Chapter 1463 - 689: Heavenly Silkworm Skill (2)

Chapter 1463: Chapter 689: Heavenly Silkworm Skill (2)

Tie Dan heard this and couldn’t help starting to calculate.

"Robbery? Rob what? It’s only been a few days, how come there are Gods and Demons popping up around here again?"

Cang Song broke out in a cold sweat.

"Not that kind of robbery, I mean blocking the road and robbing, hitting rich households. I used to be a constable—over at the Six Gates they still have a tribute tablet with my name on it. If I run into my old brothers, it wouldn’t look good, so I’m not going."

Tie Dan was stunned.

"What the hell? You really mean pure robbery? I thought it was only people like us who go robbing—how come you, Emei with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, also do it?"

Cang Song clearly had already made his peace with it and explained,

"But of course. There’s nothing in these ravines. Now we’ve moved to Sizhou, and no one nearby offers tribute. If mountain folk don’t go down to rob, where would we get daily stipends and expenses?

Besides, all the good stuff under heaven has already been squeezed into the hands of those people in the Do. Rather than running everywhere to bump into cultivation resources, it’s better to just rob their treasuries directly. Usually we ask around where the big households and lords are, do a bit of divination, and slaughter a batch of those born-to-die criminals who commit every offense under the sun, then collect the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.

As for the grain, rice, and wealth piled up like mountains in the treasuries—since it was all scraped together by those landlords anyway—we just open the granaries and distribute it to the local commoners. They’ll remember the grace of Emei and fear the Divine Power of our Daoist Sect, and in future tributes will naturally be sent into the mountains on a regular basis.

Of course we can’t just kill and run. Normally, every time we wipe out the gentry of a whole commandery, we have to stay in town for seven days. If those enemies have backing or helpers, they can be cleared out along with them and the karmic accounts settled before we leave, so as not to implicate the innocent.

And these landlords and local tyrants, the Gate Valve Clan aristocrats—every house has strong men guarding the compound, private soldiers, and hired Thugs as tribute offerings. They’re perfect to give the newbies something to practice their hands on. Oh, right, Daoist Lord, your Direct Disciple Zhu Yu has formed an inner core and counts as an outer disciple. She went along for this training trip as well."

Tie Dan couldn’t help nodding as he listened.

"Good, good, robbery is good, rob well. By the way, how many people do you have now? How many commanderies are you hitting this time?"

Cang Song calculated,

"We’ve got over a hundred people by now. This time Senior Brother is leading the team. We’re basically doing a circuit in all directions, and we have to scout all the nearby Spiritual Spring Qi Storage, mineral veins and medicinal fields, Demon Nest and Beast Cave and so on. I reckon it’ll be ten days to a month before they’re back."

"Oh, so you already have a hundred..."

Tie Dan paused for a moment.

"Hm, that hundred refers just to entry-level Nascent Soul disciples, right?"

Cang Song shook his head.

"Proper Mystic Sect Disciples are only around thirty or so. The rest are Golden Core Stage Outer Door."

Tie Dan sucked in a breath of cold air.

"How come it’s only that few? Kunlun has over a thousand!"

Cang Song sighed.

"Back when we went together to campaign against the Divine Sect, our main force was only about a thousand to begin with. Then we fought our way in and out along the road—battle arrays shattered, rear guards cut off and lost contact. By the time we made it back to Qianzhou, less than half remained, and almost everyone was wounded.

And after such a defeat, some of them lost heart and went into the mountains to withdraw from the world; some had their Daoist Heart shattered and defected elsewhere; some were gravely wounded and never recovered, undergoing Soldier Disintegration and Reincarnation.

Later the Divine Sect counterattacked again, broke into Qianzhou, smashed mountains and cut down temples, and there were demons rising everywhere, all jointly besieging our Mystic Sect. In the end we were beaten down to just our lonely Emei mountain holding out, besieged for years—some died, some scattered.

Those who could still hold on, kept holding. Those who couldn’t, reincarnated for another life. Some of those who went to reincarnate came back, some didn’t. Gradually, there were fewer and fewer people. That’s all there is to it."

Tie Dan understood.

"So you’re about to be wiped out as a sect."

Yes, a堂堂—mighty—nine major sects, now fallen to barely over a hundred people when you add Inner and Outer Sects together. Isn’t that exactly the scale Sword Sect had right before it was on the brink of Destruction? At this point any random traitorous bastard could wipe out the sect. No wonder just one Xun Lingrui was enough for Cang Song to charge out bare-chested to rescue him...

Cang Song had no real solution either.

"The decline of the Mystic Sect is already ordained by fate. Having walked to this step, our Daoist Heart can no longer be changed. Next, there’s nothing left but to accompany the Tai Chi Heavenly Dao as it moves together toward its end. But I see that Daoist Lord has already stepped onto another path—you really don’t need to sit here waiting for death with us old relics."

Tie Dan shrugged.

"I’m not exactly here to wait for death with you. I just have some debts I haven’t paid off yet, that’s all. Enough of that—since they’re all away, I’ll go on my own. But since I’ve run into you, no time like the present; why don’t we train?"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Cang Song had been talking nonstop; he only now picked up his tea to moisten his throat and almost choked to death.

"Daoist Lord, don’t joke!"

Tie Dan glared at him.

"Who’s joking with you? I’ve long heard that Daoist Cang Song Qin Baichuan is invincible under heaven—I’ve wanted to ask for guidance for ages.

And right now this body of mine doesn’t have much strength; I won’t be able to hurt you. Who knows if there’ll be a better opportunity later.

I’d like to ask for instruction in Emei’s top-notch Martial Arts, just to Cut and compare techniques, exchanging what we each have."

Cang Song also understood Tie Dan’s meaning. Thinking it over, it was indeed reasonable. At their level of realm, once they really started fighting it would be life and death, and at full power they simply couldn’t hold back. Now that they’re on the same side, it wouldn’t be right to slaughter each other.

And besides, there’s nothing to be gained from a real fight. Tie Dan already reached Refining God and Returning to Void and Ascension to the Interstellar, while Cang Song, as the last remaining main force of the Mystic Sect, has never been able to relax and go into seclusion to cultivate, and is still just a Nascent Soul Martial God. He probably wouldn’t even be able to receive a single sword.

But right now both of them happen to be in a state of Qi Power exhaustion, so it’s actually a perfect time for a bout.

Cang Song was also a martial maniac. The prospect of touching the true transmission of the Dao was a rare chance, so he nodded.