Chapter 242: Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity
In the cold winter season, heavy snow covered Clear Sky Mountain.
Inside the cave dwelling.
Li Qingqiu, holding the Soul Refining Banner, slowly opened his eyes. He had finally finished probing all of the memories of the Silent Nether Ghost King. Because the Silent Nether Ghost King had threatened the Clear Sky Sect, and there was Ghost King Ridge behind him, Li Qingqiu had to understand everything clearly.
Ghost King Ridge should not threaten the Clear Sky Sect. That Ghost King had never revealed any intention of leaving the mountain.
However, there were still hidden dangers. Before the Silent Nether Ghost King left Ghost King Ridge, he had once discussed with more than ten Evil Ghosts how to escape Ghost King Ridge.
More than half of those Evil Ghosts were stronger than the Silent Nether Ghost King, and their desire to escape Ghost King Ridge was not the slightest bit weaker than his.
If the Silent Nether Ghost King could escape, those Evil Ghosts might not be unable to do so. Moreover, before leaving, the Silent Nether Ghost King had said that if he escaped, he would head south.
Li Qingqiu felt it was necessary to guard against these Evil Ghosts.
Fortunately, Ghostly Path Spells had already begun to be promoted. He had chosen three basic Ghostly Path Spells to prepare for dissemination, at the very least allowing the disciples to glimpse Yin and Yang and destroy evil entities.
Li Qingqiu turned his gaze toward the Silent Nether Ghost King. He had the Silent Nether Ghost King be devoured by the Clear Sky Sect disciples within the Soul Refining Banner.
Even though the Silent Nether Ghost King had a tragic past, his sins could not be washed away. His past would also make Li Qingqiu remain vigilant, never allowing himself to underestimate the sinister nature of the human heart.
After a long while.
Li Qingqiu put the Soul Refining Banner into his storage pouch. He looked at Nangong E, Lin Chuan, and Jin Lang, who were cultivating, and nodded slightly.
When the disciples were diligently cultivating, the demons and ghosts by his side did not slack off either. Especially Jin Lang—this fellow was simply a cultivation maniac. If he was not absorbing inner energy, he was practicing blade techniques, and he was usually even too lazy to speak.
Jin Lang’s blade had already cultivated blade intent, making Li Qingqiu feel that it was not inferior to a sword cultivator’s sword intent at all.
“Senior Brother, I have something to discuss with you.”
A voice came from outside the cave dwelling. It was Zhang Yuchun, and his voice interrupted Li Qingqiu’s thoughts.
“Come in.”
Li Qingqiu spoke as he gently patted the edge of the bed, and the stone door of the cave dwelling opened accordingly.
Zhang Yuchun quickly entered the cave dwelling. Li Qingqiu stood up as well and walked to the stone table, sitting down.
“These are the candidate rosters for Zhongtian Immortal City. Take a look and finalize them.”
Zhang Yuchun took out two rosters, placed them on the table, and pushed them toward Li Qingqiu’s side.
With the precedent of Xunxian Town, Zhang Yuchun was very confident about constructing Zhongtian Immortal City and was even somewhat impatient.
Once Zhongtian Immortal City was completed, the Clear Sky Sect’s control over the Nine Provinces would become even stronger, and it would also be able to explore more resource-rich lands.
Li Qingqiu picked up the rosters and flipped through them, while Zhang Yuchun’s gaze shifted toward Jin Lang.
Every time he saw Jin Lang cultivating, he always felt something strange in his heart.
His intuition told him that this diligent mantis would accomplish great things in the future.
After a long while.
Li Qingqiu put down the rosters and looked at Zhang Yuchun, saying, “Let Yuan Qi be the City Lord.”
The names on the rosters were all self-nominated. Yuan Qi was very interested in the position of Zhongtian City Lord and had proactively approached Zhang Yuchun.
This kid had not mentioned it to Li Qingqiu, wanting to rely on himself to compete for it.
Zhang Yuchun had no objections to Yuan Qi. He nodded and said, “Yuan Qi—we know his background well, so he can be trusted. But his cultivation is somewhat lacking. We need to arrange some high-cultivation disciples to enter Zhongtian Immortal City with him.”
