Chapter 123: The Aggrieved Xuanhe

There was never any warmth in the Immortal Gate.

Master and disciple, brothers, father and son—in the Immortal Gate, no relationship could be relied upon. As the saying went, walking the immortal Dao alone; the only person you could ever trust was yourself.

Xuanhe knew this better than anyone.

He therefore nodded decisively. "To answer Senior Brother, there are indeed risks."

The moment he spoke, a tremendous coercive might crashed down upon him, instantly fracturing his dharma body. Bleeding profusely, he staggered and fell to his knees.

"Cough, cough..."

Coughing up blood, Xuanhe looked up at a fiercely scowling Kunyun with terror on his face. In his mind, however, an inexplicable mockery welled up.

‘He's panicking.’

‘Just a slight risk, and he loses his composure. Senior Brother Kunyun really can't let go of that rebel true transmission. He's terrified he might survive his tribulation and return...’

The true transmission disciple Kunlun had once been a standout talent of the Immortal Gate. Yet he had thrown his life away by taking part in the affair of the Heaven-Stealing Thief. As a result, he received severe punishment from the Immortal Gate: his cultivation was crippled, and he was thrown into the Eight Trigrams Furnace to undergo a fate tribulation. If he survived, his sins would be entirely forgiven. If he failed, he would be reduced to just another piece of Human Firewood within the furnace.

Only after that did Kunyun successfully rise to power.

Compared to Kunlun, however, Kunyun's talent and comprehension were clearly a tier lower. Because of this, he had always worried that his good junior brother might survive the tribulation and return.

After all, with Kunlun's past cultivation level...

...once he successfully passed the fate tribulation and emerged from the Eight Trigrams Furnace, he could almost immediately attempt the breakthrough to Qi Refining, claiming the righteous fruit that countless disciples thirsted for.

"Xuanhe..."

His burst of fury passed, a newly calm Kunyun amiably helped Xuanhe to his feet. Casually erasing the injuries from Xuanhe's body, he asked in a low voice, "How have I treated you all these years?"

"With grace as heavy as a mountain!"

Xuanhe replied without hesitation, "If not for Senior Brother's patronage back then, how could a mere independent cultivator in the Eight Trigrams Furnace like me ever achieve my current cultivation level?"

Cultivation in the Immortal Gate wasn't about talent; it was about background and faction. Without those, even the highest talent was nothing but a nobody. Five hundred years ago, there had been so many independent cultivators in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, yet only he had stood out, transforming from Human Firewood into a valued talent.

Was it because his talent was high?

Of course not. There had been plenty of independent cultivators with better talent than him back then, but what was the result? They had all been turned from cold corpses into warm magical treasures.

In the end, it was because he had latched onto Kunyun.

Or rather, it was because Kunyun needed someone to handle the reincarnations of the true transmission disciple Kunlun. That was why he had given Xuanhe a chance to leap through the dragon gate.

And he had seized it.

For five hundred years, he had worked diligently, constantly using the Fate-Peering Bone-Slicing Mirror to weaken Kunlun's destiny, ensuring he died time and time again.

Until now, five hundred years later. The destiny of Kunlun's current reincarnation had reached the critical point of decline after its peak. As long as he died one more time, the destiny of this Immortal Gate true transmission would completely shatter. He would then be drained dry by the Fate-Peering Bone-Slicing Mirror and permanently reduced to Human Firewood in the furnace.

For this, Kunyun had also promised him heavy rewards.

"Of my junior brother's destiny, his 'fate' will go to me so I can survive my fate tribulation. His 'fortune' will go to you, and you can also take my junior brother's true spiritual root."

"With a true spiritual root, you will be able to challenge for the seat of a true transmission."

"And with my junior brother's 'fortune', that Book Mountain you have cultivated for years can fully ascend, helping you forge that grotto-heaven magical treasure."

Xuanhe lowered his eyes, listening as Kunyun's voice continued:

"It's good that you remember, Xuanhe. When you were in trouble back then, I gave you a hand. Now that I am facing difficulties, you can't possibly refuse to help, can you?"

