“That bracelet… what does it mean?” Yuan Wo asked Jin Qingqiu, stammering.
“A magic weapon refined with the Stone of Empathy that will react when the wearer has emotions.” Jin Qingqiu’s face was very ugly. “Long ago, cultivators used this stone to test the emotions of their mounts in order to communicate with mounts that had not yet developed spiritual intelligence.”
Something that was once used on a mount appeared in Immortal Lord Fuguang’s hand, and he was even questioned because he didn’t see it at first. Immortal Lord Fuguang had not given up all these years, perhaps because of his kindness.
Yuan Wo shivered. He thought it was because he was cold, but when the wind blew, he realized he was scared.
Watching Immortal Lord Fuguang roll up his sleeves to prove himself, Yuan Wo realized how absurd this scene was. They were all beneficiaries, so why did they take the benefactor for granted?
“What else are you worried about?” Fuguang took off his beads and threw them into Bu Ting’s arms. “If you think I’m being unfair, then I won’t be this Immortal Lord Fuguang. This magnificent palace, the treasures in the hall, and these puppets that follow me everywhere, I can give them all to you.”
“Immortal Lord!” The faces of the Elders of the Jiutian Sect were pale. For years, the Immortal Lord had been infusing the Immortal Cauldrons with spiritual energy, and he had never stopped for a single year. If today, he leave the Fuguang Palace because of Bu Ting, then their Jiutian Sect would be the sinners of the world.
“You made me studied and practiced calligraphy, and forbade me from leaving Fuguang Mountain. I absorbed spiritual energy every day, and every March when the peach blossoms bloomed, I would transfer spiritual energy to the Immortal Cauldrons. I did everything you asked.” Fuguang’s gaze swept over each person, his tone distant and indifferent. “I was born without any relatives, and I’m not of this world. What else do you need me to do? What else do I owe you?”
“Immortal Lord, you’ve never owed anyone anything.” Jiu Hui cupped her hands. “It’s the people of the world who owe you a great deal. We can’t repay you, so we can only bind you with righteousness and demand from you with morality.”
Everyone fell silent. Jiu Hui’s words were embarrassing, but no one had the face to stand up and refute them.
“We all know that we owe you an apology, but even so, if you take one step out of Fuguang Mountain today, all living beings in the world will accuse you, resent you, and even see you as an enemy.” Jiu Hui continued to speak loudly, “They will only blame you. Since you have already paid for so long, why not continue to pay.”
“Just like Immortal Venerable Bu, he won’t be grateful for what you’ve done for him. He’ll only suspect where your bracelet beads have gone.” Jiu Hui sneered, “It’s always easier to accuse than to be grateful.”
The bracelet slipped from Bu Ting’s chest and into his palm. In that instant, the bracelet emitted a crimson light. The blinding red light seemed to mock everyone present.
“Such a glaring red, what emotion is Immortal Venerable Bu feeling at this moment? Is it resentment, unwillingness, or anger?” Jiu Hui watched as Bu Ting threw the bracelet beads to the ground as if they were needles. “How ridiculous.”
“You all demand that the Immortal Lord show compassion to the world and dedicate everything to the world, but you also demand that the Immortal Lord not have any emotions. Don’t you think this demand is self-contradictory?”
She bent down to pick up the bracelet that had been thrown into the snow. The bracelet emitted a faint green light in her hand.
“Aren’t we begging the Immortal Lord to protect the world?” Jiu Hui clenched her palm, and the glowing bracelet turned into dust with a creaking sound.
“Although this junior is young, I know that one must have the proper attitude when asking for help.” Jiu Hui tossed the crushed powder in front of Bu Ting. “What did Immortal Venerable Bu and your master think of Immortal Lord? And what did the various sect masters think of Immortal Lord?”
“In the presence of the Immortal Lord, a junior should not speak recklessly. Quickly shut your mouth.” The Fourth Elder’s face was a little embarrassed.
“Why didn’t you tell Immortal Venerable Bu to shut up when he was talking just now?” Jiu Hui retorted without hesitation. “How come only people from your Jiutian Sect are allowed to shamelessly question your lifesaver, but I’m not allowed to complain for Immortal Lord?”
“An Immortal Lord is of noble character. How could he be like you…”
“Just because he has noble character, you can make many demands of the Immortal Lord?” Jiu Hui interrupted the Fourth Elder once more. “When you said that, did you not plan to save any face?”
“What did you say?“carpreads.pages.dev
“I’m telling you, you’re shameless, immoral, ungrateful, and worse than a pig and dog!” Jiu Hui sneered. “Even a puppy knows how to wag its tail at its benefactor, but you, you just bark madly at your benefactor, complaining that the bone he gave you isn’t meaty enough!”
“You!” The Fourth Elder had never been cursed at so terribly. He raised his sword and stabbed at Jiu Hui. Before Jiu Hui could even react, Fuguang had already taken action.
With just a flick of his hand, the Fourth Elder was lying on the ground.
“As an elder, you don’t cultivate virtue, and you have no tolerance for your juniors. Why bother wielding a sword?” Fuguang held the Fourth Elder’s natal sword in his hand, and with two fingers, he gently tapped the blade, causing the sword to instantly lose all its luster.
