Chapter 312: Myriad Yin Sect
Azure Dragon Domain, Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect.
On a mountain path winding through the peaks, Lin Xunfeng, with his immortal bearing, walked ahead, while Lin Lingzhou, carrying a bundle on his back, followed behind. Neither of them looked well.
Lin Lingzhou stopped, a smile appearing on his face. He turned to look at his Master and said with a grin, “Master, this is far enough. Do you have anything you would like me to pass on to my senior brothers and sisters?”
Today, he would leave the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect and head east to the Nine Provinces.
The reason he was going to the Nine Provinces was simple—he had nowhere else to go. The Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect would not keep him, and the only place he could think of was the Nine Provinces.
Lin Xunfeng looked at his smile, his heart filled with guilt.
At that moment, he recalled the scene of leaving Clear Sky Mountain years ago, when Li Qingqiu had called out to him from behind.
He truly had not been a competent Master. He always ended up disappointing his disciples.
Lin Xunfeng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, yet hesitated. In the end, he could only utter two words: “I’m sorry.”
Lin Lingzhou scratched his head and laughed. “Master, why are you apologizing to me? This life of mine was saved by you. If anyone is to blame, it’s me for not having a spiritual root. Over these years, it’s only because of your care that I wasn’t driven out of the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect long ago. In truth, you need not blame yourself. Leaving might even be better for me.”
The more he spoke like this, the more Lin Xunfeng’s heart ached.
As if seeing through his Master’s inner turmoil, Lin Lingzhou raised his fist and said, “Master, you must become an immortal!”
Seeing his disciple as cheerful as ever, Lin Xunfeng felt encouraged.
“Remember this. On your journey to the Nine Provinces—if you encounter fog, avoid it. If you hear sounds in the deep of night, do not approach. Human hearts are more terrifying than demons and ghosts,” Lin Xunfeng said earnestly.
Lin Lingzhou nodded, then asked again, “Master, do you truly have no message for them?”
In Lin Xunfeng’s mind surfaced the faces of Li Qingqiu and the other six. It had been nearly thirty years since he last saw them. Even their appearances had grown faint in his memory. He did not know whether those children still resented him.
“I only hope they are well.”
Lin Xunfeng sighed and stepped forward to straighten Lin Lingzhou’s clothes.
Looking at the grown young man before him, Lin Xunfeng felt a sharp pang in his heart. He silently swore he would never let such a parting happen again.
Lin Lingzhou felt no better, but he forced a grin. “I’m off then. Master, please stay!”
With that, he turned and jogged away.
Lin Xunfeng remained where he stood, watching as Lin Lingzhou ran into the distant forest.
He watched for half a day.
By dusk, Lin Xunfeng finally turned around. His expression had become exceptionally resolute.
He had already abandoned too many people and too many things. On the path of immortal cultivation, he had to walk it to the end. Only by attaining immortality and longevity could he justify all the wandering and hardship he had endured.
…
The blazing summer arrived. It had been more than three months since Shen Yue descended the mountain.
Ancient Great Mountain Range, within the Blessed Land of a Thousand Spirits.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves of the Thousand Spirit Tree. Li Qingqiu tilted his head upward, looking at Little Eight, who stood as vast as a mountain, a gratified smile appearing on his face.
Just standing there, Little Eight was nearly ten zhang tall. When it spread its wings, it would be even more immense.
Over the years, Little Eight’s size had actually shrunk somewhat. Now it was on the verge of stepping into the Spirit Perception Realm, filling Li Qingqiu with anticipation.
Under its Master’s gaze, Little Eight lifted its head and puffed out its chest, appearing exceedingly proud.
“Master, why has Jin Lang not returned yet?”
A soft female voice sounded from the side. Li Qingqiu turned his head to see a massive serpent demon slither out from the nearby woods.
It was Bai Zhi.
