Ruining the Plot Completely
After Yue Zifeng went on ahead, Xue Bai didn't follow immediately and went to his peak first.
And after changing and making sure that Xiao'er and Zhu Que were still okay emotionally after seeing the massacre, he went to Yue Zifeng's peak.
As expected of the protagonist, Zhu Que didn't even blink an eye during that entire sequence, while Xiao'er was slightly shaken up. But after a few consoling words from Xue Bai and Zhu Que, who helped her out, she was back to normal.
Sprinting over, Xue Bai didn't take long to reach it, and following a request to be let inside, Xue Bai once again saw his Master in the same seat he was not too long ago.
This time, however, Xue Bai didn't sit down in the seat he was motioned to and instead went behind him, Master.
"Master, what did you want to talk about," Xue Bai said as he massaged his angry Master's shoulders.
Though he wasn't sure if Yue Zifeng was still angry and tempted to hit him, it didn't hurt to be filial once in a while and help his Master.
"I'm in the Xiantian Great Realm and have already undergone the baptism of Heaven and Earth, Bai'er. My physical body is as strong as peak yellow-grade spiritual ores. Though I appreciate the gesture, Bai'er, you aren't doing anything." Yue Zifeng bluntly spoke, dampening his feelings.
"It's the effort that counts, Master." Xue Bai as he tried to push harder into Yue Zifeng's shoulder, hoping it would work. Sadly it didn't.
"That is a horrible phrase, Bai'er. If you fail, then what is the point of the effort? It becomes a waste of time at that point." Yue Zifeng berated.
He genuinely thought such a phrase was bad.
Only losers would say such a phrase.
If you fail, take the failure as a man and do better next time. Consoling a failure leads to complacency and false confidence!
"Tch!" Xue Bai clicked his tongue and sat across from his Master as he did a few hours ago.
'Earth metaphors don't have a place in this brutal world.' Xue Bai noted as he sat down, waiting for Yue Zifeng to initiate the conversation.
Which didn't take very long at all.
"You're emotions are visibly Bai'er." Yue Zifeng commented, "But never mind that. We have things to talk about. The Core Elders and I have started formulating a plan to go out and destroy the Wang Clan within the week. Would you like to come?"
"Huh?" Xue Bai was snuck attacked by the question.
'Destroy the Wang Clan?' Xue Bai had never thought of the possibility.
Thinking for a moment about the possibility, Xue Bai eventually realized, why couldn't he?
The plot had already started to change rapidly, and he didn't care about it anymore, so why not?
Before, Xue Bai had been stupidly waiting for the Righteous versus Demonic War to kill Wang Yu and destroy the Wang Clan.
But that idea would also force him to wait another almost 8 years to do that.
Wang Yu, in the plot, almost always died in the Monarch Tomb after Zhu Que and Huo Long advanced into the Law Manifestation realm.
After years of defeat and setbacks, Wang Yu developed a heart demon that halted his cultivation at the peak of the Law Manifestation realm.
So after the two protagonists broke through, they teamed up and fought against the villain who was still in the Law Manifestation realm, where they managed to beat and kill him.
However, this plan also had many misgivings and downsides.
Wang Yu and the traitors were set to betray the Soaring Sword Sect in 4 years. This could, however, change depending on if you chose to be on the Southern Continent or not and how useful you were in aiding the two protagonists.
The betrayal usually ended up with Wang Yu poisoning Yue Zifeng and severely injuring him, and making sure he couldn't fight in the upcoming war while also killing as many extremely talented disciples as possible.
A long extended war like the one that the Blood Saber Sect predicted would happen needed two things. Strong powerhouses to hold down the line and carry out tough missions, and talented youngsters who could grow like weeds in the spring during the brutal tempering of war.
And Wang Yu's betrayal managed to eliminate two of those factors from the Soaring Sword Sect, effectively neutering them and ensuring that the Blood Saber Sect's greatest enemy would be out of commission during the war.
To make matters worse, during all of this, while no one was watching, Wang Yichen also built a teleportation array that allowed the Blood Saber Sect direct access to the continent.
Now with their greatest enemy gone and a direct teleporter to the continent ensuring quick reinforcement times, The Blood Saber Sect would start a massive war that lasted from 979 to 983.
The war only ended after Wang Yu had finally died and after the protagonists led the Southern Continents forces to destroy the Wang Clan's defenses allowing them to destroy the teleportation array.
But if Xue Bai could destroy the Wang Clan now years before this, before they even gathered any momentum and favor from the Blood Saber Sect, how many lives could he save?
Yue Zifeng wouldn't be severely injured, the Soaring Sword Sect wouldn't be half destroyed, and he could finally undo the knot in his heart from being poisoned by Wang Yichen!
After he reached that conclusion, Xue Bai had no more misgivings.
"I'm in!" Xue Bai nodded.
However, after he agreed, he realized something.
"Wait, Master, aren't the Wang Clan going to know something? You just killed almost 10,000 people. Surely a few of them have soul lamps at the Wang Clan's dukedom, right?"
"Don't worry. Elder Yang is already at their dukedom, spying on them. The second they make a move, we'll know." Yue Zifeng replied. How could he not have thought of this?
