Make the Immortal Sect Great Again

At this moment, Wang Ping felt his scalp tingle.

However, before any of those emotions could fully surface, he suppressed them with his formidable spiritual sense. Ultimately, his face showed nothing but a blank, bewildered expression.

"Good disciple? Me?"

Truthfully, he hadn't actually changed since his rebirth. However, due to the age difference and his deliberate attempts to conceal his features, his appearance wasn't identical.

At least not at a level where he could be recognized at a glance.

Moreover, his predecessor's death had been witnessed by everyone. His corpse might even be buried out there. With such ironclad proof, who would ever think he had actually come back to life?

There were plenty of people in the world who looked alike.

'This old bastard is most likely just trying to bait me... I can't admit it, even if it kills me!'

While Wang Ping mulled this over, Shouchong showed no shift in expression. He merely chuckled lightly, then closed his mouth.

"Good disciple, you don't need to deny it."

"Others might not recognize you, but I am not among them."

"Besides, rising from the dead is nothing rare in this world. Many exalted figures possess the ability. I experienced it myself once, back in the day."

Wang Ping grew even more astonished. His only comfort was that Shouchong hadn't spoken aloud this time, seemingly communicating through some secret sound transmission art. Even so, the feeling of having this unexpected secret suddenly laid bare made him secretly grit his teeth.

Across from him, Shouchong's voice continued without pause:

"Clearly, you and I have both received the mercy of some exalted figure... But what surprises me is how you became a bailiff for the County Yamen."

At this point, Shouchong looked at Wang Ping.

His expression was incredibly gentle. Wang Ping couldn't sense the slightest hint of malice, only overwhelming goodwill, as he asked, "Well? Can you tell me?"

"Which exalted figure granted you their mercy?"

"Mine was Liansheng Bodhisattva."

Wang Ping didn't answer. He remained silent, his mind racing to organize his thoughts, until he finally arrived at a conclusion that let him breathe a sigh of relief:

'He doesn't know!'

His resurrection after death was based on the mighty power of the Taiping Sutra. As for any exalted figure or Liansheng Bodhisattva, Wang Ping knew absolutely nothing about them.

'What the hell is that?'

Wang Ping felt that something was off. Judging by Shouchong's words, at least in his mind, these so-called exalted figures could bring the dead back to life.

'You've got to be kidding me.'

'Isn't this wretched place just a mundane martial arts world? Why does it sound like the waters here run so deep!' Wang Ping's mind raced, rapidly searching for a countermeasure.

He couldn't let this old bastard hold the initiative anymore.

With that thought in mind, Wang Ping finally broke his silence. "Speaking of which, hasn't the providence of the White Lotus Sect largely scattered by now?"

Shouchong's voice immediately faltered, though he quickly recovered and laughed. "Just a bit of scattered providence. It's not particularly important."

Wang Ping gave a slight nod. "You're rattled."

"..."

Shouchong fell silent. Under the sky, nothing remained but the torrential downpour and rolling thunder, revealing an intense, suffocating killing intent.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Ping's heart lurched. His spiritual sense shuddered violently and goosebumps erupted across his skin as he sensed an intense mortal crisis. In the very instant that premonition struck, Shouchong—who had been over ten paces away—was already in front of the carriage, clawing a hand straight toward him.

'He made his move...!'

With that reaching claw, Wang Ping clearly witnessed every shift across Shouchong's body. Force rose from the ground, coursed through his spine, and spread to his limbs as his blood and qi exploded everywhere.

It looked like a casual grab, but the palm wasn't the only thing exerting force.

It was his entire body!

His calves, thighs, liver, gallbladder, intestines, abdomen, lower back, spine... The explosive force of his entire body loaded into his right hand like a cannonball, then violently detonated outward.

Boom!

Before the palm even arrived, a ferocious gale whipped Wang Ping's hair backward. His vision momentarily blurred, and the wind pressure made his facial muscles ripple and shake.

