Severing Ties: The Sect Regrets My Departure

Even if Jiang Xun wanted to be optimistic, he physically couldn’t. His consciousness had stagnated, trapped in a fugue state induced by a specific, desperate technique.

Soul Evasion.

It was a forbidden art designed for moments of unimaginable agony. When the pain became too great for the mind to bear, the soul would detach and hide deep within the spiritual sea, severing its connection to the nervous system.

It was a double-edged sword.

The benefit was obvious: it prevented the cultivator’s mind from shattering under torture. But the drawback was catastrophic.

By withdrawing the soul, one abandoned the body. Without the soul’s guidance, the body’s autonomous defense and regeneration capabilities plummeted to zero. The flesh became dead weight, taking the full brunt of the damage without any mitigation.

The result was horrific.

Jiang Xun’s physical form had been reduced to a pile of rotted meat. While he still vaguely resembled a humanoid shape, the details were gruesome. His skin had sloughed off in patches, revealing raw, festering muscle. During the peak of the pain, his body had lost control of its basic functions—he had soiled himself, leaving his robes stained and reeking.

He didn’t look like a human. He looked like a corpse dredged from a swamp.

High above, the Heaven-Bestowed Ruyi spun frantically, showering him with healing cyan light. But even this supreme artifact struggled to knit together flesh that had been ground into paste.

Outside the formation, however, Yuchi Chunlei was blissfully unaware of the carnage. She was currently patting herself on the back for her brilliance.

“Hehehe, Junior Brother is definitely going to thank me for this. When the Junior Sisters find out I built such a powerful Spirit Gathering Formation, they’ll finally stop calling me an idiot!”

“It’s a pity the ambient Spiritual Qi here is so thin,” she mused, glancing at the dissipating fog. “Even with a Grand Formation, the density was limited. I wonder if Junior Brother has fully recovered?”

Yuchi Chunlei began dismantling the formation flags, her face glowing with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to see her dashing Junior Brother step out, refreshed and grateful.

She pulled the final flag.

The formation barrier dissolved.

And then, a scream filled with infinite resentment tore through the forest.

“Damn it! DAMN IT!”

“Who did this? Who tried to kill me? Who built a Spirit Gathering Formation here?!”

“I, Jiang Xun, swear on my Dao heart! I will find you! I will kill you! I WILL FLAY YOU ALIVE!”

Eh?

Yuchi Chunlei froze, her foot hovering in mid-air. The smile slid off her face.

Her intuition, usually dormant, suddenly screamed a warning.

Did I… mess up?

Without hesitation, Yuchi Chunlei activated a stealth technique and vanished into thin air.

Whatever was happening, she didn’t want to be there for the fallout.

A split second later, a humanoid nightmare burst out of the clearing.

It—he—was a monster. His eyes burned with a fierce, manic light, and he gripped a long sword with a hand that was more bone than flesh.

“Who is it?! Come out!”

“Gu Xiu! Is it you? It has to be you!”

“Damn you! You despicable villain! If you have the guts, show yourself!”

Hiding behind a nearby boulder, Yuchi Chunlei clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a shriek. She was shaking uncontrollably.

It wasn’t just the rage. It was the sight of him.

Jiang Xun, her Junior Brother, was known for his elegance. He was “handsome as a jade tree in the wind,” a man whose mere smile made female disciples swoon.

But this creature?

He didn’t have an inch of intact skin. He looked like he had bathed in acid. His body was covered in weeping sores and scabs. His long, ink-black hair—his pride and joy—was gone. In its place was a shiny, scabby scalp with a few wispy, withered hairs clinging to the sides like dead grass.

How… how do I even describe this?

Yuchi Chunlei knew she wasn’t exactly a beauty queen, but standing next to that, she felt like a goddess.

Is that thing… really my dashing, elegant Junior Brother?

“Ugh…”

Her stomach lurched. She couldn’t help it. She turned, sprinted several miles away, leaned against a massive ancient tree, and violently dry-heaved.

Too ugly.

Too disgusting.

After emptying her stomach, a terrifying realization dawned on her.

“Wait… could this actually be my fault?”

Does Junior Brother… not need Spiritual Qi? Was the sparse Qi actually good for him? Did I… did I melt him?

Panic set in.

“If Master and the Junior Sisters see him like this… they’ll kill me. Master will punish me, and everyone will call me stupid again.”

“And Junior Brother… if he finds out I turned him into a ghoul, he’ll hate me forever. He’ll never speak to me again.”

She bit her lip, tears welling up.

“Should I pretend I wasn’t here? But he’s hurt! He needs help! But if I help him, he’ll see me…”

“What do I do? What do I do?”

While Yuchi Chunlei spiraled into a panic attack, a streak of rainbow light shot up from the forest and sped toward the horizon.

“Where is he going?”

She gasped. She couldn’t decide whether to confess or not, but she couldn’t let him wander off alone in that state. She gritted her teeth and followed from a distance, terrified of being discovered.

