Chapter 562: Human Affairs Must Be Seen with a Human Heart

Chapter 562: Human Affairs Must Be Seen with a Human Heart

"Junior Brother Ge Jing is actually dead. This is going to be troublesome."

On the battlefield of the leveled block, the dust and smoke from the explosions had not yet settled, and the flames burning on the surrounding debris illuminated stern faces.

Dharma robes of various colors surrounded the battlefield. These were all elite experts from Gezao Mountain who had rushed from various parts of Yuanzhou Prefecture. Their number seemed no less than a hundred.

In the deep pit where the talisman formation had struck, two Daoists looked at the corpse that was nearly severed at the waist, their expressions extremely complex.

"Junior Brother Ge Jing was still too young and impetuous. Although the time limit for the Yellow Millet Reincarnation had accumulated over a thousand years, most of his reincarnations were as a Daoist. Occasionally he experienced being a mountain spirit or tree demon, but he always acted like an immortal, playing with life. How could he know the ferocity of these Martial Sequence demons?"

This Daoist, who spoke with such emotion, was named Jiang Jue.

He was also one of the Dao Lords of Gezao Mountain, but he did not wear the bright dharma robe that symbolized his status. Instead, he was in a simple elegant green robe, with an ordinary appearance. At a glance, he looked like a common faithful believer one could see anywhere in Jiangxi Province.

"This Li Jun had clearly walked into the net himself, but he couldn't even wait a little while. He acted cleverly and took in the net on his own. Now the net is broken, the fish hasn't died, but the fisherman holding the net has lost his life."

Jiang Jue shook his head helplessly, sighing deeply.

"It's useless to talk about that now. Does this auspicious gold dharma body still have any value for recovery?"

The person who responded had a cold and indifferent expression. His sharp sword-like eyebrows slanted towards his temples. The divine thought in his mind was constantly in an agitated state, surging out and forming a ring of red dharma ring behind his head, like an immortal or a god.

If Jiang Jue was a reclusive master who had returned to simplicity, then Yi Kuidou's demeanor was purely that of an immortal, exuding a bone-deep coldness and ruthlessness.

"It's been beaten to this state, how can it be recovered?"

Jiang Jue said with displeasure, "Who knows what martial arts that Li Jun has tempered. Even a Verified Eighth Body can't withstand his attack. If we could have delayed a bit more time, maybe Junior Brother could have escaped through dissolution."

"The advantage of the auspicious gold dharma body lies in spell assistance and reducing divine thought consumption. It has never been known for defense."

Yi Kuidou still had that calm tone devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"In terms of body forging rituals, I know more than you. The key issue is not the strength of defense, but who broke this dharma body."

Jiang Jue frowned and said, "He's merely a Sequence Four."

"The Lone Walker is the hope of the declining Martial Sequence. He is favored by fortune and cannot be judged by common sense. Previous intelligence shows that Li Jun has tempered three martial arts: combat, internal energy, and body forging. In the past hundred years, the only Sequence Four martial artist who could achieve this was Su Ce."

"And Su Ce is considered his master as well."

Jiang Jue sighed, "A Dao Sequence genius falls at the hands of another Martial Sequence genius. Is history going to repeat itself?"

"Junior Brother Ge Jing's death is mainly due to lack of experience in fighting Martial Sequences. When he entered the Dao, the 'Division of the World's Martial Arts' had already been settled, and the remaining Martial Sequences had fled into the deep forests. Without actually fighting Martial Sequences head-on, one cannot understand how strong the invasion and suppression of Martial Sequence internal energy can affect the divine thought of the Dao Sequence."

Although he did not witness the battle himself, Yi Kuidou accurately pointed out the main reason for Ge Jing's death and defeat.

"The internal energy Li Jun tempered should be biased towards shielding aura and resisting consciousness. It is clearly to counter the reconnaissance of the Celestial Track Stars and the Yellow Millet Buddhist Kingdom. When Junior Brother sent us a message, he stated that he had already pulled him into the illusion. How could there be such a strong suppressive ability?"

Jiang Jue looked puzzled. Although he had never fought a Lone Walker Martial Sequence, he had killed many sect Martial Sequences.

Based on his understanding of sect Martial Sequences, these martial artists, when tempering their martial arts, would choose their areas of expertise according to the characteristics of the sect's martial arts.

Although the Lone Walker Martial Sequence is not limited by sect techniques, for him to cause Ge Jing not even have time for dissolution, he is clearly more skilled in combat or movement technique. The internal energy he tempered should also be more inclined towards defense. He shouldn't have such strong suppression and interference ability.

