Who is so bold

Upon hearing this, Li Ye'an couldn't hide the joy on his face:

"Disciple has always followed the Valley Master's teachings—that in life, one must act with a clear conscience and do what lies within one's ability. I have kept this in mind to this day, and I will continue to follow the Valley Master's guidance and act accordingly in the future."

Zhao Xuan stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and stared at Li Ye'an before him. After a moment of silence, he spoke:

"Since this matter has now implicated the Upper Sect, it has gone beyond your capabilities. You no longer need to pursue the follow-up. I will handle it personally. Focus on your cultivation."

The righteous path truly has its frustrations.

If this were back in the day, that disciple's head would already be rolling on the ground by now.

But this look of trust... it's something you'd never experience as a heretic cultivator.

Every gain comes with a loss. Raising him now is also to prepare a reliable person for the future.

Li Ye'an didn't overthink it, fully believing that the Valley Master was genuinely concerned for his safety. With a moved expression, he said:

"Thank you, Valley Master. Disciple understands."

Zhao Xuan gently nodded, watching Li Ye'an leave with a humble demeanor, quietly closing the door behind him.

News about the Eighteen Immortal Sects?

Zhao Xuan fell into contemplation. In recent decades, unless absolutely necessary, he had avoided contact with members of the Evil Spirit Cult. Even news from the cult, unless extremely important, he would not accept. No matter how vigilant one was, any action carried the risk of exposure; only inaction left no trace.

His main source of information these days came from his newly reestablished force, the Eight Directions Valley. A fledgling faction naturally couldn't compete with the unscrupulous Evil Spirit Cult in intelligence-gathering—many reports were outdated, and their accuracy was often unreliable.

But a secret realm of a Blood Qi cultivator at the Tribulation Transcendence stage...

Most Blood Qi cultivators struggled in the early stages due to the impurities absorbed from refining blood Qi, making later purification exceedingly difficult. Moreover, natural talent for Blood Qi cultivation was rarely exceptional.

To rise in cultivation rank, especially to replenish one's own lifeblood, one would need to drain countless lives to fill the gap.

A leaked secret technique?

Refining an entire kingdom?

Zhao Xuan slowly pieced things together. This returning Black Crow Direct Order likely related to this matter. The rumored highly accomplished Blood Qi cultivator—perhaps the so-called "gathering" was merely a pretext, and the true intent was to invite him, a already renowned Blood Qi cultivator, to attempt the secret technique together. That would explain the trouble taken to acquire two Black Crow Direct Orders.

Greedy, self-serving heretics weren't his target; only those similarly trapped by the limits of their cultivation rank would sacrifice everything for a chance at advancement.

The path to immortality, once severed... is it now reconnected?

Zhao Xuan felt no great joy, only an oppressive weight of unease and worry.

The truth of the rumor was uncertain, nor could he rule out the possibility that this was a trap by the Eighteen Immortal Sects aimed at him, the long-vanished Black Crow Archbishop.

After all, the so-called "Heavenly Demons"—Zhao Xuan knew full well there were plenty in his own Evil Spirit Cult.

Back then, the Heavenly Demons had even sent him an invitation. Zhao Xuan had neither accepted nor declined outright, merely expressing an attitude: the Evil Spirit Cult belonged to everyone. If the Heavenly Demons wished to replace him, they were free to make their move.

At the time, Zhao Xuan had thought clearly: both heretical cults and Heavenly Demons were damned in the eyes of the righteous. At most, the Heavenly Demons would die first, they would die later. There was no point lecturing heretics on grand principles of the Dao and the masses.

So Zhao Xuan hadn't stopped the demons from massively joining the Evil Spirit Cult and had even allowed them to control roughly half of the cult's actual power.

Now, looking back, he felt a lingering worry and fear.

Silence implies consent.

Those who styled themselves as righteous would never bother to distinguish right from wrong.

What if the Eighteen Immortal Sects are using this rumor to try and capture me?

Zhao Xuan let out a soft sigh.

But... what cultivator would give up a chance to see the path ahead?

He took out the oddly shaped Black Crow Direct Order once more, staring at it with calm, silent eyes, and began to reflect on everything he had experienced on his journey.

Soon, he realized something: ever since becoming the Valley Master of the Eight Directions Valley, he had become frighteningly cautious—just like those righteous types, fretting over every step, avoiding any risk, forfeiting potential gains.

Gone was the reckless drive of his heretic days.

Comfort truly breeds complacency.

Zhao Xuan took a deep breath. Rather than pinning his hopes on Li Ye'an protecting him in the future, he still trusted his own ability to break through and become a Great Vehicle or even a Tribulation Transcendence stage Blood Qi cultivator.

If the so-called secret technique proved effective, he could always replicate it through the Evil Spirit Cult's networks.

Zhao Xuan lifted his head slightly, having made his decision.

First, return to the Evil Spirit Cult. Let the professionals verify the news. Then, send people to confirm whether the secret realm exists—and whether the Eighteen Immortal Sects are spreading false information.

As for the Blood Qi heretic who has shown himself, send someone to establish contact first. At the very least, build a connection. Who knows, maybe we can pry out the so-called secret technique?

Zhao Xuan had always understood a principle: in any endeavor, one could never be too careful.

This was why he had survived this long—mere speed wasn't enough.

Above all, staying clear-headed is paramount.

Chu Xingchen propped his cheek on one hand, his gaze sweeping over one jade token after another.

Things were different now. In the past, when handling tasks, he could always find a moment to slack off. Now, even during free time, he had to deal with many matters.

Still, Chu Xingchen prioritized things related to himself.

Yun Li had replied. Yunze had agreed to share the True Dragon Blessing. Despite appearing young and inexperienced, Yun Li truly had some skill.

The Yunmeng Pavilion had been notified, but there was some discontent.

From the Yunmeng Pavilion's perspective, the True Dragon Blessing didn't belong to Yunze—it belonged to the Yunmeng Pavilion. To their eyes, Chu Xingchen's disciple absorbing the blessing meant taking resources from their territory.

Chu Xingchen had promised certain compensations, which satisfied the Yunmeng Pavilion to some extent. After all, if they could have handled the True Dragon Blessing themselves, they would have done so long ago.

Without a True Dragon bloodline, the blessing was completely unresponsive.

A treasure they couldn't use but were reluctant to discard.

Chen Baiqing had also sent word, saying she had taken time to return and reconcile with her senior sister. She had also prepared a gift for her master, which he could see when he returned to the Heavenly Flame Sect. She and Lin Luoyu had now returned to hold the line in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent.

Li Yingling had written about Qian Qing, saying she would take good care of her. She mentioned that Qian Qing now got along excellently with San Dong, and her expression wasn't as bitter as it had been at the start. Truly, if one treated San Dong's pure heart with sincerity, they would unknowingly be purified by her.

Bai Xuanling noticed the smile that unconsciously appeared on Chu Xingchen's face and asked with curiosity:

"What good news has made you smile as purely as San Dong?"

Chu Xingchen straightened his expression and said righteously:

"What are you saying? Do I look that innocent?"

Bai Xuanling raised an eyebrow and teased:

“You, the sect leader, actually said San Dong is naive.”

“I’m going to report this! You’re slandering me!”

“Ridiculous. Who is the accuser who dares to bring a case against an immortal like me?”