Chapter 55: The Eternal Heaven

Three hours later, Qingcheng Mountain, Yulu Sect.

“Elder Zheng... died at the Celestial Intelligence Institute?!”

The assembly hall erupted into chaos. The senior members of Yulu Sect exchanged glances, all filled with shock.

“A rebellion against the Heavenly Gang... truly a rebellion against the Heavenly Gang!”

Several elders at the table wore grim expressions. Born in an era dominated by cultivators, they had long regarded the mortal world as mere fodder to sustain their sects. Yet now, the riffraff who once benefited from cultivators’ grace dared to bypass the sect and commit murder outright. This defied all reason and was beyond mere shock.

Sect Leader Qi Yu’s face darkened, but he remained silent.

He had anticipated that such a probe might be discovered by the Celestial Intelligence Institute, and that intelligence gathering might not go smoothly. Yet the news now was far stranger than expected.

Although the Celestial Intelligence Institute served as the official intelligence hub, protected by countless elite forces and possessing formidable supernatural power not inferior to the Sanitation Bureau, having power and choosing to use it were two different matters.

Usually, most official units in Huaguo acted cautiously, especially when dealing with ancient, established sects. Open conflict was rare; even if negotiations failed, parties typically parted unhappily rather than resorting to violence, let alone killing a sect envoy outright.

Even disregarding the Institute’s stance, the manner in which Zheng Yiqiu died was baffling.

The Celestial Intelligence Institute was located on the outskirts of Yizhou City, only a few kilometers from downtown. Following official protocols, when confronting a Nascent Soul expert, even if combat was necessary, they would surely try to lure the fight away from civilians.

Yet Zheng Yiqiu died silently and mysteriously, without any commotion reported by the Yizhou authorities relating to battles with cultivators.

Considering all these anomalies, only one possibility fit.

The Celestial Intelligence Institute had already discerned the true purpose behind their actions and was backed by a power strong enough to crush the entire sect, so formidable as to disregard any consequences from Yulu Sect.

Though Yuan Tiangang was a formidable Heshan grandmaster, the combat ability of divination cultivators like him was negligible—so who was this person?

“Could it be the Fire Saint from the capital? He is closely connected to the officials...”

“Or perhaps those treacherous sects from the Jiuli Qingluan, trying to seize the opportunity to intervene...”

“Or the immortal who declared seclusion twenty years ago...”

The hall buzzed with speculation. Qi Yu sat at the center, frowning deeply as he listened.

Just as the debate reached its peak, two sharp knocks suddenly echoed within the hall.

Clang clang.

The crisp sound cut through the noise. Everyone looked up toward the sect leader’s seat—but the sound did not come from Qi Yu himself. Instead, it came from behind the curtain behind him.

“Such useless talk is not worth entertaining.”

A deep, bell-like voice issued from behind the curtain: “The Celestial Intelligence Institute dares to act so aggressively because they are confident in controlling the situation. That means, setting aside the power behind them, Yuan Tiangang himself may very well not be at death’s door yet.”

The chaotic assembly fell silent, only that voice resonating. Before it, all present seemed stripped of the right to speak.

“I must discuss this matter alone with Sect Leader Qi. I ask that the elders step outside for now.”

After a moment of silence, the elders exchanged glances, then rose, their faces varied as they departed.

Once the last footsteps faded, only Qi Yu remained in the hall. He exhaled deeply and looked toward the curtain.

There sat a figure clad in a cloth robe, wearing a mask made from ox bone, concealing their features. Only two pale brown eyes could be seen through the cracks in the bone.

“Envoy, please speak plainly on this matter,” Qi Yu said.

“The Celestial Intelligence Institute’s bold action means they have detected our true intent and believe they have the strength to suppress us. Since they have realized this, they must already be preparing countermeasures,” the ox-bone-masked envoy replied.

“What we can do is accelerate the cultivation of faith, summoning the Supreme Deity before they act. When the time comes, no matter who they rely on, they will pose no threat.”

Qi Yu nodded slightly. “What you say is true. But if Yuan Tiangang is indeed not yet at death’s door, and now has a hidden power behind him, it will be difficult to avoid their notice if we continue promoting the Supreme Deity’s faith among mortals as originally planned.”

