5: Chapter 5: The Most Deadly is Filling in the Blanks with Your Own Imagination

Gu Sheng looked at the text on the panel.

His gaze lingered on the words "The Ultimate Cauldron" for a long time.

These four words represented endless trouble.

In the world of cultivation, people would do anything to break through a Bottleneck.

A Cauldron that could unconditionally help someone achieve a Breakthrough—once exposed, old monsters at the Nascent Soul Stage or even the Soul Transformation Stage would pounce like mad dogs.

Gu Sheng carried out a deduction in his mind.

Option One: Immediately activate this Clone, have it Cultivate Ice-attribute Cultivation Techniques, and rapidly increase its strength.

The facts were clear; Tianxuan Peak had just experienced an assassination attempt. Although the four Peak Masters had been intimidated, there were surely countless eyes watching this place in secret.

The sudden appearance of an exceptionally beautiful female cultivator would be impossible to explain.

Once the Physique was exposed, Tianxuan Peak would be razed to the ground in an instant.

Option Two: Utilize the characteristics of this Clone to actively lure a powerhouse, then find an opportunity to assassinate them and plunder their resources.

This wouldn't work either. The gap in cultivation was too large; if the Clone were controlled, it might even affect the Divine Soul of the main body.

Option Three: Put it in storage.

Gu Sheng decisively chose the third option.

Now was not the time to activate this Clone.

He needed an absolutely safe environment or a completely unrelated background identity before he could allow this Clone to appear in the world.

"Withdraw."

The shell turned into a streak of golden light and returned to the System inventory.

Gu Sheng stood up.

He walked out of the hall.

The sunlight was a bit dazzling.

In the Spirit Fields of the back mountain, nine gray-clothed handymen were bending over to pull weeds.

Their movements were mechanical, but their efficiency was extremely high.

Seventeen mu of weed-filled Spirit Fields had already been cleared of a large area.

These nine people didn't need to eat or rest. As long as they had instructions, they would keep working.

Gu Sheng walked to the white jade railing.

Below was a rolling sea of clouds.

Tianxuan Peak was safe for now.

Su Yanzhi and those other four Peak Masters would definitely fill in the blanks of today's events with an extremely terrifying background.

Until they uncovered the truth, no one would dare to run wild at Tianxuan Peak again.

But that wasn't enough.

Sun Yan.

Gu Sheng silently recited this name in his heart.

The name Sun Yan rolled off Gu Sheng's tongue, leaving a trace of lingering bloodiness. He leaned against the back of the main seat, his fingertips slowly tapping on the cold armrest. The hall was silent, save for the rhythmic sound of hoes hitting the soil coming from the back mountain in the distance.

Meanwhile, in the Piaomiao Hall of the Piaomiao Holy Land's main peak.

Su Yanzhi stood in the center of the hall, the hem of his green Daoist robe stained with a few spots of mud. Zhao Yuan, Lu Weilan, and Bai Jingxing stood behind him. The four of them stood in somewhat stiff positions.

At the head of the hall, a middle-aged man in a purple Daoist robe sat on a wide jade chair. He was the Holy Lord of the Piaomiao Holy Land, Mo Cangtian.

Mo Cangtian held the black Blood Shadow Pavilion token in his hand. The edges of the token were slightly worn, and the totem in the center glinted coldly under the lamplight.

"A gold-tier assassin from the Blood Shadow Pavilion," Mo Cangtian spoke.

His finger traced the patterns on the token.

"Where did Sun Yan get the courage?"

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of three sets of footsteps came from the side door of the hall.

Three figures walked into the hall.

Leading them was a burly old man carrying a wide heavy sword; he was the Peak Master of Leiming Peak, Lei Zhen. Following closely behind was the Peak Master of Wanjian Peak, Jian Wuhen, who exuded a sharp, piercing aura. The last person was the Peak Master of Lingjiu Peak, Feng Qinger, dressed in a red dress and walking with very fast steps.

"Senior Brother Mo, what was with that aura just now?" Lei Zhen shouted as soon as he entered.

He walked to the side table and sat down heavily.

"I felt it even at Leiming Peak; that was the pressure of the Void Refinement Stage. When did such an expert hide in our Holy Land?"

