisely.

"Heavenly Dao is resplendent, governing rewards for good and punishments for evil!"

"Animal Path, takes the form of all beasts, mimicking the ferocity of all beasts!"

"Hungry Ghost Path, its intent is devouring, swallowing everything!"

"Hell Path, is for tempering, evolving boundless suffering and refining oneself!"

There were no specific moves, nor any diagrams for the circulation of magical power.

It was the same as before, only the most core "Intent" was taught.

"The true explanation of the Fist Intent is all within these words; how much you can comprehend depends on your own Luck."

"Disciple understands!" Lin Fan nodded heavily.

He was already accustomed to his Master's methods. The Legacy of Tai Xuan Immortal Sect emphasized Intent over form; free expression was the true Dao.

"Your cultivation has entered the right path, and it is time for you to go down the mountain for experience," Lu Yuchen's tone shifted.

"Go now, the Jianghu is perilous, and human hearts are more venomous than demons. This journey is not only to temper your cultivation but also to temper your heart."

"Disciple obeys!"

Lu Yuchen casually carved the descriptions of the four Fist Intents into a Jade Slip and tossed it over.

"Take this; when you are confused, read it yourself."

"Thank you, Master!"

Lin Fan took the Jade Slip, without any hesitation, kowtowed three times to Lu Yuchen, then resolutely turned and strode down the mountain.

Only after his Disciple's back disappeared into the mountains did Lu Yuchen breathe a sigh of relief.

"Finally, I've sent this kid off; it's time for me to do some serious business."

Finding Disciples one by one was too slow, like searching for a needle in a haystack.

He was now at least in the Purple Mansion stage; although a bit watered down, in this world, killing a Great Grandmaster or two was just a matter of a single slap.

With this strength, why bother with secret visits?

"Instead of aimlessly wandering the world, it's better to directly erect the 'Tai Xuan Sect' sign and attract Phoenixes to the nest!"

Lu Yuchen made up his mind, and with a flicker of his figure, he was already a hundred miles away.

He traveled eastward, heading straight for the border between Great Chu and the Great Qian Dynasty—the Cloudbreak Mountain Range.

This place was not well-governed by either side; the mountains were high, and the emperor was far away, making it most suitable for a "black household" like him to settle down.

A few days later, Lu Yuchen found a mountain peak named "Tianzhu Peak" in the continuous mountain range.

It was high enough, perilous enough, and grand enough!

"This is it!"

He stood in mid-air at the mountainside, his Divine Sense sweeping like mercury, confirming the geological stability. Then, his magical power surged instantly.

"Rise!"

A soft shout.

In an instant, the mountain trembled, countless boulders spontaneously broke free from the ground and flew up, and trees fell.

Under his precise mental control, these rocks were cut, polished, and stacked, and the ground was forcefully leveled.

In just half a day.

A mountain gate, not grand but ancient and imposing, rose from the ground. On the plaque were three large characters, written with the flourish of a Dragon and Phoenix—Tai Xuan Sect.

He had deliberately omitted the character for "Immortal"; after all, one should be low-key.

[Sect prototype established, Luck initially condensed, rewarding basic protective Formation "Four Symbols Formation"]

A message flowed through his mind.

"Better than nothing."

Lu Yuchen properly buried the Formation Plate and Formation Flags, and a faint, almost imperceptible halo enveloped the entire Sect, then disappeared.

The mountain gate was there; all that was left was Disciples.

Waiting for a rabbit was not his style.

Lu Yuchen's gaze turned eastward, in the direction of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Great Qian... I heard it's much richer and more prosperous than Great Chu; there should be more Geniuses, right?"

His figure disappeared again, as if on a journey, and incidentally... to find a few promising talents to bring back.

...

Xijin City, Great Qian.

A place of water and land thoroughfares, bustling with people and carriages.

Lu Yuchen, dressed in a green robe, strolled leisurely through the streets with his hands behind his back. Suddenly, a discordant sound came from a secluded alley nearby.

It was the crying of a child, mixed with several malicious scoldings.

He frowned almost imperceptibly, sweeping his Divine Sense over.

Deep in the alley, several half-grown children, who looked to be only seven or eight years old, were punching and kicking a figure curled up in a corner.

It was a little girl, no more than three years old, wrapped in rags of an indiscernible color, her small face frozen purple and covered in mud, her cries as faint as a kitten's.

"Bastard, dare to come here to steal food!"

"Beat her to death!"

In their tender voices, there was a viciousness unsuited to their age.

Lu Yuchen had always disliked meddling in others' affairs, but this scene was truly jarring.

Bullying a child who couldn't even walk steadily or speak clearly, what kind of ability was that?

His eyes grew cold, and he turned his steps, slowly strolling over.

The boys in the alley were hitting with full force and did not notice an extra person behind them.

"Cough."

A soft cough, not loud.

Yet it was like a heavy hammer, striking hard on the chests of the children.

The alley instantly fell silent.