"Greetings, Young Master!"
After being severely injured by his own master with a palm strike that day, An Ya endured one hundred and eight lashes in the Dark Guard Hall. If not for his cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage, the whipping alone would have cost him his life. As the former hall master of the Dark Guard Hall, his subordinates, when carrying out the punishment, had shown him leniency, remembering their former leader.
"Are the injuries severe?" Chaoyang Zi, seeing An Ya kneeling on the ground, felt a complex mix of emotions. His sworn brother, who had grown up with him and fought alongside him, had betrayed him. And that person was his own mother. Filial piety and the debt of being raised outweighed everything. Like Ju Xun, he had also grown up without a mother, nurtured by nature, and at the age of ten, he and his brother were fortunate enough to be adopted by Divine Venerable Ye. Ju Xun, having never known a mother, moved from envy to understanding of a mother's protective instincts towards her offspring. Therefore, she did not pursue the matter and understood the feelings of himself and Qing Yin.
This was his mother in this life. Her cultivation of the Great Dao of Longevity had been interrupted during the birth of their brothers, forcing a separation. What harm was there in protecting her and giving her what she desired? But only that. Chaotian Ci was a puppet he had given to his mother, hoping she would cease her actions. He was confident that she could live peacefully and happily for a thousand years.
"I won't die. Young Master, do you have any instructions? I am too ashamed to even speak of serving you," An Ya's voice was dejected...
"You will assist Chaotian Ci from now on. Leak this news to Mother and observe her reaction. Henceforth, if Mother commits any act that harms or betrays the Chaotian Immortal Sect, you may request the Ancestor to deal with her according to clan rules. Otherwise, let her be.
Replace the people in the Disciplinary Hall and Treasure Hunting Hall with Mother's people. The Array Research Institute and Disciple Academy will be managed by Chaotian Ci. The rest will remain with their respective elders and departments." Chaoyang Zi spoke with a casual tone. He had been an Immortal Lord in the Upper Realm, and he didn't think much of the insignificant Chaotian Immortal Sect. However, given this sliver of lineage, he did not wish to see the sect disintegrate due to internal strife.
"Young Master, why is this? You and the Second Young Master both..." An Ya's confused expression halted as Chaoyang Zi released his aura. The Young Master had actually reached the Void Transformation realm, not far from ascension. He suddenly felt a lump in his throat; the Young Master had truly shown mercy. Otherwise, being struck by a palm from a Void Transformation realm cultivator would have turned him into dust. He realized that the Young Master, the Second Young Master, and that Fairy Ye Ju, and Young Master Feng Chu were no ordinary individuals.
"Young Master, congratulations! Your cultivation speed is so rapid that our generation can only gaze upon it with admiration," An Ya said with unexplainable excitement. His master was about to ascend, an unprecedented feat on the Tian Chen Continent.
"Stop your flattery. You've learned to butter me up! I too fought with an old ancestor of an enemy, and Fairy Ye assisted me in my treatment and breakthrough.
An Ya, your talent is also high. Don't be too fixated on techniques. You need to see yourself clearly, find your true self, and that will be your moment of breakthrough," Chaoyang Zi reprimanded him coldly, then turned serious.
"Thank you, Young Master, for your guidance. Your subordinate will definitely remember your words. Young Master, please rest assured, your subordinate swears by his divine soul that he will complete your entrusted task. Should I violate this oath, my path to eternal life shall be severed, and my soul annihilated!" An Ya solemnly took an oath to Chaoyang Zi with three fingers.
Chaoyang Zi waited for him to complete the oath before helping him up. He also gave him a seventh-grade pill for healing. This was refined by A You and could show immediate effects upon consumption.
"If fate allows, we may meet again in the Upper Realm after a thousand years when I ascend. Go now!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
An Ya was astonished by the pill's miraculousness. He circulated his spiritual energy and discovered that both his internal and external injuries were mostly healed. He immediately bowed and flashed away.
