Chapter 38: The Struggle for Spoils

Inside Ling Tian Pavilion...

Bu Chisu, dressed in plain Daoist robes, sat quietly with an incense burner in hand. Tendrils of fragrant smoke coiled lazily upward. "On the path of cultivation, there are three kinds of simplicity: simple clothing, simple food, and simple..."

Creaaak.

The door swung open. A young servant strode in without knocking, clearly familiar with Bu Chisu. "Steward, business has arrived."

Mild by nature, Bu Chisu showed no displeasure. He turned toward the doorway where Qi Yuan stood, asking gently, "What brings such a distinguished guest here today?"

"I want to use your Ling Tian Pavilion to make an announcement. A message needs to be spread far and wide."

Bu Chisu passed him a scroll. "This is our price list. Please take a look and choose a tier."

Qi Yuan glanced at the figures, smacking his lips.

These prices are outrageous!

Even the cheapest option costs tens of spirit stones! If I hadn't plundered the Black Mountain Sect, I wouldn’t be able to afford a single ad!

After a moment’s struggle, he came to a decision. "I'll take the three-thousand-spirit-stone tier."

This level of publicity should be enough for my purposes.

As soon as word spread that the Black Mountain Sect held a Violet Bamboo Physique, countless cultivators would swarm the corpses like vultures. Of course, most people wouldn't recognize such a body even if it was right before them.

At the mention of three thousand spirit stones, Bu Chisu’s gaze lingered on Qi Yuan. What kind of man was he?

"And what message would you like to publish?" asked Bu Chisu.

Qi Yuan lowered his voice. "Announce that a Violet Bamboo Physique lies within the Black Mountain Sect."

Bu Chisu's brows twitched, "What?"

Countless thoughts flashed across his mind.

Then, he smiled faintly. "Do you harbor a grudge against the Black Mountain Sect? This is a fine way to ensure their disciples find no peace, alive or dead."

Qi Yuan nodded. The man was half right. His true purpose was not only to deny Black Rooster Demon the Violet Bamboo Physique, but also to leave the sect devastated and empty. That way, when the old monster finally emerged from seclusion, there’d be nothing left and no way to trace the true culprit.

Qi Yuan was simply roping the whole world in.

Eyes gleaming with confidence, Bu Chisu said calmly, "Other pavilions might stay away from such business for fear of offending the Black Mountain Sect, but Ling Tian Pavilion fears no one. I shall accept this job."

Qi Yuan handed over the spirit stones, his heart aching. No sooner had he earned them than they were gone. Thankfully, he'd taken a hefty haul.

After leaving the pavilion, Qi Yuan slipped onto a spirit ship. He hurried back to the Divine Radiance Sect under the cover of night.

Upon arriving at the Seven-Colored Peak, he collapsed into bed, exhausted. The showdown at the Black Mountain Sect had left his mind taut as bowstring. At last, he could let it all go.

As he slept soundly, two shocking messages swept across the Great Shang Kingdom’s cultivation world like a storm. First, there was a Violet Bamboo Physique within the Black Mountain Sect. Second, the Black Mountain Sect had been annihilated.

Those who didn’t know the sequence of events drew a chilling conclusion. A powerful cultivator had discovered the Violet Bamboo Physique and slaughtered the entire sect to claim it.

Reactions rippled outward. Some refused to believe the sect had fallen, dismissing it as rumor. Some felt justice had been served. Others speculated about which mysterious elite pulled such an audacious move.

Meanwhile, the sharp-witted ones disguised themselves, creeping amid the night toward the Black Mountain Sect. There, corpses littered the mountain, and fresh blood still flowed in streams.

A barefoot man in black climbed up the slope, eyes flickering as he surveyed the carnage. "Thanks to my quick head and big guts, I'm the first one here."

Out of nowhere, someone said coldly, slicing through the night. "So, even you covet the Violet Bamboo Physique, Wu Dian? Are you planning to turn the corpse into your little boy-servant, you bushy-browed monk?"

