Severing Ties: The Sect Regrets My Departure

Chapter 221: All Forces March! Target: Azure Mystic!

Eastern Wasteland. Dragon Ridge Pass.

Located at the extreme southern edge of the Eastern Wasteland, this was the last bastion of civilization before the wild frontier. Beyond its walls lay the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range, a natural barrier bordering the Southern Barbarian Perilous Land. The region was choked with poisonous miasma and teeming with ferocious Demon Beasts. Occasionally, powerful, untamed cultivators from the barbarian lands would cross over, making the area a death trap for mortals.

Even most cultivators avoided this place.

However, for the daring and the desperate, Dragon Ridge Pass was a land of opportunity. Every year, countless powerhouses perished here, yet even more flocked in to take their place, seeking Fated Chances in the chaos. Over time, this border fortress had grown into a city of singular, blood-soaked prosperity.

At this moment, inside a bustling tavern.

“Have you heard? The rumors are confirmed. The Azure Mystic Sword Immortal has truly abandoned the sect! Immortal Gu Xiu has left Azure Mystic!”

“Is it true? That man… he really left?”

“I found it hard to believe at first, too. But the latest news is damning. After returning from the Forbidden Realm with his cultivation destroyed, he wasn’t treated as a hero. He was treated like trash for three years! If it were me, I would have left long ago!”

“I heard that after he returned, they forced him to feed the sect’s Immortal Spirit Cranes. If a crane so much as sneezed, they threw him into the Water Prison! That place strips the skin off cultivators—imagine what it does to a mortal!”

“It’s worse than that. His status was lower than a servant’s. His monthly stipend was a measly ten Low Grade Spirit Stones.”

“Ten?! Azure Mystic is truly heartless! Wolves and dogs have more loyalty!”

“Aye. Five hundred years ago, that man stood right here in Dragon Ridge Pass. Do you remember the blood bath he fought to save us? How high-spirited he was then?”

“A dignified Sacred Land treating a hero like a slave… it’s despicable!”

The tavern buzzed with indignation. Cultivators slammed their cups, sighing for the injustice suffered by Gu Xiu. Yet, beneath the anger, there was a heavy cloud of helplessness.

“We can only hide here and curse to vent our spleen,” one cultivator sighed, shaking his head. “The world is cold. Azure Mystic is a Sacred Land now. No matter how angry we are, what can we possibly do against them?”

“True. It’s a tragedy for Fellow Daoist Gu, but our strength is meager.”

“He saved my life back then. Knowing he is suffering while I sit here drinking… I feel ashamed.”

They clenched their fists, staring into their cups. Azure Mystic was a titan. They were ants.

CLANG!

Suddenly, a heavy ceramic wine jar shattered against a table.

In the corner, a burly, unshaven man wrapped in beast skins stood up. He had been silent until now, drinking alone.

“Innkeeper! Bill!”

The innkeeper hurried over, wiping his hands. “Master Cheng, it’s not the end of the month yet. Just put it on your tab.”

The burly man waved a massive hand. “No need to wait. I won’t be coming back. Close the tab now.”

“Ah?” The innkeeper blinked. “Is Master Cheng leaving the Pass?”

“That’s right. I’m going to the Heaven-Leveling Mountains. I’m going to cause trouble for Azure Mystic!”

“What?!” The innkeeper froze. The entire tavern fell silent, heads turning toward the corner.

“I, Cheng, am no saint,” the burly man growled, his voice rough as grinding stones. “But I know how to pay my debts. A life-saving grace must be repaid with a life!”

He swept his gaze over the sighing cultivators, his eyes filled with scorn.

“You lot can sit here and whine. I’m going to Azure Mystic to f*ck them up!”

“If I can’t beat the Supreme, I’ll beat the Peak Masters! If I can’t beat the Peak Masters, I’ll snatch their disciples!”

“At worst… I die with my face to the sky!”

With that, Master Cheng tossed a heavy Storage Bag onto the table and strode out, the floorboards groaning under his weight.

The tavern remained silent for a heartbeat.

Then, a cultivator stood up. He grabbed his bowl of gut-rot liquor, drained it in one gulp, and smashed the bowl on the floor.

Smash!

“Brother Cheng is right! F*ck Azure Mystic!”

“Count me in!” another shouted, drawing his blade.

“Me too!”

One by one, men and women rose from their seats, their eyes burning with a reckless fire.

“If it weren’t for Immortal Gu back then, Dragon Ridge Pass would be a crater! We’d all be dung in a Demon Beast’s gut! Now that our benefactor is in trouble, are we going to pretend we didn’t hear?”

“We cultivate for the freedom to repay kindness and revenge! If we turn a blind eye now, what was the point of these five hundred years?”

“Heads up, balls out! Let’s go!”

“Target: Azure Mystic!”

On this day, twenty-four Dao Integration experts marched out of Dragon Ridge Pass. They left behind their safety and their livelihoods. They marched North.

Target: Azure Mystic.

…

Eastern Wasteland. Fish Harbor.

Far to the East, built upon the waves of the Endless Sea, lay the sprawling water city of Fish Harbor.

Looking out from the docks, one could see thousands of ships of strange designs weaving through the waves. However, upon closer inspection, almost every sail bore the same crimson sigil: a Red-Tailed Carp.

This was the mark of the Red Fish Gang.

They were the undisputed overlords of the harbor. No matter which sect or faction arrived here, they bowed to the Red Fish Gang. This syndicate had ruled these waters for thousands of years, and their knowledge of the Endless Sea was absolute.

