Chapter Forty-Five: Madness

A bombshell struck the hearts of the disciples from Starwatch Valley—had their sect really been annihilated by the Azure Sky Daoist Sect?

One disciple protested in disbelief, “You’re lying! If the Azure Sky Daoist Sect wiped out Starwatch Valley, there’s no way the Great Xia imperial family would remain silent!”

Gu Qingtai smiled faintly. “Indeed, the imperial family has made no move. But have you ever wondered why that is?”

The disciple had initially thought Gu Qingtai was talking nonsense, but suddenly a chilling possibility dawned on him. Terror and panic seized him, and he fell silent. If that was truly the case, then there was nothing more to be said.

Gu Qingtai saw through his thoughts, amplifying their fear. “Because the imperial family tacitly approved our actions. And for that, the Azure Sky Daoist Sect has paid a hefty price.”

“You may not know this, but our motive was not only personal grudges between your Valley Master, Gu Xingyuan, and our sect. There was another reason—one of your alchemists, who calls himself Daoist Mu. And he has a disciple you all know: Chen Mu.” Gu Qingtai’s tone was indifferent.

A dark expression clouded Gu Feng’s face. “Damn that Chen Mu again! So he’s the real culprit behind all this!”

“Chen Mu again! He’s nothing but a curse!”

“How much misery does Chen Mu want to inflict on us before he’s satisfied?!”

In their shock and helplessness, the crowd found a scapegoat for their anger—their curses rained down on Chen Mu.

“Your sect has already been destroyed. I advise you all to make preparations. The Hall of Justice in Starwatch Valley pledged its loyalty to the Azure Sky Daoist Sect long ago, and their members led the way in this campaign. So abandon any hope for a miracle. Now, make your choice: Submit to the Azure Sky Daoist Sect, or be slaughtered to the last by the Crescent Blade Sect. The choice is yours.”

Gu Feng’s eyes darted rapidly, and after a moment’s hesitation, he ground his teeth and said, “Fine! I’ll submit to the Azure Sky Daoist Sect. With the sect gone, we have nowhere else to go. Joining you is not betrayal!”

“Senior brother!” The disciples of Starwatch Valley collapsed to the ground, their faces contorted with indecision.

In the end, one after another, the disciples chose to submit. They wanted to live—refusal meant only death.

A few defiant disciples tried to flee and were cut down by the Crescent Blade Sect’s disciples. In less than the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, every remaining disciple of Starwatch Valley had surrendered to the Azure Sky Daoist Sect.

…

Chen Mu and the party from Greencloud Mountain Sect had already arrived at their destination: the Yellow Springs Pools. The place was not a single pool, but a cluster of dozens of pools, large and small.

When they arrived, they saw teams from ten different sects soaking in the pools with their eyes closed, meditating. The elemental energy in the air was astonishing.

Throughout the journey, Chen Mu was in low spirits, tormented by guilt over the destruction of his sect. Even upon arrival, he had no mind to care about the pools.

Mo Liang led the disciples of Greencloud Mountain Sect to choose a pool, and they began absorbing its energy as soon as they entered the water.

Chen Mu was led in by Chen Feng. When the icy water drenched his garments, he finally realized he had stepped into the legendary Yellow Springs Pools.

Chen Mu fell into deep thought, and soon entered a meditative state. As the water of the Yellow Springs cleansed him, his body began to change—the impurities within him slowly seeped out.

A day passed. The Azure Sky Daoist Sect, together with the Crescent Blade Sect and the surrendered disciples of Starwatch Valley and Seven Stars Pavilion, converged at the Yellow Springs Pools. The vast group soon arrived at the site.

Meng Rushan’s gaze quickly locked onto a young figure in one of the pools—Chen Mu.

“Chen Mu, we meet again. You were hard to find. That day, we were both attacked by the Yellow Springs Phantom, but you managed to escape.” Meng Rushan’s voice rang out.

Chen Mu was in a state of sensory withdrawal, tormented by remorse and self-reproach, oblivious to what was happening around him.

Seeing that Chen Mu made no reply, Meng Rushan was not offended. He simply stepped aside to await Gu Qingtai’s instructions.

Gu Qingtai surveyed Chen Mu with interest, then said, “Let’s enter the pool for now; he isn’t going anywhere. We’ll seize him from Greencloud Mountain Sect soon enough.”

At that moment, Gu Feng, seething with fury, shouted at Chen Mu, “Chen Mu, you traitor! It’s your fault Starwatch Valley was destroyed! How could scum like you become a personal disciple?”

Chen Mu remained silent, brows furrowed, eyes tightly closed.

Gu Feng, seeing no response, grew even angrier. He stomped over to grab Chen Mu by the collar, but Chen Feng punched him squarely in the face.

“If you dare lay a finger on Chen Mu, you’ll answer to all of us from Greencloud Mountain Sect!”

“Heh, just as I thought—traitor! You’ve run off to Greencloud Mountain Sect and now you’re mute? Say something, traitor!” Gu Feng sneered.

Chen Feng defended Chen Mu. “Chen Mu hasn’t joined our sect. We just happened to meet on the road, and as his elder brother, I naturally travel with him.”

