"Now then, how does Young Master plan to settle the upcoming storm?! Pity, this old man is but bones... Sigh, the heavens are truly blind unable to differentiate silver from dust."
He took out the heaven unshackling pill and swallowed it instantly.
As the pill dissolved, a violent, chaotic energy erupted within Elder Gu. His body convulsed, his back arching as the medicine worked like a hammer, smashing through the scar tissue that had clogged his meridians for years.
Crack. Snap.
Boom!
The sound of bones resetting and channels forcing themselves open echoed in the silent courtyard. Elder Gu's face twisted in a mask of agony, but he didn't make a sound. He simply endured, his eyes fixed on Tianmo with a mix of gratitude and calculation.
Minutes passed. The aura of a cripple vanished, replaced by the sharp, penetrating pressure of a returning cultivator. Though his cultivation base was still low—merely early Foundation Establishment—the quality of his Qi was dense and malevolent, refined by years of surviving in the shadows.
"Exhale..."
Elder Gu let out a long, turbid breath, a cloud of black mist escaping his lips. He flexed his fingers, feeling the flow of Qi through his limbs. It was weak, but it was there.
"The Heaven Unshackling Pill... truly a heaven-defying treasure," Elder Gu murmured, his voice no longer raspy, but smooth and cold. "Young Master Wang, if I may ask, is the Dragon Court from the upper realm?! The Holy Son deduced that the Dragon court might likely be a power from the upper realm trying to get a foothold in the lower realm, and the Wang family just happens to be lucky..."
Tianmo's expression remained placid, like the surface of a frozen lake, though the currents beneath ran deep and treacherous. He didn't immediately answer. Instead, he slowly picked up the teapot and refilled Elder Gu's cup, the amber liquid spiraling into the porcelain with hypnotic precision, the aroma very strong.
"Elder Gu," Tianmo began, his voice low and smooth, carrying a weight that seemed to press down on the very air in the courtyard. "You are a smart man. You have survived the cutthroat politics of the Demonic Path, a feat that speaks louder than any cultivation base. So, tell me... does it matter?"
Elder Gu's hand paused halfway to the teacup. He looked up, his sharp eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"
"Whether the Dragon Court is from the Upper Realm or merely a powerful local faction... does the outcome change?!"
"I was merely inquiring after all, if Dragon court is unable to make a move then I suggest Young Master find another backer," Elder Gu said, his voice smooth, though his eyes remained fixed on Tianmo's face, searching for any crack in the mask of indifference.
"If you want I can introduce you to the Elder of the demonic sect, but whether you can get the grace of the Great Elder or not is entirely up to you... But just a reminder, just cause the dragon is injured doesn't mean even lowly beasts can feed his stomach with dragon meat, I hope you can comprehend what I am trying to say."
Elder Gu's words were laced with a warning, a subtle reminder that the world of cultivation was a food chain where the strong ate the weak. He was offering a lifeline, but it was a lifeline made of spider silk—strong enough to hold, but easy to snap if the prey struggled too much.
Tianmo understood Elder Gu's intention. Controlling the demonic sect won't be easy just because they haven't stabilized yet. However his worry is short-lived, he has the system and infinite resources. He may not be able to create a powerful fire on his own but he has enough oil to keep it burning.
This guy... How cunning. He wants Tianmo to survive longer so, he can squeeze more resources from Tianmo. And Tianmo could see through him. Such-greed-focused people are everywhere... As long as things are in Tianmo's favor, it's great to allow such people to live, once he grows his own wings capable enough to fly, then we can end Elder Gu or let him leave, it all depends on how the dog acts.
Getting a foothold on the demonic sect is a fair trade. He doesn't necessarily need to "fully" control the sect. As long as he can secretly manipulate the decision-making, it's enough.
"I sincerely thank Elder Gu for his kindness, if possible I hope to meet an Elder of the sect as soon as possible... Also, if I may ask, how did your Dantian and meridians get destroyed..." Tianmo asked, his voice polite but his eyes cold.
