Wayfarer

Chapter 765: Avatar Farm

Xiao Nanfeng and Lou Yujing faced each other within the pavilion. In the end, Lou Yujing broke the tense silence. "To think a legend like you could have appeared from the Taiqing Immortal Sect within the past two centuries. A praiseworthy feat indeed!"

"It's strange to hear something like that from you," Xiao Nanfeng demurred. "After all, you were responsible for its downfall."

Lou Yujing shrugged off the criticism. He had another sip of tea. "I know you hate me, as do the disciples of the Taiqing Immortal Sect. But have you ever considered how I tried to serve the disciples of the sect that year? In order to protect the sect, I risked my life over and over on the battlefield."

"You?" Xiao Nanfeng was clearly dubious.

"All my accomplishments and actions taken for the Taiqing Immortal Sect have been stricken from the records because of my betrayal.

"In my tenth year in Taiqing, I was tasked to be a spy. I infiltrated an enemy force for three years before risking my life to escape with crucial intel. The information I obtained allowed the Taiqing Immortal Sect to destroy the enemy force in a single, lethal strike. To this end, I sacrificed an arm and a leg.

"In my thirtieth year at Taiqing, I explored a hidden realm on behalf of the sect. My fellow disciples and I were attacked by a group of strong cultivators. In order for my fellow disciples to escape, I volunteered to stay behind and take them on. An attack pierced my chest and almost killed me on the spot. I barely managed to escape and only fully recovered after a year.

"In my eightieth year at Taiqing, I assisted a senior brother with establishing an empire of his own. We were attacked by supreme cultivators from an enemy kingdom. In order to protect my senior brother, I faced those enemies alone. Again, I barely survived. It took me two years to recuperate from the injuries I suffered.

"In my hundred and twentieth year at Taiqing, I established another empire with my senior brothers and senior uncles. I put in the most effort, but was subsequently assigned elsewhere without any compensation whatsoever.

"In my hundred and..."

Lou Yujing recalled his meritorious deeds. Even Xiao Nanfeng was taken aback by what he had revealed. Over the last few days, Xiao Nanfeng had investigated Taiqing's records and had found discrepancies between them and what he had independently uncovered. Lou Yujing's summary of events matched up perfectly with his information.

There was all sorts of evidence to show that Lou Yujing had been particularly loyal to the sect, as much as his own master, Ku Jiang, had been.

But how could such a loyal disciple have ended up destroying the sect?

"There are far too many such memories for me to go through one by one. I simply want to make the point that I too was a loyal Taiqing disciple once upon a time."

"And then? How did you end up destroying the sect?"

"I didn't destroy the sect; I just betrayed it," Lou Yujing emphasized.

"Aren't they the same thing?"

"Hardly. At the very least, the Taiqing Immortal Sect was allowed to live on. Don't you think I could have finished it off at any point during the last two centuries? I chose not to."

"That's what confuses me, too. The Taiqing Immortal Sect became pitifully weak after your treachery. Why didn't you take down the sect? I don't believe you stayed your hand because of the Yuqing holy land. The Yuqing holy land hardly means much to you, and you're hardly the type to go easy on your opponents."

"Why don't you make a guess?"

"I'd rather not. Tell me outright."

"You don't dare, you mean."

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. He didn't speak. He waited for Lou Yujing to continue.

"When I was three hundred years old, I established the kingdom of Hongyue, which advanced into an empire and subsequently a divine empire. Allegedly, I chose to betray the Taiqing Immortal Sect because I didn't want to cede the fortune from my divine empire, but do you really think I would be so petty?" Lou Yujing sniffed disdainfully.

"I can tell that you aren't. So why did you do it?"

"Because Saint Chi Hai was about to destroy the Taiqing Immortal Sect. It couldn't be allowed to remain."

"Ha! Do you intend to tell me that your actions were meant to save the sect? That you cooperated with the saint in order to keep the sect alive?" Xiao Nanfeng laughed.

"Do you think it all a lie? I've finally managed to avenge the deceased Taiqing elders and killed Saint Chi Hai. Doesn't that prove my innocence?"

Xiao Nanfeng laughed coldly and shook his head. "Get someone else to pity you instead. Don't try your tricks on me. It's true that the logic seems to work out, but I won't judge you by your logic. I judge you by your personality. You betrayed the Taiqing Immortal Sect—and not to save it."

"All that I did, I did to preserve the sect. What will it take for you to believe that I really am loyal?" Lou Yujing frowned.

"Enough! You must have made preparations for this well in advance, but I'm not going to be fooled. I know I haven't mistaken your intentions. Or are you underestimating me? Do you really think you can change my attitude with just a few honeyed words?"

