Under One Person, your rebellious life has reached the heavens?

Soon, Will was summoned again, and Chengzhen handed him three letters explaining the requirements.

"I would trouble you to go down the mountain again, deliver the letter, and then eliminate the other two."

"Oh?"

Will readily accepted the letters, immediately opened two of them, and learned the whereabouts of Dou Hong and Fang Ying. He frowned slightly and subconsciously said:

"These two... have gone quite far, one heading north and the other going out to sea."

How long will it take to complete?

Chengzhen chuckled and asked. He had no doubt about the protector's strength; it was more than enough to deal with Fangying and Dou Hong.

"Two weeks."

"Just go."

After a brief exchange, Will vanished in a cloud of gray mist.

Chengzhen looked at the letter about Wugensheng's whereabouts, took out the transparent cube, and put it away.

"Mid-July..."

"I hope that by then, my martial uncle will be able to emerge from seclusion smoothly..."

Chengzhen got up and went to the window, gazing at the mountains behind him. The green mountains stretched for miles. He had a vague feeling that his senior uncle would come out first, while his senior uncle, Si Chong, might come out later.

He stood there silently for a long time, then turned and went downstairs to the training ground to check on the other junior brothers' training progress.

.......

The beginning of the seventh month in the lunar calendar.

In Sichuan, in a remote mountain temple, the place where Wugensheng and Li Muxuan once fled, a place that was once deserted, now sees one disheveled figure after another arriving.

The agreed-upon time for the sworn brotherhood was postponed by a full half month.

As evening fell, only nine of the thirty-six sworn brothers remained present.

As darkness fell, the temperature in the mountains plummeted, and the bonfire inside the temple crackled and popped.

The disheveled Wugensheng sat cross-legged in front of the broken Buddha statue. His usually calm eyes were now filled with helplessness. He glanced at the eight people sitting in various parts of the ruins. Some were injured, some were exhausted, and some had worried faces.

"Come here, everyone."

"Sit closer together and wait until midnight. If no one comes by then, we'll begin."

The group, their hearts heavy, stared at their fourth brother, unsure of what to say. At this point, he was the eldest in terms of seniority.

After treating Ma Ben's wounds, Duanmu Ying helped him walk, and Zhang Huaiyi, Feng Tianyang, Gu Jiting and others also came over.

They sat on the ground, the warm campfire illuminating their complex expressions. Having come this far, they were all filled with regret, but they didn't know how to express it, and there was no turning back.

Time ticked by, and as midnight approached, Wugensheng sighed dejectedly. His next words, concerning life and death, caused everyone's expressions to change drastically.

"Gentlemen... there is a traitor among us."

His words alerted the eight people, who exchanged glances and began to suspect each other.

Zhang Huaiyi, who was standing next to Wugensheng, felt a sense of danger for no reason. His back was unintentionally soaked with cold sweat. The strong intuition made him unable to rest for a moment.

"Who on earth is it that treats sworn brotherhood like a child's game and harms one's own brother?"

"Fourth Brother, do you have any leads? We must find this bastard and kill him, otherwise all the other brothers will have died in vain."

"Hmph! A childless brat who'll be childless sooner or later."

"When we swore our brotherhood, there were only thirty-six of us in the valley. Could it be that a traitor was among the dead? From the beginning, they were infiltrating. People like Xu Xin and Dong Chang from the Tang Clan may have leaked the information to gain greater benefits, leaving us with no way out."

Listening to the noisy argument of the eight people, Wugensheng interrupted their suspicions and denied it:

“It couldn’t be the seventh brother or the thirty-third brother. I know their character. If they’re going to do something, they should do it openly and honestly. There’s no need to hide it.”

"Alas, it was my poor judgment in choosing people that has implicated you all..."

Wugensheng sincerely repented. He faced the crowd and solemnly prostrated himself on the ground to apologize.

"Fourth Brother! No, you mustn't! Get up quickly, this isn't your fault."

"Yes, Fourth Brother."

