Chapter 87: The Seat of the Main Line’s First Disciple

As dusk deepened, Fang Wang strode slowly across the hillside. His white robe of golden scales was soaked through with blood, and even his face was smeared with it. Little Violet crouched on his shoulder, no less drenched in crimson.

He came to a large boulder and sat down. The last glow of sunset fell over him, darkening one side of his face. Between him and the sinking sun, the mountains were littered with the corpses of immense venomous insects, along with the bodies of numerous demonic cultivators from Green Cicada Valley. The sight was chilling.

He was exhausted.

More exhausted than ever before.

Fang Wang put the Heavenly Palace Halberd into his treasure space and let out a long breath. At that moment, he wanted to do nothing at all, not even draw in spiritual energy. He only wanted to empty his mind for a while.

Before this battle, he had longed for a chance to fight with all his strength. This time, he truly had given everything he had. Unfortunately, the enemy had been too numerous, draining him of both spiritual power and stamina. After he tore through the Ten-Thousand-Venoms Formation with the Black Dragon, he slaughtered his way for over a hundred miles. The demonic cultivators dared not face him directly, and while fleeing, they frantically released venomous insects to buy themselves time.

Fang Wang had no idea how many of those insects he had killed. Fortunately, his white robe of golden scales could deflect the splatter of venom.

There was also the Heart of Battle, which allowed him to enter the most perfect fighting state; no insect or spell could ambush him.

Looking back on the battle, he saw his own shortcomings. His combat strength was enough to sweep aside most cultivators of the Mind-Soothing Realm, but in the end he was still only at the Mystic Heart Realm. His spiritual power was limited, and it was still not enough for one man to destroy an entire sect.

Still, in this battle he had slain several thousand demonic cultivators, inflicting grievous damage on Green Cicada Valley. For a very long time afterward, Green Cicada Valley would likely not dare show itself. If its enemies seized the opportunity to strike while it was down, the sect might even be wiped out. Fang Wang alone had killed at least a hundred cultivators of the Mystic Heart Realm, and for any sect or faction, such a loss was devastating.

I need to break through to the Mind-Soothing Realm as soon as possible. Then, if I face this sort of situation again, I can simply sweep everything clean with the Sword Intent of Heaven and Earth.

He sighed inwardly. The Sword Intent of Heaven and Earth consumed spiritual power at an astonishing rate. Green Cicada Valley’s demonic cultivators were scattered far and wide, and countless venomous insects swarmed the field. If he had fought using that technique, the enemy might not even have lost a fifth of their number before his own spiritual power was exhausted. After all, the Green Cicada Valley cultivators involved in this battle were not mere Spirit-Gathering novices. The sect had brought out its elites, and the strange and varied spells they used were so unusual that even now, recalling them, he found them novel.

Little Violet lay on Fang Wang’s shoulder without a word, like a dead thing. It was utterly spent as well. Before the formation was broken, it had already been badly wounded all over; after the breach, its excitement had driven its demonic power to drain even faster.

Fang Wang lifted his head slightly and gazed into the dusk, letting his thoughts drift empty.

Only when night finally fell did he recover a little strength. Then he began sitting in meditation to draw in spiritual energy, while also taking spiritual pills.

Little Violet opened its mouth and began to swallow the essence of the sun and moon. Under the lonely night sky, neither man nor beast had any heart for conversation.

By the next morning, Fang Wang was still drawing in spiritual energy. The bloodstains on his body had already been washed away, thanks to Little Violet, who knew water-based spells and had sprayed him clean through its snake mouth.

Then Fang Wang suddenly sensed something and raised his hand to produce his disciple token.

"The danger to the sect has been lifted."

Zhao Chuanqian's weary voice came from within it.

Fang Wang let out a breath of relief. As expected of the strongest sect of the future, they had repelled the enemy in just two days. But from Zhao Chuanqian's tone, it was clear the fighting had been fierce.

Fang Wang was still worried about the people of the Fang family, but if anyone had truly died, there was nothing he could do to bring them back. If they were still alive, the Grand Abyss Sect would naturally take care of them.

