Chapter 1062 - A Storm Begins With Swaying Blades of Grass

The Three-Eyed Golden Toad didn’t notice the changes in Pi Mo’s mood. It ordered, “What you accomplish in the next year depends on you.”

Pi Mo nodded, then put away the Primordial Hellscape Painting and stood there alone in silence. Some time passed before the depths of his gaze glinted with cold, terrifying light.

I betrayed my master and my sect for your young mistress, and I’ve worked tirelessly and without complaint over the years. I no longer have a way out. Should the worst come to pass, and if the Studio of the Heart doesn’t come to my aid, I’ll take you down with me even if it costs me my life!

Without any further hesitation, Pi Mo arrived at the stone wall to the side of the hall, formed a hand seal, and gently pressed on the stone surface.

Spatial ripples silently appeared on the wall, and an illusory, void-like door appeared in the stone.

Pi Mo walked through it.

It led to a prison carved into the heart of Martial Heaven Peak. It was dimly lit, with only a single bronze lamp for light.

The mottled lamplight revealed that there was only one person imprisoned here. He was unkempt, thin, and scruffy, and he looked incomparably forlorn.

He sat facing the wall, unmoving, his eyes shut, and he emanated no aura whatsoever, as if he were a withered corpse.

“I’ve come to see you, Junior Apprentice Brother.”

As his gentle voice echoed through the dimly lit prison, Pi Mo walked inside and stood outside the cell, gazing at the unkempt man.

The prisoner didn’t react at all. His eyelids didn’t even twitch.

Pi Mo sighed. “Don’t blame your senior apprentice brother for keeping you confined here. So long as you’re alive, you’ll have the opportunity to settle the score with Qing Tang sooner or later. If you died, I’d feel guilty for the rest of my life.”

“Did you come here just to say that nonsense?” A hoarse voice rang out as the thin man facing the wall opened his eyes.

The depths of his cold gaze surged with terrifying madness.

Pi Mo shook his head. “Not long ago, I learned that someone is impersonating Master. He killed Junior Apprentice Brother Huo Yao in Master’s name, and even Junior Apprentice Brother Ye Luo has fallen prey to his mind control. He’s become the imposter’s subordinate.”

Boom!

The unkempt man shot to his feet, his entire body bursting with murderous intent, like a sharp, tyrannical sword leaving its sheath. The entire prison trembled.

“Who? Who dares impersonate Master!?”

The unkempt man’s eyes flashed with divine light, and his aura was astonishing.

Streaks of terrifying sword intent fired around him, carving startling rifts into the stone wall of the dungeon.

The prison was built entirely out of divine materials, and it contained numerous talisman markings and formations. Were even a peak Profound Serenity Emperor imprisoned there, they’d find it difficult to escape!

Yet now, the unkempt man’s imposing aura alone shook the entire dungeon!

Pi Mo exclaimed, “Junior Apprentice Brother, are you already strong enough to prove your Dao and enter Profound Unity?”

The unkempt man said coldly, “Eldest Apprentice Brother, I’m asking you a question!”

He spoke without the slightest respect, but Pi Mo was obviously accustomed to it. He sighed, “I know you resent me for not letting you go after Qing Tang, but there’s no rushing this. It’s not that I’m unwilling, but that Qing Tang is too strong. Recklessly having a complete falling out would force us to pay an unpredictable, grievous price.

“When you went to the Grotto of Abstruse Force alone, she almost killed you. I'm sure you know better than anyone how terrifying her cultivation is.

“I kept you confined here because I knew that with your personality, you’d surely seek out Qing Tang to settle the score as soon as I let you out. How could I bear to watch something happen to you?”

Here, he sighed once more.

But the unkempt man wasn’t at all moved. He said coldly and firmly, “I’ve long since heard more than enough of this nonsense. I don’t blame you; I blame myself for my ineptitude. I wasn’t capable of helping Master to protect the Grotto of Abstruse Force. My weakness let Qing Tang occupy it.”

Here, he fixed his icy gaze on Pi Mo. “Now, all I want to know is who’s impersonating Master!!”

His voice overflowed with murderous intent.

Pi Mo didn’t drag this out any longer. He said directly, “He’s called Su Yi…”

He then concisely recounted everything he’d told their fourth apprentice sister, Jin Kui.

After hearing the full story, the unkempt man was obviously startled. “This person actually knows Master’s secret arts?”

“That’s right. He has an incomparably deep understanding of Master’s past, too. That’s how he deceived Junior Apprentice Brother Huo Yao and Junior Apprentice Brother Ye Luo,” Pi Mo said solemnly. “As you’re well aware, a long time ago, Master explored the Netherworld, which is where this Su Yi person came from. I suspect that he obtained a Dao imprint Master left in the Netherworld!”

He paused, then said, “I can’t even discount the possibility that he’s a descendant of the Netherworld’s Thousand-Faced Ghost Monkey race. Their experts possess a unique divine ability. When they impersonate someone, almost no one can see through their disguise!

“But that’s mere conjecture on my part. After all, I’ve yet to see this person. I cannot guess just how capable he is.”

