Chapter 226: How High Was the Sect Master’s Cultivation, Exactly
When Jiang Zhaoxia knelt down, the expressions of the hundreds of disciples watching all changed drastically. Especially when another bolt of heavenly lightning struck down and Jiang Zhaoxia still lacked the strength to stand up, fear arose in their hearts.
Could it be that Jiang Zhaoxia was about to die beneath the Heavenly Tribulation?
Immediately after, they saw a figure appear out of thin air before Jiang Zhaoxia, lifting his hand and flicking his sleeve, directly dispersing the heavenly lightning descending from the sky.
The Sect Master!
Everyone let out a breath of relief, especially Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and the others. They had known all along that Senior Brother would not stand by and do nothing.
Li Qingqiu’s intervention seemed to anger the heavens even further. A golden lightning bolt, fiercer and more massive than all the previous heavenly lightning, suddenly split down, its might shaking heaven and earth, as if the sky itself were about to collapse.
Immediately after, everyone saw a sword qi over a hundred zhang long rise from the tribulation platform, streak across the firmament, and sever the golden lightning.
Shen Yue’s pupils dilated.
“That is… what…”
From that sword qi, he actually felt an immense pressure. Even his sword intent felt fear because of it.
Jiang Zhaoxia lay in Li Qingqiu’s arms, witnessing Senior Brother using his finger as a sword to unleash the sword qi of the Immortal Severing Three Swords. A smile appeared on his face.
“Senior Brother… I knew it… your comprehension of the sword dao is stronger than mine, stronger than anyone else…”
Jiang Zhaoxia said weakly.
Li Qingqiu did not reply, because he sensed an extremely powerful heavenly might.
It seemed that rashly intervening in another cultivator’s tribulation would cause the Heavenly Tribulation to become even more terrifying.
But for Jiang Zhaoxia’s sake, he had to withstand it head-on.
Boom—
Another thunderclap struck down, as if it were going to split the entire Lixue Peak in half. Li Qingqiu swung his palm toward the sky, and terrifying vital energy formed a gigantic silver energy shield, covering the entire mountain peak, with a diameter exceeding twenty zhang.
This scene caused all the tribulation observers to erupt in astonishment.
“What kind of vast vital energy is this?”
“It hasn’t been many years since the Sect Master passed his tribulation, so how could his vital energy be this terrifying?”
“Even from this distance, one can still feel the Sect Master’s powerful vital energy.”
“With human strength, contending against the heavens…”
While the disciples were discussing fervently, Xu Ning was also shaken.
She was already at the first layer of the Spirit Perception Realm, yet when facing such boundless vital energy, she could not muster even a shred of resistance.
“Just how high is Master’s cultivation?”
An irrepressible thought arose in Xu Ning’s heart—to understand her master’s cultivation realm.
Relying on the enormous vital energy shield, Li Qingqiu forcibly received two bolts of heavenly lightning.
Neither bolt pierced his vital energy shield. They did not even cause it to ripple, making the shield appear incomparably solid.
The heavenly might dissipated.
Jiang Zhaoxia’s tribulation ended. In the unseen depths, he comprehended something; the pain in his body eased, and he slowly rose to sit cross-legged. Heaven and earth’s spiritual energy surged toward him.
Li Qingqiu stood up and looked upward.
The thunderclouds in the sky dispersed, and rays of sunlight fell, bathing the two senior and junior brothers.
Li Qingqiu’s expression was not pleasant, somewhat grave.
It was impossible for him to help every disciple withstand tribulations in the future, and it was also inappropriate to let the sect’s strong figures help disciples pass tribulations. The terror of forcibly interfering with a Heavenly Tribulation even made his heart tremble.
He could withstand Jiang Zhaoxia’s Heavenly Tribulation, but others could not.
However, since things had come to this point, one had to accept it. Within ten years, it would likely be difficult for ten Spirit Perception Realm cultivators to be born. Helping such a small number of people pass their tribulations would not be troublesome for him.
