A Sect Elder's Journey - Xianxia Isekai - Chapter 17
Songyu Tao, Patriarch of the Verdant Valley Sect, allowed his habitual smile to drop as he sat behind the desk in his private study, and waited for Hallmaster Yun to retrieve the artifact the sect used for long-distance communication.
Grandmaster Guangming of the Radiant Dawn Monastery had recently requested a meeting, ostensibly to discuss the recent activities of the Celestial Blades and Endless Sea sects. However, Songyu Tao suspected that the true purpose behind the old man’s request was to investigate the Verdant Valley sect’s recent actions.
Songyu Tao would not usually entertain attempts to gather information about his sect, but the Radiant Dawn Monastery was their most significant ally against their rivals, so offending them was unfortunately not an option. He would need to offer Grandmaster Guangming an actual explanation, while also steering him away from the truth of the matter. Nobody, not even their closest ally, could know that the Verdant Valley Sect had found a Pre-Separation Secret Realm.
“Patriarch Songyu, I’ve brought the artifact.”
Turning his attention to the woman who had just entered the room, Songyu Tao offered her a polite nod as she handed it over. A Hallmaster would not normally handle such a menial task, but the Myriad Vision’s Mirror was stored in one of the more secure areas beneath the Verdant Pagoda when not being used during the Disciple Selection Ceremony.
The moment that Hallmaster Yun left his chambers, Songyu Tao channeled his Qi into the mirror and watched as it floated into the air. The Radiant Dawn Monastery possessed a counterpart to the Myriad Visions Mirror, and once properly attuned, the two artifacts allowed for seamless long-distance communication.
As the mirror began to glow with soft, ethereal light, the surface transformed into a window through which Grandmaster Guangming’s image appeared. The Radiant Dawn Monastery practiced a cultivation method that affected the appearances of its practitioners, and in no one else was that more clear than in its leader.
His skin had a subtle glow as if he were perpetually bathed in the light of the rising sun, his eyes were an amber color too bright to appear naturally, and his short beard looked as if it was crafted from strands of gold. Grandmaster Guangming had a youthful appearance, as most powerful cultivators did, and had shaved his head completely in the tradition of his monastery.
“Amitabha, Patriarch Songyu. It is a pleasure to see you again,” said Grandmaster Guangming, with a serene smile and a gentle bow of his head. “Thank you for making time to speak with me so quickly.”
Songyu Tao returned the bow and responded with equal respect, “Greetings, Grandmaster Guangming. The Verdant Valley Sect always has time to speak with our most esteemed ally. I trust that everything is well with you and the Radiant Dawn Monastery?”
Despite being incredibly busy people, etiquette dictated that they engage in pleasantries before delving into serious matters. It was at times like this that Songyu Tao wondered if everyone else found such rituals as tiresome as he did. Nevertheless, he maintained his polite demeanor and engaged in the conversation.
After they finished exchanging pleasantries, Grandmaster Guangming finally moved on to the matter at hand. “I was quite surprised when the Celestial Blades and Endless Sea sects both ceased their recent aggressive actions. Their disciples have retreated back to their territory and are no longer competing with ours for missions and resources.”
While the Celestial Jade Empire prevented the sects within its borders from outright slaughtering each other, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t still intense competition. The Empress didn’t care if one sect managed to outmaneuver or sabotage another, so long as there was no direct challenge to her authority.
It wasn’t uncommon for sects to aggressively undermine each other’s businesses, steal important resources, or even go so far as to assassinate promising disciples if they thought they could get away with it. There had been an incident a decade ago when the Celestial Blades sect attempted to recruit from the Verdant Valley sect’s territory, which led to a standoff that only ended after the empire intervened.
Of course, that intervention was nothing more than a mild warning that did nothing to dissuade the Celestial Blades sect from its other actions. They had continued to act brazenly until the Verdant Valley sect recruited Elder Mo, a powerful Late Core Formation cultivator, to their ranks. Although that wasn’t enough to deter them entirely. Now, they had completely withdrawn until they had a better idea of what the Verdant Valley sect was up to.
