In three months, the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force would reclaim the Grotto of Abstruse Force!
It was the Wilds’ greatest Demonist orthodoxy that spread this news, and it swept across the Wilds like a raging storm, causing widespread uproar.
“Last time, His Excellency Su gave Pi Mo three months to prepare. In the end, Pi Mo was executed, and the Abstruse Force Alliance was destroyed. Even the Studio of the Heart, a faction from the stars beyond, was forced to retreat! This time, His Excellency Su has undoubtedly announced this to the world because he wants to settle things with his last disciple!”
“Too domineering! He’s being completely open about his intentions, as he disdains trickery and scheming. How tyrannical!”
“This is the bearing of the greatest sword cultivator of the Wilds’ history! He really is unparalleled!”
...Uproar arose throughout the Wilds.
Not long ago, word of the destruction of the Abstruse Force shook the Wilds. Now, Su Yi had pointed his sword at Qing Tang. News of his impending return to the Grotto of Abstruse Force had the Wilds more worked up than ever before.
“Empress Qing Tang was the disciple His Excellency Su was most pleased with, and she’s proclaimed herself sovereign of the Wilds for the past five hundred years. She gazes down upon the world, and her strength is deep and unfathomable. She’s far beyond Pi Mo! Even Imperial Apex cultivators dare not underestimate her in the slightest!”
“But His Excellency Su isn’t weak either! Even back in the Profound Illumination Realm, he slew Pi Mo with ease. Even the young mistress of the Studio of the Heart had no choice but to flee!”
“And everyone at Martial Heaven Peak witnessed His Excellency Su’s unprecedented, calamitous tribulation. They saw him leap into the Profound Serenity Realm!”
“We can already predict that his strength had undergone an earth-shaking transformation since then. Now, numerous old monsters have guessed that now, perhaps only Imperial Apex Emperors are even a match for His Excellency Su!”
...Animated discussions about what would happen after the allotted three months were up played out throughout the Wilds.
Su Yi and Qing Tang’s strengths were a particularly popular topic of discussion.
That aside, Qing Tang’s behavior provoked widespread controversy.
“Do you think Empress Qing Tang really betrayed His Excellency Su a long time ago like Pi Mo did?”
“Of course! Who doesn’t know that she’s occupied the Grotto of Abstruse Force and monopolized the treasures her master left behind?”
“That aside, she injured her eighth apprentice brother, Bai Yi, and kicked her second apprentice brother, Jing Xing, out of the Grotto of Abstruse Force! Everyone knows about those incidents!”
“That’s at worst a conflict between fellow apprentices. You’re saying that Empress Qing Tang betrayed His Excellency Su, but do you have any solid proof?”
“Proof? Don’t forget that five hundred years ago, after His Excellency Su reincarnated, Qing Tang opened his coffin. They say she seized all of his wealth and treasures. Her behavior was blatantly disloyal and unfilial, and she deserves our criticism. What is that, if not a betrayal?”
“But His Excellency Su hadn’t really passed away then, and the coffin was completely empty.”
“Even so, she shouldn’t have opened it! Opening her master’s coffin was shameless!”
“Hah? Everything you brought up is something that Pi Mo publicized over the years. Don’t forget that Pi Mo was really a traitor, and that he established the Abstruse Force Alliance in his master’s name with ill intentions. He wanted to seize the Grotto of Abstruse Force from Empress Qing Tang!”
“Pi Mo was a traitor, but that doesn’t mean Empress Qing Tang was innocent! It’s been so long since His Excellency Su returned to the Wild, so why hasn’t she gone to greet him? Instead, she’s hidden in the Grotto of Abstruse Force all this time. There’s obviously a problem!”
...Similar debates unfolded repeatedly throughout the following months, and the arguments only intensified over time.
Most people saw Qing Tang as a traitor.
Far too much was suspicious about her, and numerous incidents proved that her behavior was out of the ordinary.
Like injuring Bai Yi or kicking out Jing Xing. There was no washing that away.
But there were still many people who doubted that Empress Qing Tang had truly committed any treasonous acts.
Still, there was one thing everyone knew. Three months from now, before the Grotto of Abstruse Force, all would become clear!
......
The Little Western Paradise.
Beneath the Bodhi Tree.
The stick-thin, elderly monk’s eyes remained shut. Misty light poured down from the verdant canopy, bathing him in a holy air.
“Master, Su Xuanjun has already made his position clear. In three months, he’ll return to the Grotto of Abstruse Force.”
The white-robed monk, Ji Yuan, stood in the distance, clasped his palms together, and inclined his head in greeting. “Might your disciple be so bold as to ask if you wish to visit in person?”
“Ji Yuan, it seems you’re struggling to remain calm.” The stick-thin, elderly monk sighed.
Ji Yuan froze, then sank into silence. It was true. When he learned of Su Xuanjun’s imminent return to the Grotto of Abstruse Force, he couldn’t help but feel eager to get there early and make preparations.
“Su Xuanjun is strong,” said the elderly monk, his eyes silently opening and his voice raspy. “Since returning to the Wilds, he’s displayed unstoppable, domineering momentum, and he’s been completely open about his intentions. He disdains to hide them, in part due to his disposition and unparalleled valiance, and in part because his abilities have given him absolute confidence in himself.”
“When his enemies face someone so forceful, his momentum will influence their hearts and make them doubt everything around them. The fear and dread will make them startle at the slightest noise and suspect that enemies lurk behind every bush and tree. But this will only cause them to err.
