Chapter Seventy-One: The Oath of Allegiance (Part One)

The sky gradually darkened as the evening sun sank beyond the horizon.

He Wenping drifted unsteadily as he fell from the sky. Panting, his robes stained with blood, he had no strength left to keep flying. Staggering a few steps, he finally collapsed beneath a large tree.

Gazing southward, He Wenping muttered to himself, “A hundred miles more to the Radiant Sun Sect. As long as I enter their territory, the people of the Nether Sect won’t dare pursue me openly.”

He Wenping had been ensnared by Ji Feichen, who led him to the remains of his parents, stirring a desire to recover his lost memories. Yet, the matter of him digging up the Bone Tree had already been discovered by Zheng Qiong and Luo Qingyi. Under their close watch, He Wenping was caught red-handed as he tried to seek his memories in the Mirror of Oblivion.

But He Wenping reacted swiftly and managed to escape the Nether Sect.

It happened that Ji Feichen was on the verge of breaking through to the Human Immortal realm, so the Nether Sect appointed him to deal with He Wenping as both a test of loyalty and a warning.

After resting, He Wenping prepared to continue his journey when suddenly a wave of dark light and surging water rolled in behind him. A figure glided across the surface, approaching with effortless grace. “Senior brother, where are you headed? If you keep going south, you’ll no longer be in our domain.”

He Wenping had yet to comprehend his Dao Fruit; he was no match for Ji Feichen. Watching his pursuer, He Wenping spoke in a hoarse voice, “Junior brother, now that you have mastered your cultivation, have you recovered any memories from before you joined the sect?”

“Not yet. But, senior brother, you neglect your cultivation and insist on searching the Mirror of Oblivion for memories, which has already violated the sect’s taboos. Even our master may not be able to save you.”

“Save me?” He Wenping sneered. “Wasn’t it he who abducted me from my home to Black Gold Mountain in the first place?” Having recovered a fragment of his memory, He Wenping now recalled being taken up the mountain by Master Black Torrent.

“He destroyed my family—who needs his protection!” He Wenping cursed bitterly, then looked coldly at Ji Feichen. “Don’t be too pleased. When you recover your memories, I’ll see how you act in the Netherworld!”

Ji Feichen’s face was expressionless. The crimson sun finally disappeared behind the western hills, and the white moon rose, illuminating the night. Bathed in silver light, he stared long at He Wenping in silence.

He understood He Wenping’s choice well.

With their memories sealed by the demonic sect, the first instinct upon regaining them was inevitably revenge. Yet, the memories would only be restored after one attained the Human Immortal realm, by which time the blood oath of the sect was already fused into the Dao Fruit, making defection nearly impossible. Coupled with the acts required as proof of loyalty, there was no turning back.

“It’s a pity that when I transmigrated, I was already in the demonic sect, never merged with the soul of the original host, and thus have no past memories. Otherwise, perhaps I would feel similarly. Still, since I’ve borrowed this body, I may as well avenge his family someday.”

“Farewell, senior brother.” Ji Feichen casually scattered water from the Weak River. The water of the Three Yin devours soul and bone, easily ending He Wenping’s life.

Master Black Pond arrived shortly after. Today, he wore an ink-black robe, a fish-tail coronet upon his head, and wielded a great swan feather fan, approaching at a leisurely pace. “Well done. The traitor has been dealt with.” He surveyed the battlefield. The ground was clean—aside from a pool of black water, nothing else remained.

“A pity, though. His cultivation method doesn’t suit you. Otherwise, devouring his power would have strengthened your own.” In the demonic sect, it was customary for the victor to seize the defeated’s power and wealth.

Might makes right, and survival of the fittest—shredding all moral restraint is the very creed the demonic sect exalts.

Ji Feichen frowned slightly but said nothing. Absorbing another’s cultivation would only taint his own, leading to flaws as he advanced in realm. Besides, he had already switched to the way of the Qi cultivator; why bother devouring another’s methods?

Yet it was precisely this practice that allowed the demonic sect to surpass the orthodox sect in cultivation speed. However many traitors they produced, even if elders treated younger disciples as little more than food, the sect could still rapidly amass power.

