Chapter Nineteen: The Innocent-Faced Murderer

Jing Xuan hid to the side, listening to Ji Feichen and the Dragon Crown Prince converse one-on-one, gradually piecing together the events that had transpired. At the beginning of the year, Ji Feichen traveled through the Central Plains and, by chance, encountered the Demon King attacking the River God. Ji Feichen intervened to help, unwittingly attracting the vengeance of those from Golden Lake.

"Our Orthodox Immortal Sect regards demon extermination and the defense of the Dao as its mission. What Qinghong has done is very much in keeping with the traditions of the Supreme Sect," Jing Xuan thought. Had he been present at the time, he likely would have acted in the same manner. "Dragon Lord of Golden Lake is of divine descent, yet instead of fulfilling his duties between Heaven and Earth, he consorts with demons and fails to properly discipline his kin. That is excessive."

As Ji Feichen anticipated, Jing Xuan sided with him rather than Golden Lake, and the reputation of the Supreme Sect meant retaliation from Golden Lake was not a concern. Lost in thought, Jing Xuan was suddenly startled as the Crown Prince of Dragons erupted into action. Jing Xuan leapt from the shadows, sword in hand, blocking the prince. "Your Highness, I have listened quietly to the whole story. Clearly, it is Golden Lake that is at fault. Do you intend to resort to violence to avenge wrongdoing?"

Jing Xuan spoke with righteous fervor, and Ji Feichen, hiding behind, secretly laughed; the more upright allies he had, the better—they could serve as his enforcers. Playing the villain, he preferred to surround himself with good people, as it allowed him to conceal himself and avoid the scheming and risk of being killed by someone even worse.

Ji Feichen's thoughts raced, but outwardly he feigned surprise. "Brother, why have you returned?"

Jing Xuan apologized, "I was uneasy, so I listened from the shadows. Please forgive my discourtesy, brother." Indeed, Jing Xuan was a gentleman shaped by the teachings of the Supreme Sect; after overhearing their conversation, he immediately apologized to Ji Feichen.

He then saluted the Dragon Crown Prince. "Your Highness, I have learned the sequence of events. Your kin committed acts of cruelty, and my brother rightfully eliminated him—a villain who deserved death. Golden Lake is a lineage of true gods; how can you confuse right and wrong, personal and public matters? Had the Tortoise Dragon not been killed by my brother today, he would have fallen to another righteous cultivator eventually. Instead of reflecting and restraining your kin, you seek to wage war?"

Jing Xuan was blunt and forthright, barely short of accusing the Dragon Palace of Golden Lake of fostering trouble.

The Crown Prince was both shocked and furious, seeing Jing Xuan surrounded by the celestial light of the Supreme Sect. He knew Jing Xuan was a disciple of a powerful sect and did not wish to confront him directly, so he suppressed his anger and said, "Let us not speak further of the Tortoise Dragon for now. What of my palace's divine general Yaksha—how did he die?"

The Tortoise Dragon had left the palace and was not truly one of its own; the prince had little interest in avenging him. But Yaksha, being an appointed general, represented the honor of the Dragon Palace.

"Yaksha? Who is that?" Ji Feichen feigned ignorance. "On that day, I only slew the Tortoise Dragon; I saw no water demon called Yaksha."

"Not that day. A few days ago, at Green Screen Mountain. My father sent someone to track your movements, but they disappeared en route."

"Tracking me? I've never met him," Ji Feichen replied with an innocent expression.

The Crown Prince refused to believe him. "If you didn't do it, are you saying he killed himself?"

Seeing this, Ji Feichen raised his hand to swear, "Heaven and Earth bear witness. By the name of the Supreme One, I swear I have never met any water demon called Yaksha. Should I utter a single falsehood, may I be struck by five bolts of lightning and have my soul and body perish!"

He truly had not met Yaksha. Yaksha had fallen to Ji Feichen's trap, and Ji Feichen had only sensed his presence from afar, never meeting or speaking to him—making the oath essentially meaningless.

