Zhu Ju had estimated that the Immortal Tax the Bright Void Sect had to pay was equal to the sect's entire annual expenditure.
In other words,
In addition to supporting the three thousand-plus members of the Bright Void Sect, they had to support an extra three thousand people!
This was undoubtedly a heavy burden.
If it were just a matter of not receiving the Immortal Alliance's protection, many factions would probably rather not pay.
The Demon Dao was terrifying, but the Immortal Tax was even more frightening.
Unfortunately…
DONG!
DOOONG…
A resonant bell chimed.
Streaks of light soared from one mountain peak after another, following the summons of the bell toward the Immortal Alliance Marketplace.
"Martial Uncle Zhu."
Shui Qianning, who was on duty at the Marketplace, flew up to meet Zhu Ju.
"You're here. Master is below."
"Mm."
Zhu Ju nodded and asked,
"Why has the Immortal Alliance summoned us?"
"Well…" Shui Qianning's expression grew rigid.
"You'll find out in a moment."
The two landed in a plaza, their Tunneling Lights fading. Pei Jingque was standing shoulder to shoulder with Dong Yuelan, whispering.
"Sect Leader!"
"Senior Sister Dong."
Out in public, Zhu Ju addressed Pei Jingque as Sect Leader, as was customary.
"Ah, Junior Brother, you're here."
Pei Jingque turned around with a smile.
"If it weren't for the gift you prepared, Junior Brother, my trip to the Seeking Immortal Sect would have likely been fruitless."
"Thankfully…"
"This year's Immortal Tax has been paid in full."
It was true that the Seeking Immortal Sect was wealthy, but the Immortal Tax this time was exorbitant. There were many who couldn't pay.
This included quite a few sects who were on good terms with the Seeking Immortal Sect.
The Bright Void Sect did indeed have a deep relationship with the Seeking Immortal Sect, but the amount of Spirit Stones they needed to borrow was also far more than others.
Without the Foundation Establishment Pills Zhu Ju had prepared, even if Pei Jingque could borrow Spirit Stones, she wouldn't have been able to borrow so many.
"You already paid?"
Zhu Ju nodded.
"That's good."
"Yes," Dong Yuelan said, her expression complex.
"You all are fine, but others weren't so lucky."
"They're coming!"
Just then, nearly a hundred disciples in bright yellow Immortal Alliance uniforms descended from the sky on white clouds, landing in the center of the plaza.
Unlike the Immortal Alliance Cultivators of the past,
This group was suffused with Evil Qi, their gazes sharp. The aura of these hundred-some people was stronger than that of the nearly thousand people in the plaza.
As their gazes swept over the crowd, it felt like dozens, even hundreds, of sharp swords were bearing down. Even Zhu Ju couldn't help but feel his heart clench.
The Immortal Alliance…
'It really is a different time now.'
In the past, the people of the Immortal Alliance had been lax and aimless, just coasting along, but they had never possessed such a piercing aura.
THUD!
A thick stone pillar descended from the sky.
It was followed by a second, then a third, until nine massive stone pillars—each so thick it would take several people to wrap their arms around it—had plunged into the plaza.
On each stone pillar, a human figure was bound in iron chains.
"AHHH!"
"Kill me! Just kill me!"
"..."
Shrill, frenzied screams issued from the figures, enough to make anyone who heard them tremble.
"That person is the Young Pavilion Master of Linglong Pavilion, Young Master Yun!"
"The Patriarch of the Poison Mountain Hex Family, Hex Qiongyao!"
"..."
The mingling screams and angry roars sent a chill of shared dread through the thousand-strong crowd of onlookers.
"Everyone."
Ping Daochuan descended from the sky, his Fake Pill aura flaring out, making him seem like a terrifying beast coiled in the center of the plaza.
"The Immortal Tax is the foundation of the Immortal Alliance. Without it being paid in full, we cannot resist the onslaught of the Demonic Demon People."
"This is a consensus among all of us Righteous Cultivators!"
With a sweep of his wide sleeve, he pointed at the people chained to the stone pillars.
"And these people…"
"They not only failed to pay their Immortal Tax in full, but they also presumed to criticize the Immortal Alliance's policies, and even secretly sided with the Demon Dao."
"Today!"
"I will enforce the Alliance's rules!"