His heart settled. For the moment, there was no need to hurry back to the sect.

He stood and said, "Little Violet, time to gather the spoils."

Little Violet woke with a start. Still dazed, it paused before exclaiming with delight, "Right, I nearly forgot. Young Master, let's go!"

Fang Wang smiled and headed down the mountain.

Along the path he had taken, the forest was withered. The corpses of those venomous insects added a sinister air to the already desolate mountainscape, and dark poisonous mist still lingered in the sky, slow to disperse. All of it bore witness to how brutal the battle of the previous day had been.

Thus Fang Wang and Little Violet began searching along the way for storage bags. Every demonic cultivator of Green Cicada Valley had hidden poison inside their bags, which made collecting them rather troublesome. Fortunately, neither of them feared poison. Fang Wang possessed True Solar Flame, and Little Violet itself was a venomous serpent.

Two days later, the corpses of Green Cicada Valley's demonic cultivators they encountered had already begun to rot. The flesh of these bodies still concealed toxins, making it impossible to imagine what sort of cultivation these monsters had practiced.

It was worth mentioning that along the way they also encountered some wandering cultivators, who were engaged in the same task.

"Stop right there, you brat! You dare come alone to strip the dead? Not afraid of dying? State your name!"

Four wandering cultivators landed before Fang Wang. The leader held a blade and shouted in a low voice, though he was quite cautious and did not attack immediately.

Fang Wang smiled. "These are all my spoils. As for you people, you dare come steal from me? Looking for death?"

Little Violet poked its head out from behind Fang Wang and flicked its tongue. "My young master is the direct disciple of the Grand Abyss Sect and the heir of the Sword Saint. He is known as the Heavenly Origin Sword Saint. Have you heard of him?"

At that, the faces of the four wandering cultivators changed dramatically, and they all backed away.

"He's Fang Wang?"

"The Sword Heaven Marsh isn't all that far from here. It really could be him..."

"Could he be bluffing us?"

"You want to gamble? Not me!"

After muttering among themselves, one of them quickly left, and the other three dared not remain either. One even bent over to salute Fang Wang, fearing he might take offense.

Fang Wang could not help but laugh, and did not pursue them. There were so many corpses here that surely others would come scavenging. He only needed to make sure the storage bags in front of him were not taken first.

Elsewhere, the Fang family members also encountered the corpses of Green Cicada Valley's demonic cultivators. Seeing the mountains and plains ahead strewn with insect corpses, every one of them looked fearful and uneasy.

As far as the eye could see, the forest ahead had withered in a straight line, stretching toward the edge of heaven and earth. It was profoundly eerie, and difficult to imagine what sort of battle had taken place here in recent days.

"Let's take a detour," Fang Meng said.

Though it would be troublesome, no one objected. None of them wanted to go investigate.

Fang Yin could not help worrying about Fang Wang. Although Fang Wang ought to have been within Sword Heaven Marsh, he feared Fang Wang had also been swept into this unknown war.

Earlier, Fang Wang and the others had deliberately taken a different route when passing them, so as not to worry them and avoid being noticed.

...

Within the Grand Abyss Sect, in the main peak's Source Beginning Hall, all nine branch peak masters were present, along with many elders and direct disciples.

Guang Qiuxian sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his face pale and his whole body weak.

The chief disciples of each branch were reporting the casualty count, and everyone in the hall looked grim.

Zhou Xue stood behind the peak master of the first branch, listening in silence.

After the nine chief disciples finished their reports, one elder spoke up. "The Demon Mother Sect, Yellow Prison Mountain, and Ancient Demon Mountain joined forces to attack us. This grudge cannot go unavenged!"

As soon as he finished, the other elders raised their voices one after another.

"Exactly. What nonsense peace agreement? No, we must avenge ourselves against those three demonic sects!"

"Nearly twenty thousand disciples are dead. This is absolutely the greatest loss the Grand Abyss Sect has suffered in the past three hundred years!"

"Thank goodness Green Cicada Valley didn't come, or we might not have been able to hold out."

