The Cold and Aloof Palace Master's Daily Demon-Slaying Life

Testing a true lord?!

Or should we send disciples to participate in the ceremony in this way?

How can this be considered a "test"?

This is clearly a provocation!

It's a trial balloon!

It's a risky move that will put your disciple... to death!

True Lords rarely clash directly unless they have deep-seated hatred or absolute certainty of victory.

Because once they reach their level, once they take action, the impact is too wide, and the consequences are unpredictable.

Furthermore, the struggle for the position of True Lord is related to the face of the Great Dao and the destiny of the Dao lineage!

While the victor is undoubtedly prestigious, the loser may suffer damage to their Dao heart, and even affect the future of all disciples in the sect who cultivate this path.

What kind of unspeakable pressure did Master encounter that made him take such a risky move to test a newly promoted Thunder Law True Lord known for his decisive and ruthless methods?

Seemingly sensing the turmoil in Lu Zixu's heart, the voice from inside the stone gate continued, becoming more direct and cruel:

"Among True Lords, there is a consensus that one should not act rashly without a specific and sufficiently compelling reason. But if..."

The voice of True Lord Fu Shui, like cold ink lines, etched itself into Lu Zixu's heart, word by word:

"What if one of my personal disciples were to die at the hands of that True Monarch Zixu?"

"boom--"

It was as if a bolt of lightning from the heavens had exploded in Lu Zixu's mind, causing his soul to tremble and his face to turn as pale as paper.

He understood everything.

All doubts were instantly resolved.

Sending the junior disciple wasn't because he was suitable, but precisely because he was "unsuitable"!

Because of his unrestrained and unconventional nature, he is prone to "clashing" with his seniors!

Because his cultivation level is high enough (Great Perfection of Purple Mansion) and his influence is significant enough (personally taught by a True Lord)!

Only in this way can his "death" constitute a "sufficiently weighty" reason!

Junior brother... from the moment he received this mission, he was already chosen as a pawn by his master, by that "unspeakable reason," and by this cruel game of chess...

A pawn destined to be sacrificed!

A pawn used to create a pretext for conflict and to ignite the war between the two True Lords!

"Master...Master..." Lu Zixu's voice was a little dry, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

He wanted to plead for his junior brother, to find out the "unspeakable reason," and to stop this doomed tragedy.

But when the words reached his lips, all that remained was a coldness and helplessness.

He knew his master all too well.

Although Fu Shui Zhenjun appears gentle, he is actually of iron will, and once he makes a decision, it is extremely difficult to change it.

Moreover, judging from Master's tone, the enormous cause and effect behind this matter is probably so great that even Master, a veteran True Lord who has lived for over eight thousand years, feels powerless and helpless, and has no choice but to submit.

Does my junior brother... know?

Lu Zixu suddenly recalled Li Baitian's calm and unwavering back as he left, a back view that even carried a hint of his usual unruly nature.

Given his intelligence and experience, was he really completely oblivious?

Or was it that he already knew all along, but still chose to accept it calmly?

"Zixu." The voice from inside the stone gate interrupted Lu Zixu's chaotic thoughts. The tone returned to its calmness, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. "You only need to know the situation in your heart. Baitian... has his own destiny. As for the rest, don't ask or think too much. Just do your duty."

"Yes... this disciple understands." Lu Zixu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil and sorrow in his heart, and lowered his head again to respectfully reply.

He knew that his master was warning him not to try to interfere, not to try to change things, and even more importantly, not to reveal anything about the matter.

"Go down." The voice from inside the stone gate sounded weary.

"This disciple takes his leave." Lu Zixu bowed again, then slowly straightened up, turned around, and walked down the mountain step by step.

His steps were much heavier than when he arrived.

They arrived with doubt and caution, but left filled with sorrow, helplessness, and deep grief for their junior brother who was about to die.

The junior brother, a hero for life, tested his sword against the world, slaying countless demons and earning a renowned reputation for chivalry, was ultimately destined to become a cold, discarded pawn on the chessboard of two True Lords, falling in a "conflict" that was destined to be unjust.

How ironic, how tragic.

As for the "reason that cannot be explained" mentioned by the master...

Lu Zixu dared not think any further.

What kind of terrifying and irresistible power could make even a veteran True Lord feel powerless, forced to submit, and even willing to sacrifice a close disciple to test the existence of another True Lord?

Perhaps the only thing he could do was, after his junior brother's demise, follow his heart and protect the special "person" beside his junior brother.

That might be the only thing the junior brother cares about in this world.

Lu Zixu's figure gradually disappeared into the spiritual mist swirling around Chengche Peak.

At the summit, silence returned.

Only the gray stone door remained tightly closed, standing there silently, as if no one had ever come.

-

Once the two disciples' auras had completely left Chengche Peak and disappeared from the range of perception, a long, heavy sigh filled with complex emotions echoed from behind the stone gate in the extremely simple stone chamber, which was filled with pure, almost liquefied, milky-white spiritual energy.

Sighs echoed in the stone chamber, carrying the vicissitudes and helplessness accumulated over eight thousand years.

In the center of the stone chamber, on a simple blue futon, sat a thin old man wearing an old gray Taoist robe.

The old man had white hair and beard, long eyebrows that reached his shoulders, and his face was covered with deep and shallow wrinkles, like a dried-up riverbed.

His eyes were slightly closed, his face was calm, and there was no spiritual energy leaking out of his body, as if he were just an ordinary old man on his deathbed.

Only when he occasionally opens his eyes will a profound and boundless divine light flash in the depths of his seemingly cloudy eyes. It is a light that can reflect all the landscapes of the world, yet also instantly obliterate them.

He is none other than the True Lord of Fu Shui.

This old-fashioned True Lord, who has lived for over eight thousand years, witnessed countless rises and falls, and whose joys and sorrows have been tempered to the point of being almost in harmony with the "Tao," is a true master.

At this moment, a rare hint of pain and struggle appeared on his usually calm face.

He personally pushed out a disciple he had known for over seven hundred years—a man of exceptional talent, unconventional yet respectful, who had earned him considerable prestige—as a testing pawn, a sure-fire sacrifice...

Even with his eight thousand years of cultivation, his Dao heart was not without turmoil.

Li Baitian was a child he rescued by chance seven hundred years ago when he was traveling through the "Ten Thousand Mountains" of the Southern Land.

At that time, monsters ravaged the village, and the entire village was slaughtered. Only this five-year-old boy managed to escape because he was hiding in the cellar.

Seeing that he had extraordinary potential, and although his eyes were full of fear, he also had a stubborn and unyielding wildness that was somewhat similar to his own back then, he took him back to the sect on a whim and made him his last disciple, giving him the name "Bai Tian" (Defeat Heaven), meaning that he could defeat all the evil spirits in the world and also break free from the shackles of his own destiny.