Chapter 201: Using Martial Arts to Attain Sainthood
After a fierce argument with Ku Yi and Ku Er, Zhao Zhen drove the two of them out of the cave dwelling.
He forced himself not to think about his mother or Tianxuan Mountain, instead focusing all his attention on his own cultivation.
The power of Yan Daozong gave Zhao Zhen even greater fighting spirit.
The sixth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm was far from enough for him.
He wanted to become a reliable powerhouse like Shen Yue, Xu Ning, and Jiang Zhaoxia.
He had thought that as long as he did not desire imperial authority, this matter could be put aside.
Yet he did not know that in this world, how many things failed to go as one wished.
……
After Shen Yue went down the mountain, Clear Sky Sect continued to develop according to its plans.
The turmoil caused by Tianxuan Mountain was unable to shake this colossal entity known as Clear Sky Sect.
Although many disciples were indignant, to the upper echelons of the Eight Halls, this was merely a trivial matter.
They had more important things to attend to.
The busyness of the various halls represented that Clear Sky Sect had already shifted its gaze away from the mundane world.
They had greater goals to pursue.
More than half a month had passed since Shen Yue went down the mountain.
On this day, Wu Xingyue of the Heavenly Works Hall came to find Li Qingqiu.
She placed a gray cloth bag on the long table.
Li Qingqiu revealed a delighted expression, reached out to take it, and asked curiously, “Was it successful?”
A storage pouch that belonged to Clear Sky Sect!
“It was thanks to Spirit Copper. It can better maintain restrictions. I turned the Spirit Copper into thin copper threads and strung them together inside the cloth bag. It’s just that my craftsmanship isn’t refined enough, so the internal space isn’t very large.” Wu Xingyue smiled.
Upon closer inspection, a few strands of white hair were mixed in with her long hair.
Li Qingqiu sent his spiritual sense into the storage pouch.
The space inside was indeed not large.
It could not be compared at all to the storage pouch he had obtained, roughly only about the volume of a water vat.
He was not disappointed.
Even at this level, it could already bring great convenience to the disciples.
“Is it difficult to make this kind of storage pouch?” Li Qingqiu asked.
Wu Xingyue replied, “It’s not considered difficult.I’ve already passed the crafting method on to the disciples under me. Their speed isn’t as fast as mine, but as long as the supply of Spirit Copper is sufficient, they can complete it. After that, I’ll also write this crafting method into a book for more disciples to study.”
Li Qingqiu nodded and sighed, “Wu Xingyue, just this storage pouch alone is an enormous merit. I’ll reward you with ten thousand Dao Fate first. As for other rewards, I’ll consider them further.”
For talents like Wu Xingyue, no amount of reward would be excessive.
Wu Xingyue’s current momentum had already faintly surpassed Ming Guang.
As for who should be given the position of Hall Master of the Heavenly Works Hall in the future, Li Qingqiu felt a bit of a headache just thinking about it.
Of course, the reason he considered this matter was not because he wanted to remove Zhu Yan.
On the contrary, he intended to promote Zhu Yan as well as the other hall masters.
It was just that the specific system and distribution of authority would need to be thought through slowly.
Speaking of Zhu Yan alone, she had indeed done very well.
Not only had she discovered Ming Guang and Wu Xingyue, she had also done her utmost to support her subordinates.
At the very least, Li Qingqiu had never heard disciples of the Heavenly Works Hall complain of grievances.
Being able to accommodate others was, for those in power, a major virtue.
After hearing Li Qingqiu’s praise, Wu Xingyue hesitated somewhat.
Li Qingqiu examined the storage pouch she had made and said softly, “If you have something to say, just say it.
As long as it’s not asking me to pluck stars and seize moons or carry mountains and chase seas, I’ll agree.”
Wu Xingyue was amused by his words and laughed out loud.
The pressure she felt dissipated along with it.
She then said, “It’s like this, Sect Master. I have a younger male cousin whose aptitude isn’t good. He’s currently only a registered disciple. When I was young, I received kindness from his family and want to repay them. Could his status be raised a little?”
Li Qingqiu lifted his gaze to look at her.
