This is not a mission It is destiny

"What do you mean this concerns the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect’s top secrets? If this kid can go, why can’t I? What, is he your secret lovechild?"

At the center of the grand hall, Bai Xuanling showed not a trace of fear. On the contrary, she seemed even more at ease than she had been in the Tianyan Sect’s hall.

After all, while she often mocked her own sect leader’s dignity as being "like a rag," even rags had their uses. At the very least, they were handy for wiping things clean.

Her gaze bore unflinchingly into Li Moze. "What’s more, you’ve got a history of bullying the weak—and this kid was one of your victims. Did you really think a few words from you would be enough to make him go alone with you? That’s wishful thinking."

"I suspect hearing news is just a pretense. What you really want is to do something shady behind the scenes."

Without hesitation, Bai Xuanling turned on her heel. "Kid, let’s go. Where there’s no sincerity, there’s only disaster. Don’t involve yourself with the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect anymore, lest you get ambushed."

Chu Xingchen wore an innocent expression, silently cupping his hands in a respectful gesture before preparing to follow Bai Xuanling.

Perhaps the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect meant well, but their goodwill wasn’t exactly obvious at the moment. Besides, when traveling outside, one had to show face for their own people.

Xu Jin reacted swiftly. "Senior Bai, please wait. Brother Chu can go with my master, and I’m willing to stay here with you."

Bai Xuanling paused, glancing sideways at him.

Was this an attempt to exchange hostages?

She snorted coldly. "Don’t overestimate your own importance. I may treasure this kid, but your master might not feel the same about you. And in my eyes, your life isn’t worth half as much as his."

Chu Xingchen lowered his gaze, standing obediently behind Bai Xuanling without a word.

Was this what it felt like to have a powerhouse backing you? Absolutely exhilarating.

"There’s no need for this," Li Moze said calmly. "Let Xu Jin take Chu Xingchen. He’s a core disciple and the next sect leader. I’ll stay here with you."

Xu Jin turned to look at his master, but seeing Li Moze’s slight nod, he swallowed the words he had been about to say.

Bai Xuanling glanced at Chu Xingchen.

Chu Xingchen gave a small nod, signaling that as long as it was just Li Moze, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Bai Xuanling retrieved a dagger-like short sword from her spatial ring.

"Take this sword with you. If anything goes wrong, channel a wisp of spiritual energy into it. I’ll kill him first, then come find you."

Chu Xingchen didn’t refuse, accepting the dagger and gripping it tightly in his hand.

Li Moze remained silent in the face of Bai Xuanling’s threat, standing motionless where he was.

Xu Jin cupped his hands slightly, gesturing for Chu Xingchen to follow him.

As Chu Xingchen trailed behind Xu Jin, his eyes swept their surroundings.

Xu Jin didn’t lead him on a winding path to other peaks—instead, they stayed within the main peak, heading straight toward the rear of the grand hall.

Beyond the hall lay layer upon layer of ritual formations.

Xu Jin had likely only been here once or twice before, as his movements to dismantle the formations were clumsy, often requiring moments of thought.

"If this is the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect’s top secret, why let me know? And why exclude Senior Bai?" Chu Xingchen asked as he watched Xu Jin painstakingly unravel the formations. "If I see it, wouldn’t I just tell her afterward anyway?"

"After you see it, you might choose not to tell her. And if you do, that’s your decision," Xu Jin replied after a brief silence.

"In truth, the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect has never had a choice. As I’ve told you before, our sect has its own mission."

As his words faded, the dense energy of the ritual formations before them receded slightly, opening a narrow path. However, another layer of illusion-based formations remained, making it impossible to see anything beyond the golden radiance.

Xu Jin stepped forward without hesitation. "I’ve only been here once before—on the day I was chosen as a core disciple."

Chu Xingchen hesitated briefly before following.

Surely the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect wasn’t planning to self-destruct and take the Tianyan Sect with them?

The moment he stepped through, a sensation of spatial displacement washed over him. The golden light vanished, replaced by a desolate landscape dotted with graves—each exuding an aura of pure killing intent.

An uninformed observer might mistake it for a burial ground of the Evil Spirit Sect.

The sky was a dull gray, and high above, an orange-yellow orb hovered in midair, surrounded by translucent crystalline shards radiating the purest essence of the Dao.

Chu Xingchen couldn’t identify the yellow orb, but he recognized the crystalline fragments.

They were remnants…

The Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect truly lived up to its reputation as the former number one sect in the world. Its foundations were unfathomably deep.

The spatial rift behind Chu Xingchen slowly dissipated.

Xu Jin surveyed the scene before turning his calm gaze to Chu Xingchen.

"If the world were at peace, you’d be a peerless genius, free to roam wherever you pleased. That’s the life I envy most."

"But unfortunately, you bear a destiny—the same as the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect. It doesn’t matter whether you’re aligned with us or the Tianyan Sect."

Chu Xingchen frowned slightly but didn’t respond.

Xu Jin looked at the yellow orb and suddenly chuckled.

"I assume you’ve read the records of the great calamity. When humanity gathered the scattered fortunes of the world to endure the disaster, this was what remained. Though the fortunes dispersed again after the calamity, our sect has never stopped trying to reclaim them."

"Though the fortunes are stored here, the most we can do is safeguard them. After humanity survived the calamity, these fortunes became the fortunes of all mankind—not something any one person or sect could monopolize."

"Humanity endured the disaster, so the benefits shouldn’t belong solely to the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect."

"Of course, that’s not to say we haven’t used them at all. We’ve borrowed these fortunes to suppress what lies here."

"The things surrounding the fortunes are fragments of the Dao’s rules. You’ve seen them before, haven’t you?"

Chu Xingchen averted his gaze from the orb and looked at Xu Jin.

"Are you saying I’m the chosen one? Planning to hand the entire Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect over to me? If that’s the case, I might consider it. Why don’t you call me ‘Sect Leader’ first and see how it sounds?"

Xu Jin chuckled. "I doubt you’d want it even if we offered."

Chu Xingchen smirked. "Junior Nephew Xu, care to explain?"

Xu Jin ignored the jab—letting him have his fun was better than being led astray. His tone remained steady.

"Because of the spirit veins. The Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect was the first to act, and back then, we were the ones who killed the most and left no room for mercy. Most of the people buried here were the fiercest killers of that era."

Chu Xingchen’s voice turned icy. "Are you trying to say slaughtering the Eastern Victory Divine Continent to seize spirit veins was also part of your ‘mission’?"

"Of course," Xu Jin replied without hesitation. "Before monopolizing the spiritual veins, the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect was already the foremost great sect in the world. Even without seizing the spiritual veins, the resources they obtained wouldn’t have been much less. Why would they commit such an act that incited the wrath of heaven and man, nearly shattering the sect to its core?"

Chu Xingchen’s expression remained calm, but his words grew slightly sharper:

"Naturally, it was for the eternal mission of the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect."

"That year, the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect did not act for the sake of a mission," Xu Jin retorted, pointing sharply at the murky yellow orb before him. His voice turned stern as he declared,

"It was the inescapable mandate of heaven!"