Chapter 64: I Trick Even Myself When I Get Serious

Chapter 64: I Trick Even Myself When I Get Serious

Ten square kilometers wasn’t a large area, but it was more than enough to cover the deserted village where the Floating Cloud Sect resided.

Li Si did not hesitate. Pointing forward, he sent out the Junior Domain Dharma Seal. It transformed instantly into rippling patterns like water and silently surged forward. In less than a minute, it completed enclosing ten square kilometers.

But just as he thought everything was settled and done, a sudden piece of information flashed before him.

“Discovered one desolate, ancient Pure Land. However, its management state is extremely bad. Incorporating it could likely bring about very severe negative consequences.”

“Huh?”

Li Si was stunned. A desolate Pure Land… that must be the Old Madam’s Pure Land. So, he refused to back down, especially since he hadn’t forgotten his identity as part of the Four Heroes of Floating Cloud.

“Incorporate it!”

As his resolve solidified, the earth several tens of li around suddenly roared with thunderous sounds. The ground shook violently; the surrounding mountains began undergoing transformations as dramatic as the vicissitudes of time.

Within mere seconds, the formerly barren wilderness was replaced by the ruins of an immense, awe-inspiring city.

What had seemed like ordinary mountains – the Western Mountain, Northern Mountain, Eastern Mountain, and the other round hills resembling loaves of bread – were now revealed to be colossal structures. Some were mostly intact, others half-collapsed, and many completely ruined.

The deserted village where the Floating Cloud Sect had been situated turned out to be a plaza carved into a cliff face.

This plaza was paved with colorful stones, exactly like the Heaven-Simulating Array Xu Shen had previously described.

His own Kao Mountain Town was now at the very edge of this massive ruined city. The river cutting through the plain appeared much more like a man-made canal within the city’s confines…

Yet deeper within this sprawling ruin stood an enormous statue that pierced the heavens.

Li Si couldn’t make out the statue’s features clearly, only that it depicted a woman.

Countless dense, mountain-sized shadows of various bizarre shapes were furiously assaulting the area around this female figure!

Suddenly, one mountainous shadow-like entity seemed to sense something. It whipped its head around towards Li Si’s direction. The next instant, it was charging directly at him with earth-shaking force! This wasn’t some mere monster; it was world-devouring monstrosity!

But the very next moment, a dazzling sword-light instantly swept across, bisecting the gigantic, shadowy creature into two.

Immediately after, everything dissolved like a dream bubble. The ruins vanished; the scenery returned exactly how it had been moments before. He almost thought his eyes had been playing tricks on him, that it had been an illusion.

“Hold on… this wasn’t an illusion. This actually represents the one-twelfth portion of the Fortune of Heaven and Earth suppressed by the Old Madam, right? But from that perspective, what I witnessed was indeed an illusory scene because that event occurred within the Illusory Realm.”

“My attempting to incorporate the Floating Cloud Sect village with the Hundred-League Law Seal is what triggered that vision.”

Li Si felt deeply burdened. Once again, he fully grasped the meaning of a “World Guardian True Immortal.” Whether it was the Old Madam, or the others – Jiuxuanzi, Shendanzi, Chisongzi, or Tianjizi – they were all paying a massive price, struggling to prop up their critically fragile Mortal Realm.

And what were those mountainous shadow entities?

Were they Phantasmal Aberrations, Evil Spirits, or Deity/Demonic entities lurking within the Illusory Realm?

Did the invading Evil Gods come from the Illusory Realm?

Was there one Evil God, or many?

How much longer could the Twelve World-Quelling True Immortals hold out?

He had always assumed the Mortal Realm was their primary battleground. He never imagined the conflict within the Illusory Realm was even more brutal.

“So… by merging the Floating Cloud Sect’s deserted village into my Pure Land… does that mean I, too, am now forced to fight within the Illusory Realm?”

“Wait, no. The moment I established my Pure Land and the Hundred-League Law Seal took shape, I probably already became linked to the Illusory Realm. Dammit! Such crucial information, yet Chisongzi, Tianjizi, Shendanzi, even Jiuxuanzi and the Old Madam herself never told me! Or did they just assume I, as this ‘Ancestor Kaoshan’, was already omniscient?”

