I Cheated While Cultivating

Could it be that this bizarre treant was once a disciple of the Inner Sect of Qing Emperor Palace, captured by some expert from the evil path to cultivate evil creatures, and then, for some reason, merged with a ghostly entity?

This is simply too fantastic.

Which master from the evil sect has such audacity to use a top disciple from a great sect like the Qing Emperor Palace to cultivate evil creatures?

Tired of living?

Though the evil path is hostile to the great sects and great clans of the current age, they usually don’t offend too deeply to avoid a united retaliation that would be difficult to withstand.

Therefore, normally, these evil path experts, even if they use people to cultivate evil creatures, choose ordinary people or wandering martial artists without much backing.

To avoid subsequent trouble.

But, the circumstances of this bizarre treant are somewhat illogical.

If he really was a disciple of the Qing Emperor Palace’s Inner Sect, it would mean that at least a portion of the evil sect masters has started to disregard the power of the righteous major sects and great clans.

Unless it is just a foolhardy young person, but a foolhardy young person could hardly cultivate such a powerful amalgamation of an evil creature and ghost.

Or is it that some evil sects have mastered a special technique for merging with evil creatures?

And they must conduct experiments on the top disciples from the great sects and great clans?

But what would be the purpose of doing this?

Many speculations began to surface in Zhou Heng’s mind.

But he found it difficult to settle on any particular one.

After all, the clues he had encountered so far were still too few.

Seeing Zhou Heng lost in thought, Li Qingyao couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master, have you thought of something?”

“Just wondering if this really is a disciple of the Qing Emperor Palace, who would be so bold as to turn him into such a monster,” Zhou Heng briefly explained, without mentioning the matter of the ghostly and evil creature.

“Exactly, it’s incredibly audacious,” Li Qingyao nodded and said, “Young Master Zhou, I plan to return to the mountain immediately to report to my master and the other elders; these evil sects are indeed too bold.”

Her line of thinking was that of a very obvious sect disciple: upon encountering any matter, the first thing to think of is to inform the elders in the sect.

It’s a good habit.

Zhou Heng, on the other hand, had other methods.

Nevertheless, he nodded and said, “I was just thinking the same.”

In fact, Zhou Heng planned to go to the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer first to update the information in his mask, after which he would become a true formal member.

By then, the effects of the mask, and the information contained within, would no doubt be more accessible than they are now.

He might be able to glean some clues from it.

Of course, when there’s a chance to return to Ta Hua Mountain, he could also inquire about this matter.

Afterward, Zhou Heng and Li Qingyao left the jungle together, planning to rest temporarily in Sanhe County city before setting off again tomorrow.

Unexpectedly, upon approaching the gates of Sanhe County city, they saw from a distance a crowd of people coming out to greet them, nearly two to three hundred strong, led by Xu Kong.

This left both of them a little bewildered.

“How about that, I’ve arranged quite the scene, haven’t I?” Xu Kong said with a laugh as he approached, “I told them the strange creature wailing outside the city has been dealt with by you two, and they all came out to welcome you.”

Being a local of Sanhe County, he was also pleased to see his fellow townspeople so joyful.

Zhou Heng and Li Qingyao exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but let out a wry smile; they had intended to rest, but it seemed that was not to be.

But after all, it was the good intention of the people of Sanhe County, and it wouldn’t be polite to refuse.

Thus, they joined Xu Kong for several thank-you banquets before finally managing to slip away from the fervent hospitality of Sanhe County city.

During this process, Zhou Heng and Li Qingyao also informed Xu Kong about the bizarre treant and its possible connection to the Qing Emperor Palace’s Inner Sect, so he could report it to the Longevity Way.

This was Zhou Heng’s suggestion.

After all, this matter concerned the fusion of evil creatures and ghosts, and he had a feeling that there might be even bigger issues hidden behind it.

…

Because they were taking different paths, Zhou Heng and Li Qingyao traveled together for only half a day before parting ways.

Heading towards the nearest entrance to the Purple Tenuity Palace.

With the Sui State evil sect widespread and evil creatures aplenty, the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer had left many entrances there.

Zhou Heng found an entrance before even leaving Yuliang Prefecture.

Entering the world where the Purple Tenuity Palace resided.

No sooner had he set foot on the cloud platform of condensed purple qi than he encountered an old acquaintance.

The person was dressed in ceremonial robes and wore a mask painted with the images of the Five Emperors, none other than the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat, whom Zhou Heng hadn’t seen for a long time.

“I pay my respects to the Ziwei Master,” the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat saluted with a bow.

“Has senior recovered from his injuries?” Zhou Heng asked with a smile, genuinely missing the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat for his efficient work.

“Thanks to the aid of a Celestial Man, I’ve finally repaired my Dharma Body,” the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat replied with a smile, “The Master has been radiant recently, with tales of your exploits spreading everywhere.”

“It was a necessary move,” Zhou Heng shook his head slightly.

“What brings the Master here this time?” As the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat summoned an auspicious cloud, ushering Zhou Heng towards the mountain range where the Purple Tenuity Palace was located, he asked with a smile, “Has the third task encountered difficulties?”

“`

“The third task has already been completed,” Zhou Heng said with a smile.

“Completed?” The members of the Inner Circle of the Five Emperors were taken aback, turned their heads toward Zhou Heng, and asked in confusion, “Didn’t you just take on the third task three or four days ago?”

They had previously inquired about Zhou Heng’s task situation from The Supreme and the Heavenly Principle, since it was a matter they used to oversee. Although it was interrupted due to the calamity of the demon disaster in Xi Liang, they still felt guilty and showed more concern.

