Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Human Emperor Jiang… Might Be Practicing the Demonic Path

Jiang Li understood what was going on. The Jiang family intended to establish a close association with him without directly expressing it, insinuating it to others instead.

“You said earlier that the emperor had something to do with the child’s disappearance. What is that about?”

The middle-aged man lost his smile, became serious, and didn’t want to discuss more with Jiang Li. He even exerted the pressure of the Golden Core Stage, hoping to have Jiang Li back down. In his opinion, Jiang Li was just a little lad at the Qi Cultivation Stage.

As a senior expert at the Golden Core Stage, it was essential to make this little guy realize the complexity of the issue and not to get involved in this dangerous affair.

“Do not talk about this, it is very dangerous for you!”

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To his surprise, Jiang Li controlled his power at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage, exerting the same pressure.

“I’m keen to see what danger could there be.”

“Na-Nascent Soul Stage…”

This affair was clearly related to Jiang Li, and the middle-aged man had misunderstood him. If Jiang Li revealed his true identity, the man would be even more unwilling to tell the truth. So Jiang Li decided to disguise himself as a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, who wasn’t too strong, yet formidable enough to intimidate the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man hurriedly saluted,” It turns out that you are a senior cultivator of the Nascent Soul Stage, Yuan Wuxing was oblivious.”

Cold sweat trickled down Yuan Wuxing’s face. Who would have thought that a hot-headed youth he tried to dissuade on the street was actually a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator? Although the youth looked young, he might be a centuries-old monster. Despite his previous behavior not being disrespectful, he feared the repercussions if this senior had a narrow mind.

In Yuan Wuxing’s eyes, the Nascent Soul Stage was already an incredibly powerful stage, and there were only a few people in Qingcheng who had attained it. Even the City Lord of Qingcheng was only in the early stage of the Nascent Soul Stage.

“Enough, I have no intention of blaming you. Can you now tell me about the missing child incident?”

Jiang Li retracted his pressure and asked indifferently.

After much struggle, Yuan Wuxing finally plucked up the courage to ask, “Senior, can you swear that you will not let this information out?”

On the path to immortality, abiding by the Heavenly Dao is considered paramount. Thus, making a vow is not a small matter. Most cultivators believe that if they break their vows, the penalties mentioned during the swearing would befall them.

Without hesitation, Jiang Li raised two fingers, saying solemnly, “I vow to the heavens that whatever Yuan Wuxing tells me afterwards will not be known to anyone else. If I break the vow, may I be punished by the Transcendence Tribulation!”

Yuan Wuxing was impelled to respect. This was a severe punishment. If one broke the vow, they would face the Transcendence Tribulation, which was undoubtedly a death sentence for a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.

Of course, he didn’t know that Jiang Li wouldn’t mind going through the Transcendence Tribulation a few more times.

“Senior, please come to my humble dwelling.”

Yuan Wuxing invited Jiang Li to his home and skillfully set up several Formations. After some deliberation, he crushed a precious gem and set up another Formation, which even a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator couldn’t detect.

Yuan Wuxing brewed a pot of his treasured tea, pouring a cup for Jiang Li first, then one for himself.

“The story begins ten years ago. Ten years ago, I was already at the peak of the Golden Core Stage, just one step away from advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage. But I had been stuck on this last step for twenty years without any breakthrough, so I decided to come to Qingcheng to search for inspiration.”

“When I arrived in Qingcheng, I heard that someone had lost their child. As I like to help, I attempted to assist them, but upon investigation, I discovered that the case was not as simple as it appeared. It was terrifying. Not only recently, but for over two hundred years, children of less than one year of age had frequently disappeared in Qingcheng and the nearby cities.”

“Moreover, I found that the disappearance coincided with the Jiang family’s ancestral ceremonies. The more frequently the Jiang family held the ceremonies, the more frequent were the child disappearances. Thus, I investigated the Jiang family and found that they had indeed been stealing children. I eavesdropped on a conversation between the Family Master of the Jiang family and the City Lord. The Jiang family and the past City Lords of Qingcheng had conspired to suppress the child disappearance cases. Initially, officials from Qingcheng made a show of looking for the missing children. But for the past two years, they haven’t even bothered with that and claimed they were short of manpower. Bunch of scoundrels!”

Yuan Wuxing said, veins throbbing on his forehead, he crushed the teacup with his grip.

“Once I start exposing these accounts, the Jiang family would be supported by the Human Emperor, and I would be the one who ends up in trouble, not them!”

“The only way out is to get solid proof and make it public. Then even if the Human Emperor directly intervened, he couldn’t hush the entire public!”

Jiang Li was silent for a moment before he asked, “What is the Jiang family using these infants for?”

“This…” Yuan Wuxing hesitated, “…I don’t know, maybe they’re using them to make some magic artifacts.”

Jiang Li fixed his eyes on Yuan Wuxing, his tone stern, “You’re lying, what are you afraid of!”

Yuan Wuxing could feel his scalp prickle under the gaze, “Senior, this matter really can’t be said, whoever talks about it will die!”

Jiang Li took out a jade Token from his Storage Ring. The word “Dao Sect” was written on the front, while the back had a perpetually rotating Tai Chi pattern. The entire jade Token seemed as though not carved by human hands, but rather a natural formation.

“How about now?”

Yuan Wuxing stared wide-eyed at the Token in disbelief, his lips trembling with fear and excitement.

“Is this a Dao Sect Token? Are you a Wanderer from the Dao Sect!?”

The Dao Sect Token, anyone who saw this Token was to treat it as the Dao Sect Master in person.

Those who possessed a Dao Sect Token were either old monsters at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage or Wanderers of Dao Sect, and there were reportedly no more than five in existence. Apparently, this Nascent Soul Stage senior before him belonged to the latter group.

This man was likely not the centuries-old monster Yuan Wuxing thought he was, but rather a cultivation genius who had reached the Nascent Soul Stage in his twenties!

Jiang Li nodded, “I am the wanderer of the Dao Sect in this generation, Zhang Li.”

Jiang Li temporarily made up a name and identity for himself. Given his relationship with the Dao Sect Master, the other party wouldn’t blame him.

“So you are a Dao Sect Wanderer. I can’t believe I made you swear, this is…”

Yuan Wuxing was babbling ecstatically. A Dao Sect Wanderer would inevitably become the next Dao Sect Master, a future Transcendence Tribulation Stage cultivator. As one of the oldest Sects, Dao Sect produced many Immortals even more profound than the Imperial Palace, one of the rare powers that did not fear the Imperial Palace.

Of course, this was all on the assumption that they excluded Jiang Li, the strongest Human Emperor in history.

With the involvement of a Dao Sect Wanderer, the odds of overthrowing the Jiang family increased significantly!

Yuan Wuxing was overjoyed. He recited calming mantras several times before he managed to control his excitement.

“The reason I was afraid to say it earlier was because I feared dragging Senior Zhang into it, as the Human Emperor might make a move against us. But since Senior Zhang is a Dao Sect Wanderer, I presume he isn’t afraid of the Human Emperor.”

“The Human Emperor… might be practicing demonic cultivation!”

Yuan Wuxing lowered his voice to a whisper, as though speaking any louder would allow the Human Emperor to hear him.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Jiang Li, expecting to see shock or horror in his face, but Jiang Li appeared indifferent, with even a faint hint of amusement.