It’s Not Easy Being a Master, Chapter 71: Sect Leader

Regarding the demons and monsters in the wasteland, the little sects qualifications were too low so they probably didn’t know much. However, a large sect like the Qingyun Sect ought to have some records on file.

As Shen Zhixian pulled out some relevant books and read them one by one, he realized that there were only two options available. Cultivators could join forces to suppress the demons again; or, they could let them go and find ways to get along with them peacefully.

Regarding the first method, Shen Zhixian only thought about it for a brief moment before completely disregarding it.

For thousands of years, powerful demons and monsters were suppressed in the wasteland and had been fighting each other. Meanwhile, cultivators had no rivals and had become lazy. If both parties started fighting each other, it was difficult to know who would win.

What’s more, Shen Zhixian believed that no one in this current cultivation realm could re-establish such a powerful restriction seal.

Then, only the second option was left.

It wouldn’t be easy. These demons and monsters already had taciturn temperaments and normally wouldn’t be persuaded by anyone. Moreover, cultivators had always viewed these creatures as cruel and ruthless. For these two reasons….

Shen Zhixian sighed.

It would be very difficult to reconcile cultivators and demons.

His thoughts scattered and he once again thought of Yan Jin.

During this time, Yan Jin remained in the wasteland. Although he was a natural born devil, the restriction Shen Zhixian had placed on him was just recently removed. His state was still unstable, resulting in a loss of control from time to time. This made it easy for him to hurt people and hurt himself. As a result, he could only stay in the wasteland temporarily to temper himself and conquer the remaining creatures in the wasteland.

He’d done it before in the past life and was very familiar with it. Because these demons and monsters were a bit more simpleminded than cultivators, it wouldn’t be too difficult for Yan Jin to subdue them. Once that was done, the fight was over. Moreover, Yan Jin was best at fighting.

The only way for those inside the wasteland to leave would be to go through the Dark Sea. At this moment, Yan Jin was guarding the Dark Sea and pushing back those who wanted to leave with brute strength.

In the wasteland, Yan Jin was fighting against the creatures within and creating great chaos, while outside, cultivators and demons were also fighting fiercely.

Shen Zhixian pondered and came up with a vague idea.

……

On Song Ming’s side.

The chaos outside was not Song Ming’s primary concern.

What he hated and was most troubled with right now was the fact that Shen Zhixian had begun to secretly subjugate him.

Sect Leader Wen had personally designated Song Ming as the new sect leader. Because Shen Zhixian’s involvement was not made public, everyone respected Song Ming primarily because they looked up to Sect Leader Wen.

Even though Song Ming’s behavior was very smooth, he couldn’t hide the fact that his cultivation was too lacking for a sect leader. In Qingyun Sect, which respected strength, it would normally be very difficult for Song Ming to sit on this seat.

The reason they’d tolerated it this long was merely because they didn’t have a more suitable candidate for the position. But, now that Shen Zhixian had returned to normal and stood up to replace him, they began to move their minds.

During this time, Song Ming focused all his efforts on guarding against Shen Zhixian. He also asked his confidants to find a way to crowd out Shen Zhixian’s claim. The half-devil hiding in his body also thought this would be a good opportunity to urge him to hurry up and get Shen Zhixian’s body.

Under pressure from several parties, Song Ming became very anxious and couldn’t help saying a few harsh words to the half-devil.

The half-devil mockingly said, “You really are a waste. Even after controlling Qingyun Sect for so long, you still can’t deal with Shen Zhixian.”

Song Ming sneered. “If you can do it, then why don’t you do it instead? Get out of my body and enter Shen Zhixian’s body. Go ahead and save me the trouble.”

The half-devil exuded a ray of black qi and, against the flickering candlelight, a shadow appeared. After a moment of silence, it suddenly smiled strangely and said, “I have a way…”

The black qi drifted up to Song Ming’s ear and drifted in like smoke.

Song Ming shivered, his expression a little hesitant: “This… is it really feasible?”

The half-devil’s voice was full of temptations. “Why not? As long as you clean your trail, no one will know what you did. This thing… everyone will only blame the demons in the wasteland for doing evil.”

Song Ming’s face still showed uncertainty. But, half a moment later, he gritted his teeth and said,
“Okay.”

The half-devil let out an unbridled laugh, directly entered his body, and was gone.

However, before Song Ming’s plan could be implemented, Second Elder arrived with a heavy face and informed him, “Eighteen senior disciples who recently went north died a few days ago.”

Song Ming was momentarily surprised.

Second Elder sighed. “This isn’t right. So many of Qingyun Sect’s disciples have died and the other smaller sects also couldn’t bear it anymore. This situation is very concerning.”

