How powerful would this so-called Immortal Emperor be?
As Li Qingqiu gazed at the terrified Jia Yi, that thought surfaced in his mind.
The Fate of the Immortal Emperor must be something absurdly overpowered.
But which generation would produce this "Immortal Emperor"? And even if one did appear, that descendant would still have to cultivate slowly from nothing.
A fleeting murderous intent crossed Li Qingqiu's heart. He considered cutting the problem at its root, but then hesitated—he couldn't replicate the Immortal Emperor Fate anyway. Killing Jia Yi now would be a waste. Besides, he had already spoken his word; and Li Qingqiu was not someone who went back on what he said.
"Do you have any children?" he asked.
Jia Yi answered dully, "None."
Li Qingqiu's tone sharpened. "With how debauched you are, how can you be sure?"
From the memories he had glimpsed earlier, Jia Yi had already spent nights with three different women since arriving in Blackstone County. The Heaven-Guardian Division's title really opened doors.
Hesitating, Jia Yi forced a dry laugh. "Since you put it that way… I suppose I can't be sure. At least, no woman has come to me with a child yet."
He didn't dare meet Li Qingqiu's eyes, even though the man had decided to spare him.
Li Qingqiu's expression remained unreadable. "If one day you do have children, send them to Qingxiao Sect. If they perform well, they might earn my personal guidance."
Jia Yi trembled violently and nodded at once.
He couldn't tell if Li Qingqiu was saying this to keep leverage over him or if he truly meant to take his offspring as disciples. Maybe both.
But remembering Li Qingqiu's terrifying abilities, a strange heat stirred within him. If his children could learn such methods—methods that seemed divine—it might not be such a bad fate after all.
"Next," Li Qingqiu continued, "you'll escort Feng Dai and help him establish himself in the Imperial Capital. From now on, the two of you will support each other. If Feng Dai dies, I'll hold you personally responsible. Whatever excuse you make, I won't accept it. A Heaven-Guardian Division officer who can't even protect one man has no right to live."
His words turned icy, making Jia Yi shudder uncontrollably. He didn't even dare respond.
Li Qingqiu turned toward Feng Dai, nodded slightly, and without another word began walking back up the mountain path.
The three needles he'd placed earlier had already eased Feng Dai's wounds. The pain was fading. Seeing Li Qingqiu depart, Feng Dai bowed deeply toward his retreating figure.
When the forest fell silent and only he and Jia Yi remained, Feng Dai found himself lost in thought.
Before climbing this mountain, he never imagined events would unfold like this. He glanced at Jia Yi, still lying weakly on the ground, and said nothing.
…
On his way back to Qingxiao Sect, Li Qingqiu's mind was equally unsettled. The Fate of Ancestor of the Immortal Emperor was astonishing enough, but combined with Feng Dai's Late Bloomer, it left him both intrigued and wary.
If these two men hadn't met him, those powerful Fates might never have blossomed at all.
Take Feng Dai, for instance. In the Great Li Dynasty, living until sixty was already a luxury, especially for someone as upright and confrontational as he was. His Fate said his comprehension would grow from sixty onward—but if he died before that, Late Bloomer would remain nothing more than an unrealized dream.
As for Jia Yi's Ancestor of the Immortal Emperor—that was even more far-fetched. Even if some descendant of his really ascended to godhood, it wasn't as if that future Immortal Emperor could resurrect his ancestors. It would depend entirely on bloodline distance and fate.
Either way, the matter was settled for now. The conflict hadn't escalated, and that was enough.
He forced himself to stop overthinking. Worrying about what hadn't happened would only cloud his mind.
Becoming stronger—that's the only thing that matters.
All these schemes, all these layers of planning—they existed because Qingxiao Sect still lacked the strength to stand alone against the Great Li Dynasty, that colossal empire looming overhead.
Not only must he grow stronger; the entire sect must rise with him.
In the following days, Qingxiao Sect faced no trouble from the Heaven-Guardian Division. In fact, its fame grew.
Commoners who had witnessed Zhang Yuchun's prowess returned to their villages spreading the tale. Soon, people from far and wide brought their sons and daughters to seek apprenticeship.