"If I had met Yaksha and understood the grievance, why wait for Your Highness to come knocking?" Ji Feichen distanced himself from the matter entirely.

Jing Xuan, seeing this, grew firmer in his belief, and spoke on behalf of Ji Feichen, using the name of the Supreme Sect to shield him. With negotiations deadlocked, escalation was inevitable.

Jing Xuan, molded by the Supreme Sect, possessed a solid foundation and extraordinary skills; his entire body radiated the celestial light of the Supreme. The Crown Prince, descendant of dragon gods, enjoyed noble blood and the secret techniques of the Dragon Palace, equally formidable.

The two fought evenly, trading hundreds of blows without resolution. Ji Feichen, the actual party to the dispute, stood nearby with an air of leisure. His eyes darted as he pondered, then secretly summoned the Jade Tide Pearl and launched it at the prince’s back.

The Crown Prince, accustomed to being unrivaled in the Dragon Palace, was absorbed in dueling Jing Xuan, searching for a way to counter his swordplay, oblivious to the possibility of an ambush. He staggered, leaving his defenses wide open, and Jing Xuan’s sword struck his chest, blood spraying.

Sensing danger, the Crown Prince retreated in haste. Jing Xuan was about to speak when the prince cast a spell, transformed into a stream of water, and fled. "Just you wait—next time, I’ll come to settle this!"

With his departure, Ji Feichen and Jing Xuan exchanged glances.

Jing Xuan had hoped to resolve the feud, but instead it deepened.

Ji Feichen put on a look of "shame." "Brother, I was afraid for your safety and acted rashly. Please forgive me."

Jing Xuan shook his head. "In the end, it's Golden Lake's fault. I am of the righteous path, and though I am forbidden from killing, I spared him. The matter is clear; he left too quickly."

Jing Xuan sighed, and the two, helpless, continued on their way.

"My acting grows ever more refined," Ji Feichen praised himself inwardly, but as no one else knew, his private amusement felt hollow.

He soon shifted his thoughts. "The Crown Prince is wounded—an ideal moment to strike. Unfortunately, Jing Xuan is watching; it would not do to kill the prince outright for his blood. But I have planted cinnabar on him, so I can track his whereabouts. I’ll find a way to shake off Jing Xuan and pursue the prince later."

With his plan set, Ji Feichen smiled and discussed metaphysics with Jing Xuan, deepening his understanding of the Supreme Sect’s philosophy.

The Supreme One is revered as the ancestor of immortals, yet has no fixed form or appearance—indeed, is ever-changing. The Supreme Sect regards the Supreme One as the principle of the Dao; even among branches descended from the Supreme, there are many differences in philosophy.

"Our Supreme Sect refines the pure energy of the heavens, cultivates celestial light, and values clarity, spirituality, mystery, and purity. The Moral Sect, also a major celestial order, prioritizes the Dao and virtue, neglects magical power in favor of spiritual cultivation—quite similar to you, brother."

Ji Feichen’s "Supreme Cloud Dragon Jade Essence" visualizes the Old Lord, condensing the essence of celestial dragons and centering on the spirit.

The Moral Sect emphasizes virtue first, producing many virtuous scholars and being the most upright of all sects. They neither refine elixirs nor cultivate the physical body, but study the "True Classic of Virtue," expounding the Dao therein, using cultivation to realize the soul and ascend to the nine heavens.

"The Moral Sect—I thought I fit better with the philosophy of the Non-Action Sect," Ji Feichen joked. "The highest goodness is like water, acting without striving. That seems to suit me more." The Non-Action Sect regards the "Book of Non-Action" as its true transmission, and is also among the thirty-six great celestial sects.

Of the thirty-six celestial sects, five are direct descendants of the Supreme One, and seven others inherit his teachings, making up a third of the major sects. Within the three great holy places, a call from the Supreme Palace is enough to rally all sects of Supreme lineage.

