Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

In the room, Zhao Sheng touched Wei Ling's forehead with the tip of his foot and imperceptibly infused a stream of Spiritual Power.

The next second, Wei Ling groaned and slowly woke up, sitting up from the ground.

Zhao Sheng stood in front of the bed, watching the two corpse collector disciples with a calm expression.

Seeing this situation, the two black-robed figures paused momentarily, and one of them suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice, "Senior Uncle, Master Wei has passed away. We are here under orders to escort Master Wei's body back to the mountain for burial."

Brother Wei has just passed, and you two have already arrived. Could it be that you have some foresight?" Zhao Sheng bluntly questioned.

He knew that asking this might be taboo, but it was a rare opportunity not to take advantage and probe their intentions would be to waste a good opportunity.

The two black-robed figures fell silent for a moment before one of them answered, "Senior Uncle, we are merely following orders, and we know nothing else."

"Grandfather...sob, sob!"

Just then, Wei Ling suddenly threw himself beside the bed, crying loudly and calling out.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the room, and the sound of crying faintly reached them; it was clear that the people outside had already learned of Elder Wei's death.

Zhao Sheng took the opportunity to say, "Master Wei presided over the Spirit Essence Institute for decades and was highly respected in the hearts of the disciples. His unfortunate passing today has caused great sorrow among the disciples. Could we perhaps have a few more days of leniency? After the seven-day mourning period, we could then bring his body back to Cliff Mountain for burial."

With seven days' time, he would have enough opportunity to thoroughly investigate the peculiar Blood Pill.

"It is not possible! The sect has rules that anyone who falls outside must be brought back for burial as soon as possible. I implore Senior Uncle not to make this difficult for us!" The black-robed corpse collector disciples immediately rejected Zhao Sheng's suggestion, with an extraordinarily firm tone.

Zhao Sheng pondered for a while and had a rough guess in his mind.

"Hmm, if that's the case... Ling'er, step aside!"

"Master, I won't! They want to snatch away my grandfather's body while it's still warm— they're inhuman!" Wei Ling lay on the bed, clutching Wei Youquan's right hand tightly and crying stubbornly.

"My apologies!" Having said that, the two figures moved forward...

...

Seven days later, when the Spirit Essence Institute welcomed its new Dean, Zhao Sheng returned to the Origin Return Sect in a very low-key manner.

Thirty years had gone by, and Cliff Mountain, which was once quite desolate, was now a place of celestial grandeur.

Atop the mountain, the Guiyuan Hall was shrouded in dense Spiritual Energy, glowing brilliantly with large swathes of colorful clouds encircling the mountain slopes, and Immortal Cranes and spirit birds soaring and singing loudly on the plaza.

As night fell, from the cliffs and precipices of Cliff Mountain, colorful lights shone from caves, solitary trees, and other hidden places.

Underneath the lights were cultivators' cave mansions.

Below Cliff Mountain, countless palaces and lofty towers stood like forests, sprawling for dozens of miles. From the high heavens, the ground was brilliantly lit, looking like a city that never slept.

The Origin Return Sect, not yet sixty years in establishment, had reached a level of grandeur that one would find hard to believe, not just outsiders, but even Zhao Sheng, who had just returned, found it beyond belief.

It was late into the night, yet the Merit Hall was still bustling with activity. The disciples of the Origin Return Sect were coming and going in such a lively manner that it appeared even busier than during the day.

Zhao Sheng used an Illusion True Talisman to change his appearance before blending into the crowd to enter the Merit Hall.

An hour later, Zhao Sheng left the Merit Hall very inconspicuously.

As soon as he left, the Merit Hall exploded in commotion.

"The Golden Crow Burning Sky Technique has been exchanged by someone!"

"Yes! A whole eight hundred thousand Merit Points!"

"Do you know which divine being from our sect it was?"

"I don't know! But surely it must be a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!"

"That makes sense!"

The news of the Golden Crow Burning Sky Technique being exchanged quickly spread among the disciples of the Origin Return Sect and soon throughout the entire sect.

As to who exchanged for it, there were various speculations within the sect.

The Qi Refining disciples might not know, but several of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Origin Return Sect had their suspicions, and Zhao Sheng was one of them.

Thus, during a gathering half a month later, Feng Yu Elder Taoist teased Zhao Sheng, "Junior Zhao, you haven't returned to the sect for decades, and I didn't expect you to cause such a stir as soon as you did!"

Having not seen each other for many years, Feng Yu Elder Taoist had aged beyond recognition, with an aura that faintly exuded a scent of death.

Faced with a man about to die, Zhao Sheng was very careful and shook his head with a wry smile, "Brother, you jest. Even if I chop and sell my entire self, I couldn't afford to exchange for the Golden Crow Burning Sky Technique."

"Don't hide it anymore, if it wasn't you, then who? We entered the sect together; don't you trust this old Taoist!"

Despite Feng Yu Elder Taoist's repeated inquiries, Zhao Sheng still adamantly denied it.

Just as Feng Yu Elder Taoist was about to press on, Zhao Sheng suddenly looked sad and sighed, "Brother, do you know that Brother Wei of the Spirit Essence Institute has passed away!"

Feng Yu Elder Taoist was surprised, "What are you saying, Wei Youquan has died! When? How? He had just passed his second jiézǐ!"

"Seven days ago, he died of blood withering disease!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Yu Elder Taoist staggered, with a sudden expression of terror and horror crossing his face.

As soon as Zhao Sheng finished speaking, the gathering place fell deathly silent; all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present looked unnatural, and some, like Feng Yu Elder Taoist, even showed expressions of fear.

Without a doubt, blood withering disease had become a deeply taboo phrase within the Origin Return Sect.

Zhao Sheng was perhaps the only one who could speak of it so openly.

Feng Yu Elder Taoist, having been shocked, had no more desire to ask about the Golden Crow Burning Sky Technique.