Chapter 389 - 384: You’re Asking Me to Go Die

While the common gossips chattered endlessly and undercurrents surged beneath the surface, the date of the Nascent Soul Ceremony for Zong Li, the Sect Leader of the Four Principles Sect, was drawing near.

The entire Sect, from top to bottom, was bustling with activity.

They were truly overjoyed.

The Sect Leader’s increased Cultivation would elevate the Sect to a new level. Every single one of them stood to benefit, so who wouldn’t be happy?

But Du Youqian, the man of the hour, left the Sect at this very moment. He took Kang Yinghe with him, carrying Sha Jiang and Sha You, and headed for the Qingxu Commerce Association’s Western Region Branch in the Endless Desert Western Domain.

This Western Region Branch had only been established in recent years. Previously, the Qingxu Commerce Association only had a branch near the border of the Four Domains.

Of course, Du Youqian wasn’t going to flatter himself by thinking this Western Region Branch was established because of him.

However, the deputy director of the Western Region Branch was an acquaintance of his—the bearded Cultivator who had sold him many good things.

In the past twenty years, this person’s Cultivation had recovered to the Golden Core realm, then fallen to Qi Cultivation, and now, upon meeting him again, it was at Foundation Establishment.

This made Du Youqian increasingly confident in his speculation.

He had once mistakenly believed that the "Seven Transitions" of the *Seven Transition Celestial Dance Scripture* meant comprehending seven Divine Abilities before reaching Nascent Soul.

But now, it seemed...