Unless he has also tempered an internal energy that enhances gene suppression ability!

But how is that possible?

Not to mention how one person could have the energy to cultivate so many techniques without the support of the Yellow Millet Dream. Just injecting so many martial arts, how could Li Jun's genes withstand it?

"The Lone Walker Martial Sequence is even more special than we expected."

Yi Kuidou gave his own answer. "But for now, we can rule out the possibility that Li Jun tempered two internal energies, because if that were the case, Junior Brother Ge Jing would not have had so much time to cast spells."

Jiang Jue looked up and glanced at the surrounding wreckage and ruins, revealing a helpless bitter smile.

"The rapid improvement of Li Jun's strength is definitely inseparable from the support of the Celestial Palace. This is what we should be wary of. Jade Capital should discuss this matter and can no longer ignore the remnants of the Celestial Palace, lest we fall into passivity..."

Jiang Jue said with dissatisfaction, "Junior Brother Yi, major matters will naturally be studied and resolved by the Celestial Immortals. There's no need for us Earth Immortals to worry about useless things here. Moreover, our junior brother, a Dao Lord of our Gezao Mountain, has been killed. Can you not maintain such a cold demeanor?"

"The Heavenly Dao is emotionless, so those who cultivate the Dao should also be emotionless."

Although scolded by Jiang Jue, Yi Kuidou's tone still had not a hint of fluctuation.

Jiang Jue gritted his teeth and said, "The person who developed the 'Supreme Forgetfulness' technique back then deserves to die."

"It seems that Senior Brother and I share the same view. Yongle Palace indeed deserves to die..."

"Stop, stop."

Jiang Jue frowned, unwilling to continue discussing this with him. He took off his Dao robe and gently covered Ge Jing's remains.

"Although our Gezao Mountain is not like Dragon Tiger Mountain, who treat the Zhang family members like precious treasures and would feel heartache if one dies, Junior Brother Ge Jing, besides being a pillar of the sect, is still the blood relative of the Sect Leader. Now that he has been killed, how do we explain this to the Sect Leader?"

Jiang Jue crouched beside the remains, his face full of worry.

"The plan targeting Li Jun was personally drafted by the Sect Leader. Junior Brother Ge Jing acted on his own. He brought it upon himself. No one else is to blame."

"This is about human relationships and social etiquette! Don't you understand that? The dead are the most important. If you still put all the blame on Ge Jing, it's like slapping the Sect Leader in the face. Do you understand?"

Jiang Jue could no longer suppress the anger in his heart and couldn't help but rebuke, "You've cultivated the Dao to the point of having no humanity left! Sometimes I really doubt if you've been refined into a Yellow Turban Warrior by Maoshan."

"The Sect Leader is an immortal, not a human. Moreover, Gezao Mountain does not emphasize bloodline inheritance. Reward for merit, punish for fault. Anyone in the sect can die for the sect."

Yi Kuidou calmly stated it as if it were an indisputable fact.

"Fine, fine, fine. You are all immortals, only I and Junior Brother Ge Jing are humans."

Jiang Jue sneered, "Then Junior Brother Yi, you report back truthfully. But be sure not to include my name."

"Fine." Yi Kuidou nodded.

"You—"

Jiang Jue was choked with anger. He pointed his finger at the other, glaring angrily.

"What will you do next?"

"I will summon spirits and dispatch generals, personally pursue and kill the murderer, avenge Junior Brother Ge Jing, and uphold the Dao prestige of Gezao." Yi Kuidou said without hesitation.

"Are you confident you can slay Li Jun?"

"In single combat, defeating him is not difficult. But if I gather people to set up a formation, I can kill him."

"What if he avoids battle?"

"Apply to Jade Capital to mobilize the Southern Dipper Stars to search for his traces. But I suggest first pursuing his accomplices, try to capture them alive, and use that as leverage. It will be more effective with half the effort."

"Your thinking is clear, but have you considered that maybe this time Li Jun infiltrated Yuanzhou Prefecture wasn't simply to vent anger for that small Embroidered Uniform Guard Xie Bi'an?"

"I have already analyzed this point. Li Jun's strength has increased so rapidly. Besides the Celestial Palace, it may also be related to killing. But for now, I can't determine whether the source is from the gene ritual of the Lone Walker Martial Sequence or some special martial art that has never appeared before..."

Jiang Jue couldn't help rolling his eyes and interrupted loudly, "That's not what I'm talking about! The Supreme One wants you to forget emotions, not to become brainless."

He pointed to his forehead and said, "From the last image captured by the Celestial Track Stars, Li Jun fled eastward. I ask you, what is to the east?"