“I was surprised as well, but it’s certainly a welcome change,” Songyu Tao replied smoothly before his tone grew sardonic. “Perhaps they’ve seen the error of their ways and we can all look forward to a more peaceful future.”
“Unfortunately, my friend, I doubt our enemies have suddenly found enlightenment,” Grandmaster Guangming said with a knowing smile. “I would not usually comment on your sect’s internal affairs, but I suspect recent rumors might be the underlying reason for their sudden retreat.”
If it was appropriate for Songyu Tao to roll his eyes, he would. It was an unacknowledged reality that despite being allies, the Verdant Valley sect and the Radiant Dawn Monastery actively made efforts to spy on one another. In the cultivation world, trust was a rare commodity and even the closets of allies had their secrets. Songyu Tao doubted very much that Grandmaster Guangming was relying on mere rumors.
“What rumors are you referring to, Grandmaster?” Songyu Tao asked, keeping his expression neutral.
“I’ve heard that your sect intends to drastically increase the number of disciples you allow into the Ascending Dragon Caverns,” Grandmaster Guangming said leadingly.
Songyu Tao focused intensely on controlling his expression. He didn’t expect Grandmaster Guangming to accept the explanation he was about to give at face value, but Songyu Tao did need to sow the seeds of doubt. A good deception wasn’t about crafting an impenetrable lie or completely obscuring your actions, but rather about obfuscating the truth and giving the other party a reasonable alternative to consider.
If everything went to plan, then the Verdant Valley sect would have already become powerful enough to dampen any real consequences by the time the truth came to light.
Songyu Tao briefly displayed a hint of shame and reluctance, an expression so fleeting that only a powerful cultivator would be able to notice. “Ah, those rumors. I’m afraid they’re quite accurate.”
“Truly? Why the sudden change in policy, if you don’t mind me asking? Have you found a way to overcome the risk of disturbing the cavern’s unique spiritual balance?” asked Grandmaster Guangming, his tone one of surprise.
Previous leaders of the Verdant Valley sect had consulted with the Radiant Dawn Monastery to see if it was possible to increase the usage of the Ascending Dragon Caverns, so the Grandmaster knew more about the situation than most.
“Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. The caverns are as scarce of a resource as they always were,” said Songyu Tao, feigning reluctance.
“Then I confess I’m puzzled,” Grandmaster Guangming admitted, his golden brows furrowed with genuine confusion. “If the rumors are accurate and you haven’t managed to overcome the cavern’s limitations, then you risk depleting one of your sect’s most valuable resources. What prompted you to make this decision?”
Songyu Tao paused for a moment as if deliberating whether to share such information. Eventually, he sighed dejectedly and continued. “This decision was one brought upon by several recent misfortunes to our sect. Elder Feng has suffered an accident that he will need to take several decades to recover from.”
Given how little Feng Ke ever actually left the sect, this was a lie that would be difficult for anyone to disprove. It helped that there had been actual incidents of Feng Ke getting overzealous in his experiments which led to negative outcomes.
“Oh? I’m sorry to hear that,” said Grandmaster Guangming, his expression the picture of compassion and sympathy. “Will he be able to make a full recovery?”
Songyu Tao nodded solemnly. “Thankfully, Elder Feng’s life is not in any danger, but it will take some time for him to recover. I don’t need to explain how our enemies would react if they were to discover this weakness.”
Grandmaster Guangming hummed in understanding. “Indeed, it is a precarious situation. But I believe you said that your sect has recently endured multiple misfortunes?”
Songyu Tao’s expression became one of regret as he responded. “After it became clear to me that my sect would be placed in a difficult situation for the foreseeable future, I decided to take a risk. I attempted to make a breakthrough to the Late Nascent Soul stage.”
As far as most people knew, Songyu Tao was only in the Mid Nascent Soul stage while the leaders of the Celestial Blades and Endless Sea sects were both in the Late Nascent Soul stage. Grandmaster Guangming was widely known to have been in the Peak Nascent Soul stage for many centuries. The strength of a sect wasn’t decided solely by the cultivation of its leader, but it played a significant role in deciding the overall balance of power.
This was one of the primary reasons why the Verdant Valley Sect’s enemies were comfortable antagonizing them.
