Chapter 3

The elderly man beside him trembled as he spoke: "Immortal Master, after all, Senior Brother Qian Gu has violated the rules of the Void Spirit Sect, and the eighty-one lashes cannot be omitted! Otherwise, how can the sect's rules stand..."

I rub my chest, feeling utterly... heartbroken

I felt that I could no longer sit inside the house, so I went out again. I saw the wine pool and was reminded of the day I dozed off by the wine pool, the faint warmth on my lips, and his hoarse whispers in my ear, repeatedly calling "Master, Master," as if I had stolen the most precious thing in the world, filled with both satisfaction and guilt

Where to? I set down the teacup

He was thrown onto a pile of rubble, the river washing over his body, carrying his blood away in a winding stream.

I hurriedly arrived at the Hall of Punishment, where countless disciples stood in front of the hall. The entire hall was silent, with only the sound of the Soul-Biting Whip striking the back of the ages echoing loudly from the high platform.

This foolish child, anyone with discernment knows that eighty-one lashes would surely kill him. I expelled him clearly to spare his life, yet he does not leave quietly; instead, he insists that I allow him to stay. Truly...

I am not wrong! Qian Zhi shouted behind me, "I am not wrong, and neither is my senior brother! It is you, Master, who is wrong! It is you who are wrong!"

But it seems that the ages cannot accept it, he struggled to turn back and looked at me: "Master, the disciple is willing to endure eighty-one soul-biting lashes, I beg you, Master, do not cast me away!"

Lack of critical thinking

I ignore him. I left the Lingxu Cave

Half a month later, a disciple came from the foot of the mountain to inform me that a major incident had occurred

Qian Zhi glared at me for a while, saying: "I was under the impression that after the master understood the senior brother's intentions, he would reprimand him for his inappropriate behavior, but would not impose any undue punishment. However, Qian Zhi misjudged the master." After saying this, he turned to leave

With a wave of my hand, the iron chains binding the hands of eternity shattered, and he fell to the ground, yet struggled to crawl towards me: "Master, please... do not cast your disciple away..." I took a deep breath and turned my head away from him

The cultivators are so heartless and ungrateful, I no longer wish to pursue cultivation, I want to find Xiao Hong and roam the rivers and lakes with her, indulging in the joys and sorrows of life

No one is speaking anymore

I sneered: "Alright, is this going to be a confrontation with my master?"

Before leaving, I couldn't help but turn back for a glance. The ancient ground lay beneath, as if it weakly opened its eyes for a moment, then closed them again, fainting into oblivion

The ancient atmosphere is as delicate as a wisp of silk, yet still, there is a nod of acknowledgment

The hall was extremely quiet. I cleared my throat, and upon waking, I had to deal with so many matters that my temples throbbed with pain: "Let's disperse, each to practice their own skills."

I have adhered to strict rules since a thousand years ago, and I will not show favoritism to anyone. With a flick of my long whip, in the blink of an eye, three lashes struck the back of Qian Gu. His back immediately split open, blood gushing forth, and after enduring in silence for so long, Qian Gu finally let out a cry of pain.

After all, he is the child I raised myself, the disciple I promised to cherish like a precious treasure. Seeing him like this, my heart softened instantly, and I could no longer hold the long whip. I forcefully struck the Soul Devouring Whip to the ground: "You have been my disciple since childhood, but now you have developed misguided thoughts. As your master, I can no longer teach you the path of cultivation. After these three lashes today, you will no longer be a member of my Kongling Sect, nor will you be my disciple. I hope you will take care of yourself from now on."

Come back

Carry him out of the mountain gate. From now on, do not allow him to step into my ethereal realm even a single step.

Qian Zhi disregarded me, and I coldly raised my brows. With a wave of my hand, I cast a barrier in front of him. To my surprise, Qian Zhi also waved his hand, unleashing a surge of celestial energy directly at the barrier, utilizing my cultivation and employing the techniques I had taught him, showing no restraint in his strength. The barrier was shattered, and he soared into the air on his sword

I dragged him out and placed him in a nearby cave

The old man with a white beard who was holding the whip immediately stopped his hand; he is the youngest disciple of my junior apprentice and can be considered one of the elders here

I drink tea in silence

Returned to the summit of the ethereal mountain

This result was within everyone's expectations

At that time, I naively believed that the eternal would thus exit my life and would never appear again

Three months later, Qian Zhi emerged from the Lingxu Cave. Not seeing Qian Gu, he inquired and learned about my punishment of Qian Gu and his expulsion from the sect. Although Qian Zhi often endured beatings from Qian Gu, compared to me, his master who had granted him a hundred years of cultivation yet seldom appeared, Qian Gu seemed more like his master.

