229: As a teacher, I will give you another motto: Kindness cannot command an army, and goodness cannot be an official.

“Li Daoyi, you…”

Elder Mojian stroked his beard and glared, his face full of indignation.

“Oh, does Elder Mo have any complaints?

Or… would you like to test my swordsmanship?”

Gu Changsheng propped his chin, a playful smile on his face.

Immediately, Elder Mojian’s face darkened, and he turned his back.

Gu Changsheng pressed his advantage, his eyes shining like sharp swords as they swept across the entire hall: “If any of you have any complaints?

You can speak them out.

Today, this seat will give you a ‘satisfactory’ answer.

Conversely, if any of you go back on your word later and secretly trip up my unworthy Disciple… hehe, that would be going against Li Daoyi, and going against Sword Ancestor!”

Gu Changsheng naturally understood the principle of leveraging power.

Since Sword Ancestor had already entered seclusion and handed him the Sword Token representing his identity, it would be a waste not to use this identity.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall exchanged glances.

After a long while, they all bowed in salute.

“Greetings, Sect Head Le!”

“Greetings, Grand Elder!”

Seeing many Junior Martial Uncles and Grand Junior Martial Uncles, whose cultivation was higher than his own and whose hair was all white, bowing in unison, Le Xiaoyao felt his face burning and showed a hint of embarrassment.

He turned around and met Gu Changsheng’s unquestionable gaze, and a telepathic message drifted into his ear.

“Boy… I have already secured the position of Sect Head for you.

From now on, whether you can keep it or not depends on your own ability.

I will bestow upon you another motto.

A benevolent leader cannot command an army, and a kind person cannot be an official.

You must take care of yourself.”

“Revered Master…”

Le Xiaoyao nodded silently, a decision already made in his heart.

When he looked up, his demeanor changed, becoming sharp as a blade, appearing unapproachable.

Suddenly, a pang of pain came from his waist, and he turned to meet Qian Ya’s playful gaze, whispering telepathically: “Hehe, Great Sect Head Le, from now on, this Senior Sister will be relying on you to look out for her.”

Gu Changsheng smiled.

The two had gone through life and death together, getting to know each other from humble beginnings, and now only needed to break through that final barrier… Soon, the news of Shu Mountain replacing its Sect Head and Grand Elder spread throughout a million-li radius, causing tremors among countless forces.

“What?

Is Shu Mountain so devoid of talent? To actually let a mere Early Stage Profound Cave Sword Revered Master take over Ling Xuzi’s position as Sect Head. It’s simply a joke.”

“Haha, picking the best of the short, Shu Mountain’s internal strength must be at its weakest right now, unable to even produce a Late Stage Cultivator?”

“I heard that the Grand Elder is Li Daoyi, the Sword Revered Master of the Xu Jin Sword Vein, and his methods are quite extraordinary.

However, he hasn’t appeared for a hundred years, so whether his Sword Qi is still sharp is yet unknown.”

“Speaking of which, Sword Ancestor is about to undergo his seventh Heavenly Tribulation, isn’t he?

The three calamities of the Yang Spirit Realm, each more formidable than the last, a one in ten chance of survival.

I wonder if Sword Ancestor can overcome this one?”

In an instant, the vassal Sects were all turbulent with undercurrents, overtly and covertly probing Shu Mountain.

Black Wind Stronghold.

Clang——

Sharp, destructive Sword Qi rained down, and the bandit Cultivators of Black Wind Stronghold howled and scattered, falling to the ground after being cut down.

Le Xiaoyao held a ferocious-looking head in his hand, which was none other than the leader of Black Wind Stronghold.

“Black Cyclone, how dare a mere Early Stage Profound Cave Cultivator invade my Shu Mountain territory…”

Suddenly, a figure swept past him, it was Liu Che, the True Disciple he had recently groomed.

“Have you found out?” Le Xiaoyao’s face was frosty.

“This Disciple is incompetent. There are three Sects suspected of having dealings with Black Wind Stronghold recently.

They are Yun Sheng Sect, Bi Shui Gate, and Fire Dragon Society.

It is temporarily difficult to determine which one is secretly supporting Black Wind Stronghold.”

“Difficult to determine?”

A hint of killing intent bloomed in Le Xiaoyao’s eyes: “Simple… then we’ll exterminate all three Sects!”

“Issue the order, have Elders Mojian, Tianjian, and Zuijian lead their Disciples to set out and eliminate the three Sects.

Anyone who dares to object will be treated as a traitor to the Sect!”

“Yes.”