Li Si could only offer a bitter smile. Had he known this earlier, perhaps confessing everything to the Old Madam would have been better? Or should he confess now? Yet, confession wouldn’t bring him true victory either.

For now, he could only proceed one step at a time.

Thinking this, he briskly walked towards the deserted village. He also activated the Junior Warning Dharma Seal to observe his entire Pure Land, mainly the situation within Kao Mountain Town. For the moment, things seemed stable; after all, it was midday. Even within the Floating Cloud Sect’s deserted village, Ji Chang, Xu Shen, Jiang Ying, and others had brought the younger disciples out for a stroll. They seemed completely unaware they had just been incorporated into his domain.

The key question was, did the Old Madam know?

Li Si felt it was uncertain. The Old Madam’s thoughts were hard to guess. That old… well, she was capable of pulling any unexpected trick.

Not long after he rounded the exit of the valley gorge, Xu Shen and the others spotted him. The whole group froze. Yet, neither dared to shout nor approach, only staring dumbfounded as Li Si walked cheerfully along, carrying a large bundle of Aberrant Wood Husk. Hmm, they must be deeply impressed… Well, he was certainly moved! Seniors, juniors, brothers and sisters… how I’ve missed you all…

But soon, Xu Shen and Ji Chang came charging over, fully armed and wearing deadly serious expressions.

Li Si hadn’t even had a chance to speak before Xu Shen and Ji Chang whipped out their weapons—a long sword and a hammer respectively—lowered their voices but issued severe orders:

“Don’t speak! Don’t explain! Close your eyes! Put your hands where we can see them! Next, I will remove your Cosmic Bag. I’ll be placing a Evil-Warding Talisman, a Heart-Calming Talisman, and a Nine Rules of Inner Demon Warding Spiritual Talisman on you. Then I’ll bind you with a Demon-Binding Rope. Junior Brother Li, do not make this harder than it needs to be!”

“Exactly! Every gesture, every expression you make right now is being recorded. If you truly are our junior brother, fine. But if you are some Evil Entity… don’t blame us for showing no mercy!”

Li Si was speechless. His previously warm ‘moved’ feeling instantly turned pure frustration and the urge to complain. And just wait… that ‘Nine Rules Spiritual Talisman’… didn’t they say there was only one left?! Confound it!

But… whatever. At this moment, he absolutely could not provoke these guys. Besides, if push came to shove, he could always come clean to the Old Madam. Fine, he wouldn’t hide anything anymore.

Ji Chang then raised his hammer menacingly, while Xu Shen approached Li Si as if facing a formidable foe. He placed the Talisman Papers on Li Si, bound him with the Demon-Binding Rope, and then—ugh—covered his eyes with a blindfold. Seriously, why was their procedure so well-practiced?!

Okay, such high alertness was a good thing, honestly. Li Si calmly let Xu Shen and Ji Chang lead him back towards the village.

The entire way back, Xu Shen and Ji Chang were jumpy and paranoid. Every shadow, every rustle of wind or grass made them recoil nervously, constantly glancing apprehensively at Li Si. They warily held their ground, fearing he’d suddenly metamorphose into a frightful Evil Entity and gobble them up like innocent rabbits.

Fortunately, the two retained some shreds of conscience. They didn’t resolve the potential trouble by executing him outright. “Kill a good kid and claim it’s an achievement”—that didn’t happen.

Back at the deserted village, Li Si heard the Little Girl’s stifled gasp of delight through the blindfold. But the next moment, a Blissful Mushroom appeared poised above her head!

However, Li Si acted even faster. A low-powered Heart Cleansing Curse flicked out, dispersing the Little Mushroom instantly. He followed it up immediately with a low-powered Evil-Warding Curse, blasting the lingering manifestation into nothingness right where it hovered.

