Following Xuan Li's story, Tan Shuchang came to understand that the cultivating families in the Land of the Four Pillars were not forever unchanging. Every so often, a group of cultivating families would disappear from this world, owing to a True Immortal's descent to undergo tribulation.
It seemed like some unwavering constant.
Whether a cultivating family could continue to thrive often hinged on luck. Even if a cultivating family had never offended the True Immortal descending to face their tribulation, and had even aided them significantly, they might still be vanquished by a mere comment: "You, the strongest family in this land, did not control the cultivators here, allowing them to be too idle, which is indeed a way to court death."
Therefore, when faced with a possible descent of a True Immortal for tribulation, the best strategy was to say nothing and hide the entire family away.
After all, no matter how one might be "courting death," one must first be found!
