Chapter 37: The Return (2)

Golden Core Realm.

Gu Yuan had already reached it. He had just broken through.

Yet Deacon Zhao, who had been stuck at the Ninth Stage of Foundation Establishment ever since Gu Yuan had started his cultivation journey, had failed to take that final step.

Looking at the depressed Zhao Ping, Gu Yuan remained silent for a moment.

He offered no comforting words. Instead, he searched through his storage treasure and eventually took out a small jade bottle, passing it toward Zhao Ping.

"This?"

Zhao Ping looked at the bottle with some confusion before examining it. His expression soon changed.

"This is... a Nine-Revolution Recovery Pill!"

He couldn’t help but exclaim.

Nine-Revolution Recovery Pill. It was a healing pill precious enough that Zhao Ping might have spent the rest of his life saving Spirit Stones and still not have accumulated enough to buy one.

And now, Gu Yuan was simply giving one to him.

Even though it was incredibly valuable, Zhao Ping couldn’t bring himself to refuse it. He accepted the pill bottle and looked at Gu Yuan seriously.

"I won’t forget this favor."

Gu Yuan shook his head.

"Compared to what you did for me back then, this pill is nothing. Don’t mention it."

Zhao Ping stared at him for a moment before laughing.

"Haha, all right. Then I won’t mention it."

He put away the pill and didn’t say anything more about it.

The two resumed their conversation.

It was through Zhao Ping that Gu Yuan finally learned about something he had been wondering about for a long time.

The war.

The version he heard from Deacon Zhao was largely the same as what he had heard from Ji Yan, although Zhao Ping’s description made the situation sound somewhat more exaggerated.

Basically, the war really had ended.

Some sects had suffered losses themselves, but they had still launched attacks against the Black Desolation Sect. In the end, however, those attacks had been repelled.

"So, the sect is quite peaceful now," Gu Yuan said, feeling somewhat relieved.

But Zhao Ping’s expression became awkward.

"Well... I don’t know about that."

"Hmm? What’s wrong, then?"

"It’ll be easier for you to understand once you return to the inner sect."

Zhao Ping’s answer was rather ambiguous, but Gu Yuan didn’t press him further.

He finished his cup of wine and stood up, intending to return to the inner sect and find out for himself.

But before leaving...

Let me try out my new ability.

Gu Yuan used Threads of Providence on Zhao Ping.

[Threads of Providence]

Name: Zhao Ping

Age: 142

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Realm, Ninth Stage

Spiritual Root: Mixed Fire and Earth Root (Second Grade)

Providence: Ordinary

Special Note: Zhao Ping, an ordinary deacon of the Black Desolation Sect, is currently injured after failing to break through into the Golden Core Realm.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Wow, it’s actually this detailed?

Gu Yuan exclaimed inwardly.

The information he received was mostly made up of things he already knew, aside from Zhao Ping’s age. Even so, it was already quite useful.

This is someone he know well. If he use it on people he don’t know...

The value of this ability would be immense.

With that thought, Gu Yuan bid farewell to Zhao Ping, took out his leaf-shaped flying treasure, and made his way toward the Teleportation Array.

When he reached the inner sect, Gu Yuan immediately understood what Deacon Zhao had meant when he said things were not that peaceful.

Unlike the outer sect, the atmosphere in the inner sect was tense.

Even when the Black Desolation Sect had been at war with the Crimson Flame Sect, Gu Yuan hadn’t felt this kind of tension.

What could have possibly happened?

Gu Yuan wondered as he made his way around, trying to gather some information.

Before long, he found a place where a large number of disciples had gathered and settled himself among the crowd.

"Only at the Fifth Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm and he thinks he’s untouchable!"

"Han Rui! Beat him down and teach this insolent bastard his place!"

The loud voices shouting at the two disciples fighting in front of them were the first thing Gu Yuan heard.

He filtered out the shouting and instead focused on the quieter whispers passing between the disciples around him.

"It’s said that the Heavenly Twin Stars haven’t returned to the sect because the Sect Master wants to refine their talent for himself. Is that really true?"

"We can’t be certain, but it’s been more than five years since they’ve been seen in the inner sect. Why else do you think that is?"

"So it’s true?!"

"Actually, that’s not what’s important. Right now, the sect is being divided into two factions. One supports the Heavenly Twin Stars, while the other supports the Sect Master."

"A battle is imminent. A lot of people will probably die."

"And?"

"And when it happens we can take the chance to refine a few cultivators and raise our own strength!"

The man who had been speaking in a low voice suddenly became more excited, his voice rising as he spoke.

There was no fear in his expression.

If anything, he seemed to be looking forward to the massacre that would probably happen in the near future.

Gu Yuan, who had been silently listening from the side, narrowed his eyes slightly.

He used Threads of Providence on the disciple who had just spoken.

[Threads of Providence]

Name: Zhou Kai

Age: 118

Cultivation: Golden Core Realm, Second Stage

Spiritual Root: Mixed Wind, Wood and Earth Root (First Grade)

Providence: Ordinary

Special Note: Zhou Kai, an inner sect disciple under Elder Hei Ming, is currently spreading rumors throughout the inner sect.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Hei Ming, he was one of the elders who had gone to support the twins during the war against the Crimson Flame Sect.

And this disciple was someone under him... a disciple spreading rumors throughout the inner sect.

Things couldn’t have been more obvious.

"No, Han Rui! Fight back!"

The shouts around him snapped Gu Yuan’s attention back to the battle ahead.

There, he actually saw a familiar face.

Ye Chen, the genius disciple who had entered the inner sect alongside him.

He had reached the Fifth Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm and was currently fighting someone at the Eighth Stage.

Yet he was winning, and overwhelmingly at that.

Geniuses really are different.

Gu Yuan shook his head slightly before finally turning away and making his way back toward his residence.

A war between the Sect Master and the Heavenly Twin Stars, his supposed disciples?

He wasn’t worried in the slightest.

Rather, there was only one question circling through his mind.

If this fight between master and disciples really happened, then one of the twins would probably become the next Sect Master.

Who would it be?

Ji Yue? Or Ji Yan?

Gu Yuan couldn’t help but feel a little curious.