Chapter 61: Formations, the Mountain Lord’s Divine Curse
Night had fallen.
Su Xiling returned to Zhu Yan’s courtyard, where she saw Zhu Yan sitting before a stone table.
Upon the table stood an oil lamp that illuminated her veil and delicate brows.
Zhu Yan lifted her gaze and, seeing Su Xiling approach, asked, “Has the trouble at the Clear Sky Sect been resolved?”
Su Xiling sat opposite her, her expression a little dazed.
She picked up the teapot and poured herself a bowl of tea.
Seeing her so lost in thought, Zhu Yan frowned and asked, “Did something happen?”
Su Xiling took a deep breath, looked toward Zhu Yan, and asked, “My lady, do immortals truly exist in this world? Court officials pursue sorcerers, and there are countless tales of immortal arts among the people…”
The candlelight revealed the confusion on her face.
She could not forget the scene of Li Qingqiu slaying the Seven Fiends of the Demonic Cult and soaring into the heavens upon an eagle.
She could not comprehend Li Qingqiu’s martial prowess—it had entirely transcended the realm of martial arts.
She could only liken it to the immortals of myth and legend.
Zhu Yan softly replied, “The world is vast and full of wonders. As for whether immortals truly exist, I am not certain. Yet the sorcerers in the imperial court are nothing but charlatans and frauds. It is precisely because of such parasites that the Great Li Dynasty has suffered years of turmoil, with its mountains and rivers nearly sundered.”
Su Xiling hesitated for a moment, then recounted everything she had seen and heard during the day.
After listening, Zhu Yan fell silent.
The mistress and servant faced each other without speaking.
Outside, the courtyard grew lively.
Disciples of the Clear Sky Sect had returned from the foot of the mountain, all excitedly discussing the day’s thrilling battle.
The name most frequently mentioned was Xu Ning—Li Qingqiu’s name, however, was rarely spoken.
Zhang Yuchun had already instructed the disciples that they could speak of the Sect Master, but only behind closed doors, as guests were present on the mountain.
In another guest courtyard—
Ku Yi stood beside Yan Lan, anxious and restless.
He had been trying to persuade Yan Lan for a long time, but Yan Lan still refused to descend the mountain.
Hearing the noise from outside the courtyard, Yan Lan said, “We’ll go down tomorrow. Even if we must leave, I must first bid farewell to Master Li. That is proper courtesy.”
He had not told Ku Yi or Ku Er what he had seen—first, because he was unsure whether it had been an illusion, and second, because he believed such a matter must not be spoken of lightly.
If Li Qingqiu truly was a reclusive immortal, then once the news reached the court, countless people would come seeking him.
Especially his imperial father.
Hearing the conversations in the courtyard, Ku Yi frowned, filled with doubt.
The Seven Fiends of the Demonic Cult appeared, yet the Clear Sky Sect had won a complete victory?
He dared not take it lightly.
If the Seven Fiends had infiltrated the sect, he must remain on guard throughout the night.
Within the Lingxiao Courtyard—
Li Qingqiu pushed open the door and stepped out, humming a little tune, in an exceptionally good mood.
He could not resist bringing up the system prompt once more to savor it.
【Given that the Clear Sky Sect has survived a calamity without any deaths, you have obtained one Fortuitous Fate Chance.】
He still had two Inheritance Chances, one triggered when his disciple discovered auspicious signs, and the other when Jiang Zhaoxia destroyed the Azure Sect.
He planned to open them together tomorrow to see how great the surprise would be.
He sat at the long table in the courtyard, waiting for Zhang Yuchun and the others to return.
After slaying the Seven Fiends, he had observed for a while and, confirming that no one could threaten Xu Ning, had finally departed.
With Xu Ning’s ability, none of the Seven Fiends could defeat her individually.
Only when the seven joined forces did Li Qingqiu worry she might be injured, so he had left her one expert to spar with.
As for the matter of him riding Little Eight into battle, Li Qingqiu was not worried about rumors spreading.
