Chapter 200: A World Within Easy Reach
“You are all forbidden to go.”
Li Qingqiu spoke up, interrupting the silent stare-down between Xiao Wudi and Yun Cai.
What a joke—sending these four would be nothing more than offering up their lives.
Li Qingqiu admitted that their talents were exceptional, but at present, none of them were a match for Li Yang.
Even Li Yang had been defeated by Yan Daozong, which made Li Qingqiu even more certain that Yan Daozong was an expert who had entered the Dao.
Upon hearing Li Qingqiu’s words, Xiao Wudi and Yun Cai could only withdraw their gazes.
Xiao Wuqing reminded him, “Sect Master, we cannot send disciples whose strength is comparable to Senior Brother Li Yang.
Every defeat is an opportunity for Tianxuan Mountain and Yan Daozong to accumulate prestige.
While their momentum has only just begun, we should dispatch the sect’s true experts to suppress their arrogance in one fell swoop.
At that point, the people stirring public opinion behind the scenes will definitely be unable to restrain themselves.”
Li Qingqiu nodded and said, “I will consider it. You may all leave for now. This matter has nothing to do with you.”
The four immediately bowed and took their leave.
Li Qingqiu remained where he was for a moment, then went to Lingxiao Courtyard.
He transmitted a message to Yuan Qi outside the courtyard, instructing him to summon Zhang Yuchun and Shen Yue.
After the New Year, Xu Ning had gone to the Heavenly Mountain Spirit Pool, and Jiang Zhaoxia had gone to the Source Iron Blessed Land.
The strongest person remaining in the sect was Shen Yue.
Thinking about it now, the sect’s trump cards were still insufficient.
Geniuses such as Xue Jin, Zhao Zhen, Yun Cai, Yang Xuan, Ji Ya, and the Three Xiao Brothers still needed time to grow.
If they could recruit this Yan Daozong expert under their banner, that would be ideal—not only as immediate combat power, but also as a symbol of immense potential.
As long as Yan Daozong had not killed any Clear Sky Sect disciples, there was still room for maneuver.
Li Qingqiu sat before the long table, waiting as his thoughts drifted.
Soon, Zhang Yuchun entered the courtyard first.
His expression was grim, clearly already aware of the situation.
He came before Li Qingqiu, sat down, took a deep breath, and said, “I underestimated Tianxuan Mountain. I thought that sending Yang Dong would be enough to investigate everything clearly.”
Yang Dong was the strongest disciple of the Free Spirit Hall.
His immortal cultivation aptitude had reached the excellent level.
In terms of cultivation speed, he was not inferior to Zhao Zhen, but his comprehension was lacking.
Normally, Yang Dong cultivated diligently, and this year he had stepped into the fifth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, becoming a true powerhouse.
Zhang Yuchun had been full of confidence in Yang Dong’s strength, yet he had not expected Yang Dong to be defeated.
“How are Li Yang and Yang Dong?” Li Qingqiu asked.
Zhang Yuchun replied, “They have already left Tianxuan Mountain and are recuperating in a residence. The owner of that residence has close ties with our Clear Sky Sect, and his young master is a Clear Sky Sect disciple.They will be well taken care of.”
After hearing this, Li Qingqiu nodded slightly.
This Yan Daozong was quite principled.
Even if Yan Daozong might have refrained from killing Clear Sky Sect disciples out of fear, as long as he did not kill them, Clear Sky Sect would owe him a favor.
At the very least, Li Qingqiu would remember this matter.
At this moment, Shen Yue walked into the courtyard.
Zhang Yuchun glanced back, and his expression softened.
Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, and Shen Yue were recognized as the three strongest individuals below the Sect Master.
Even Zhang Yuchun himself could not mobilize them.
Seeing Shen Yue arrive, Zhang Yuchun knew that Li Qingqiu was taking this seriously.
Shen Yue came to the table and raised his hand to salute Li Qingqiu.
His manner was not particularly respectful, but Li Qingqiu did not mind.
