441: Chapter 441 Tracking the Jade Slip

[One hundred days later.]

[You arrive before a bamboo forest.]

[The bamboo forest is not large and looks quite ordinary, no different from the bamboo forests commonly found in the mortal world.]

[As soon as you land—the scene before your eyes suddenly twists.]

[The world spins, and the bamboo forest vanishes.]

[You are standing in a Void Realm.]

[There is no sky, no earth, no direction.]

[Only the endless grey-white Void Realm, flowing slowly.]

[Not far ahead, there is an elegant seat.]

[A man sits upright upon the seat.]

[You cannot see his face clearly.]

[Clearly he is sitting right there, yet whenever your gaze falls upon him, it involuntarily slides away, as if an invisible barrier isolated him from all prying eyes.]

[You steady your mind and step forward.]

[You stop three zhang away from the elegant seat.]

[Cupping your hands and bowing, you say: "Junior greets Senior."]

["Rise."]

[Venerable Tianming's voice is very faint, as if coming from a great distance, yet also sounding directly within your heart.]

[You straighten up and stand with your hands at your sides.]

["Do you know why this seat is waiting for you here?"]

["Junior does not know."]

[Venerable Tianming chuckles softly.]

["You carry the aura of a Demon Seed. That old fellow Shura was quite willing to invest heavily."]

[You do not respond.]

["The Liu Clan Territory was destroyed by you. The battle at Ziyang Star was also disrupted by you. Yun Xiaozi... was also impersonated by you."]

[With every sentence he speaks, your heart sinks a bit further.]

[But he does not get angry; instead, there is a hint of... appreciation in his tone?]

["Interesting," he says. "A Void Refining Junior, playing the Liu Clan like fools and overturning the entire Ziyang Star. How many years has it been since the Immortal Realm produced such a character?"]

[You remain silent, but your heart is in a panic.]

[You didn't expect that Venerable Tianming would actually know about all these things you've done.]

[Thinking about it, it's actually normal; from the moment he discovered you on Ziyang Star, he saw your strength and guessed your grievance with the Liu Clan.]

[Thus, other matters aren't hard to guess.]

[What you're curious about is—since Venerable Tianming knows everything, why does he still want to take you as a Disciple?]

["This seat lacks a Disciple," he suddenly says. "Are you willing to enter my tutelage?"]

[You look up at his blurred face.]

["Junior... how could I be worthy?"]

["There's no need for humility." He waves his hand. "When this seat chooses someone, I never look at Aptitude, only one thing—whether they are ruthless enough and smart enough. You are."]

[You are silent for a moment.]

[Then, you kneel and kowtow.]

["Disciple Qin Tian pays respects to Revered Master."]

[Venerable Tianming nods.]

["Rise."]

[You stand up and wait with your hands at your sides.]

[He is silent for a while, then suddenly speaks:]

["The Immortal Realm has been peaceful for too long, so long that some have forgotten who provided this peace."]

["Now, sources of calamity are arising everywhere. If not eliminated early, they will surely lead to great chaos."]

[He pauses, his gaze falling upon you.]

["Since you have entered my tutelage, you must shoulder this responsibility."]

["Yun Xiaozi—the Disciple of Venerable Cang Xuan of the Kunlun Dao Academy. You have impersonated him, so you must be familiar with him."]

["This boy possesses the Demon Child Saint Physique, a destined root of calamity that will sooner or later plague the Immortal Realm. He cannot be left alive."]

[Your heart jolts, but you quickly regain your composure.]

[Venerable Tianming ignores your reaction and continues calmly:]

["Then there is Xuanyuan Yao of the Xuanyuan Immortal Clan. She possesses the Xuanyuan Bloodline yet favors Yun Xiaozi and secretly colludes with the Demon Realm. This woman also cannot be left alive."]

[Hearing this, you are shocked—it turns out Xuanyuan Yao likes Yun Xiaozi.]

[Then he hands you a Jade Slip.]

["This contains her location and movements. Set out immediately and take her life."]

[You take the Jade Slip without saying a word.]

[Venerable Tianming looks at you, his tone remaining calm:]

["This is the first trial Revered Master gives you. Do it well, and you will be the true successor of my Heavenly Mandate Lineage. Fail, and..."]

[He doesn't finish, but the meaning is already clear.]

[You cup your hands again: "Disciple obeys your command."]

[You are about to leave when Venerable Tianming suddenly raises his hand.]

[A palm-sized Jade Plaque slowly floats before you.]

[The Jade Plaque is pure white, with faint golden Dao Patterns flowing within; it feels warm to the touch but carries a trace of intangible pressure.]

["This is Revered Master's token," Venerable Tianming's voice rings out faintly. "Inside is sealed a Divine Thought Clone of mine. If you encounter a life-or-death situation, crush the Jade Plaque, and the Clone will manifest to save your life."]

[He pauses: "Remember, it can only be used once."]

[You take the Jade Plaque with both hands and solemnly place it in your robe.]

["Thank you, Revered Master."]

[Venerable Tianming waves his hand, his figure gradually blurring: "Go. Do not disappoint Revered Master."]

[The Void Realm dissipates, and the bamboo forest reappears.]

[You stand in place, holding the warm Jade Plaque in your robe, silent for a long time.]

[At this moment, you finally understand.]

[Venerable Tianming taking you as a Disciple isn't about cherishing talent; it's about using people.]

[You are trapped within the sphere of influence of the Heavenly Palace, unable to escape even with wings.]

[He gives you a path, and you can only take it. If you don't, you die.]

[This is just like being a death soldier.]

[If you kill Yun Xiaozi, you will form a blood feud with the Kunlun Dao Academy. Cultivators belonging to the side of the Academy Head, Venerable Yuqing, and others will absolutely not tolerate you.]

[If you kill Xuanyuan Yao, you will form a blood feud with the Xuanyuan Immortal Clan.]

[Once these two things are done, you will have no place to stand in the Immortal Realm and can only be tied to his ship for life.]

[At that time, he will be your only "backer." And when your backer wants you to sink, you won't even have the strength to struggle.]

[Calling it "taking a Disciple" sounds nice, but to put it bluntly, it's a transaction, a threat.]

[The only difference is—whether you die now or later.]

[You stand at the edge of the bamboo forest; the wind blows, and the bamboo leaves rustle.]

[You look into the distance, your gaze growing colder and colder.]

[After a long time,]

[A very faint curve suddenly hooks at the corner of your mouth.]

[Since you want to play, then I'll play along.]

[You turn and step out, vanishing.]

[Three months later,]

[This Clone of yours with ninety percent strength takes Qin Han and, following the tracking Jade Slip given by Venerable Tianming, arrives at a desolate Shattered Star Continent.]

[Along the way, you have been studying this tracking Jade Slip.]

[But no matter how much you study it, you simply can't figure it out.]

[How exactly does this thing track Xuanyuan Yao?]

[Is it aura?]

[Is it Bloodline?]

[Or is it some deeper karmic connection?]

[The more you think about it, the more concerned you become.]

[When Venerable Tianming was able to find you before, was it also because of something like this?]

[If you can understand the principle and find a way to isolate it, perhaps you can escape that old dog's tracking in the future.]

[You put away the Jade Slip and look up to scan this continent.]

[Barren, uninhabited, even the Spiritual Qi is pitiably thin.]

[Why would Xuanyuan Yao run to a godforsaken place like this?]