Chapter 913: The Soul-Mended

One month later, in a grand hall in Dachi's capital, Su Tianxin hosted a banquet for three men dressed in black robes.

"Senior Brothers, Junior Brothers, please enjoy the banquet," Su Tianxin said. He raised his cup of alcohol to toast them.

"Su Tianxin, why have you only invited the three of us? Where are the others?" one of the black-robed men asked coldly.

"Shi Tianbei got to two other junior brothers first. They don't care about Blue Lantern's bronze compass anymore, so I didn't bother inviting them," Su Tianxin replied, smiling faintly.

"Oh?" The three men looked puzzled.

After all, all those who had a piece of the bronze compass were aware of its power. Why would they give up on it so easily?

"Isn't that better for us?" Su Tianxin smiled.

The three black-robed men drank from their cups but didn't express much emotion. In the end, they were still competitors with Su Tianxin.

"Su Tianxin, your war against Xiao Nanfeng seemed to be progressing in a rather lukewarm fashion. That's not like you," one of the black-robed men remarked suspiciously.

"Lukewarm? Over the past month, my leech-extermination army has captured fifty Immortal cities."

"But Xiao Nanfeng's army has seized fifty Immortal cities as well. You're evenly matched. What was once Dayin has now been split equally among the two of you. Weren't your goals to exterminate the leeches and to take revenge for grievances? It all seems like an excuse," the man said, laughing.

"The decisive battle will come soon," Su Tianxin replied.

"It can't take much longer, after all. Your army is being led by Boundless Immortals, and their generals are Golden Immortals. You've been preparing to seize all these Immortal cities for years—dealing with a few minor empires won't be difficult at all," the black-robed man surmised.

"Indeed. I apologize for the wait," Su Tianxin replied.

"Hm?" The three men frowned.

"You've been waiting for Xiao Nanfeng and me to tear each other apart so you can reap the benefits of our mutual struggle, haven't you?" Su Tianxin chuckled.

The three men fell silent. They had indeed been waiting for such an event, but after over a month, their patience was wearing thin.

"You've fallen into Xiao Nanfeng's trap," Su Tianxin said, sighing.

"What do you mean?" one of them asked, puzzled.

"Xiao Nanfeng was capitalizing on a delay. He needed time, you see. Blue Lantern was a Golden Immortal a month ago; now, he's a Boundless Immortal. You've already missed the best opportunity to deal with him."

The three men fell silent again.

"Did you really think Xiao Nanfeng and I would fight to the death so easily?" Su Tianxin continued.

"We don't need your concerns about what we're thinking," one of them replied curtly.

Su Tianxin shook his head. "You're all sect masters now, and you naturally have your own considerations in mind. But have you considered what you'll gain if I lose and Xiao Nanfeng wins?"

"Are you that lacking in confidence?" one of them demanded.

"It's not about confidence. I'm just laying out the facts. If I lose, given Blue Lantern's vendetta against us, he'll surely continue to seek revenge against you."

"He doesn't even know who we are," another retorted.

"But I do. What if I tell Blue Lantern before my demise?" Su Tianxin smiled again.

"Su Tianxin, are you threatening us?" the three men demanded coldly.

Su Tianxin shook his head. "I'm just telling you that it's impossible for you to simply sit back and reap the benefits of Dachi's war against Dazheng. If I win, Blue Lantern's bronze compass will be mine. If I lose, you'll have to deal with Blue Lantern and Xiao Nanfeng's revenge."

"They can't retaliate against us," one of them said dismissively.

"If you're united, you might be able to withstand their retaliation—but can you remain united forever? Are you always going to be bound together?"

The three men fell silent again.

"Think about it. Didn't Xiao Nanfeng already try to sow discord among all of you? We're the ones who should be on the same side."

"Enough with all this, Su Tianxin. Cut to the chase," one demanded.

"I'd like to request that the three of you help me take down Dazheng together."

"Oh?"

"If you support me wholeheartedly, I'll forgo Blue Lantern's bronze compass, as well as the treasures that Xiao Nanfeng wields. How about that?" Su Tianxin proposed.

The three men hesitated, lost in thought.

"Are you still intending to remain neutral? Do you think I'll let you sit back and wait to reap the spoils of our fight? Xiao Nanfeng has already declared war against you. Cooperating with me will help you take down an enemy as well. Isn't that so?" Su Tianxin cajoled.

"Are you actually serious about cooperating with us?" one of them asked.

"Rest assured. We're from the same sect, aren't we? I won't let you down. When the time comes, I'll join the battle myself," Su Tianxin said.

After some deliberation, the three men finally agreed. "Alright."