“And what about you? I heard you were being hunted by the Crescent Blade Sect disciples. How did you end up traveling with them and the Azure Sky Daoist Sect?” Chen Feng asked in confusion.

“What business is it of yours? Our sect is gone. Where else can we go?” Gu Feng’s eyes darted evasively.

Chen Feng’s expression darkened. “So you submitted to the Azure Sky Daoist Sect? You betrayed your own sect? Chen Mu has blamed himself for bringing disaster on Starwatch Valley and risked his life to kill the three enemy sects, while you chose to survive by throwing yourselves at the enemy? That’s your choice—I have no right to interfere. But if you dare call my brother a traitor again, I won’t let it stand!”

Gu Feng bristled with anger. “Chen Mu, stop pretending to be noble! You’re the real traitor! Do you know how many of our disciples were killed by the Crescent Blade Sect in these past days? And yet you found shelter with Greencloud Mountain Sect! You brought ruin on Starwatch Valley! You—”

Before he could finish, Chen Mu seemed to awaken, coughing up a mouthful of blood, his spirit further depleted.

He looked at Gu Feng with a pale face, clearly having heard the exchange.

“It’s all my fault... all my fault...” he murmured.

Gu Feng’s face twisted with rage. “That’s right! It’s all your fault! You brought the three enemy sects upon us, and now Starwatch Valley is destroyed because of you!”

Chen Feng shouted angrily, “Enough! None of this is my brother’s fault—it’s all the doing of the Azure Sky Daoist Sect! I don’t know what they’re plotting, but they’re the true culprits! And now you’ve joined them—you’re accomplices as well!”

“Our sect has been annihilated, what choice did we have? Refusal meant death. A few who tried to escape were cut down—do you want more Starwatch Valley disciples to die?” Gu Feng retorted.

Hearing that Gu Feng had submitted to the Azure Sky Daoist Sect, Chen Mu gazed at him and his fellows with hollow eyes. “You surrendered to the Azure Sky Daoist Sect?”

It was not Gu Feng who answered, but Gu Qingtai, who had watched the scene unfold with amusement. Smiling gently, he said, “Yes, they’ve all joined us. Chen Mu, you could join us as well. I’ll have you study under the Vice Sect Leader, assisting his disciple, Young Master Wuhen. Your future would be limitless, and you could reconcile ties with your family’s Grand Elder’s branch. Isn’t that the best of both worlds? Why refuse?”

Chen Wuhen, standing by, looked at Chen Mu with a complicated expression. As expected, the Azure Sky Daoist Sect still sought to recruit Chen Mu—no, to have him serve under him. Gu Qingtai made it sound generous, but in truth, he expected Chen Haoran’s branch to submit to the Grand Elder’s line. Most importantly, Gu Qingtai had learned from Meng Rushan about the mysterious power of life contained in Daoist Mu’s Elixir of Flesh Regeneration. From beginning to end, everything stemmed from this.

Gu Qingtai’s sole aim was the power of life—the only trump card Chen Mu possessed, and one he could never hand over. How could he submit so easily?

Chen Mu’s eyes blazed with madness. “Azure Sky Daoist Sect! You deserve to die!”

Gu Qingtai’s brows furrowed. “Chen Mu, I’ve given you a chance. But in truth, it makes little difference. Once we have Daoist Mu, the secret will eventually be ours.”

His words were veiled, but everyone understood that the Azure Sky Daoist Sect was after some secret belonging to Starwatch Valley. As for what it was, none could say.

Chen Mu, his eyes bloodshot, glared at Gu Qingtai and the others, his voice trembling with rage. “Zhang Jiudan... Lu Shi... Elder Liu... You of the Azure Sky Daoist Sect killed them! You murdered my kin, my fellow disciples! If I joined you, what would that make me but a beast like these cowards?”

“Chen Mu, watch your mouth!” Gu Feng snapped.

“Gu Feng, you call yourself the senior brother of Starwatch Valley? The disciples have been slaughtered, and rather than seek vengeance, you join the enemy. If that isn’t the act of a beast, what is?”

“Chen Mu, stop pretending! You’re a hypocrite! We all know how you felt about the sect. Would you mourn those dead disciples? Would you avenge them?”

“I wouldn’t, for most,” Chen Mu replied coldly. “But among them were my friends. Elder Liu Quan, who always looked after me! The inner disciples of Starwatch Valley are one thing, but the outer disciples—my brothers and sisters who spent the past two years with me—who will avenge them if not I?”

Gu Feng was left speechless, stunned to discover that Chen Mu had never cared about them, but instead treasured those outer disciples whom they had always looked down on.

Gu Qingtai said darkly, “Chen Mu, you really intend to make an enemy of the Azure Sky Daoist Sect? You would go against us for the sake of those outer-sect trash?”

“They’re not trash! They are my brothers and sisters, my family for two years!” Chen Mu roared, wild and unhinged. “I’ll chew your flesh! Drink your blood!”

With that, Chen Mu charged at Gu Qingtai, a blazing aura of sun-like elemental energy erupting from him like a raging little sun.