A Will Eternal

“I came here to kill the enemy on the front lines! How could I possibly stoop to handling trifling errands!?” Bai Xiaochun’s energy surged, and as his sonorous voice rang out, everyone who heard him was shaken. All eyes burned with even greater fervor than before, with the exception of Beihan Lie, Master God-Diviner, and Jia Lie. Those three were inwardly cursing him; they were far more familiar with his true nature than the ordinary disciples were.

The prime elder hesitated for a moment. Then, he looked at Bai Xiaochun and said, “Junior Patriarch, these are the orders of the patriarchs. Stabilizing the conquered territory behind the battle lines is also very important.”

Inwardly, Bai Xiaochun was snickering, but outwardly, he put on a show of refusing again. The prime elder could do nothing more than continue to cajole him. It reached the point where the prime elder was getting ready to give up and back down. Then, to his surprise, Bai Xiaochun suddenly agreed.

Gritting his teeth and looking very displeased, he said, “Alright, fine. I don’t want to make trouble for you. I accept the mission!”

With that, he flew up into the air.

“Who is with me? Who is willing to join me as I stabilize the conquered territory and make a name for our two sects!?”

Virtually all of the cultivators began to cry out.

“I'm willing to follow you, Blood Lord!”

“Count me in, Junior Patriarch!”

“I'm coming too, Sect Uncle Bai!!”

In the blink of an eye, more than half of the group of several hundred cultivators stepped forward. Among them were a contingent from the Blood Stream Sect’s Middle Peak, who summoned an enormous blood sword, which they sent flying up into the air. It was hundreds of meters long, and radiated shocking energy.

Beihan Lie immediately shrank back. Master God-Diviner edged away. As for Jia Lie, after the trial by fire for blood master, he had come to deeply fear Bai Xiaochun, and didn't hesitate to go in the opposite direction, worried that he might be spotted.

Bai Xiaochun laughed heartily as he stepped onto the huge blood sword. Then he waved his hand, and numerous gargoyles flew over, along with a large number of flying ghouls. At the same time, all of the volunteers from the Blood Stream Sect and the Spirit Stream Sect flew up to hover around the sword.

Bai Xiaochun stood there, an enigmatic smile on his face as he looked down at the ground below.

“Beihan Lie, Master God-Diviner, Jia Lie. What are you three hiding from me for? Come, come! Join me in setting out on this mission!”

Beihan Lie, Master God-Diviner, and Jia Lie were all shaking and cursing inwardly. None of them wanted to go, and yet the orders from their respective patriarchs had been clear. Bai Xiaochun was leading the mission, and he had the right to pick anyone he wanted to go with him.

“I--” Beihan Lie wanted to argue, but he only got one word out of his mouth before Bai Xiaochun glared at him.

“I've been given a Dharmic decree by the patriarchs!”

Beihan Lie gritted his teeth and then flew over to the sword, depression gripping his heart. Master God-Diviner and Jia Lie were howling inwardly, but they knew they couldn't escape. Having no other choice available, they flew over and joined the team.

“That’s more like it! Alright, let’s go!” Bai Xiaochun laughed again, then flicked his sleeve, sending the enormous sword, and the several hundred cultivators with it, flying off in grand fashion.

Bai Xiaochun had never felt so impressive. He sat cross-legged at the tip of the huge sword, looking around at the countless gargoyles and refined corpses, and then at the surrounding cultivators. That, coupled with the sight of Beihan Lie, Master God-Diviner, and Jia Lie looking so depressed, left Bai Xiaochun feeling very proud of himself.

“It seems that joining the war effort really was the right decision,” he thought. “Even back in the Spirit Stream Sect and the Blood Stream Sect, I never got to show off like this. Who would ever have thought that I could do so right here?!” With that, he pointed his finger straight out in front of him.

“Sect Nieces and Nephews, come with me as we dominate the Profound Stream Sect!”

One of the Blood Stream Sect disciples was particularly clever. When he saw how Bai Xiaochun was in such high spirits, he edged a bit closer to the sword and yelled at the top of his lungs, “The Middle Peak blood master has infinite magical powers!!”

Quite a few of the other surrounding cultivators were shocked, and even Bai Xiaochun looked over at the young man in astonishment. The young man seemed a bit embarrassed to have so many people staring at him, and he even started to blush. Just as he was thinking that he had gone a bit too far with his flattery, Bai Xiaochun threw his head back and laughed uproariously.

“Don’t say like things like that in the future. I'm an upright and frank person, and definitely not a big fan of flattery. Now, take this medicinal pill!” Bai Xiaochun was actually very pleased, and his facial expression didn’t match his words at all. In fact, he seemed to be encouraging such behavior as he threw over a tier-3 spirit medicine.