"The people of the Non-Action Sect are pure and natural; your temperament does not fit theirs."

As they conversed, a red mist blocked their path.

Ji Feichen parted the clouds and looked down, seeing devastation everywhere. Waves of heat cracked the earth, withered the grass, and the bones of countless animals littered the ground, the stench of decay suffusing the drought-stricken land.

"What is happening?" Jing Xuan was shocked, and the two quickly descended. Upon inquiry, they learned the place was called Chenghuang Mountain, now in the grip of severe drought.

Jing Xuan and Ji Feichen arrived at a village below the mountain, where the riverbed was exposed, fish and shrimp dying of thirst, wells dried up, and crops flattened to the ground. The blazing sun hung high, its golden rays scorching the earth.

The drought was so severe that Jing Xuan frowned deeply. He asked Ji Feichen, "Brother, I am not skilled in divination. Can you sense anything unusual about this drought?"

Ji Feichen used the "Jade Micro Cosmos Calculation" to divine the cause. He sensed a mysterious force at work—the drought was not simply a natural disaster.

"The heat rising from underground carries a trace of demonic energy," Ji Feichen knelt and scooped up some soil. Even the earth itself radiated heat; as he crushed it, it turned to dry dust and a thread of fiery evil dissipated.

"There’s not a trace of moisture in the fields; the crops are dead, and this year’s harvest will be disastrous." Ji Feichen surveyed the villagers, their lips cracked, eyes lifeless, collapsed in the shade awaiting death.

Water is the source of life. Without it, even a store of grain is useless.

Moreover, the location was far from any government office and lacked local deities; news of their plight would likely never reach help.

Jing Xuan, moved by compassion, waved his sleeve and conjured a gentle rain and breeze, giving the villagers a hint of renewed vitality. But for a territory spanning eight hundred miles, it was but a drop in the ocean.

Jing Xuan's expression darkened, turning to Ji Feichen. "I cannot summon rain. Brother, can you bring rain to relieve the drought?"

Ji Feichen pondered, "To bring rain is not impossible, but it requires water vapor. Under clear skies, how can it be gathered? We cultivators summon rain by condensing the vapors of heaven and earth, summoning wind and clouds, and urging thunder and rain. Now, with so little moisture in the air, even if I exhaust my power, it cannot be done."

Jing Xuan's face fell. He knew Ji Feichen's abilities well; to bring rain here would require an immortal of true attainment. "Must we return to our sect and seek aid from our elders?"

At that moment, Ji Feichen produced the Jade Tide Pearl. "Let us act separately, brother. Use this treasure to gather water vapor from other regions. We’ll meet again in a day and try to summon rain together to nourish the land."

"Agreed!" Jing Xuan responded and set off eastward.

The two parted ways, and Ji Feichen, with a cold laugh, followed the cinnabar’s signal to seek out the Dragon Crown Prince.

The prince, wounded by Jing Xuan, was not seriously injured, as Jing Xuan had no intent to kill. He fled to an unclaimed river, transformed into a water serpent, and healed at the riverbed.

"That damned Supreme disciple—why is his sword energy so hard to dispel?" The water serpent used the river’s energy to heal, occasionally feasting on fish and shrimp. Beneath a certain dragon scale on his back, a grain of cinnabar from the Underworld Sect was lodged.

Using the cinnabar’s resonance, Ji Feichen tracked the prince’s hiding place.

This time, Ji Feichen did not appear as a celestial cultivator, but as a disciple of the Demon Sect, wielding the Dragon Sceptre and pretending to come upon the place by chance.

"I use the Black Dragon Scale to conceal my celestial identity, but my Demon Sect persona remains exposed. If I capture him, the Dragon Lord will surely trace it back to me. But I can simply retreat to the Underworld Sect, where Golden Lake would not dare pursue. This way, I can keep the two identities separate and avoid suspicion."