Chapter 238: Chapter 228: Seeking Gold and a Clash of Paths
Within the Holy Sect, a vast, endless, and majestic mountain range, wreathed in Evil Qi—this was the domain of the Black Mountain Master.
At the summit of the main peak, inside a magnificent grand hall constructed entirely from massive jet-black stones, the light was dim.
Only a few slivers of faint light penetrated through the cracks of the stone windows, illuminating the pitch-black Evil Qi that drifted slowly through the air like a living creature.
The Black Slaughter Master, as Black Mountain’s most trusted younger brother and core follower, was currently seated in a subordinate position, slowly caressing an Azure Treasure Bead that shimmered with a watery, azure light. The bead’s glow reflected upon his somewhat sinister face.
He lifted his eyes, looking toward the burly figure on the main seat, who seemed to have merged with the shadows. He slowly began to speak, his voice echoing in the empty grand hall:
"Brother, the Sect has called for the leadership transition early this time. That Vice Sect Leader position... it should be in the bag for you, right?"
On the main seat, the Black Mountain Master held a short, entirely pitch-black blade no larger than his palm, its edge glinting with a faint, dark light. He was honing the edge, stroke by stroke, neither hurried nor slow.
The SCRAPE... SCRAPE... of the blade was exceptionally clear in the silent hall.
Hearing his younger brother’s question, his hand movements didn’t pause in the slightest, and his indifferent face showed no trace of emotion.
Only in his deep-set eyes did a cold glint of absolute control flash.
"There are seventeen people in the Sect. Besides Qian Xin, Chi Yang, and that... lucky little bastard." His voice was low, like scraping metal.
"The other fourteen have all clearly stated their support for me."
The edge of the short blade scraped across the whetstone, kicking up a trail of tiny sparks.
"Heh, that’s good then." The Black Slaughter Master chuckled, and the Azure Treasure Bead between his fingers swirled with a pleased glow.
"But that old bastard Nan Dou really is something else.
To stop you, Brother, he’s spent the last six months using one excuse after another to transfer fifteen Masters who were either friendly to you or clearly neutral out of the Sect.
He either sent them to the outer domains on secret missions or had them enter the Life and Death Profound Gate, where they can’t be easily disturbed.
Such a move, striking at the very root of the problem, is nothing short of ruthless."
His tone shifted, now carrying a hint of mockery and smugness:
"But he miscalculated in the end.
Among the Masters who are left, they’re either already our subordinates or they’re spineless fence-sitters who wouldn’t dare oppose the tide of our power. They have no choice but to hold their noses and accept it.
This time, Nan Dou’s little scheme has completely fallen apart."
"Hmph." The Black Mountain Master let out an inscrutable snort and stopped honing the short blade.
He raised the pitch-black blade to his eyes, its cold, dark gleam reflecting in his deep pupils.
"Don’t get careless," he said slowly, his voice laced with a barely perceptible gravity.
"Nan Dou has held power in the Holy Sect for 450 years.
The depth of his foundation and the breadth of his connections are far beyond what you or I can imagine.
If the True Monarch hadn’t forbidden it, I’m afraid eighty or ninety percent of the Holy Sect would be his followers by now."
He turned, his gaze like two tangible shards of ice, and looked out at the churning Black Fiend Qi beyond the hall:
"Besides, the old man’s heart has never been set on mere power.
He is a man with lofty ambitions, one who intends to pursue Seeking Gold.
The empty title of a mere Acting Sect Leader isn’t enough to tie him down."
After a moment of silence, the Black Mountain Master caressed the pitch-black blade in his hand and continued, his voice dropping a little lower:
"If it weren’t for the fact that the Dao Fruit he and I are pursuing is one and the same...
...and that our paths will collide when Seeking Gold in the future, I truly would not want to make a complete enemy of a man like him, not here, not now."
The moment he said the words "colliding paths," the atmosphere in the grand hall seemed to grow heavier still.
The Black Slaughter Master’s fingers, toying with the Treasure Bead, paused for a moment. The relaxed smile vanished from his face.
A struggle for the Great Dao is a battle to the death.
"Nan Dou has occupied the Great Master Position for over three hundred years. His foundation is incredibly deep.
If he... achieves Seeking Gold and Proving the Dao first, then, Brother, you..." The Black Slaughter Master left his sentence unfinished, but his meaning was clear.
"He won’t."
The Black Mountain Master’s tone was decisive, filled with an absolute certainty that came from a complete understanding of the situation.
"He walks the path of slaughter, and what’s more, he cultivates the Method of Sect Slaughter, which requires him to trigger immense tribulations and use killing to stop killing." The Black Mountain Master clearly knew Nan Dou’s path like the back of his hand.
"For a path such as this, attaining Seeking Gold is not something that can be accomplished by meditating quietly within the Sect or through peaceful cultivation.
He must personally go to a place where the killing tribulation is at its peak. He must temper his Dao Heart amidst the vast mortal world, in mountains of corpses and a Blood Sea, to trigger his own killing tribulation. Only then, at the very extreme, can he find that sliver of an opportunity for immortality."
He paused slightly, his tone carrying a coldness that spoke of his control over the entire situation:
"And right now, although there are minor disturbances in the Northwest Land, they are far from sufficient to bear the tribulation of his Seeking Gold.
He has to go south, to that land where dynasties and Sects are locked in endless war, a place of overwhelming slaughter. He must make the journey there."
"But." The Black Mountain Master’s tone shifted again as the faint, dark light swirled on the tip of the pitch-black blade in his hand.
"Right now, the peace talks of the Four Sects are imminent!
This is a major event that will determine the structure of the Northwest for the next several hundred years.
Publicly, as the Acting Sect Leader of the Holy Sect, he must remain at the center of operations, oversee the entire situation, and cannot afford any mistakes.
Privately, at a critical moment like this involving the Sect’s core interests, if he were to leave the Sect and travel far to the Southern Border, wouldn’t he be handing over both his power and a reason for others to talk, all on a silver platter?"
"Even if the peace talks of the Four Sects conclude successfully, the subsequent division of interests, delineation of territories, and even responding to potential turmoil moving north from the south—an endless stream of troubles will just follow one after another.
That Nan Dou will be completely tied up!"
"Unless—" The Black Mountain Master’s voice dropped, laced with a strange hint of a smile.
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