As he listened, the unkempt man’s brow furrowed. He said icily, “I don’t care who he is. If he dares impersonate Master, he deserves execution!”

He said every word with firm conviction and shocking murderous intent.

Then, he looked at Pi Mo. “Let me out, and I’ll go kill him!”

Pi Mo said gravely, “I came here for that very purpose, but first, you must promise me three things.”

The unkempt man’s brow furrowed, and he was obviously enraged, but he ultimately held it in. “Speak.”

“First, you are not to seize this opportunity to settle the score with Qing Tang. You’re still no match for her…”

Before Pi Mo could finish, the unkempt man said with obvious impatience, “I agree! Get on with it!”

“Second, I’ll send someone to work alongside you,” said Pi Mo. “You need to obey their orders, and you’re not to act without permission. I’m doing this because I’m afraid if you act recklessly, you’ll suffer the same fate as Junior Apprentice Brother Huo Yao.”

The unkempt man silently nodded.

“Third,” said Pi Mo, “If you see Su Yi, no matter what he says or how he tries to confuse you, don’t fall for his tricks. Otherwise, you’ll wind up under his control, just like Junior Apprentice Brother Ye Luo.”

The unkempt man’s gaze focused. “Very well!”

Pi Mo sighed with obvious relief. “Just wait a little longer, Junior Apprentice Brother. Once I have reliable information about Su Yi’s whereabouts, I’ll… invite you out!”

The unkempt man had no objections.

But just as Pi Mo was about to leave, the unkempt man suddenly said, “Eldest Apprentice Brother, even if you plan to establish a new sect, I won’t fault you. After all, our master has already passed.”

But then, the unkempt man’s gaze glinted as sharp as the edge of a sword, and said emphatically, “But if I find out that you’ve ever done anything to let Master down, I’ll do whatever it takes to get even, even if it costs me my life!”

Pi Mo’s expression shifted. Then, he took a deep breath. “Junior Apprentice Brother, I’ve said it many times already. Qing Tang was the one who betrayed the Grotto of Abstruse Force. One day you’ll understand!”

Having said his piece, he turned and left.

“I hope… that’s true…” The disheveled man watched Pi Mo fade from view, then silently sat facing the wall.

His name was Bai Yi.

He was the eighth legacy disciple of the Grotto of Abstruse Force. He had a prideful, unrestrained disposition, and he delighted in battle. He frequently deviated from established orthodoxy, and he had an innate love of combat.

It was this frenzied will to fight that caught his master’s eye when he first joined the sect.

But in his heart, the Grotto of Abstruse Force was his home. His master was like his father, and his apprentice brothers and sisters were like his siblings!

His master often laughed and said he had a heart like a blank slate, like a child who never grew up.

But Bai Yi had never minded. Compared to his master, wasn’t he indeed a child?

“Master, I’d truly love to see you again and tell you about my sorrows… Eldest Apprentice Brother has changed. Little Apprentice Sister changed too. It seems… everyone has changed…”

Bai Yi sat there in silence, scenes of the past flashing through his mind. Tears silently poured down his formerly cold, rigid face.

…

After returning to the grand hall, Pi Mo called for his elderly servant.

“Transmit my orders to that Golden-Winged Great Peng. Tell him that before long, a storm will sweep through the Wilds. Tell him to act in accordance with what we planned all those years ago!” ordered Pi Mo.

“Yes, sir!” The elderly servant left to carry out his orders.

“A storm begins with the swaying of grass, and waves arise from the ripples. Master, I’ve long since prepared a ‘game’ to welcome your return. Let’s see whether master or apprentice emerges victorious in the end.” Pi Mo’s gaze was deep and inscrutable as he muttered to himself.

…

“Su Yi, a traveler from the Netherworld, is impersonating the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force and spreading lies throughout the Wilds!”

Word spread rapidly throughout the Nine Provinces and their subsidiary worlds, stirring up waves of uproar overnight.

The Wilds’ cultivation factions were all astonished.

A more in-depth investigation followed immediately after, and the results soon spread throughout the Wilds.

“This person killed the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force’s third disciple, Huo Yao, and seized control of his sixth disciple, Ye Luo’s mind!”

“His cultivation base is utterly terrifying, and they suspect he’s mastered some of the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force’s secret arts and Daoist magics!”

“He’s already the common foe of the entire Abstruse Force Alliance! If anyone discovers leads to his location, they can go to the alliance for a generous reward! But if anyone dares shelter him, the Abstruse Force Alliance will come to get even!”

A storm swept through the Wilds, provoking immeasurable uproar and astonishment.

The Swordmaster of Abstruse Force had once stood at the pinnacle of the Wilds. He was the legend whose sword had suppressed the heavens, an unmatched figure. Who didn’t know his name?

Although he’d died inexplicably five hundred years ago, tales of his legendary past were still told throughout the Wilds!

But now, this Su Yi person had come from the Netherworld and violated a taboo by proclaiming himself the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force. This was like blasphemy, and it was extremely disrespectful to the Grotto of Abstruse Force!

It would have been difficult for this news not to cause an uproar.

And soon, this news reached the Grotto of Abstruse Force!