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墨書 Inktalez
"Yàn."
While he was lost in thought, someone had already walked up to the pavilion, stopping to look at him, their flowing robes appearing to be dyed with the deepest hues of night.
"I have seen the Master," the Spirit Sword Destiny quickly put down his wine cup and stood up to pay his respects.
"Are you drinking?" Shen Jinglan asked.
"Yes."
"Everyone drowns their sorrows in drink. What troubles do you have? Come, let me hear about them."
Spirit Sword Destiny lowered his head, seemingly murmuring something.
The person did not catch it clearly and asked, "What did you say?"
"Why doesn't the Master come closer to listen?" Spirit Sword Destiny said softly.
Upon hearing this, the person indeed took a few steps closer, coming within reach where he could easily pull him into an embrace.
However, it was Spirit Sword Destiny who made the first move.
He suddenly gathered his energy into a fist and struck the other person's chest, sending him flying until he crashed against the Rockery with a loud bang.
"Are you done playing around?" Spirit Sword Destiny said coldly, no trace of his earlier gentle demeanor remaining.
Struggling to get up from where he had nearly collapsed the Rockery, Shen Jinglan's form instantly changed into that of a young master dressed in fine clothes.
The young master had red lips and white teeth, a look that was originally very charming, but unfortunately, half of his body was wet and unclear.
His skills were originally only slightly inferior to Spirit Sword Destiny, but this sudden attack caught him off guard, causing him to suffer a setback that he couldn't fully recover from for a while.
"Hey, how did you figure it out?" Lord of the Shimmering Demon Shaoyuan asked.
"You didn't look like him from the beginning," Spirit Sword Destiny replied.
"Really? After observing the Master for so long, I thought I had learned his demeanor."
Spirit Sword Destiny scoffed inwardly. No matter how similar one's appearance or demeanor might be, their speech and behavior would never match. The Master knew why he was troubled... so why ask and touch upon sensitive matters?
"Who taught you to impersonate him?"
"Of course, it was my own choice," Shaoyuan said, a joyful light appearing in his eyes. "You are the closest to him in the sect; if even you could be deceived, wouldn't that mean I have already grasped people's hearts?"
Shenmo was skilled in transformation and could easily see through people's hearts, yet he could not empathize with them. The less he understood, the more curious he became about human emotions, and Lord of the Shimmering Demon Shaoyuan was no exception.
"...In another hundred years, you still won't be able to deceive me," Spirit Sword Destiny said.
After being stirred up by Shaoyuan, he lost his desire to drink and turned to leave.
Shaoyuan watched his back and muttered to himself, "This guy just changed his expression so quickly... What’s that saying among humans? Right, changing faces is faster than turning pages!"
"Hahaha... changing faces is faster than turning pages..." He seemed quite pleased with himself for recalling this saying, repeating it several times. Each time he said "changing faces," his expression shifted—sometimes he appeared as a rugged warrior with dark skin, sometimes as a beautiful fair-skinned girl, and at other times as an old man with a face full of wrinkles...
……
Above, the fierce wind howled.
Looking around, there were no clouds in sight; perhaps they had all been blown away by the strong wind.
In the distance, however, a cloud floated in, large and moving swiftly, with three people sitting on it.
“Mu Ruo Song's defection is one thing, but I never expected Wu Shuang to betray our sect as well…” Spirit Sword Destiny said.
Shen Jinglan glanced at him and said, “It seems you anticipated Mu Ruo Song's betrayal long ago.”
“Yes, his ambition was too great; it was only a matter of time before he became discontented. Fortunately, I have gradually clipped his wings and undermined his power. This time he defected, he won't take much information with him… I never thought Wu Shuang would leave with him.”
As Spirit Sword Destiny spoke, he immediately thought that Wu Shuang's defection also involved Causality; he feared that most of this Causality would fall on himself.
In the original plot, Mu Ruo Song was indeed a person with ulterior motives! Seeing Shen Jinglan's condition worsening, he believed the time had come and led others to surround Shen Jinglan's retreat hall. Unfortunately, he overestimated his own strength; his group couldn't even break through the barrier set by Shen Jinglan outside the hall. Realizing the situation was dire, Mu Ruo Song immediately abandoned the rebellious followers who followed him and fled from Youzhou—he knew that once Shen Jinglan emerged from seclusion, he would not let him go.
Spirit Sword Destiny understood this matter well. When Mu Ruo Song defected to the Evil Sect back then, he still employed him. The Evil Sect was just starting out at that time and was in need of people; the sect leader could not be too burdened. After all, Mu Ruo Song still had some value to exploit and had diligently worked for the Evil Sect for several decades before his defection.
In the past ten years, Spirit Sword Destiny had gradually reclaimed his power. This time leaving Youzhou and infiltrating Xiaoyao Sect, he specifically instructed Night Wolf King Xiao Chong to keep an eye on Mu Ruo Song. However, Xiao Chong was loyal by nature but simple-minded; he indeed failed to keep watch over him and let him escape.
As for Wu Shuang's rebellion, it did not exist in the original plot. Wu Shuang's status in the sect was far inferior to that of Mu Ruo Song, and Spirit Sword Destiny had always overlooked him.
It was likely that Wu Shuang had observed Mu Ruo Song's treatment. Their experiences were similar; perhaps Wu Shuang worried that as an Elder, he might face a similar fate of being discarded once he outlived his usefulness!