Jiang Xun had no idea he was being tailed.

He flew on his sword, gnashing his teeth in frustration.

“Damn it! My soul and body are out of sync. The internal injuries are healed, but the external wounds refuse to close!”

He glanced down at his arms. They looked raw and red, scarred from the explosions. In his mind, they were just severe burns—ugly, yes, but temporary. He had no mirrors. He didn’t realize that “severe burns” was a massive understatement.

“I need the Profound Yin Soul-Protecting Pill,” he muttered. “Only the Bibo Sect has it. It’s the only thing that can stabilize my soul and fix this mess.”

“This is all Yuchi Chunlei’s fault! That idiot forged a defective sword that damaged my soul. If not for her incompetence, I wouldn’t be in this state!”

“And Qin Meran! That bitch! If she had just given me the Earth Cloud Sprout, I wouldn’t have needed to come here. Vile, selfish woman!”

He pushed his spiritual energy to the limit, tearing through the sky.

Half a day later, the shimmering waters of the Bibo Sect came into view.

Jiang Xun was impatient, but he remembered his status. He was the Junior Uncle of the Azure Mystic Sacred Land. He was a future legend. He couldn’t just barge in like a bandit.

He landed gracefully outside the mountain gate. He smoothed his tattered, stained robes, ran a hand over his (mostly bald) head, and composed himself.

He prepared to announce his arrival with dignity.

WHOOSH!

Before he could open his mouth, a massive sphere of compressed water smashed toward his face.

“Halt! What monster dares defile the Bibo Sect!” A clear, angry female voice rang out.

Monster?

Jiang Xun blinked, stunned.

Me? The banished Immortal? The jade-faced scholar? You call me a monster?

He scoffed. “Feisty.”

As the water sphere closed in, Jiang Xun didn’t panic. A dragon of flame materialized before him with a thought.

Hiss!

The water evaporated instantly, three feet from his body.

The gatekeeper, a young female disciple, was fast. The moment her spell broke, she lunged through the steam, her longsword aiming straight for his throat.

“Die, beast!”

Unfortunately for her, Jiang Xun was not an ordinary intruder.

He raised a hand, fingers twitching slightly.

The air solidified. The disciple froze in mid-lunge, suspended in the sky by an invisible force. She struggled, her face flushing red, but she couldn’t move a muscle.

Jiang Xun looked her over and sighed in admiration.

They say water nurtures people. The Bibo Sect really lives up to its reputation. Even a gatekeeper is a beauty.

Remembering his mission, Jiang Xun put on his signature warm, charming smile—unaware that on his current face, the expression looked like a ghoul baring its teeth to eat a child.

“Young lady, you have quite the temper. This Jiang has come to pay a respectful visit. attacking without questions is hardly proper etiquette…”

“Let go of my Senior Sister!”

“What kind of demon dares cause trouble here?”

“Don’t talk to the thing! Kill it!”

Three more streaks of light descended. One sword, two pairs of dual daggers. Three more female disciples surrounded him, their faces twisted in disgust.

“Ladies, please. I have important business…”

They didn’t listen. They attacked in a coordinated flurry of steel and water arts.

Jiang Xun sighed. He could have crushed them in a heartbeat—he was stronger than thirty of them combined. But they were beautiful.

He suppressed his cultivation, weaving through their attacks with practiced ease. He treated it like a dance. He dodged a sword thrust, spinning close to one disciple, his hand brushing her waist. He parried a dagger, leaning in to whisper in another’s ear.

He was using his “Gentlemanly Flirtation” technique. Back at the Azure Mystic Sacred Land, this routine—the accidental touches, the display of superior strength held back by mercy—made the junior nieces swoon. It made them see him as a powerful, dashing protector.

He enjoyed the game.

But something was wrong.

Usually, by now, they would be blushing. They would be faltering, their eyes filled with admiration.

But these women? They looked at him with pure, unadulterated revulsion.

“Get your hands off me, you lecherous devil!”

“Don’t touch me! Ugh, I feel dirty!”

Jiang Xun frowned. Why are they so immune to my charm? Is the Bibo Sect training truly this rigorous?

Before he could escalate his efforts, a wave of oppressive pressure descended from the mountain peak.

Several rainbows streaked across the sky, landing with heavy impacts.

“Stop!”

“What evil spirit dares run rampant in my Bibo Sect?”

The Elders had arrived.

At least five Golden Core cultivators, led by two Nascent Soul experts. And behind them stood a woman whose beauty rivaled even his own Senior Sisters.

Jiang Xun’s eyes lit up. What a magnificent sect! If I could take them all… turn this place into my personal harem… what a life that would be!

His fantasy was cut short by the shrieks of his sparring partners.

“Deputy Headmaster! Save us!”

“This monster attacked the gate and tried to molest us!”

