The Quest for Immortality

The disciple paused for a moment.

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother frowned, ”And then?”

The disciple sneaked a glance at the Sever Gold Sect senior brother and whispered, ”Then, it was just like with you...”

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother froze slightly, ”What do you mean, just like me?”

”Stripped of their clothes, painted with turtles, and hung on a tree...”

These words, like sharp swords, pierced straight through his mental defenses.

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother’s blood surged instantly. He slammed the table in front of him, shattering it into pieces, and then began trembling with rage.

What a monstrous humiliation!

This was the most humiliating experience he had ever suffered in his entire life!

What made it even harder to accept was that the ones who subjected him to this humiliation were just a group of Foundation Establishment Middle Stage disciples—far inferior in seniority and cultivation compared to him.

Each time he thought about this, he clenched his teeth, his anger blazing within him.

The disciple, seeing this, shivered on the side in fear.

After a long while, the senior brother of the Sever Gold Sect, who had suffered the breaking of his sword techniques, the stripping of his Taoist Robe, the hanging on a tree branch, and the drawing of turtles, finally suppressed the fury in his heart. With a frosty expression, he asked:

”On the Taixu Sect’s side, who was leading them?”

The disciple said, ”I don’t know for sure, but the one charging at the forefront was a tall Taixu Sect disciple wielding a giant axe.”

”A giant axe!”

Just as expected!

A cold light flashed in the eyes of the Sever Gold Sect senior brother.

”Brother Jin, what should we do next...” The disciple cautiously asked.

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother contemplated briefly, then sneered:

”If they want to fight, we’ll fight them!”

The disciple’s expression lit up with joy, ”Brother Jin, you’re going to make a move?”

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother’s face darkened.

Me? Make a move?

It was because he made a move last time that he ended up in such an embarrassing situation.

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother, narrow-minded by nature, let his gaze grow cold. He looked at the disciple, though no one could guess what he was pondering.

After a moment, he spoke:

”Not yet. For now, neither I nor the other senior brothers from the Sever Gold Sect can take action.”

”Previously, it was because those little pests snatched away monster beasts belonging to the Sever Gold Sect that I confronted them.”

”But now, this is a conflict among disciples of the same generation. If we senior brothers step in again, it would inevitably be seen as bullying the weak.”

”Even if there is justification, word would still spread, and we would inevitably be criticized.”

”The Sever Gold Sect has always conducted itself righteously, fearing no slander, but neither can we hand others such an excuse.”

”So, this matter must still be handled by your generation of junior disciples. It’s your fight to fight.”

”But...” The disciple hesitated nervously, ”We’re probably no match for the Taixu Sect...”

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother’s expression turned cold, ”You are a disciple of the Sever Gold Sect. How can you lack the will to fight, boosting the morale of others while diminishing your own?”

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother let out a cold laugh, ”Even though the Sever Gold Sect is ranked only within the Twelve Streams, that was merely due to prior evaluations unfairly underestimating us.”

”As of today, the Sever Gold Sect has grown far stronger and is no longer as we once were.”

”As for the Taixu Sect, they have declined with every generation, reduced to being the weakest among the Eight Great Gates, their reputation nothing but a hollow name.”

”What Brother Jin says is absolutely true!”

The disciple responded hurriedly, though his expression showed lingering hesitation, ”But, Brother Jin, you don’t know. Every member of the Taixu Sect has a Gold-breaking armor...”

”And we of the Sever Gold Sect, with most of our disciples having Metal Spirit Roots and cultivating gold-series skills...”

”When our spells strike their Gold-breaking armor, their power is greatly diminished.”

”Body cultivators fare slightly better, but still have no clear advantage...”

”In direct confrontations, we disciples of the Sever Gold Sect do not fear the Taixu Sect, but they are too cunning. Coupled with the advantage of their spiritual tools and armor, we are afraid of being at a disadvantage...”

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother frowned.

He was aware of these facts, and they had long seemed strange to him.

Under normal circumstances, such single-element armors should be difficult to mass-produce. Even if mass-produced, they would almost certainly result in financial losses.

One or two pieces would be fine.

But for each person to have one, of the same design, inscribed with Gold-breaking Formation—it was highly unusual.

This suggested that someone, or some force, was deliberately targeting the Sever Gold Sect, sparing no expense and paying an enormous price to develop these customized spiritual tools specifically designed to counteract Golden Spiritual Power...

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother’s expression grew more and more serious. After a moment, he spoke:

”I will personally handle this matter. Gather the disciples and teach the Taixu Sect a lesson tomorrow.”

”Yes, Brother Jin.”

The disciple took the order and left.

After thinking for a moment, the Sever Gold Sect senior brother stood up and left the Disciple’s Residence. Walking along the magnificently decorated golden steps, he headed to another location within the Sever Gold Sect—a secluded and luxuriously adorned cave dwelling.

A beautiful female disciple opened the door and led him inside, guiding him all the way to the main hall.

In the hall sat an elegantly dressed young man with handsome features.

The young man was savoring tea.

The beautiful female disciple moved closer and whispered something in his ear. The young man nodded, then teasingly stroked her chin, saying something ambiguous.

The female disciple left, blushing shyly.

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother kept his gaze steady and dared not look around, but his peripheral vision couldn’t help but linger on the alluring figure of the female disciple as she departed. A trace of envy welled up in his heart.

This wasn’t an elder’s cave dwelling but a disciple’s residence.

A single-occupancy cave dwelling, with female attendants.

These things were against the rules.

Not just in the Sever Gold Sect, but in more than half of the sects across the Qianxue State Boundary, this was contrary to sect regulations.

But rules were always made for the common folk.

Some people were destined to stand above the rest, enjoying wealth and privileges that ordinary cultivators could never touch in their lifetimes.

The Sever Gold Sect senior brother shifted his gaze to the elegantly dressed young man at the center of the room.

Jin Yicai.

One of the most direct descendants of the Jin family from the Sever Gold Sect.

On his father’s side, a lineage that had been entrenched in the upper echelon of the Sever Gold Sect for generations; on his mother’s side, ties to the Central Dao Court Seven Pavilions, with considerable influence even within the Taoist State.