Even if they did, he did not care—there was no evidence, no “video” to prove it.
Moreover, the world was full of people who made up legends about themselves.
On the edge of the Ancient Great Mountain Range, there was even a sect whose leader claimed to be favored by the River God and able to see ghosts.
So many sects and clans flaunted their so-called mastery of sorcery just to fool commoners, build prestige, and gain fame.
If false sects were not afraid of exposure, why should a real immortal sect fear rumors?
Li Qingqiu only wanted to develop steadily.
Recruiting disciples could not be done blindly—after all, disciples still needed to eat.
After sitting for a while, Li Dongyue and Li Sijin hurried into the courtyard and walked toward him.
“Senior Brother, the trouble at the foot of the mountain has been resolved. Second Senior Brother is leading people to bury the corpses. Xu Ning and Elder Yang are with them,” Li Dongyue said softly.
Li Sijin, however, was not as gentle.
She came up behind Li Qingqiu, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, and shook him vigorously, chattering, “Senior Brother! The move you used today—was that Third Senior Brother’s Sword Controlling Technique, or the Supreme Sword Controlling Technique? And how could you stand on Little Eight’s back? Teach me! I want to make Little Nine my mount too!”
Li Qingqiu let her shake him, replying irritably, “Little Nine isn’t as big as Little Eight. Aren’t you afraid you’ll fall off?”
Li Dongyue smiled faintly and, not wishing to interrupt their playfulness, walked to the kitchen to prepare food for Zhang Yuchun and the others to take down the mountain later.
From the Clear Sky Sect to the mountain foot, the path was rugged, but ever since the road had been rebuilt, disciples could travel much faster.
Even delivering meals late at night was no longer troublesome—torches and oil lamps were enough.
Li Qingqiu pulled Li Sijin to sit down and asked her to describe how the disciples had performed against the various sects.
After he had left, the Clear Sky Sect disciples had fought another great battle, shattering the coalition of sects and gangs and slaying hundreds.
Without the three major sects leading, those gangs were nothing but rabble—vile bullies of the common folk.
Li Qingqiu listened attentively, quite satisfied with their performance.
At the very least, the disciples had gained valuable experience.
After this battle, there should be peace for a time.
Once Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Sifeng, and the others returned, Li Qingqiu planned to keep them within the sect to strengthen its power further.
With Jiang Zhaoxia present, Li Qingqiu would not even need to leave the mountain.
Together with Xu Ning, they could easily bury the Seven Fiends beneath the slopes.
As for Wu Man’er—although his cultivation was not high, his martial talent was extraordinary.
With cultivation at the Third Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, even a single Fiend of the Demonic Cult would not be his match.
Thinking thus, Li Qingqiu felt the Clear Sky Sect had truly established itself.
Next, he needed to focus on cultivating the second generation of disciples.
Besides Xu Ning, he had to train several disciples capable of standing on their own.
Qin Ye and Xue Jin’s abilities were still insufficient.
It was a pity that Yuan Li was still young—and how to awaken the Undying Overlord Body remained a difficult problem.
When Li Sijin went off to help Li Dongyue, Li Qingqiu sat alone drinking wine and sighed, “Heaven, send me another genius on par with Ning’er.”
That night, every courtyard of the Clear Sky Sect glowed with lamplight.
The heavy snow gradually lightened, as if winter itself was coming to an end.
——
When the moon set and the sun rose, by noon the next day, Yan Lan arrived at the mountain gate seeking an audience with Li Qingqiu.
After waiting for some time, he was finally permitted to enter the Lingxiao Courtyard.
Early that morning, Li Qingqiu had already received his inheritance rewards—Fundamentals of Formations and Mountain Lord’s Divine Curse.
The Fundamentals of Formations recorded the methods to cultivate and create various basic arrays.
It had already been imprinted in Li Qingqiu’s mind, perfectly suiting his interest.
He planned to transcribe it and see which disciples might have the talent to study it.
The Mountain Lord’s Divine Curse was a spell capable of summoning the Mountain Lord’s Divine Body for battle.