Bai Zhi’s serpent body now exceeded ten zhang in length, though beside Little Eight, it seemed insignificant.
After coming to the Clear Sky Sect, she had found the Demon Subjugation Hall too small. Thus, Li Qingqiu had allowed her to move into the Blessed Land of a Thousand Spirits. With Little Eight, Little Nine, and the other demons here, she had quickly grown fond of the place.
“I do not know for now. The mission it is carrying out is long-term and will play a crucial role in the future of the Clear Sky Sect. Rest assured. If something happens to it, I will sense it,” Li Qingqiu replied.
Over the years, Jin Lang had occasionally sent him intelligence. It was following a fox demon toward the Land of Demons and Devils.
Since that group of great demons had been slain, the demons of the Nine Provinces had either gone into hiding or fled. Yet Li Qingqiu had never ceased monitoring the northern region, to prevent another tragedy like Zhongtian Immortal City.
“This mission truly cannot be revealed even a little?” Bai Zhi asked unwillingly.
“Do you know what karma is?”
“No.”
“It means that once certain words are spoken, the other party may sense it—or even calculate it through divination. That is immortal cultivation. The spells beneath the heavens are countless and strange beyond measure.”
Li Qingqiu deliberately spoke in a profound tone, frightening Bai Zhi into shrinking her serpent body slightly, not daring to ask further.
Seizing the opportunity, Little Eight asked, “Master, when I undergo my tribulation, can you help me?”
Its voice sounded like that of a boy of twelve or thirteen.
Li Qingqiu looked at it and smiled. “If I interfere with your Heavenly Tribulation, it will become far more terrifying. Trust your own strength. The sect already has a complete tribulation formation. You need not worry.”
“All right… I’ll do my best.”
Little Eight spoke pitifully. It was hard to imagine such a majestic Divine Eagle making such a voice.
Li Qingqiu looked forward greatly to Little Eight’s tribulation.
A demon’s transformation stage was not fixed, but upon reaching the Spirit Perception Realm, one could partially transform one’s body. Of course, many demons disliked taking human form, believing their true bodies to be the most beautiful. Little Eight, however, wished to assume human form so it could more easily enter the Clear Sky Sect.
Afterward, Li Qingqiu shifted his gaze to the Thousand Spirit Tree.
The Thousand Spirit Tree was, in truth, a tree demon. It was simply aloof by nature and disliked speaking. Li Qingqiu had always been curious how powerful it truly was. Such a massive demon body surely concealed unimaginable strength.
He decided that in the future, he should find a chance to be alone with the Thousand Spirit Tree—to have a proper conversation and deepen their bond.
After chatting a few more sentences with Little Eight and Bai Zhi, he turned and left.
He still had many matters to handle. Being able to spare time to visit Little Eight was already rare.
With a leap, he vanished from the sight of Little Eight and Bai Zhi.
Under the sunlight, the Thousand Spirit Tree, towering above the forest and rivaling the mountains in height, swayed slightly, like waves of green surging in the wind.
…
Li Qingqiu soon returned to Lingxiao Courtyard, where Zhang Yuchun had long been waiting.
As the number of disciples continued to grow, the pressure on the Free Spirit Hall increased accordingly. Even though Zhang Yuchun devoted all his energy to the hall, he often felt exhausted.
Yet relying on his position and Li Qingqiu’s favor, his cultivation had been forcibly pushed to the Seventh Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm. At present, he was the lowest in cultivation among the seven senior brothers.
As soon as Li Qingqiu sat down, Zhang Yuchun began reporting.
“The number of registered disciples has surpassed fifty thousand today. I will also report the numbers in each realm.”
He paused before continuing, “At present, there are nine thousand seven hundred and sixty-four True Transmission Disciples. Among those in the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Layers of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm whom we are closely observing, there are three hundred and forty-two, eighty-seven, and thirty-four respectively. As for Spirit Perception Realm disciples, the number has reached nineteen.”
