Severing Ties: The Sect Regrets My Departure

Chapter 263: Betraying the Supreme? Master, Return Quickly!

Seeing this scene unfold, even someone as well-traveled and knowledgeable as Gu Xiu couldn’t help but stare in sheer astonishment.

“The Supreme Source… wants to become my Dao Platform?”

Gu Xiu had always been a deeply confident man. Because he was completely rebuilding his cultivation from scratch, he possessed a comprehensive, meticulously mapped-out understanding of every single step of his journey.

His first seven Dao Platforms were entirely distinct from one another, yet each and every one had been forged to absolute perfection.

For his eighth and final Dao Platform, Gu Xiu had entertained numerous concepts. Naturally, establishing an Origin Dao Rhyme Platform had been one of his primary considerations. However, because the esoteric nature of the Source Arts had consistently eluded his comprehension, he had recently begun exploring alternative Fated Chances to serve as his foundation.

He had considered many possibilities. But… he had never, in his wildest dreams, considered using a Supreme Source.

Even when the lethal mass of energy breached his Dantian Qi Sea moments ago, the thought simply hadn’t crossed his mind.

After all, while it was good for a cultivator to have lofty ambitions, one still had to remain tethered to reality. A Supreme Source was the literal crystallization of a Mahayana Supreme’s life work—a Supreme Dao Fruit. Countless Venerables spent centuries agonizing over the Source Arts, desperately trying to condense a Supreme Source. Its value was simply incalculable.

By the same logic, it was an existence utterly beyond the comprehension—let alone the manipulation—of a Foundation Establishment insect. Even if a Supreme Source were served to him on a silver platter, he lacked the foundational strength to absorb even a fraction of it without exploding.

Yet, here he was.

Guan Xuelan’s Supreme Source, entirely commandeered by the crude wooden top he had carved as a child, had gracefully settled upon the foundation meant for his eighth Dao Platform.

Furthermore, a faint, urgent consciousness was radiating from the swirling azure energy. It felt incredibly impatient.

It was actively urging him.

Hurry!

Hurry up and forge me!

I want to be your Dao Platform!

While Gu Xiu was undeniably astonished, his primary emotion remained intense vigilance.

Forging an Origin Dao Rhyme Platform was part of his original plan, yes. But establishing a Dao Platform using a Supreme Source as the foundational bedrock? That was an entirely different, unprecedented beast.

More importantly, this was Guan Xuelan’s Supreme Source. She had grandstanded about gifting him a “Fated Chance,” but anyone with half a brain knew it was a thinly veiled execution method.

Given their history, Gu Xiu harbored deep reservations.

He and the Azure Mystic Sacred Land had signed the Sect Severance Treaty. The karmic ties between them were supposed to be permanently severed. If he truly accepted this Supreme Source and integrated it into his core, would it forge a new, inescapable karmic link between him and Guan Xuelan?

Gu Xiu couldn’t be certain.

However, the wooden top seemed to sense his hesitation. Its rotational speed suddenly spiked, spinning so fast it generated a miniature cyclone within his Dantian.

Caught in the vortex of the spinning top, strands of the profound ‘Source of All Things’ began to materialize from the void, drawn in from all directions.

All things in creation possess a Source; where a Source exists, life inevitably blooms.

As these microscopic strands of Source energy were drawn into the cyclone, they liquefied, resembling scalding molten iron. This liquid energy continuously cascaded over the Supreme Source, triggering a profound metamorphosis.

The brilliant, overbearing azure light characteristic of Guan Xuelan’s power began to steadily fade.

Meanwhile, the crude wooden top resting upon the foundation of his eighth Dao Platform began to visibly take root, sinking deep into the spiritual bedrock, cementing its position.

Is it… is it actively forging the Dao Platform on its own? Gu Xiu raised a mental eyebrow. He had experienced self-forging phenomena with his previous platforms, but he hadn’t expected the eighth one to behave the exact same way. The energy felt almost desperate, as if it were terrified that if it didn’t claim the spot immediately, Gu Xiu would give it to someone else.

But the most staggering revelation was yet to come.

As the wooden top continuously drew in ambient Source energy to temper the platform, the oppressive, imperious aura that distinctly belonged to Guan Xuelan—the signature of her soul—began to rapidly dissolve from the Supreme Source.

Gu Xiu’s breath hitched.

The Supreme Source was actively, aggressively severing its connection to Guan Xuelan!

This wasn’t just a minor shift in energy. It meant that once the Dao Platform was finalized, it would bear absolutely zero karmic ties to the Supreme who had ‘gifted’ it.

On the contrary. This Supreme Dao Fruit was actively, willingly committing high treason against its creator to serve him!

Meanwhile.

Ten thousand miles above the sprawling expanse of Cloud Firmament City, a pristine, white feather hung suspended in the stratosphere. Standing upon it was Guan Xuelan, her flawlessly beautiful face currently twisted into a mask of cold, imperious calculation.

Her piercing gaze remained locked on the city far below.

She knew Sang Shoudao had activated the city’s grand defensive arrays. She knew Gu Xiu had been rushed into the heavily fortified City Lord’s Manor, and she knew Sang Shoudao’s Ascended Immortal Divine Soul was actively scrambling her scrying attempts, preventing her from seeing the exact details within the estate.

But she was a Mahayana Supreme. Even if she couldn’t see every blade of grass, she could still monitor the macroscopic flow of energy.

Her departure from the Sacred Land had always been a two-fold mission: to acquire a heaven-defying Fated Chance, and to permanently silence the dissenting voices that threatened Azure Mystic’s absolute authority in the Eastern Barrenlands.

Currently, Cloud Firmament City was her primary target.

As she had stated before: Cloud Firmament City did not need a Supreme.