“The Dao-entering expert you mentioned has already appeared. It is Yan Daozong of Tianxuan Mountain. Li Yang, Yang Dong, and Mo Jiuhong have all been defeated by him. I am sending you—do you have confidence in winning?” Li Qingqiu stared at Shen Yue as he asked.
Hearing this, Shen Yue raised an eyebrow.
“Yan Daozong? Then I really must go and meet him. What is the specific task—do I need to kill anyone?” Shen Yue asked.
Ever since Xue Jin had lost an arm, Shen Yue had deeply reflected and resolved to make a change.
Li Qingqiu answered, “You only need to defeat him. After that, act as you see fit. Tianxuan Mountain may be hiding secrets unknown to others.”
Shen Yue nodded, then asked, “Do you need me to bring disciples along to broaden their horizons?”
Li Qingqiu looked at him deeply and said, “You are an elder of the Sword Sect. Decide for yourself. If you are taking disciples down the mountain, remember to register with the Free Spirit Hall.”
“Alright!”
Shen Yue turned and left.
Zhang Yuchun watched him depart.
Only after Shen Yue exited Lingxiao Courtyard did he sigh and say, “This Sword God truly retains his elegance. Age has not affected his aptitude at all. Compared to him, our Patriarch Ancestor is far inferior.”
Li Qingqiu laughed and said, “Shen Yue’s aptitude was never inferior to the sect’s geniuses to begin with. As for our Patriarch Ancestor, he has merely lost his drive.”
Shen Yue was a sword fanatic and a cultivation maniac, the same type as Xu Ning, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Zhao Zhen—if not even more extreme.
That was why he could always maintain such a powerful image and continually widen the gap between himself and others.
Clear Sky Daoist had squandered his life and no longer harbored competitive ambition.
Now, he only wished to enjoy life and contribute what he could to Clear Sky Sect.
Thus, he was not anxious about cultivation, believing that even if he trained harder, the help he could offer the sect would be limited.
Zhang Yuchun smiled and said, “Who knows what kind of mindset we’ll have fifty years from now?”
Li Qingqiu replied, “I probably won’t change much. But you—entangled in power struggles day after day—don’t let your heart change.”
Zhang Yuchun restrained his smile and said, “No matter how I change, Clear Sky Sect’s interests will always come first in my heart, and the bond between us senior and junior brothers is even more important.”
Li Qingqiu nodded.
Zhang Yuchun worked quite hard on a daily basis.
A reminder was enough—Li Qingqiu would never be harsh with him.
Afterward, the two discussed various matters within the sect.
The ships built with the help of the Zhu Clan had already been delivered to Xi River.
Zhang Yuchun had established a simple harbor a hundred li below the mountain and planned to conduct trial voyages next, to see whether they could reach Source Iron Harbor Town.
The primary purpose of this route was trade and transportation.
After all, crossing numerous perilous peaks from Clear Sky Mountain to the Source Iron Blessed Land was no easy task, and transporting Source Iron was extremely difficult—unless storage pouches became increasingly abundant.
Storage pouches were even harder to craft than ordinary magic implements.
It was said that Wu Xingyue had grown several strands of white hair while researching this item.
After chatting for quite a while, the two parted ways.
Zhang Yuchun continued with his duties, while Li Qingqiu returned to his cave dwelling to cultivate.
For Li Qingqiu, reaching the Spirit Perception Realm was merely a starting point.
Even without powerful enemies at present, he would continue cultivating without wavering.
The geniuses within the sect were applying pressure to one another.
In truth, Li Qingqiu also felt pressure—he did not want to be overtaken by his disciples.
That same day, the Sword God Shen Yue led a group of Sword Sect disciples down the mountain.
It was said they were heading north to visit Tianxuan Mountain, which greatly excited the entire sect.
News of Li Yang and Yang Dong’s crushing defeat at the hands of Yan Daozong had spread too quickly, filling the disciples with indignation.
They all hoped the sect could reclaim its honor.
Now that the Sword God was going down the mountain, they were naturally delighted.
Shen Yue’s strength was beyond doubt.
Within the sect, only the Sect Master could firmly suppress him.
With such a powerhouse descending the mountain, everyone felt reassured.
At dusk.
