Chapter 715: The Great Purge
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What exactly happened two hundred years ago?"
Mu Lingxi said, "Two hundred years ago, the Cult Leader made a decision to launch a large-scale advance into the Eastern Domain, competing with the Black Market, the Martial Market Bank, and the Imperial Court for control over the region."
"The major powers in the Eastern Domain were already deeply entrenched. For the Cult to make any headway, it needed its own foundation. Thus, the medieval aristocratic clan, the Qi Clan, was chosen."
"By taking control of the Qi Clan, the Demon Cult could easily establish a foothold in the Eastern Domain and even use the Qi Clan to infiltrate the Liangyi Sect."
"This was a bloodless plan, but it required a sacrifice—Lin Suxian."
"With a single order from the Cult Leader, Lin Suxian was secretly married to Qi Xiangtian, the eldest son of the Qi Clan's patriarch."
"Over the next hundred-plus years, the Cult secretly aided Qi Wentian in subduing the various factions within the Qi Clan. Finally, fifty years ago, Qi Wentian ascended to the position of Qi Clan patriarch. To tighten control over the clan, the Holy Maiden Qi Feiyu was later introduced."
After hearing this hidden story, even Zhang Ruochen let out a soft sigh. "Did Senior Luo Xu just stand by and watch Lin Suxian marry Qi Xiangtian?"
"Of course not."
She continued, "I don't know exactly what happened between Lin Suxian and Senior Luo Xu, but I heard from the High Priestess that Luo Xu once charged alone into the Cult's headquarters at Wuding Mountain, slaying seven Half-Saints in succession and killing a Saint in a desperate life-for-life struggle."
"Keep in mind, at that time, Senior Luo Xu was only at the Half-Saint realm."
"But his strength alone was too meager. In the end, he was subdued by the Saints within the Cult. It's said that during that battle, his physical body was nearly shattered, reduced to a bloody mess. Even on the verge of death, he refused to give up, spilling blood for twelve miles."
"The Cult Leader originally intended to execute Senior Luo Xu, but Lin Suxian pleaded for his life and compromised with the Cult Leader, agreeing to marry into the Qi Clan, which saved him."
"This matter has always been kept secret, known only to the Cult's high-ranking members. The Cult Leader imposed a gag order, and no one dared to speak of it."
Zhang Ruochen was deeply moved. "Since it's a secret of the Demon Cult, why are you telling me?"
Mu Lingxi had already begun to weep, tears streaming down her face as she stared at Zhang Ruochen. "I want you to know that if one day the Cult Leader marries me off to someone else, I would hope there is someone who would charge up Wuding Mountain without hesitation. If he truly did that, even if I had to die right then, I would be willing."
"Zhang Ruochen, do you understand? The Holy Maidens of the Cult are merely tools for the Cult Leader to win people's hearts, at any moment they could be bestowed as rewards to saints who have made great contributions to the Divine Cult."
Zhang Ruochen could feel the sorrow and fear in Mu Lingxi's heart and finally understood why she had been so forward earlier.
She was afraid that she would one day follow in Lin Suxian's footsteps.
If that were the case, why not give her first night to the man she loved?
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned extremely serious. He took a deep breath, reached out an arm, and pulled Mu Lingxi close, his other hand gently stroking her head. "Don't be afraid. If that day ever comes, you must believe that someone will climb Wuding Mountain to come for you. Even if the Demon Cult has an army of thousands, they won't stop him."
Mu Lingxi leaned softly into Zhang Ruochen's embrace, but the tears in her eyes flowed even faster.
...
...
Meanwhile, at the Taiqing Palace of the Liangyi Sect, the heads of the three palaces and seventy-two halls had gathered, interrogating Qi Qiankun and Qi Yun.
Half an hour later, the heads of the seventy-two halls issued a series of orders, sending messages to the lords of various sacred mountains to begin a purge of the Qi Clan's disciples.
The Sect Leader, Ning Xuan Dao, sat at the highest seat, exuding great authority with a grim expression.
Anyone could see that he was extremely furious at that moment.
Qi Qiankun and Qi Yun had not spoken a single word from start to finish, but as the purge of the Qi Clan's disciples unfolded, information began to flow back to Taiqing Palace.
The connection between the Qi Clan and the Demon Cult gradually became clear.
Although the Liangyi Sect was a neutral force that had never directly clashed with the Demon Cult, it absolutely could not tolerate members within the sect secretly colluding with the Demon Cult to harm the sect's interests.
Throughout the entire process, Saintly Scholar Cai Nu sat to the side without saying a word. But she believed that Ning Xuan Dao and the saints of the Liangyi Sect would not treat her as if she were invisible.
Saintly Scholar Cai Nu represented the Imperial Court, represented the Empress.
She had been in danger within the Liangyi Sect—how could the sect not provide an explanation?
Moreover, the Imperial Court and the Demon Cult had always been hostile. If the Liangyi Sect dared to shield the Qi Clan, how would the Imperial Court interpret that?
Thus, whether for public or private reasons, this purge by the Liangyi Sect was destined to be bloody. Any member of the Qi Clan connected to the Demon Cult would likely face death.