"Go prepare." Yue Zifend said as he waved Xue Bai off, "We'll leave at sunrise in two days."
Xue Bai nodded, and after giving his master a respectful bow, he left to his own peak.
–
Two days passed in complete silence.
Zhu Que and Xiao'er, after seeing Yue Zifeng kill thousands of powerhouses with a wave of his hand, reminded them just how important strength was, and because of that, the two would spend a lot of their time either cultivating or in the Sword Training Pagoda.
Xue Bai didn't comfort them much and only left them to do their own thing.
He spent the two days in the library thinking about his next move and planning it out.
He realized that after the Wang Clan's extermination, Xue Bai would have little reason to stay on this continent.
The reason he had planned on this continent for so long was because of two main reasons; Wang Yu and the Wang Clan and for all the opportunities this land had.
However, now that the Wang Clan was going to be destroyed and that he had already plundered the continent for most of its worth, Xue Bai couldn't think of another reason to continue staying.
While there were many things still on this continent that could speed up his cultivation, Xue Bai thought that it would be better for Huo Long and Zhu Que to have them to themselves.
His spatial rings, not including Huli Jing's, were filled with enough resources to cultivate to the Xiantian Great Realm 2 times over. Greed had a limit.
Xue Bai had already eaten the meat, so why not let them have the soup?
Sure, the Southern Continent was his home, and by staying here, he could safely grow until maybe even the Xiantian Great Realm, but that would also slow down his cultivation speed and continue him to stay a greenhouse flower.
Xue Bai could never truly get a good blood-boiling, life-threatening fight here in the Southern Continent.
There were the Wang Twins who always protected him from the shadows, and for anyone that the Wang Twins couldn't protect him from, Yue Zifeng's presence would.
Yue Zifeng was someone everyone in the Southern Continent would have to act humbly around, and Xue Bai was his disciple.
Even if the Domain Lords of the continent had ten times the guts, they wouldn't even touch a hair on Xue Bai's head, let alone kill him.
In novels from earth that Xue Bai read, protagonists usually stay on the home continent for a few reasons; they are too weak to be allowed access to the next area, they have too many bindings that force them to stay, or maybe they were even enemies with the force that controls the transportation.
However, Xue Bai didn't have any of these problems.
Leaving the continent now, much earlier than planned, was something good for his growth and would give him a much better chance against Xiao Mo.
If he left early, he could plunder all of the chances that Xiao Mo would try to get after first arriving, which would not only strengthen Xue Bai but also weaken Xiao Mo's momentum.
It was a win-win!
"I'll break through to the Qi Sea realm and leave," Xue Bai thought aloud, "There is not much point in staying here any longer."
Writing a few things in his notepad for the future, Xue Bai left the library and returned to his room for the night.
–
Yue Zifeng and the Core Elders finalized their plan and also managed to persuade Duan Zhen not to interfere.
So after picking up Xue Bai, Yue Zifeng and the 12 Core Elders left in the direction of The Great Xuan Empire.
"Bai'er, why have you been quiet?" Yue Zifeng asked the silent Xue Bai.
Currently, Xue Bai was on Yue Zifeng's flying sword, seated cross-legged with his chin in his palms.
After Yue Zifeng picked him up, he hadn't said a word but only sat quietly, not saying anything.
"Master, I wish to leave the continent." Xue Bai replied, "There isn't anything for me here anymore? How do I leave?"
Yue Zifeng didn't expect that response, but since Xue Bai looked as he did while he asked it, Yue Zifeng didn't think it was a joke.
Thinking for a moment, Yue Zifeng eventually answered seriously.
"While we don't have a specific schedule of sending when Core Disciples can go to the Central Continent, it usually happens every other year when I myself travel there." Yue Zifeng said, "But since I did that earlier this year just before you joined the sect, it'll be another two years until I leave once more."
"Two years is too long, Master. Can we go after I break through to the Qi Sea realm?" Xue Bai asked.
"How long would that take?"
"Around a year? I'm not too sure, but it won't be longer than 18 months," Xue Bai replied while making some calculations in his mind, "I should break through to the Organ Tempering realm in about 6 weeks. And if the plan I have for the Organ Tempering realm works, then that realm will only take a year at most. If it works better than I planned, then even less."
"I'm fine with leaving earlier than I planned," Yue Zifeng didn't have an issue with Xue Bai's request. However, he was curious about something.
"Are you going to take anyone with you? That Zhu Que girl you found is an enigma, and it bothers me that I can't see through her. Surely she is someone fit to travel with you." Yue Zifeng asked.
They were still about a few hours out from the Wang Clan's dukedom, so he had enough time for a conversation.
"No, she needs to stay here," Xue Bai replied while shaking his head, "And Xiao'er is even less fit for the Central Continent, so I'll go myself."
Protagonists in cultivation novels were like snowballs. They needed to slowly build up momentum in the early years, cultivating both their mind and Qi.
So if he suddenly took Zhu Que to the Central Continent almost a decade before she was supposed to, Xue Bai wasn't sure what would happen.
Sure, she was a Child of the Plane, but sometimes karmic luck isn't enough to save your life.
It would be better for her to stay on this continent and move to the next area when she is ready.
Two would talk for some time until, finally, the target was in sight.