’The so-called Seven Transitions probably require one to cripple their Cultivation seven times using a special technique and start over from the beginning!’

~~~~~~

"Fellow Daoist Ge, it’s been a while. And to you, Fellow Daoist, a pleasure to meet you." After greeting the bearded Cultivator, Du Youqian looked at the cultivator beside him, who was dressed in flowing white robes and had sharp, handsome features.

"Fellow Daoist Zong, allow me to introduce you. This is my junior brother, Master Yao Tao. He is the director of the Western Region Branch."

"A pleasure!" Master Yao Tao greeted Du Youqian politely.

Then he smiled and said, "Senior Brother, please entertain Zong Li Master well. I have some business to attend to."

"Zong Li Master, please make yourself at home and enjoy."

As Master Yao Tao left, Du Youqian stared at his back, lost in thought for a moment.

The bearded Ge Sheng felt a sense of unease, worried that Du Youqian might have seen through something.

Du Youqian, however, was thinking, ’This man’s Cultivation should already be at the Nascent Soul realm. He’s just hiding it very well.’

’For a junior brother to surpass his senior brother, he must be quite capable.’

’The Qingxu Commerce Association is truly full of hidden masters!’

Ge Sheng led Du Youqian to a small hall and summoned several gorgeously dressed yet elegant Kun Cultivators to serve them food and drinks as they talked and laughed.

These Kun Cultivators didn’t speak much, but they were exceptionally skilled at serving people. They knew how to read expressions and carried no hint of worldly vulgarity, appearing noble and graceful.

The fact that the Qingxu Commerce Association could train such a large number of these "functional" Kun Cultivators was a testament to their business acumen.

After three rounds of drinks, Ge Sheng waved his hand, dismissing the Kun Cultivators. He then poured Du Youqian another cup of wine himself.

After they clinked their cups, he set down his celadon wine cup and sighed. "Fellow Daoist Zong, don’t you find it a bit surprising that I, who am not particularly close to you, invited you here today for drinks and merriment?"

Du Youqian smiled. "Fellow Daoist Ge must have something to say. I’m all ears."

"To be honest with you, I invited you here today because I have some bad news to tell you. Your situation is very dangerous."

Ge Sheng was very direct.

Du Youqian didn’t have a very clear picture of his own situation; after all, his information channels were limited.

But based on logical deduction, he knew his situation wasn’t good. After all, he was very likely to become the one who would break the balance.

And there were far too many people in the world who did not want the balance to be broken.

He was destined to become a public target.

He had considered some solutions, but each had its own drawbacks. So, he too set down his wine cup. "Please speak plainly, Fellow Daoist Ge."

"You’re a Possession Cultivator, aren’t you... I can tell. Your lifespan isn’t very long. And your Cultivation Technique... you seem to have practiced it incorrectly. Your technique shares the same origin as ours, which is why I can see it."

Du Youqian didn’t deny it, merely watching him in silence.

Ge Sheng said, "You can continue to live, but after you die, the Sect you founded with your own hands will not meet a good end. Or... you can die. Die a worthy death. That would allow your Sect to survive for much longer, until it can stand firm on its own, until it has a deep enough foundation to truly support the existence of a Nascent Soul Cultivator. Otherwise, no matter how many Nascent Soul Cultivators appear, they will be eliminated."

Du Youqian nodded thoughtfully.

’A deep enough foundation’ was easy enough to understand. It meant maintaining good relations with all the major powers and, at the same time, finding a powerful backer outside the Endless Desert Sea.

He wasn’t angry, just sighed with a faint smile. "Fellow Daoist Ge, are you... asking me to go die?"

A flash of shame crossed Ge Sheng’s face. He shook his head, then nodded. "Fellow Daoist Zong, it’s not that I want you to die. It’s just that if you want to do something of value, you will very likely die in the process."

"Why don’t you speak plainly, Fellow Daoist? I don’t like riddles."

Ge Sheng said, "There is a man, a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator. He has blocked the financial paths of some of our association’s clients. Many people want him dead, but due to certain unwritten rules everyone abides by, they cannot make a move."

Du Youqian understood. "And I am not bound by these rules? So you hope I will kill him for you, clearing the path for your association’s clients? But he’s at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. How can a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator like me possibly kill him? Besides, Fellow Daoist Ge, the most crucial point is that since he’s a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator, he must have friends, family, and disciples. If I kill him, won’t that bring disaster upon my Sect?"

Ge Sheng said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist Zong is indeed quick to understand. But you need not worry about retaliation against your Sect. There are many people who want to eliminate you right now. We will find a way to push that man into taking on this task. If he takes the initiative to eliminate you, it is only natural for you to kill him in self-defense. Even if his disciples, friends, and family want revenge, our association will have sufficient reason to intervene and protect your Sect. As for whether you can kill him... I have faith in your strength, Fellow Daoist. Even if you can’t kill him, dealing him a heavy blow would be enough."

Du Youqian fell silent for a moment, pondering.

Ge Sheng knew he was weighing the pros and cons and took the initiative to promise benefits. "If you do this, Fellow Daoist—kill that man, or at least severely injure him—the Qingxu Commerce Association can promise to support the Four Principles Sect with the most favorable treatment for three hundred years. All materials will be sold to your sect at a discounted price. And no matter what happens, we will at least ensure that the Four Principles Sect’s Inheritance is not broken and its core disciples are not lost."

Du Youqian was visibly moved.

’These terms are too generous!’

’It’s certainly worth a Core Formation Master risking his life for.’

In truth, although Du Youqian had succeeded in advancing to the Nascent Soul realm, he himself was not satisfied.

After his promotion, he began to feel that the *Seven Transition Celestial Dance Scripture* was an exceptionally ordinary Cultivation Technique.

It was mediocre, indistinguishable from any other.

It was completely unworthy of being called a Scripture.

Moreover, he didn’t know if something had gone wrong during his advancement or if he had made a mistake when trying to complete the technique. As it was, he could barely make an inch of progress in his Cultivation. If this continued, he would find it difficult to break through to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage even with a thousand years.

Besides, how could he possibly have a thousand years?

A Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivator had a lifespan of 1,200 years, Middle Stage 1,500, Late Stage 1,800, and Perfection 1,900.

Before he advanced, he had only a dozen or so years of life left.

Now, he had only replenished three hundred years of his lifespan; what remained was truly not much.

Du Youqian reflected and concluded that the problem with his Cultivation Technique was likely because he hadn’t undergone the "Seven Transitions."

Ge Sheng had also pointed out earlier that there was a problem with his Cultivation, and Du Youqian didn’t think Ge Sheng was just being an alarmist.

Since there was no hope for progress, the idea of using his remaining lifespan to fight for a better future for the Four Principles Sect was quite tempting to Du Youqian.

However, he also had concerns about reincarnation.

The Human World was boundlessly vast. The Four Domains of Southeast, Southwest, Northwest, and Northeast in the Endless Desert Sea—an area an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator couldn’t even traverse in a lifetime—were together just a remote corner of the Human World.

’If I reincarnate somewhere else, how can I make use of the foundation I’ve worked so hard to build in this life?’

This was the source of his hesitation.

He held his wine cup, weighing the options over and over.

But seeing him deliberate for too long, Ge Sheng added, "I will also make a personal promise. I will find a way to have the association give you two sets of Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects. You can leave them in your Sect, which will allow you to try and cultivate two new Nascent Soul cultivators in the next three hundred years."

An ordinary Nascent Soul Spiritual Object was priced at 250,000 Spiritual Jade, and could even sell for three or four hundred thousand at auction.

Du Youqian himself didn’t care about this amount of money, but for a small Sect, it was a considerable sum.

But Du Youqian still didn’t nod in agreement.

Just then, a delicate laugh sounded from outside the door. Soon, a beautiful Kun Cultivator in a long dress with flowing water sleeves pushed the door open and entered with graceful, lotus-like steps.

Du Youqian immediately recognized her. "Fairy Tao Yao."

She curtsied. "Zong Li Master."

Then she nodded to Ge Sheng. "Junior Brother."

Ge Sheng’s expression turned ugly. "What are you doing here?"

Fairy Tao Yao sat down an arm’s length from Du Youqian. A subtle fragrance wafted from her as her beautiful eyes gazed at him, her tender and moving face, free of makeup, beaming with a smile. "Zong Li Master, if you agree to this, I can make the decision to give you a copy of the *Supreme Cave Truth Nine Revolutions and Nine Transformations Celestial Dance Scripture*. Rest assured, it will be far more complete than the version you currently possess."

Ge Sheng shot to his feet, his face pale with shock. "Absolutely not!"

Fairy Tao Yao shot him a fierce glare, and only then did he reluctantly sit back down.

Du Youqian’s expression remained unchanged, but as he narrowed his eyes to study her, a storm raged in his heart.

’How does she know that I possess the *Supreme Cave Truth Nine Revolutions and Nine Transformations Celestial Dance Scripture*?’

’The one I passed on to the Sect’s True Disciples was only the *Seven Transition Celestial Dance Scripture*.’

’Who made the rule that someone who has the *Seven Transition Celestial Dance Scripture* must also have the *Supreme Cave Truth Nine Revolutions and Nine Transformations Celestial Dance Scripture*?’

’Or... is this woman just testing me?’

’But why would she test me?’

For a moment, Du Youqian’s mind raced, and he said nothing.

Fairy Tao Yao tightened her collar and said with a coy pout, "Fellow Daoist Zong, my offer is already very generous. You’d better not get any improper ideas."

Du Youqian nearly coughed up blood. ’What improper ideas could I possibly have? Could you be any more narcissistic!’

’I wasn’t staring at you, I was just lost in thought!’

And Ge Sheng’s expression became even uglier.