Yi Kuidou, who was like a machine, was silent for a moment. "Dragon Tiger Mountain?"

"Yes, Dragon Tiger Mountain."

Jiang Jue said in a deep voice, "If Li Jun has reached some cooperation with Dragon Tiger Mountain behind the scenes, and wants to lure us out of our home base, and then join forces with Dragon Tiger Mountain to attack suddenly, how will you deal with it?"

"Even in an ambush, Dragon Tiger Mountain's Celestial Master Residence is not our match."

"If Li Jun has truly joined hands with Dragon Tiger Mountain, then our Gezao Mountain will not only face the Zhang family in the Celestial Master Residence."

Jiang Jue reminded, "Apart from Li Jun, who can now kill Sequence Three, he also has under his command a Dao Four Human Immortal Master, who is exactly the same as the Wudang Dao Sequence, and a Buddhist Sequence Four Great Darkness with a strange origin. The only one relatively easy to deal with is probably that Yin-Yang Four. Such a force is already enough to rival half of Gezao Mountain."

"The possibility of cooperation is too slim. Right now, Zhang Chonglian is at a critical moment of merging with the Dao; he wouldn't do something so pointless."

"So from the very beginning, I found this whole affair suspicious."

Jiang Jue sneered, "Logically speaking, Zhang Chonglian's merging with the Dao is the most important matter for Mount Longhu right now. Even if Li Jun attacked Guangxin Prefecture, they could have simply sealed the mountain gate and temporarily avoided his edge. No matter how strong Li Jun is, could he really storm Mount Longhu by force?"

"Wait until Zhang Chonglian emerges from seclusion as a Sequence-Two, and crushing Li Jun would be as easy as snapping a finger. There was absolutely no need for that fool Zhang Chongyuan to step forward. And the whole matter was handled so timidly that several Daoist citadels were breached in succession, leading to this utter loss of face."

Yi Kuidou said coldly, "If Mount Longhu dares to collude with the Wu Sequence to harm a fellow Sequence's sect, they would be cutting themselves off from all Daoist sects and surely invite a united attack!"

"Zhang Chonglian sits on the 'Jia-Level Celestial' seat in the White Jade Capital. If there were a way to bypass the Yellow Millet Dream and wipe them out entirely, we wouldn't have put up with them for so many years. The fear is that Zhang Chonglian, cornered like a desperate dog, might seal off the Yellow Millet Dream and drag us all down with him."

Jiang Jue stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, then said, "But Junior Brother Yi, what you say makes sense. We've been neighbors for so many years. The Zhang clan might not have many clever people, but Zhang Chonglian is no fool. He's unlikely to do something so idiotic as to disgrace his ancestors."

"So it's most likely that Zhang Chongyuan is up to something, or else Li Jun is causing trouble." Yi Kuidou's tone now carried a hint of emotion.

"Junior Brother, you're finally showing a bit of humanity."

Jiang Jue smiled, "For worldly affairs, you still need a human heart to see clearly. As for gods and immortals, if they lack the power to stir up storms and do as they please, then in the mortal realm they are nothing but sheep waiting to be slaughtered."

"Senior Brother's lesson is well taken."

Yi Kuidou bowed with clasped hands, "The sect leader's decree: all matters below the mountain are to follow Senior Brother Jiang's orders. Please instruct us on the next course of action."

"Pursuing might lead us into a trap, but not pursuing means we can't report back. This is a difficult situation."

Jiang Jue's face was full of worry as he looked up at the night sky overhead; the stars gave no light, only a full moon hung high.

"First thing."

Jiang Jue lowered his gaze to Yi Kuidou, a decision already formed in his mind.

"Spread the news of Junior Brother Ge Jing's death in Fenyi County to Mount Longhu. Tell Zhang Chongyuan that no matter what his plans are, Mount Gezao will fight Li Jun to the death."

"I will obey Senior Brother's decree."

"Second thing: order the Earth Immortals of our sect to jointly petition in the White Jade Capital with Mount Longhu to mobilize the Southern Dipper Stars. If anyone still tries to block us, bring out the Heavenly Gate to shut them up."

"And if they still refuse to relent and keep driving a hard bargain?"

"Then ask the sect leader to step in and directly mobilize using the 'Ding-Level Celestial' authority!"

"Understood."

Jiang Jue continued to instruct, "Third thing: personally lead the best experts from each hall and monastery to hunt Li Jun. But you must handle the scale carefully—don't chase too fiercely, and don't act too fake, to avoid gossip."

"Fake?" Yi Kuidou was puzzled.

"Use your head, Junior Brother."

