Chapter 2: The Transmigrated Sect Master’s Escape Plan

Wang Yu was originally a model citizen of Huaxia, someone who neither smoked, drank, nor permed his hair.

He was on the verge of graduating from university, ready to contribute to society, striving to become an excellent ‘salted fish’—a person who prefers a relaxed, unmotivated life. His only goal was to secure a stable job, not to earn a hundred million.

Perhaps the heavens disapproved of Wang Yu’s ‘salted fish’ dream.

One dark and windy night, he transmigrated without any discernible reason.

There was no lightning strike, no falling flowerpot, no car accident. His transmigration defied all conventional tropes.

To be honest, the sensation of transmigrating was far from pleasant, akin to riding a rollercoaster. Wang Yu felt an overwhelming urge to cry, yet no tears came. His head spun endlessly, as if trapped within a washing machine.

‘Damn it all!’ he thought, utterly bewildered.

He had no idea how much time had passed before his body finally felt grounded, though his head remained dizzy. There was also a strange sensation, as if something extra had been added to his mind.

Wang Yu steadied himself, sensing that something was amiss. His body felt uncoordinated, and what in the heavens was this place? It appeared to be a secret chamber.

Torches distributed around the room illuminated the entire chamber brightly. He was no longer wearing his casual clothes but a black robe. More critically, his body had transformed into… an old man!

‘Ouch, ouch, ouch, my head aches,’ he thought.

A torrent of memories unfurled before him like a film. He was, of course, not surprised by these; they were clearly the original memories of this body.

This was merely a minor scene, a typical novel trope. Wang Yu calmed himself, preparing to examine what they contained.

After several hours, Wang Yu had assimilated most of the crucial information.

First, he confirmed that he had indeed transmigrated. This was no longer his original planet, but a place called the Tianxuan Continent, a realm akin to those found in Xuanhuan novels.

The power cultivated here was Yuan Power, which was inherently unaligned.

However, cultivators could infuse Yuan Power with various elements through their cultivation, thereby forming different cultivation techniques with varying degrees of power.

He was currently in Tianlan Peak, a location within a medium-sized country in the eastern part of this continent. His current identity was the leader of the country’s largest gang. No, that was wrong—he was the sect master of the largest sect.

This sect seemed to be called the Yunfeng Sect. As for why he had the opportunity to inhabit this sect master’s body, it was simply because the sect master had brought it upon himself.

Apparently, this sect master had somehow acquired a cultivation technique called the 《Spirits of Heaven and Earth》.

In a world as fantastical as this, cultivation techniques naturally varied in quality. The 《Spirits of Heaven and Earth》 was an incredibly mysterious and powerful technique.

It allowed one to perceive the spirits of all things, then draw them into one’s body to harness their power.

In the eyes of more experienced cultivators, this was clearly a technique with immense potential, and it even seemed relatively simple to cultivate.

Logically, a sect master of his caliber should not have had access to such a high-level technique. Their sect’s ancestral technique, at best, was legendary, and even then, incomplete, only possessing transcendent power.

Yet, fate was so coincidental; this technique was somehow discovered by him. He then cultivated it, and then… he died.

Even after sifting through the memories, Wang Yu remained utterly clueless about the exact circumstances of his death.

‘What the hell! How did he die?’ Wang Yu picked up the book. Although the language wasn’t from Earth, he could understand it thanks to the sect master’s memories. He quickly searched, lest he, too, end up dead.

Wang Yu flipped through it and discovered that the annotations were a bizarre combination of Chinese characters and English.

‘WTF,’ he muttered.

Wang Yu re-examined it. Indeed, the content of the cultivation technique was in the world’s language, but the annotations were in both Chinese characters and English.

He turned to the last page. At the bottom, several lines of easily overlooked small text read:

“This cultivation technique is a benefit left by this Venerable One for fellow countrymen. Others who forcibly use it may suffer unknown consequences, such as soul annihilation or possession by souls from other worlds.