“Exactly,” the envoy said. “Therefore, we must adopt another approach.”

He turned his head slightly; the eyes beneath the mask showed no emotion.

“As I said earlier, we must hasten the collection of souls and the shaping of faith.”

“From the perspective of faith, relying solely on mortals as soul sources is too slow.”

As his words fell, Qi Yu’s pupils contracted sharply, instantly grasping the implication.

“That is absolutely impossible!” Qi Yu said firmly.

“Sect Leader Qi, this is not a request for your opinion, but a notification,” the ox-bone envoy said calmly. “Twenty Foundation Establishment disciples—this will express Yulu Sect’s loyalty to the Supreme Deity. Please issue the order now.”

A gust of wind swept through the hall. Qi Yu’s robes fluttered as his spiritual energy surged, poised to erupt.

Yet in a mere moment, the rising aura subsided.

He stood motionless like a statue, then withdrew a flying letter from his sleeve. After a long silence, he wrote a list of names on it, flicked his wrist, and the letter transformed into yellow light, dispersing in all directions.

Footsteps approached again from outside. Twenty disciples entered the hall and bowed in unison.

“We greet the Sect Leader. May I ask what you have summoned us for...?” One spoke hesitantly.

Before them, the ox-bone envoy rose and stepped out from behind the curtain, standing beside Qi Yu. The eyes beneath the mask gleamed with an inscrutable meaning.

Suddenly, he raised his hand and waved. Spiritual energy transformed into countless peach blossom petals that scattered over the unsuspecting disciples.

The petals touched their foreheads, causing their pupils to dilate instantly. Their eyes turned a pale gray, and one by one, they collapsed to the ground.

As they ceased moving, the petals lifted from their foreheads and flew back into the envoy’s hand, forming a palm-sized cluster of peach blossoms swirling in his palm.

“Do not be so agitated, Sect Leader Qi.”

The envoy caressed the ethereal peach blossoms. “Since discovering this soul-devouring method from the legacy of the Peach Blossom Spring, I have already collected souls from more than a dozen sects, including those at the Golden Core and even Nascent Soul stages.”

“Considering the longstanding bond between Yulu Sect and my department, I am only taking the souls of twenty Foundation Establishment disciples as a favor to your sect.”

He glanced at Qi Yu, the eyes behind the mask narrowing slightly, as if a faint smile flickered.

“Sect Leader Qi seems displeased with my actions. But do not forget what power has allowed Yulu Sect to survive until now.”

He spoke casually, “Over eight hundred years ago, we rose from the grasslands, sweeping across nations to dominate Central Plains. The number of immortal sects we destroyed then is countless.”

“Yulu Sect has preserved the flame and grown to this day because it knew how to seize the moment.”

Qi Yu remained silent.

Indeed, as the envoy said, Yulu Sect’s history was such.

More than 800 years ago, a barbarian god called Mongolia and his people swept across Eurasia like a storm, toppling several kingdoms before taking over the Central Plains, becoming the dominant power in the cultivation world there. None dared oppose them; all resistance was crushed under their iron hooves.

Back then, Yulu Sect was but nascent. Facing this tidal wave from the grasslands, it wisely chose submission, thus preserving its flame beneath the flood and even thriving while other Central Plains sects were trampled.

Later, with the rise of a great power from the Central Plains, the Mongolian settlers were wiped out, and the Central Plains returned to the immortal sects’ control.

Seeing the reversal, Yulu Sect again wisely erased its traces of grassland origin and reembraced the Central Plains, continuing to this day.

The great power from that time had long since passed, and now the highest cultivators in the Central Plains only reached Heshan level; the legendary upper three realms had not appeared for centuries.

As the envoy said, if the iron hooves of that era return, no one will be formidable enough to resist, and they will truly restore society to an era where immortals and mortals were distinctly divided.

That is the only way.

“Every revolution is forged in blood. Yulu Sect’s desire to push this change—to return the world to how it was centuries ago—surely does not mind such a price.”

The envoy clenched his palm, drawing the peach blossoms into his spiritual core.

“Do not mourn these few disciples. We will make full use of them, returning their souls to that supreme existence...”

“Changsheng Tian.”