radicalducati Page 63
Page 63
He was a core disciple of the Sanyi Sect and had always lived on the mountain.
With Zuo Ruotong, a top expert, protecting him, he didn't dare to force his way in.
Now, the opportunity has finally arrived!
"Is the news reliable?"
"It's true."
Wugensheng patted his chest and assured them, "I've already sent people to keep a close eye on them. This time, they don't have any elders from the sect protecting them."
Li Muxuan's breathing became somewhat rapid.
Without the slightest hesitation, he set off immediately.
Wugensheng watched his retreating figure, driven by hatred, shook his head helplessly, and quickly followed after him.
The two traveled swiftly and soon arrived at the small town called "Guiyuan Town" at the foot of Sanyimen Mountain.
The town is small, but it is quite prosperous because it is backed by a prestigious sect like the Sanyi Sect.
The two wandered around the town but couldn't find a trace of Lu Jin.
Li Muxuan's face gradually darkened.
"Don't worry, maybe my people just got lost."
While comforting him, Wugensheng casually looked up at the misty, celestial mountain not far away.
"Since we're already here, why don't we... go up and take a look?"
He pointed to the mountain gate of the Sanyi Sect, a hint of urging smile on his face.
"Haven't you always wanted to know what it's like inside the Trinity Gate?"
"Let's sneak in quietly, check things out, and not alert anyone. Consider it... a preliminary reconnaissance mission?"
This proposal is filled with a devilish temptation.
Li Muxuan's heart stirred instantly.
He harbored both a deep-seated hatred for the Trinity Sect and an inexplicable curiosity about it.
He wanted to see for himself just how impressive this sect that had turned him away really was.
He also wanted to see with his own eyes what those fellow disciples who once looked down on him were like now.
He agreed almost without hesitation.
Two dark figures, like ghosts, silently bypassed the heavily fortified mountain gate of Sanyi Gate and sneaked into the back mountain.
With their exceptional skills, they easily dealt with the two lone patrolling disciples and changed into their clothes.
The two, disguised as disciples of the Sanyi Sect, infiltrated the sect's stronghold with almost no effort.
Along the way, they saw many disciples in a hurry.
The disciples all had solemn expressions and rarely smiled, and the entire sect was shrouded in a strict, almost rigid atmosphere.
"A bunch of hypocrites."
Li Muxuan muttered disdainfully.
Wugensheng didn't speak, but observed everything around him with great interest.
He could sense an extremely powerful energy field on this mountain.
That energy was pure and vast, yet it carried an indescribable weariness and stagnation.
Like a sleeping dragon, its power remains, but it has lost the vigor to take flight.
The two traveled without any obstacles and arrived directly at the most central location of the Sanyi Sect—the Ancestral Hall.
The memorial tablets of the past masters of the Sanyi Sect are enshrined here, creating a solemn and respectful atmosphere.
Just as Li Muxuan was about to push open the door and enter, wanting to see what secrets lay inside.
An old and weary voice quietly rose from behind them.
"Mu Xuan, you've finally come back."
The two men felt a chill run down their spines and turned around abruptly.
Under the moonlight, an elderly man with a gaunt face and a shrewd, restrained gaze, dressed in the robes of the head of the Sanyi Sect, stood quietly.
He appeared at some unknown time, without any fluctuation of his aura, as if he had long since blended into the night.
It was Zuo Ruotong, the leader of the Sanyi Sect.
His every move was already within Zuo Ruotong's perception.
Li Muxuan's body tensed instantly, his internal energy gathering momentum, and his eyes looked as if facing a formidable enemy.
However, Zuo Ruotong did not make a move.
He simply looked at Li Muxuan, his deep eyes filled with complex and unfathomable emotions.
There is heartache, there is regret, but more than anything, there is a deep weariness.
Looking at the young man before him, whose eyes were filled with resentment and hostility, he seemed to see the unruly boy from many years ago.
Zuo Ruotong let out a long sigh.
That sigh seemed to drain all the strength from his body.
"What happened back then was my fault."
He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse.
"I shouldn't have rejected you just because you were arrogant."
“I should have kept you by my side, taught you personally, tempered your character, and tempered your resentment.”
"It's my fault for not fulfilling my responsibilities as an elder."
He looked at Li Muxuan, and a genuine sense of apology actually appeared in his eyes.
"Today, as the leader of the Sanyi Sect, I apologize to you."
These words left Li Muxuan completely stunned.
He had imagined countless scenarios of their reunion, whether it would be swords drawn or angry rebukes.
But I never expected such a sudden apology.
After a brief moment of shock, years of pent-up resentment erupted like a flood bursting its banks!
Li Muxuan laughed, a laugh that was both shrill and mocking.
"What a hypocrite! What's the point of saying all this now?!"
"Back then, when I sincerely sought the Way, you treated me like trash! Now that I've turned to another sect, you put on this hypocritical face!"
He pointed at Zuo Ruotong, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Your Trinity Sect, from top to bottom, are a bunch of hypocrites!"
"I, Li Muxuan, will now completely sever all ties with you! I will cut all ties with the Sanyi Sect!"
His roar echoed in the silent night, filled with resentment and determination.
Wugensheng watched quietly from the side, neither intervening nor offering any advice.
He knew that Li Muxuan had to vent this resentment.
After Li Muxuan finished venting his anger, he stopped, panting heavily.
Wu Gensheng's gaze, however, fell on Zuo Ruotong.
He didn't care about the sectarian feuds, but instead became very interested in Zuo Ruotong's cultivation level.
"Left Gate Master."
He suddenly spoke, a curious smile on his face.
"I am Wugensheng, and there is something I don't understand. I would like to ask you about it."
Zuo Ruotong recovered from the shock of Li Muxuan's words. He glanced at the ethereal Quanxing Sect Leader, whose aura was so elusive that even he couldn't quite see through him, and nodded.
"Judging from the sect master's aura, it is harmonious and vast, reaching the pinnacle of extraordinary beings. Why... is he seemingly trapped at a certain hurdle, unable to achieve perfection?"
Upon hearing this, Zuo Ruotong's expression changed drastically for the first time.
He stared intently at Wugensheng, his eyes filled with horror.
This young man saw through his biggest worry with just one glance!
Wugensheng seemed oblivious to his shock and continued talking to himself.
"The Threefold Reversal of Life in the Sanyi Sect is about returning to one's innate nature. The first level is self-cultivation, and the second level is refining the acupoints. The sect leader has already perfected these two levels."
"But why is the sect leader unable to reach the legendary third level, Ascension?"
He looked at Zuo Ruotong with intense gaze.
"Is it a flaw in the cultivation technique, or... is this simply the way of nature?"
The two of them then began to discuss the Dao in front of the Ancestral Hall, oblivious to everyone else around them.
From cultivation methods to the principles of nature, from techniques to laws.
Wu Gensheng's unrestrained and unconventional thinking clashed fiercely with Zuo Ruotong's rigorous, profound, and millennia-old tradition, creating a wonderful spark.
To outsiders, it sounded like absurd and crazy talk.
But to the two of them, it was the most profound exploration of the Great Dao.
Li Muxuan listened from the side, his initial disdain gradually turning into shock.
He realized that his pride and knowledge seemed so shallow in the face of these two.
During this discussion, Wugensheng astutely discovered a startling fact.
Zuo Ruotong's cultivation level has indeed reached the pinnacle of the world.
However, his mind was trapped by the "obsession" of "reversing the cycle of rebirth and ascending to immortality" that had been passed down for thousands of years.
He firmly believed in the records in the classics and that as long as he broke through the third level, he could ascend to heaven in broad daylight.