Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 593 - Grand Elders

Mu Tianli gestured for Elder He to carry on with a smile. After hearing that Liu Wuxie wanted to eradicate the human trafficking operation held by the Lesser Blade Association, he fell into deep thoughts.

"Sect master, in my honest opinion, I believe he’s taken the right course of action. The Lesser Blade Association’s deeds go against the very principles of righteousness. As members of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, it’s our duty to uphold our noble reputation as a righteous force. We can’t allow such actions to stain our name," Elder He said, voicing his support for Liu Wuxie. Though he held little regard for mortal lives, the sect’s reputation was a matter of utmost importance to him.

"I'll leave this matter to you. Do it discreetly, and don't let it trace back to us," Mu Tianli said with a cold light in his eyes. Like Elder He, he held similar convictions—no one could know that the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was tangled in something as sordid as human trafficking. Such knowledge would only arm their enemies with dangerous leverage.

"Sect master, there's one more matter. I've already detained all the alchemists with an issue, but what should I do with Qing Mu?" Elder He frowned. While managing the other alchemists had been straightforward, Qing Mu was a far more complicated matter.

Mu Tianli felt a similar pang of frustration at the mention of Qing Mu's name.

"Strip him of his title as an alchemist and give him an idle position to live the rest of his days in peace," Mu Tianli finally decided. He knew he couldn't allow Qing Mu to corrode the sect's roots any longer, or the consequences would become more dire.

"But what do we do about the grand elders? Qing Mu has a powerful backing, and he cannot be taken lightly," Elder He said. He also agreed to strip Qing Mu of his authority but was worried about the latter's backing. If Qing Mu could be dealt with, the sect master would've acted long ago.

“If they keep quiet, so be it. But if they dare retaliate, I have my ways of handling Qing Mu," Mu Tianli said, his voice cold as his aura intensified. "Just look at the state of Treasure Pill Peak—Qing Mu has turned it into a complete mess. I’ve tolerated his actions long enough. If he’s allowed to continue unchecked, it won’t be long before our sect is reduced to second-rate status.”

After all, not all of the grand elders were on Qing Mu's side, and Mu Tianli also had his supporters among them.

"But Qing Mu's master is the previous sect master, and I'm afraid he might retaliate violently if we embarrass Qing Mu," Elder He replied with a wry smile.

Qing Mu had secured his position as chief alchemist of Treasure Pill Peak thanks to his master, the former sect master of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. This powerful connection made him untouchable, even to other nine-star alchemists who resented his influence but dared not challenge him openly. Yet, their quiet resentment had now reached a breaking point.

"If they don’t know when to stop, they’ll only have themselves to blame for my ruthlessness," Mu Tianli said coldly, signaling to Elder He to let the matter rest. He had his own ways of removing Qing Mu from Treasure Pill Peak, should it come to that.

After Elder He departed, the terms arranged with Liu Wuxie remained tightly guarded, shared only with Elder He himself.

......

Qing Mu's residence was on a quiet mountain in the Treasure Pill Peak. But the peace was soon disrupted when he received an official decree for being removed from his position as the chief alchemist.

"Mu Tianli, you've gone too far!" Qing Mu roared, jumping from his chair in fury. Not only was he removed from his position, but over a dozen alchemists had their titles stripped and reassigned to tend to the spiritual herbs to eliminate their inner demons.

News had already spread within the sect about the demonic trait contained in the Earth Origin Pills, and most alchemists silently accepted the sect's arrangement, recognizing their part of responsibility in the crisis.

For alchemists, their honor was more precious than their lives, and once their embezzlement was exposed, they were too ashamed to stay on the Treasure Pill Peak any longer.

With over a dozen alchemists gone, the Treasure Pill Peak was now short of manpower, but Bi Gongyu had been preparing for this moment. The alchemists suppressed by Qing Mu's faction quickly took their spots, their alchemy improving rapidly under his guidance.

Liu Wuxie even created an entire management system, allowing the Treasure Pill Pavilion to have a more organized process. Everyone only had to focus on refining the pills they specialized in, and this meant they couldn't demand resources from the sect to refine other pills, preventing alchemists from embezzling resources from the sect again.

"Master, what happened?" A youth quickly stepped forward and asked Qing Mu.

"Mu Tianli thinks he can kick me out of the Treasure Pill Peak? Dream on!" Qing Mu snorted and threw the decree to the ground. He vanished as he set out for the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's lesser realm.

The lesser realm was a dimension reserved for the grand elders to cultivate, and only a selected few could enter.

When news of Qing Mu being removed from his position spread, many disciples celebrated. Qing Mu bore most of the blame for the sect's recent decline in their pill market, where they had consistently lost to the Azure Crimson Gate.

......

There weren't any grand pavilions in the lesser realm; instead, they consisted of simple, thatched cottages where the grand elders resided. The grand elders' titles were only granted to those who reached the True Profound Realm, and the sect had ten grand elders in total.

The ten major sects had their own lesser realms, also known as the heavenly abode. The spatial and time laws there were vastly different from those in the outside world, and this place was filled with dense spiritual energy, making one day of cultivation here equivalent to a year in the outside world.

