Chapter 168: Legend, Slaughtering the Clear Sky Sect
“Your master had no grudges, but because of you all, your master ended up covered in trouble.”
Zhou Ya glared at Qiu Dahu and said irritably.
This brat sometimes made him feel gratified and proud, yet at other times made him angry.
So this was what founding a sect felt like.
He did not know how the Sect Master back then had raised Hall Master Zhang and the others, nor how he had developed the Clear Sky Sect to such a flourishing stage.
Zhou Ya suddenly felt some regret, doubting whether what he had done was right.
Perhaps for these children, an ordinary life was not necessarily bad.
However, when he thought of what he had experienced while saving these children, he felt he could not think that way.
In such a chaotic era, without strength, one would live worse than chickens and dogs.
Even hiding in the deep mountains for an entire lifetime did not guarantee safety.
Qiu Dahu still wanted to keep asking, but Zhou Ya did not wish to bother with him.
He instructed him to help carry things and sent him away.
Zhou Ya made up his mind that at most he would stay for another two months.
He had to return to the Clear Sky Sect once, to prevent trouble from arising.
……
The duel between Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning ultimately ended in a draw.
The myriad methods the two displayed greatly stimulated the disciples’ enthusiasm for cultivation.
These two truly allowed them to experience what immortal cultivation was.
Just their figures flying through the air symbolized the heavenly chasm between immortal cultivation and the martial path, something that could not be crossed.
This was also Jiang Zhaoxia’s goal.
First, he genuinely wanted to spar with Xu Ning, and second, he wanted to demonstrate the strength of the eighth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm to the sect’s disciples.
Li Qingqiu focused on training and cultivating the Extreme Movement Technique.
He did not pay much attention to the duel between the two.
For the time being, he did not plan to pass divine arts to the disciples, because he had discovered that divine arts consumed Vital Energy to an extreme degree.
After estimating it, even someone at the eighth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm would likely have their Vital Energy drained after only two or three uses of the Extreme Movement Technique.
Not only that, divine art imprints were far more difficult to cultivate than spells.
For disciples at the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, cultivating divine arts would only waste time, unless they were truly exceptionally gifted.
Li Qingqiu had been able to master them because of divine art inheritance, effectively taking a shortcut.
As Li Qingqiu immersed himself in his own cultivation, the Clear Sky Sect ushered in a period of rapid development.
Disciples continuously migrated to Ziyang Peak, yet the Clear Sky Sect did not become desolate because of this and remained lively as ever.
Aside from Ziyang Peak, more and more disciples bought land, and their activity range expanded toward the entire Ancient Great Mountain Range.
Xunxian Town was also being built at full speed.
Zhang Yuchun had never been this busy before, but he enjoyed it immensely.
Even if his cultivation was delayed, he remained highly energized every day.
Summer passed and autumn arrived, and the autumn wind blew into the Ancient Great Mountain Range.
Inside the Free Spirit Hall.
Zhang Yuchun sat in his chair, approving registers while listening to reports from disciples.
“The news has already spread throughout the world. The various lords fear that the Qi Clan will become the next Zhao Zhi, and there are already signs of them joining forces,” the disciple said softly, his expression solemn.
Zhang Yuchun responded, “It’s not enough. Continue spreading these messages relentlessly. It would be best to shape the Qi Clan into a demonic race. What they are fighting for is not the world, but turning everyone under heaven into food on their plates.”
“I understand. At present, none of the lines I spread out have been withdrawn,” the disciple replied.
Zhang Yuchun waved his hand, and the disciple immediately saluted and withdrew.
Not long after, another female disciple hurried over.
“The Qin Clan has been defeated. The Eastern Tomb Province army has already entered Guzhou’s territory. The Qin Clan hopes to receive our assistance,” the female disciple saluted and said quickly.
Zhang Yuchun replied casually, “Delay it. Just say I’m busy with official duties.”
“Yes!”
