Chapter 627: 34: Postponement_1

Chapter 627: Chapter 34: Postponement_1

Chunyang Palace.

Outskirts of the Palace courtyard.

Steps, as white as jade, were laid layer by layer.

Silently, a figure appeared in the middle of the courtyard.

At the instant of his appearance, several shadows immediately leapt out from the void to surround him.

However, upon seeing who it was, one of them let out a surprised cry:

...

“Elder Du, what brings you here?”

The newcomer had the appearance of a crane amidst chickens, his eyes swirling like constellations.

It was the Immortal Ascension Elder, Du Wei.

When he heard the reaction, he said gravely: “I have something to discuss with the Sect Master. Stand aside.”

The men exchanged glances, seeming to hesitate.

Just then, a warm voice came from inside the palace.

“Let Elder Du in.”

“Yes.”

The men immediately bowed in respect and gradually vanished from sight, right under Du Wei’s watchful gaze.

After sweeping his gaze around, Du Wei appeared instantly before the palace doors and entered.

A middle-aged cultivator with a long beard and a gentle countenance sat behind a desk, holding a communication jade slip.

In the center of the hall, the smoke from a precious incense burner rose straight up, disappearing into the rafters.

As the middle-aged cultivator lifted his head, his gaze moved from the jade slip in his hand and met Du Wei’s with a hint of confusion.

“What brings you here, Elder Du?”

Du Wei didn’t beat around the bush. After bowing deeply, he asked with a somewhat grave expression:

“Why did the Sect Master send Wang Ba to the West Sea Country?”

“Wang Ba?”

Shao Yangzi looked confused.

“You mean Invincible’s disciple? Isn’t he still at the Foundation Establishment stage?”

Upon hearing this, Du Wei immediately responded: “The Sect Master is aware that he is only at the Foundation Establishment stage? Given the dangerous nature of the West Sea Country’s Southern Shoreline, is it not like sending a newly initiated Foundation Establishment cultivator to his death?”

After a pause, he lowered his voice to ask: “Could it be… the Sect Master plans to sacrifice Wang Ba’s life to facilitate Yao Wudi’s ascension to Immortal Ascension?”

Shao Yangzi’s face darkened instantly.

“Nonsense! To sacrifice a disciple for another one’s advancement is akin to descending into the Demon Dao!”

However, Du Wei was unmoved, his gaze fixated on Shao Yangzi.

Shao Yangzi remained unfazed, meeting Du Wei’s gaze without flinching.

After a few moments passed, Du Wei’s tone finally eased:

“So you’re saying… it wasn’t you who assigned this?”

“Of course not.”

Shao Yangzi replied sternly:

“All patrol assignments are randomly selected on Shaoyin Mountain… Even if it is Wang Ba’s turn, it is just fate.”

“There is no question of anyone deliberately rigging it.”

“Moreover… the Southern Shoreline of West Sea Country is not that dangerous. Even though Xumi was seriously injured, the Longevity Sect has an Immortal Ascension Elder in place, wouldn’t our Wanxiang Sect have one as well?”

“Which Brother is there?”

Upon hearing this, Du Wei couldn’t help but ask curiously.

Shao Yangzi did not respond, but after a brief pause, he said, “However, the Wanfa Peak’s only successor… if anything should happen to Invincible’s disciple, it would be inappropriate.”

“That’s a wise observation, Sect Master.”

Du Wei agreed: “After all, Wang Ba is the sole successor of the Wanfa lineage. If something were to happen to him, wouldn’t it discourage the spirits of the disciples from all peaks? Why not withdraw him from his assignment, let him cultivate peacefully within the sect, and when he reaches the Golden Core stage, he can then contribute to the sect…”

“No, the rules for patrols cannot be changed.”

Shao Yangzi decisively shook his head.

“A hole created by an ant can lead to the collapse of a thousand-mile long dike. If today, we change the rules just for Invincible’s disciple, won’t other Immortal Ascension disciples expect the same in the future?”

“Rules cannot be broken!”

“But he is only a Foundation Establishment…”

Du Wei was anxious to explain.

“Junior Brother Du!”

Shao Yangzi snapped, then his expression softened as he said:

“You should know that the very reason Wanxiang Sect has managed to stand firm till today is because we adhere to our rules strictly. Elsewise, our Wanxiang Sect, or even the entire Great Jin, would have long become like those previous great nations outside, without restraint or moderation, eventually depleting the world’s spiritual energy and reducing themselves to barren lands.”

“You should still remember this, right? Two or three thousand years ago, those small nations outside the Great Jin were not like they are now, unable to even sustain a Nascent Soul cultivator…”

Upon hearing this, Du Wei paused.

How could he forget these things?

In the past, he hailed from Sen State. Though weak back then, Sen State still managed to gather seven to eight Nascent Soul cultivators. But now…

Everyone claimed that the Great Jin had too many rules, but how many really understood that these cumbersome rules, to a certain extent, prevented the rapid decline of the Great Jin like other regions.

“But Wang Ba…”

Despite Shao Yangzi’s logical argument, Du Wei was still somewhat hesitant.

However, it seemed as though Shao Yangzi knew what he was going to say. He gave a small smile and said,

“Indeed, losing talent is a concern, and I understand that. The case of Wang Ba is indeed a special one… But I can’t personally intervene. I will write a letter that you can take to Martial Nephew Qu. He will understand once he sees it.”

Upon hearing this, Du Wei felt a surge of joy and hurriedly thanked Shao Yangzi.

Shao Yangzi rose from his seat, walked over to a desk, and began to write. But Du Wei was unable to discern anything.

“Huff—”

After blowing gently on the letter containing not a single word, Shao Yangzi casually handed it over to Du Wei.

“Junior Brother, I’m afraid I must trouble you with this task.”

“No trouble at all. No trouble at all!”

Accepting the letter, Du Wei gave a small bow and then disappeared from the hall.

As Shao Yangzi slowly took back his gaze, he looked past Chunyang Palace to the void beyond.