The True Heaven-Valve Sect?

  Chen Gensheng let those four words roll over his tongue, savoring the taste of cold iron and unbridled dominance.

  "Sounds quite grand," he remarked.

  The one-eyed old man’s weathered face, etched with countless wrinkles, immediately collapsed into a bitter smile. "Senior, don't let the name fool you. Though it sounds majestic, the True Heaven-Valve Sect doesn't have so much as a shadow of a Nascent Soul expert. Their most powerful figure, the Sect Master, is only at the Golden Core stage—and word has it his longevity is nearing its end. He spends every day in seclusion just praying for a few more years of breath."

  Gensheng cocked an eyebrow. "Then how does it maintain a foothold in the Central Plains?"

  "By being utterly shameless!" the old man spat. "The righteous sects demand a 'pure and noble' lineage; they wouldn't look twice at someone with... special talents like yours. And the great Demon Lords? They’re terrified of inviting trouble. They’re scared of a second Li Chan appearing and refining them into medicine. Only the True Heaven-Valve Sect takes everyone! Righteous or wicked, corpse-refiners or insect-nurturers—as long as you bring benefit to the sect, they dare to take you in."

  "To put it bluntly, they’re the bottom-feeders. They do the dirty, grueling work that the great sects find beneath them. They’ve managed to survive only by acting as hounds for the powerful."

  The old man, his throat parched, downed his tea and looked expectantly at Gensheng. He rubbed two skeletal fingers together. "Senior, I’ve shared a lot. This information is the truest of the true. I have a jade slip here with the sect’s location, the 'backdoors' for entry, and their current recruitment needs. Five hundred low-grade stones, and it’s yours."

  Gensheng picked up his cup, gently blowing the stray leaves from the surface. Behind him, Li Simin stood like a statue, her hollow Void-Watching Eyes staring unblinkingly at the old man. A chill began to crawl up the man’s spine.

  "You said earlier," Gensheng finally spoke, "that the entire cultivation world wants to kill us Insect Cultivators?"

  Gensheng smiled—a thin, dangerous curve. "Do you think a man being hunted by the whole world has spare cash lying around?"

  The old man’s face went deathly pale. Cold sweat poured down his temples. "I... I was joking, Senior..."

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  Gensheng stood up. "I’m joking, too. Now, give me your storage bag and that jade slip."

  Gensheng opened his mouth, his expression turning feral, his teeth gleaming like ivory daggers. A faint stench of decay drifted out. A high-pitched, needle-thin hum vibrated deep in his throat. Though nothing visible flew out, the old man felt as if he had plunged into a glacier.

  "Senior! Mercy!" The old man fumbled for a grey storage bag and the jade slip, holding them trembling above his head.

  Gensheng took them. A quick sweep of his divine sense revealed a few dozen low-grade stones and a heap of junk. He frowned in disgust, tucked them away, and stepped out into the sunlight.

  Identifying the direction from the slip, his ink-colored wings snapped open. One man and one corpse transformed into two streaks of light, hurtling toward the Central Plains.

  Less than an hour later.

  As he flew over a stretch of jagged, rocky hills, three distinct Foundation Establishment auras erupted from three directions, locking onto him and Li Simin in a triangular formation.

  To the left was a stout, fleshy man with a massive Red-Veined Bat perched on his shoulder, its membranous wings vibrating with a piercing shriek. To the right, a gaunt, somber man stood beside a giant lizard. Directly ahead sat a seductive woman astride a Black Jade Toad the size of a small hill.

  "Little brother, why the rush?" the woman giggled.

  Gensheng hovered in mid-air, his wings beating slowly. "What do you three want?"

  "Nothing major," the stout man sneered, patting his bat. "The one-eyed old man at the Abode mentioned you were carrying a fine coffin. My little treasure here happens to need a new nest to sleep in. I’d like to borrow it."

  "Not just the coffin," the gaunt man rasped. "I heard you’re nurturing some delicious bugs. My little darling hasn't had a proper meal in ages."

  Gensheng’s heart sank. These three—and their insect-eating spirit pets—were clearly specialized to counter him.

  The bat shrieked, sending a wave of invisible sonic energy toward him. Simultaneously, the giant lizard spat a massive glob of emerald acid, and the toad’s long tongue lashed out like a whip.

  Gensheng stood his ground. A shimmering shield of light materialized—the 《Clear Light Dao-Shield》.

  The sonic wave hit first, sending ripples across the shield’s surface. Then came the acid, sizzling as the light dimmed at a visible rate. Finally, the toad’s tongue struck with a thunderous CRACK, denting the shield inward, though it failed to shatter.

  Gensheng felt his spiritual energy draining like an open tap.

  Seeing her master threatened, Li Simin transformed into a white ghostly blur, charging straight for the gaunt man on the right.

  "Foolish puppet!" the man mocked. With a thought, his giant lizard intercepted her, opening its cavernous maw.

  Li Simin didn't flinch. Just as the lizard’s teeth were about to snap shut, her fist struck first. The blow sent the lizard’s head snapping back; its massive body was hurled dozens of yards through the air, crashing into the earth in a plume of dust.

  Gensheng, seeing this, abandoned his defensive stance. He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes gleaming with a predatory, wicked light.

  "Now," he declared, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. "Wipe the restrictions from your three spirit beasts and offer them to me. Otherwise, today marks the end of your Dao-paths and your lives!"