“Immortal Lord!” The Second and Third Elders’ expressions changed simultaneously.
“When he learns to love all beings, the seal on this sword will be lifted.” Fuguang threw the sword out, and the tip of the sword was firmly inserted in front of the Fourth Elder. “When I was five years old, the Sect Master of your sect asked me to do this. I am merely using the teachings of your sect’s Sect Master to ask your sect’s Elder. What instructions do you two Elders have?”
With a snap of his fingers, he could seal the natal sword of a Great Ascension sword cultivator. Leaving Fuguang Mountain would not be difficult.
The sect masters looked at the dull sword and suddenly understood that no matter how complex the Fuguang Mountain formation was or how many puppets were monitoring the Immortal Lord, they could not stop the Immortal Lord from leaving.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but rather that he chose to stay for the sake of all living beings.
It was not Fuguang Mountain that could imprison the Immortal Lord, but Immortal Lord Fuguang’s goodwill towards all living beings.
“Changshou Palace intend to recall the puppet that was once placed in Fuguang Mountain, and ask the Immortal Lord to grant permission.” The Changshou Palace Master knelt on one knee and performed a grand salute to Fuguang.
After the ceremony, the Changshou Palace Master ignored the opinions of the other sect masters. She summoned the sect master’s token and put all the puppets refined by Changshou Palace into the storage bag.
“As a junior, I also wish to recall the Yuzhen Sect puppets on behalf of my father.” Jin Qingqiu was the second to stand out. He took out his father’s sect master token and acted on his father’s behalf.
Staring at the puppets that Jin Qingqiu had summoned back, Yuan Wo thought in a daze, As expected of the wealthiest Yuzhen Sect, even their puppets have more gems embedded than the puppets of other sects.
He turned his head to look at Pingling Yao and asked in a low voice, “Did you bring the sect master’s token?”
“Don’t look at me.” Ping Lingyao sneered. “After the Sect Master Immortal Venerable inherited the sect back then, she didn’t send the refined puppets to Fuguang Mountain at all. These puppets have nothing to do with our Qinglan School.”
“But this…” Yuan Wo hesitated.
Although Changshou Palace and Yuzhen Sect had taken back their puppets, their puppets only accounted for a very small portion of these puppets. Looking around, there was still a dense mass of them.
“Even if all the other sects withdraw their puppets, as long as the Jiutian Sect doesn’t make a statement, there won’t be much of a decrease in the number of puppets here.” When Pingling Yao mentioned the Jiutian Sect, her tone turned disdainful. “Don’t you know that most of these puppets were refined by the Jiutian Sect?”
Yuan Wo shook his head in a daze. He was a core disciple of the Shenji School, not a core disciple of the Ten Great Sects. How could he know the secrets of these great sects?
The Wenxing School and the Wanhuo Sect hesitated for a moment before also withdrawing their puppets. They avoided Bu Ting’s gaze, and the atmosphere became tense.
Back then, this matter was agreed upon after discussion among the major sects. Now that they were the first to break their promise, their conscience felt a little better, but they were somewhat ashamed to face the people of the Jiutian Sect.
The sect masters of the other sects secretly sighed in relief when they saw them withdraw their puppets and quickly followed suit by putting away their own puppets.
Every time they came to Fuguang Mountain, their conscience would be condemned each time. Now that they had taken these puppets away, it seemed that they felt better in their hearts.
No one knew the exact extent of Immortal Lord Fuguang’s cultivation, but they all knew that these puppets were no longer of much use to the Immortal Lord.
It was nothing more than seeking peace of mind for themselves.
“Junior Nan Feng…”
Bu Ting raised his head and glared at Nan Feng.
Nan Feng lowered his head and cupped his hands in a salute. “Junior Nan Feng intends to remove the puppet of the Jiutian Sect. I ask the Immortal Lord to grant me permission.”
The Second Elder and Third Elder did not speak up to stop him. The Fourth Elder, whose natal sword had been sealed, looked at Nan Feng with a complicated expression, but he did not speak either.
“Nan Feng,” Bu Ting said.
“Please forgive your disciple, Master.” Nan Feng closed his eyes and took out the Sect Master’s token, recalling all the puppets.
After the puppets of the Jiutian Sect disappeared, the entire land seemed empty. Everyone suddenly realized that Fuguang Mountain was so large, and the open space outside the Fuguang Palace was so desolate. The false liveliness created by the puppets was completely exposed at this moment.
How lonely must it be to live on such a quiet and desolate mountain?
No one dared to imagine, nor dared to say, how long they could endure the loneliness in such an environment.
“Immortal Lord Fuguang was born with a special destiny and a unique constitution. He was born with a heavenly mission.” Bu Ting looked at the crowd. “This is a responsibility he was born to bear.”
“As the previous Sect Master of the Jiutian Sect, you have outstanding talent and profound cultivation. You should also contribute to the Ten Immortal Cauldrons.” Jiu Hui grabbed Bu Ting’s clothes and dragged him into the hall where the Immortal Cauldrons’ spiritual energy formation was set up. “Why can’t it be your responsibility to provide spiritual energy to the Immortal Cauldrons?”