The death of eighteen senior disciples was no trivial matter. Second Elder had always been calm and neutral and so Song Ming instinctively believed him. However, at this moment, Song Ming couldn’t think of a good solution. He said, “This matter needs to be carefully considered. We’ll discuss it with everyone tomorrow.”

Nodding, Second Elder murmured “mmn.”. Before leaving, he seemed to remember something and turned back to say, “Recently the Assembly Hall is being repaired. Sect Leader, let’s meet tomorrow at Songtang Hall.”

Song Ming’s thoughts were still preoccupied with Shen Zhixian. As a result, he didn’t think much about it and merely agreed. Second Elder’s eyes flashed, and he slowly walked away.

The next day, Song Ming was almost halfway to the Assembly Hall before he remembered that it was being repaired. At the halfway turn, he changed route toward Songtang Hall.

However, the closer he got to Pine Hall, the stranger he felt. Suddenly his heart began to beat a little faster. He didn’t know why so he merely frowned and endured this heart palpitation as he quickly walked toward Songtang Hall.

Songtang Hall probably hadn’t been used in a long time. The place likely hadn’t been updated or renovated in several years. A faint fragrance entered Song Ming’s nose, and he began to feel as if this place was familiar. But, he’d never been here before.

The place was silent and, as Song Ming stepped into the hall, he wondered why no one was here yet. Then, his eyes suddenly became cold.

–Wrong!

He’d been here before!

This was Sect Leader Wen’s main hall. Song Ming was only a small disciple and had no right to enter. Only on that day…

Only that day!

The day that Sect Leader Wen explained about the sect leader position and about Shen Zhixian!

Song Ming froze, as if he was nailed in place. The door behind him closed silently. The light in the room darkened, even as the blurred figure sitting on a high position in the room became crystal clear.

“Song Ming,” a gentle, male voice said, the sound echoing in the empty hall. “I called you here today because I have something very important to tell you.”

These words were exactly the same as what he’d said that year.

The cold fragrance grew heavier.

Song Ming took an instinctive step back. After a moment, his eyes widened and he rushed a few steps closer to the man in front. He shouted, “Master Wen!”

He looked at the man in disbelief. Shock and terror intertwined on his face, making him look grotesque.

Sect Leader Wen didn’t seem to notice his strangeness and only said gently, “At that time, I had an agreement with you. We agreed that you would only be the temporary sect leader. Once Shen Zhixian’s heart is cured, you would return the position back to him. Right now, he is fine. Why are you still in that place?”

Song Ming retorted without thinking, “When have you and I ever had such an agreement?!”

Sect Leader Wen looked surprised. He momentarily paused, before saying slowly, “You promised in the past. Now, you’re turning your face away?”

Song Ming looked embarrassed. He couldn’t help thinking that Sect Leader Wen had probably accumulated many years of resentment and unwillingness and wanted to make him lose his mind. He said angrily, “Why?! I’ve worked so hard for so many years. Why can Shen Zhixian take it all away from me?!”

“You’re too unfair. You’re so biased!” Song Ming said resentfully. “I worked so hard but it all meant nothing in your eyes. To you, only Shen Zhixian mattered. He’s just a waste who couldn’t even protect himself!”

He’d yelled himself hoarse and exhausted. For a moment, the figure in front of him shifted into Shen Zhixian, then back to Sect Leader Wen. But, no matter who that figure was, he filled Song Ming with hatred.

Perhaps, he’d been grateful to Sect Leader Wen once. But, after many of his repeated efforts were ignored or denied, his gratitude turned into hatred.

The sect leader position originally did not belong to him and was temporarily given to him to safeguard. But, gradually, he began to want to keep it for himself.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The sound wasn’t loud, but it fell like thunder to Song Ming’s ears. He jerked backward and watched as the door opened silently. A junior disciple stood respectfully at the door and said, “…Sect Leader Wen is in seclusion.”

Song Ming heard his voice calmly replied, “Mmn, I know.”

His voice was very smooth and very normal, but no one knew how violently his heart was beating, or how much it brimmed with excitement and tension. Suppressing the tumbling emotions, he strode out.

The surrounding scene seemed to ripple like a lake, gradually changing into another setting. The hallucinogenic cold scent lingered, eroding Song Ming’s awareness. He didn’t even realize how strange this all was.

Song Ming stood in front of a door.

Sect Leader Wen, who was in seclusion and was about to advance in cultivation rank, was inside the room.

His eyes clearly reflected his hesitation and an internal struggle. But, gradually, hesitation shifted in resolve. Taking a deep breath, he forced panic into his voice as he yelled, “Sect Leader! Sect Leader! Junior brother is in trouble!”