Li Qingqiu thought the same way. The two continued discussing the positions of the various branch halls of Zhongtian Immortal City.
After One Incense Stick’s Time, they finally finalized the power structure of Zhongtian Immortal City.
“Once Zhongtian Immortal City is built, we can continue building cities along the Yuzhou border and the Cangzhou border,” Li Qingqiu said as he looked at Zhang Yuchun.
Zhang Yuchun had the same intention. The Clear Sky Sect was not building massive cities like Zhenyang Imperial City. The land area was not vast, and they were built exclusively for disciples, with outsiders forbidden from entering.
The two discussed some more details and decided that after the New Year, they would dispatch people. This time, they would directly mobilize disciples from the Eight Halls and the Two Sects, making a grand display.
In the following days, the list of authority positions for Zhongtian Immortal City was posted at various peaks and courtyards, informing the entire sect and stirring great excitement within the sect.
……
Inside a courtyard, Yuan Li and Yuan Qi sat facing each other at a table, drinking wine.
“Have you thought it through? This is not a simple matter. Once you go to Zhongtian Immortal City, your connections and relationships with Clear Sky Mountain will be weakened,” Yuan Li asked with a frown. He was surprised by the news that Yuan Qi was going to become City Lord, because Yuan Qi had never revealed this intention to him before.
Yuan Qi smiled and said, “I have thought it through carefully. If I stay at Clear Sky Mountain, my role will only become smaller and smaller. While my seniority still has value, becoming City Lord can pave a longer road for you in the future.”
Yuan Li said helplessly, “Brother, you don’t need to pave the way for me. I don’t need you to fight for anything on my behalf. Master treats me quite well.”
“Even if the Sect Master treats you well, you still need to rely on yourself to strive for things. Don’t look at how the sect is becoming stronger and stronger—whenever new scarce resources appear, if you can’t obtain them at the first moment, the gap will widen. Once we reach Zhongtian Immortal City, I will marry and have children, striving to establish a clan for you, to help you walk farther on the path of longevity in the future.”
Yuan Qi waved his hand, feeling that Yuan Li was too naive.
Regarding cultivating immortality and seeking longevity, the Sect Master had mentioned it more than once, and it had spread into the hearts of all disciples. But only after stepping onto the immortal cultivation path would one know its hardship. Longevity, to Yuan Qi, was an unattainable matter.
He placed his hopes on his younger brother, willing to use his own life to pave the way for him.
Yuan Li said faintly, “Brother, are you really marrying and having children for my sake?”
Yuan Qi’s romantic reputation had long spread. Yuan Li seriously suspected that Yuan Qi simply wanted to marry and have children himself and insisted on pinning the motive on him.
Yuan Qi glared at him and said, “If not for you, then for myself? You and I rely on each other for survival, and you are wholeheartedly pursuing the Dao. If a hundred years from now I die, wouldn’t you have no family left?”
After hearing this, Yuan Li fell into silence.
He was no longer a child. He could see the future and had concerns about life and death.
Yuan Qi continued drinking, letting him think it through properly on his own.
He felt that it was time for Yuan Li to think about his future path, rather than only focusing on cultivation.
Within the sect, more and more geniuses had begun cultivating their own factions or supporting their own families, strengthening their voice within the sect.
The enmity between the Three Xiao Brothers and Gu Changping was the best example. The Three Xiao Brothers were essentially disciples of the Sect Master, yet they still feared Gu Changping and the Gu Clan.
That Gu Clan could not even be considered an established clan in the past. It had only risen after Gu Changping began cultivating immortality.
“Brother, I’ll go with you to Zhongtian Immortal City,” Yuan Li said as he looked at Yuan Qi seriously.
“No, you should stay at Clear Sky Mountain. The cultivation resources here are better. Zhongtian Immortal City will need time to develop,” Yuan Qi hurriedly refused.
Yuan Li’s cultivation was already the lowest among the Sect Master’s disciples. If he went to Zhongtian Immortal City now, his longevity goal would become even more distant.
