The Forbidden Path to Immortality - Chapter 158

Chapter 2: Against the Tide

Li Xun had just heard the most ridiculous joke he had ever heard.

He struggled to grasp the change in his expression, only aware of the sound of air flowing from his mouth and colliding with his lips and teeth. But the voice was incredibly dry.

“You want to destroy all the Tongxuan sects?” Even

as he spoke, he had already made up his mind: if Gu Yin truly admitted it, he would kill her to prevent this madman from wreaking havoc on the world and causing unmanageable consequences. But

Gu Yin didn’t answer directly.

Under Li Xun’s intense gaze, she slowly combed her hair with her slender, white fingers, returning to her usual graceful and calm demeanor. Then, she tilted her head slightly to watch the rapidly shifting clouds outside the car.

“This should still be the territory of the Ghost Devouring Shadow Sect. Once the Nine Nether Devouring Realm is out of the restricted area, the many remaining spiritual veins, medicinal gardens, and mines within a thousand miles will surely be divided up by the surrounding sects.”

Li Xun’s mind gradually calmed down, he smiled and counted on his fingers, “The Miaohua Sect was assimilated, the Hundred Beasts Sect was destroyed and the Never-Sleeping City lost its ancestral home, and now it’s the Ghost Devouring Shadow Sect. Sect Master Gu has been marching forward step by step with remarkable results, but I don’t know which one he will destroy next?”

Gu Yin did not respond to his words, and continued to herself, “The Ganghun Devouring Shadow Realm has been established for tens of thousands of years and has accumulated a huge foundation. I think it can easily support 20,000 to 30,000 cultivators.”

Li Xun also looked around, but of course he could not see anything through the thick clouds. However, he was well aware of the spiritual veins and minerals in various parts of the Ganghun Shiying Sect’s territory, and he had also heard about the recent predicament within the sect. He smiled and said, “If Sect Master Gu wants to keep his three thousand cultivators here, it would already be too many, so what about thirty thousand?”

“Three thousand?”

Gu Yin turned her face to the side, her eyes shining with a slight smile on her lips; “Yes, I guess your standards are different from mine.”

Li Xun raised his eyebrows and waited to see what she had to say without saying a word.

Gu Yin said calmly, “Whether it’s the Spirit Bamboo Sect or the Hundred Ghosts Sect, they are all remarkable sects in this world. The Ghost Devouring Shadow Sect’s rise and fall is nothing special, but look at the Bright Heart Sword Sect, known as the best in the East. It encompasses 108 islands and reefs in the East China Sea to the east, the steep Jishan Mountains to the north, the Xiaohe River to the south, and the Songling Mountains to the west. In the Lianxia Mountains alone, there are thousands of immortal caves, hundreds of thousands of earth veins and spiritual orifices, and countless mines and medicinal gardens. Not to mention the Zuowang Peak, a world of its own with abundant vitality, almost like a fairyland. With such resources, it’s easy to support 100,000 cultivators…”

Seeing that Gu Yin kept setting traps in her words, Li Xun became more sober. His heart was gradually calming down, and he simply sat on the side of the cloud car, sneered and listened to her speech with his arms crossed.

“Your sect has always valued quality over quantity in its disciples. The total number of disciples, both within and outside the sect, is no more than a thousand. With such resources, abundant elixirs, spiritual veins, and vital energy for cultivation, and virtuous teachers teaching the supreme mystical methods, it’s no wonder that generations of disciples have shone with glory, each one a true elite. But, sir, are you aware of the unaffiliated cultivators and demons fighting tooth and nail for a few spiritual veins and herbs outside the sect? Naturally, they’re fighting for the leftovers of the major sects. Having lived through hardship, one knows that a figure of thirty thousand is still conservative.”

Li Xun’s sense of absurdity only intensified.

The situation described by Gu Yin might be true, but when she spoke of it, the grieving of the foxes over the rabbit’s death was not uncommon.

Could it be that she had been constantly deceiving those cultivators and demons, and had finally gotten herself into trouble?

Gu Yin saw all of Li Xun’s expression. The woman smiled and said, “It seems that you don’t agree with it, sir. After all, it has been a matter of course since the Tongxuan sects took control of this world. The heaven and earth give birth to all things for the sake of the sects’ improvement, making the strong stronger and the weak weaker. Tongxuan Realm has belonged to the major sects since its existence. Billions of lives respect the monks of the various sects. Is it so?”

