Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds-Chapter 655 - 334、We pay our respects to the Sect Leader, may the Sect Leader enjoy eternal blessings, and live as long as the heavens.

"This matter is of great importance, so I cannot make a decision lightly. I will wait until I return to the Sect, discuss it with the high-level members, and then decide."

Xu Xing pondered for a moment. He didn't outright refuse but responded tactfully. A direct refusal might hurt their feelings. After all, I can't just say that the Red Dust Pavilion is a grey area, and that if I, the leader of a Righteous Path sect, were to join as a Retainer, it would negatively impact the Butian Sect.

"In that case, our School will not insist. As long as Sect Leader Xu remembers that the doors of our School will always be open to you..."

Fang Xiuxian picked up the thread of conversation, chuckled softly, and brought the topic to a close.

"This is the "Red Dust Immortal Sutra". Sect Leader Xu, you may borrow it for one year. After a year, we hope you will return it in its original condition."

With that, Fang Xiuxian retrieved a booklet from his sleeve and passed it to Xu Xing using his Magic Power.

One year...

"Thank you, fellow Daoists."

Xu Xing cupped his hands in thanks, accepted the "Red Dust Immortal Sutra", and immediately flipped open its pages, beginning to comprehend the profound Dao principles within.

「One year later.」 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Xu Xing returned the "Red Dust Immortal Sutra", traveled alone to the North Wilderness, and went back to the Butian Sect.

As for Dai Ji, he had left her at the Red Dust Pavilion to continue her secluded cultivation.

Infused with two strands of Immortal Qi, Dai Ji had broken through to the Nascent Soul Great Perfection Realm. However, her Realm was still unstable and needed further consolidation. Furthermore, Dai Ji was less than a thousand years old and possessed the potential to reach the Primordial Spirit Stage. Thus, individuals like Fang Xiuxian would not let go of such a promising Primordial Spirit Seed.

It's good that I didn't bring Dai Ji.

Back in the Butian Sect, there are Wu Miao and Zuoqiu Ying...

Xu Xing mused to himself as he controlled his Escaping Light.

Zuoqiu Ying is one matter. My feelings for her aren't deep; she married me due to the alliance between the Butian Sect and the Nanhua Sect. Now that Elder Zuo Qiu is dead and the Zuoqiu lineage is in decline, Zuoqiu Ying won't have many objections to me. But Wu Miao is different. We went through hardships together... If not for the aid of Wu Miao's Profound Female Physique, my cultivation progress in the Dao Pill Realm wouldn't have been so swift...

The North Wilderness was not far from the Red Dust Pavilion. At Xu Xing's speed, he reached its borderlands in about a day.

Four years have passed. Dao Lord Zhongtai from my School entered the Butian Sect ahead of me. I wonder how the situation within the Butian Sect has changed by now...

Xu Xing lowered his Escaping Light, disguised himself, concealed his aura, and casually entered a Market to gather information.

While at the Red Dust Pavilion, he had learned about the Butian Sect's changes over the past two centuries. This was after he had been pursued by Chi Yuan. Having successfully escaped from Chi Yuan, a Primordial Spirit Sage Monarch, Xu Xing had solidified his reputation and title as the foremost expert beneath the Primordial Spirit Stage. Consequently, even without him present to oversee it, the Butian Sect faced no imminent danger of destruction.

The two major Higher Teachings in the North Wilderness, the Seven Stars Sect and the Yin Wind Gate, maintained an ambiguous stance towards the Butian Sect. They merely "surrounded but did not attack," observing its development.

Xu Xing had anticipated this long ago. When he fled to the Nanyan Continent to evade Chi Yuan's pursuit, he had clearly assessed the situation. Preserve the people, and even if the land is lost, both can be regained. Preserve the land but lose the people, and both will be lost forever. As long as he, the Sect Leader, was alive, the Seven Stars Sect and the Yin Wind Gate in the North Wilderness would not dare to move against the burgeoning Butian Sect. If they destroyed the Butian Sect, these two Higher Teachings would gain no benefit. On the contrary, they would provoke him, a potentially formidable expert. As long as the decision-makers of these two Higher Teachings were not fools, they would not take such action.

「A few days later.」

After gathering news from several large Markets in the North Wilderness, Xu Xing formed a basic understanding of the internal situation within the Butian Sect.

The situation is somewhat unexpected. Zuoqiu Ying, you are truly not a simple woman.

Xu Xing was quite surprised. The intelligence he had gathered at the Red Dust Pavilion regarding the Butian Sect pertained mostly to its external affairs, with little information about its internal dynamics. However, his move four years ago—introducing Dao Lord Zhongtai, an "outsider," into the Butian Sect—was finally bearing fruit. Dao Lord Zhongtai had managed to pry open the "impenetrable" Butian Sect, exposing the composition and allegiances of its internal factions to the outside world.

What surprised Xu Xing the most was that within the vast Butian Sect, the one who had gained the most power was not a cultivator from the Chongzhen Temple, despite their significant numbers, nor anyone from the Starfall Sect, with whom he had close ties. Instead, it was Zuoqiu Ying, the Sect Leader's Wife. Over the past two hundred-odd years, Zuoqiu Ying had maneuvered and schemed to firmly grasp control of the Butian Sect. Even when individuals like Dao Lord Zhongtai joined, they failed to gain any advantage.

Although Zuoqiu Ying's authority relies on my lingering prestige, her own capabilities are undeniably a crucial factor...

Xu Xing's mind returned to a state of calm.

He vividly recalled Zuoqiu Ying's actions from over two hundred years ago, when he had caused a major disturbance at the Nanhua Sect's Welcome Hall. In a fit of anger, she had severed the red wedding silk connecting her to Ruan Baimei with a single, decisive act. Then, representing the Nanhua Sect, she repudiated the marriage, thereby breaking the alliance with the Flying Feather Immortal Palace. At the time, cultivators from the various sects believed Zuoqiu Ying was acting recklessly. How could a marriage alliance between two great Higher Teachings be severed solely due to the actions of one person?

However, subsequent events proved that Zuoqiu Ying's decision had not been wrong. Had Zuoqiu Ying not angrily severed the red silk and instead allowed the Flying Feather Immortal Palace to unilaterally humiliate the Nanhua Sect, she might not be enjoying her current freedom today. If she had done nothing that day, she would undoubtedly have become the scapegoat for the Nanhua Sect. The cultivators would have blamed Zuoqiu Ying, the one at the center of the marriage alliance, for the Nanhua Sect's humiliation.

Although this might seem absurd, it is, in fact, the common reality. Authority always preys upon the weak, seldom challenging those more powerful. Faced with a difficult choice, Zuoqiu Ying had rationally chosen the more navigable path.