Wugensheng ignored him and simply said, "I... no longer have the will to investigate who did it."

"Zhang Huaiyi".

"?!" Upon hearing this, the big-eared thief was almost scared out of his wits. Just as he was about to explain...

"Duanmu Ying".

"Ma Ben is here."

"Zheng Zibu".

“Feng Tian Yang”.

"Zhou Sheng."

"Ruan Feng."

"Gu Ji Pavilion."

Wugensheng recited all eight names in one breath, his face contorted in pain as he murmured:

“You are all my brothers. I have treated you all with sincerity. I really can’t see who is the traitor, nor can I harbor resentment and doubt any of you.”

"The most fundamental reason is that I don't have much time left; my life is coming to an end."

"In addition, I have to go to southern Xinjiang. Once I go, I will never be able to come back and will have no way to deal with this matter."

"As for the opportunity I promised you, I will fulfill it."

"I only hope that all of you here today, if you have the opportunity in the future, will find the traitor who is hiding and kill him to appease the spirits of all our brothers and sisters in heaven."

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Ying asked in alarm, "Fourth Brother, what about you? What are you going to do?"

"We agreed to go to southern Xinjiang together to help you retrieve your niece's remains. We can't just send you there alone!!"

"Fourth Brother, don't say discouraging things. With Sister Ying here, she will definitely be able to cure you," Ruan Feng said anxiously.

A gentleman's promise is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.

"Fourth Brother, we will never abandon you, we will go together."

Hearing their firm and resolute words, Wugensheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but he had to refuse because he was worried about their safety.

"It's too late... You have no idea what kind of monster you're facing."

"That guy from the Sanyi Sect, isn't he amazing? He cultivated to the third level of reverse life and killed me, forcing me to flee everywhere. He destroyed the entire Quanxing Sect."

"However, even he, who fought that monster in the Southern Frontier, has not appeared since. He was probably seriously injured. As for the rumors of his ascension... it's impossible to say. He may have perished. I can't say for sure."

"What... is going on?"

Everyone was shocked, never expecting that even the world's number one expert would be defeated.

Whether anyone in this world has become an immortal, I do not know;

Wugensheng said sadly:

"But the monster that possessed my daughter is revered as an ancestor by a certain tribe in the southern border region. It has lived for more than a thousand years and its strength is so great that it makes me despair."

"According to the original plan, if we seize the opportunity and gather the strength of the thirty-six of us, we will have a chance to succeed."

"But... now only you are left. If you come with me, you will only be sending yourselves to your deaths."

"How...how many? A thousand years?!"

Zhang Huaiyi was filled with astonishment. Just how terrifying was this monster that had cultivated for a thousand years? It was probably no less powerful than the so-called ascended patriarchs of various sects, and perhaps even stronger.

"Fourth Brother, is this... really true? There really is such a monster in the world? Is it a human or an elf?!" Feng Tianyang asked curiously.

"I was once a human..."

As Wugensheng answered their questions, the image of Feng Ying vaguely appeared before his eyes.

“My daughter shares the same bloodline as it, that’s for sure, otherwise it wouldn’t have targeted her.”

"As a father, I have been cowardly and powerless. Now that I am about to die, I do not want to have any regrets. Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will go back to the Southern Frontier to find it, regardless of whether I live or die."

"As for you, there's no need for you to go, and I absolutely forbid you from going with me."

Chapter 199 Choices and Enlightenment

The atmosphere inside the deserted temple was somber. Wugensheng's words struck them like a heavy hammer. Originally, the thirty-six people still had a chance to win, but now that only nine people were going, it seemed like a meaningless sacrifice.

Duanmu Ying, Ruan Feng, Ma Benzai, Zheng Zibu, and others fell silent one after another, as the cruel reality shattered any unrealistic delusions they might have had.

"Let's draw up a contract, everyone."

Wugensheng looked around, straightened his back, and the dejection on his face gradually faded as he prepared to tell the truth.

"What...a contract...Fourth Brother, what's wrong with you?" Feng Tianyang asked with a suspicious look.