He glanced at Li Qingqiu. Seeing that he remained composed, he continued detailing the numbers in each realm.
Li Qingqiu was not indifferent. In truth, his heart was filled with emotion.
Each year, the Clear Sky Sect took a great step forward. Its progress was astonishingly swift. As Wei Tianxiong had once said, if placed within the Heavenly Nether Sea, the Clear Sky Sect could survive—though it would not compare to major sects like Ziyang Island.
The Free Spirit Hall was primarily responsible for the Disciple Register and personnel matters. Thus Zhang Yuchun spoke only of disciple numbers and cultivation levels. Even so, one could already sense the strength of the Clear Sky Sect.
Afterward, he brought up the Third Grand Dao Tournament.
Even though each tournament restricted certain disciples from participating, the number of participants still far exceeded that of the previous session. With two years remaining before the Third Grand Dao Tournament, Zhang Yuchun had to prepare in advance to avoid chaos.
To prepare for the tournament required a venue, spirit stones, funds, and personnel for supervision. This demanded cooperation from the other halls. Since each hall had its own affairs, Zhang Yuchun could only come to Li Qingqiu for coordination.
The two discussed matters for half an hour before finalizing all arrangements for the Grand Dao Tournament.
Zhang Yuchun joked, “The champion of this tournament won’t still be your disciple, will it?”
The first champion had been Xu Ning. The second had been Yun Cai. Both were geniuses personally cultivated by Li Qingqiu.
Even before the Third Grand Dao Tournament began, Hu Yan had already been widely regarded as the likely champion—despite rarely appearing on the Martial Arena or revealing his true strength.
“Who knows?” Li Qingqiu replied casually.
He no longer concerned himself with the champion.
Once he restricted the Grand Dao Tournament to those below the Spirit Perception Realm, it became a grand event for lower-level disciples. He would not demand that his disciples seize first place, nor would he forbid it. Everyone had vanity. Everyone had something to strive for. He only needed to watch.
At that moment, Chu Jing strode quickly into the courtyard, approaching the long table and bowing. “Sect Master, news has arrived from the Ghost City Mission. The disciples have breached the ghost city.”
A smile appeared on Li Qingqiu’s face.
Zhang Yuchun sighed in admiration. “With Xu Ning, Yuan Li, and Sword Solitary leading, it truly makes a difference.”
A total of twenty disciples had been sent on this mission—all elites of the sect.
Since it was a ghost city, Li Qingqiu had deliberately dispatched Xu Ning and Yuan Li. In addition, with Bai Ning’er—the one possessing the Lucky One Fate Trait—among them, he had full confidence.
Thus he was not surprised by the news.
Chu Jing continued, “They discovered some intelligence within the ghost city. It seems the city was left behind by an immortal cultivation sect called the Myriad Yin Sect. The exact era remains unclear. Xu Ning hopes that Wei Tianxiong can make a trip there.”
Upon hearing that it involved another immortal cultivation sect, Li Qingqiu immediately transmitted his voice to Xiao Wuqing, who was meditating outside the courtyard, instructing him to summon Wei Tianxiong.
Zhang Yuchun asked in surprise, “Could it be that beyond the Western Perilous Lands truly lies a vast territory?”
Li Qingqiu recalled the route he had taken while searching for Yin Jingxing. He had indeed seen many royal cities—prosperous and flourishing.
“There must be. However, the Western Perilous Lands serve as a natural barrier. There were no traces of living people in that ghost city. Xu Ning only worries that by disturbing the restrictions there, they may alert the distant Myriad Yin Sect,” Chu Jing answered solemnly.
The Clear Sky Sect had faced attacks from demons and ghosts before, but it had never truly clashed with another immortal cultivation sect.
In his heart, Chu Jing both longed for such an encounter and feared it.
If they encountered one, annexing another immortal cultivation sect would be the fastest path of development.
Of course, they might also be the ones annexed.