Questioning Heaven, Desiring the Way

“You can’t kill me.” Gu Suihan did not look like he even wanted to fight back. Instead, he turned to look at the older man among the three with a friendly smile.

“You’re right.” The older man sighed and motioned to Zhu Lingjian to hold the furious Wu Hao back.

“Let’s go.” The older man looked at the puzzled looks on the faces of his two juniors and smiled sadly as he explained, “I don’t really know the reason for bringing him back, but the Peak Leaders said that we had to bring him back safely. We can’t hurt him.”

“What is that supposed to mean,” grumbled the two juniors. But this was a mission given by the Peak Leaders after all, so they had no choice but keep Gu Suihan in the middle to make sure he didn’t suddenly try to attack them.

Gu Suihan thought about the situation for a while and finally decided that he would not fall out with the Seven Kill Sect for the time being. If he ended up becoming one of those wandering cultivators, he wouldn’t have the access to Spiritual Stones like he had now.

Despite having a high rank of aptitude, Gu Suihan needed thousands of Spiritual Stones in order to get through the Foundation Establishment stage. Those who weren’t as high ranking needed way more. This was also the reason why there were many external disciples but very few made it to Foundation Establishment. The process of getting from one stage to the next required a huge amount of resources, including an astronomical number of Spiritual Stones. Without that, it was impossible.

Gu Suihan smiled faintly, then called Sun Miaozhi over to leave him some instructions.

“Let’s go.” He proceeded to leave with the three wary-looking disciples and headed back to the sect.

Gu Suihan smiled faintly when he looked at the three men next to him as they glanced at him from time to time, and flew quietly next to them. He had intended to dodge this calamity because he didn’t want to be implicated. He was going to just wait it out and make plans after the worst was over.

Unfortunately, some people in the Seven Kill Sect had their eyes on him and were determined to make sure he was part of this mess. Since that was the case, Gu Suihan could only try to get as much out of the situation as possible while ensuring his own safety.

He had to go along with things because there was no way he could fight the sect head-on at his current level of cultivation. The sect was way too powerful for him.

The four of them were in no hurry to get back to the sect. They flew at a leisurely pace and stopped every now and then to hunt some wild animals for a meal.

Wu Hao’s attitude toward Gu Suihan didn’t improve at all. He didn’t say anything, but the anger on his face was very apparent.

Compared to Wu Hao, Zhu Lingjian was a little better. When he noticed the sword resting on Gu Suihan’s knee, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow before going over to talk to Gu Suihan.

“Brother Gu, you’re a sword cultivator too?” asked Zhu Lingjian with some interest as he settled down next to Gu Suihan.

Gu Suihan glanced at Zhu Lingjian, who had come over with his own sword, and said in a friendly voice, “You could say so.”

“You could say so?” Zhu Lingjian made a face. What sort of answer was that? He then pointed to the lifeless sword that was Questioning Heaven and said, “Why does it look so strange?”

“It’s because no matter how sharp a sword is, it is nothing but a tool in the end. Since it’s a tool, then it should be made to fit the user’s hands as much as possible.”

Zhu Lingjian looked taken aback and argued, “As a sword cultivator, we ought to have the same heart as the sword and treat the sword as our own hand. If you are sincere in your attitude toward the sword and have nothing else in your heart, you can cultivate the heart and will of the sword.” As he spoke, the quiet sword in his arms seemed to have sensed his will, so the blade resonated loudly and slid half an inch out of its sheath.

“My way is not the Way of Swordsmanship. Why should I care to be sincere with it? And what right does it have to demand that sort of thing out of me?” Gu Suihan looked down at Questioning Heaven. He ran his finger down the blade gently and did not look the slightest bit convinced by Zhu Lingjian.

“But Brother Gu, if the Way of Swordsmanship is not the way you’re seeking, why do you cultivate in the sword then?” Zhu Lingjian had a very solemn look on his face. He clearly did not agree with Gu Suihan’s point of view.

“My way is not a means to enjoy a leisurely life, nor do I care for longevity. I just want the truth,” said Gu Suihan quietly. That was his pursuit of cultivation, his obsession, and the true intent of his heart.

“The truth?”

The other two men exchanged puzzled glances as they listened in on the conversation.

Gu Suihan could see that Zhu Lingjian had more questions, but he waved his hands about with a smile and said, “You don’t understand. Neither do they.”

“I just want to know what the Way is.” He proceeded to let out a long shout, unleashing a frighteningly violent aura as he stared intently into the distant cloudless sky, as though he could see something.