This Venerable One knows nothing about it, *smooch* 😃. Oh, and if read forwards, this book is 《Spirits of Heaven and Earth》; read backward, it’s a one-time life-saving technique called 《Great Reversal of Yin-Yang》, which is especially useful 👍. You must try it!”

‘………You know everything, don’t you?!’ he thought.

Speechless, he realized this was intentional murder. Wang Yu patted his chest, his heart still pounding. ‘Sect Master, old brother, may you rest in peace,’ he thought.

Although the memories revealed that the sect master wasn’t a good person, Wang Yu still offered a silent prayer.

While Wang Yu could understand the annotations of 《Spirits of Heaven and Earth》, cultivating it seemed incredibly troublesome. Moreover, his current body was already in deep trouble.

He glanced at 《Great Reversal of Yin-Yang》, staring intently. It felt like another trap, but sometimes, even when you know it’s a trap, you have to jump.

After all, this sect master was a complete villain, and this villain had apparently already empowered a protagonist-haloed individual to a level where they could defeat him, the stage boss.

It seemed this scoundrel had discovered a powerful secret manual in a small family, so he directly annihilated their entire clan. However, just like in a novel, he didn’t wipe them out completely.

Consequently, a ‘Long Aotian’ character emerged from that small family, seeking revenge.

And this brainless villain, just like in novels, kept providing experience points. Now, the protagonist had progressed to the point of being able to eliminate him.

Wang Yu felt that if this wasn’t his body now, he would have jumped up and slapped the sect master several times.

This was why the fool had so hastily practiced an unreliable cultivation technique he barely understood, fantasizing about turning the tables, only to kick the bucket.

As a qualified transmigrator, Wang Yu had already realized what his most important task was: to run away!

Only a fool would confront the protagonist, especially when the opponent had already been equipped with a full set of divine gear by his own actions, while he himself only had minor items. Even a king-tier player wouldn’t stand a chance now.

What’s more, he was just a bronze-tier ‘salted fish.’ He absolutely had to run.

The crucial question, however, was how to escape. Simply fleeing directly was out of the question; inhabiting a villain’s body meant he was destined to be hunted down by the protagonist.

Wang Yu was determined to live as a ‘salted fish’ who could make a living, and being hunted by the protagonist would surely lead to death.

Helpless, Wang Yu could only place his hopes on the secret manual left by his transmigrator predecessor. 《Spirits of Heaven and Earth》 could wait; there was no time for it.

‘Come on, my 《Great Reversal of Yin-Yang》,’ he thought.

“Hmm… oh, instant mastery, not bad.”

“Comes with self-detonation, ferocious.”

“Resurrection can be set with a teleportation point, awesome.”

“What, I can change bodies? Invincible! Hahaha, I’m safe, this senior is reliable after all.”

He recalled the sect master’s death, and a sudden chill ran down his spine. However, he truly didn’t want to be chased by the protagonist while wearing this villain’s face; that would be too exhausting.

Wang Yu believed that this was the best method his limited intelligence could devise. The only remaining task was to plan a plausible way to die. Drawing upon the memories of this villainous sect master, a scheme began to form in his mind.

Wang Yu smirked sinisterly, “Heh heh, this sect of yours doesn’t have many good people anyway. Let me make good use of them.”

***

“Has the Sect Master still not emerged from seclusion?” a middle-aged man in an expensive cyan robe asked a servant, his face grim.

“Reporting, Vice Sect Master, no. The Sect Master has not left the secret chamber since entering seclusion 7 days ago,” the servant replied.

Although he was a trusted confidant of the Sect Master, he clearly dared not disrespect the Vice Sect Master, who was second only to one. His tone was extremely fawning.

This Vice Sect Master, named Zhang Jiu, was a sworn brother to the Sect Master. Of course, he was no good person either, having resorted to many underhanded tactics to contend for the Sect Master position.