Grandmaster Guangming’s eyes widened in surprise. “You attempted a breakthrough? And what was the result?”
Songyu Tao let out a bitter chuckle. “I’m afraid I was unsuccessful. It seems I’m still quite far away from being ready to take the next step on my path of cultivation. I’ll need some time to recover my strength, and until then, my cultivation base will remain somewhat unstable.”
In truth, Songyu Tao’s cultivation base was perfectly fine, but this fabrication served his purposes well. “Given these unfortunate circumstances, I decided we needed to make a bold move to ensure the security of our sect. By increasing the number of disciples allowed into the Ascending Dragon Caverns, we hope to elevate a few more promising cultivators from the younger generation to compensate for our current weaknesses.”
Given their exceedingly long lifespans, cultivators didn’t make decisions based purely on the current situation. They often made plans and strategies that would span decades, if not centuries. If the Verdant Valley sect was to show that it had promising disciples, then the other sects would be less willing to antagonize them. There had been more than a few times in history when a powerful sect would find itself being exterminated by enemies they made centuries ago.
Songyu Tao knew by the flash of frustration and sympathy that crossed Grandmaster Guangming’s face that the old monk believed his lie. The Grandmaster was by no means naive, but Songyu Tao had been taught the art of deception from the moment his master discovered his unique constitution and took him on as a direct disciple.
Cultivators were prideful creatures that rarely revealed their own weaknesses. The fact that Songyu Tao had chosen to set aside his pride and admit to a failure in his cultivation would make his story all the more believable. He could tell that the old monk considered his decisions to be reckless and borne of inexperience, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for the Grandmaster to actually say so. For all that Grandmaster Guangming didn’t actually consider them to be equals, there was still a level of propriety that needed to be maintained.
“I see. I would caution you against chasing short-term benefits, but your decision to open up the caverns on top of your successful recruitment of a Late Core Formation cultivator should be enough to stay our enemies’ hands until they reevaluate,” Grandmaster Guangming said thoughtfully. “Recruiting powerful cultivators is not so easy after all. At that level, most have already given their loyalty to another power, or have good reasons for why they haven’t done so.
“I think so as well. It’s fortunate that I was able to convince Elder Mo to stay with the sect in the long term,” said Songyu Tao, acting as if Elder Mo wasn’t the one who had arbitrarily changed his behavior regarding the sect on his own.
Elder Mo was an… interesting problem, but one that Songyu Tao had well in hand.
“It is. Your decisions carry quite a bit of risk, but placing one’s faith in the next generation is often a good strategy in my experience. Speaking of which, I’ve heard that you’ve taken on a new direct disciple,” said Grandmaster Guangming, moving the conversation toward a new topic.
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“Ah, yes. I was quite fortunate to come across Feng Zhi. I’m sure he’s going to become a very capable cultivator one day,” said Songyu Tao, his words more genuine than at any other point in the conversation.
He had been expecting Fate to deliver him a disciple with the unique constitution necessary to become his successor for quite some time, but Feng Zhi was proving to be more exceptional than anticipated.
Now that Grandmaster Guangming was done interrogating him about his sect’s recent actions, the conversation became more relaxed as they discussed other matters. It was around the time that they were trading rumors about the imperial family when a disciple informed him that Elder Mo wished to speak to him. Songyu Tao was momentarily surprised as he couldn’t sense anyone with Elder Mo’s cultivation in the Verdant Pagoda, but he then remembered the strange man’s clone felt different to his spiritual sense from the original body.
Curious as to what Elder Mo wanted and feeling that his conversation with Grandmaster Guangming had run its course, Songyu Tao respectfully bid the old monk farewell and ordered the guards to allow Elder Mo to his private study.
As Elder Mo entered the room, Songyu Tao stored the Myriad Visions Mirror in his spatial ring and turned his attention to the most abnormal member of his sect. Elder Mo had a tendency to stay within his valley, so it was interesting that the man had chosen to seek him out.
“Elder Mo, this is quite a surprise. Is there something that I can help you with?” Songyu Tao asked, smiling mildly at the Elder.