WHOOSH…
As soon as his voice fell, jets of flame shot into the sky, engulfing the stone pillars in the plaza.
The flames didn't burn the people on the pillars, but rather heated the pillars red-hot, thereby searing the prisoners.
The Cannon Firing Torture!
This was an extremely cruel form of torture.
The array patterns carved into the stone pillars stimulated the victims' pain receptors while simultaneously controlling the heat, torturing them to the point where they wished for death, yet were unable to die.
"Master."
Shui Qianning's voice trembled.
"On that pillar... I think that's Wuh Tian, Patriarch of the Wuh Family."
"..." Pei Jingque slowly nodded.
"It's him!"
Zhu Ju's eyes narrowed.
Not long ago, Wuh Tian had brought his own grandson to visit the Bright Void Sect. To think he would end up in such a state today.
"I heard the Wuh Family was planning to disband and become Loose Cultivators in the Ten Thousand Mountains to avoid the Immortal Tax,"
Dong Yuelan whispered,
"But in the end…"
"The Immortal Alliance made their move, capturing the entire Wuh Family. Wuh Tian was brought here to be publicly tortured as an example."
"They're making an example of them to assert their authority!"
"The Wuh Family…" Pei Jingque's expression flickered as she watched the family they had been on good terms with meet such a fate.
"How did the Immortal Alliance deal with the rest of the Wuh Family?"
"They were given the Spirit Slave Brand and will be used as pawns to resist the Demonic Cultivators," Dong Yuelan said.
"If they can achieve Great Merit, there's a chance to have the brand removed, but the probability is extremely low."
"Oh, right!"
"I heard a child from the Wuh Family named Wuh Lei wasn't captured and is now wanted by the Immortal Alliance."
"The Spirit Slave Brand?" Pei Jingque's eyes narrowed.
"That's a Forbidden Technique!"
The so-called Spirit Slave Brand referred to an Evil Technique that used certain means to control another's life, death, and even their Primordial Spirit.
Even the Demon Dao rarely used such Methods.
Long, long ago, the Cultivation Realm decreed that no Cultivator was to practice such Magic.
If any were discovered,
They were to be executed by all!
And now.
The Righteous Immortal Alliance was actually using such methods themselves.
"Sect Leader."
Zhu Ju spoke up,
"Who is that person behind Ping Daochuan?"
"Ping Chengze." Pei Jingque cast her gaze toward him and said grimly,
"The Patriarch of the Star-Picking Tower's Ping Family, a Golden Core Cultivator, and also Ping Daochuan's grandfather."
"This man is narrow-minded and vengeful over the smallest slight. Whatever you do, don't provoke him."
Zhu Ju nodded slowly.
The screams continued for a full hour before the people bound to the stone pillars finally lost their lives, one after another.
"Everyone must pay the Immortal Tax, even Loose Cultivators!"
Riding the intimidating wave of having just tortured and killed a group of Cultivators, Ping Daochuan spoke in a booming voice:
"I can understand that the major sects intend to move south, but half of your people must stay behind."
"If you truly cannot pay the Immortal Tax, then you will pay with labor and accept the Immortal Alliance's conscription to fight the Demonic Demon People."
"..."
"Furthermore!"
"The Immortal Alliance Marketplace will sell all sorts of supplies—Elixirs, Magical Artifacts, and Cultivation Techniques are all available for purchase with Immortal Alliance merit points."
"Merit points are obtained by killing Demonic Demon People."
*
*
*
「Two months later.」
Zhu Ju emerged from his Cave Mansion. He stretched his limbs in the bright sunshine, feeling refreshed and invigorated.
'Twenty-some years and thousands of attempts, but I've finally found the limits of the Broken Sword Intent.'
'Now that I know all of its variations, I just need to master its moves and find a way to counter them. Even if my own foundation is lacking, I can then eliminate the Sword Intent and gain complete control over the Ten Directions Cross Sword.'
DOOONG…
A series of urgent bell chimes rang out.
Zhu Ju shook his head, a look of resignation on his face.
'Not again!'
The words had barely left his mouth before he vanished, heading straight for the Sect's main hall.
"The Demon Dao is attacking!"
"Be careful!"