Jian Wuhen also stopped. He looked at Su Yanzhi.

"Junior Brother Su, the four of you were nearby just now. Did you see clearly?"

Su Yanzhi straightened his back. He took a step forward.

"I saw clearly. But it wasn't that I saw him; I saw the reality."

Su Yanzhi's voice was a bit hoarse. He pointed at his knees.

"The four of us couldn't even see a single finger of the opponent before we were forced to kneel on the mountain path by the pressure. If Gu Sheng hadn't spoken up, we would probably be fertilizer on the mountain path by now."

Feng Qinger pulled over a chair and sat down.

"Gu Sheng? That kid at the Qi Refinement Stage from Tianxuan Peak?"

Su Yanzhi nodded. He recounted everything that had happened at the back mountain in detail. From the ambush by the black-clothed assassin to the appearance of the old man in hemp clothes out of thin air, and finally to that phrase "my Young Master."

A long silence fell over the hall.

Jian Wuhen's fingers rubbed the hilt of his sword.

"A Dao Protector of the Void Refinement Stage. Calling himself an old servant."

He looked at Mo Cangtian.

"Senior Brother Mo, when Senior Brother Yun brought Gu Sheng back all those years ago, what exactly did he say?"

Mo Cangtian put down the token in his hand. He stood up and walked to the window of the hall. Outside was a rolling sea of clouds.

"At that time, Junior Brother Yun only said that this child's Karma was too great and the Holy Land couldn't protect him, so he could only stay at Tianxuan Peak."

Mo Cangtian turned around.

"I thought back then that Junior Brother Yun was afraid the child's talent would incite jealousy. After all, he has been in the Sect for eight years, and his cultivation has always remained at the Qi Refinement Stage. This in itself was unusual."

Zhao Yuan interjected.

"Now it seems he was recovering from injuries, or perhaps some kind of Bloodline was in a dormant period. The Cultivation Techniques practiced by a Family of that level are likely beyond our understanding."

Bai Jingxing wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"No wonder Senior Brother Yun insisted on passing the position of Peak Master to him before he passed away. He wasn't giving Gu Sheng status; he was leaving a way out for the Holy Land."

Lu Weilan nodded in agreement.

"A Dao Protector at the Void Refinement Stage. This means the power behind Gu Sheng could easily wipe out our Piaomiao Holy Land. The words that old man said before leaving weren't a threat; they were a statement of fact."

Mo Cangtian tapped his finger on the windowsill.

"Where is Sun Yan?"

Su Yanzhi replied, "People have already been sent to capture him. The four assassins he sent are currently lying on the mountain path below Tianxuan Peak with their Meridians completely shattered."

"Bring him back and lock him directly in the Black Prison," Mo Cangtian ordered.

"There's no need for a trial. The Blood Shadow Pavilion token is here; the evidence is conclusive. Tell the people at Lingxu Peak that anyone who dares to plead for mercy will be treated as an accomplice."

Mo Cangtian paused.

"Furthermore, pass down the order. From today onwards, the area within ten miles of Tianxuan Peak is a restricted zone. No one is allowed to approach except for the handymen delivering supplies. Violators will be expelled from the Sect."

Lei Zhen frowned.

"What about the monthly supplies?"

"Triple them. No, quintuple them," Mo Cangtian interrupted him.

"Send over the best healing Medicinal Pills from Yaoling Peak and the newly produced spirit ores from Xuanyang Peak. Do it in the name of providing supplies to Peak Master Gu. Remember, it's for Peak Master Gu, not Martial Nephew Gu."

Feng Qinger pursed her lips.

"Should we pay a visit in person? After all, since something like this happened, the Holy Land is responsible for negligence."

Su Yanzhi immediately shook his head.

"Absolutely not. That old man's attitude was very clear; his Young Master needs quiet to recover. If we go now, it will only make him feel like we're monitoring him. We cannot afford to provoke the current Gu Sheng."

Everyone in the hall nodded one after another.

In their minds, Gu Sheng had transformed from a transparent, useless Peak Master into a Young Master from a super-powerful Family traveling incognito.