The four of them did not speak anymore. They quietly ate their food, then continued on their journey.

They might have been taken aback by Gu Suihan’s shocking words and they might not have understood what Gu Suihan’s pursuit in life was, but they had felt the determination in that long shout. That alone changed the way Wu Hao looked at Gu Suihan. Gu Suihan was now very frightening to him.

An obsession that was not swayed by external forces, a determination that could withstand any challenge, and a ruthless, despicable method of doing things. All of these were signs that if one wanted to deal with Gu Suihan, they would have to smite him on the spot without holding anything back. Otherwise, you would never live in peace.

After Wu Hao had felt that murderous and bloodthirsty aura fill the air, he couldn’t help but realize something. Even if he unleashed his trump card, again and again, he wouldn’t be able to kill Gu Suihan. Thinking in this way helped him to let go of his unhappiness. He still refused to smile at Gu Suihan, but the fury in his heart had disappeared.

As time went by, the four of them got along better and talked more to one another. The three Disciplinary Court disciples finally began to understand Gu Suihan better.

This young man was usually harmless and even gentle and civil. But when he had put his mind to something, he would carry it out without hesitation. Even if the road ahead was a mountain of knives or a sea of fire or even a field of thorns, it would not stop him.

“Brother Gu, you might not have heard but the Seven Kill Sect, War Demon Sect, and the Yin Principle Sect have also formed an alliance to fight the sects with the Ethereal Court. I believe the real fight will start with the inter-sect competition happening in a month’s time. It may prove to be a good opportunity for some, but it’s also a disaster for others,” said the older man with a sigh.

After conversing with one another over the past few days, Gu Suihan found out that this man was named Murong Wei.

“Senior Brother Murong, you don’t have to be so modest. You’re an Advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator, so you don’t have to be scared,” said Wu Hao nonchalantly. To him, disciples at the Mid Foundation Establishment stage like himself were the real unlucky ones.

Murong Wei shook his head with a bitter look on his face. This disaster was going to involve the entire world of cultivators. So what if he were at Advanced Foundation Establishment? He was like an ant to the cultivators at Origin Core. Wu Hao had spent all his life in the sect and did not have much experience.

“Keep yourselves safe and make plans after it’s safe to do so. Don’t try to accomplish too much at one go,” Gu Suihan calmly explained what the more farsighted Murong Wei was thinking about. After all, if one were to die, then gaining any chance encounters or enlightenment would be pointless.

“We cultivators have gone against the will of heaven to begin with. This disaster may be an opportunity for us. I will hold fast to my sword and open my heart to face the challenge ahead,” said Zhu Lingjian with great determination.

After prodding at the fire, Gu Suihan looked up into the starry sky as countless thoughts went through his mind. But in the end, he merely let out a long sigh. The road to finding the truth was a long one.

“By the way, have any of you ever seen those supposed direct disciples of the sect?” Gu Suihan suddenly asked the other three.

They narrowed their eyes and remained silent for some time before Wu Hao finally raised his head and said in an odd tone of voice, “Of course, we’ve seen them. It’s just that those people…Hurhur…” He did not hide the disgust in his voice.

“Those people…?”

“They’re nothing but leeches of the sect. They get access to the best resources and get the most number of Spiritual Stones and pills, yet they do nothing at all, just spending their time strolling about. To put it nicely, they’re learning to put their earthly desires away and to train their hearts to be aligned with the Way. But after a certain period of time, they would disappear completely and the Peak Leaders never ask about them.”

“They disappear?” Gu Suihan narrowed his eyes. These disciples were probably taken up into the Upper World and had not actually disappeared per se.

But one could hardly blame Wu Hao for being so aggrieved. From their perspective, these direct disciples had enjoyed so much of the sect’s wealth, yet they would just disappear without a trace. Putting it that way did make them sound like nothing more than leeches.

“Watch what you say!” Murong Wei stopped Wu Hao’s grumbling and looked around warily.

“Someone’s here.” Gu Suihan raised his head and looked at the quiet forest around them with an expressionless look on his face.

“Not bad, you’re a disciple of the Seven Kill Sect alright. You’re all very alert. So, we’ve got some good ones here, eh?”

A deep voice came from afar and slowly came closer and closer. When the voice reached their ears, the voice seemed to turn into a shapeless blade of sound that whooshed as it flew towards the four Seven Kill Sect disciples.