Lou Yujing eyed Xiao Nanfeng in frustration, not knowing how to explain himself.

Xiao Nanfeng didn't budge. After a pregnant pause, Lou Yujing finally exhaled and smiled. "As expected, you really are skilled."

"There's no need to praise me. If this was the whole point of our meeting today, you might as well leave now," Xiao Nanfeng replied coldly.

Lou Yujing nodded. "I suspect you have some idea of what's going on. Before I turned traitor myself, I too was uneasy and in disbelief. Your guess is right. Those were the circumstances under which I betrayed the Taiqing Immortal Sect. You'd do the same if you were me."

"Not everyone's like you," Xiao Nanfeng replied, frowning.

"You're saying that now because you haven't uncovered the complete truth just yet." Lou Yujing shook his head.

"What truth?"

Lou Yujing took a few sips of tea, paused, then finally began, "Do you know what sort of Immortal sect the Taiqing Immortal Sect used to be?"

"A traditional sect led by the Taiqing Grandmaster," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Lou Yujing shook his head again. "It's nothing more than a farm designed to cultivate avatars for the Taiqing Grandmaster."

"What?!"

"I know you have some idea of what's going on, but you don't dare verify your claims. The Taiqing Grandmaster imparted the Taiqing Yin Body to the sect, allowing for the cultivation of the Taiqing red moon. It's the key to accessing the red moon illusory realm—but do you know what else is special about it?" Lou Yujing smiled.

"Hm?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

Lou Yujing was right. He had made a few guesses along these lines, but he had never revealed his own thoughts on the matter.

"All those who cultivate the Taiqing red moon are essentially the Taiqing Grandmaster's avatars. You might risk your life to advance your cultivation—but once the Taiqing Grandmaster revives, a puppet is all you'll be. All you're doing only serves to nourish the Taiqing Grandmaster."

"The Taiqing Immortal Sect is an avatar farm?" Xiao Nanfeng repeated.

"Indeed. Your body, for instance—no matter your cultivation, the Taiqing Grandmaster can possess it at will. Your Taiqing red moon isn't your own, but rather the Taiqing Grandmaster's. If he wants it, he can seize it at any time."

"Are you trying to mislead me?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded coldly.

"I'm sure you know whether or not I'm telling the truth. To be frank, even this information alone wouldn't have made me betray the sect. After all, the Taiqing Immortal Sect nurtured me. I could easily have crippled my cultivation and started from scratch, or fled to a distant corner of the world. There would have been no need for me to betray it."

"So why did you?"

"The Taiqing Immortal Sect isn't a place you can enter or leave at will. Even changing your cultivation technique is impossible. There are so-called guardians of the sect, fanatics of the Taiqing Grandmaster, who maintain the farm on his behalf. Any who dare to make a fuss are swiftly dealt with. You must have heard of the rumor that those who cultivate the Taiqing red moon don't live long."

"Indeed. The Taiqing red moon is said to be cursed, and those who cultivate this technique don't live long. Are these guardians involved?"

"Precisely. The majority of the Taiqing disciples who die are killed because they realized the truth behind the Taiqing Immortal Sect and attempted to escape from the farm or restart their cultivation from scratch."

"Oh?"

"The guardians of the sect give those disciples who have discovered the truth two options: join them and become fanatics of the Taiqing Grandmaster, or die."

"And you refused to join them?"

"I hardly want to be livestock. I resisted, of course. Saint Chi Hai was eyeing the Taiqing Immortal Sect at the same time, and I joined forces with him. Of course, I was forced to act because the guardians were about to strike at me. I seized the upper hand and dealt the sect a grievous blow."

"You really are decisive." Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"It was that or die. The Taiqing Immortal Sect boasted countless supreme cultivators in the past, and the guardians of the sect were madmen. I had to kill them to the last, leaving only a few weak disciples who didn't know anything behind. They weren't guardians, and they knew little of the conspiracy that gripped Taiqing at its root. I left them alive on Taiqing Island to fend for themselves."

"Ha! You didn't care about sparing them, did you? You simply wanted to fish out the guardians that had escaped, then kill them all off, too."

Lou Yujing gave Xiao Nanfeng a small smile. "I can't hide anything from you, it seems."

"So everything that happened over the last two centuries was part of your plan?"

"Indeed, including the fact that your master, Ku Jiang, attempted to infiltrate Hongyue to seek revenge. The only exception was you. You were too astounding, so astounding to the point that I was able to finish off the saint earlier than expected."

"Oh? Should I thank you for thinking highly of me, then?" Xiao Nanfeng scoffed.

"You should." Lou Yujing gave him a meaningful smile.