Li Qingqiu lowered his head and glanced at Jiang Zhaoxia, then flashed away.
In the days that followed, the terror of the Heavenly Tribulation became a constant topic of discussion among the disciples.
It turned out that not everyone could be as relaxed as the Sect Master or Xu Ning. Even someone as strong as Jiang Zhaoxia had nearly lost his life.
For a time, the disciples began discussing how to pass tribulations.
Some said one must rely on magic implements and formations; others said one could prepare spiritual energy pills, and that it would be even better if there were more efficient ones.
These discussions also made Li Qingqiu realize his own blind spot.
It was only the three of them who were overly fierce. For normal cultivators, passing tribulations required preparing all kinds of methods—it was impossible to rely solely on the physical body and spells to endure them head-on.
However, this was also a good thing. It could give the disciples a deeper impression of Heavenly Tribulations, while also stimulating their creativity.
Jiang Zhaoxia spent five days consolidating his cultivation. The first thing he did was seek out Li Qingqiu to thank him for his assistance.
“Between you and me, are you still talking about thanks?” Li Qingqiu said irritably.
Jiang Zhaoxia smiled and nodded, but there was some unwillingness in his heart.
He had lost to Xu Ning!
And it was a complete defeat!
Xu Ning’s tribulation had been so effortless, while he had nearly died. The sect disciples would surely make their own judgments about the gap between them.
This time, Jiang Zhaoxia lost wholeheartedly. He could accept it, but he would not stop. Xu Ning was still the target he intended to surpass.
Clear Sky Sect could only have one person as the sect’s second-in-command, and that person would be him!
Taking this opportunity, Li Qingqiu explained his concerns to Jiang Zhaoxia.
To the west lay the Azure Dragon Domain, to the north lay the Land of Demons and Devils, and to the south was the direction of immortal cultivators fleeing. In the future, Clear Sky Sect would inevitably encounter other immortal cultivation sects.
“We must prepare for the worst. If one day Clear Sky Sect is attacked from all sides, I hope that four people within the sect can step forward, each guarding one direction. Xu Ning is one of them, and you are also one of them. I even hope you can do more—when all battlefields fall into stalemate, you can become the sword that tears the crisis apart.”
Li Qingqiu’s words made Jiang Zhaoxia’s blood boil.
He found his motivation to cultivate diligently once again.
He had to become a pillar of the sect.
“Oh right, when Ancestor Su Xing seized your body, Chu Jing saw a flood dragon appear in your soul body. You can study it carefully—perhaps your soul still hides even stronger power,” Li Qingqiu recalled something and said seriously.
In truth, he felt that even if he had not intervened, Jiang Zhaoxia might still have endured it, but he did not dare gamble.
He decided that from now on, he would grant Jiang Zhaoxia one opportunity per year to go down the mountain for training, to see whether the fortune of the true dragon could continue to exert its effect.
Jiang Zhaoxia nodded and committed this matter to memory.
The two chatted a while longer before Jiang Zhaoxia took his leave, needing to return and rest properly.
Li Qingqiu continued cultivating. With one more Spirit Perception Realm powerhouse in the sect, his heart felt more at ease.
Facing the threat from the Land of Demons and Devils, his confidence also grew stronger.
Clear Sky Sect was located in the southern part of the Nine Provinces, with various provinces serving as buffer zones. If the Land of Demons and Devils became too terrifying, they could also retreat quickly.
Of course, unless absolutely necessary, Li Qingqiu did not wish to leave the Ancient Great Mountain Range, so he needed to prepare in advance for a war against demons.
…
Jiang Zhaoxia’s tribulation had been terrifying. Although it frightened the sect disciples, it played a positive role.
In the Scripture Repository, manuals related to formations began to increase. Contributing spells and cultivation methods carried dao affinity, so the disciples did not hoard them.