Li Xun finally couldn’t help laughing out loud: “Master Gu should put this up at a gathering like the Water Mirror Conference to see how the faces of the leaders of the various sects change. It’s a pity to throw such a good thing away in the current situation!”

Gu Yin didn’t get angry and said, “If the so-called natural law is really offered to you, I’m sure the leaders of the various sects will never accept it. However, there is one natural law in this world that has not changed and will never change.”

Her eyes stared at him sharply and steadily.

Li Xun said casually, “I’d like to hear the details.”

Gu Yin spoke slowly, “When you were weak, sir, you were walking on thin ice and you were humiliated by Qixia. This was only natural. Now that you have cultivated for a long time, you are so arrogant that no one can stop you and you almost dominate the life and death of others. This is also only natural… Moreover, your uncle bullied Qing Yin by taking advantage of his strength and was beaten by the stronger Zhong Yin without a chance to recover. This is also only natural…”

Li Xun raised his eyebrows and sneered to interrupt her, “It’s just the law of the jungle, it’s very mediocre. Moreover, isn’t it just what the ancient master wants for the Tongxuan sects to bully the weak?”

Gu Yin shook his head and said, “How can the laws of nature be the same as the laws of the human world? Under the laws of nature, plants and animals live and die. Each one takes his place, like a chain, linked together like rings. Born from chaos, returning to chaos, life and death, withering and flourishing, all occur in this state of confusion. The law of the jungle, born from this, is an eternal principle. But the principles of the human world are completely different. For example, if you had an enemy, looking at you today from the perspective of seventy years ago would undoubtedly be a way to death. This is because the most rapid changes in a person’s life are from strong to weak, from weak to strong, in the blink of an eye. As the saying goes, change is constant, circulating through the six voids. It is this rapid flow and change that is the foundation of the Tao and immortality. If we are as rigid as plants, trees, birds and animals, only circulating between heaven and earth without transcending, what is the point of becoming a cultivator? What is the point of understanding the Mysterious Realm? “

Li Xun lowered his eyelids. He seemed to understand the ancient meaning.

“According to Sect Master Gu, the various sects are strong while the scattered cultivators are weak. This trend of strength and weakness has never changed since ancient times, so the Tongxuan Realm has become stagnant… It’s very interesting, but there’s one thing I don’t understand. I’d like Sect Master Gu to enlighten me.”

Gu Yin smiled; “Please tell me.” “

For tens of thousands of years, cultivators have ascended from the Tongxuan Realm continuously. Not to mention Zhong Yin who ascended a few decades ago, there are also many masters in the various sects today. Among them are Li Douliang and Ramash, who are outstanding people of their generation. They can be expected to ascend to the immortal path one day. If it is really as stagnant as Sect Master Gu said, how did these people break out?”

Gu Yin smiled lightly: “This is not surprising. This world has the power of heavenly tribulation and the distinction between good and evil. Two giant crocodiles are still alive in the stagnant water, so it has not yet completely rotted. However, it will take 3,600 years from the 49th tribulation to the next one. By then, few of this generation’s elites will remain. Without the threat of the impending heavenly tribulation, whether the cultivators of the various sects can still make the same courageous progress as this generation is really not optimistic. One of these giant crocodiles is gone.”

Li Xun was silent.

Gu Yin continued calmly, “As for the distinction between good and evil, sir, after decades in this world, can’t you see it clearly? Whether it was the tragedy at Qixia or the annual Water Mirror Meeting, do the Tongxuan sects truly have a good or evil stance? The year-round struggles are simply for certain spiritual veins or certain elixirs. These so-called good and evil are just two fancy facades, disguised to look better. Especially after tens of thousands of years, the territorial resources controlled by the various sects have become fairly clearly defined, and everyone knows each other intimately. It’s unlikely there will be another wave of events that could shake up the entire Tongxuan world. As sir, you weren’t born before the Forty-Ninth Tribulation, so you don’t know what the Tongxuan world was like before the Loose Cultivator Alliance.”

She smiled, extending her hand in a soothing gesture. “The stench of rotting water is unbearable! And that would eliminate the second crocodile.”

Li Xun looked up, not at Gu Yin, but toward the swirling clouds outside the cloud chariot. He remained silent.