Usually, the harbor was a scene of chaotic industry, with thousands of ships setting sail at once.

But today, the harbor was eerily quiet.

The Red Fish Gang had issued a recall order. Every ship had returned to port. The docks were packed with silent vessels.

Inside the Loyalty Hall, the atmosphere was suffocating.

“Report,” a voice commanded.

A gang member bowed low, speaking rapidly, afraid to even breathe too loud.

“Since returning from the Forbidden Realm three years ago, Gu Xiu’s deeds were erased. Azure Mystic intentionally buried his contributions.”

“Most ordinary disciples didn’t even know he was a Senior Uncle. The Inner Disciples who did know called him the ‘Trash Uncle’.”

“The Peak Masters ignored him or actively abused him. Disciples framed him, humiliated him, and stole his resources. It happened repeatedly.”

“…”

He finished his report and stepped back.

The ten figures sitting on the high chairs of the Loyalty Hall were silent. Their faces were dark as storm clouds.

BANG!

A fist slammed into an ironwood table, splintering it.

“Azure Mystic dares?!”

One of the leaders roared, standing up. “They bully our benefactor? They treat the Savior of Fish Harbor like a slave? They deserve death! Gang Leader, I propose we march! We must seek justice for our Benefactor!”

“Agreed! It is intolerable!” another shouted.

“Back then, Immortal Gu didn’t just save us. He saved the entire harbor! He saved our wives, our children, our future! If we let him be humiliated like this, we are not men!”

“Screw the Sacred Land! The men of Fish Harbor bleed just like anyone else! We take revenge! At worst, we flee to the high seas and live as pirates!”

The leaders clamored for war, their faces flushed with rage.

Five hundred years ago, Fish Harbor had faced annihilation. A Demonic Sect allied with Void Beasts had nearly wiped them off the map. It was Gu Xiu who had held the line, saving tens of thousands of lives. Afterward, he helped integrate the warring factions into the Red Fish Gang, establishing the Three Mountains and Six Fleets system that brought peace and prosperity.

To these rough, fish-smelling warriors, Gu Xiu was a god.

And a debt of blood must be paid in blood.

At the head of the hall, a beautiful woman with a long scar running down her face sat motionless. Her hair was coiled high, her expression unreadable.

Slowly, she stood up.

She reached out and grasped the heavy war banner behind her throne.

“Since everyone thinks as I do,” she said, her voice cutting through the noise like a blade, “then pass down the order.”

“Fish Harbor… All forces mobilize!”

“Target.”

“Tianqi. Azure Mystic!”

…

Eastern Wasteland. Purple Sun City.

Located in the far West, bordering the Central Plains, Purple Sun City was a stark contrast to the rough frontiers of Dragon Ridge and Fish Harbor. It was a place of refinement, wealth, and culture.

This was the domain of the Bai Clan, famous for their Qi Nurturing Art. They cultivated the Haoran Qi—the Righteous Qi of the Heavens. Their conduct was gentle, scholarly, and universally respected.

But today, the young patriarch of the clan, Bai Songyang, looked anything but gentle.

His face was frosty, his usually calm demeanor replaced by a restless fury. He strode to the door of the Clan Leader’s study, took a deep breath to suppress his rage, and knocked.

“Enter.”

The voice of Bai Changlin, the Clan Leader, drifted out.

Bai Songyang pushed the door open and marched in.

“Father! Why did you suddenly order the transfer of my troops? Why were my men stood down?”

Bai Changlin sat at his desk, practicing calligraphy. He didn’t look up, his brush moving smoothly across the paper.

“You gathered your personal guard. You summoned the clan elders. Everyone was armed with Dharma Treasures. You even mobilized the clan’s skyships.”

Bai Changlin dipped his brush in ink.

“Where were you planning to go?”

“To the Heaven-Leveling Mountains,” Bai Songyang said, his voice low and heavy. “To the Azure Mystic Sacred Land.”

“For what purpose?”

“To seek justice for Big Brother Gu!”

Bai Changlin paused. “You are aware that Azure Mystic is a Sacred Land? That they have experts as common as clouds, and a Mahayana Supreme guarding the gate?”

“I am aware.”

“Since you are aware, you must understand that by taking so many people there, you are likely marching to your death. You may end up with no corpse to bury.”

Bai Songyang pursed his lips. He straightened his back, his eyes shining with a resolute light.

“A gentleman understands what is Right; a petty man understands what is Profitable.”

“Where Righteousness lies… I go.”

“Even if I die, I have no regrets!”

These words were dangerously close to defying his father, but Bai Changlin did not get angry. Instead, he finally looked up, a hint of approval in his eyes.

“Your Haoran Qi… it seems to have improved again.”

“Father!” Bai Songyang stepped forward. “You also cultivate the Haoran Qi. Do you not know what Brother Gu has suffered for three years? Back then, he saved me. He saved the Bai Clan! If I do not help him now, how can I continue to cultivate this Breath of Righteousness? My Dao Heart would crumble!”

“Why would it crumble?”

Bai Changlin shook his head gently. “Have you forgotten the Nine Thoughts of a Gentleman?”

Bai Songyang blinked, confused by the sudden academic quiz.

“The Nine Thoughts… I have studied them since childhood. I can recite them backwards. But Father, why stop me now to ask this?”

“I stopped you,” Bai Changlin said, setting down his brush, “to ask you one question.”

“Regarding this mobilization… have you achieved the thought: ‘In affairs, think of Reverence’?”