Many disciples would set aside time to discuss insights with friends, jointly creating spells. When pilgrims came up the mountain, they often saw disciples discussing in the forests. There were even many scholars who composed poems and verses about it, and others who captured the scenes with paintbrushes.
The atmosphere of Clear Sky Sect fully displayed the bearing of the number one sect under heaven.
November arrived swiftly.
Li Qingqiu felt that this year had passed faster than any previous one, perhaps because he had spent a long time in seclusion, and because nothing troublesome had occurred during the year.
However, just as this thought arose, a troublesome matter arrived.
Zhang Yuchun and Chu Jing came to Li Qingqiu’s cave dwelling to inform him of a major event.
“Zhu Xian is dead?” Li Qingqiu frowned and asked.
Zhu Xian had been a feudal lord favored by Clear Sky Sect, someone meant to unify the world. How could he have died?
His first thought was Li Sifeng, but even if Li Sifeng harbored wolfish ambition, he would not be so ruthless. He understood his junior brother well.
“He was stabbed to death by one of his subordinate generals. That general has already been imprisoned. Now, Li Da of the Li Clan controls the authority of Cangzhou. Li Da is Li Yang’s second uncle,” Zhang Yuchun said with a frown.
This matter made him furious; he felt that someone was slapping his face.
Li Qingqiu looked at him and asked, “The Li Clan? What do they want? Is this matter related to Sifeng?”
Zhang Yuchun took a deep breath and said, “Sixth Junior Brother is currently in the Northern Barbarians, so it should not be his scheme. That general has no connection to Sixth Junior Brother, nor is he closely tied to the Li Clan—at least on the surface. He claims he killed Zhu Xian because Zhu Xian murdered his father. Whether this is true or false is still unknown. Right now, Cangzhou is in turmoil, and one voice is particularly strong—the Li Clan declares that only Sixth Junior Brother can inherit the great mandate.”
Hearing this, Li Qingqiu’s brows furrowed again.
He could not help but think of Pei Miao’s Twin Dragon Empress fate trait. Was destiny exerting its force again?
“Did Zhu Xian have no children?” Li Qingqiu asked.
Zhang Yuchun replied, “His son and daughter were poisoned to death two years ago. After that, he resolved that unless he unified the world, he would never have more children.”
“Who poisoned them?”
“A maidservant. She also had a deep blood feud with Zhu Xian…”
As Zhang Yuchun spoke these words, even he felt that something was amiss. No matter how one looked at it, everything seemed like a carefully laid-out scheme, specifically paving the way for Li Sifeng.
Li Qingqiu’s expression darkened as he fell into thought.
He did not oppose Li Sifeng competing for the world, but he did not wish it to be done in this way. Once certain things began, they would be repeated, and moral boundaries and principles would continually retreat.
Zhang Yuchun was likewise thinking about what role Li Sifeng played in this matter.
Chu Jing suddenly spoke, “This matter is clearly the work of the Li Clan and has nothing to do with Li Sifeng. With his strength, if he wanted to be emperor himself, there was no need to rely on Zhu Xian. The Li Clan is very clever—they have kept themselves completely clean. They chose to act during the period when Li Sifeng was away, precisely so that Li Sifeng would not bear any stain. No matter what, this matter benefits Li Sifeng and benefits Clear Sky Sect.”
“My guess is that they did this to establish a closer relationship with Clear Sky Sect. Li Sifeng’s status within the sect is known to all.”
“My view is that we should turn a blind eye—treat it as if we do not know and do not care. Go along with the current. The affairs of the world are decided by the world. To say something cruel, after Li Sifeng left, Zhu Xian was no match for the Li Clan. This itself shows that he lacked the Mandate of Heaven. If his imperial throne had to be obtained through Li Sifeng, then that throne originally belonged to Li Sifeng.”
His words caused Zhang Yuchun’s brows to relax, finding them reasonable.