The woman’s gentle voice lingered in his ears, revealing a declaration that shook the traditions of this world: “The various Tongxuan sects have existed for too long and possess too many resources. They have formed a stable, almost rigid system, and they use various methods to maintain this rigid system. It’s like a mold spot on a cake, which grows larger over time, making no one willing to touch it, ultimately ruining the cake. What the Loose Cultivator Alliance does is to remove this mold before it completely spoils, at least allowing most of the cake to be preserved.”

She went up to Li Xun and said calmly, “This is my plan, sir. What do you think?”

Li Xun curled his lips and shook his head, “That’s all there is to being open and frank. If Sect Master Gu gave these words to the millions of independent cultivators in this world, they would surely respond in droves. But in my opinion,

Sect Master Gu is not a saint who ‘takes the lead in the world.'” Hearing this, Gu Yin laughed somewhat impudently. In the strong wind, she tilted her head back slightly, “If you say one thing and mean another, it’s your fault. You were the one who said ‘Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.’ You are obviously thinking about how to oppose others, yet you still want others to be open and frank with you. It’s too greedy!”

Li Xun just smiled and straightened up again. This time he was really going to leave. (Updated the fastest; “I’m not lying.” Gu Yin continued leisurely, “This is my plan, the mission of the Loose Cultivator Alliance, and it includes what I hope to accomplish.”

Li Xun raised his hands to stop him: “Master Gu, I have to say in advance that you and I will never be on the same page. You…”

“Do you mind if I just vent a little?”

Gu Yin’s smile had an oppressive power. Li Xun had to exhale a long breath to relieve the pressure she put on him.

At this moment, Gu Yin said: “I was bullied by my uncle and got pregnant.”

“Uh…” Li Xun was embarrassed by the slap on the face.

Gu Yin smiled as usual: “I remember the palace attendant told you about this. I won’t talk about this sad thing anymore. Anyway, my uncle wanted to use the blood fusion technique to stimulate the Xuanying method to change his body and be reborn. It was an excessive act. But compared to the action itself, I can’t accept the reason he did this. He did it for the sake of the sect!”

“That’s an excuse,” Li Xun blurted out.

Gu Yin’s smile added a touch of irony. “If it was an excuse for selfish gain, I’d have thought he was mad and resented him alone. But I know what he said is the truth.”

Li Xun was stunned.

“At the time, the sect was plagued by internal and external troubles, and there was a lack of successors. I was so absorbed in the sect’s affairs that my cultivation declined instead of improving. My uncle and I shared a common grudge. Seeing that the sect was left without a pillar of support, he resorted to this tactic of destroying the entire clan. Either he could fuse his blood with the Xuanying, freeing him from Zhong Yin’s lingering sword energy and reviving his prestige; or I could strike back…”

Her voice trailed off, as if she were ruminating on a painful memory.

Li Xun came to his senses, feeling that the explanation was far-fetched. However, he didn’t know the details, so he could only accept it.

“This is the method of raising poisonous insects so that only the most poisonous ones can survive. Through the defeat of my uncle, my cultivation has improved and I have created the current situation. However, you can see that I am not happy.”

It would be strange if I were happy!

Li Xun shook his head in his heart.

At this time, Gu Yin’s sight moved to the void outside the cloud car where the clouds were swirling. Perhaps it was a reflection of her state of mind.

“After that incident, I always thought about some strange things about my uncle, the sect, and the entire Tongxuan world. What I said to you before were some of the reasons I came up with. It was on this basis that I finally figured out why my uncle did that thing.”

Li Xun tilted his head slightly and tentatively said, “Because the sects in this world are rigid and dead?”

Gu Yin laughed again: “In fact, it doesn’t matter to me whether this world is stagnant or alive. It’s just that the rules and regulations that the Tongxuan sects have put together to maintain this situation are really disgusting. For example…”

“For example?”

Gu Yin muttered under Li Xun’s curious gaze, “For example, Hellfire Yama.”

Li Xun was genuinely surprised. What did this have to do with Hellfire Yama?

The sneer on Gu Yin’s lips grew stronger. “What a lavish act by the Nine Nether Devouring Realm! Imprisoning the sect’s disciples in cages to fight for a sliver of hope. It’s clearly the end of the road, yet they still dream of their former glory. What’s their motive?”

Although Li Xun disliked Hellfire Yama’s schemes, he still admired the Nine Nether Devouring Realm’s feats. Seeing Gu Yin’s dismissive look, he responded with some dissatisfaction: “

Of course it’s the sect’s inheritance…”

“That’s it!”