For a full three days and nights, he rested his head on my lap, and sweat soaked my clothes

For ages, he was forcefully bound by his disciples, struggling desperately, his voice hoarse as he called out to me "Master", the thick blood staining the entire white jade pathway red

For ages, I was captured because I left the ethereal realm on my sword, leaving behind a vast aura of immortality that made thirty thousand disciples aware that I had awakened

Some younger individuals gasped in surprise, with some even turning their heads to cover their eyes

Upon my arrival at the meeting, I learned that the Red Matchmaker had actually dragged my former eldest disciple, Qian Gu, into the demonic path

He is merely my disciple; it would not be appropriate for any of you to deal with him. It is most fitting for me to handle this matter personally

I swung a hard slap, and Qian Zhi raised his hand to block it. I was determined to hit him, and how could I allow him to stop me? I slapped him on the head, leaving him dazed and confused. Then, I grabbed his ear and personally took him to Lingxu Cave to confine him there

It was not until the morning of the fourth day that his breath gradually stabilized. I collected the celestial energy, placed a stone under his head as a pillow, massaged my numb and insensate legs, and walked out of the stone cave

The disciples I take in are my concern; it is not your place to dictate whether they stay or leave. You are to remain here in confinement; if you do not recognize your mistakes, you cannot be released

I walked along the long path of white jade stones that flowed out from the disciples in the middle. I rarely intervened in the affairs of the Ethereal Sect, and many juniors had never even seen my face. Although the rules dictated that they should keep their heads down at this moment, one by one, they still opened their eyes wide, curiously gazing at me, including several elderly men with flowing white hair.

Someone beside him echoed in agreement, and the ancient figure suspended in the air also turned his head to look. His face was deathly pale, yet there was a hint of despair in his eyes that I could not comprehend

I sit in the empty grand hall. My head aches severely, yet I have no desire to lie down on the bed. As I lift my eyes to glance out the window, it seems I can see the ancient figure from my childhood practicing swordplay outside, the movements immature, yet faintly imbued with an ethereal quality

And how I woke up, those younger generations probably guessed a thing or two. I had known beforehand that someone might come back to inquire about the ancient times after I left, but I did not expect that these younger ones managed to capture the ancient times. And surprisingly, the ancient times willingly allowed themselves to be captured by them, to endure the eighty-one lashes of the soul-devouring whip.

These three lashes are bestowed upon you by the master. They are for your heinous crimes. Now tell me, do you accept this punishment willingly or not

I slammed the table and exclaimed, "This little rascal!" as I leaped forward to block Qian Zhi's path, and the light in Qian Zhi's hand flickered.

I shook my head, withdrew my gaze to the inkstone on the table, yet it seemed as if I saw the ancient figure of a teenager sitting across from me, copying texts with a brush, then looking up at me and smiling: "Master, you have slept longer than it took me to copy two hundred volumes of scriptures." The candlelight flickered, his face both clear and blurred.

I covered my face and let out a deep sigh

Stop

In the night, Qian Gu had a high fever, mumbling incoherently. After being struck by the Soul Devouring Whip, his primordial spirit inevitably suffered great damage. With no medicine at hand, I could only forcibly suppress the surging blood energy within his body using celestial energy.

Ultimately, he employed a technique of earth escape, quietly leaving the Ethereal Mountain, and pursued the place that had been exiled for eternity

I stood on the high platform and took the Soul Devouring Whip from the old man's hand

The eighty-one soul-devouring lashes fell down, and even I found it somewhat difficult to maintain my composure, let alone the ages to come

Qian Zhi, with a fiery temper, could not help but loudly accuse me: "Senior Brother, you risked your life to seek medicine for Master. Even knowing that you would be scorned by others afterward, you still chose to save Master. Is this how Master treats you now that he has awakened?"