“He’s not just a monster, he’s a pervert! He kept groping us while we fought! Please, Deputy Sect Leader, bring justice for us!”

Huh?

Jiang Xun felt wronged. Molest? Pervert? I was being suave! I was showing mercy! Since when is a gentleman’s touch considered groping?

“You misunderstand…”

He didn’t get a chance to explain. The Golden Core Elders roared in anger and charged.

Jiang Xun clicked his tongue. “Fine. If you want to play rough.”

He flared his aura. Despite being only at the Golden Core stage, his foundation was monstrously deep. He moved like a phantom, his palms striking out with precise, overwhelming force.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Within three exchanges, the Bibo Sect Elders were forced back, clutching their chests.

“He’s strong!”

“A Golden Core repelling us? Impossible!”

“Hmph. Relying on brute strength to bully women? You are courting death!”

The two Nascent Soul Elders snorted and joined the fray.

Now, Jiang Xun felt the pressure. But to the shock of everyone present, he didn’t collapse. He wove between their attacks, using the Heaven-Bestowed Ruyi to deflect the lethal blows. He was holding his own against two Nascent Soul experts simultaneously.

The Elders’ expressions darkened.

“Who is this abomination?”

“His strength is unnatural. We can’t hold back. Everyone, attack together! Suppress him!”

Seeing the entire group preparing a combined strike, Jiang Xun’s heart sank. He was arrogant, not suicidal. He couldn’t fight the entire sect.

Just as he was about to panic, a cool voice cut through the tension.

“The north wind sweeps the ground, breaking white grass; plum blossoms concede three parts whiteness to snow.”

Leng Mingshu, the Deputy Headmaster, raised a hand to halt her elders. Her gaze was fixed on Jiang Xun, sharp and analytical.

“You used the Wind and Snow Art.”

“That is the signature technique of the Azure Mystic Supreme. You… are from Azure Mystic?”

The words “Azure Mystic” hit the crowd like a bucket of ice water. The murderous intent evaporated, replaced by wary hesitation.

Azure Mystic?

The Elders exchanged nervous glances. They were currently allied with the Red-Robed Ancestor, plotting in secret. If Azure Mystic found out… and if this monster was a personal disciple of the Supreme…

This was a disaster.

Jiang Xun straightened his back, relieved that his pedigree had finally been recognized.

“Sect Leader Leng has sharp eyes,” he said, his voice smooth and confident. “However, isn’t your hospitality a bit lacking? Surrounding a guest with swords isn’t very polite.”

Leng Mingshu didn’t signal the Elders to stand down. She stared at him, her eyes cold.

“Bibo Sect treats guests with respect. But that assumes the visitor is a guest.”

“Azure Mystic and Bibo have been allies for a thousand years. Does that not qualify?”

“If you are truly from Azure Mystic, then yes,” Leng Mingshu said. “But you… look nothing like them.”

“Hmm?”

“I may not know everyone in your sect, but I know the basics,” Leng Mingshu said, looking him up and down with undisguised skepticism. “The Azure Mystic Supreme has eight disciples. The seven Peak Masters are all women. And the eighth is the famous Sword Immortal, Gu Xiu. I know what Gu Xiu looks like.”

She paused, her lip curling slightly. “You are definitely not him.”

“Sect Leader Leng’s information is outdated,” Jiang Xun scoffed, shaking his head.

“Oh? Are you suggesting there is a secret ninth disciple?”

“Correct!”

Jiang Xun smiled. It was time for the grand reveal. He clasped his hands behind his back, puffed out his chest, and recited his introduction poem with maximum gravitas.

“Orchid light and flower shadows encircle the mountain’s shade; the mountain turns, flowers sparse, reaching the azure waters!”

He looked at them, his eyes gleaming with pride.

“I am the Supreme’s ninth disciple.”

“Jiang Xun!”

A breeze blew through the clearing, ruffling the few remaining wisps of hair on his scabby head. He waited for the gasps of shock. He waited for the awe.

Instead, he got silence.

The Bibo Sect disciples looked at each other, bewildered. Someone in the back snickered.

Leng Mingshu’s expression shifted from suspicion to amusement.

“You? You are Jiang Xun?”

“The one and only.”

“Interesting,” Leng Mingshu said dryly. “I once heard a Peak Master from your sect describe Jiang Xun. She said he was a man of peerless grace, handsome as jade, with eyes like bright stars. She claimed his talent and beauty surpassed even the Azure Mystic Sword Immortal of old.”

Jiang Xun preened, feigning modesty. “Ah, my Senior Sister praises me too much. It is merely a reputation…”

“Indeed,” Leng Mingshu interrupted, nodding in agreement. “She exaggerated quite a bit.”

She looked at the scab-covered, balding, foul-smelling creature standing before her gate.

“If you really are that Junior Brother… then you are truly unworthy.”

Her voice dripped with disdain.

“You are not even fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Gu Xiu.”