“It wasn’t too difficult a task, so it was completed quickly,” Zhou Heng said with a smile, then continued, “However, this task has left me somewhat puzzled, and I’m afraid I will need to seek enlightenment from you and the two seniors, The Supreme and Heavenly Principle, later on.”

“Puzzled? Is there a problem with this task?” The members of the Inner Circle of the Five Emperors asked in surprise.

But by then, they had already arrived in front of the Purple Tenuity Palace and saw The Supreme and the Heavenly Principle, the two Celestial Men, so they did not continue to ask.

“Master of Stars.”

“We pay respect to the Master of Stars.”

The Heavenly Principle and The Supreme paid their respects to Zhou Heng.

“It seems the Master of Stars has had impressive battle achievements lately; the mark of the evil spirit on you has diminished considerably,” The Supreme said with a smile. “I estimate that after killing a few more suitable evil sect masters, you should be able to lift the curse.”

“You flatter me, senior. I have already completed the third task,” Zhou Heng got straight to the point, “Now, all I need to do is to update the task information to lift the restriction on the mask’s privileges.”

“That’s right,” Heavenly Principle nodded, “By completing three tasks, you are now a full member. All the information and privilege effects that a full member is entitled to will be unlocked.”

“Perhaps, the position of Ziwei Master might have some special privilege abilities,” The Supreme said with a smile. “However, this is just my guess; you can look forward to it.”

“Hmm, I think so too,” the member of the Inner Circle of the Five Emperors chimed in, nodding, “The position of Ziwei Master is very special, and becoming a full member might indeed grant you some specialties.”

“This is making me even more excited,” Zhou Heng also smiled.

“Right, the information about the Plague Emperor Sect that you had us keep an eye on has already been submitted,” The Supreme came over and handed Zhou Heng an envelope, “It’s all written inside.”

“Thank you both seniors. I’ve also prepared the merit,” Zhou Heng’s eyes lit up as he took the envelope and entered the Purple Tenuity Palace.

“What was that just now?” the member of the Inner Circle of the Five Emperors asked curiously.

“It was a bounty issued by the Master of Stars,” The Supreme cheerfully explained, “The young man has plenty of merit. He used merit to issue a bounty for members of the Plague Emperor Sect and even offered us two thousand merits each as a reward.”

“It’s a pity that the merit can’t be traded immediately; it can only be noted down for the time being,” Heavenly Principle also revealed a faint smile, “But that’s fine too. The next gathering is on the eighteenth of the month, and by that time, when we get our merits, it will be just the right occasion to see if there’s something we want.”

For the two of them, a thousand merits was a rare treasure indeed.

“So generous?” The member of the Inner Circle of the Five Emperors was astonished and asked, “How much merit does the Master of Stars actually have?”

“It should not be a small amount,” The Supreme thought for a moment and said, “His strength is already invincible below the Secret Sixth Rank, and the Pure Yang Body restrains ghostly creatures. Moreover, from the speed at which he completes tasks, it seems that evil creatures do not pose much of a threat to him.”

“That means he can accumulate merit by slaying ghosts and evil creatures,” Heavenly Principle said with some emotion, “I’ve heard from Siming that when the Master of Stars was at the Eighth Rank, cutting down ghosts at the Peak of the Seventh Rank was as easy as slicing through vegetables. Now, he is likely even stronger.”

“I’ve also heard from Siming about the Master of Stars’ power; recently, he has slaughtered many evil sect masters and exterminated numerous ghosts,” laughed the member of the Inner Circle of the Five Emperors, “Having such a powerful person emerge from our ranks will make it much easier to handle the crises from the West Wasteland in the future.”

“Yes, the problems in the West Wasteland forbidden area are becoming more and more serious,” The Supreme sighed softly, “Let’s hope the Master of Stars can bring us some surprises and hope.”

…

After updating the task and mask information in the Hall of Untroubled Thought within the Purple Tenuity Palace,

Zhou Heng’s merits had once again reached over six thousand.

Most of these were earned from killing evil creatures and ghosts.

From Fangzhou all the way to Sui State, he did not just slay evil sect masters but also destroyed many evil creatures and ghosts, all of which granted him genuine merit rewards.

Now, having completed three tasks, Zhou Heng placed the mask on a jade platform.

Suddenly, a flash of golden light passed over the “Ziwei Master” mask.

Within that golden light, he vaguely glimpsed the ghostly image of a vast star chart.

But it vanished in an instant, like an illusion.

“It seems to be the Zhou Tian Star Chart, but there appear to be some differences,” Zhou Heng frowned slightly, trying to recall the appearance of that star chart, but no matter how hard he tried, he could no longer remember.

Let’s check the changes in the mask first.

Zhou Heng donned the mask, first paying attention to the changes in the information contained within it.

This mask was connected to the Zhou Tian Star Chart, and through partial control of the star chart, the two Tao Lords, Tianyi and Azure Dragon, had infused some important information into the chart.

As long as members of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers unlocked the corresponding level of privileges, they could access this portion of the information.

Zhou Heng had many questions about Da Qi and this world.

However, previously the information Zhou Heng saw through the mask was not even as detailed as the introductions in the two books, “The World” and “Pure Yang” from the Pure Yang Palace.

Now that he had become an official member, things should be different.

Zhou Heng started reading the information contained in the mask.

As expected, there were still no detailed explanations regarding the battle at Tianyang and the details of the West Wasteland forbidden area.

This was within his expectations.

After all, the member of the Inner Circle of the Five Emperors had previously stated that even full members needed to be above the Sect Fifth Rank to understand the information about the West Wasteland forbidden area.

As for the battle at Tianyang, it’s probably even more of a secret.

However, there was an answer here to why the Age of Saints in the Middle Ancient times suddenly came to an end.

The Dream Sage, the Tao Sage, the Statute Sage!

They had gone mad!

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