This was his second chance; Xuanhe knew it perfectly well.

He had seized his first chance, using it to become an inner sect disciple of the Immortal Gate at the Tribulation Transcending Second Layer. Now, Kunyun was offering him a second chance.

If he could seize this one too, his immortal path would broaden immensely. Not only would he become a true transmission disciple, but he would also help Kunyun pass his fate tribulation and eventually attempt the breakthrough to Qi Refining. If Kunyun succeeded, he could naturally replace Xuanhe's dying master and become his new backer. The benefits were countless.

And yet...

After a brief silence, Xuanhe kept his gaze lowered and murmured, "I only fear that my strength is too weak and my cultivation too shallow to bear Senior Brother's request."

"Please find someone more capable, Senior Brother, to replace me in my position as the furnace-watching disciple."

"...Are you sure?"

The warmth in Kunyun's voice vanished in an instant, replaced by cold indifference. "You don't want the true spiritual root? You don't want the 'fortune'? You're throwing away five hundred years of hard work?"

Hearing this, Xuanhe's heart bled.

But he quickly clamped down on his impulses and gritted his teeth. "To answer Senior Brother, I am deeply unwilling, but I simply lack the power to do it."

"My own matters are trivial."

"I am just terrified of ruining Senior Brother's grand plans."

With those words, Xuanhe immediately prostrated himself. The atmosphere suddenly took on a chilling, murderous edge; he knew perfectly well this was the manifestation of Kunyun's rage.

But he absolutely could not watch over this Eight Trigrams Furnace any longer.

Coming to the Heaven and Earth Pavilion this time and saying all this to Kunyun, Xuanhe actually had only one goal: to fully display his own incompetence.

Only in this way would Kunyun replace him, letting someone else watch the furnace and become his scapegoat. Furthermore, by being replaced like this, no one would suspect he was passing the buck. From then on, the sky would be high enough for birds to fly, and the ocean broad enough for fish to leap—he would never have to worry about the Immortal Gate holding him accountable when everything blew up.

As for the benefits of continuing to watch the furnace...

The true spiritual root, the position of a true transmission, the grotto-heaven magical treasure...

‘I don't want any of it!’

Xuanhe's heart was filled with absolute resolve.

He had cultivated for half his life, and the thing he valued most was stability. Knowing there were tigers in the mountains, he simply wouldn't go to the mountains. No matter how massive the opportunity, it could never be more important than his own life.

"You..."

Staring at Xuanhe, Kunyun's expression turned strangely unreadable. His anger faded, replaced by surprise and even a touch of admiration.

Severing a limb to save the body—the vast majority of people only mustered such courage when facing life and death. But by the time things reached that point, the damage was often already irreversible.

Moreover, cultivators were fundamentally the greediest group of people under heaven.

Greedy for Divine Powers, greedy for dharma power, greedy for longevity, greedy for the Great Dao. Among those sworn to cultivation, who wasn't greedy? And the greedier one was, the harder it became to sever that limb.

Yet Xuanhe had done it.

To directly choose to sever that limb when there was only a slight risk, long before falling into a life-or-death crisis—that was true courage.

"You are indeed a talent!"

Kunyun chuckled and clapped his hands. "But Xuanhe, you are still the one handling our flying swords and incense in the Eight Trigrams Furnace. At present, we still cannot do without you."

"As for the matter with my junior brother, you can just think of another way. After all, he only obtained a Buddhist dharma art; he hasn't successfully cultivated it yet. Just find a way to distract him. Give him a more profound immortal art and make him give up the Buddhist one. Wouldn't that work? There are always more solutions than difficulties. Don't be so rigid."

"In short, I am still leaving the Eight Trigrams Furnace in your hands."

"As for my junior brother, there's no rush. Take your time, but make sure to act fast. Remember to report your progress to me at all times. I am still waiting for you to be promoted to true transmission."

Xuanhe looked up in stunned silence.

He had made it perfectly clear that he was backing out while he still could, asking Kunyun to replace him as the furnace-watching disciple. He never expected Kunyun to react like this.

