Chapter 417: Chapter 283: Dispatch
The Mystic Sect, centered on the master-disciple tradition, values rules the most. The sect leader’s orders are something ordinary disciples dare not defy.
However, Tie Dan is no ordinary disciple.
He has always had a vengeful nature, with long-standing discontent toward the Inner Mountain, growing by the day. As early as his face-to-face debate with the Sword Monarch, his grievances were already visible, just a step away from shouting, ’How can we improve the Sword Sect by associating with such worms!’
Thus, Tie Dan honestly does not wish to return to Nine Yin Mountain. After all, becoming independent after leaving the mountain isn’t rare in the Mystic Sect. As long as one finds a place with a Spiritual Qi Earth Vein, digs a hole, and goes into seclusion, one can hide for hundreds of years where no one can find them. Who knows if they are dead or alive; this is called the Hidden Immortal Sect.
Moreover, wherever there are people, there is Jianghu. Similar situations often occur within the Mystic Sect. Even if the master-disciple relationship is close, disputes and scuffles are inevitable among senior and junior brothers, senior uncles, and within the same sect’s Inner Sect due to uneven distribution of interests. Therefore, going separate ways and setting up independently or internal strife isn’t uncommon.
For instance, Heng Mountain and Sanmao Mountain both belong to the Shangqing Dao lineage. In the past, the Hidden Immortal Sect and Xiaoyao Sect faced similar situations. If a True Disciple has their abilities, seeking another dojo to teach is not considered betraying the sect. It’s just that the paths differ, so they don’t engage in the same tasks.
Hence, what Tie Dan is thinking is nothing more than going back to Guangxia Mountain Swallow Cave. Anyway, passing on the Yao Guang lineage’s teachings alone is still possible. What does the Inner Mountain’s affairs have to do with him?
The Sword Monarch understands, given Chen Huzi’s precedent. The Guangxia Mountain’s lot are all rebels, and the Inner Mountain is full of jealousy. It’s best when they don’t see each other.
The only request the Sword Monarch has for Tie Dan is for him to participate in the Cloud Platform Competition, obtain the Beichen Sword Inheritance, and officially receive the sword talisman to complete his training.
The Guangxia Mountain Sword Sect is still a Sword Sect. In the end, it depends on true skills as to who represents the Beichen Sword Sect.
With Tie Dan’s natural talent and comprehension, as long as he diligently practices, he will eventually transform into divine enlightenment, uprightly ascend to the Cloud Platform, pacify the Ninth Peak, and reclaim what belongs to the Yao Guang lineage.
Considering that after attaining Divinity Transformation, he would need the Heavenly Book for enlightenment sooner or later, he won’t be able to avoid the Nine Yin Sword Fight and the Cloud Platform Debate, so he must retain his proper Mystic Sect disciple status.
Thus, Tie Dan didn’t make things difficult for Zhao Dan, the messenger, and reluctantly accepted, acknowledging the sect leader’s decree and preparing to head to Ye Capital for orders.
Upon hearing of his impending departure, the old brothers at Canghai Pass were very reluctant, all coming out to bid farewell. They complained about how annoying the Sword Sect was and insisted that in the Nascent Soul Realm, one should remain in the Northern area to train and fight monsters. Hebei is for outer disciples to complete tasks, after all. Oh, you are an outer disciple? Well, never mind then...
So, they all threw in a little something together and brought Tie Dan eighteen gourd pills, about a hundred talismans, 200,000 coins, two deer, three cranes, one tiger, and two dragons for mounts as parting gifts.
Of course, Tie Dan refused all those messy trinkets, rejecting outright those offers of elderly unwed senior and junior sisters, daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters, but the eight old men kept chattering, and being well-intentioned, he couldn’t just punch them away.
In the end, unable to refuse further, Tie Dan only took eight Soldier Repelling Coins to remember the karma, including the Mystic Sect’s Five Arts calculus, elixir book, array diagram, talisman book, and artifact catalog, totaling eight volumes, to accept their goodwill and peruse in his spare time to increase his knowledge level.
With this, the old brothers relented, expressing deep admiration, saying, ’Look at other disciples, forming their Nascent Soul in just three years, constantly studying and practicing, always striving to improve. Truly, comparisons lead to despair, goods get thrown out when compared. How can we compete with the Sword Sect this way? We must increase the workload on the juniors when we return. The fight begins now, open the books...’
In short, during his brief stay at Canghai Pass, having casually earned seventeen yuan, nine books, eight sworn brothers, and a full set of equipment, Tie Dan activated his sword light, took Zhao Dan along, and sword escaped, flying straight to Genzhou.
At this point, several months had passed since the last defeat of the Immortal Palace. Now the Immortal Palace had gathered an army of ten thousand at the Gen River, refusing to cross the river. All counties in Hebei had been suppressed by the rebel army, except for some villages and military camps near the Mystic Sect Dojo, which could rely on the Mystic Sect’s protection. Local Gate Valve Clans had all offered tributes to Stone Dragon and submitted.
Now Stone Dragon occupies Ye Capital, declaring himself Heavenly King, appointing generals, tyrannical and extravagant, wantonly massacring ministers and civilians, plundering wealth, deploying 300,000 laborers, massively expanding palaces, renaming Copper Crane Three Platforms to Dragon Palace, and newly building Taiwu Palace, with a foundation of two zhang eight chi in height, 75 paces east to west, and 65 paces north to south. All roofs are lacquered tiles, gold roofs, silver posts, gold pillars, bead curtains, and jade walls. Once the hall was completed, he also seized the wives of the populace, conscripting over 100,000 women into the palace service, extravagantly detailed, costing billions in expenditure, inducing severe exploitation, leading to the people’s destitution and severe disruption of social production.
"Wait a minute," Tie Dan frowned upon hearing, "is he really allowed to do as he pleases? What about the Mystic Sect? The Immortal Palace? Why is no one doing anything?"
Zhao Dan gave a wry smile,
"They barely have the time to care about him, and thank the heavens he dares not cross the river."
Well, the Mystic Sect truly cannot manage, with all their manpower invested in the Nine Borders to block the Demon Tide, no one even minting coins, no time to manage this or that.
Moreover, do you really think someone is that amazing, capable of handling ten thousand in the rear palace? Frankly, all this money and women collected are used to reward the military and win over their loyalty.