Translator: CinderTL
"Fellow Daoist Zi Yun, do you know Zhu Yin's whereabouts?" Song Wen changed the subject.
This was one of the main reasons he had come to find Zi Yun.
Zi Yun was familiar with Zhu Yin and should know her current situation.
Zi Yun's eyes turned cold, and her voice was filled with hatred.
"Zhu Yin betrayed the Human Race and became a lapdog of the Demon Race. The Human Race's crushing defeat in the Northern Region War twenty years ago was largely due to her secret collusion with the Demon Race, leaking our deployment plans. This led to the Human Race falling into the Demon Race's trap, resulting in countless comrades perishing."
"Zhu Yin defected to the Demon Race!" Song Wen's voice was tinged with disbelief.
Zi Yun nodded heavily, her eyes still burning with hatred.
"She and Xing Wenyao, those two traitors, are now honored guests of the Demon Race. Rumor has it she received vast cultivation resources from them and has already reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage."
Song Wen sighed. He knew Zhu Yin's defection wasn't likely driven by cultivation resources but by a desire for revenge for her parents and clan.
Zhu Yin's true goal was to eliminate Demon Lord Yin Shuo.
"Fellow Daoist Zi Yun, do you know the current situation of the Wu Ji Sect?" Song Wen asked.
Daoist Zi Yun replied, "Rest assured. The Wu Ji Sect shouldn't bother you anymore. Among the Human Race's major powers in the Northern Region War, the Wu Ji Sect suffered the heaviest losses, second only to the Jing Clan."
Years ago, Song Wen had refused the Wu Ji Sect's summons, leading the sect to brand him a traitor and issue a Sect Pursuit Order.
Zi Yun mistakenly believed Song Wen was worried the Wu Ji Sect would continue pursuing him.
Hearing this, Song Wen felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest.
If Yin Shuo and Ye Hua were already dead, his plan to devour their Spiritual Power to break through would be ruined.
"What about Demon Sovereign Ye Hua and Demon Lord Yin Shuo? What's their current situation?" Song Wen asked.
Daoist Zi Yun replied, "There's been little news of Yin Shuo in recent years. He seems to be in closed-door cultivation. Ye Hua has been managing most of the Wu Ji Sect's affairs."
After Daoist Zi Yun had filled Song Wen in on the various powers in the Chaotic Sea, she suddenly remembered something and said, "Ji Yin, a few years ago, someone asked me about you."
"Who is it?" Song Wen immediately became alert.
"Xing Shan. I remember you were the one who recommended her to join the Liangyi Sect back then," Daoist Zi Yun said.
Song Wen frowned slightly and asked, "What does she want?"
Zi Yun shook her head. "I don't know. Shall I send her a message to come over? You can ask her yourself?"
After a moment's hesitation, Song Wen replied, "I'll trouble Fellow Daoist then."
Zi Yun took out a Communication Jade Slip and sent a message to Xing Shan. Afterward, she asked, "Ji Yin, what are your plans next? Do you have anywhere to go?"
Song Wen said, "Not yet."
Zi Yun suggested, "Why don't you join our Liangyi Sect? We're currently short-handed, and you're already at the Nascent Soul cultivation level. If you join, the sect will provide all the cultivation resources you need, so you won't have to worry about that. Moreover, unless there's an urgent matter, the sect won't disturb you unnecessarily. You can focus on your cultivation in peace."
Song Wen frowned slightly, but didn't answer immediately.
The Liangyi Sect was indeed a suitable place for cultivation, but his purpose in coming to the Chaotic Sea wasn't just to cultivate.
After a moment's thought, Song Wen decided to decline Zi Yun's offer.
"Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist. As a cultivator of the Corpse Dao, joining your sect would be inconvenient."
"Ji Yin, won't you reconsider?" Daoist Zi Yun asked.
Song Wen shook his head.
Seeing this, Zi Yun didn't press further.
The two continued chatting for a while longer when a knock suddenly sounded at the tea room door.
"Senior Zi Yun, Xing Shan requests an audience."
"Come in," Daoist Zi Yun replied.
Xing Shan pushed open the door and entered.
The message Zi Yun had sent her only mentioned that someone wanted to see her, without mentioning Song Wen.
Therefore, when she saw him, surprise involuntarily flashed across her face.
Her gaze lingered on Song Wen for a long moment.
Realizing she had lost her composure, Xing Shan quickly averted her eyes, bowed her head, and said, "Greetings, Senior Zi Yun. Greetings, Senior Ji Yin."
From the way Xing Shan looked at him, Song Wen sensed a hint of resentment, leaving him puzzled.
"Xing Shan, Daoist Zi Yun mentioned you were looking for me. What matter did you wish to discuss?"
"The person seeking Senior isn't me, but someone else," Xing Shan said cryptically.
"Who?" Song Wen asked, though he already suspected who Xing Shan meant.
"Who else could it be but Shan Yue?" Xing Shan's tone carried a hint of resentment.
Song Wen paid no heed to Xing Shan's attitude and asked calmly, "Is Shan Yue well?"
"She... is not well at all." Xing Shan's voice grew noticeably heavier as she spoke the last three words.
"What happened? If there's anything I can do to help, just say the word," Song Wen offered.
Though Song Wen wanted no further entanglement with Shan Yue, he was willing to lend a hand out of their past friendship if she faced minor difficulties.
"Senior, I doubt you can help. She Ascended two years ago," Xing Shan said.
"Died?" Song Wen was surprised.
In his memory, Shan Yue was barely two hundred years old—still in her prime for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Xing Shan's use of the term "Ascension" implied Shan Yue had died a natural death.
"Why did she Ascend so early?" Song Wen asked.
"Homesickness!" Xing Shan said with a mournful tone. "Homesickness was like poison, corroding her mind and spirit. A Foundation Establishment cultivator, dying from mental exhaustion."
Song Wen remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking.
"In a way, she lived out her natural lifespan. For us cultivators, isn't that a blessing?"
"You..." Xing Shan's gaze burned with resentment.
Bidding farewell to Zi Yun, Song Wen flew westward for two days, arriving at Wu Ji Island.
He passed through Shadow City and reached Corpse King Valley, where the Wu Ji Sect was located. He walked into the Outer Affairs Hall with familiar ease.
The cultivator who received him was a female cultivator in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.
"May I ask, Senior, what brings you here?"
"I wish to join the Wu Ji Sect as an Outer Elder," Song Wen replied.
"May I ask your name and cultivation level, Senior?" the female cultivator asked.
"My name is Gou Jun, and I am at the Late Golden Core stage," Song Wen answered.
"Greetings, Senior Gou Jun. May I ask what your specialty is?" the female cultivator inquired.
"I am quite proficient in the Dao of alchemy," Song Wen replied.
"Senior excels at alchemy?" The female cultivator's eyes lit up slightly.
Song Wen didn't understand why she reacted this way, but he nodded.
"I wonder, Senior, would you be willing to become an Inner Elder of the Wu Ji Sect?" the female cultivator asked.
"Inner Elder?" Song Wen was somewhat surprised.
In the past, the Wu Ji Sect's Inner Elders had always been disciples raised within the sect from childhood. Rogue cultivators like him could only become Outer Elders.
Had the Wu Ji Sect changed its rules?
Song Wen couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Please wait a moment, Senior. Recruiting an Inner Elder is not a decision I can make. I will notify the sect elders to come and meet you," the female cultivator said.
(End of the Chapter)
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