Elder Mo bowed politely to him before speaking. “Patriarch Songyu, I apologize for the sudden interruption, but there is a somewhat urgent matter that I need to bring to your attention
Songyu Tao gestured for Elder Mo to take a seat on the other side of his desk. “Very well. Tell me what it is that you wish to discuss.”
Elder Mo settled into the seat and turned to regard Songyu Tao with a solemn expression. “I’ve discovered the source of the Jiangshi plaguing the Verdant Valley sect’s territory. They’re being created by a former Elder from the Cursed Inscription sect by the name of Mei Yujia. I’ve tracked her to a cavern system west of Misty Lake City and I’m moving to confront her now with my original body. I’ll need to merge with this clone so that I can fight her with my full strength, which means I’ll need someone to look over my valley while I’m away.”
If Songyu Tao didn’t have some tight control over his expressions, his eyes would have widened in surprise. Not only due to the content of Elder Mo’s words but also because he chose to reveal this information to him at all.
“And how is it that you came to learn of Mei Yujia’s actions?” asked Songyu Tao, keeping his voice neutral.
“I learned of it after soliciting the services of an information broker from the Crimson Lotus Union,” said Elder Mo.
This time, he allowed some of his surprise to show on his face. Songyu Tao already knew far more about the people around him than anyone realized. So, the fact that Elder Mo had contact with the Crimson Lotus Union wasn’t particularly surprising, but his audacity in revealing that information certainly was. It was rare that Songyu Tao actually found himself unable to predict another person’s actions, but Elder Mo seemed to be able to do so consistently.
Songyu Tao found it… extremely interesting.
“Do you often admit to having contact with criminal organizations, Elder Mo?” Songyu Tao asked, his tone curious.
“Forgive me for speaking bluntly, Patriarch, but I’ve already tied my fate firmly to the Verdant Valley sect. I sincerely doubt that you would take action against me merely for being a customer of the Crimson Lotus Union,” said Elder Mo, his expression unchanging. “Besides, you were already aware that I was a wandering cultivator before I joined this sect. It shouldn’t be a great surprise that I have such connections.”
That was true enough. It was a common stereotype that wandering cultivators had more dealings with the less legal side of the cultivation world. They often had to, when wandering cultivators were already bereft of resources and the laws were decided by those who had an interest in protecting their power. Still, it was quite brazen for Elder Mo to admit this directly to his face.
Coupled with all of the other oddities that surrounded the man, Songyu Tao wondered at times if Elder Mo fully understood what a suspicious figure he cut. Yuanlei Xin had already talked his ear off about the man, but it didn’t matter in the end how suspicious the man was. Songyu Tao had the final say in any of the sect’s matters, and he knew with certainty that Elder Mo’s presence continued to serve his and the sect’s interests.
The moment that changed… Elder Mo would be dead before he even realized what had happened.
“What made you decide to bring this to my attention rather than keep it to yourself?” Songyu Tao asked bluntly.
“If I’m going to be a member of this sect in the long term, then I think it’s appropriate that we lay all of our cards out on the table. The Secret Realm is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it carries great risk as well. Cooperation is in all of our best interests.”
Elder Mo’s response was a safe and idealistic one, but Songyu Tao was not naive enough to believe it. The more likely scenario was that Elder Mo realized it would be foolish to fight a powerful demonic cultivator without his full strength, and couldn’t risk the chance that Mei Yujia would depart before he could discreetly merge with his clone. Life and death battles between cultivators were too unpredictable for one to go into without leveraging all of their resources. That being the case, Elder Mo’s only options were to either let Mei Yujia go free or find a way to explain why he needed to return to full strength.
Elder Mo was likely unsure of how closely he was being monitored, so a flimsy lie would be significantly riskier than the ugly truth.
Songyu Tao considered all of the options available to him and the consequences that came with them before deciding on how to move forward.
“Should I send Elder Wuxing to assist you? It would be unwise to underestimate the threat posed by a demonic cultivator,” said Songyu Tao, watching in amusement as Elder Mo lost some of his tension.
“Can Elder Wuxing hide his presence well enough to fool a Core Formation cultivator? Mei Yujia has fortified her location and would likely escape if we didn’t manage to surprise her,” Elder Mo quickly explained. The only Elder who could hide their presence that well was Yuanlei Xin and she was currently preoccupied, which Songyu Tao quickly informed him. “But aside from that, there are a few more matters regarding the Shadowed Isles that need to be brought to the sect’s attention.”