"Check the perimeter…"
Inside the main hall, various voices called out in an orderly fashion. It was clearly not the first time they had dealt with such a thing.
"Junior Brother."
Pei Jingque sat enthroned in the center of the hall, surrounded by shimmering, multi-colored Spiritual Light. Her beautiful eyes seemed to hold shifting landscapes.
"A group of Demonic Cultivators appeared at the edge of the array, probed it a little, and then disappeared."
"It might just be a provocation, or it could be a trap to lure us out," Zhu Ju said.
"Pay them no mind!"
Recently, Demonic Cultivators had been appearing frequently nearby. According to information from the Immortal Alliance, a Demonic Golden Core had already infiltrated the area. It seemed a new wave of invasion from the Demon Dao was now inevitable.
The only question was when the war would officially begin.
"We've paid so much in Immortal Tax. The Immortal Alliance can't just stand by and watch the Bright Void Sect fall into danger, can they?"
Zhu Ju sat down and said calmly,
"The Sect has a Tier Two Array, and with you and me here, we don't have to worry as long as no Golden Core shows up."
"Besides, the people from the Immortal Alliance should be here soon."
"That's true," Pei Jingque said, rubbing her forehead.
"But this can't go on forever. If nothing else, with the trade routes cut off, we can't sell our Spirit Wine."
"What about next year's Immortal Tax?"
"Hm?"
Before she could finish, she retrieved a Communication Spirit Talisman from her storage pouch, her brow immediately furrowing.
"What is it?" Zhu Ju asked.
"The Seeking Immortal Sect's garrison is under attack by the Demon Dao. The situation is critical," Pei Jingque said, her expression grave.
"Sect Leader Xu sent a message, hoping I will go help."
"How can that be?" Zhu Ju was taken aback.
"The Seeking Immortal Sect is protected by a Tier Three Array. Could a Demonic Golden Core be attacking them?"
Even a Golden Core Grandmaster couldn't dream of breaking a Tier Three Grand Array in a short time.
What's more…
Such a powerful enemy.
As a Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator, Pei Jingque would be useless if she went.
"No!"
Pei Jingque shook her head.
"The Seeking Immortal Sect secretly moved south several years ago. They took their Sect Array with them. The array they have now is even worse than ours."
"Junior Brother!"
Her thoughts spinning, she rose to her feet.
"Without the Seeking Immortal Sect's generous aid, the Bright Void Sect could never have paid this year's Immortal Tax. We have to go help. It's a matter of both duty and principle."
"I'll go," Zhu Ju said, getting up.
"The Sect needs you to hold the fort."
"No," Pei Jingque said, shaking her head gently.
"This place can afford to lose me, but it cannot lose you, Junior Brother. You are the true pillar of this Sect."
The Seeking Immortal Sect took their array with them when they moved, and the Bright Void Sect is doing the same.
Although we've only moved a part of it so far, our Tier Two High Grade Array has already been downgraded to Tier Two Low Grade.
With Pei Jingque overseeing it, at most she could only bring the power of the Tier Two Low Grade array to its maximum potential.
Zhu Ju was different.
He had The Investiture of the Gods, which contained a Tier Two High Grade Array. Once activated, he alone was worth an entire Sect.
Of course,
Only Pei Jingque knew about this.
"In that case…" Zhu Ju frowned.
"Be extremely careful!"
"I know." Pei Jingque nodded.
"The Seeking Immortal Sect didn't just send a message to me; they contacted other powers as well. Besides, I could use the activity."
......
With Pei Jingque gone, Zhu Ju had to take control of the Sect Array, so he had no time to rest.
In a flash,
half a month went by.
The danger at the Seeking Immortal Sect had been resolved, and Pei Jingque sent a message that she was on her way back.
But before she returned, another group of people returned to the Sect first.
"Senior Brother!"
Several streaks of light descended from the sky. Liuu Huang'er called out in delight,
"Look who I brought back!"
Behind her, a sturdy figure strode out and knelt before Zhu Ju, his face overcome with emotion.
"Disciple…"
"…pays his respects to Master!"
"Xi Chen!" Zhu Ju's face filled with delighted surprise.
"You're really not dead?"
"Mm-hm." Xi Youyue stepped forward as well, her eyes red as she nodded emphatically.
"My brother isn't dead!"
"He's not dead!"
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