“That was what happened to Pi Mo. He thought his plans were stringent and meticulous, but when he tried to make a show of strength by attacking first, he lost the upper hand.
“You must bear this in mind: against someone like Su Xuanjun, you must maintain a clear head. Excessive preparations will only prove that you lack the confidence to contend with him. You’ll have fallen behind already in terms of momentum.
“Now look at Qing Tang. She’s as steady as a mountain, and even now, she’s yet to reveal her true intentions. It’s for this reason that she’s qualified to contend with Su Xuanjun.”
Here, the stick-thin, elderly monk fell silent. “Of course, that’s on the assumption that Su Xuanjun isn’t someone else entirely.”
When Ji Yuan heard these seemingly nonsensical words, a strange look appeared on his face.
“Of course, it doesn’t matter how Qing Tang responds to Su Xuanjun. None of that is important to us. What matters is that we can seize this opportunity to confirm Su Xuanjun’s true identity.”
Here, a strange, cold luster flashed in the depths of the elderly monk’s turbid gaze. “And it’s for that purpose that I’ve lain dormant here all these years. We’ll strike when the time is right.” contemporary romance
Ji Yuan nodded. “I understand, Master. Thank you for your guidance.”
The stick-thin elderly monk said slowly, “When you learn to find contentment in years hidden behind the curtain, and when you find peace walking amidst the darkness—when you learn to be like me—then you’ll understand why the old-timers of the starry skies fear me so deeply. It’s also then that you’ll understand on a visceral level that, no matter what you’re after, if you wish to achieve your aims, you first need the prerequisite patience.”
Ji Yuan sank deeper into silence. A while later, he lowered his head and seemed to rally his courage. “Master, have you... ever considered what will happen if we lose?”
A strange look appeared on the old monk’s thoroughly wrinkled face. “I have, and more than once at that. A long time ago, I suffered a major loss at the hands of a certain swordsman. I’m struggling to get past it even now.”
Here, a hint of self-deprecation tugged at the concerns of his parched lips. “This obsession is sure to influence me, no matter how mighty and broad-minded I may be. It’s a mental blockage, a fishbone stuck in my throat. My heart cannot know peace until I’ve removed it.”
The distant Ji Yuan’s heart shook, his expression shifting and uncertain.
He knew about this incident.
And he even knew that after losing to that swordsman, the resulting heart devil influenced his master’s mentality. As a result, his cultivation had long stagnated, and he’d made no progress ever since!
Beneath the Bodhi Tree, the stick-thin monk whispered, “Now, after all these years of dormancy, I finally see the light of hope. Three months from now, I might well be able to cleave this mental blockage, remove the fishbone from my throat, and calm my heart.”
Here, he whispered, seemingly to himself, “Now, I just hope that Su Xuanjun really is the person I hope to see. Otherwise, I’ll have to spend even more time and effort searching and waiting...”
He’d only just said this when Ji Yuan suddenly sensed something. He stretched his hand into the air and grabbed.
A lotus-shaped talisman floated in front of him.
After examining it briefly, Ji Yuan exclaimed, “Master, that young mistress from the Studio of the Heart is here. She asked to see you.”
It seemed the decrepit old monk had anticipated this. He said flatly, “She’s here to borrow my power to take Su Xuanjun down. Go greet her, then tell her to leave.”
Ji Yuan nodded, then turned and left.
But shortly after, he returned. This time, he was carrying a bronze box. He inclined his head and said, “Master, the young mistress of the Studio of the Heart said that after seeing the object in the box, you were sure to agree to meet with her.”
The old monk fell silent. It seemed he’d already guessed what was in the box.
A little while later, he sighed. “Let her come.”
Ji Yuan couldn’t help but feel stunned.
This was his first time seeing his master change his mind after seeing an object!
In the stars beyond the Wilds, not even the Painter of the Studio of the Heart could make his master change his mind. Not even in the slightest.
What exactly was in that jade box? Why did it change his master’s stance?
“No need to overthink it. I’ve owed her clan a favor for a long time, that’s all. Go on,” the stick-thin old monk said softly.
Ji Yuan’s heart shook, and he dared not hesitate any longer before turning and leaving.
Before long, a serene young woman in a long white dress, the young mistress of the Studio of the Heart, returned with Ji Yuan.
The moment she saw the stick-thin old monk, the young mistress of mysterious origins smiled and bowed. “Junior Ruoxi greets you, Tailor.”
......
The Grotto of Abstruse Force, a pavilion built on the cliffside.
“Fellow Daoist Qing Tang, in three months' time, Su Xuanjun will come to the Grotto of Abstruse Force. Have you prepared any countermeasures?” Shang Tianqi said gravely.
Although the First Libationer of the Church of the River of Stars’ Solar Palace seemed composed, there was a lingering hint of anxiety on his brow.
“The Grotto of Abstruse Force was Master’s to begin with. It’s only natural that he’d return to reclaim it. Why should I prepare any countermeasures?”
Qing Tang’s slender, graceful figure leaned against the railing, her pure black dress swaying in the wind. She had the transcendent air of an immortal.
As she spoke, she turned around, her clear, profound gaze fixing on Shang Tianqi. “Actually, there’s something I’d like to ask you. Why is that even now, the Fisherman’s Dao Clone has yet to return from the Netherworld? Could it be... that something unexpected happened after all?”
Shang Tianqi’s pupils instantly constricted.
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