Le Xiaoyao watched Liu Che’s departing back, muttering to himself: “A benevolent leader cannot command an army, and a kind person cannot be an official… Cultivators, their methods are no different from Mortals.”

In recent days, the three had openly and secretly defied discipline, paying lip service to orders while acting against them, which greatly annoyed Le Xiaoyao.

This was a good opportunity to eliminate dissidents.

Shu Mountain, Heavenly Sword Vein.

Clatter——

The white jade teacup smashed to the ground, shattering into pieces, and the fragrant spiritual tea splattered everywhere.

“Bastard! This brat really thinks he’s something, daring to dictate to my Heavenly Sword Vein.”

The Heavenly Sword Revered Master’s face was full of rage.

Beside him, several Disciples also shouted in anger.

“Revered Master is right, Le Xiaoyao’s actions are clearly meant to deplete the foundation of my Heavenly Sword Vein.”

“Revered Master, the three Sects are not weak, we must not fall for it easily.”

“Even if we don’t leave the Sect, what can Le Xiaoyao do to us?”

For a time, emotions ran high.

Suddenly, Elder Sun, who was huddled in a corner silently smoking his dry tobacco pipe, sighed faintly: “Le Xiaoyao is not formidable… but behind him, stands that one…”

As soon as these words were spoken, all the angry shouts and curses in the hall immediately died down.

The Heavenly Sword Revered Master was even more stunned on the spot, his expression conflicted, veins bulging.

After a long while, he said with difficulty, word by word: “Issue the order, gather the Disciples.

Set out!

Target, Fire Dragon Society!”

...The other two Peaks also made the same choice.

Watching the phantom figures of Flying Swords and spiritual boats sweeping out of the Sect, Gu Changsheng smiled slightly on the Peak of the Xu Jin Sword Vein: “This kid is finally getting it…”

“With this, I can finally rest assured.

Next, it’s all about fully advancing my cultivation… Peak Late Stage Profound Cave…”

Three years later.

The three Sects were all annihilated, and like pulling up a radish bringing out mud, many other Sects were also wiped out. In an instant, all the vassal Sects fell silent, not daring to make the slightest move.

The Heavenly Sword, Mojian, and Zuijian Veins suffered considerable losses to their Origin Qi, but Le Xiaoyao’s prestige rose in that single battle, and among ordinary Disciples, his authority even surpassed that of Gu Changsheng, who was in seclusion.

At this moment, in the secret chamber of the Xu Jin Sword Vein.

Gu Changsheng’s eyes were tightly closed, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. His abdomen was distended, and dense black Qi swirled around his Dantian, his aura growing at a visible speed.

Suddenly, he abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp glint shooting out from them, and the surrounding dust spontaneously floated upwards.

“Peak Late Stage Profound Cave… just a hair’s breadth away from the Yang Spirit Realm… it wasn’t in vain that I consumed one hundred and twenty wisps of True Devil Qi.”

As early as when he was in the Saint Realm, he had used the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart to cultivate enough demonic spirit flowers and refined them into Medicinal Pills.

Of the three thousand six hundred wisps of True Devil Qi, one hundred wisps were used to forge Su Ruxian’s True Devil Body, and one hundred and twenty wisps were transmuted into Immortal Spiritual Energy through the demonic heart crossing to enhance his cultivation.

Currently, he still has three thousand three hundred and eighty wisps of True Devil Qi remaining.

“Whether it’s True Devil Qi or Immortal Spiritual Energy… both are of immense benefit for increasing cultivation in the Yang Spirit Realm.

I’ll need them in the future…”

Gu Changsheng, upon internal inspection, found that the lake of magical power within his body had expanded several times again, like tidal waves crashing against the crystal wall of his Dantian, unable to increase his cultivation by even a trace.

In the ethereal realm, a barrier obstructed him.

As soon as Gu Changsheng made a slight movement, the heavens and earth changed color in the depths of the Void Realm, and a majestic will, like Divine Might, locked onto him.

“The Heavenly Tribulation for breaking through to the Yang Spirit Realm…”

His face was somewhat grim.

During his leisure time, he had also used the Sword Token in his possession to consult the hidden books left by Shu Mountain, obtaining much information about the Yang Spirit Realm Heavenly Tribulation.

The more he read, the more alarmed he became.

Out of a hundred Peak Late Stage Profound Cave Cultivators, at most one or two would break through to the Yang Spirit Realm.

“To overcome the Yang Spirit Tribulation… one must be fully prepared.

It’s time to go back and find that black stone.”

Gu Changsheng murmured.