Heaven’s Shadow

True Monarch Qiandeng furrowed his brows, showing a hint of difficulty on his face, while the other True Monarchs fell silent.

The atmosphere in the quiet room grew tense. After a moment, True Monarch Mu Yuan softened his tone, looked at True Monarch Qiandeng with a touch of sincerity, and said, “True Monarch Qiandeng, we’ve known each other for many years. Although we can’t say we’re life-and-death friends, there’s still a level of mutual understanding. You should have some idea of what kind of person I, Mu Yuan, am.”

True Monarch Qiandeng nodded slowly. True Monarch Mu Yuan looked around at the others, his voice sounding somewhat heavy, and continued, “We are all discerning people, so there’s no need for pleasantries. The Kun faction is extremely powerful now, while our Iron faction is weak. In normal circumstances, not only would our Iron faction avoid getting involved, but even if the Kun faction were to fight among themselves, it probably wouldn’t affect us.”

“Our Iron faction has only four Nascent Soul cultivators, including myself. Among the disciples below Nascent Soul, besides my own disciple, Su Qingjun, there are almost no outstanding talents.” He said calmly, “The only reason you’ve brought me into this is because of these four old bones of ours. However, this matter is critical. Once it begins, there’s no turning back. I’m effectively staking everything passed down from the Iron Luo Ancestor. This is something I really can’t afford to lose!”

True Monarch Qiandeng pondered for a moment, then said, “Mu Yuan, since you’ve been so honest, I won’t be polite either. Let me say something unpleasant.”

True Monarch Mu Yuan replied, “Please speak, Senior Brother.”

True Monarch Qiandeng said, “As you mentioned, the Iron faction has indeed declined in recent years. If you continue to remain cautious, you might scrape by for a while longer, but it’s unlikely there will be any chance of revival in the foreseeable future. Do you have any objections to this?”

True Monarch Mu Yuan remained silent, neither agreeing nor dissenting.

True Monarch Qiandeng did not mind this, but gave him a deep look and said, “Junior Brother, let me advise you. Rather than dragging on a half-dead existence, why not make a determined effort? True Monarch Tian Lan had already issued a decree earlier. If the Iron faction contributes to this major task, once it succeeds, there will surely be rewards. More importantly, the four of you Nascent Soul cultivators will definitely be able to go to the peaks in the clouds for training.”

True Monarch Mu Yuan’s expression changed slightly, and he bit his lip.

In Kunlun Sect, there was a rule that only Nascent Soul cultivators could practice on the four floating peaks in the clouds. In reality, due to the disparity in power, only Kun faction disciples could currently practice on these peaks, while the four Nascent Soul cultivators of the Iron faction had never been able to go.

This was obviously unfair, but no one in Kunlun Sect had ever dared to openly mention this. The reason was simple: just look at the current supreme Transcendent Gods in the sect.

※※※

“I understand what you’re saying,” True Monarch Mu Yuan told True Monarch Qiandeng, “But this matter is too significant for me to act carelessly. True Monarch Bai Chen’s faction is powerful and has numerous supporters within the sect. It’s not easy to stand against them.”

He pointed in a certain direction and said, “Even if we do our best, how do we deal with True Monarch Bai Chen, who is stationed on the Winter Peak? This matter must be handled by True Monarch Tian Lan himself. Only then do we have a chance. If he does not intervene, our Iron faction will not involve itself in this mess.”

True Monarch Qiandeng sighed softly and said, “I understand your point.”

True Monarch Mu Yuan lowered his head slightly and said, “I apologize for any inconvenience, Senior Brother.”

True Monarch Qiandeng waved his hand and said, “It’s only natural. Don’t worry about it.” He paused and then continued, “I received news yesterday that True Monarch Tian Lan will return from the Immortal Alliance a few days before the full moon next month to attend the annual sect review meeting. Let’s wait and see. Perhaps he will speak to you personally.”

True Monarch Mu Yuan slightly bowed and nodded, saying, “Thank you for your understanding, and thanks to True Monarch Tian Lan for his consideration.”

True Monarch Qiandeng looked at the others and slightly raised his voice, “Everyone, I’ve already discussed this major issue with you. The reasons are clear. In the past, when Ancestor Tian Hong was alive, everyone in the sect knew that the disciple he loved most was True Monarch Tian Lan. Even the ‘Tian’ in his title was passed down to him. The meaning was very clear: True Monarch Tian Lan was to lead our Kunlun Sect and inherit the position of Sect Leader.”