A sudden sharp tone interrupted his words. Gu Yin’s eyes flashed with a strong light that even pierced Li Xun’s lungs, causing him to choke suddenly.

“This is the biggest joke created by the staleness and rigidity of this world!”

Gu Yin seemed like a completely different person. Her expression was still calm, but the sharp and aggressive look in her eyes tore through her usually elegant and refined makeup. She was like a female leopard ready to pounce at any moment, clearly telling Li Xun that he must either accept her point of view or face death!

Li Xun was suddenly shocked. Fortunately, it only lasted a very short time before Gu Yin returned to her usual deep and unfathomable state.

She continued to speak in a sarcastic tone: “Nether Fire Yama took great pains to lay down the Nine Nether Devouring Realm. Perhaps in a few hundred or thousand years, a few brilliant people will emerge and turn the tide. However, has he ever considered how many of the two thousand disciples he sealed in there will be able to come out alive in the end?”

Li Xun’s mouth twitched, feeling a bit amused and helpless: “Master Gu has never been such a compassionate person…”

“It’s just me putting myself in someone else’s shoes.”

The sudden outburst had left a trace of fatigue in Gu Yin’s features, and her tone softened considerably. “What Netherfire Yamaluo did is no different from what my uncle did back then. They were all working to maintain the sect’s place in this world and its former status and prestige. This isn’t an isolated case, but the norm. One Gu Yin isn’t much, and two thousand disciples aren’t a big deal. The Tongxuan sects have experienced their ups and downs throughout history. How many Netherfire Yamas and Jade Wanderers have used the sect’s legacy as a pretext for similar or similar acts? Ten, two thousand, a hundred, two thousand wouldn’t even begin to describe the total. And this is merely a tactic used against our own disciples…”

Her voice trailed off, but to Li Xun, it sounded like the low roar of a torrent entering a closed valley. The next outburst could come at any moment.

Li Xun realized he needed to calm down.

Things were taking a strange turn. He wasn’t scheming against Gu Yin, but struggling to find his place amidst her swirling memories and emotions. Unconsciously, he had lost control.

But in the process, many unprecedented things were revealed. The news he heard made him feel very excited, and he didn’t know whether he should break this situation.

At this time, Gu Yin said in a hoarse voice: “I think I have a clear distinction between gratitude and resentment. If my uncle harmed me for his own selfish reasons, I would not involve others even if I wanted revenge. But the fact is that although his selfish motives drove him to commit such an immoral act, it was still the so-called idea of sect inheritance. This is the rule set by the Tongxuan sects. They use this to restrict others and themselves, making this nonsense method become a customary rule, and making those who act in this way become heroes. “Jie…”

She stared at Li Xun, and every word was squeezed out from between her clenched teeth, ringing loudly: “So the target of my revenge is not only my uncle himself, but also the Tongxuan sects that are responsible for all this. I will not let any of them go as long as they follow this rule of conduct!”

Li Xun pursed his lips. He finally realized what was wrong with Gu Yin.

The thinking of this usually calm female cultivator had been completely drowned by overflowing emotions. It was difficult for Li Xun to find the reason, so he could only follow this unreasonable emotional impact.

Gu Yin at this time was simply unreasonable!

Perhaps it was Li Xun’s cold reaction, or perhaps it was her considerable self-control, that Gu Yin, on the verge of total collapse, suddenly calmed down.

Her tense limbs relaxed, and her cheeks, slightly flushed with excitement, quickly paled. Then, Gu Yin quietly leaned back in her seat, seemingly looking directly at Li Xun. However, her expression was ethereal, as if she had fallen into a completely self-absorbed world. Li Xun

waited for a moment, feeling bored, and curled his lips. Just as he was about to take action, Gu Yin began to speak again, her tone very calm.

“If I truly wanted to change the face of this world, I would postpone the action for a thousand or even two thousand years. By then, the Tongxuan Realm would be completely stagnant, and most of the heroes of this generation would be gone. The conflicts between the various sects and the independent cultivators would have accumulated to the point of erupting at any moment. By then, if only someone could take advantage of the situation, the outcome would be a natural outcome. And I’ve only waited a hundred years since the end of the Forty-Ninth Tribulation. This hundred years is probably the limit of my endurance of hatred.”

Is this the limit of my hatred?