"I suggest we write to the Clear Heavens Sect, the Hanging Flood Sword Sect, the Heavenly Pivot Sect, and the Crimson Sun Sect, and declare war on the demonic path together!"

The direct disciples of the various branches were equally indignant, each struggling to contain the killing intent and fury in their eyes.

Deputy Sect Master Chen Anshi frowned and said, "Enough. If we are to seek revenge, we must first recover for a while!"

At that, the elders fell silent at once, revealing his considerable authority.

Chen Anshi stepped forward and fixed Guang Qiuxian with his gaze. "Sect Master, you are gravely wounded and will likely need time to heal. I must also leave to oversee the affairs of the dragon vein. We should choose a chief disciple to command all sect matters and stabilize the situation."

"I propose that Lu Yuanjun serve as the Grand Abyss Sect's chief disciple. His contributions and seniority are sufficient. During this calamity, he held off the Demon Mother Sect's sect master alone and made a great contribution. Does anyone object?"

When he finished, he turned to look at everyone in the hall.

The atmosphere in the great hall turned subtle.

Yang Yuanzi immediately stepped forward. "My disciple Fang Wang inherited the Sword Saint's legacy, slew a great demon king, defeated Kong Xi of the Sword Sect, and has made a name for himself throughout the Great Qi cultivation world. He is the one truly suited to the position of chief disciple!"

At once, many elders chimed in agreement. Lu Yuanjun was well liked, but the Grand Abyss Sect was riddled with factions, and no one could possibly satisfy everyone.

Hearing Yang Yuanzi, Lu Yuanjun remained unmoved, still standing calmly behind the peak master of the first branch.

Chen Anshi looked at Yang Yuanzi and said in a low voice, "Fang Wang's talent and reputation are indeed extraordinarily high, beyond the reach of any other disciple. But his contributions to the Grand Abyss Sect are too few. That is not enough to convince the masses. Could it be that even the Grand Abyss Sect's sect master must be chosen purely by talent? Then what meaning is there in the sacrifices made by the disciples for the Grand Abyss Sect?"

These words drew the approval of the elders who supported Lu Yuanjun.

Someone even said with thinly veiled mockery, "Perhaps this calamity was brought on precisely because he was too dazzling. If we knew that a demonic sect had produced a Heavenly Origin treasure spirit, would we not act?"

These words struck a chord with most of those present.

This disaster had come so suddenly. Most of the disciples who perished had died within the first half hour. Besides Fang Wang's Heavenly Origin treasure spirit, what else could have prompted the demonic path to make such a massive move?

"Ridiculous. Fang Wang never told anyone the grade of his treasure spirit. It was clearly we elders who failed to protect him, exposing his treasure spirit grade and placing him in the eye of the storm. How can that be blamed on him? Must the Grand Abyss Sect never produce an unparalleled genius again? If you speak this way, how are the other sects and the entire cultivation world supposed to see the Grand Abyss Sect?" Yang Yuanzi said firmly, leaving that elder speechless.

Lu Yuanjun narrowed his eyes, a trace of coldness in his gaze as he looked toward Yang Yuanzi.

Another elder frowned and said, "But his contribution really is too low. It is hard to win people over with that!"

Once the matter of sect contributions was raised, the elders supporting Lu Yuanjun had more to say.

The hall descended into renewed argument, loud and chaotic.

Guang Qiuxian's brows were tightly furrowed, and he still refused to speak.

At that moment, Elder Zhang of the Mission Hall seemed to sense something. He raised his hand and took a jade slip from his storage bag, reading it with divine sense. Instantly, his expression changed drastically.

Chen Anshi glared at Yang Yuanzi and snorted. "Junior Brother Yang, the position of chief disciple concerns the Grand Abyss Sect. Please treat this matter fairly!"

Yang Yuanzi did not fear him. He was just about to answer when Elder Zhang suddenly shouted, "Everyone, Green Cicada Valley has brought nearly twenty thousand disciples to encircle Fang Wang!"

As soon as those words fell, the great hall fell silent at once.

Guang Qiuxian sprang to his feet, the movement aggravating his injuries. Clenching his teeth, he asked, "Where is he? What is the situation?"