During seclusion, the outside world should be ignored. But, Song Ming knew that Shen Zhixian was Sect Leader Wen’s fatal weakness.

Sure enough, the door opened. Sect Leader Wen sat on the bed with his legs crossed, his expression alarmed. “What happened?”

Song Ming opened his mouth and said, “Master, he suddenly went mad and started hurting a lot of people!”

Afraid that Sect Leader Wen wouldn’t believe him, he displayed the sword wound on his sleeve, which was still dripping blood. Song Ming gravely said, “After junior brother injured many people, he began to mutilate himself. I wanted to stop him but he was too strong…”

He knelt down. “Master, please go and save junior brother!”

The half-devil that had seized Shen Zhixian’s body at that time was indeed very unstable and would often go mad. Moreover, Song Ming always looked like a gentle and honest man. Since Sect Leader Wen had chosen him as the sect leader, he naturally believed in Song Ming’s nature.

Affection for his disciple made him too eager. Sect Leader Wen hurriedly stood up and tried to walk out, forcibly disengaging his body from its meditative state. Within his body, his spiritual qi suddenly became chaotic, and he couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood and tumbled two steps forward.

Song Ming was behind him. Sect Leader Wen turned back, intending to let Song Ming lead the way. But a cold ray of sword light flashed in his eyes–

“Zzing!”

The cold and murderous sword spirit streak in front of Zong Ming, nearly slicing his nose, and causing him to fall backward to the ground.

Song Ming suddenly woke up, only to find that he was still in front of Songtang Hall’s door and had never entered.

An ominous premonition trembled through Song Ming’s body, and he slowly turned around.

He saw a crowd of people.

Standing at the forefront was Fourth Elder with his sword drawn. The tip of his sword was pointed to the ground, where a hole was visible. The sword qi lingering on his body was exactly the same as the one that had just tried to hack Song Ming.

The remaining elders were also present, as well as other groups of people, including his trusted aides and Sect Leader Wen’s people. Everyone was present.

Countless eyes were staring at him tightly, and the sight was unbearable.

Fourth Elder gritted his teeth and lifted his sword. “Song Ming! You ungrateful villain! Senior Brother Wen trusted you so much, but you did this kind of thing!”

After being pointed at by a sword, Song Ming’s heart actually calmed. He looked around and, not seeing Shen Zhixian, he smiled unnaturally. “Where is my good junior brother? Why not appear?”

There was silence all around. Song Ming no longer covered it up. The contempt in his eyes was thick enough to be tangible. “You think that you’re so clever playing this trick on me. I’ve been sitting on this seat for so many years. Do you think that you can strip it away so easily?” He snapped sharply, “Impossible!

The sky suddenly darkened as Song Ming muttered something, his fingers swiftly drawing an incantation. A barrier appeared, separating him from Fourth Elder’s sword. While casting his spell, he hurried backward, thinking to retreat into Songtang Hall.

Then, he felt a pain at the back of his waist, as if something was trying to snap him in half. The momentum threw him uncontrollably forward. If he hadn’t reacted quickly and turned to avoid the swords, he would have many bloody holes in his body.

He looked back angrily, only to see Shen Zhixian gracefully retracting his feet. Then, he stomped his foot, as if he’d stepped on something dirty. Looking at Song Ming, he said lightly, “Still want to come in? You’re too dirty.”

The last string of sanity in Song Ming’s mind snapped.

His hands trembled. His eyes sprayed fire, stripping away the many years of politeness that he’d used to camouflage his true temperament. His benevolent attitude completely torn, his screeched hatefully, “Dirty?! I’ll show you something truly dirty!”

He completed the spell array. Black qi instantly appeared from where Song Ming stood, the dark strands quickly filling the large area. The half-devil finally emerged from within him, smirking.

The sky above their heads completely darkened, and though the sun still shone in the distance, its light seemed to have retracted far away.

Demons and monsters began to rampage, and countless devils clamored tumultuously.

Hidden in the black qi were many demons and monsters, which swept across the flowers and greens, causing the greens to immediately whither and die. Everyone evaded them. Fourth Elder drew his sword and created an invisible barrier to block the menacing demons.

But, this barrier could only hold them back for a moment. Soon, the demons broke through the barrier and began to attack everyone.

The ground under Song Ming’s feet was where the array fell, which connected this place to the wasteland; he’d summoned the demons and monsters of the wasteland.

Countless demons and monsters emerged one after another from the array. Everyone tried their best to kill them, but they could not be killed. In the overwhelming darkness, it was easy to be afraid.

In the confusion, someone shouted, “Sect Leader Shen, save us!”

It was evident who he was shouting for.

Song Ming was wrapped in black qi and, even through the density, he still heard it. Anger shot through him and he was about to refute. But then, he heard a chuckle.