“I see. Then tell me what I need to know,” said Songyu Tao, confident in Elder Mo’s ability to survive the confrontation. He had seen the man’s Fate fairly recently and knew there was little chance of the Elder actually dying in some unknown caverns.
Songyu Tao listened carefully as Elder Mo explained the recent internal affairs of the Shadowed Isles. As he listened, Songyu Tao’s instincts began telling him that Elder Mo had stumbled onto something far more significant than he realized. In fact, this feeling was so strong that he felt an intense urge to confirm his suspicions immediately.
Once Elder Mo was done briefing him about the Shadowed Isles, Songyu Tao assured the man that a Hallmaster would watch over his disciples and quickly ushered him out of the study, much to the Elder’s apparent surprise. He likely anticipated a much longer conversation, but Songyu Tao didn’t see the point in listening to someone whose words were so obviously suspect when he had the ability to verify matters on his own.
Songyu Tao tracked Elder Mo’s exit from the Verdant Pagoda with his spiritual sense and activated the formation around his room as soon as the man was gone. There wasn’t anyone in the sect foolish enough to bother Songyu Tao while the formation was active, but it was always good to be prepared. The formation was capable of fending off anyone below the Nascent Soul realm if they approached the room.
From his spatial ring, Songyu Tao then summoned a plain golden disk with a single open eye engraved onto its surface. If anyone other than the rightful leader of the Vedant Valley sect was to touch the disk, then they would suffer a truly devastating backlash. As it was, Songyu Tao simply channeled his Qi into the artifact and watched as reality around him seemed to shift and warp. While his physical body remained in the study, Songyu Tao could feel the familiar sensation of his consciousness being transported elsewhere.
Soon, he found himself standing on what seemed to be a large silver platform floating within an endless expanse of writhing darkness. The platform itself was surrounded by numerous floating orbs, each of them glowing with a soft light as they continued to hold this piece of reality separated from the rest. As always, the darkness beyond was thick and oppressive, suffused with an aura that had once made Songyu Tao’s skin crawl. All around the outer rim of the platform were tools for divination, several of which were far more valuable than even the Verdant Valley sect should have been able to possess.
It was perhaps unwise to store such treasures so close to the edge, but there were multiple layers of protections preventing anything or anyone from falling into the vast abyss. Besides, the rest of the platform was occupied by the most eye-catching part of the isolated dimension. Almost against his own will, Songyu Tao turned to look at the eldritch corpse that lay at the center of the platform.
Even in death, its singular eye seemed to track Songyu Tao’s every move. The rest of its body looked as if someone had grown a thin layer of flesh around a skeleton with too many twisted and gnarled limbs protruding from its body. Its skin was black and desiccated as if it had been burned from within. Despite its appearance, Songyu Tao could still feel immense power emanating from the corpse. He knew more about the world than most cultivators, yet he had never sensed anything remotely similar anywhere else.
Songyu Tao turned his attention away from the corpse, as it wasn’t why he had come here. It was well and truly dead, and good for nothing other than the power it granted through its study.
He walked over to his many divination tools and took hold of one that looked deceptively simple, an unassuming bowl filled with bones. If it became public knowledge that he actually had these bones, Songyu Tao had no doubt that the Celestial Jade Empire would seek his execution. After all, the empire couldn’t afford to offend the Dragonheart Dominion by allowing one of its citizens to get away with possessing the bones of a dragon. However, there were many things that Songyu Tao had done or possessed that would warrant execution; so he wasn’t too concerned.
With the bowl in hand, Songyu Tao closed his eyes and prepared to begin the divination ritual. Everyone was under the impression that he was merely a simple sword cultivator, yet it was through the careful manipulation and examination of Fate that generations of leaders guided the Verdant Valley sect
Soon enough, Songyu Tao felt his consciousness start to expand, and the threads of Fate began to vaguely reveal themselves.
It’s not clear enough, Songyu Tao mused to himself.