His eyes made her feel uneasy, and she could not help but lower her head, not daring to meet his gaze.
“Then let him become an inner sect disciple. How about that?” Li Qingqiu asked.
Wu Xingyue was overjoyed.
She nodded repeatedly and then bowed to thank Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu encouraged her a few more words and then told her to go rest.
Wu Xingyue saluted and withdrew.
Watching her back, Li Qingqiu could not help but shake his head.
Sure enough, as long as one was human, one would be bound by emotions.
He did not resent Wu Xingyue’s request.
He only realized that in the future, what Clear Sky Sect would face would not only be infiltration by old aristocratic families, but also the birth of new ones.
He stood up, hung the storage pouch Wu Xingyue had presented at his waist, and then walked toward the forest behind the mountain.
After stepping out of Lingxiao Courtyard, he saw Jin Lang practicing blade techniques.
Calling it blade practice was not quite accurate.
In truth, it was the practice of a blade art.
This was a blade art Li Qingqiu had selected for it from the Scripture Repository, and it had become deeply obsessed with it.
This mantis demon was truly diligent.
Previously, when it cultivated under Bai Zhi, it had mostly relied on groping its own way forward.
Now that it had Li Qingqiu, it displayed an intense desire, causing Li Qingqiu to have high expectations for it.
In the future, those who would contend with Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, and Shen Yue would not only be Zhao Zhen, Yun Cai, Ji Ya, the Three Xiao Brothers, and other human disciples, but also demons!
Li Qingqiu did not disturb Jin Lang’s cultivation and instead returned directly to his cave dwelling to cultivate.
……
Beiliang Province, on the mountain plains.
Li Yang, Yang Dong, Bai Ning’er, Zhang Ping, and other Clear Sky Sect disciples were scattered about sitting down.
Beside them was a cliff, with neither end visible, and the atmosphere among them was rather oppressive.
At this moment, a disciple flew over on a sword.
He landed quickly and said excitedly, “The Sword God senior has arrived. He’s going up the mountain to battle Yan Daozong!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the disciples opened their eyes one after another.
Excitement appeared on most of their faces.
Zhang Ping let out a sigh of relief.
Even the Sword God had come.
Then this tribulation should be able to be overcome.
Previously, when he had followed Li Yang and the others up Tianxuan Mountain, he had always felt uncomfortable, even having his hair stand on end.
He could not figure out why he had felt that way.
His intuition told him that Tianxuan Mountain, which appeared solemn and tranquil, hid a great secret.
Li Yang’s brows were tightly furrowed.
He only felt stifled.
Shen Yue’s arrival meant that the sect already knew about this matter.
His defeat had certainly spread back to Clear Sky Mountain, which made him extremely depressed.
However, thinking of the power of Yan Daozong, he had no choice but to accept it.
Bai Ning’er’s eyes lit up instead.
She felt that her mission had found another turning point.
As the disciples chatted among themselves, it was inevitable that they talked about Yan Daozong.
Yan Daozong’s use of the Martial Path to defeat the Immortal Path had astonished them to this day.
Neither Li Yang nor Yang Dong were people who could not accept defeat.
After leaving Tianxuan Mountain, they would also praise the power of Yan Daozong, which naturally removed the other disciples’ reservations and allowed them to speak freely.
At the thought of the Sword God facing off against Yan Daozong, the disciples were all so excited they could hardly contain themselves.
Until someone raised a question that poured cold water over everyone’s excitement.
“What if the Sword God senior also loses to Yan Daozong? What should we do then?”
……
Sunlight spilled over a stretch of mountain forest.
Clad in white robes, Yan Daozong practiced sword techniques within the woods.
Leaves and grass fragments swirled around his body, following him like a dragon.
Tianxuan Mountain was vast and majestic, not a solitary peak.
The further one climbed, the more flowers, grass, and trees there were.
It was unlike the desolation at the mountain’s base.
It was precisely for this reason that it bore the name Tianxuan.
The ancients had once said that halfway up the mountain was like a fairyland of the human world.
An old man in Daoist robes appeared on the slope.
Looking at Yan Daozong practicing the sword, his brows were tightly knit.