How did Elder Gu attract heaven's wrath?
"Oh?! That's an interesting story... I shall reveal the might of this Gu when he was in his prime."
"Long ago, when this old was at Nascent soul realm... I came across a mortal village where within the small Ye family, a young girl was born with a Supreme sword bone... Without hesitation, I slaughtered every one of them, and stole the Supreme Sword bone."
"There was a boy named Ye Chen hiding in the closet, alas, I even killed him... After that, I waited for hours, then another boy came uttering: Mother, father, brothers, and sisters... I, Ye Fan swear under heaven to take revenge. Pity, I killed him as well. After that, I wanted a little longer..."
"And then," Elder Gu continued, his voice dropping to a small whisper that seemed to carry the chill of the grave, "another brat appeared. This one was different. He didn't cry, he didn't scream. But it seemed he had made some kind of vow, causing a dazzling golden light to tear apart the sky and descend upon him. Alas, I killed him as well... Because someone once told me, if you ever walk on the path of cultivation, don't leave the last remaining bloodline alive especially if the surname is Ye, Li, Lin but if the surname is Long, run right away..."
"However after killing that brat, the sky began to tremble and a powerful black lightning descended one by one, striking me until I became a cripple... It seems I have killed a chosen one who had received the blessing of heaven. Till this date, I have no regret for becoming cripple."
Tianmo's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. The story was textbook—a classic tragedy of the cultivation world. A demonic cultivator overestimating his luck, underestimating the karma of the heavens, and paying the price for severing a karmic thread tied to a destiny he couldn't comprehend.
But Ye Family?! Ye Chen hiding in closet... Ye Fan uttering revenge.
These were not just random names. In the vast tapestry of the cultivation world, certain surnames carried the weight of destiny, and 'Ye' was perhaps the heaviest of them all. To kill one genius of the Ye family might be misfortune; to kill two, especially ones fitting such distinct archetypes—the hidden prodigy and the vengeful survivor—was to court disaster.
But to kill a third? A third who had attracted the attention of the Heavens themselves?
That wasn't just karma; that was suicide.
"Quite an interesting story you have... Mind telling me, who this 'someone' is, who told you to kill every bloodline of the Ye family but run away if you meet Long?!" Tianmo asked, his voice calm but his eyes glowing with a dangerous purple light.
Elder Gu looked at Tianmo, his eyes narrowing. He took a sip of the tea, the warmth spreading through his chest, soothing the lingering pain from the reconstructed meridians. He hesitated for a moment, weighing the value of the information against the potential danger of revealing it.
"Of course I don't mind telling but it has a cost... I believe 1000 high-grade stones is a reasonable price. After all, it involves something called 'system'... You know Dragon Court..." A sinister grin appeared on his face.
System?! Dragon court... Could it be that this guy knows something?
No... But this guy definitely knows about the system. How amusing... The world of really vast.
"Pray tell... If the story excites me, I shall offer even more..."
Tianmo's expression remained unchanged, though the air around him seemed to drop a few degrees in temperature.
"I trust Young Master Wang. The story begins in a small ruler village. I had my mother, my big sister, and me, barely living day-to-day life. The time was sad and depressing with famine, few old folks dying of starvation... However, everything changed when the timid boy named Lu in our village changed.
He started producing goods and started helping the village, soon, our village began to prosper... Women started surrounding him including my own mother and my sister. One time I saw all three of them together having a physical close connection... I started to hate him. I couldn't understand why women were around him.
During those days, I used to share romantic feelings with a neighboring girl named Xiu. We used to play in the mud, carefree. But when that Lu boy started to rise, even Xiu began to distance herself from me, her eyes always following him like a lost puppy. It gnawed at my insides.