Divination was an art practiced by very few, as Fate did not like being seen or manipulated. It was only due to Songyu Tao’s experience and the fact that he was performing the ritual in a location so disconnected from reality that he even had this much success. Fortunately, there was still more that he could do.
Songyu Tao bolstered the ritual with all of his hidden strength and watched as the dragon bones began to glow a soft golden light. The threads of Fate gradually grew more visibly, like glowing golden strands stretching out into the infinite darkness. Songyu Tao focused on the threads connected to himself and the Verdant Valley sect first, as those were the ones he was most familiar with.
It was rare for Fate to change, but it did happen. Elder Mo’s… change of priorities was one of the more recent and consequential examples of this. Any threads that the Elder had once possessed to the Shadowed Isles had been completely severed, and he was now only connected to the sect. Songyu Tao had a few theories as to how that happened, but he didn’t know for certain.
Fortunately for Songyu Tao, and for Elder Mo, the current circumstances served to further his interests.
The threads around the Verdant Valley sect were mostly what he was expecting. The brightest and most influential among them led to the sect’s Elders and its most promising disciples. A few that were less bright went to the sect’s allies and its various business interests, while the very brightest connected the recently discovered Secret Realm.
Songyu Tao found himself momentarily captured by that thread in particular, enthralled by the brilliant future it promised. Once he managed to pull his attention away from the Secret Realm, Songyu Tao began searching for any new threads of significance connected to his sect. It didn’t take him very long to find it, and Songyu Tao then carefully followed it back to the Shadowed Isles.
He was much less familiar with the Fate of the Shadowed Isles than his own sect. So Songyu Tao could not see the strands of fate as clearly. However, even the most amateur of soothsayers would be able to feel the effects of what was happening in the Shadowed Isles. To his perception, it looked as if their threads were all tightly wrapped around a central point and branching off to every major power in the region. It was obvious to him that whatever was happening among the demonic cultivators would reverberate far beyond their islands.
Songyu Tao focused on the point at which threads converged but he was unable to make out anything specific. Holding back a sigh, Songyu Tao began the tedious purpose of searching through the Fates that he could see and extrapolating backward to deduce the missing information. As he did so, Songyu Tao continuously adjusted the plans that would guide the Verdant Valley sect to its rightful destiny.
Mo Duan couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. His conversation with Patriarch Songyu had gone better than expected, but that was ironically the source of his tension. There had always been something about the man that made him feel… uncomfortable, and it sometimes felt like things were going too well for him.
Once he actually managed to make his way to Mei Yujia’s caverns, it became clear to him that she had deeply fortified her location. Jiangshi could be seen almost everywhere, many of which were more powerful than Mo Duan had expected. Attempting to confront her without first merging with his clone would be extremely foolish. After considering his options for quite a while, Mo Duan had eventually come to the conclusion that telling the Patriarch the truth was the best option.
If he lied, then there were too many ways his deception could be uncovered. If he kept his silence and looked for another opportunity to find Mei Yujia later, she could either disappear completely or end up being killed by her sect. Mo Duan had considered taking that risk, but something in his gut told him that the matters regarding the Shadowed Isles were too important.
He had prepared for many possibilities when he sent his clone to speak with Patriarch Songyu, but… the man barely seemed to care about him admitting to having contact with the Crimson Lotus Union. Mo Duan was then ushered out of the Patriarch’s study as soon as he finished sharing information about the Shadowed Isles. It was all very strange.
Mo Duan went over his interaction with Patriarch Songyu in his mind again, before deciding to shelve his concerns for now. It was something that could be dealt with later. Right now, he needed to focus all his attention on his upcoming confrontation with Mei Yujia.
Closing his eyes and suppressing his cultivation, Mo Duan used a cultivation technique that sent a few innocuous leaves floating into the nearby caverns. Everywhere they traveled, Mo Duan was able to make out their surroundings. He could sense deadly traps and starving Jiangshi in nearly every tunnel and cavern.
He had some time before his clone managed to reach him, and he intended to spend that time meticulously studying his opponent’s position. Any demonic cultivator as powerful as Mei Yujia had only reached their position after leaving behind a mountain of corpses, and Mo Duan didn’t intend to become one of them.