This wasn't an attempt to grab him at all—it was a strike meant to blow his head clean off!

There was absolutely no way the current Wang Ping could withstand such a savage bombardment. The only thing he could do was widen his eyes and clearly see Shouchong's movements.

He was going to learn it!

His intuition told him that mastering this method—twisting his entire body's force into a single strand and detonating it all at once—would bring immense benefits to his future martial arts training.

Besides—he refused to believe Chen Haoyan would truly just sit back and watch.

After all, if he died just like this, the Lotus Blade really would be snatched away. If that happened, how could Chen Haoyan play his game of diverting the disaster?

As it turned out, his judgment was spot on.

In the split second before Shouchong's palm pulverized him, Wang Ping heard a sharp hiss. A moment later, his field of vision abruptly wrenched backward.

This wasn't his own doing. Even though his spiritual sense allowed him to clearly track Shouchong's exertion and movements, he completely lacked the time to react. He wasn't a true immortal cultivator, making his spiritual sense far too fragile, while Shouchong was far beyond any ordinary mundane martial artist.

What truly saved him was an external force.

A second later, Wang Ping caught sight of his savior—a pitch-black giant snake nearly ten zhang long, its body thick as a water vat!

Such a massive beast had been silently coiled around the carriage the entire time. It hadn't revealed a trace of vitality, remaining completely undetected even by Wang Ping's spiritual sense beforehand!

'Is that something nature could even breed?!'

Its towering serpentine body was coiled tightly around the carriage, shielding it completely. And the very thing that had snatched Wang Ping from the jaws of death was the tip of its tail.

A moment later, those cold, vertical pupils locked dead onto Shouchong.

An instant later, Shouchong's palm slammed down without deviation. Unflinching, the black snake reared its head and viciously rammed upward, meeting force with sheer force!

Bang!

Bright sparks bloomed in the rainy night, vanishing just as quickly. The black snake recoiled, its head swaying drunkenly as if a bit dazed from the impact.

On the other side, Shouchong casually stepped back a few paces. He paid no heed to the black snake mere feet away; instead, he lifted his gaze toward the distant eaves of a high building. Following his line of sight, Wang Ping also spotted a figure standing atop those roof tiles—someone who hadn't been there a moment ago.

It was a strikingly handsome Daoist.

Like Shouchong, he stood amidst the pouring rain, yet not a single drop touched him. Clad in a yin-yang Daoist robe, he wore a faint smile, exuding effortless composure with every gesture.

"...Perfected Wandering Spirit?"

Shouchong spoke slowly, his tone colored with genuine surprise. "For an extraordinary person of the Imperial Court to willingly step out of their hall... Perfected One, you have committed a grave taboo this time."

Atop the eaves, the handsome Daoist shook his head. "What a naive thought."

"There are no taboos. The only reason we do not leave our halls to set foot into the mortal dust is simply because it isn't worth it, nor is there any need."

"Oh?"

Shouchong's gaze flickered. "So in other words, Perfected One, you found it worthwhile to personally tread the mortal dust today... May I ask what Chen Haoyan gave you?"

"It couldn't possibly be my Lotus Blade. Or could it be..."

"That is none of your concern."

Perfected Wandering Spirit flicked his sleeve. A jade flute had silently appeared in his hand, and killing intent laced his voice. "Furthermore, you talk a bit too much."

"Hahaha."

Seeing this, Shouchong laughed instead. "I see. I understand now. What a Chen Haoyan! Relying on being so far from the Emperor's reach, he actually dares to risk universal condemnation!"

At this point, Shouchong's tone rang with absolute certainty. "It's the Longxing County Seal, isn't it? The symbol of the Imperial Court in Longxing County, a ritual vessel meant to collect the incense of the masses. Only a ritual vessel like that could tempt you, Perfected One—tempt you enough to break convention and personally leave your hall to deal with me."