The man spun around, stunned. Three black-clad figures had appeared behind him.

"Who are you? How did you spot me?" he asked.

Someone answered in a crisp female voice, "Aside from you, who else walks barefoot every day?"

The speaker was a young woman, her arm entwined with her male companion’s. They were obviously a couple.

Just then, someone furiously shouted, "I am the real Wu Dian! Who are you?! How dare you impersonate me!"

Another barefoot man emerged from the shadows. Now, five black-clad figures stared at each other in tense silence.

The young woman said gravely, "The annihilation of the Black Mountain Sect, followed by news of the Violet Bamboo Physique... Whoever planned this harbors grand plans."

"Wiping out an entire sect normally requires a Nascent Soul realm elder. Yet, there’s no trace of Nascent Soul realm power here. Could it have been a Core Formation realm cultivator?" another muttered.

"He is definitely not an ordinary one."

The young woman narrowed her eyes at the barefoot man. "The wounds are saber marks disguised as sword strikes. Could it have been someone from Floating Mountain Sect?!”

The barefoot man denied right away. "Nonsense! The Floating Mountain Sect aren't the only ones who wield swords."

"You old bastard from Floating Mountain Sect San, daring to disguise yourself as me!"

Everyone fell silent, each secretly calculating about who had wiped the Black Mountain Sect off the map?

At last, the young woman cut in. "Whoever is the culprit isn’t our concern right now. Don’t forget why we’re here."

"What if there is no Violet Bamboo Physique at all? What if we're being toyed with?"

They spread their divine senses across the mountain.

Suddenly, the young woman snatched a wriggling insect from the air. "A Violet Bamboo Worm!"

The others blanched. Where such worms thrived, a Violet Bamboo Physique had to have lived for years.

"Someone with a Violet Bamboo Physique must’ve lived here for a long time!"

Breathing quickened and hearts raced. The Violet Bamboo Physique’s significance was too great. It was an opportunity for a late Nascent Soul realm cultivator to break into the Violet Palace realm.

The scavengers turned their hungry eyes on the corpses.

Staring at the ground, one of the barefoot men muttered, "Wait, the corpse of Yu Linglong, a Black Mountain's Core Formation realm elder, is missing."

He quickly looked away, as if afraid of the implication.

The old man, who’d remained silent until now, rasped, "Could the one who destroyed the sect already took the Violet Bamboo Physique? If so, why spread the news? To mock us?"

The second barefoot man suddenly lunged, seizing the sect master’s body.

"Wu Dian, how dare you!"

The rest leapt in, grabbing hold of the corpse, tearing it to shreds. It was a pitiful end for the sect master, denied peace even in death.

The barefoot monk roared, "This isn’t even the Violet Bamboo Physique! Why fight me for it?!"

The young woman replied knowingly, "It’s the Blue Bamboo Physique. Grind the corpse to ash, nurture it into a rare spirit herb, and it’ll bear a Blue Infant Fruit, boosting any Nascent Soul realm cultivation. To think that the sect master of the Black Mountain Sect was Yu Linglong’s father, or perhaps her grandfather..."

A chill spread among them. Had it remained a secret, Black Rooster Demon would’ve stepped into the Violet Palace realm within two centuries. The very balance of the Great Shang Kingdom would’ve shifted.

However, the fear lasted only a moment. Having ripped apart Black Wind Daoist's corpse, the Nascent Soul realm cultivators surged forward again. With the Violet Bamboo and Blue Bamboo Physiques appearing in succession, who knew what other rare constitutions lay hidden among the dead?

The slaughter was far from over. It had just begun.

***

While the vultures fought over the corpses, Qi Yuan remained oblivious. As dawn broke, he stretched lazily, feeling lighter than ever.

He grinned, eyes twinkling. "At last, I can finally play my games in peace. My little garment monsters, your online voice actor has arrived!"