The reason Saintly Scholar Cai Nu had chosen to purge the Qi Clan before the Sword Discussion Conference was primarily due to the Heaven and Earth Altar.
Since Qi Hong had discovered the Heaven and Earth Altar, other cultivators from the Qi Clan might also know the secret.
Under no circumstances could the secret of the Heaven and Earth Altar be allowed to leak out. Therefore, she had to hand Qi Qiankun and Qi Yun over to the Liangyi Sect, letting its saints clean house.
Over the next three days, the purge continued unabated.
In a single night, all members of the Qi Clan vanished as if they had evaporated from the human world, disappearing without a trace. Naturally, this caused a massive upheaval within the Liangyi Sect.
Although no news had yet leaked out, everyone could guess that something major had happened to the Qi Clan.
In a secluded, elegant courtyard within Taiqing Palace.
Saintly Scholar Cai Nu sat at the head of the main hall, before her a long bronze table. On the table, brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were neatly arranged.
At the center sat a purple bell and a small jade bottle.
"Tap, tap."
An old man in a Confucian robe entered from outside, bowed respectfully to Saintly Scholar Cai Nu, and said, "Reporting to the Saint, the list for this purge has been compiled. Only two Half-Saints, Qi Shang and Qi Xunyi, have been captured. The other top experts caught wind of the situation and fled the Liangyi Sect in advance."
Saintly Scholar Cai Nu showed no emotional reaction, as if this outcome was within her expectations.
The old man in the Confucian robe continued, "The connection between the Qi Clan and the Demon Cult has also been clarified. The wife of Qi Xiangtian, the Qi Clan patriarch, is Lin Suxian, a former Holy Maiden of the Demon Cult."
Hearing this news, Saintly Scholar Cai Nu finally showed a slight reaction, lifting her head and murmuring, "Lin Suxian... No wonder the Demon Cult was able to control most of the Qi Clan. The key point lies here."
The old man in the Confucian robe asked, "Saint, should we mobilize the Imperial Court's forces and join with the Liangyi Sect to impose sanctions on the Qi Clan?"
Saintly Scholar Cai Nu thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No need. Leave this matter to the Liangyi Sect. The Imperial Court should not get involved. Old Liu, I have a peculiar item here. Take it to Mr. Mei and ask him to examine what it is."
Saintly Scholar Cai Nu picked up the jade bottle from the table, placed it into a dark iron box, locked the box, and engraved a layer of formation inscriptions before handing it to the old man in the Confucian robe.
The jade bottle contained the Death Evil Qi.
The old man in the Confucian robe took the dark iron box and left the hall directly.
Saintly Scholar Cai Nu sat alone by the bronze table. Her gaze fell once more on the purple-black bell, and the figure of Lin Yue appeared again in her mind.
"Why is this happening?"
Saintly Scholar Cai Nu immediately closed her eyes, but the figure in her mind became even clearer, impossible to shake off.
Whether it was Lin Yue helping her repel Qi Hong, or Lin Yue draping his outer robe over her, or Lin Yue sitting cross-legged on the boat's bow cultivating... these scenes played over and over before her eyes.
For the past three days, Saintly Scholar Cai Nu had been in this state, making her wonder if something was wrong with her cultivation.
"Could a mere Fish-Dragon realm cultivator become my inner demon?"
Saintly Scholar Cai Nu opened her eyes, two beams of holy light shining from her pupils. She then took out a piece of sacred blood sandalwood ink, pinched the ink stick between two snow-white fingers, and ground it on the inkstone.
She picked up a brush, dipped it in the ink, and began copying the "Heart-Calming Mantra" on paper.
But she stopped halfway through, looking down at the paper to find that she had already written the name "Lin Yue" three times.
"Why keep running away? Is meeting him really that terrifying?"
Saintly Scholar Cai Nu put down the brush, finally abandoning the resistance in her heart. She picked up the purple-black bell and walked toward the door.
"Whoosh!"
A beam of white holy light flew out from Taiqing Palace, stopping above Zixia Sacred Mountain. It condensed into Saintly Scholar Cai Nu's form atop a white cloud.
For some reason, her heart was unprecedentedly tense, her pulse quickening.
Saintly Scholar Cai Nu did not descend immediately, still hesitating. But suddenly, her spiritual power sensed Lin Yue's aura, and she immediately looked down.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi were sitting by a stone table in the cultivation courtyard, discussing the purge of the Qi Clan, unaware that a pair of eyes was watching them.
Mu Lingxi rested her chin on her hands. "Saintly Scholar Cai Nu is such a strange woman. What do you think her attitude toward our Moon-Worshipping Cult really is?"
"On one hand, she personally invited the top talents of the Moon-Worshipping Cult to the Sword Discussion Conference, clearly related to selecting the Nine Realm Sons."
"On the other hand, she showed no mercy to the Qi Clan, which is connected to the Cult. I just can't figure out why she would do this."
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "You're too caught up in the situation to see clearly. Just calm down and think carefully, and you'll understand. There is actually a key difference between the two things she did." (To be continued.)