Chapter 104: Chapter 96: How Come There’s Human Trafficking?
In a corner of the Cultivation World of *Ashen Heaven*, a curtain of rain hung from the sky, shrouding a sect with a particularly grim aesthetic.
The Dawa Sect. Here, they didn’t cultivate the Golden Core Dao or seek invincible Divine Techniques. The "Dao" its disciples pursued was... peculiar. One might even call it... deviant.
The sect’s daily cultivation consisted of a series of deviant rituals.
By a waterside pavilion, there was always a female disciple of exceptional beauty, revered as the "Holy Daughter."
She would lean against the railing, utterly bored, reciting the sect’s sacred text—the *Saintess’s Teachings*—in a tone that was three parts apathy and seven parts contempt.
Her voice held not a shred of the passion one would expect from a sermon, only a sense of obligation and annoyance.
Outside the pavilion, dozens of male disciples sat cross-legged, listening intently in the rain, undeterred by the weather.
Their faces showed no trace of resentment at being treated with such disdain. Instead, they wore looks of profound enlightenment.
However, these "Holy Daughters" in the pavilion possessed none of the grace or bearing of true cultivators.
In reality, they were just "streamers" the President had hired from the mortal world at great expense.
Inside the pavilion, they complained about how hard it was to maintain their disdainful poses and griped about the tedium of reading from a script, treating the whole affair as just a high-paying gig.
...
Dawa Sect, inside the President’s cavern abode.
The President, "Wa Wei X Feng," was currently sprawled on his chair, a copy of *Spring Palace Painting* he’d traded for somewhere covering his face, fast asleep.
In his eyes, the Dao of the Dawa Sect was to comprehend the supreme truth that "form is emptiness" through endless "patronage."
BZZZ—
A faint vibration interrupted his enlightenment. He impatiently peeled the *Spring Palace Painting* from his face, and a glowing screen materialized before his eyes.
’A message from a friend?’
He raised an eyebrow when he saw the user ID.
[(Guixi Sect) Lin Qingfeng: Yo, you there?]
...
After a brief exchange, the President of the Dawa Sect stared at Lin Qingfeng’s messages, the look of contentment on his face completely gone.
[(Dawa Sect) Wa Wei X Feng: You want to sell me your sect’s new good-for-nothing? And you want a Mahayana Skill in exchange? Lin Qingfeng, have you lost your mind?]
[(Dawa Sect) Wa Wei X Feng: The Dawa Sect might have a bad reputation, but we’re not a dumpster for rejects! Besides, we’ve got enough of his type already. We don’t need another one dragging down our average!]
[(Guixi Sect) Lin Qingfeng: Is that right?]
[(Guixi Sect) Lin Qingfeng: Then what about that old Daoist your sect sent to infiltrate mine? He ruined our reputation and tried to subvert us from within. Maybe I should find some time to pay you a personal visit and have a little... chat about it?]
The Dawa Sect President’s expression turned grim.
’That old Daoist really *was* from his sect!’
When word got out that the Guixi Sect had recruited its first native NPC—a junior sister, no less—someone in the sect just couldn’t restrain themselves. He hadn’t been able to stop him.
And what happened? The guy got himself kicked out of their sect and branded an infiltrator!
But he still put on a brave front.
[(Dawa Sect) Wa Wei X Feng: Let’s not conflate the issues. A Mahayana Skill? Lin Qingfeng, you might as well just go rob someone. No one in my entire sect has a technique of that level, not even me. You think I’d have one? And even if I did, I’d trade it for some useless bum with terrible potential?]
’He could lose the argument, but not the attitude. He couldn’t afford to look weak.’
Lin Qingfeng hadn’t actually expected the spy to be from their sect. His bluff had worked!
’That makes my demand for the Cultivation Technique all the more justified!’
[(Guixi Sect) Lin Qingfeng: I don’t care. That old Daoist’s actions severely damaged my sect’s bright and noble image. It caused immense psychological trauma to everyone in my sect, especially my innocent and naive junior sister. You have to make up for this loss.]
[(Guixi Sect) Lin Qingfeng: If you don’t have a Mahayana Skill, you must have a Nascent Soul one, right? And note: none of your original creations!]
[(Dawa Sect) Wa Wei X Feng: We don’t have one! Don’t even think about it! And what’s wrong with our original techniques? How dare you look down on them!!!]
Seeing that the other party was completely intractable, Lin Qingfeng finally showed his hand.
[(Guixi Sect) Lin Qingfeng: Fine, I won’t make things difficult for you.]
[(Guixi Sect) Lin Qingfeng: I don’t need a high-level Cultivation Technique anymore. Just find me one that’s suitable for someone like Wang Xiedi... you know, the kind of technique that your sect’s disciples cultivate.]
[(Guixi Sect) Lin Qingfeng: Oh, and for this one, an original creation is fine!]
[(Dawa Sect) Wa Wei X Feng: ...]
’I KNEW IT!!!!’
...
「Meanwhile.」
Qingxu Temple, the forbidden grounds of the rear mountain.
The stone gate was sealed shut, cutting off all sound from the outside world.
Daoist Xuanyuan sat cross-legged on a cushion. Green smoke curled from the incense burner before him, but his mind was a tangled mess.
A quick calculation with his fingers told him it was less than a month until the Upper Sect Celestial Furnace Sect arrived to collect their Tithing.
Time was running out. This time, if Wang Xiedi could secure something of value, they might not only meet the quota but also buy Qingxu Temple a century of breathing room.
As the Sect Leader, he had already poured too much of his lifeblood into Qingxu Temple.
He had to carve out a path to survival for Qingxu Temple.
No matter the sacrifice...
No matter who would have to be silenced forever to keep its secrets...
However, the path forward was bleak.
Dark undercurrents had been stirring in the Cultivation Realm lately, and a shocking rumor had already spread through all the major sects.
It was said that the righteous and demonic factions had formed a rare alliance to save an ancient, withering immortal vine.
The Celestial Furnace Sect, a pillar of the righteous faction, was also involved. To this end, both factions had activated sleeper agents who had been embedded for years within the major sects of the neutral territories—like the Cloud Fall Sect, the Immortal Sword Sect, and Baihua Valley—all to contend for a single drop of the [Spirit Eye Tree]’s essence, which only materialized once every two centuries.
This major event, which rippled throughout the entire Cultivation Realm, had made all resources incredibly scarce.
The disciples Xuanyuan had sent out in search of fortunate encounters had all returned in defeat, and several had even lost their lives in the process.
He knew that even if the Celestial Furnace Sect wasn’t at the forefront of the righteous faction’s operation, they would inevitably suffer losses.
And when it came time to compensate for those losses, the burden would undoubtedly fall upon their subordinate vassal sects.
The upcoming "Tithing" would be heavier than ever before.
If they couldn’t produce something truly valuable, the legacy of Qingxu Temple would likely end with him.
His only hope now rested on the mysterious and unpredictable Guixi Sect.
’I can’t just sit here and wait to die!’
And so, Xuanyuan’s gaze hardened. He retrieved an ancient tortoise shell from his storage bag.
This was Qingxu Temple’s ancestral treasure, the [Inquiry Profound Armor]. Each use consumed sixty years of its wielder’s lifespan.
He bit his fingertip, letting a drop of his blood essence fall onto the tortoise shell.
In an instant, the bead of blood seeped into the shell, and a faint golden light erupted from its cracks.
He began to chant, pouring his entire spiritual consciousness into the shell, trying to divine a sliver of hope for their survival!