More importantly, it absolutely did not need an entity possessing an Ascended Immortal Divine Soul!

Due to the complex political landscape and the watchful eyes of the other Holy Lands, she couldn’t simply massacre a neutral city without justification. Furthermore, Sang Shoudao’s anomalous soul power meant that a direct confrontation carried the unacceptable risk of her suffering a permanent, debilitating soul injury.

However… she was Guan Xuelan.

As a Supreme Venerable, she had near-infinite lifespans and an inexhaustible arsenal of methods. Right now, her strategy was simple.

She just had to wait.

She would wait for the inevitable moment when the Foundation Establishment insect violently detonated from being unable to digest her “Fated Chance.” When his body ruptured, her Supreme Source would absorb his meager cultivation and memories, transforming his death into her own Fated Chance.

Once the insect died, her Supreme Source would naturally return to her. And in the chaos of the backlash, she would find the perfect opening to descend and execute Sang Shoudao!

From the very beginning, in Guan Xuelan’s eyes, both the Foundation Establishment Rogue Cultivator and the Ascended Immortal soul were already dead men walking.

A Supreme Source was a localized apocalypse for a mortal. She had loudly proclaimed it a “gift,” but she had never once intended for anyone to actually survive it. It was nothing more than a thinly veiled execution method designed to give her a plausible, self-righteous pretext for the resulting slaughter.

As she waited in the freezing stratosphere, Guan Xuelan’s mind churned with unanswered questions.

How does a mere Void Refining cultivator possess an Ascended Immortal Divine Soul? He isn’t a ghost cultivator who abandoned his physical vessel. How did he achieve such an impossible mutation?

And that Foundation Establishment insect…

Why did I sense such profound danger from him? Why did the very heavens seem to warn me against striking him?

Who is he? Why does his aura feel so maddeningly familiar, like a ghost from a past I cannot reach?

These questions had plagued her since the alleyway, and she was no closer to finding the answers.

Fortunately, she wouldn’t have to wonder for much longer.

Since my Supreme Source has already invaded his core, I simply need to wait. Once he bursts, my Source will devour his soul. All his secrets, his memories, his techniques—everything will become my spoils of war.

There was truly no need to stress over the details.

Operating under this flawless logic, Guan Xuelan waited.

And waited.

“Why has there been no movement for so long?” she finally muttered, a crease forming between her perfect brows. “Has my Supreme Source truly not ruptured him yet?”

Something was fundamentally wrong.

Logically, given the astronomical disparity in their energy density, a Foundation Establishment cultivator should have violently exploded within seconds of the Supreme Source entering his Dantian. Surviving this long was a physical impossibility.

“Perhaps Sang Shoudao intervened?” Guan Xuelan rationalized. It was the only explanation that made sense. Given the unfathomable nature of an Ascended Immortal soul, the old man might possess some obscure, esoteric method to temporarily suppress the energy.

Reassured by her own logic, Guan Xuelan forced her impatience down and continued her silent vigil.

But…

Another period of time sufficient to brew a cup of tea passed.

Then, the time it takes an incense stick to burn down.

Then, a full hour…

With every passing minute, the cold composure on Guan Xuelan’s face steadily chipped away, replaced by mounting, visible irritation.

She was a Supreme; she wasn’t afraid of wasting time. But the problem was that this situation completely defied logic!

Given the unfathomable gap in their cultivation, an entire hour was enough time for the Supreme Source to kill the insect ten thousand times over, even with an Ascended Immortal soul running interference.

Yet, the City Lord’s Manor remained dead silent.

“Is the suppressive power of an Ascended Immortal soul truly that absolute?” Guan Xuelan frowned. It was the only conclusion she could draw.

There was simply no other alternative.

It certainly wasn’t possible that the Foundation Establishment trash was actually refining the “Fated Chance” she had forced upon him.

That was a hilarious, utterly absurd joke! If a mortal insect could casually digest a Supreme Dao Fruit, the cultivation world would be turned on its head.

Shaking her head at her own paranoia, she resumed waiting.

However… this time, her icy detachment completely evaporated. A faint, insidious sense of dread began to curl in the pit of her stomach.

Her instincts were screaming at her. Something monumental, something entirely outside of her calculations, was happening down there.

She desperately wanted to project her Divine Sense into the Supreme Source to see what was going on. However, because she had explicitly framed it as a “willingly gifted” Fated Chance to satisfy the karmic laws of her Dao, she had intentionally severed her active, conscious link to the energy.

Until the Supreme Source inevitably backlashed and destroyed its host, she was completely blind to its status. She couldn’t see it, and she couldn’t forcefully recall it.

But… for it to be silent for this long was unequivocally wrong!

“I cannot wait any longer!” Finally, Guan Xuelan’s patience snapped. The creeping dread in her heart had amplified into a deafening roar. Her intuition was telling her that if she waited even one second longer, she was going to permanently lose something of immeasurable value!

She was going to act. She would abandon all pretense, descend upon the city with thunderous fury, obliterate Sang Shoudao, and crush that Foundation Establishment insect into bloody paste!

Even if it meant violating the self-righteous principles of her Supreme Dao, she no longer cared!

Decision made, Guan Xuelan’s eyes flashed with lethal intent as she locked onto the City Lord’s Manor.

But…

Just as she summoned her Mahayana power to dive, a frantic, violent vibration erupted from her robes.

Guan Xuelan paused, pulling out her personal communication token. She cast a single, irritated glance at the jade slip.

But that single glance caused the blood to completely drain from her face.

The jade token bore only a single, desperate transmission.

“A Demon Emperor has descended upon Azure Mystic! The defensive arrays are failing! We cannot hold!”

“We beg you, Master… return immediately!!!”