He spoke, “Senior Brother, the people of Clear Sky Sect have come again. I told you long ago that if you didn’t kill them and didn’t conceal the news, trouble would come endlessly.”
Yan Daozong kept his eyes closed and said, “If they are killed, can the news truly be concealed?”
“At least it wouldn’t be as troublesome as it is now. Clear Sky Sect has already set its sights on us.”
“But I observed that the Clear Sky Sect disciples have the bearing of a great orthodox sect. Aside from those who previously sneaked in, the other Clear Sky Sect disciples were very courteous and did not act as though they were the number one sect under heaven. Perhaps you misunderstand Clear Sky Sect. Tianxuan Mountain and Clear Sky Sect can coexist peacefully.”
Yan Daozong’s tone was like a mountain breeze, devoid of any emotion, gently drifting into the Dao-robed old man’s ears.
The Dao-robed old man was named Hua Daozang, the Sword-Holding Elder of Tianxuan Mountain.
Ever since Yan Daozong inherited the position of sect master, the great authority of Tianxuan Mountain had fallen into his hands.
Hearing that Yan Daozong actually held favorable feelings toward Clear Sky Sect, Hua Daozang became instantly enraged.
“A misunderstanding? Haven’t there been few sects destroyed by Clear Sky Sect? Moreover, Li Qingqiu’s junior brother is still conquering the world. If Clear Sky Sect is allowed to control imperial authority as well as the entire martial world, then they won’t keep up the pretense anymore!”
“From ancient times to the present, once anyone reaches the pinnacle of power, their mentality will change! Tianxuan Mountain is one of the two Saints under heaven. How could it bow its head to Clear Sky Sect?”
Yan Daozong remained unconcerned.
Only after Hua Daozang finished speaking did he leisurely say, “Junior Brother, you’re just afraid that Clear Sky Sect will obstruct your struggle for imperial authority, aren’t you?”
Hua Daozang’s anger dissipated.
He quickly explained, “How could that be? I drew in Zhao Zhen only because I felt that Zhao Zhen could bring Clear Sky Sect’s immortal arts to Tianxuan Mountain. I had no other intentions.”
“But with such actions, are you still worthy of the title of Saint?”
“Tianxuan Mountain was not a sacred land from the very beginning. I’m willing to bear the infamy. In any case, Senior Brother, you’re here.”
Although Yan Daozong’s hair was full of white, his features were youthful.
He looked more like Hua Daozang’s junior.
Faced with Hua Daozang’s obstinate attitude, Yan Daozong’s sword-swinging speed did not change.
His sword techniques remained nimble.
“There’s no need for Clear Sky immortal arts. I will use martial arts to attain sainthood. Junior Brother, believe in me. Give me time.”
Yan Daozong’s words caused Hua Daozang’s expression to turn ugly.
He clenched his teeth and said, “You think that just because you defeated a few Clear Sky Sect disciples, you can compare to Li Qingqiu?”
“I admit that you’re indeed very strong, surpassing Master and surpassing all the ancestral masters of past generations. But the opponents we’re facing are also ones the predecessors never encountered. Shen Yue has already arrived and is heading up the mountain. Think first about how to deal with him before planning for the future!”
“It’s not that I won’t give you time. It’s that Clear Sky Sect won’t!”
Upon hearing Shen Yue’s name, Yan Daozong opened his eyes.
His sword techniques began to slow.
He withdrew his steps and sheathed his sword, and the leaves around him fell along with it.
“The god of the Sword Path. To be able to battle him once in my lifetime—even if I die, it will be a death without regret.”
Yan Daozong sighed sincerely, his voice rarely revealing a trace of excitement.
Hua Daozang, upon hearing this, was so angered that his vision darkened, feeling that all his words had been in vain.
Yan Daozong turned around and looked at him, saying, “Junior Brother, call all the disciples to come observe my battle with the Sword God. This battle is a rare opportunity. It is their chance. How much they can comprehend will depend on their own fate.”
“Hmph!”
Hua Daozang snorted coldly and flicked his sleeve as he left.
Yan Daozong raised his head to look at the sun above the firmament.
Sunlight shone upon his face, and his pupils actually flickered with golden light.
“Entering the Dao is by no means the end.”