It seems that I have relied too much on my understanding of the plot and have become complacent in my observation and analysis...
Spirit Sword Destiny reflected inwardly.
Some plotlines have already changed because of him, and some people's paths have also altered. From now on, he must be more vigilant.
"The two of them don't know many secrets, but they do have some information," Shen Jinglan said. "According to reports from our spies, most of it has not been leaked yet. They are preparing to sell their information at this Righteous Path Conference and are asking Upright Path to jointly promise not to hold them accountable for their past actions in our sect."
He pointed to the sprawling gardens and mansions laid out like a scroll on the ground. Even from such a distance, one could still see the grandeur of the scene and the magnificence of the buildings.
"Hey, isn't that a birthday banquet? What kind of Righteous Path Conference is this?" Shaoyuan asked.
Shen Jinglan did not bring many attendants when he left Youzhou, only taking Shaoyuan with him this time.
"On the surface, it looks like a birthday banquet, but secretly it is a conference to discuss how to deal with our sect," Shen Jinglan explained. "To hold such a conference, there must be many significant figures gathering in one place. Such unusual movements would naturally be detected by our sect's spies, so they need to use Azure Cloud City Lord's birthday banquet as a cover."
He smiled again: "I fear that after hearing from Mu Ruo Song that I am about to die, even if I haven't died, I wouldn't easily step out of Youzhou. That's why they've grown so bold. Unfortunately, they have miscalculated!"
His smile stirred something within Spirit Sword Destiny.
In the original plot, the leader indeed never stepped out of Youzhou, but this time he has come.
He floated over, and part of the reason might be... because of himself? Spirit Sword Destiny had always gone out on missions quickly and returned just as fast; this time he had delayed at Xiaoyao Sect for quite a while without reporting in detail what he was doing.
Perhaps the leader truly cares and specifically came to see him...
"Oh? Southern Ming True Man, Yunqi Sanren, Yu He Lao Zu, Azure Cloud Fairy," Shen Jinglan released his Divine Consciousness and after a brief probe said, "These old fellows are actually all here."
"What, they all came together?" Spirit Sword Destiny was taken aback.
These four were the most elite figures of the Upright Path. In the original storyline, they clearly did not come, but now that the leader has arrived, they followed suit. The arrangements in the dark were indeed mysterious and unfathomable.
"I think they came for the Divine Celestial True Technique," Shen Jinglan said. "The only thing that could stir them is a celestial-level technique."
A hint of mockery appeared in his eyes: "The old man should be humble and peaceful, not meddling in worldly affairs at such an old age. Let me, as a junior, 'discuss' this principle with them! Yan, you and Shaoyuan go to the birthday banquet and bring Mu Ruo Song and the other two back."
As he spoke, he grasped Spirit Sword Destiny's wrist gently.
His hand was a bit cool, thin to the point of being somewhat unsettling, yet still as steady as a rock.
In an instant, a scene appeared before Spirit Sword Destiny's eyes, clear as if he were there in person: in a magnificent hall, people were toasting and laughing. There were also Shadow Guards hidden everywhere. These trained Shadow Guards were glowing in his vision, deliberately highlighted.
This was Shen Jinglan transmitting everything he saw with his Divine Consciousness to him.
For Spirit Sword Destiny to penetrate the barrier of Azure Cloud City Lord's Mansion with his own Divine Consciousness and glimpse such a clear scene was not an easy task.
"Yes, I will definitely not fail my mission," Spirit Sword Destiny replied.
Now it made sense; when the leader mentioned the Divine Celestial True Technique, he understood why these four predecessors originally did not come but were here now.
In the original storyline, although the leader was forced into demonic ways because of this technique, he did not disperse his cultivation but instead set this manual aside. While he had capable subordinates like Spirit Sword Destiny, that Spirit Sword Destiny had joined halfway through and their bond was nowhere near as deep as it was now. How could the leader give him the technique?
The leader in front of him had not practiced this technique either, yet like a mentor, he patiently taught him the secret manual word by word. The ability of Spirit Sword Destiny to elevate from a powerless child to the second most powerful figure in the Evil Sect, just below the leader, within a few decades was entirely due to this celestial-level technique.
Having seen the example of Spirit Sword Destiny, these Elders gained a new understanding of the Divine Celestial True Technique, and their greed was further ignited. They had been stagnant at the Great Ascension realm for many years, with no hope of advancement. Dispersing all their power to re-cultivate a superior celestial-level technique seemed like a way out. Even if they did not cultivate it themselves, their vast sect needed such a technique as a treasure to stabilize their faction.
Human greed knows no bounds...
"These Elders have not taken action for many years; their strength is unfathomable, and the leader is also concerned," said Spirit Sword Destiny.
"Mm." Shen Jinglan replied, "After explaining things to them this time, the Righteous Path should remain quiet until my death."
"Indeed, after today, the leader should return to Youzhou to recuperate. The remaining matters can be handled by me," Spirit Sword Destiny said opportunely.
"You should return with me," Shen Jinglan said.
"Leader, I..."
"Do you still have many important matters to attend to?" Shen Jinglan smiled slightly, "I have already told you that as the Left Guardian, you do not need to handle everything personally. Trust your subordinates more and delegate responsibilities to them. Otherwise, when you take my place, won't you be overwhelmed?"
His tone gradually softened, carrying a hint of reproach: "Although I often need to enter seclusion and cannot accompany you much, you should spend more time with me. Because my time is running out."
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