Yuan Li looked at Yuan Qi and said, “I’m afraid you’ll encounter trouble in the future, and I won’t be there.”
Yuan Qi laughed freely and said, “Remember this— even if I die outside, don’t act impulsively. Never let me, or my descendants, become your weakness. Becoming a true immortal is my greatest expectation for you.”
The brothers looked at each other. Yuan Li felt a force that caused another change in his state of mind.
He nodded heavily. He chose to agree to Yuan Qi, agreeing from the bottom of his heart.
Yuan Qi becoming the City Lord of Zhongtian Immortal City was widely discussed within the sect. Although Yuan Qi’s seniority was deep enough, his cultivation was lacking, and many disciples had considerable objections.
Thus, many people went to Zhang Yuchun, wanting to continue competing for the City Lord position.
This matter gave Zhang Yuchun a great headache, while Li Qingqiu felt no pressure at all, because no one dared to cause trouble in front of him.
……
As the year’s end arrived, the entire sect began preparing for the New Year Festival. Disciples who were out tempering returned one after another, making the Clear Sky Sect extremely lively.
At dusk, Li Qingqiu came to Lingxiao Courtyard and chatted casually with his junior brothers and junior sisters.
Li Sifeng was boasting about his Absolute Shadow Cavernous Mystic Sword, claiming that this sword art was the number one sword technique in the Nine Provinces and that he would make Li Shouzheng become the sect’s number one sword cultivator.
Jiang Zhaoxia snorted and said, “What Absolute Shadow Cavernous Mystic Sword? You’ve stayed outside for too long and can’t keep up with the sect’s development anymore.”
Shen Yue sat to the side drinking wine, smiling without speaking, and was likewise disdainful of Li Sifeng’s Absolute Shadow Cavernous Mystic Sword.
Stimulated by Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Sifeng proposed a sparring match, not using vital energy or sword energy, relying solely on sword techniques and sword intent.
However, Jiang Zhaoxia refused.
The current Jiang Zhaoxia truly did not place Li Sifeng in his eyes. In his view, even without using vital energy, the foundation of someone who had reached the Spirit Perception Realm was still there. Fighting Li Sifeng would simply be bullying him.
“Li Shouzheng’s talent is indeed high. Unfortunately, I have no intention of taking disciples.”
Shen Yue praised, his gaze turning toward Li Qingqiu with a strange look in his eyes.
He suspected that Li Qingqiu had already seen through the talents of the two brothers when Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin were still in swaddling clothes.
Li Qingqiu was simply too insidious. While Li Shouzheng and the other were still young, he had gone around asking the sect’s upper echelons who was willing to take them as disciples.
The key was that his attitude had not been firm, almost as if he were joking, so the various higher-ups naturally did not take it seriously.
Now that Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin’s talent and comprehension had revealed themselves, they felt as if they had been slapped in the face.
Facing Shen Yue’s gaze, Li Qingqiu remained unmoved. He was checking the panels of new disciples.
Although surprises were rare in daily life, he always maintained this habit, to avoid missing any geniuses.
Suddenly.
Li Qingqiu’s eyes lit up.
Since Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin entered the sect, four years had passed, and he finally saw a genius panel that delighted him.
【Name: Hu Yan】
【Gender: Male】
【Age: 14】
【Loyalty (to Sect Master / Sect): 78 / 92 (Max 100)】
【Cultivation Aptitude: Outstanding】
【Comprehension: Good】
【Fate Traits: Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity, Turbulent Fate, Malice Perception】
【Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity: Innately possesses Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity, immune to demons, evil entities, curses, and illusions. After stepping onto the immortal cultivation path, the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity will awaken and take form. When encountering danger, the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity will automatically protect the body. With the accumulation of years, the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity will continuously strengthen, allowing the mind to remain eternally clear and transparent】
【Turbulent Fate: A life full of hardships, destined to experience betrayal by all. In desperate situations, great enlightenment will be achieved, allowing the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity to reach a higher realm】
【Malice Perception: Able to keenly sense the malice others hold toward him, no matter how well it is concealed】