On a tranquil lake consisting of pure liquified spiritual energy, celestial cranes were drinking water at the shore. They raised their heads when they noticed someone's arrival and let out a cry. These were no ordinary cranes but had gained intelligence over time, and they were the mounts used by the grand elders.

After walking through several long passages, Mu Tianli arrived at a simple hut. He knelt and clasped his hands together, "Disciple Mu Tianli, seeks an audience with master!"

"Come in!" a gentle but old voice echoed from within the hut.

After hearing the voice, Mu Tianli rose from the ground and gently pushed open the wooden door. Inside was as simple as the exterior, with an amicable elderly man seated on a meditation cushion.

He wore a robe that had turned white due to repeated washing. He had white hair, a white beard, and brows long enough to reach his chest from the two ends.

Mu Tianli stood humbly by the side, not daring to make a sound. This elderly man was his master, Gao Gu, a grand elder of the sect.

"It has been more than a year since you last visited me, and being here means you've run into trouble. What is it?" Gao Gu said, raising his head to look at Mu Tianli. No one understood a disciple better than his master. Mu Tianli wouldn't trouble his master if it weren't important.

"That's right, master!" Mu Tianli was like an obedient child in front of his master. They might both be in the True Profound Realm, but Gao Gu's cultivation was far beyond his.

"Sit down. It has been a long time since we last chatted," Gao Gu said, gesturing for Mu Tianli to sit down as a meditation mat suddenly appeared before the latter. This was the manifestation of true essence at a high level.

Mu Tianli sat obediently, his hands resting on his lap, looking at his master respectfully.

"Go on, what's troubling you?" Gao Yu prompted softly. No pressure was coming from him, but Mu Tianli could feel his nerves intensifying.

His master had long reached the True Profound Realm centuries ago, and his cultivation had only become even more unfathomable after so many years of seclusion. He could be ranked in the top, even among the ten grand elders.

Not daring to hide anything from his master, Mu Tianli revealed the recent events within the sect. His master's eyes lit up upon hearing about the emergence of a prodigious disciple within the sect, and he looked concerned upon hearing that the pills produced by the sect contained demonic traits.

Alchemy was the foundation of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, and an issue with their pills was no different from shaking the sect's very roots. A single misstep could send the entire sect into ruins. If the sect fell into ruins, they wouldn't be able to face their ancestors after their death as grand elders.

He didn't interrupt Mu Tianli's report and continued to listen. When he heard that Qing Mu had been removed from his position as an alchemist, Gao Gu finally understood why his disciple had sought him out.

Qing Mu's talent was mediocre, but he had managed to curry favor with a grand elder and was accepted as a disciple, allowing his position to rise within the sect that even Tian Xing couldn't touch him. It wasn't because Tian Xing feared Qing Mu, but he didn't want to cause trouble for the sect master.

"You’re seeking my opinion on your decision to demote Qing Mu?" Gao Gu observed, sensing the lingering doubt in Mu Tianli’s heart despite the decision he’d already made. It was precisely why Mu Tianli had come to him.

"That's right," Mu Tianli replied.

"You already know the answer. Your true motive here is to keep this matter contained and prevent it from escalating, right?" Gao Gu smiled, looking at his disciple.

Many people competed for the position of sect master in each generation, and Mu Tianli had risen to the position during his generation. It wasn't just because of his cultivation but also his wisdom.

After all, one could only become the sect master with the support of more than half of the grand elders and elders. This alone spoke volumes about Mu Tianli’s character.

"You're right, master," Mu Tianli replied, his voice conveying anxiety.

"You are now the sect master; even grand elders like us must show you respect. There's no need for you to be cautious. Do what you believe is right, and the sect can't afford any turmoil," Gao Gu said, supporting his disciple's decision.

"Thank you, master!" Mu Tianli finally smiled. His master's words gave him confidence, and he felt ready to face the challenges ahead with his master's support.

"I'll deal with Yu Bu. He cannot shirk the responsibility for his disciple's mistake, and I have ways to deal with him. If he dares to cause trouble, he'll soon learn that I'm not one to be trifled with," Gao Gu said, revealing his fierce side.

Anyone who could become a grand elder had to walk through a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses of his enemies. Most cultivators who reached the True Profound Realm had walked a bloody path.

After hearing what his master said, Mu Tianli immediately stood up and declared solemnly, "I will do my best to let the sect take its rightful place as the chief of the ten major sects."

This was the oath that the recent sect masters took, an oath to bring the sect back to its once glorious place. However, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's position had declined recently, and it had only stopped when Mu Tianli had taken over.

Bringing the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion back to the chief of the ten major sects was a challenge beyond imagination.

"I know that you've been trying your best, but you can't accomplish it relying on yourself alone. That young disciple you mentioned sounds promising. Keep an eye on him and bring him to see me when the time is right," Gao Gu said. His words effectively concluded the meeting because Mu Tianli couldn't linger in the lesser realm if it weren’t important.

Mu Tianli bowed as he left the thatched hut, gently closing the wooden door behind him. Once outside, he took a deep breath before leaving the lesser realm.

Not long after Mu Tianli left, Qing Mu also appeared in the lesser realm, but he was heading in a different direction with his own purpose.