Chapter 223: It’s Time for You as Sect Master to Step Up
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Ding!
This potion is a newly developed product, currently in the experimental phase. While its effects are stable, it may cause side effects after use. Depending on the user’s condition, these side effects could vary. Please proceed with caution.
“Will it be fatal?” Ye Cong Xin’s eyes flickered with hesitation.
Ding!
No, but side effects such as blindness, deafness, or loss of bowel control may occur.
The system’s response left Ye Cong Xin deep in thought.
The first two side effects might be tolerable, but the last one…
Ye Cong Xin couldn’t bring herself to imagine the Number One Cultivator of the Soul Transformation Stage, Master Qing Yan, suffering from incontinence.
“Hiss…”
She drew in a sharp breath. After deliberating for a long time, she decided to wait and observe the situation. If Master Qing Yan’s condition didn’t improve, she would consider purchasing the potion later.
A few days passed.
The flying boat landed steadily at the gates of the Five Elements Dao Sect.
Elder Sun and a group of disciples stepped forward to greet them, only to realize that the first person to disembark was not their sect master but Sect Master Wu Sang from the Green Wood Sect.
“Sect Master Wu Sang, welcome, welcome!”
Elder Sun paused briefly before rushing forward with enthusiasm, deliberately avoiding any mention of their sect master.
Sect Master Wu Sang cooperated, exchanging pleasantries with Elder Sun. Meanwhile, Zhou Jin Yue, Zhang Jun, and the others subtly diverted the attention of the disciples, ensuring no one noticed that their sect master and Master Qing Yan had not disembarked from the flying boat.
Upon returning to the Five Elements Dao Sect, Sect Master Ji Yuan carried Master Qing Yan and teleported directly to the entrance of a rural courtyard. The modest area was enclosed by a fence, with chickens, ducks, vegetable seedlings, and fruit trees thriving inside.
“Grand Elder, Ji Yuan requests an audience.”
The wooden gate creaked open.
A frail-looking elderly woman with kind eyes emerged from the earthen house. She glanced at the unconscious Master Qing Yan in Ji Yuan’s arms and sighed deeply.
“What’s meant to come has come. Bring him inside.”
“Yes.”
Ji Yuan placed Master Qing Yan on the wooden bed in the side room, lowering his head in shame. “Grand Elder, Master Qing Yan’s relapse this time was my fault. I have failed the sect.”
Sitting by the bed, the Grand Elder placed her hand on Master Qing Yan’s wrist, infusing spiritual energy into his body.
Master Qing Yan’s pale complexion visibly improved, though he showed no sign of waking up.
The Grand Elder spoke calmly, “There’s no need to blame yourself. His temperament has become increasingly extreme over the years. I knew this day would come, though I didn’t expect it so soon.”
“He has always had underlying ailments. I shouldn’t have argued with him over something so trivial.”
Ji Yuan still couldn’t forgive himself. He had thought their heated argument, even the minor skirmish, would only cause Master Qing Yan a headache for a couple of days, as it had before. He hadn’t anticipated such a severe reaction.
“He brought this upon himself. He wouldn’t listen to anyone’s advice—it’s not your fault.”
The Grand Elder led a secluded, peaceful life in the Five Elements Dao Sect, tending to her garden and livestock. However, she was not blind to the sect’s affairs.
The rumors about Master Qing Yan and Yu Zhao had spread far and wide. She had privately approached Master Qing Yan to counsel him against jumping to conclusions and to give Yu Zhao another chance.
Yet, Master Qing Yan remained adamant. Her efforts were in vain, and at that moment, she had sensed a foreboding.
“In the end, it’s still my debt to him.”
The Grand Elder withdrew her hand, her weathered face tinged with remorse.
Back then, during the siege by the three Soul Transformation Stage cultivators, she had been in seclusion, attempting to reach the pinnacle of the Soul Transformation Stage, while Sect Master Ji Yuan and the other elders were caught up in various entanglements. It was Master Qing Yan who, undaunted by the crisis, stepped forward decisively. Using a strategy that inflicted significant damage on both sides, she swiftly resolved the threat, preserving the reputation of the Five Elements Dao Sect.
Since then, Master Qing Yan’s temperament had shifted drastically, growing increasingly erratic. Concerned by the weight of her thoughts, the Grand Elder devised a plan—constantly assigning new disciples to Lone Moon Peak, hoping that through teaching, Master Qing Yan’s personality might gradually change.
The Grand Elder vividly remembered how overjoyed Master Qing Yan had been when she brought Yu Zhao back to the sect—her happiness even seemed to smooth a wrinkle from her face.
Who could have predicted that what she had deemed the ideal mentor-disciple relationship would end in such a tragic outcome?
She sighed deeply, turning her gaze to the Sect Master Ji Yuan, who stood awkwardly like a child caught in wrongdoing. “I’ve seen how much you’ve tolerated from her over the years. It hasn’t been easy for you either.”
The tall man’s eyes reddened, and he shook his head repeatedly. “Master Qing Yan has sacrificed so much for the sect; it’s only right for me to do my part.”
“You’re all good children.” The Grand Elder nodded slightly, a sharp glint flashing in her cloudy eyes. “The sect will not abandon Master Qing Yan.”
With those words, she took a vivid green pill from her sleeve and, ignoring Sect Master Ji Yuan’s attempts to stop her, placed it in Master Qing Yan’s mouth.
“Grand Elder, that’s the sect’s last Longevity Pill!”
The Longevity Pill, as its name implied, could extend one’s lifespan by a century and was an exceedingly rare Fifth-Grade Elixir. Even a sect as powerful as the Five Elements Dao Sect had only obtained three in its entire history, and this was the last one.
Entrusting the Longevity Pill to the Grand Elder had been a decision made collectively by all the sect’s elders. Given her advanced age and dwindling lifespan, consuming the pill would have granted her an additional century of life. By giving the pill to Master Qing Yan, she was sacrificing her final opportunity to prolong her own life.
“Grand Elder, why do this?”
“I should have given this pill to her the year she was injured. At least it’s not too late now.” She turned to Sect Master Ji Yuan. “First, contact Hermit Bao Hua and see if she can do anything. If even she is powerless, then issue a bounty in the cultivation world. Whoever can heal Master Qing Yan will have their request granted, as long as it is within the capabilities of the Five Elements Dao Sect.”
“Grand Elder!” Sect Master Ji Yuan was shocked.
If the news of Master Qing Yan’s injuries spread, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar and might even attract opportunists with malicious intentions.
The Grand Elder’s expression remained resolute. “If Qing Yan falls, I am still here. Even if it means breaking these old bones, I will protect the sect. And if I fail, you and the other elders must rise to the occasion.”
Master Qing Yan may be strong, but she cannot shoulder the sect’s burdens forever. It’s time for you, as Sect Master, to step up.”
“Yes, I understand,” Sect Master Ji Yuan replied, his thoughts suddenly clear.
Over the years, the cultivation world had regarded Master Qing Yan as the sect’s de facto leader, leading him to unconsciously rely on her while neglecting his own duties. This complacency had contributed to the recent incident, where Yu Zhao was left to face overwhelming criticism without anyone stepping up to defend her.
Ultimately, the root cause was his own negligence as Sect Master.
His frustration and regret gradually settled into resolve.
The Grand Elder gave a small nod of approval. “Admitting your mistakes and correcting them is not too late. Go now and set things right within the sect. Leave Master Qing Yan to me.”
“Yes!”