"..."

Perfected Wandering Spirit offered no reply; the killing intent in his eyes merely grew sharper. However, silence was its own affirmation. Clearly, Shouchong's guess had hit upon the truth.

A moment later, the flute began to play.

Perfected Wandering Spirit raised the emerald jade flute to his lips and played softly. A melodious tune, drifting like weeping whispers, instantly echoed through the rain.

Almost simultaneously, the resting black snake seemed to receive a new command. The massive serpent closed in on Shouchong once more, throwing its bloody maw wide open to expel a blast of foul, toxic gas. With fangs sharp enough to slice iron like mud, it looked as if it wanted to swallow Shouchong whole!

In the nick of time, Shouchong drew back and evaded. The black snake pounced on empty air, its head kicking up a cloud of debris, yet its ferocity remained unquenched as it lunged for Shouchong again.

Swish! Swish!

Through the downpour, a white streak flashed like thunder in the blink of an eye. By the time it could be seen clearly, it had already landed on Perfected Wandering Spirit. It was none other than Shouchong's signature flying knife!

Even though he wasn't using the Lotus Blade, Shouchong's profound cultivation meant that even a mere leaf in his hands could act as a lethal Sharp Weapon. The thrown flying knife exploded the instant it struck Perfected Wandering Spirit. Fueled by Internal Force, the shattered iron fragments bloomed outward like a lotus flower.

Flowers bloom with a single thought!

Perfected Wandering Spirit was instantly engulfed. The violent shockwave tore straight through the torrential rain, a devastating sight that reminded Wang Ping of the rockery being blown to pieces all those days ago.

However, he quickly realized something was wrong.

'There's no blood...!'

The so-called flowers bloom with a single thought wasn't merely describing the flying knife's speed and power; it described the scene after the strike. When the blade was drawn, flowers of blood had to bloom.

However, right now, Wang Ping didn't see any blood.

In other words, the strike had failed.

A moment later, the agitated sheets of rain crashed back down, clearing the smoke and dust. As visibility returned, Perfected Wandering Spirit stood perfectly unharmed in his original spot.

"A parlor trick..."

The handsome Daoist's lips curled into a mocking sneer. He then blew into the jade flute with even greater force, driving the black snake to continue its assault on Shouchong.

But right at that moment, a thunderous explosion suddenly interrupted their rainy night duel.

Boom!

The sound came from afar. More accurately, it originated from Wang Ping's destination—the Shenghua District in the east of the city, emanating directly from the Youren Temple.

In an instant, the previously composed Perfected Wandering Spirit's face drastically changed. Completely disregarding Shouchong, he immediately whirled around to stare in the direction of the Youren Temple. As he spotted the flames and thick smoke billowing into the sky, his expression entirely froze. A moment later, he barely squeezed out a name:

"...Chen Haoyan?"

For the first time, fury surfaced in his voice, along with a degree of sheer disbelief. Shouchong, on the other hand, maintained an expression that said everything had gone exactly as expected.

"As expected."

"If he dared to gamble away the Longxing County Seal, trespassing into an extraordinary person's hall is hardly a stretch. Perfected One, it seems you've been thoroughly played!"

Perfected Wandering Spirit ignored him. Completely abandoning any thoughts of claiming the Longxing County Seal from the carriage, he immediately turned to rush back, only to find his path blocked by Shouchong.

In the blink of an eye, the roles of the two men suddenly reversed.

"You are accomplices?" Perfected Wandering Spirit's tone was ice-cold.

"Hardly."

Shouchong shook his head and said faintly, "Our thoughts simply happened to align. Therefore, I cannot let you go back right now and ruin a good thing."

"The night is short. You might as well stay here and chat with me, Perfected One. I am incredibly interested in extraordinary persons, after all. Going back tomorrow morning won't be too late."

"You're courting death!"

