Chapter 36: The Radiant Sect

“Wedding Garment Divine Art, Martial Zen Sect... the Embroidered Uniform Guard...”

“So, you are the Embroidered Uniform Guard who defeated Zuo Lishan?”

“To be defeated by such a peerless and long-lost martial art, he cannot complain,” Gao Ling murmured.

Li Miao recognized Gao Ling.

The Mount Tai Sect dominated the land of Qilu, boasting many skilled practitioners, yet only three or four could truly be called first-rate experts. Since he planned to deal with the Five Peaks Sword Sect, he had naturally made inquiries about the key figures in the Mount Tai Sect.

If someone from the Mount Tai Sect discovered Zuo Lishan’s abnormal state, fled amid internal strife, and became a pawn in Li Miao’s hands, that was within his expectations. And Gao Ling was the most suitable candidate.

Her martial skills were high, her standing senior, and she was renowned in the martial world for her hatred of evil. She would not turn a blind eye to Zuo Lishan’s atrocities. Usually, she devoted herself to training within her sect and had little involvement with other factions.

The Mount Hua Sect had been loosened by Mei Qinghe, and now the Mount Tai Sect by Gao Ling. In the Five Peaks Sword Sect, Li Miao had already pried open two cracks.

Li Miao spoke: “Tell me, Elder Gao. These injuries are Zuo Lishan’s doing, aren’t they?”

“He must hardly resemble a human anymore, does he?”

Gao Ling sighed deeply.

She knew Li Miao saved her for ulterior motives concerning the Mount Tai Sect. But no matter how hostile the imperial court might be toward the martial world, it was still the path of righteousness.

With Zuo Lishan’s mad, unrecognizable state, the Mount Tai Sect in his hands was bound to fall into evil.

Zuo Lishan, Li Miao.

A madman possessed, an Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The sect, the court.

If forced to choose sides, Gao Ling honestly could not make a decision. Fortunately, she had none to make.

In Zuo Lishan’s hands, the Mount Tai Sect faced annihilation; in the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, annihilation as well. Now, subdued by Li Miao and unable to resist, she reasoned that if she cooperated to eliminate Zuo Lishan first, she might still have a chance to preserve something for her sect afterward.

With this in mind, Gao Ling began to recount her recent experiences within the Mount Tai Sect to Li Miao in detail.

When she finished, Li Miao rubbed his fingers and chuckled. “So soon?”

“I thought Sect Leader Zuo would hesitate for a few days, yet he began using that thing as soon as he returned.”

“Did I beat him so badly that he turned to darkness because of it?”

Gao Ling did not understand what Li Miao meant by “turning to darkness,” but she could tell he seemed to know more than he let on. She asked, puzzled, “Do you know the reason for Zuo Lishan’s transformation?”

“I would appreciate your insight.”

Seeing Gao Ling’s willingness to cooperate, Li Miao thought to himself that the older generation truly understood the stakes and acted sensibly—unlike Mei Qinghe, who had been so rash and obstinate.

Zuo Lishan had already stepped into the trap, giving Li Miao the pretext to strike. If he wanted to act swiftly, he could have stormed the Mount Tai Sect immediately, paraded Zuo Lishan’s corpse, and made a public example of him.

But to ensure nothing was left undone, to avoid missing any heads, he needed to make further arrangements and wait for Wang Hai and Xiao Si to arrive with reinforcements.

For now, he had no patience to wait for Gao Ling to come around slowly.

Li Miao reached out and released the acupoint sealing Gao Ling’s energy. She rolled off the bed, stood upright, and only then did he begin to speak: “It’s not so strange, really. He just cultivated a rather unusual martial art.”

“That’s impossible,” Gao Ling replied. “The way he is now, he’s hardly human. No matter how sinister a technique, at most it makes one’s temperament extreme, the countenance gloomy, or limbs deformed. How could it cause holes to appear in his face?”

