The Brahma Sound Pure Land wanted to recruit the Azure Cloud Sect?
Fan Li was stunned. He quickly realized an awkward truth.
His own Great Jin had just been established, and Sage Ruler Yao Guang had just declared herself empress.
So, they were both founding monarchs, busy building the framework of their respective nations?
"Are peers truly destined to be rivals?"
"Me, at the Foundation Building realm, competing for talent with the First Sage Ruler of the Pure Land?"
"System, are you messing with me?"
The system, as always, remained silent.
Sage Ruler Miaoyin, however, was growing impatient.
"Yu Shenzi, what's your answer? Will you join the Brahma Sound Pure Land? Give me a straight answer!”
She, a dignified Sage Ruler, had traveled a thousand miles to this remote and desolate mountain range just to recruit a mere Unity realm cultivator. If not for his rare medical skills, she would have already sent him to the afterlife with a single melody.
Yu Shenzi’s forehead was slick with cold sweat.
He had thought today would be a good day. He had painstakingly brewed a bowl of Longevity Broth, and after Fan Li consumed it, he would earn a profit tenfold.
Who would have imagined that Sage Ruler Miaoyin, this fearsome individual, would show up?
She had guided him to break through to the Unity realm?
Ten years ago, while gathering herbs on a mountain, Yu Shenzi had stumbled upon a severely injured Sage Ruler Miaoyin. He had offered her aid, but she repaid his kindness with a vicious attack. The moment she regained consciousness, she struck him with her zither, nearly ending his life.
Fortunately, Yu Shenzi was on the verge of a breakthrough. The attack, coupled with his desperate will to survive, triggered his advancement to the first rank of the Unity realm, narrowly saving his life.
Even then, Sage Ruler Miaoyin didn't apologize. Instead, she claimed that it was thanks to her that he had reached the Unity realm.
That incident had left a deep psychological scar on Yu Shenzi. Terrified, he retreated to the Azure Cloud Sect and hadn't dared to leave the mountain for a decade. He refused to offer aid to strangers without a hefty payment.
“Sage Ruler, may I ask, is the Pure Land interested in recruiting just me, or the entire Azure Cloud Sect, all six hundred of us?” he inquired cautiously, avoiding a direct answer.
“The entire Azure Cloud Sect, all six hundred of you?” Sage Ruler Miaoyin, perched upon the rock, swept her gaze across the assembled elders and disciples.
The elders, all at the Divine Transformation realm, were old and frail, their beards white as snow, their potential for further cultivation extinguished.
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Among the disciples, Nascent Soul cultivators were few. Most were at the Golden Core realm.
And among these six hundred individuals, there was even a Foundation Building cultivator?
‘Such trash, bringing them to the Pure Land would be a waste of rice.’
She glanced at Fan Li with contempt, but he had his head bowed, preventing her from seeing his face.
‘Bringing back Yu Shenzi alone is sufficient. The rest are useless, even in large numbers. If I brought these weaklings to the Pure Land, my sisters would mock my poor judgment!’
With this thought, she made her decision.
“I will only take you. The rest of the Azure Cloud Sect, its elders and disciples, will be disbanded.”
She spoke casually, as if it were a trivial matter.
But the six hundred members of the Azure Cloud Sect were stunned, especially Yu Shenzi. He trembled, finally lifting his head and staring at Sage Ruler Miaoyin in disbelief.
“Sage Ruler… are you demanding that we disband the Azure Cloud Sect?!”
“Indeed, is there a problem?”
Sage Ruler Miaoyin readily admitted it. In her eyes, the Azure Cloud Sect was utterly worthless. Disbanding it wouldn't be a loss.
“Absolutely not!” Yu Shenzi exclaimed, a rare display of anger. “Sage Ruler, you are unaware of our history! Our sect originated in the pre-Qin era, boasting a long and prestigious lineage. Our ancestor, Xia Wuqie, was a medical master whose skill was unparalleled in his time! Even if his descendants are unworthy, and the sect has declined in recent generations, we are far from deserving of disbandment! Moreover, all members of our sect are united in their pursuit of medical excellence. We do not seek power, nor do we crave immortality. Our only desire is to push the boundaries of the medical arts. We…”
Before he could finish, Sage Ruler Miaoyin placed her index finger upon a zither string.
The sound transformed into a surge of energy, piercing through Yu Shenzi’s body in an instant.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.
One strike. Or rather, just a single pluck of the zither string was all it took for Sage Ruler Miaoyin to cripple Yu Shenzi.
“Am I discussing this with you?” Her voice remained languid and arrogant. “Yu Shenzi, believe me when I say, I could kill you right now.”
A green light erupted.
Unlike Righteous Qi, this was a vibrant, life-giving energy that enveloped Yu Shenzi. Despite his injuries, the Azure Cloud Scripture, honed through years of dedicated study, was rapidly healing him.
“Oh?” Sage Ruler Miaoyin's face, for once, displayed surprise. “It’s been ten years, and while your cultivation hasn't progressed, your medical skills seem to have improved significantly. Very well, Yu Shenzi. I was rash to strike you. Let us put this matter aside. If you are willing to join the Pure Land, I will gladly recommend you.”
Her words were arrogant and disrespectful. She had injured their sect leader in front of everyone, yet offered no apology. Putting this matter aside?
If not for their powerlessness, who would agree to let her off the hook?
“Thank you… Sage Ruler Miaoyin for your generosity.”
Faced with the absolute disparity in power, Yu Shenzi had no choice but to endure the humiliation.
“But… this humble Daoist cannot abandon his ancestral heritage. The Azure Cloud Sect… will not be disbanded… Please understand, Sage Ruler… cough… cough… cough!”
His defiance took Sage Ruler Miaoyin by surprise. Even Fan Li was shocked.
Despite his questionable ethics, Yu Shenzi’s dedication to the medical arts was unwavering.
A flash of anger crossed Sage Ruler Miaoyin’s beautiful face. She glared at Yu Shenzi.
Should she strike him again?
She had just apologized. Striking him again would make her appear erratic.
But this wretched Yu Shenzi had publicly refused her twice. Could she, a Sage Ruler, allow her dignity to be tarnished so easily?
She plucked another string. This time, there was no attack, but the sound alone sent the Azure Cloud Sect members stumbling backward.
“A bunch of weaklings,” she thought contemptuously.
“Indeed, besides Yu Shenzi, none of them are worthy of joining the Pure Land.”
She had clearly faced this situation before and was prepared.
“Yu Shenzi, I will not force you to do something you are unwilling to do.”
“Thank you, Sage Ruler,” he replied hastily.
Those words caused the hearts of the Azure Cloud Sect members to leap into their throats once more. Sage Ruler Miaoyin seemed to relish the power she held over them.
She smiled condescendingly.
“However, I am a Sage Ruler. I’ve come all this way, to this remote and desolate place, just for you. To leave empty-handed would be a blow to my dignity. How about a wager? If you win, you may do as you please. But if you lose, you will disband the Azure Cloud Sect and follow me to the Pure Land…”