"Brother, your medicine is too amazing. Can you give me some?" Chaoxiang Zi appeared from somewhere.
"This was refined by A You, who is by Divine Venerable Ju Xun's side. You can ask the Divine Venerable for some," Chaoyang Zi knew his brother's lingering thoughts. He deliberately provoked him.
"Brother, the Divine Venerable said I am no longer her friend. Now I am just Qing Yin, one of the Seven Star Guards."
Chaoxiang Zi's expression was forlorn. He recalled when they were in the Upper Realm, Ju Xun loved studying formations and mechanical arts with him. When they were engrossed in their work, they would fall asleep right where they were, intimate and inseparable. At such times, Ju Xun would always be carried away by Divine Venerable Ye, while he was often pranked by Feng Chu and the others. They would float him in water, or place him on mountaintops, only for him to roll into the water or off a cliff... He smiled as he remembered... fondly recalling those times. Yet, in this world, he was the first to encounter her, and yet he did not regain his memory first and recognize Ju Xun...
Chaoyang Zi was also helpless about this. After all, his brother's appeasement of Zhu Xianxian at the time was understandable, and it was no wonder Ju Xun was angry. Even with her memory lost, Ju Xun was unconsciously tolerant towards them. But they could no longer indulge those around them from harming her.
Chaoyang Zi walked to the window of his study. Outside the window was a lake view. He hoped his mother would not disappoint him again!
At the same time, Madam Zhu received An Ya's secret letter. Upon seeing the instruction to support Chaotian Ci as the interim sect leader, Madam Zhu angrily swept the tea set off the table.
The attendant who delivered the message was her confidant. Madam Zhu opened the transmission talisman in front of him. He stepped forward to persuade her:
"Madam, please calm your anger. The two Young Masters are about to ascend soon, which is a joyous occasion. With two ascending cultivators from the Chaotian Immortal Sect, the sect's reputation will undoubtedly soar, and its status on the Tian Chen Continent will be as firm as a rock. It will be the same for you; everyone will respect you.
The Young Master also mentioned that Chaotian Ci is only the interim sect leader, and most of the sect's internal affairs are still in our hands. Now that the Disciplinary Hall and Treasure Hunting Hall are also given to you, it means the Young Master wants you to firmly grasp the sect's purse strings. Then, you won't have to worry about Chaotian Ci not obeying you."
"You speak wisely. That vile Second Madam has been sent away, but it's not that easy. I want her dead. I'll leave this matter to you!" Madam Zhu had also come to a realization; her son, whom she had raised with such effort, was still on her side.
"Madam, this is not advisable. If Chaotian Ci later learns that you killed his mother, he might retaliate!"
The attendant advised. He knew Madam hated the Second Madam. If the Second Madam hadn't secretly poisoned Madam when she was giving birth, Madam wouldn't have been unable to cultivate further and be stuck at the Nascent Soul stage... But Madam had also harmed the Second Madam's first child back then. Although the sect leader ruled it an accident, it was eventually brushed aside. However, the Second Madam had found out. In the war of the inner chambers, it was often the children who suffered innocently.
"Hmph, I'll kill him too at that time. But it must be after he has an heir," Madam Zhu harbored an implacable hatred for the Second Madam and had no intention of letting her go.
"Yes!" The attendant ceased his persuasion.
When the Second Madam was sent away, An Ya had already returned to the Chaotian Immortal Sect. Sect Leader Zhu remained, not leaving with the Second Madam, but he readily abdicated his position as sect leader. He had made many mistakes in his life; his wife and he had turned against each other, his three sons were not close to him, and his cultivation was crippled by Madam Zhu. Therefore, he felt a sense of liberation and became a leisurely figure in the sect.
Chaoyang Zi had long anticipated that his mother would not let the Second Madam go. When the people escorting the Second Madam encountered an attack, another group appeared in time to save her. Vengeance breeds vengeance, and it's hard to say when it will end. Mother and the Second Madam had long blurred the lines of right and wrong. With different stances, peaceful coexistence was naturally impossible!