"Every word I am about to say is extremely important. Please think carefully before making your choice."

Wugensheng took a deep breath and, meeting the pairs of eager, curious, and worried eyes, stated plainly:

"The owner of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley was Zhang Borui of the Northern Song Dynasty, also known as 'Ziyang Zhenren', the founder of the Taoist alchemy school."

"And beneath the ancient pavilion at the end of the Hewei Cave, where I am taking you, lies a jade disc left behind by this predecessor. The patterns on it are worlds apart from the patterns carved on the outside that help people circulate qi."

"Understanding the jade disc can help you find a shortcut to fulfilling your deepest desires... When I first went in, the jade disc was almost completely damaged. Later, when I tried to understand it, the strange phenomenon I observed was the shadows of all thirty-five of you."

"My biggest thought at the time was to find a way to go to the southern border to retrieve my daughter's remains. With the jade disc's hint, I realized that I should rely on your strength to comprehend this together."

“Each of you is obsessed with cultivation and has great ambitions. You will gain extraordinary abilities from the jade disc, while I need your power…”

As Wugensheng explained in detail, everyone finally understood the reason and was even more shocked. The master of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley was that Taoist sage. With such profound abilities, he must have already ascended to immortality.

“If things had proceeded as planned, both your and my wishes would have been fulfilled. However… the traitor hidden among us has truly disrupted my plans, so I have no choice but to make changes.”

At this point, Wugensheng looked at everyone with a hint of guilt and made a request:

"I can continue to let you study the jade disc... In return, you don't need to come with me to the Southern Frontier to die. You only need to share the abilities you have gained with me. In this way, my debt to you in this life will be settled."

"If there is an afterlife, let us be brothers again; to prevent you from going back on your word, I need to plant special Gu worms in you."

As soon as he finished speaking, eight white bone worms slowly emerged from Wugensheng's right wrist. They resembled centipedes, had a hundred legs, and were completely translucent, revealing their crystal-clear internal organs and golden blood.

"This... Fourth Brother, you know how to control Gu poison?!" Ruan Feng exclaimed in surprise.

"My wife knows how; she taught me this technique..."

Wugensheng was deeply saddened and explained:

"As you can see, the sacred oath of eternal love is only owned by my wife's tribe in the vast southern border region. Unfortunately, its inventor is the ancestor of this lineage."

"No matter how many skilled experts you search the world, you will not be able to break free from the entanglement of this Gu worm..."

"Fourth Brother, what kind of contract do you want with us?!"

Duanmu Ying paid attention to the white centipede, which was about the size of a fingernail. This thing did not seem to be a living creature. It had no temperature, no physical form, and no smell. It seemed to be planted in the soul rather than relying on parasitizing flesh and blood.

"First, after you acquire the ability, you need to pass it on to me completely."

"Second, the secret of the jade disc must not be revealed to outsiders."

"Third, respect my choice. You must not follow me to the southern border, and you must find the traitor in the future and make him pay with his life."

"Those who can do these three things, then come with me to comprehend your own destiny. From the time we became sworn brothers, I did have some intention of scheming against you. Today, Feng Yao apologizes to everyone."

Wugensheng bowed and kowtowed to the crowd once again.

"Fourth Brother... the first two are fine, but the third one, you going alone... we'll watch you die, and we'll never have a clear conscience for the rest of our lives..."

Wu Gensheng looked in the direction of the sound, glanced at Ma Benzai, and said with a wry smile:

“I can’t bear to let you all die with me, Twenty-fifth Brother. If you truly care about me, live a brilliant life for me, fulfill your ambitions, and establish your own sect.”

"Yingzi...save more people and become the most amazing doctor in the world."

"Seventeen... I just want to eat well and be plump, live a long life, and be carefree."

"Anyway, you can't help me any more, so just try to live a free and comfortable life, do whatever makes you comfortable, that's what I'd be most happy to do."

“There’s no room for negotiation on these three contracts. I’ll be waiting for you outside the temple. If you’ve thought it through, come along.”