Among the people, Qingxiao Sect's image was one of pure chivalry and justice. The name of Jiang Zhaoxia—hailed as the second strongest under heaven—had yet to spread among the common folk. To them, a sect filled with powerful and righteous martial artists was more than enough reason to come knocking.
Half a month later, Jiang Zhaoxia returned with the Thirteen Sword Fiends. Only a few disciples knew where they had gone.
Seeing that all thirteen were back intact, Li Qingqiu finally breathed a sigh of relief. These Thirteen Sword Fiends were his key elite force—disciples he'd personally groomed for future greatness. Losing even one would have hurt the sect deeply.
Their appearances and auras had changed noticeably—the clear mark of hard experience.
After Jiang Zhaoxia reported back and presented his disciples, Li Qingqiu dismissed them to rest.
When Zhang Yuchun heard Jiang Zhaoxia had returned, he came quickly, and the three of them gathered inside the hall to talk.
Jiang Zhaoxia took a sip of tea before saying calmly, "Lu Fuhu has been crippled. I wanted to end him completely, but the man clung to the Prefect. I never got the chance."
Zhang Yuchun frowned. "Won't that offend the Prefect?"
"To him, Lu Fuhu and the Heavenly Saber Sect are just tools," Jiang Zhaoxia replied evenly. "One weapon is gone—if he finds a sharper one, he'll be glad. He's already seen my strength and treats me warmly now. Truth is, he's long wanted to cut ties with Lu Fuhu. That fool offended the Li clan of Linchuan, and the Prefect doesn't dare cross them. But over the past ten years, he's taken too many of Lu Fuhu's gifts and couldn't shake him off. He asked me to leave him alive—just to settle an old debt between them."
His tone was calm, as if discussing the weather.
Zhang Yuchun smiled and nodded. "Third Junior Brother, you've really grown up. You're handling things with far more restraint now. You did well."
Jiang Zhaoxia said calmly, "To ease the Prefect's suspicion, I had no choice but to befriend him. I promised that, if he ever needs my help and it doesn't go against the principles of Qingxiao Sect, I'll lend my hand."
Li Qingqiu nodded slightly. "It's inevitable that we'll deal with officials once we enter the world. Making connections with the Prefect has both advantages and risks. What matters is how we use them. This connection is one you've established, Third Junior Brother—so from now on, you'll take full responsibility for it."
He couldn't control every tie Qingxiao Sect formed. He wanted his brothers and sisters to build their own networks. That way, even if the sect grew large and some ambitious disciples rose in the future, none could easily threaten their positions.
The larger the sect, the more complicated its web of interests would become. Li Qingqiu had to ensure Qingxiao Sect developed in a balanced and stable way. Only then could he continue to grow stronger through the Dao Lineage system.
Jiang Zhaoxia agreed. This half-year journey down the mountain had taught him much. He was no longer as blunt or aggressive as before, and had begun learning how to deal with people more effectively.
"Xue Jin has quite the edge to him," he added with a trace of admiration. "But he's loyal and values brotherhood deeply. Once, while we were traveling, we were ambushed by martial artists from the Qing Sect. I wasn't there at the time. The disciples were surrounded by their experts. Xue Jin could've escaped, but he stayed to protect his juniors. By the time I arrived, he was the most seriously injured."
Li Qingqiu had already been monitoring Xue Jin's loyalty score. After this journey, it hadn't fallen at all—in fact, both loyalty ratings had risen above 90.
"Hmm," Li Qingqiu said approvingly. "Then he's qualified to enter the Thousand Spirits Blessed Land for cultivation."
That simple remark brought a faint smile to Jiang Zhaoxia's face. He didn't thank Li Qingqiu directly. In his eyes, Xue Jin wasn't only his disciple, but also half of Li Qingqiu's—after all, without Li Qingqiu's introduction, he would've missed this rare gem entirely.
Then, Li Qingqiu motioned for him to continue describing their experience down the mountain.