No one expected Jiu Hui to be so strong. They only reacted when they saw her dragging Bu Ting like a ball all the way to the palace gate.
“Miss Jiu Hui, calm down first.”
“Miss Jiu Hui, let’s talk this out. Although Bu Ting has a high cultivation level, his physique is ordinary and he can’t support the spiritual power required by the Immortal Cauldrons.”
“Aiyo, Miss Jiu Hui, let go.”
“Pavilion Master Yu, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and come over to persuade her.”
Everyone surrounded Bu Ting and Jiu Hui with their hands and feet. It was unknown who had kicked Bu Ting twice in the chaos. Anyway, when Jiu Hui let go of Bu Ting and everyone pulled him back in front of Fuguang, there were several wet footprints on Bu Ting’s body.
Seeing Jiu Hui roll up her sleeves, as if she was about to beat up Bu Ting again, everyone quickly stepped forward to comfort her.
“Miss Jiu Hui, Immortal Venerable Bu’s words were wrong. It was his fault.”
“Yes, don’t get angry first, don’t get angry first, we will definitely resolve this properly.”
“Hey, don’t do anything rash. If you, a junior, make a move, it’ll make you look like the one in the wrong.” The Sect Master of the Wanhuo Sect whispered to Jiu Hui, “Besides, we seniors are here. Don’t get angry yet.”
Everyone fawned over Jiu Hui, while Bu Ting stood alone, silently watching the scene.
“Jiu Hui.” Nan Feng wanted to apologize to Jiu Hui, but thinking about what his master had just said, he couldn’t bring himself to utter those words of apology.
Could he rely on their friendship to make Jiu Hui swallow her anger?
If he still valued this friendship, he shouldn’t and couldn’t speak.
“Bu Ting, you are truly muddle-headed.” The Changshou Palace Master sighed. “You must understand that Lord Fuguang never owed us, nor does he owe the entire world.”
“Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui is truly courageous. In order to seek justice for the Immortal Lord, she dared to directly challenge the Jiutian Sect.” Yuan Wo’s tone was filled with admiration. “She is truly a role model for our generation.”
Pingling Yao and Jin Qingqiu did not refute his words, because they also felt that what Jiu Hui said and did made sense.
“Everyone, there’s no need to argue anymore.” After everyone had more or less coaxed Jiu Hui, Fuguang slowly opened his mouth and said, “Bu Ting murdered a fellow cultivator and used a forbidden technique in secret, these are not small crimes.”
“But for the sake of his years of guarding the people, I can spare his life.” Fuguang looked down at Bu Ting. “You are high and mighty, but you do not know how ordinary people and ordinary cultivators live. Today, I will seal your cultivation and make you sweep Fuguang Mountain for seven days. After seven days, as a criminal, you will go to… Manxiang City to serve. After you have redeemed all your sins, you may return to Jiutian Sect.”
“Do any of you have any objections?” Fuguang looked at the others.
The other sect masters did not speak, and the people from the Jiutian Sect did not object.
Bu Ting: “Bu-mou is willing to ask for death.”
“Dying is easy, but atoning for one’s sins is hard.” Fuguang spread open his five fingers, and spiritual energy gathered in his palm. “As the former sect master of Jiutian Sect, you are an Immortal Venerable that all cultivators in the world look up to. If you commit a grave mistake and are unwilling to atone for it, how will the world view the Jiutian Sect?”
“Or are you saying that you want the Jiutian Sect to become a target of public criticism?” The spiritual light in Fuguang’s palm grew brighter and brighter. “You value the sect so much, and you value righteousness so much, so why do you choose to escape when you need to atone for your sins?”
If Bu Ting refused, it would be tantamount to admitting that he was a hypocritical gentleman, who could even bear to disregard his own sect.
Bu Ting knew that he could not refuse.
“Since you have no objections, then I shall……”
“Immortal Lord, please spare him!”
Fuguang turned his head and glanced at Elder Bai of Zhenxing Tower, who was rushing over from the blizzard formation, and slapped Bu Ting’s spiritual platform with a palm.
In an instant, Bu Ting felt his limbs, meridians, and spiritual platform covered in frost. All his spiritual energy turned into dead objects, no longer usable by him. He became a cripple who could not use spiritual energy.
Fuguang had actually sealed all of his cultivation. Bu Ting glanced at Fuguang and spat out a few mouthfuls of blood.
Blood splattered on the ground and quickly turned into ice.
“Elder Bai.” Fuguang withdrew his hand and turned to face Elder Bai. “What brings you here?”
Elder Bai: “…”
Naturally, he had come to intercede for Bu Ting, but seeing Bu Ting vomiting blood and his cultivation base completely gone, he fell silent.
He did not believe that Immortal Lord Fuguang had not heard his words of dissuasion just now.
“If the Elder feels that my punishment is too lenient, you may offer your thoughts.” Fuguang gestured in invitation. “Elder, please.”
Author’s Note
Fuguang: I accept your thoughtful suggestion to increase the punishment. Please, go ahead.
Zhi Youyou: Do you guys think I’ve made a lot of progress?