Chapter 2784 — Acknowledging an Identity

The face of Chunyang Tianzun changed at once. Few within the sect knew of that old affair of his, and even those who did dared not breathe a word of it. How, then, had Zhong Yongliang come to learn of it? He had once been nothing but an outer disciple of the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect, held in little regard. In his hunger to cultivate, he had been charged with transporting rare treasures of heaven and earth, and had secretly pocketed one—only for the whole matter to come to light.

In truth, there had been one extra treasure in that batch to begin with; that was the only reason he had dared to skim it off. But the inner disciple in charge of the storehouse had also pocketed one, and it was this that dragged him into the open.

And because that inner disciple was the pupil of an elder of the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect, he was shielded, the blame was shifted onto Chunyang's shoulders, and he was slated for execution. At that critical juncture, Patriarch Kuanglong had noticed his excellent aptitude and taken him as a disciple—and so he escaped with his life.

Of course, that inner disciple of former days had been disposed of after Chunyang took up the position of sect master, and those who knew of the affair would never bring it up again. So for Zhong Yongliang to speak of it now—that was what struck him as strange.

"How do you know that?" Chunyang Tianzun demanded, watching Zhong Yongliang warily.

"Hmph, I know a great deal more than that, you little whelp! When you broke through from the Yellow Rank to the Mystic Rank, who personally guarded you through the ordeal? When you broke through to the Earth Rank, who procured the Minor Qi-Gathering Pill for you? When your old mother fell ill, who gave you the elixir that let you go home and see her?" Zhong Yongliang snarled. "Have you grown so grand you don't even know me anymore?"

"You... you you you... who are you?" Chunyang Tianzun stared at the Zhong Yongliang before him in disbelief. If the first two matters might somehow have been known to others, the business of his mother's illness was known to one man alone—his master, Patriarch Kuanglong. But Patriarch Kuanglong was dead!

"You little bastard, didn't I tell you I had cultivated a secret art for preserving the primordial spirit? Kuangniu didn't know, and you couldn't even remember? You went and built me a sealed tomb—how was I supposed to seize a body and be reborn?" Zhong Yongliang raged. "If I hadn't—oh, that is, if the former Zhong Yongliang hadn't happened to pass by and accidentally cave in the ground above the tomb, my primordial spirit would have scattered to nothing!"

"Ah! You really are my master?" Chunyang Tianzun's eyes went wide. It came back to him in a rush: his master, Patriarch Kuanglong, had indeed said that he had cultivated a primordial spirit art that could preserve the spirit after death. But he had been young then, his cultivation shallow, and he had not taken it seriously—and afterward he had forgotten it entirely. Only now, with Zhong Yongliang bringing it up, did the memory return.

And this proved something else besides: the Zhong Yongliang standing before him was no longer Zhong Yongliang. He was Zhong Yongliang's body, seized—he was his master, Patriarch Kuanglong!

"Hmph. Shall I tell you that the key to the treasure vault is kept in the mechanism box at the head of the bed in the side courtyard where I used to live?" Seeing him still half in doubt, Zhong Yongliang gave a cold snort and dropped a bombshell of a secret.

"Ah!" This time Chunyang Tianzun doubted no more. The location of the treasure vault key was a secret of the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect, known to the sect master alone. Patriarch Kuanglong had been sect master; Patriarch Kuangniu had been acting sect master; and Chunyang Tianzun was sect master now.

Even the elders did not know where that key was kept. For Zhong Yongliang to name it—his identity could no longer be questioned.

By rights, after Patriarch Kuanglong's death, Patriarch Kuangniu ought to have taken up residence in Kuanglong's dwelling, for the sect masters of every generation had lived there. But Kuangniu had set his heart on breaking through to the peak grand completion of the late Heaven Rank; so after serving a time as acting sect master, he passed the seat to Kuanglong's own disciple, Chunyang Tianzun.

And Chunyang Tianzun, out of reverence for his master, had never moved into his master's rooms. He had stayed on in his own side courtyard—though after becoming sect master he had rebuilt it, making it grander and more luxurious.

At that thought, Chunyang Tianzun dropped to his knees before Zhong Yongliang and cried out in agitation, "Master! You have finally returned! Your unworthy disciple Chunyang pays his respects to you!"

"Get up, you rascal. No fault where there was no knowing," Zhong Yongliang said mildly, lifting a hand.

"Yes!" Chunyang Tianzun was overjoyed. That his own master should have seized a body and returned to life—what surpassing good fortune! With this, the strength of the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect was bound to leap forward by no small measure.

Then he suddenly remembered Zhang Naipao and Gao Xiaofu at his side, and a flicker of regret crossed his eyes. He turned to Zhong Yongliang and asked, "Master, the location of that treasure vault key is a sect secret. These two here—what do you say to them?"

Loath as Chunyang Tianzun was to part with Zhang Naipao, he had to seek Zhong Yongliang's will on the matter. His own inclination was to dispose of Gao Xiaofu and keep Zhang Naipao.

"Brother Liang... you—you're not Brother Liang anymore?" Gao Xiaofu was scared out of his wits. He understood Chunyang Tianzun's meaning well enough—the man meant to silence them. How could he not be afraid?

Zhang Naipao too was staring at Zhong Yongliang in profound shock, his gaze complicated. "Brother Liang... you..."

"Haha, you two—don't worry. I'm still your Brother Liang. We brothers still have work to do together—we're going to settle scores with that little bastard Wei Zhao, and besides, you two still have to help me win over Gu Mengyao!" Zhong Yongliang waved a hand and spoke in reassurance.

"Huh? You're still Brother Liang?" Zhang Naipao and Gao Xiaofu exchanged a glance, thoroughly baffled. Who on earth was this man before them?

Chunyang Tianzun was puzzled as well. Could the seizure of the body have failed? Had the man before him become Zhong Yongliang again?

But just then Zhong Yongliang said to Chunyang Tianzun, "Though I am your master, my primordial spirit is no longer strong enough to complete a full seizure. I could only fuse with Zhong Yongliang's soul. So after the fusion, I am both Zhong Yongliang and Patriarch Kuanglong!"

"I see. Then you are still my master!" Chunyang Tianzun breathed a sigh of relief. Fused or not, the man was still his master.

"Paozi and Xiaofu are both my trusted men. It's fine—no need to guard against them! They are utterly loyal to me!" Zhong Yongliang said.

"Yes, Master!" Chunyang Tianzun said hastily. "But then—aren't the rankings of seniority in a muddle now? Between me and Naipao... am I to address him as Martial Uncle from now on?"

"Master, it's I who should be calling Brother Liang Patriarch from now on—I can't call him Brother Liang anymore..." Zhang Naipao put in quickly. He would not dare set himself up as Chunyang Tianzun's Martial Uncle. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (.) to vote with