The Dao Inquiry at Heavenly Summit Mountain.
After Jiang Cunzhen’s death, Fu Qian, being the fourth-ranked Dao Inquirer of Kongshan Sect, naturally took over the position that should have belonged to Jiang Cunzhen.
At the Dao Inquiry on Heavenly Summit Mountain, however, Fu Qian did not achieve an ideal ranking.
It’s true that in Kongshan Sect’s internal competition, Fu Qian defeated all opponents and earned the title of Martial Spring Realm champion.
But that result was partly because the sect’s top cultivators at the highest realms had not participated in the competition.
The Dao Inquiry at Heavenly Summit Mountain was different.
No matter what, the experience of participating in the Heavenly Summit Dao Inquiry brought Fu Qian far greater influence within the sect.
That influence laid the foundation for the path he walked afterward.
First came the post of administrator in Qingchan Peak’s Scripture Hall, then ceremonial official, then Supervisor.
Finally, about four hundred years ago, Fu Qian rose to the position of Solemn Martial Elder of Qingchan Peak.
That position he held for four hundred years.
While Fu Qian still held the Scripture Hall ceremonial official post, his master Wan Zhenting stepped down from the Sword Master Elder position at Qingchan Peak, briefly served a few years as an Offering Elder, and then finally ascended to the rank of Grand Elder.
Everything went smoothly.
Those four words—smooth sailing—indeed described Fu Qian’s circumstances after Jiang Cunzhen’s death.
Becoming Solemn Martial Elder of Qingchan Peak was almost the limit Fu Qian’s cultivation talent could reach.
And after Jiang Cunzhen died, Fu Qian truly realized one thing.
That relying on his own talent alone would not get him everything.
If he wanted more, he would need other means.
So Fu Qian became increasingly obsessed with the power he held.
However, over these six hundred years, one question haunted him.
Why hadn’t Ruan Tingzhu exposed him?
When Fu Qian saw the jade pendant in Ruan Tingzhu’s hand, he knew his lies could be uncovered at any time.
Yet Ruan Tingzhu never revealed him.
Even years ago, when Ruan Tingzhu had already become a Grand Elder of the Supreme Pivot Court and then passed away peacefully, Fu Qian still didn’t know why.
It should be noted that cultivators at the Unity realm typically live between two thousand and three thousand years.
When Ruan Tingzhu fell, he had not even reached a thousand years old.
Fu Qian understood clearly that Ruan Tingzhu’s death must have been suspicious.
But that was not the absolute inner matter a Peak Elder of his rank could access.
Time returned to the present.
Chen Yan sat across from Fu Qian at Fu Qian’s chess table.
This return to Kongshan Sect was to search for Yan Yunhe’s Dao Basis.
Chen Yan had many acquaintances within Kongshan Sect.
There were reasons and motives behind his decision to see Fu Qian.
Fu Qian was the oldest living cultivator in Kongshan Sect Chen Yan could meet, aside from the Grand Elders.
Chen Yan’s convenient master Lin Qifeng had been too young when he interacted with the Great Master, and his sectal ancestor Yun Yichen was not personally close to him.
If Chen Yan wanted to learn about his Great Master, Fu Qian was probably the best source to obtain the information he wanted.
At this moment on Qingchan Peak, in Caijun Tower.
Lu Li sat atop a meditation cushion with his eyes gently closed.
Then his eyelids twitched slightly.
This incarnation of True Person Caiyun naturally knew that Chen Yan had come to Kongshan Sect and that at this moment Chen Yan was meeting Fu Qian in Fu Qian’s Cangwu Residence.
But he did not want to intervene, nor did he need to.
This youngster carried a karmic backlash spanning over sixty thousand years; before anyone attempted to touch that sixty-thousand-year timeline and alter cause and effect, there would be no problem.
Lu Li—or rather, Kong Yang—opened his eyes and turned his gaze south.
That was the direction of Star Heaven Sect.
Not long ago, he had made a deal with Realman Lingxuan, Gu Jing, of Heavenly Summit Mountain.
The bargaining chip had been a fragment of the Heavenly Summit Mirror from Star Heaven Sect.
Kong Yang understood perfectly what Gu Jing intended.
Collect all five fragments of the Heavenly Summit Mirror to restore the complete dao artifact, then use the Mirror’s power to reflect from the present era back to the era over sixty thousand years ago when Heavenly Summit Mountain was about to be destroyed, and then alter the history of Heavenly Summit Mountain’s destruction.
Without the Five Great Sects, the Chenping Continent’s order would revert to a timeline in which Heavenly Summit Mountain alone was the world’s only cultivation sanctuary.
The present era would vanish like foam.
Even the seven reincarnated Ascension cultivators currently in the world would see the causal foundations they carried collapse with history and dissolve into endless void.
A battle with Gu Jing was inevitable.
No—correction—not only with Gu Jing.
Neither Kongshan Sect, Lingxiao Temple, Wind Ravine Valley nor Mirage Palace could tolerate Realman Lingxuan’s plan.
By then, even Mirage Palace’s Sun-Eroding Realman might temporarily set aside the dispute over the Abyssal Tower to join forces with us against Gu Jing.
The thought made Kong Yang inwardly unsettled...
Lu Li’s fingers suddenly trembled, as if he had keenly perceived something.
The reincarnation of True Person Caiyun frowned slightly.
Perhaps his decision to return the Heavenly Summit Mirror fragment to Gu Jing had been a disastrous move.
Balance and counterbalance had always been Kong Yang’s guiding principle, and it was also the objective of the other three Ascension cultivators from the three great sects.
They aimed to check two forces.
One was the two Ascension cultivators at Heavenly Summit Mountain.
The other was the mysterious Mr. You.
Kong Yang was well aware of this.
Therefore, to balance the current celestial powers, it would be best to cause some trouble for Mr. You.
After all, among the seven reincarnated Ascension cultivators right now, only Mr. You remained hidden in inscrutable darkness.
Kong Yang’s reason for returning Realman Sun and Moon’s Dao Basis to Star Heaven Sect, and even attempting to restore Star Heaven’s Heavenly Summit Mirror fragment to Heavenly Summit Mountain, was to try to check Mr. You and so balance power with Heavenly Summit Mountain.
If that were so, perhaps he should find a way to help that young fellow.
Kong Yang thought so to himself.
...
Chenping Continent, Southern Region.
A massive ferry more than seven hundred zhang long floated in the sky, heading northwest.
The ferry split through layers of clouds at high speed.
The majestic rivers and mountains below, the cities and villages, streamed past like a painted scroll.
A handsome cultivator dressed in moon-white daoist robes stood alone on the ferry’s deck.
According to his agreement with Kong Yang, after obtaining the Heavenly Summit Mirror fragment from Star Heaven Sect, he had to return Kongshan Sect’s ferry to Kongshan Sect.
That was a reasonable request, so Gu Jing naturally agreed.
But at this moment...
The moon-white-robed youth, suddenly and without explanation, found himself face-to-face with a young woman who had appeared on the ferry’s deck at some unknown time.
Perhaps the plan had changed.