Ku Yi and Ku Er arrived at Zhao Zhen’s cave dwelling and informed him of Yan Daozong’s defeat of Li Yang and Yang Dong.
“Li Yang actually lost?” Zhao Zhen was shocked.
He knew Li Yang’s strength all too well.
Even he himself could not claim a guaranteed victory.
It was not just him.
Clear Sky Sect disciples all possessed a certain arrogance—that Clear Sky Sect was far stronger than all secular sects.
Even if they lost, they should lose to fellow disciples.
How could an immortal cultivator be defeated by a martial practitioner?
“Could this Yan Daozong also be an immortal cultivator?” Zhao Zhen pressed.
Ku Yi shook his head and said, “He did not cultivate immortality. He entered the Dao through martial arts. That is a legendary realm—one that even the Martial Legend of the past failed to reach. Perhaps the Martial Path is not inferior to the Immortal Path. It is just that, like the Immortal Path, the Martial Path declined. The Immortal Path was restarted by the Sect Master, and the Martial Path also needs someone to push it forward again. It is just unknown whether the one pushing the Martial Path is Yan Daozong.”
Zhao Zhen fell silent.
He felt quite uncomfortable, as Yan Daozong had established his fame by stepping on Clear Sky Sect disciples.
Ku Er continued, “No matter what, with such an expert stationed there, you no longer need to worry about your mother’s safety.”
Zhao Zhen took a deep breath and said, “When I go to Tianxuan Mountain, I will also challenge that Yan Daozong. I want to see just how formidable someone who enters the Dao through martial arts really is.”
“Actually, you don’t need to be hostile toward him,” Ku Yi suddenly said.
Zhao Zhen glanced at him, frowning.
Ku Er followed up, “The Zhao Clan has deep ties with Tianxuan Mountain. Back then, the Imperial Ancestor once practiced martial arts at Tianxuan Mountain. Precisely because of this, even when Tianxuan Mountain refused the Imperial Ancestor’s recruitment, the Imperial Ancestor did not suppress them.”
Zhao Zhen’s brow furrowed even more deeply.
Suddenly, he shouted, “Enough!”
Ku Yi and Ku Er trembled, staring at him in astonishment.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re really thinking. Tianxuan Mountain and my mother—are you hoping that I reclaim the realm and revive Great Li?” Zhao Zhen stared at them and asked in a deep voice.
Hearing this, Ku Yi and Ku Er’s expressions changed drastically.
They had not expected fourteen-year-old Zhao Zhen to see through this point.
Ku Er’s face darkened as he said, “Your Highness, do you intend to betray your father’s dying wish? If your father were still alive, he would never allow the world to be in such chaos. You are the disciple of the Clear Sky Sect Master, and your mother comes from Tianxuan Mountain. If you are willing to step forward, with the support of both factions, you can surely open up an unprecedented great enterprise!”
Ku Yi followed with further persuasion.
In their view, even if imperial authority were later suppressed by Clear Sky Sect, it would not matter—because Zhao Zhen was also a Clear Sky Sect disciple.
They had seen with their own eyes how much Li Qingqiu cherished Zhao Zhen.
They believed that the throne was, for Zhao Zhen, truly a world within easy reach.
Zhao Zhen’s mother also hoped that he could seize the world.
That was why she had written to Zhao Zhen, urging him to go to Tianxuan Mountain so she could personally persuade him.
This was also what Ku Yi and Ku Er wished to see.
Zhao Zhen snorted coldly and said, “My father? He is already dead. Back then, before sending me up the mountain, he told me to live the life I wanted. I do not want to be Emperor. I do not want my descendants to slaughter one another. I only want to cultivate immortality. Staying in Clear Sky Sect makes me very happy. I will not change what I have now.”
“If my mother thinks the same as you do, then my trip to Tianxuan Mountain will no longer be a family visit, but a mission on behalf of Clear Sky Sect.”
Ku Yi and Ku Er immediately grew anxious and continued to persuade Zhao Zhen.
Unfortunately, Zhao Zhen remained unmoved.
They failed to notice that a head had emerged from the nearby mountain wall, curiously watching them while covering its mouth and snickering.