Chapter 253 - 170: I Am a Sword Immortal! First Slaying of a Qi Refiner

Chapter 253: Chapter 170: I Am a Sword Immortal! First Slaying of a Qi Refiner

Wan Ze understood.

To put it simply, this world was like a real-life online game.

All Qi Refiners were players who "logged in" to this world through some method.

The Five Elders Association was the game company, setting the rules and maintaining order. But they rarely got involved personally and remained shrouded in mystery.

Institutions like the Law Enforcement Department were the game masters, responsible for handling rule violations and maintaining the game’s environment.

And the various Sects were the player guilds. Some were large and powerful, occupying the best resource points. Others were small and weak, forced to scavenge for scraps left behind by the major guilds.

As for the Tombs...

Those were the dungeons.

Clear one, and you could get lavish rewards: Cultivation Techniques, Elixir Pills, Magical Artifacts, or even legacy Magic Techniques.

The highest-level Tombs were like "epic-level dungeons" in a game. Countless guilds eyed them, fought over them, and even came to blows for them.

The right to be the first to explore a top-tier Tomb often meant securing an advantage for the next ten or twenty years.

As for the Loose Cultivators who existed outside the Sects, they were like the "solo players" in a game. They had no guild protection and no fixed team, forced to rely on luck and strength to survive in the cracks.

The lucky ones might stumble upon a treasure and make a fortune.

The unlucky ones could die out there without anyone ever knowing.

Right now, Wan Ze was a bottom-tier solo player in this game... the kind who hadn’t even left the newbie village.

Strictly speaking, though, if he could find the Sect backing Tao Zhixi, he might be able to shed his status as a Loose Cultivator for good.

Of course, that was only if he could find it.

"Fellow Daoist Wan..." Feng Jiuchen’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. "You handled the matter with the Dark Hand quite well. But as for using a borrowed knife to kill... your execution was a bit lacking."

Wan Ze looked over in surprise. "You even figured that out?"

Feng Jiuchen smiled. "Beixi is my nephew, after all; I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. The fire you started between the Dark Hand and the Tail Society was the right move, but it lacked a bit of finesse. I’ve already helped you polish the details and erased a few clues that could have been traced back to you. Otherwise, it would have been quite troublesome if the Tail Society discovered you were using them."

Wan Ze was silent for a moment before saying sincerely, "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it." Feng Jiuchen waved his hand. "If I hadn’t been hunted in the real world by a Demonic Cultivator back then, I wouldn’t have been in such a sorry state and left Beixi behind in the country all alone. Speaking of which, I was derelict in my duty as his uncle. Fortunately, we have the upper hand now."

"So, that Tail Society... is it connected to Qi Refiners?" Wan Ze asked.

He had long suspected the Tail Society.

A mysterious organization capable of carrying out assassinations worldwide couldn’t possibly lack a powerful backer.

"They’re a force established in the real world by the Foreign Affairs Hall," Feng Jiuchen said bluntly. "But you don’t need to worry too much. They’re only responsible for cleaning up people who shouldn’t have appeared in Huangliang... to put it simply, they silence loose ends. But once your identity as a Qi Refiner is confirmed, they won’t do anything to you."

He paused before adding, "The Tail Society are just dogs kept by the Foreign Affairs Hall. They aren’t even worthy of carrying the Five Elders Association’s shoes... Their authority is limited. At most, they kill people. That’s it. They aren’t qualified to access Huangliang’s Core secrets, nor do they know who the Five Elders Association are, where they are, or why they do what they do. They just follow orders without asking questions."

"Then what about the Five Elders Association?" Wan Ze pressed. "Who are they, exactly?"

Feng Jiuchen shook his head, his gaze turning distant. "The Five Elders Association is truly mysterious. They don’t interfere with the daily operations of Huangliang and rarely show themselves. In my ten years in Huangliang, I’ve never seen a single member of the Five Elders Association. I don’t even know if it’s five people, five factions, or just a codename."

"Some say they are five old monsters who have lived for over a thousand years, having long since surpassed the realm of ordinary Qi Refiners. Others say they aren’t human at all, but incarnations of this world’s will... Of course, there was also an old theory that the Five Elders Association actually came from the real world, representing some major country or super-organization..."

Feng Jiuchen shook his head. "But one thing is certain: no one dares to provoke them. There was once a large Sect that, relying on its vast power, tried to challenge the authority of the Five Elders Association. The very next day, everyone in that Sect, from top to bottom—including the Sect Leader, the Elders, and the Core disciples—died suddenly. Not in Huangliang, but in the real world. They bled from all seven orifices, a gruesome sight. The coroner’s verdict was acute cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease."

Wan Ze sucked in a sharp breath.

Feng Jiuchen said softly, "So... the Five Elders Association doesn’t need to show their faces, offer explanations, or even prove their own existence. They only need to ensure everyone knows the price of defiance. That’s enough."

He looked at Wan Ze, his expression grave. "In the real world, the Tail Society will only kill ordinary people who pry into Huangliang’s affairs. Of course, once you are initiated as a Qi Refiner, that ’lock’ is removed, and you will no longer be hunted. So, Fellow Daoist Wan, your situation now is much safer than before."

Wan Ze nodded, but a storm was raging in his heart.

This world was far more complex than he had ever imagined.

And he had only just seen the tip of the iceberg.

The Red Moon hung high in the sky, and the light barrier outside the pavilion trembled faintly.

The two of them fell silent for a while.

Feng Jiuchen was the first to break the silence. "Fellow Daoist Wan, what are your plans now?"

Wan Ze pondered for a moment, then looked up, his gaze frank. "I want to know more. About this world, about Cultivation, about... how to survive."