Amidst the torrential downpour, Shouchong, Perfected Wandering Spirit, and the towering black snake clashed once more. The explosive booms of their impacts echoed out, drowning out even the rumbling thunder in the sky.

Tangled in vicious combat, their figures rapidly retreated into the distance.

Chen Haoyan, Shouchong, Perfected Wandering Spirit.

Every one of them harbored grand ambitions, but precisely because of this, every single one of them forgot about the small figure currently sitting inside the carriage.

............

Wang Ping opened his eyes.

"So that's how it is."

It was only now that he finally understood the entirety of Chen Haoyan's scheme.

'Diverting the disaster to deal with Shouchong... that was merely the surface of the plan. It was just a smokescreen, deliberately said and performed for outsiders to witness.'

'So that's the role the Longxing County Seal played. The incense of the masses? Perfected Wandering Spirit needed it, and Chen Haoyan used it to bait him into acting... But this was the true meaning of luring the snake out of its hole! Only, the snake he lured wasn't Shouchong, but Perfected Wandering Spirit!'

The result was perfect.

Perfected Wandering Spirit had been lured out and tangled in combat with Shouchong. This left the Youren Temple empty, granting Chen Haoyan the perfect opening to break in.

"...Hmph."

At that thought, Wang Ping sneered. It was blatantly obvious that by setting all this up, Chen Haoyan had treated him as an absolute disposable pawn from the very beginning.

A slim chance of survival?

In his plans, I was marked for certain death from beginning to end!

'The only reason I'm still alive right now is because his plan hit a snag... Shouchong, that old bastard, seemingly had the exact same idea as him.'

Therefore, Shouchong—who should have been absolutely determined to claim the Lotus Blade—had no intention of fetching it now that Perfected Wandering Spirit had backed off. Instead, he raced against time to stop the Perfected One from returning, which in turn created the opening that allowed Wang Ping to survive.

'Because I am not even worth mentioning.'

Utterly irrelevant to the overall situation. Whether it was Chen Haoyan, Shouchong, or Perfected Wandering Spirit, any one of them could crush him to death the moment they wished.

"These bastards..."

Wang Ping gritted his teeth. Glancing at the Lotus Blade before him and the Longxing County Seal inside the hollow blade stand, his understanding of Chen Haoyan's intentions became even clearer.

"That guy probably never intended to actually give away the Longxing County Seal from the very beginning. He knew that the moment something happened at the Youren Temple, Perfected Wandering Spirit would abandon everything to rush back. Meanwhile, Shouchong's target was the Lotus Blade, completely unaware that the Longxing County Seal was hidden inside the carriage."

As a result, the Longxing County Seal would eventually return safely to Chen Haoyan's hands.

And as long as the item wasn't lost in the end, it wouldn't matter if it had been temporarily handed over or nearly lost; ultimately, he would face nothing worse than a slap on the wrist.

As for the death of a young bailiff in the line of duty, that wouldn't even count as an incident.

'If I run now, I might just make it out alive.'

Despite saying that, Wang Ping didn't make a move. He didn't even leave the carriage, simply sitting there in silence before exhaling a long breath.

He refused to swallow this grievance.

Twenty years since his transmigration. He had joined the White Lotus Sect just to survive, acted as an undercover mole for the County Yamen, walking on thin ice with every single step... and in the end, they still burned the bridge after he crossed it.

Before my cheat arrived, I swallowed this grievance.

Now that I have my cheat, I still have to swallow it?

Then didn't I transmigrate for nothing!

At that thought, Wang Ping abruptly reached out. One hand seized the Lotus Blade, while the other shattered the blade stand, taking the Longxing County Seal out.

He then looked up, glancing around.

"Nobody wants these things? Then I'll be taking them."

The surroundings were dead silent.

A moment later, Wang Ping finally stopped hiding. Channeling the Taiping Sutra, he grabbed both treasures. In an instant, they were fully refined, vanishing without a trace.

"Mine!"

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