Seeing Ji Feichen silent, Master Black Pond assumed he was pondering his lost memories and sought to comfort him. “The affairs of the mortal world only trouble one’s true heart; that is why, upon joining, memories are sealed until the Dao Fruit is formed. This is a kindness from our elders.”

A kindness? Ji Feichen sneered inwardly. As if they could afford not to seal the memories! After all, most disciples and followers had been lured or abducted into the sect through all manner of deceit and coercion. If they retained their memories, would they really cultivate obediently? The sect’s rule was to seal memories at the start. By the time disciples reached the Human Immortal stage and their outlook was reshaped, they had no say in the matter.

“I have the ‘Supreme Treatise on Transforming the Dragon’s Subtle Jade Radiance’ to steady my mind and avoid straying into madness, but not everyone is so fortunate.” Impure energies invade, clouding the heart, desires grow wild, and the demonic sect’s temptations abound. None were paragons of virtue to begin with, and once forced to commit acts as proof of loyalty, many gave in to despair, falling utterly into the demonic path. Few could maintain their integrity and stay true to themselves.

“I understand,” Ji Feichen replied in a subdued tone, following Master Black Pond to their next target.

Master Black Pond knew well the storm of emotions. He had felt the same once, and his guide through those trials had been none other than Master Black Torrent. In his youth, spirited and naïve, he regarded Black Torrent as his elder brother, accepting all his guidance without suspicion. Only after committing evil and being hunted by the orthodox sect did he grasp the true nature of the Nether Sect. He had violated an immortal’s granddaughter, his reputation forever ruined, cutting him off from the orthodox world. And Black Torrent had merely used him as a scapegoat to appease their so-called master.

The demonic sect severed all escape routes for its disciples, yet offered another path: attain the realm of Earth Immortal and become one of the sect’s elite.

At the Human Immortal stage, one served as a lackey, but upon becoming an Earth Immortal, one became a beneficiary of the sect’s system. Many victims who reached this level perpetuated the cycle, oppressing their juniors with even greater cruelty to vent their own past frustrations.

Over generations, this created a chasm between the values of the demonic and orthodox sects.

Seeing no way to seek refuge among the orthodox, Master Black Pond decided to continue cultivating demonic arts in hopes of ascending to Earth Immortal, thereby securing his place among the beneficiaries of the Nether Sect.

“To make the many serve the few”—this is the true essence of the demonic sect’s foundation. Self-serving and selfish, the demonic sect has never harbored any intent to serve the masses or propagate the Dao.

The two rode the clouds north from the southern frontier toward the Central Plains, eventually descending upon a small mountain village.

The land was broad and level, houses neatly arranged. On this fine night, every household lit their oil lamps, creating a scene reminiscent of fireflies gathering in the dark.

Having located their target, Ji Feichen asked, “Uncle-Master, do you know anything about this mortal family’s background?”

Master Black Pond narrowed his eyes, feigning ignorance. “No idea. They seem to be ordinary folk.”

Ji Feichen pushed open the door, while Master Black Pond remained at the threshold. Moments later, screams rang out from within, followed by a raging fire. A family of four perished in the flames.

Secretly divining, Master Black Pond confirmed the deaths of the household in the weave of fate and smiled in satisfaction. “Come, let us proceed to the third task: exterminate the members of the Yuanping Sect. The orthodox sects have myriad strange techniques; if a few escape, it matters not. The main thing is to destroy the sect as a whole.”

After they departed, a drought demoness appeared in the burning house. The four charred bodies on the ground transformed into four puppets. She pointed, and the puppets vanished into her sleeve.

This family had been saved by her beforehand, replaced with puppets to feign their deaths. The ones Ji Feichen killed were nothing but these puppets.

“My part is done. I only wonder how my senior brother will handle his side.” The demoness left as the neighbors rushed to extinguish the blaze. In the end, the fire was too fierce for rescue. When the flames died down, only a patch of ashes and a few unidentifiable bones remained.

The village was poor, with no means for a grand burial. The neighbors gathered a few “bones,” wrapped them in mats, and buried them simply.