The so-called Mountain Lord referred to a tiger that had lived in the mountains for a hundred years.
The spell’s power was difficult to judge, but from the inherited memory, the divine body looked truly terrifying—ordinary people might have their legs give out upon seeing it.
These two inheritances pleased Li Qingqiu greatly—especially the Fundamentals of Formations.
What immortal sect did not have its own formations?
In a cheerful mood, he sent Yuan Qi to summon the three waiting guests at the mountain gate.
Xu Ning sat to Li Qingqiu’s right, Yuan Li to his left—the three waited together for their meal.
Li Qingqiu glanced at Yuan Li.
The boy’s cultivation aptitude was indeed extremely poor; even after visiting the Subterranean Spiritual Lake, he had yet to reach the First Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
It seemed that without awakening the Undying Overlord Body, he would never become a prodigy of cultivation.
Soon, Yuan Qi led Yan Lan, Ku Yi, and Ku Er into the courtyard.
Yan Lan came before the table, cupped his hands, and bowed slightly with a smile.
“Master Li, I’ve come to bid you farewell.”
Seeing him bow, Ku Yi and Ku Er frowned, bewildered.
Though His Highness was kind by nature, very few could make him take the initiative to salute—let alone bow.
Li Qingqiu looked at Yan Lan and smiled.
“Why not stay a few more days? The New Year is near.”
“No, I won’t impose further. I’ll first visit the Inspector-General’s Manor. The newly appointed Inspector-General is from my mother’s clan. I’ll ask him to look after the Clear Sky Sect—as repayment for Master Li’s lifesaving grace.” Yan Lan shook his head.
Lifesaving grace?
Xu Ning’s eyes flickered with confusion.
Could it be that the Seven Fiends of the Demonic Cult had come for him?
The Fiends and Dian Ming, wielder of the Blood Severing Blade, were clearly far stronger than the martial artists from other sects—and they were not allies.
The martial experts had all been terrified by Dian Ming’s strength.
Li Qingqiu understood what he meant and said, “It wasn’t saving your life. They merely stepped into the Clear Sky Sect’s territory and dared to attack my disciples, that’s all.”
Toward Yan Lan, Li Qingqiu had never tried to curry favor.
They had seldom met, and even though he had inadvertently saved Yan Lan’s life, he had made no special requests.
Of course, if Yan Lan insisted on repaying him, he would not refuse.
Within the territory of Guzhou, the Inspector-General was akin to a local emperor.
If the Clear Sky Sect could earn his favor, their future affairs would be much smoother.
Many matters would require sending disciples, and they lacked his cultivation—obstacles were inevitable.
“No matter what, without your intervention, I would not have escaped death. Also, I have one more request.”
“What is it?”
“I wish to send my son to the Clear Sky Sect to learn martial arts. He is bright by nature—he could read at two, practice martial arts at three. Experts of the Imperial Guardian Army have all called him a peerless prodigy. Sending him here will not tarnish your sect’s name. Treat him as any ordinary disciple and use him as you will.”
Yan Lan spoke earnestly.
After a pause, he continued, “When the time comes, I will have Ku Yi and Ku Er personally escort him. From then on, the two of them will stay at the Clear Sky Sect as well—you may command them as you please.”
Ku Yi and Ku Er were both shocked and immediately tried to dissuade him, but Yan Lan could not be swayed.
Li Qingqiu had initially intended to decline, but Yan Lan’s attitude was resolute—he even threatened to kneel to beg for his son’s sake.
Thus, the matter was settled.
After they descended the mountain, Li Qingqiu pondered to himself: if what Yan Lan said was true, could this child truly be a peerless prodigy?
Yan Lan did not seem the type to boast.
Two days after Yan Lan’s departure, Jiang Zhaoxia and the others—along with Li Sifeng—finally returned.
Li Qingqiu personally went to greet them.
Besides welcoming his junior brothers back, he was also eager to see what the so-called Auspicious Sign looked like.