“However, things took a sudden turn after Ancestor Tian Hong’s unexpected death. Only True Monarch Bai Chen and True Monarch Tian Lan were left. In the end, True Monarch Bai Chen inherited all the sect’s teachings, while True Monarch Tian Lan was forced to go to the Immortal Alliance and struggle with those fierce and brutal demonic sects.”

“There’s no need for me to elaborate on what this implies.”

True Monarch Qiandeng sighed and continued, “Years later, True Monarch Bai Chen passed the Sect Leader position to his chief disciple. His power grew, and now our sect’s discipline is deteriorating, with many villains and spies. Meanwhile, Xian Yue and the others are powerless. They cannot resist external enemies to rejuvenate the sect, and internally they foster mediocre individuals to gain prestige, causing Kunlun Sect’s influence to wane. It’s laughable that Xian Yue and the others actually believe our sect is thriving and boast about it. They are truly shameless.”

**Chapter 199: Between Choices**

“Uncle Tian Lan once said to me that although he is naturally indifferent to fame and profit, he cannot sit idly by as our sect falls into danger. Otherwise, after a hundred years, how would he face the late Ancestor Tian Hong or the ancestors of Kunlun Sect?”

“Restoring order and clarifying the principles! This is what Uncle Tian Lan aims to achieve.” As True Monarch Qiandeng concluded, his expression became stern, and his words were resolute, causing everyone around him to tense up and nod in agreement.

※※※

On the days when Su Qingjun was not at the Flying Swallow Platform, it seemed particularly desolate. However, perhaps because he had long grown accustomed to such loneliness, Lu Chen did not feel sad but rather found himself more at ease.

But after midnight, Lu Chen took Ah Tu down from the southern foothills and headed straight for Kunwu City.

In Kunwu City, Lu Chen’s primary destination was always Black Hill Pavilion to find Lao Ma. This time, when he passed by the street where the recent bloodshed had occurred, he appeared somewhat weary.

The area where the incident happened could no longer be rented out, given that someone had died there. At the entrance and around the house, several unfamiliar men were stationed as guards, prohibiting outsiders from entering.

There might have been some hot-tempered cultivators who wanted to cause trouble, but soon everyone realized that these guards were all disciples of Kunlun Sect. The exact details of who had died in the house were unknown to most of the loose cultivators in Kunwu City, leading to various speculations, some of which were quite amusing. For instance, there were rumors that a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator had died there, perhaps while practicing some secret technique.

Others speculated that the deceased might have been a rare genius of Kunlun Sect, who had accidentally met an untimely end. There were even malicious rumors suggesting that the mysterious house once belonged to a woman, perhaps a lover of the current Kunlun Sect leader, Xian Yue.

Such talk was indeed vicious, though it was also possible that some people with ulterior motives wanted to slander Xian Yue. 

Lu Chen knew what had happened in that courtyard, but he was not yet aware of the specific details. One of his purposes for coming to Kunwu City was to ask Lao Ma about the incident in detail.

However, Lu Chen’s primary concern this time in Kunwu City was Ah Tu.

Although Ah Tu’s appearance had not changed significantly, Lu Chen knew that under this black dog’s fur, signs of increasing strength and ferocity were beginning to show. It was no longer suitable to keep him on Kunlun Mountain; otherwise, Ah Tu might cause significant trouble there in the future.

Kunlun’s powerful Nascent Soul cultivators would have endless ways to handle such a black dog. Lu Chen did not even want to imagine what might happen if Ah Tu truly caused trouble.

He took one last look at the house guarded by the Kunlun Sect’s Heavenly Soldiers, then left with Ah Tu to the rundown and desolate Black Hill Pavilion.

When Lao Ma saw Lu Chen, he was overjoyed. However, after hearing Lu Chen’s instructions, a troubled expression appeared on his face. He said, “Lu Chen, you see, everything here is being repaired and there’s no money left. As for me, I’m not really interested in keeping a dog, so…”

Lu Chen replied calmly, “I’ll cover the costs.”

Lao Ma immediately stood up with a righteous expression and said, “Then the dog can definitely stay. I’ll take care of it!”

Lu Chen smiled and didn’t mind. He said, “Actually, you don’t need to take care of it for too long. Just feed it something every day and make sure it doesn’t wander out onto the streets. There might be trouble if it does.”

“Trouble? What trouble?” Lao Ma looked at Lu Chen with some confusion and asked, “It’s just an ordinary dog. What kind of trouble could there be?”

Lu Chen waved his hand and said, “Let’s settle it this way. Just take good care of it for now. Once everything is taken care of and before the full moon night, I’ll find a time to take it away, the farther, the better.”

Lao Ma frowned and suddenly looked at Lu Chen, asking, “What are you planning to do on the night of the full moon?”