The young disciple was very excited, and seeing that Bai Xiaochun was encouraging him, he raised his voice even louder and said, “That’s how we truly feel! It’s no flattery! The Middle Peak blood master has infinite magical powers!!”

The other Blood Stream Sect disciples’ eyes went wide, especially when they saw Bai Xiaochun give a reward of some spirit medicine. Their eyes began to burn with passion, and they too joined in to call out, “The Middle Peak blood master has infinite magical powers!!”

Over a hundred people were calling out the same thing, and it made Bai Xiaochun feel wonderful. Coughing dryly, he handed out quite a few medicinal pills as a reward....

Of course, the hundred or so cultivators from the Spirit Stream Sect weren’t very happy about what was going on. Glaring at the Blood Stream Sect cultivators, they also began to cry out.

“The Spirit Stream Heaven-Dao expert can shake the whole world!!”

Bai Xiaochun was so excited that he was shaking. His eyes shone, and his heart surged. Slapping his bag of holding, he sent large quantities of spirit medicine flying out. The disciples of the two sects all understood what was happening, and they clustered around Bai Xiaochun, yelling at the tops of their lungs as they flew along.

“The Middle Peak blood master has infinite magical powers! The Spirit Stream Heaven-Dao expert can shake the whole world!”

Only Beihan Lie, Master God-Diviner, and Jia Lie simply gritted their teeth. They held Bai Xiaochun in complete contempt, and refused to resort to fawning flattery. Not even if they died!

Bai Xiaochun was very pleased, but also felt that he should be a bit more humble. Waving his hand, he said, “Alright, keep it down, guys, keep it down!”

And it was in this grandiose fashion that he proceeded along through the Profound Stream Sect territory that the two sects had already conquered.

Before long, the group reached a valley that housed a cultivator clan which had once been a part of the Profound Stream Sect. Once the invasion began, they surrendered, and yet, many in the clan were still loyal to the Profound Stream Sect. Although they put on a show of complying, they secretly hated the Blood Stream Sect and the Spirit Stream Sect.

As of this moment, the patriarch and other clan members were currently discussing their next move.

“The Spirit Stream Sect has pushed things too far. They used to be allies of the Profound Stream Sect, but then they betrayed them!!”

“Hmphh! And then there’s the Blood Stream Sect. They’re all a bunch of devilish cultivators, killers by nature! Sooner or later they’re going to be punished by the heavens!!” Even as they sat in the hall, cursing in righteous indignation, a shocking pressure suddenly began to weigh down on them.

Then, a cold voice rang out into their ears. “Everyone come out immediately to offer greetings to our blood master!”

Immediately, all of the cultivators’ faces fell.

The clan’s patriarch was in the mid Foundation Establishment stage. Face twitching, he strode out of the hall, followed by his fellow clan members.

Moments later, an enormous, blood-colored sword appeared up above, surrounded by more than two hundred cultivators of the Blood Stream Sect and the Spirit Stream Sect.

Standing on the sword itself was Bai Xiaochun, surrounded by roaring shouts that echoed like thunder.

“The Middle Peak blood master has infinite magical powers!! The Spirit Stream Heaven-Dao expert can shake the whole world!!”

The people from the cultivator clan were shaken as they stared up in shock. Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun’s gaze swept over the valley.

His mission was to scour the regions behind the front lines to find any stragglers from the Profound Stream Sect. Furthermore, he wasn’t to just randomly travel around looking for such stragglers. He had a jade slip that identified 37 cultivator clans who were suspected loyalists, and might be harboring such individuals.

According to the initial investigation carried out by the Spirit Stream Sect, there were suspicious aspects to all 37 of those clans that needed to be examined further. As for whether they ended up being spared, or wiped out, that was up to Bai Xiaochun’s judgment. Thankfully, the jade slip had a marvelous function that allowed the person holding it to detect fluctuations that would point directly toward any member of the Profound Stream Sect.

Seeing the grand display of glory and power in front of them left the cultivator clan shaken. After taking a deep breath, the clan’s patriarch clasped hands, bowed, and said, “Greetings, Blood Master!”

Bai Xiaochun didn’t respond. The Heavenspan Dharma Eye on his forehead opened, and it was as if a curtain had been swept aside. He saw through all barriers within the valley, and quickly noticed that there was a necropolis hidden underground.

Within that necropolis were eight people seated cross-legged as they healed themselves. Although Bai Xiaochun had never seen them before, based on their wounds, their clothing, and the fluctuations of Profound Stream Sect magic on them, he was sure who they were. Instantly, the jade slip in his hand began to glow brightly.