However, he wasn’t as ruthless as the current Sect Master, so he lost. Yet, due to his significant influence within the sect, the current Sect Master had found no effective way to remove him.

Upon hearing the confidant’s words, Zhang Jiu’s face grew even darker. “Hmph! The sect is now at a critical juncture, facing life or death, yet he still hasn’t come out to preside over the overall situation. It’s a waste that Master passed the Sect Master position to him!”

As he spoke of the Sect Master position, a look of resentment appeared on his face, revealing his obsession with it.

“Let him in,” a resonant voice emanated from the secret chamber. The confidant paused for a moment, then immediately said, “Vice Sect Master, please enter.”

Zhang Jiu entered the secret chamber with a dark expression and extreme caution, having been entrapped more than once before.

Upon entering, Zhang Jiu saw the black-robed Sect Master seated in the center of the chamber. He let out a cold snort. “Our sect faces imminent disaster. What wisdom does the Sect Master offer to help us overcome this crisis?”

The black-robed Sect Master merely gave a bitter smile. “Junior Brother, are you still harboring resentment towards me?”

“How could I dare?” Zhang Jiu watched his Sect Master warily, wondering, ‘What is this old schemer up to? Such politeness definitely portends a trap!’

“Alas,” the black-robed Sect Master sighed, tossing a token to Zhang Jiu.

Zhang Jiu promptly caught it with Yuan Power. Fixing his gaze upon it, he asked in a low voice, “Senior Brother, what is the meaning of this?”

This token was none other than their sect’s Sect Master token, by which one could directly inherit the position of Sect Master.

“Junior Brother, I confess I have made a grave mistake. The sect’s current catastrophe stems entirely from me. Seven days ago, I painstakingly pondered how to help our sect overcome this crisis.

“Later, I recalled a secret technique I once acquired. This technique can unleash immense power in a short time, but the cost is the dispersal of one’s cultivation. Furthermore, after using this technique, I will not escape death.

“I will use this secret technique to help our sect weather this crisis. However, a sect cannot be without a master for even a day. After much deliberation, you, Junior Brother, are the one I trust the most. Therefore, I wish for you to succeed me as Sect Master.”

“???” Zhang Jiu was utterly bewildered. ‘What the hell?! When did this schemer become so selfless? A conspiracy, it must be a conspiracy.’

The black-robed man saw Zhang Jiu remain silent for a long time and sighed, “Junior Brother, there was never a significant gap in our cultivation. Can you not discern my current condition?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiu focused his gaze and indeed found that his Sect Master had lost all his cultivation. However, there seemed to be a highly unstable power within his body, which certainly aligned with the Sect Master’s explanation.

“Although I have resorted to unscrupulous means, it was always for the sect’s revitalization. Now, not only have I failed to revitalize the sect, but I have also plunged it into crisis. I can only atone with my death.

“Even if you doubt my character, do you also doubt the authenticity of the Sect Master token?”

Only then did Zhang Jiu feel relieved. As a direct disciple of the previous Sect Master, he naturally recognized the Sect Master token.

With this token and his influence within the sect, he believed the Sect Master, even if he had some ulterior motive, could not stir up any trouble.

So, Zhang Jiu clasped his hands, even squeezing out a few tears, and said in a deep voice,

“Senior Brother is truly righteous, a role model for us all.

I, your Junior Brother, will certainly live up to your trust and revitalize our sect. Senior Brother, I bid you farewell.”

With that, he strode out quickly, as if afraid his Sect Master would regret his decision. However, he didn’t see the look of a successful scheme on his Sect Master’s face beneath the black robe.

‘Well, someone always has to be the fool,’ he thought. ‘My convenient Junior Brother, you’ve worked hard.’

‘When you enter the netherworld, I, your fake Senior Brother, will definitely burn some spirit money for you,’ Wang Yu thought, scratching his head.

‘That is, if I even remember by then. My memory for people is truly terrible; I couldn’t even remember all my classmates’ names after three years of university.’

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