Li Xun sneered, “I roughly understand what Sect Master Gu meant. But there is one thing I am not clear about and I would like to ask Sect Master Gu for advice. Sect Master Gu wants to use the power of the loose cultivator alliance to shake the situation maintained by the Tongxuan sects and wipe out the sects from this world…”

“The sect can wipe out the cultivators as it pleases.” Gu Yin’s mood slowly calmed down and her demeanor was no different from usual. She smiled and shook her head, “As long as they no longer set up a sect, I will not kill them all. Just like the Hundred Beasts Sect, I only destroyed their sect artifacts and did not investigate the rest.”

Li Xun was not in a hurry to be interrupted by her. He listened patiently and then said, “If I understand correctly, according to Sect Master Gu’s plan, in the future, the cultivators in this world will be free and unburdened by the sects. The practice and inheritance will be based on the individual. As for the resources in this world, everyone will compete with each other according to their ability. That is like putting a few crocodiles into a stagnant pool to make the stagnant water stir. But the crocodiles had a lot of fun and expanded the pool into a Wouldn’t muddy water even be enough to hold onto? If three million cultivators attacked each other, and their respective lineages were cut off, even if balance were restored in the future, to what extent would the cultivation level in this world decline? “Has Sect Master Gu ever considered this?” “

Glancing at him, Gu Yin chuckled and shook her head, ‘You should be the one who feels compassion for the world.'”

She seemed to be trying to evade the question, but Li Xun pressed harder, “Please enlighten me, Sect Master Gu.”

Gu Yin stared at him for a moment, as if trying to discern Li Xun’s true intentions. Then, her red lips parted calmly, she said, “If that’s the case… what does it have to do with me?”

Li Xun leaned back somewhat exaggeratedly, smiling silently toward the sky. At that point, he had nothing more to say.

He chuckled twice, then glanced at the comatose Lin Wuyou, then turned away.

This time, Gu Yin didn’t stop him, simply asking, “Sir, do you know why the Divine Lord Youli is working so hard to recruit you?”

Li Xun’s heart trembled slightly, but he continued without turning back, “Master Gu isn’t the only one in the world who has a keen eye for talent. I’m quite confident

of this.” He didn’t want to argue with Gu Yin any further, and his side swayed slightly, as if blown away by a strong wind, as he flew off the cloud chariot. Behind him, Gu Yin spoke in a normal tone, but every word flowed clearly into his ears.

“Someday, sir, please pay close attention to my methods!” (Updated the fastest; A fierce, turbulent wind raged above the nine heavens. As Li Xun soared, his body seemed to melt into it, swept along by the gusts. In a blink of an eye,

he was ten miles away. Gu Yin and his cloud chariot had merged into the blue sky and white clouds, disappearing from view. During his relentless flight, Li Xun’s mood, influenced by Gu Yin’s emotions, gradually brightened. But then, his attention was drawn to something else.

High in the sky, where vital energy is abundant, living creatures are extremely rare, making Li Xun’s sensitivity to life more acute. Even from a distance of dozens of miles, he sensed an incredibly powerful aura, hovering directly in front of him, unconcealed.

He spotted the other party, and naturally, they sensed it too.

Despite the distance, Li Xun felt a burning sensation on his skin. The other party’s sharp divine sense locked onto him, as if wanting to rip out his internal organs. It was obvious

who was in front.

The demon phoenix… probably didn’t know of its dual identity yet.

This… At the time, Li Xun saw no point in keeping this secret from Yao Feng, and certainly wouldn’t step forward and reveal everything.

He was simply debating whether to go forward.

Ultimately, Li Xun dismissed the thought of showing weakness, braving the mounting pressure and flying straight across dozens of miles in a flash.

Then, through the sound of the air, he clearly saw the crimson figure, its back to him, hovering silently in the air.

The fierce Nine Heavens gale couldn’t even lift her skirt, making her seem even more weighty and lonely.

Li Xun, undeterred, whizzed past Yao Feng, the closest distance being no more than a hundred feet. As their figures crossed, Li Xun distinctly sensed the murderous intent emanating from her, scorching like magma.

A thought struck him, and he turned back, catching a glimpse of Yao Feng’s graceful and beautiful face, her snow-white face tinged with a steely blue, her eyes ablaze with fire.

Their eyes met, and Li Xun immediately realized that Yao Feng might have misunderstood.

Not everyone would succumb to Gu Yin’s tactics.

At least not him!