During that half-year, aside from avenging themselves on the Heavenly Saber Sect, Jiang Zhaoxia and his disciples had gone through many other events. He recounted them in a calm tone, but Li Qingqiu could sense the turbulence hidden beneath his words—especially when Jiang Zhaoxia mentioned a certain woman.
He was eighteen this year—an adult now. Li Qingqiu chose not to pry further. Every cultivator walked their own path, and he didn't intend to interfere in his junior brother's choices.
When their talk of training concluded, Li Qingqiu's expression turned serious. "Third Junior Brother, there's one more thing I need you to do. It's dangerous. Whether you take the Thirteen Sword Fiends with you, I'll let you decide."
"What is it?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked, his tone steady.
"I'm going to destroy the Qing Sect."
The air in the room froze. Jiang Zhaoxia and Zhang Yuchun both stiffened at once. The Qing Sect was a massive force in the martial world, with disciples active all across Guzhou.
But Jiang Zhaoxia didn't ask for an explanation. "Understood," he said simply. "When do we move?"
"The sooner, the better," Li Qingqiu said coldly. "Every high-ranking member of the Qing Sect must die."
His voice was icy, his eyes sharp and filled with killing intent. He explained everything about Jia Yi's dealings with the Qing Sect.
For years, the Qing Sect had been trying to cozy up to the court. When Jia Yi visited them to deliver the imperial edict, the sect's upper ranks immediately flattered him, forming a secret alliance of interests.
Time passed, but eventually, the trail of Dragon-Subduing Hero Yang Jueding leaked. The Qing Sect learned that Yang Jueding had taken refuge in Qingxiao Sect. When Luo Lie, the one sent to hunt him, never returned, they knew he was dead.
Later, when Jiang Zhaoxia earned fame as the second strongest in the martial world, the Qing Sect became even more cautious. They concluded that he must have inherited the martial arts legacy that Yang Jueding had obtained.
So they bribed Jia Yi, had him falsify the imperial order, and forced Qingxiao Sect's master to report to the Imperial Capital. What their true intent was afterward, no one could say—but it was easy to guess that they planned to make a move against Qingxiao Sect.
Perhaps, their real goal had been to provoke conflict between Jia Yi and Qingxiao Sect, so they could sit back and profit from the chaos.
Whatever the case, the Qing Sect had instigated Jia Yi to pressure Qingxiao Sect. The hatred between the two sides could no longer be undone.
"I see," Zhang Yuchun sighed. "No wonder that Heaven-Guardian officer was so irritable. We never offended him, yet he acted like that. I overlooked the Qing Sect entirely. I didn't think that after all these years, they'd still be watching us from the shadows."
He looked at Li Qingqiu. "If the Qing Sect has ties to the Heaven-Guardian Division, won't destroying them bring us trouble?"
Li Qingqiu gave a low snort. "Let the martial world settle martial matters. If everyone feared background and power, there'd be no bloodshed left in the jianghu. As Third Junior Brother said, once the Qing Sect is gone, the nobles behind them won't seek revenge. They'll just find another sect to use. Even if some fools insist on coming after us, we'll meet them head-on."
He paused, his gaze sharp as a blade. "We can keep a low profile most of the time. But remember this—anyone who dares provoke Qingxiao Sect must be erased completely. Only the dead stay silent. Only the dead cause no trouble."
"In this world," he continued, "clinging to power isn't true survival. Strength—real, unshakable strength—is the only truth."
Zhang Yuchun nodded, then frowned slightly. "That Heaven-Guardian officer—I let him go. Was that a mistake?"
"It's fine," Li Qingqiu said flatly. "I've already dealt with him."
Zhang Yuchun blinked, then chuckled and shook his head. He had almost forgotten just how decisive his senior brother could be. Over the past two years, managing the sect's affairs had dulled his sense of Li Qingqiu's methods.
My Dao still isn't deep enough, he thought, silently reflecting. There's still so much I need to learn from him.
"I understand," Jiang Zhaoxia said, rising to his feet. "I'll take the disciples down the mountain tomorrow. This time, I'll carve Qingxiao Sect's name into the martial world—with blood and steel."
His tone was calm, but his words carried unshakable resolve as he turned and walked out.