"Only now do I realize that Wenyuan's breadth of mind and skill far surpass us former Cult Masters."
In the rear garden of the Hall of Literary Origin, the former Cult Masters each rose to their feet. Si Yuanwei, filled with emotion, suddenly recalled something and said, "Why did I take you as my disciple back then? I just realized—I actually have such good taste!"
The Young Patriarch blushed slightly and said, "When Master accepted me as a disciple, she said it was because I was good-looking, and also talented. But really, the main reason was that I was good-looking."
Quinn looked around. Everyone here was handsome or beautiful—the successive Cult Masters of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, including the Young Patriarch, and not a single one was plain.
Si Yuanwei's cheeks also reddened a little. She laughed, "I remember now. I took you as my disciple because I planned to use male–female love to break my Dao-heart. My Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra focuses on cultivating the heart. I broke my master's Dao-heart, so I became Cult Master. I also needed someone to break mine. As the saying goes, 'no destruction, no creation.' If you could break my Dao-heart, you'd become Cult Master; if not, I'd make another breakthrough—maybe even become a demon or a god. But then I kept guarding against you, and Cult Master Yulian took advantage of my distraction to ambush me."
Cult Master Yulian said smugly, "Master only guarded against little junior brother's romantic feelings, but forgot how hard it is to guard against a hidden arrow. How old was junior brother back then? And you already had your eyes on him. If you hadn't had such thoughts and paid more attention to me, maybe little junior brother really could have become Holy Cult Master."
Quinn pondered. The reason the Cult of the Heavenly Demon has 'Demon' in its name probably has to do with this kind of master–disciple inheritance.
This style of masters indulging disciples in plotting against themselves really does deserve the name 'Demon'—just like Li Tianxing. When Granny Sue ambushed Li Tianxing, she was only at the Heaven Person realm, nowhere near strong enough to kill him, who was already at the Divine Bridge realm.
But Li Tianxing deliberately gave her that chance.
The master–disciple struggle in the Cult of the Heavenly Demon likely started with the Founding Patriarch. His goal was for each generation to surpass the last, so he set a rule: if a disciple could defeat their master, they would become Cult Master.
But over time, this rule gradually changed in nature without anyone noticing. Coupled with the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra's uncanny and unpredictable nature, which easily breeds demonic tendencies, what started as a good rule slowly turned into what it is now.
The Young Patriarch smiled, "If I had become Holy Cult Master, I would probably have ended up like all of you—caught up in the interests of the Heavenly Saint Cult and neglecting the common people. Not becoming Cult Master actually preserved me."
The former Cult Masters all nodded in agreement.
"As for Cult Master Qin..."
Si Yuanwei turned to look at Quinn, fell silent for a moment, then said, "I won’t hold your questionable succession as Cult Master against you. Since you became Cult Master, you’ve done quite well. But if any of us were in your place, we could have done just as well."
Quinn replied modestly, "Of course. All of you are dragons and phoenixes among people—if you were in my position, you would certainly have done better than I did. It's just that, when you actually held my position, you did nothing."
The faces of the former Cult Masters twitched, their expressions shifting, barely restraining the urge to strangle him.
This brat was fearless—after all, he was the Holy Cult Master, bearing the heavy responsibility of passing on the inheritance. The stone-preaching still depended on him to transmit it to the next Cult Master. If they killed him, the Cult of the Heavenly Demon would be finished.
Quinn said solemnly, "I was rude just now. I simply couldn't accept you elders using outdated, mistaken rules to bind future generations, so I offended you. I apologize to all the former Cult Masters of the Holy Cult."
The former Cult Masters' expressions softened. Cult Master Zuyang quickly helped him up, laughing, "Little Qin Cult Master has accomplished things we never did, and we deeply admire that. Among all the generations, even if you can't rank in the top three, you can certainly be in the top five. People say all is forgotten after death; these minor grudges, we don't take them to heart."
Cult Master Hu Jun laughed, "Besides admiring your cultivation, we’re mostly worried that after you return, you’ll forbid the cult from burning paper offerings to us during holidays!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
Everyone laughed, "We don’t want to end up like those poor wretches in the Human Emperor Hall—no one even burns paper for them!"
"The current Human Emperor in the Human Emperor Hall really isn’t doing his job. During holidays, there’s not even incense or paper offerings. Look—those emperors were so glorious in life, now they’re pitifully poor in death. Not like us—glorious in life, glorious in death!"
Everyone roared with laughter. The Young Patriarch also laughed a few times, then suddenly remembered Quinn and quickly glanced at him.
Quinn forced a few laughs too—luckily, he had no face or skin at the moment, or else he would’ve blushed bright red.
The former Cult Masters of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon didn’t know that his other identity was the current Human Emperor. The reason the Human Emperor Hall’s emperors were so poor was because he, as Human Emperor, hadn’t burned paper or offered incense to them.
"Once I’m back in Everpeace, I’ll definitely visit the Human Emperor Hall and let the past emperors live in comfort—they can’t be left so impoverished!" he resolved inwardly.
"Cult Master Qin."
The Young Patriarch turned serious. "Now that you’ve met me, what do you plan to do after returning to the living world?"
The laughter died down, and everyone turned to him, waiting to see how he would respond.
Quinn pondered for a moment, then smiled. "After I return to Everpeace, the first thing I’ll do is open roads."
"Open roads first?"