"In that case, why not stay here in Dachi's capital for the time being? We can discuss strategies to deal with Xiao Nanfeng in the meantime."

"Fine," the three men agreed.

After the banquet, Su Tianxin assigned officials to escort the three black-robed men to the most luxurious mansions in the capital. Among the escorts was the omen of calamity, Tang.

Xiao Nanfeng had naturally planted Tang in the divine empire of Dachi. He was now a minor official of the divine empire's Ministry of Rites.

"This way, esteemed guests. Your mansions are on the floating islands right ahead," Tang introduced.

He guided one of the black-robed men toward a floating island. The man had summoned a group of disciples to join him in the mansion.

Tang diligently gave them information about the lay of the land and was just about to leave when the black-robed man in the lead frowned and called out, "Hold it!"

Tang turned back. "Is something the matter, sir?"

The man stared at Tang for some time. "When were you born? Date and time?"

"I was orphaned, sir. I'm afraid I don't remember these details," Tang replied.

"Give me your hand," the man ordered.

Tang complied and extended his hand. The man took out a bronze compass, which emitted a burst of blue light that flowed into his palm.

Suddenly, a surge of black energy erupted from Tang and swirled around him like a storm. The sight startled everyone nearby.

"Just as I thought. There's something special about you," the black-robed man exclaimed.

"What do you mean, sir? I'm afraid I don't understand," Tang replied worriedly.

"You don't need to understand. Haha! Now, lad, what's your name? Who's your master?"

"I'm Tang, sir. My master found me as a child and taught me some cultivation techniques before passing away. I then joined Dachi through its imperial examinations," Tang replied.

"Tang, are you interested in becoming my disciple?" the man asked.

"W-What, sir?" Tang was taken aback.

The black-robed disciples beside the man urged, "Our master wants to accept you as a disciple. Are you willing to join us?"

"I don't understand, sir. What about me could possibly have caught your attention?" Tang asked cautiously.

"Don't worry about that. I am a master of a great sect. I can guide you to become a Golden Immortal—or even a Boundless Immortal. Refuse, and you won't leave this island alive. Su Tianxin won't mind the loss of one of his minor officials," the man said coldly.

Tang blanched. He immediately knelt down. "Master, please accept this kowtow from your newest disciple."

"Haha, good! From now on, you'll be my disciple." The black-robed man laughed loudly.

Tang seemed bewildered, but still nodded agreeably.

Before long, news of Tang's sudden induction as a disciple reached Su Tianxin.

"What's this about? Who's this Tang?" Su Tianxin demanded.

"I don't know, Your Majesty. He's just a minor official in the Ministry of Rites who passed the imperial examinations. We don't know why the esteemed guest took such an interest in him," an official reported.

"Bring Tang to me," Su Tianxin commanded.

"We can't, Your Majesty. The esteemed guest refuses to let him leave," the official replied wryly.

Su Tianxin frowned. Why would his junior brother care so much about some minor official? Something had to be unusual about him.

He left his hall and headed straight for the floating island on which Tang was located.

Very quickly, he encountered his other two fellow disciples there. Clearly, they had caught wind of the situation and were here to investigate themselves.

"Junior Brother Ling, I heard you've kidnapped one of my officials. What's going on?" Su Tianxin asked.

"Right, Ling Tianyu, what's up with that lad? Why are you so interested in him?" another man asked.

Ling Tianyu, who had just claimed Tang as a disciple, smiled and replied, "It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. There's nothing for you to worry about."

"I don't believe you. I can sense cursed spiritual power rushing into the air from your backyard through my bronze compass. That's related to your new disciple, Tang, isn't it? Just who is he?" Su Tianxin replied.

Ling Tianyu frowned. His three senior brothers were refusing to budge; he wouldn't be able to hide things any longer.

"He's a soul-mender," Ling Tianyu explained.

"A soul-mended? According to old records from the sect, that's the name given to past hegemons of the era who are killed by the heavens, but whose souls are reconstituted by an unknown force. Rather than transforming into a cursed effigy, these soul-mended simply reincarnate. Isn't that so?"

"Not necessarily a past hegemon. He might be an ordinary person entirely," Ling Tianyu replied, smiling.

"Nonsense! Our sect has records of two soul-mended. Neither were ordinary at all. No wonder you're paying so much attention to some nobody—he's a diamond in the rough, isn't he? You're waiting for him to recover his past life's memories—or even to claim any cursed effigy he might possess, aren't you?"

"He'll need to be able to cultivate the heart at the very least before he can regain his past memories. It's not something that'll happen in the short-term," Ling Tianyu replied.

"Hmph! Damn it, how lucky can you get?" one of the men groused.

The other two glanced at Ling Tianyu enviously as well.