“That’s where you’re unfamiliar with such things,” Li Miao said with a smile. “Qilu is simply too far from the borders. It makes sense that you know little of those sinister arts from the Western Regions.”

“The technique he practices is called the Celestial Silkworm Art.”

Gao Ling pondered a moment, then hesitantly asked, “Is it the same art once practiced by the old Celestial Silkworm master? No, that can’t be…”

“That man has been dead for over thirty years. I heard my elders mention him, but they never said he looked any different from ordinary people.”

Li Miao said, “It’s good that Elder Gao knows of it.”

“It is indeed the Celestial Silkworm Art, but not the original.”

“The Celestial Silkworm Art is a martial discipline that borrows the power of venomous insects for cultivation. At its height, it grants regeneration of severed limbs—truly extraordinary.”

“Unfortunately, after the old master’s death, the art was lost, and only half a manual survived, passed down to Miaojiang.”

“Zuo Lishan is practicing this half-manual of the Celestial Silkworm Art.”

Gao Ling asked in confusion, “Half a manual? How can one cultivate a technique with only half the instructions?”

Li Miao smiled. “Naturally, when the manual reached Miaojiang, some saw that the art involved training with venomous insects. They tried to combine it with Miaojiang’s witchcraft, and so this half-manual was altered.”

“What you saw in Zuo Lishan—that inhuman appearance—is because he cultivates a version fused with gu insects, a modified Celestial Silkworm Art.”

Gao Ling thought for a moment and shook her head. “I’ve never heard of any renowned master from Miaojiang. When I saw Zuo Lishan a few days ago, his skills were nothing like today’s. If this art is so miraculous, why hasn’t anyone from Miaojiang gained fame with it?”

“There are reasons, of course,” Li Miao replied.

“First, the gu insect required for this art is extremely rare. The imperial courts through the ages have forbidden the spread of witchcraft. After years of suppression, perhaps only Zuo Lishan managed to obtain one.”

“Second, the art itself is incomplete. Cultivation replaces one’s meridians entirely with gu insects. One must regularly consume blood infused with inner energy, or the insect will devour its host. The body becomes inhuman, and the lifespan is shortened.”

“Most people die before seeing results, after three or four years of practice. Only a supreme master like Zuo Lishan, switching to this art, can use it to break through.”

“Third, this art was not created by a master of Miaojiang. Rather, it was developed by another grandmaster who traveled through Miaojiang. You surely have heard his name.”

“The one who created this art was none other than Ji Tianrui, the leader of the Ming Sect who died fifteen years ago.”

“I came to the Mount Tai Sect because Zuo Lishan obtained a gu insect, the Ming Sect’s martial art, and now seeks to unite the Five Peaks Sword Sect.”

“Without any one of these three pieces, I would not have come.”

“The court will not allow the Ming Sect to establish a stronghold in the heart of the Central Plains, especially one practicing witchcraft.”

Only now did Li Miao finally reveal to Gao Ling that Zhu Zaiyu had sent him to “eliminate the Five Peaks Sword Sect.”

Secret agents had recently discovered that a master from the Ming Sect had come to Qilu in secret, then vanished in Jinan Prefecture. Upon further investigation, they uncovered Zuo Lishan’s raising of gu insects and collusion with the Ming Sect. Thus, Zhu Zaiyu had tasked Li Miao with this mission.

At these words, Gao Ling’s shoulders slumped, her entire body drained of strength. She grew pale and muttered, “Colluding... with the Ming Sect, the Demonic Sect…”

She thought to herself, it is over.

The Ming Sect—publicly called the Demonic Sect in the martial world—originated from Persia as the Manichaean Faith.

It spread into the Central Plains a thousand years ago, passing down through the generations, its roots deep and many masters within its ranks. It is counted among the greatest powers, alongside Shaolin and Wudang. Legend has it that the founding emperor of the Great Shuo Dynasty received their support when he rose in rebellion.

Their primary business is insurrection.