Chapter 059: The Arrival of Shen Fangxu and Her Husband

"Who? Who among his associates is a member of the evil cult?" Wei Dongting asked.

"Shen Deyan, the elder recluse of the Shen family. He is the High Priest of the Great Black Heaven Sect," Qi Dongxuan replied.

"The current High Priest of the Great Black Heaven Sect is surnamed Fang—Fang Rui. She's a woman," Wei Dongting responded, exasperated. "There's no way an evil sect would have two High Priests at the same time."

Qi Dongxuan fell silent.

"And if you're about to say that Shen Deyan will become the High Priest in the future, that's a matter for the future. Right now, he isn't," Wei Dongting cut off Qi Dongxuan as he opened his mouth to speak again.

"In any case, Shen Qingjin must die," Qi Dongxuan insisted.

"Whether Shen Qingjin dies or not is no longer something you can control," Wei Dongting said. "Shen Qingjin has now become a direct disciple of an otherworldly Dao Lord. That Dao Lord is ancient and has deep ties to the Dao Court. The life or death of his personal disciple is not for you to decide."

"What?" Qi Dongxuan could hardly believe it. "That's impossible. Didn't Shen Qingjin betray the human race to join the Eastern Phoenix Clan and become the consort of their Grand Princess?"

"What are you talking about? Shen Qingjin has always been under my jurisdiction at Meishan. When did he ever serve the Eastern Phoenix Clan?" Wei Dongting was even more at a loss. He increasingly wondered if Qi Dongxuan had lost his wits from practicing the Yuanchen Divination Arts.

"Meishan? No, by now he should have already established contact with the evil cult and even gone to the Eastern Phoenix territory," Qi Dongxuan muttered, his brow furrowed as he sank into thought.

"Qi Dongxuan, the Yuanchen Divination Arts may let you see fragments of possible futures, but the future is not set in stone. Especially for certain beings, the future can be changed. Shen Qingjin's fate is not necessarily as you have foreseen. I advise you to wake up," Wei Dongting said. For gods and demons, nudging the timeline was hardly a big deal.

"You say Shen Qingjin has become a disciple of an otherworldly Dao Lord, and that being has ties to our Dao Court. What's the story there?" Qi Dongxuan seized on the crucial detail.

Hearing this, Wei Dongting recounted his experiences at the Coiling Serpent.

Qi Dongxuan's expression shifted through a range of emotions as he listened, and at last he gritted his teeth. "Why should Shen Qingjin be accepted as that being's disciple? Just because he's good-looking?"

"Good looks, plus the fate of a Black Dragon who defies destiny. That's my guess. For a being like that, other humans would seem utterly ordinary compared to Shen Qingjin—hardly worth their interest," Wei Dongting finally voiced his speculation.

With a loud crack, Qi Dongxuan, in his rage, smashed a small tea table beside him.

Damn it! He had come back from rebirth, used the Yuanchen Divination Arts to help the Dao Court eliminate one traitor after another, yet now, when it came to the greatest threat of all—Shen Qingjin, the most dangerous traitor of the human race—he found himself powerless to act.

This was intolerable.

Was he really to stand by and watch Shen Qingjin grow, join forces with the alien races, and ultimately bring ruin to the Dao Court and the entire human race?

"Is there any way to lure Shen Qingjin out and kill him? As long as he's dead, what could that being do in the end? If need be, I'll give my own life as compensation," Qi Dongxuan said, frowning.

"The problem is, your life isn't enough," Wei Dongting replied.

"Even if the Dao Court suffers some losses as a result, as long as Shen Qingjin dies, it would still be worth it," Qi Dongxuan insisted stubbornly.

"But the Dao Court can't afford the price either. Whether gods or ancient demons, such beings possess unfathomable power. They could wipe out humanity with a flick of a finger. Are you truly willing to risk the extinction of our race just to anger one of them?" Wei Dongting said. "All of Eastern Wastelands treats such existences with utmost deference—you know those few deep within the region. Fortunately, they prefer to slumber for ages."

"So you want me to just give up?" Qi Dongxuan said angrily.

"If you don't, what else can you do? If you provoke that being, the entire Dao Court will be annihilated, and humanity with it. If you really insist on such reckless action, I'll have no choice but to stop you. You may want to die, but I certainly don't."

"You—" Qi Dongxuan shot back, furious.

"Qi Dongxuan, don't attempt anything irrational here, or I'll have to restrain you and send you back to the Dao Court," Wei Dongting threatened.

Qi Dongxuan glared at Wei Dongting for a long while, then finally turned and left.

"Lord Qi is unlikely to let matters rest," the Meishan Prefect said.

"Qi Dongxuan isn't a fool. If he uses some evil cult, demonic cultivators, or wandering cultivators to get rid of Shen Qingjin—so long as there's no connection to the Dao Court—that being might not destroy the Dao Court or humanity," Wei Dongting said.

"But what if something goes wrong?" the Meishan Prefect asked anxiously.

"Then their branch will be handed over as scapegoats," Wei Dongting replied coldly. "Send someone to inform Shen Qingjin that Qi Dongxuan has foreseen, through divination, that he will become a great future fiend, and has repeatedly mobilized secret forces to hunt him down. Now Qi Dongxuan is at Meishan and will not rest until he's dealt with."

The Meishan Prefect looked at Wei Dongting in astonishment.

"If Qi Dongxuan wants to kill Shen Qingjin, then we must act to protect him. This way, even if Shen Qingjin does die, that being won't seek retribution against the entire Dao Court," Wei Dongting said, calculation in his eyes.

Besides, they were all Dao scions. Wasn't Qi Dongxuan getting a bit too arrogant, acting as if everyone else was at his beck and call? Wei Dongting thought he must have forgotten that the ranking of Dao scions wasn't fixed—make a mistake, and it's not impossible to be punished to the lowest rank.

Wei Dongting's message had only just reached Shen Qingjin when an old servant hurried to report: Shen Qingjin's parents and his second uncle's family had all arrived. Not only did they come themselves, but they had also brought five hundred able-bodied commoners along.

Though they had traveled by water this time, hiring a team of carriages and armed escorts, the sheer number of commoners had slowed them down a bit. Only today did they arrive at the Coiling Serpent Domain.

Hearing that the Shen couple had arrived, Qingjing and Qinghu dashed out in delight.

Qingjin also led his people out to welcome them.

Seeing the towering stone fortress that now stood completed, Shen Fangxu was deeply satisfied. Old Zhao had truly done an excellent job.

"This place is so shabby! Not even a single brick or tile—just big stones for building houses! How is anyone supposed to live here?" his second aunt's saccharine voice rang out.

"If you don't want to stay, you didn't have to come. If you've got the guts, leave right now," Madam Feng shot back at once.

"Husband, look at your sister-in-law, always picking on me."

"Alright, alright, say no more. The territory in the Eastern Wastelands is just being established—of course it's not very nice yet. It'll get better as time goes on. Just bear with it for my sake, alright?" Shen Fangzhu hurried to placate his wife.

"Husband~" Second Aunt kept tugging at Shen Fangzhu's sleeve, wanting to say more.

"If you keep this up, I'll send you back to the main Shen family at Yinzheng," the family patriarch Shen Fangxu said coldly, his face darkening.

Second Aunt widened her eyes but said nothing.