Villagers began to praise him, calling him divine, a messiah, a God. They worshiped the ground he walked on. I couldn't stand it. I was just a mortal, while he... he was something else. One day he came to me and told me I possess spirit root and I was like a brother-in-law to him so, he decided to give me a breathing manual.
However, I could see the envy in his eyes... That made me smile, that's right, I was better than the so-called divine, I was better than the so-called god, I was better than Lu. It was during this time, he told me if I decided to walk on the path of cultivation, I should always cleanly erase the bloodline, especially Li, Lin, and Ye.
I cultivated day and night, and soon I reached the first stage of the Qi refining realm. During this time, I heard him talk to the system... He was cursing on how someone as lowly as me could cultivate while, he, the esteemed chosen one couldn't cultivate. It made me more happier, I was better.
But I started to have profound thoughts... Can divine bleed?! Can God die?! What is this system?!
I realized the Lu I know isn't the old Lu, but someone else possessing his body. I served as his loyal dog for a few days, observed him, he used to talk to thin air saying system this, system that... One day, while talking to the system he was happy. In his excitement, he muttered that he could cultivate soon.
No, how could this happen... I was better than divine, no, I should forever be better than divine. That night, I got my answer... Divine can bleed and god can die.
I felt happier... I got my answer. However, my sister and mother hated me. It seems they were already carrying his baby. Even Xiu slapped me twice... The villager began to curse me, saying I was bad, I was evil, I would meet heavenly tribulation. Haha... Evil?! Me?!
I did what's perfect... I burned the village, I killed everyone. I felt no sympathy, I realized morals were shackles stopping me from who I was....
I had a story."
Elder Gu took a deep breath.
"Till today I can't fathom what's system... How come someone by birth is chosen by heaven, is morality truly the ultimate as they say?! Life is always unfair, I could only rely on myself... Pray tell Young Master, I wanna hear your insight on it... Does heaven really choose someone to dominate the world?! Someone who can rise above anyone else shattering the existing world view?"
Tianmo remained silent, his expression unchanged. Inside, he was furious. What kind of profound logic is this? Killing the benefactor because he was envious? Truly a character.
Tianmo swirled the tea in his cup, the amber liquid reflecting the cold light in his eyes. The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating, broken only by the gentle rustle of the wind through the courtyard.
"Who knows what heaven is thinking?! Who knows how the heavens act, we are but the humble cultivators trying to gain immortality and learn the meaning of self. However, your story excites me... I shall offer double the promised amount."
With a casual wave of his hand, Tianmo summoned a small, pouch made of silk that shimmered with a faint, starry light. It landed on the stone table with a soft clink.
"Two thousand high-grade spirit stones," Tianmo said, his voice devoid of emotion, as if he were merely discussing the weather. "As promised. A deal is a deal."
Elder Gu's eyes widened, his pupils dilating as he sensed the dense spiritual energy radiating from the pouch. He snatched it up, his hands trembling not with fear, but with the raw, unadulterated ecstasy of a starving man presented with a feast. He opened the drawstring slightly, and the brilliance of the stones within illuminated his greedy, weathered face.
"Hehe... Young Master Wang is indeed a man of culture, a man who understands the value of a good story," Elder Gu chuckled, the sound dry and rasping like bones rubbing together. He quickly stored the pouch away, patting his chest to ensure it was secure.
"This old man shall not forget this kindness. If the winds of the Demonic Sect blow ill, I shall be sure to send a whisper your way... By the way Young master, it is always better to keep things hidden. Let this be a lesson from this old man, you revealed my broken meridians and dantian, but you see my body is protected by a treasure. Don't reveal your Trump card."
With that, Elder Gu didn't waste another breath. He crushed the teleportation talisman in his hand.
Poof.
In a cloud of gray smoke, the cunning old fox vanished, leaving behind only the faint scent of blood and the lingering glimmer of his greed.
Tianmo sat alone in the courtyard, what a terrifying analysis ability. This guy is very interesting.