Hmm… fine, he’d said he wouldn’t hide it anymore. Might as well go all the way. He’d confess to the Old Madam. “I am the chief of the Four Heroes of Floating Cloud! I am the man who saved you! Now go on, cry… worship me a little… no need to hold back…”

“What do we do? The Master is still meditating, deeply immersed. I can’t wake her.” Senior Sister Jiang Ying whispered nervously.

“Toss this kid into the Quiet Room for now,” Xu Shen directed sharply. “Junior Sister, go get that Demon-Suppressing Locking Ring. Put it on him.”

“Hey hey, Senior Brothers, Senior Sister! I’m innocent!” Li Si quickly called out. Enough was enough; they didn’t need to be this rigid. “All I did was spend one night outside! Those Evil God Cult ships arrived too fast yesterday. If I hadn’t hidden myself, today you’d be looking at a fully Demon Man version of me!”

“Silence! How dare you justify yourself?” Senior Sister Jiang Ying, finally snapping angrily, unleashed a torrent of scolding upon him, tears almost welling in her eyes. “A nation has its laws, a sect has its rules. Yet you, little fool, have ignored the sect rules again and again! Treating the wilderness as your personal retreat is bad enough, but daring to stay out overnight?! Where does it stop? Bringing home a few female spirits, ghosts, next?!” Li Si’s absence overnight had caused her unbearable anxiety; she’d forced herself to repress her worry, unable to afford a crack for any Phantasmal Aberration to exploit.

Li Si shrank his head back as guilt intensified within him (+1)…

“That’s enough, Junior Sister. Lock him in the Quiet Room first,” Xu Shen stepped in tactfully, planting a Heart-Calming Talisman onto Jiang Ying’s forehead. He understood her turmoil. Though they mostly treated these ‘silly little ones’ like burdens, they were disciples whose deceased Senior Brothers and Sisters had entrusted to their care. Jiang Ying had practically raised them from kids. Saying there was no affection was impossible.

Even they couldn’t truly be heartless towards these orphaned children.

But in this world? Emotion was the ultimate liability. He’d seen too many Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, too many predecessors stumble and fall because of it. Bloody lesson learned the hard way.

Put simply: If Li Si were actually possessed by an evil spirit? And if they softened their hearts? That would doom everyone.

Seeing that he really was about to be locked up in the Quiet Room, Li Si deployed his trump card. Since the Floating Cloud Sect’s deserted village was now incorporated under his Hundred-League Law Seal, meaning within his governance…

Without another word, he activated Divine Grace Baptism—three times. Wait? Better make it four times. That was the perfect way to conceal himself. Wasn’t it?

Vvvwoom!

Four towering beams of cyan light descended. Ji Chang, Xu Shen, Jiang Ying, and Li Si all gawked, utterly dumbfounded! But shock swiftly transformed into bewildered, undeniable joy. Ah… suppress it… suppress! They should call him ‘Li Not-Joy’. He had supreme equanimity. Each beam persisted for three full seconds.

Li Si hadn’t been overly generous. It wasn’t (just) stinginess—‘no merit, no reward’ applied perfectly here. Plus, his Senior Brothers and Sister were all low-level ‘scheming souls’.

The result: Each person saw their Alienation Contamination Degree lowered by 10%, and their Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress increased by a single percent. Clean execution.

As the cyan pillars vanished, Ji Chang, Xu Shen, Jiang Ying, and Li Si just stood there, stunned.

Suddenly, Li Si lowered his voice, trembling violently, every limb shaking as he cried out with artificially exaggerated shock and delight:

“What… what happened?! I feel… entirely different! Like I was remade, my marrow exchanged for new! Master… has she awakened? Master! I’m innocent! My loyalty to you… the heavens themselves could witness it! The sun and moon represent my heart! I am Floating Cloud Sect’s number one loyal subject! Xu Shen and Ji Chang only bully me! They are treacherous ministers…

“Enough!” Xu Shen snarled, ripping off Li Si’s blindfold. He’d seen the cyan beam descending onto Li Si’s own head moments before—proof undeniable that he hadn’t been contaminated after all. So why, then, was the overwhelming urge to just throttle him senseless surging so violently?