Jiang Jue said helplessly, "After all I've said, don't you understand yet? Li Jun must be killed, but we must also guard against Mount Longhu. As long as there is the slightest possibility of them colluding with the enemy, we cannot let down our vigilance."

Jiang Jue asked, "In the Yellow Millet Dream, have you ever been a hunter?"

"No. In my view, the identity chosen for reincarnation cultivation should have some connection to the present world. Otherwise, even with sealed memories, one will unconsciously feel repulsion, making it impossible to integrate into the reincarnated identity and affecting the cultivation effect and accumulation of effective years..."

Seeing that Yi Kuidou was about to launch into another lengthy discourse, Jiang Jue quickly stopped him.

He really didn't know how, after achieving the state of forgetting all emotions, the man could still have so much to say.

Jiang Jue cursed inwardly, then said, "Our current situation is this: we can't tell who is the hunter and who is the prey. To see clearly, we need to draw the bow and shoot the arrow, driving Li Jun before Mount Longhu to see how they react."

Yi Kuidou asked, "If they don't fight?"

"Then turn around and leave without hesitation. I'll lead the men to meet you."

"And if Li Jun and Mount Longhu really fight to the death, should I intervene?"

"Intervene? Just stand there and watch!"

Jiang Jue rolled his eyes and said impatiently, "No matter which side loses someone, it's good for our Mount Gezao."

"Mount Longhu probably won't let us sit by and watch the tigers fight."

"Don't we excel at that? Finding the weak point and striking hard? Li Jun, Chen Qisheng, Yuan Mingfei—these people are hard to kill, so ignore them. Find an easier target, show some attitude. If they want to argue in the White Jade Capital, we have plenty of time to grind them down."

"Yes, Senior Brother. But..."

Yi Kuidou asked, "If we cannot kill Li Jun, what about avenging Junior Brother Ge Jing?"

"Now you're concerned about sect brotherhood?"

Jiang Jue said calmly, "Don't worry. Even if you fail to kill Li Jun, as long as you don't fall into someone else's trap, the sect leader won't blame you, and Junior Brother Ge Jing won't blame you either. As long as Mount Gezao stands, the grievance will eventually be avenged. We are not Mount Longhu, and we don't bear the name Zhang. Anyone can die for the sect."

"Besides, in cultivating the Dao, who knows when one will become an immortal, and when one will become dust?"

Yi Kuidou looked at the figure in the blue robe before him. His heart, which should have been devoid of any emotional fluctuation, was inexplicably struck by a bone-piercing chill.

Jiang Jue stepped out of the pit and looked at the silent disciples of Mount Gezao around him. With a sweep of his sleeve, he said:

"All disciples, recite the incantation with me and send Daoist Ge Jing to his rebirth!"

"Dark sea desolate, grotto-heaven sunk. My name is Zou Sijiu, in the name of the Four Seasons' Zhuang Zhou's butterfly, with the Human Immortal seat as a guide, and the Wudang disciple as a call, I perform the Yellow Millet soul-fishing, visiting the gate of the grotto-heaven!"

An endless world of silence, the sky and the sea equally somber.

On the pitch-black sea floated a small boat. The jade pendant of the Human Immortal seat, hung from a long pole at the bow, emitted a green light like a beacon.

"Even if your fortune-telling is off, don't let me down in finding people. I've already spread the word. Zhao Yanlong, don't make Old Zou lose face."

Zou Sijiu rolled up his sleeves, rowing the oars while shouting, his eyes sweeping constantly across the dark sea surface.

"Yanlong, oh Yanlong, if you're not completely dead yet, give me a sign."

"Chen Qisheng said he won't do anything else in this life but avenge your Wudang sect. These days, such devoted disciples are hard to find. If you agree, make a move. I'm waiting."

The rowdy calls echoed across the sea.

Zou Sijiu shouted until his throat was dry and his eyes saw stars, but there was still no response.

Helpless, he threw down the oar and lay on his back in the boat.

"Could it be that my method of fishing souls is wrong? Impossible..."

"Your method of summoning souls, though not exactly correct, is certainly entertaining—unique and creative."

The boat suddenly sank deeper into the water. Zou Sijiu sat up sharply, his eyes fixed on the figure that had suddenly appeared opposite him.

The newcomer wore a Longhu Daoist robe, with a handsome face but a somewhat vacant gaze, as if preoccupied, constantly lost in thought.

It was none other than Zhang Qingli, Supervisor of the Talisman and Register Bureau of the Celestial Master Mansion on Mount Longhu.

"Brother, this is my boat. You board without buying a ticket—what, you look down on me, Zou?"

Zou Sijiu ran his hands over his temples, his expression unfriendly.