The Young Patriarch frowned. "Roads and transportation do benefit the people, but they cost a fortune. Everpeace has suffered through several wars, the treasury is empty. Why focus on roads for the people's livelihood? Everpeace already has a developed road network—building more would only exhaust the people and waste resources."
Quinn declared, "Because I have already pacified the Western Lands!"
The Young Patriarch was stunned. "You led troops to conquer the Western Lands? How many soldiers did you bring? The Western Lands are huge—how did you capture them?"
The other former Cult Masters were also shaken, unable to believe it.
"Just me, Bruno the dragon‑qilin, and Kira Bear. Together, we pacified the Western Lands."
Quinn smiled slightly. "The Western Lands are now annexed to Everpeace, but they're nearly a hundred thousand li from the Central Lands. ‘The whip is long but can’t reach, the sky is high and the emperor far away.’ Right now, the roads between the Central and Western Lands are blocked. For a while the Western Lands will stay quiet, but given time, they’ll inevitably rebel. What I want is to open up transportation between the Central and Western Lands!"
(This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting content!)
The Young Patriarch and the former Cult Masters couldn’t believe him. They paced about, hands on their foreheads. Suddenly, one former Cult Master stopped and said gravely, "Between the Central Lands and Western Lands lies the Great Ruins and the Flame Desert. Even the closest route is a hundred thousand li apart! You want to build a hundred-thousand-li highway?"
Quinn replied, "Not just one—my plan calls for two. Both highways must be perfectly flat, so armies and cavalry can travel quickly. The fastest riders, mounted on exotic beasts, should be able to cover ten thousand li day and night!"
"Wrong!"
That former Cult Master barked, "Do you have that much money? Does Everpeace have that much money? Road building means paving with money, divine arts, and lives! Our Holy Cult does have the Heaven-Craft Hall, but if you make them build roads, it’ll cost a fortune and exhaust countless disciples!"
Quinn shook his head. "No. On my trip to the Western Lands, I saw their roads—far more advanced than Everpeace’s. True Heaven Palace’s divine arts can be used for road building. I’m on good terms with the great Western families and can invite the True Heaven Palace Mistress to lead the Western divine arts practitioners in paving roads—a thousand li a day. A hundred-thousand-li road would take a hundred days, and the cost isn’t too high."
That Cult Master’s eyes lit up and he smiled, stepping back. The other former Cult Masters kept circling Quinn. Suddenly, Si Yuanwei stopped and asked, "What about the Flame Desert? The desert stretches for tens of thousands of li, dry and waterless. Any road built will be buried in sand, making it useless! Travelers will suffer and die on the road!"
Quinn replied, "Now that the Everpeace Imperial Preceptor has killed the True Heaven Matron, the desert’s flames are extinguished. With the Black Tortoise Pearl, I can draw water to irrigate the desert; with the Azure Dragon Pearl, I can plant trees and vegetation, turning desert to grassland and forest. The northern grasslands have snowy mountains; snowmelt forms rivers, and I’ll redirect that water to create lakes in the desert, solving irrigation!"
Si Yuanwei smiled and also stepped back.
Another Cult Master stopped and asked, "The closest route passes through the Great Ruins. By day it’s calm, but at night, monsters and darkness attack—how will you guarantee safe passage?"
"I can’t guarantee it. But I can move the stone statues, gather them together to fight the darkness. Every thousand li, a town; every ten thousand li, a city. Towns and cities strung along the two highways, so travelers have places to rest. With these settlements, Western Lands, Great Ruins, and Central Lands will all be connected, and trade will flourish."
"You still haven’t explained—how will you solve the funding?"
"Once the roads are open, commerce will flow—money will solve itself!"
"The Great Ruins isn’t all open ground—there are countless uncanny and strange things. How will you turn thousands of mountains and rivers into a straight road?"
"Meet a mountain, cut a mountain; meet water, build a bridge; meet a god, pay respects!"
"How wide will the highway be?"
"Thirty-six zhang wide, eight wagon tracks, four infantry walkways."
"The Western Lands’ wagon track gauge is different from Everpeace’s—how will you ensure smooth traffic?"
"Then make the carriages of one track!"
"Western customs differ from Everpeace’s—what then?"
"Then make conduct one ethic!"
"The scripts are different, the divine arts are different—what then?"
"Then make writing one script, and open education!"
...
Suddenly, all twenty-eight former Cult Masters burst into laughter, bowed to Quinn, and said, "Cult Master Qin can be called a saint! Worthy of the title Holy Cult Master! We’ve already tested you on behalf of Cult Master Li—you’ve passed!"
Quinn bowed back, deeply sincere. "Thank you, Cult Masters, for asking questions that awaken even the deaf—they’ve inspired my wisdom, and I’ve learned a lot! Now, when I return to the living world, I have a concrete road for reform. If the reforms succeed and natural chasms become thoroughfares, all of you will have made immeasurable contributions!"
Everyone laughed heartily and rose to their feet.
The Young Patriarch was genuinely happy for them. Quinn had been at odds with the former Cult Masters, but now all past grievances were swept away, and he was deeply gratified.
Suddenly, outside the hall, the voice of Red Plume, the bird-headed god, rang out: "Cult Master Qin, Lord Hades wishes to interrogate you personally—why haven’t you come out yet?"
------ Lalala, I’m Zhai Zhu! Even though my name has the word ‘Pig,’ I’m not lazy at all! I’m Zhai Zhu, updating as usual on New Year’s Day—I feed myself salt!