The cultivation master

Three venerable elders stood in front of a shining crystal sphere. As they listened to the new command, they exchanged bewildered glances at one another.

[What? What happened that we need to return immediately?]

When the order was given to them, they were unsure how to react. They had to concoct an excuse to avoid being ridiculed by the mist sect, but that excuse had to be believable enough to bring that zombie slayer with them.

The directive mandated that they must bring the zombie slayer to the supreme Moon Sect at all costs. There were no further details in the message, but it was continuously emphasized that they should not behave in a way that would raise suspicion from the zombie slayer.

This was all they knew.

One of them averted his gaze from the others and said to the elder whose voice echoed through the crystal sphere, "Senior, how are we supposed to bring him with us when we allowed him to enter the tournament? Wouldn't it be better to continue interrogating him while we're here?"

They received the reply: "You must act as instructed. He must not become suspicious in the slightest. This order has come from the highest authority of the sect."

[The highest authority of the sect? Who could that zombie slayer be that the highest authority goes to such lengths to meet him?]

They had no idea that the zombie slayer was, in fact, a nightmare for all the righteous and demons alike. Bai Mo was considered a complex and strange character by many historians.

Many demons were only recognized during their lifetimes. What brought their names to people's lips was the terror they instilled in the hearts of others. After a demon's death, they were only referred to if some specific art of theirs remained or if no one had yet reached their level of power.

But Bai Mo was different.

He was neither a demon in the general sense nor one of the righteous paths. He forged a new path that only he walked, the path of true demons. No one understood true demons properly; people preferred things to be simple. How could someone be both a demon and righteous? Was such a thing conceivable in a disciplined world?

People sacrificed each other in their greed, fathers showed no mercy to sons, and sons to fathers. Mothers turned their children into scapegoats, and all these occurrences happened in hopes of reaching a higher level of power, believing that once they reached it, they would cease their actions. But there was always a higher level to attain and someone to sacrifice.

Bai Mo broke this taboo. He came from the righteous path and had learned its teachings. He had been present in the bloody war thousands of years ago that united the entire world against common enemies. He felt betrayal with every fiber of his being. He had fallen, burned, drowned, and danced amidst the endless slashes of crimson swords until he finally came to the awareness that he could not see himself in either the righteous path or that of demons.

Many people also felt this way. A sensation that told them they needed to change everything and embark on a new path, but they could not find it. They spent their entire lives searching for this path, yet ultimately died in ignorance and solitude without discovering anything.

The answer was always simpler than they thought; they had to create a new path for themselves. They needed to separate from the long line of reiterators to achieve a goal beyond human understanding. Only then would they truly reach the purpose for which they breathed.

Creating a new path!

This was Bai Mo's philosophy.

A man who lived thousands of years ago, whose bones had long since turned to dust. A man whose footsteps could no longer be heard on the ground, yet the remnants of his presence echoed in the world eternally, like the ringing of a bell in everyone's ears. He achieved such a place through this. Something that thousands of heavenly demons could not attain, even with the denial of heaven and the plundering of countless lands.

Why destroy when one can develop? Why fight when one can deceive? Why lie when one can control everyone with the truth? Unjustified destruction only leads to the senseless demise of the individual.

The man known as a true demon was now merely a page in the forgotten chapters of history, resting quietly in the most secretive libraries.

The three venerable elders were unaware that this man had returned to life, now more cunning and shaper than any sword.

They sought guidance from the senior of the sect and made their way towards the mission hall in the First hanging Temple to find Fang Yuan.

"Listen! Everyone listen! Due to security issues, none of the sect's disciples are allowed to leave the premises! Disciples who are on missions must return to the sect immediately. Senior officials, please calmly guide your disciples back to their quarters. As a reward for this break, special points will be awarded to everyone so that no one suffers seriously during this hiatus. Please take this crisis as an opportunity to strengthen your cultivation!"

The three venerable elders listened in surprise to the words of the hall's supervisor, examining the murmurs from the mouths of the disciples.

[What? Has there been a breach at the sect? An attack has occurred? Who dared to take such a bold action in our presence?]

The venerable elder approached the hall's supervisor. The supervisor bowed slightly and gestured for them to enter a private room.

The elders took their seats and asked their questions without ceremony. "What's going on here? Why are missions being canceled all of a sudden?"

The man replied, "Esteemed seniors, we have unfortunately received word that a group of cultivators is causing trouble at the eastern borders. Unfortunately, their numbers are significant, and currently, we do not have enough forces to confront them. Moreover, since we don't know their primary objective, we cannot rashly take action."

"The initial guess is that they want to seize the treasure appearing in the northern area, known as the spiritual energy concentration zone, by exploiting the chaos in the eastern territories."

"Perhaps their goal is the treasures within the sect, or they might even be from a demonic sect that is acting against us."

The venerable elders fell into thought. Then, quite randomly, they asked, "Alright, how long will it take for the cultivators out there to return to the sect?"

They knew that Fang Yuan had gone outside the sect for a mission, so they could use this opportunity to bring him back to the supreme Moon Sect. What an excellent opportunity had presented itself to them!

They had now obtained a good excuse to leave the mist Sect, which made them secretly delighted.

"Alright, is there anyone among the cultivators in the eastern territories?"

The hall supervisor shook his head and said, "Yes, unfortunately, there is one person there."

The elders shook their heads in disbelief. "This is really unfortunate."

"Yes, esteemed seniors, I am truly saddened to hear that. I hope Lu Zheng can return safely, as our sect has not yet been able to repay its debt to him."

Suddenly, the seniors jolted up and exclaimed, "What?! Did you just say Lu Zheng is in the eastern territories?!"