He turned his head, only to find that Shen Zhixian hadn’t joined the battle. Instead, he stood not far behind Song Ming. A few fiends lingered at his side, but they didn’t rush forward to attack him. They only bowed their heads respectfully.

Song Ming angrily shouted, “Useless! Useless! Kill him!”

The half-devil in his body was also incensed, shouting for them to pounce on Shen Zhixian.

But the fiends stood still, making weird sounds, as if expressing something.

Hatred burned in Song Ming’s heart. He pulled out his sword, resolved to kill Shen Zhixian himself.

He knew that he wasn’t Shen Zhixian’s opponent, but it didn’t matter. The half-devil was still in him, and he also called out many creatures. There was no way Shen Zhixian could beat all of them, no way would he leave here alive.

His breath choked off.

Shen Zhixian had pulled his sword.

Even though the sword tip was still some distance away from him, he clearly felt as if an invisible hand was clenching his throat tightly, cutting off his breath!

Frost Return’s sword insight had perceived devil qi. The sword rose, it’s blade rotating. Shen Zhixian held the sword firmly and made a light stroke.

The sword tip still hadn’t touched Song Ming, but the sword qi completely suppressed him. His hands and feet grew heavy, and he glanced at it from the corner of his eyes, only to find that a large mass of black qi were chaining him in place.

Song Ming looked at Shen Zhixian in shock, feeling wet, warm liquid flowing from his neck.

“One cut for master.”

Shen Zhixian’s eyes grew cold as red blood dripped from Song Ming’s neck. He moved his wrist again, and Song Ming screamed. His spirit root was completely fragmented by the sword qi.

“One cut for Yan Jin.”

If Song Ming hadn’t deliberately led the demons to chase him and Little Yan Jin back then, they wouldn’t have been forced into the wasteland and their encounter wouldn’t have ended in such a tragic way.

Later, Song Ming even dared to bring Little Yan Jin back from the edge of the wasteland and handed him over to the half-devil in an attempt to let them torture each other to death. In the last life, he did succeed.

Another cut, making Song Ming felt as if he’d become as soft as a lump of mud. He was paralyzed on the ground, his agony dragging him to the edge of unconsciousness. Only his eyes could move, and he stared hard at Shen Zhixian.

“This cut is for me.”

Shen Zhixian looked down at the soft, pulp of meat. “Master once taught me that this belonged to me. I must hold on to it and never give it up. Qingyun Sect is my responsibility, and I cannot tolerate you defiling it.”

“Therefore, you should just die. Don’t come out and dirty my eyes.”

Shen Zhixian rarely said such vicious words, but he felt that for Song Yi, even if it was hundreds of times more vicious, it still wouldn’t be enough.

The monsters summoned by Song Ming began to swallow his body clean, leaving behind only a few white bones and a skull. Song Ming only had one final breath left. He struggled unwillingly and forced out a few vague words. “You…the devil…”

Shen Zhixian guessed what he wanted to ask, smiled slightly, and whispered, “No matter what you ordered them to do, it wouldn’t matter. My family A’jin is now the Lord of the Wasteland. Just guess. The demons that you called here, will they help you or will they kill you?”

His family A’jin….

Song Ming used his last strand of awareness to remember who this was. And, then, with a crunch, his head was crushed by a fiend’s large muzzle. It was too late for the half-devil to escape. One half was swallowed by the fierce fiend, while the remaining half was being chewed in its mouth.

Without Song Ming to support it, the array began to fade. Shen Zhixian casted a spell and took control of the connection. He nodded to the fiend and said, “Go back.”

The fiend manifestation responded and issued out a strange command. Hearing this voice, the demons and monsters that had been fighting with everyone shrank back and returned from whence they came.

At the last moment, the fiend lowered itself to face Shen Zhixian and shyly whispered, “We were very good today. We practiced for a long time in the wasteland. When you see the Supreme Lord, please let the Supreme Lord know to stop beating us up.”

After speaking, it disappeared with the connection. Shen Zhixian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He restrained himself and turned back to look at everyone.

The demons and monsters seemed very fierce, but they had been commanded in advance. Although they fought fiercely, they didn’t kill anyone. At most, some had straightforward injuries that were not life-threatening.

The darkness still remained. Shen Zhixian casted a spell to disperse the remaining devil qi, and the area soon returned to calm. However, the mess around the land still showed signs of danger.

There were people supporting each other and their faces showed that they’d just escaped a calamity. The cultivation realm had been peaceful for such a long time and most of them had never seen so many demons and monsters before.

An elder, who’d always been taciturn and uncommunicative, silently took his sword, silently stood, and silently offered a big bow to Shen Zhixian as the new sect leader.