He actually refused?!

‘Has he already discovered the matter with the martial Dao?’

This thought immediately sprang up in Xuanhe's mind, but he just as quickly dismissed it. ‘Impossible. If he had, he probably wouldn't dare hide it either.’

Such a thing was something only a directly involved party like himself would conceal.

‘But if it isn't because of the martial Dao, then why? I came from the Eight Trigrams Furnace, after all. Replacing me with someone he trusts more...’

At this thought, Xuanhe's heart abruptly sank.

‘Is this... him planning to abandon me?’

Through him, the Heaven and Earth Pavilion had been smuggling magical treasures out of the Eight Trigrams Furnace and laundering dharma currency. Being caught for even one of these offenses would result in severe punishment.

‘If he agreed to replace me, it would mean he still intends to use this channel and manage it long-term. But he's unwilling to replace me now... That can only mean he's already planning to toss me aside! He intends to drain the last bit of human livestock value out of me, and the moment the plot is exposed, he will cut all ties with me!’

A chill gradually crept up the back of Xuanhe's neck.

If his guess was right, then regarding the Child of Destiny, just how much of the promised rewards—the true spiritual root and the 'fortune'—were actually real?

‘Bastard!’

‘This son of a bitch is just feeding me empty promises?’

Could it be that the moment he finished this task, Kunyun would report him, eliminate him, and burn the bridge to monopolize all the gains?

The more Xuanhe thought about it, the more terrified he became.

But the more terrified he was, the less he dared to show it. He could only feign helplessness and sigh. "Then I only hope that if I bungle this task, Senior Brother can be forgiving."

Hearing this, Kunyun smiled. "Your senior brother believes in you. Go."

"I will take my leave."

With those words, Xuanhe steered his flying boat, departing as steadily as possible. Meanwhile, Kunyun watched the fading trail of his light, his smile gradually vanishing.

"Splash!"

A pool of spiritual spring water materialized out of thin air and flowed over Kunyun's fingertips. He washed every part of his hands that had just touched Xuanhe with the spiritual water.

"A mere inner sect disciple dares to negotiate with me."

Kunyun sneered. "So eager to drop the burden all of a sudden. He must be worried about being held accountable by the Immortal Gate while at his post. Did something major happen inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace?"

"Or perhaps he's already realized that I plan to abandon him?"

Kunyun pondered this with deep interest. He wasn't the least bit worried about Xuanhe discovering anything. After all, even if he did, would he dare harbor any resentment?

"He cannot shake off the identity of the furnace-watching disciple. If my path is a dead end for him, he will have to turn to his master, Great Cultivator Mingyou. And if he wants Great Cultivator Mingyou to step forward and protect him, he must obtain a true spiritual root and advance to true transmission... To do that, he has no choice but to kill Junior Brother Kunlun."

"In the end, he is still working for me!"

It was precisely because Kunyun saw through this that he cared nothing for Xuanhe's thoughts. No matter what Xuanhe was scheming, he didn't have a second path to take.

And this was a point Xuanhe had also realized.

Aboard the flying boat in the starry void.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Once he was out of Kunyun's sight, Xuanhe finally lost control. Eyes bloodshot, he furiously battered his surroundings with his dharma power, showing not a shred of his usual composure.

Eventually, however, he managed to calm down.

"What do I do?"

"The path with that crazy woman in the Eight Trigrams Furnace is a dead end, and Kunyun in the Heaven and Earth Pavilion is a dead end too. Going to Master is even more of a dead end. Am I absolutely doomed to die?"

What a joke!

There had to be a variable!

Clutching his head, Xuanhe racked his brains for a countermeasure. "Kunyun won't work, Master won't work. Only that crazy woman... Perhaps there's a chance for cooperation?"

"But she is clearly set on protecting that Child of Destiny with her life."

Xuanhe's headache deepened.

"Ugh... Damn it. If only there were two Children of Destiny! I could hand one over to Kunyun to finish my task, and give the other to that crazy woman. That really would be the perfect solution."