The Mission of Xuanqing Heavenly Sect

Western Oxhorn Continent.

On a rather rough and bumpy road, a carriage wobbled unsteadily as it traveled.

Xu Jin sat at the front, driving the carriage, his body swaying along with the jolts.

After enduring the shaking for a long while, Xu Jin couldn’t help but speak up:

"With our cultivation levels, do we really need to go through such disguises?"

Though the carriage rocked violently on the outside, the interior remained perfectly stable. Chu Xingchen lounged inside, leisurely crossing his legs while munching on fruit and flipping through a storybook.

The book was something Chu Xingchen had bought in the Western Oxhorn Continent. Admittedly, the people here were simple, and so was their writing.

The stories of this land had shed all pretenses of literary refinement, devoid of subtle metaphors or hidden meanings.

Scenes were described with blunt clarity, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Every crucial detail was laid bare, while unnecessary fluff was entirely omitted.

Of course, Chu Xingchen wasn’t reading for enjoyment—he was scrutinizing it with harsh judgment.

The world ought to strive for harmony, not senseless conflict.

"Of course we need the disguise. The Myriad Buddha Temple already has the Sumeru Buddha Body. Did you really plan to march straight into their territory without any preparations? I even prepared three copies of travel permits."

Chu Xingchen stretched lazily before shifting into a more comfortable position and continuing,

"We’ve already alerted them before. Even though we concealed our identities, we can’t afford to be as brazen as last time."

Xu Jin tugged at the reins in front of him. "I meant, do we really have to ride this carriage? The roads in the Western Oxhorn Continent are terrible."

Chu Xingchen replied breezily, "Of course we do. Right now, we’re just ordinary mortals. The distance from Myriad Buddha City to Prajna City is vast, and our robes are far too extravagant. If we don’t take a carriage, are we supposed to walk the whole way?"

Xu Jin couldn’t resist grumbling, "Then shouldn’t it be your turn to drive?"

"You’re a Unity Realm cultivator, and a core disciple of the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect—once the foremost great sect. Can’t you muster the patience to steer a carriage? Or are you afraid a little shaking will make your cultivation vanish?"

Chu Xingchen’s voice carried a hint of complaint from behind the carriage curtain, as if Xu Jin had said something utterly unreasonable.

Xu Jin thought about it for a moment but ultimately held back from arguing further.

He knew full well how his own eloquence measured up against Chu Xingchen’s.

Even if he had three extra mouths, he’d still lose the debate. Better not humiliate himself.

Just as Xu Jin had predicted, after the grand assembly, the Myriad Buddha Temple had indeed begun relocating the accumulated faith energy elsewhere.

However, due to their earlier blunder alerting the enemy, the Buddhist sect had dispatched additional high-ranking cultivators to escort the faith energy, likely to prevent the Evil Spirit Sect from forcibly seizing it.

The spiritual marks Xu Jin had left on their spies proved useful.

A massive portion of faith energy was being transported from the Myriad Buddha Temple toward the Central Continent.

A much smaller portion, meanwhile, was being moved toward Prajna City in the Western Oxhorn Continent.

The batch heading to the Central Continent was not only larger in quantity but also moved at a relatively faster pace. This was the primary shipment, guarded by high-level cultivators.

Though "fast" was relative—transporting such a vast amount of faith energy inevitably slowed them down, despite the Buddhist sect’s methods.

As for the smaller batch… it was both meager in quantity and moved at a snail’s pace.

Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin had analyzed the situation. The larger batch was likely destined for the Buddhist sects in the Central Continent.

Tracing it to the end would probably lead them straight to the Thunderclap Dharma Temple.

Given their current strength, taking on the entire Thunderclap Dharma Temple wasn’t feasible, so they had no choice but to focus on the smaller batch.

Even if the Buddhist sects had struck some deal with the demons, their nature wouldn’t allow them to hand over the bulk of the faith energy.

The most plausible scenario was that they’d give the demons just enough to survive but never enough to rise against them—a balance that best served the Buddhist sects’ interests.

Thus, tracking the smaller batch was the most logical course of action.

Given the shifting circumstances, their plan had evolved from splitting up to working together.

After all, no matter how one looked at it, the Buddhist sects were one of the Central Continent’s Eighteen Immortal Sects, their strength undeniable.

Both Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin maintained the highest vigilance when dealing with them.

Chu Xingchen opted to tail the shipment discreetly, concealing their identities and even preparing multiple sets of forged travel permits—choosing the simplest disguise of all: relying on bureaucracy rather than magic.

Every document was meticulously crafted, verifiable, and traceable.

And so, on that ragged road, Xu Jin found himself jostling along in the driver’s seat.

Traffic was sparse, mostly slow-moving merchant caravans. But even they avoided the route to Prajna City—the roads were simply too awful.

Chu Xingchen didn’t even need to reach Prajna City to guess what conditions were like there.

Scarcity of food and clothing was a given, and isolation from news and trade was inevitable.

For ordinary people, such a place was a hardship. But for certain individuals, it was the perfect location—easy to control and unlikely to draw attention.

Chu Xingchen pulled aside the carriage curtain and sat beside Xu Jin, joining him in the rhythmic swaying.

"There are a few things I’ve been meaning to ask you. Back then, I couldn’t be sure of your intentions, so I held back. But now seems like a good time."

Xu Jin glanced at Chu Xingchen, who had suddenly decided to share in his discomfort. Instinct told him he wouldn’t like the questions…

Still, he gave a slight nod. "Go ahead. I’ll answer what I can."

Chu Xingchen retrieved a fruit from his spatial ring and tossed it to Xu Jin before asking:

"Regarding the resurgence of demons, while the Tianyan Sect takes it seriously and is investigating thoroughly—even Senior Bai is running around for this cause—the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect’s response seems… excessive. The entire sect has mobilized, and even you personally came to the Western Oxhorn Continent."

"Yet, the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect doesn’t seem to have concrete evidence. So why such an extreme reaction?"

Xu Jin caught the fruit and took a polite bite before answering:

"Because the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect has its own mission."

Chu Xingchen turned his gaze to Xu Jin, raising an eyebrow.

"A mission to vanquish demons and evil?"

Xu Jin chuckled and shook his head, offering no direct reply. Instead, his eyes drifted toward the vast blue sky above.

The Western Oxhorn Continent’s land had been ravaged by the great war of the past.

Only the sky remained as pristine as ever.

Xu Jin looked back at Chu Xingchen. "What about you? The Tianyan Sect’s response isn’t drastic enough to send a core disciple like you to the Western Oxhorn Continent, is it?"

"I had no choice but to come," Chu Xingchen said with utmost sincerity.

"I’m not as noble as you, Brother Xu. Half of it is for myself and my disciple, the other half—well, call it a small contribution to the world."

Xu Jin studied Chu Xingchen’s earnest expression and smiled, as if convinced.

"The heavens and earth bear witness—Brother Chu, you’re the truly noble one."

Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow in satisfaction—who knew Xu Jin could flatter so well?

Xu Jin took another bite of the fruit offered by Chu Xingchen.

As the sweet flavor soothed his throat, it also confirmed his suspicions about Chu Xingchen.