The female disciple turned and left, extremely decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
Zhang Yuchun rubbed his eyes, switched to another register, and began reading.
Soon, he heard footsteps again.
However, the person who arrived stopped in front of the desk without speaking.
Zhang Yuchun raised his eyes and saw that it was not a trusted disciple working for him, but an ordinary disciple from the Free Spirit Hall.
Zhang Ping.
At this moment, Zhang Ping looked at Zhang Yuchun, hesitating to speak.
Zhang Yuchun looked at him and asked, “Do you have something to say?”
“Hall Master, can I trust you?” Zhang Ping asked seriously.
Zhang Yuchun laughed and countered, “If you don’t even trust me, who can you trust?”
Zhang Ping recalled that ever since he had joined the sect, Zhang Yuchun had always taken good care of him and had never even spoken harshly to him.
It was just his innate nature that made it difficult for him to feel close to others.
He took a deep breath, then took out a blue-covered book from his chest and placed it on the table, saying, “This was obtained when I went down the mountain for training with a senior brother. Although it’s a secret manual, it involves a legend. After thinking it over, I felt it was better to hand it over to the sect.”
Zhang Yuchun did not take it too seriously.
He nodded and said, “I understand. I’ll look at it later.”
Zhang Ping continued, “Hall Master, do you know Bai Ning’er? This time, I went training together with him.”
“Bai Ning’er? Of course I know him. He’s well taken care of by the Sect Master and given many conveniences. What, did he bully you?” Zhang Yuchun replied, his gaze returning to the register in his hands.
Zhang Ping glanced back to make sure no one was around, then lowered his voice and said, “Hall Master, I think Bai Ning’er is very strange. It’s easy for people to develop goodwill toward him, and good things easily happen to him. I obtained this secret manual because of him. I don’t believe a person’s luck can be that good.”
Zhang Yuchun raised his eyes at him and asked in confusion, “What do you mean? Is it not fine to have good luck?”
“I can’t really explain it. I’m afraid he’ll run into trouble, and I’m also afraid he’ll bring trouble to the sect. Moreover, he acts recklessly, doing everything without restraint,” Zhang Ping said helplessly, feeling stifled inside.
He left one sentence unsaid.
He felt that Bai Ning’er was very dangerous.
During this trip down the mountain, the two encountered a poisonous creature.
He had instinctively pushed Bai Ning’er away, causing himself to be bitten instead.
Although danger was ultimately averted, recalling it afterward filled him with lingering fear.
He felt that Bai Ning’er was likely the reincarnation of some demonic evil, capable of bewitching hearts.
In any case, he had resolved to keep his distance from Bai Ning’er in the future.
“Acts recklessly? Then he does indeed need to temper his temperament,” Zhang Yuchun said thoughtfully.
Zhang Ping hurriedly said, “I’m not asking you to suppress him. I just think it’s best if he goes down the mountain less. His disposition is actually quite good—righteous and warm toward others.”
Zhang Yuchun felt a headache coming on and said irritably, “One moment you think he’s strange, the next you’re praising him. Are you here to torment me?”
Zhang Ping was helpless and could only give up.
Seeing Zhang Yuchun wave his hand, he had no choice but to raise his hand in salute, turn around, and leave.
Zhang Yuchun continued approving registers.
As the Clear Sky Sect grew larger and larger, in addition to disciples of all levels, there were registers of other personnel that required his approval.
Even pilgrims temporarily staying on the mountain had to be registered to avoid trouble.
Outside the window, the sun set, and dusk gradually descended.
Zhang Yuchun put down the register in his hands, stretched lazily, and exhaled a long breath of turbid air.
His gaze shifted to the blue-covered book Zhang Ping had left behind, and he immediately picked it up.
Zhang Ping had a steady temperament and handled matters rigorously.
Since he had brought this secret manual specially, there was perhaps truly a special reason.
“Ji Emperor Dharma Form Divine Art……”
Zhang Yuchun could not help but laugh, feeling that the name sounded quite intimidating.
He flipped open the pages and began reading carefully.
The opening was not a cultivation method, but recorded an ancient legend.
As he read on, his expression grew grave.
By the end, even the hand holding the book was trembling slightly.
……
Dark clouds obscured the stars and moon.
Inside a grand hall, oil lamps on both sides barely illuminated the interior.
Above the steps, a man in a golden robe sat on a golden dragon throne.
The armrests were carved into dragon heads, vivid and lifelike.
This golden-robed man looked to be in his forties or fifties, his head full of white hair hanging loose.
His eyes were cold and sinister, and the lips beneath his beard were blood-red, making him look like a ferocious ghost.
His name was Qi Tianquan, the head of the Qi Clan.
He stared at the ten white-robed figures in the hall.
These ten were precisely the mysterious white-clad figures who had attempted to capture Li Sifeng.
At this moment, they were all kneeling in the hall with their heads lowered.
“The Ten Divine Attendants I painstakingly cultivated couldn’t even take down Li Qingqiu’s junior brother. Heh heh.”
Qi Tianquan sneered coldly, his gaze icy.
Wisps of white vapor escaped from the hands gripping the dragon heads.
The white-robed figure holding a staff said in a deep voice, “My lord, it’s not that we were incompetent. That Li Sifeng’s martial prowess is exceptionally strong, rarely seen in the world. The Emperor Mystic Sword in his hand also contains special power, and with the Clear Sky Sect dispatching ten True Transmission Disciples, we truly were no match.”
Qi Tianquan’s smile grew even colder as he said, “The Clear Sky Sect has over three hundred True Transmission Disciples. Does that not mean that compared to the Clear Sky Sect, our Qi Clan is completely no match at all?”
The Ten Divine Attendants fell silent.
They could not answer, but they had indeed felt the pressure coming from the Clear Sky Sect.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh……
Vines suddenly shot out from the darkness, rapidly entangling the Ten Divine Attendants and dragging them into the darkness.
Immediately after, screams rang out, soon replaced by the sound of bones breaking.
Qi Tianquan closed his eyes, as if listening to a pleasant melody.
After a long while.
There was no longer any sound in the grand hall.
“That Clear Sky Sect is not a mundane martial sect. It should be an Immortal Cultivation Sect. I never expected that after so many years, this land would still give birth to an Immortal Cultivation Sect.”
A cold and aged voice came from the darkness.
Qi Tianquan opened his eyes and frowned as he asked, “An Immortal Cultivation Sect?”
“Yes. Although the ancient Immortal Cultivation Sects left this disaster-ridden land long ago, the inheritances they left behind allow people on this land to occasionally obtain them. The Martial Legend is one such case, and Jiang the Grandmaster, who bewitched the emperor, was also such a person. However, none of them amounted to much. The Clear Sky Sect is different. That Li Qingqiu is not cultivating immortality alone—he has led so many disciples to cultivate immortality together. That is truly not simple.”
The aged voice sounded again, filled with emotion, and even a trace of greed.
Qi Tianquan frowned and asked, “The Clear Sky Sect is located in Guzhou, far too distant from Cangzhou. You cannot move. How are we, the Qi Clan, to uproot them?”
The aged voice replied, “It matters not. That Divine Son is already qualified to allow me to enter his body. Even if this body can only carry one-tenth of my power, I am confident I can slaughter the Clear Sky Sect to the last.”
“Gather one hundred experts who have entered the realm as soon as possible. There is no time to delay.”
Qi Tianquan took a deep breath and said, “At the latest, in ten days, you will have what you want. However, you have not yet agreed to my request.”
His tone was unquestionable, becoming extremely forceful.
“Before that, you may select seven people from among your descendants to come before me. I will impart divine methods to them. As for whether they can master them, that will depend on their own fate,” the aged voice said faintly.