Chapter 363: Fire and Water Are Incompatible
Liang Huan, also known as Realman Sun-Eroding of the Mirage Palace.
He had, of course, long heard about the events that transpired at the Star Heaven Sect two months prior.
Kong Yang of the Kongshan Sect had found the Dao Basis of Realman Sun and Moon of the Star Heaven Sect, and consequently dispatched people to escort it, intending to return the Dao Basis to the Star Heaven Sect.
Even though the Dao Basis of Realman Sun and Moon still carried unresolved cause and effect, which could very likely affect the fortune and foundation of the Star Heaven Sect, the Star Heaven Sect had no choice but to gamble and welcome back their ancestor's legacy.
In this era of the Great Dao's recovery, if the Star Heaven Sect failed to produce an Immortal Ascension cultivator, it meant they would be completely left behind by the other four great sects in the not-too-distant future.
However, what no one expected was that the person arriving at the Star Heaven Sect aboard the Kongshan Sect's flagship was not one of the Kongshan Sect's Grand Elders, but rather a figure who had absolutely no connection to the Kongshan Sect whatsoever.
The eighth-generation Steward of Heavenly Summit Mountain, Realman Lingxuan, Gu Jing.
This great power of the Immortal Ascension Realm personally visited the Star Heaven Sect and struck a deal with them, a deal that left the other four great sects of the Chenping Continent extremely dissatisfied.
In the end, the transaction was completed.
If the River of Time were truly overturned and rewritten by the two Ascenders of Heavenly Summit Mountain, then the Star Heaven Sect would undoubtedly be the sinners.
However, if history were truly modified, then in the future there would be no descendants left to judge the stories that occurred on this timeline that should never have existed.
Later, Liang Huan deduced another earth-shattering major event from the trends of the Heavenly Dao.
That was the return, the re-ascension to the Immortal Ascension Realm, of the Chenping Continent's sixth Ascender's reincarnation.
Namely, Qiu Siruo.
With the return of the tenth-generation Steward of Heavenly Summit Mountain, Qiu Siruo, Liang Huan had already realized that the pressure Heavenly Summit Mountain would exert on the Chenping Continent's cultivation world would become even more impossible to ignore.
What he didn't expect, however, was that Lingxuan and Jingchen, these two, would actually choose to make the Mirage Palace their first target.
A young man and a young woman, both clad in moon-white daoist robes, stood in the center of the great hall.
The Grand Elders lining both sides of the vast hall all wore grave expressions, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
Back then, after the Great Demon's Egg disaster in the Fallen Sword Mountain Range concluded, Patriarch Liang appeared without warning in the main hall of the Mirage Palace. He announced his return to the Four Supreme Courts, led by Supreme Pivot Elder Yu Zhou, and resumed control of the Mirage Palace.
The Immortal Ascension Realm, for these Grand Elders born in the era where the path to immortality was severed, was nothing more than a legend.
Even now, some still haven't fully digested the fact that Realman Sun-Eroding has retaken control of the Mirage Palace.
As for the Steward of Heavenly Summit Mountain, for these cultivators born in the era of the severed path, that was a legend among legends.
"A pleasure, Realman Liang."
The atmosphere in the hall was heavy. It was Qiu Siruo who spoke first, breaking the silence.
"The Mirage Palace has a long and illustrious history, its legacy continuing to this day. In my view, it truly qualifies as the foremost major sect on the Chenping Continent currently. I recall over seventy thousand years ago, I once met your sect's Realman Mirror Moon, Chu Qingyan..."
As she spoke, Qiu Siruo paused briefly:
"No, at that time Chu Qingyan had not yet ascended to immortality. He seemed to have just barely entered the Unity realm. Thinking back on it now, it really brings back memories."
Upon hearing this, Liang Huan remained silent at first, merely smiling and slowly shaking his head.
He could, of course, sense the thinly veiled contempt for himself within Qiu Siruo's seemingly complimentary words about the Mirage Palace.
Realman Mirror Moon Chu Qingyan of the Mirage Palace was active from over seventy thousand to over sixty thousand years ago. He lived his entire life during the peak era of Heavenly Summit Mountain, his lifespan spanning the reigns of three generations of Heavenly Summit Mountain Stewards: the tenth-generation Steward Pure Dust True Person, the eleventh-generation Steward Zhaoli True Person, and the twelfth-generation Steward Qinghong Realman.
Chu Qingyan did not ascend to immortality during Pure Dust True Person's stewardship of Heavenly Summit Mountain. He then ascended to immortality in the ninth year of Zhaoli True Person's stewardship. He ultimately fell one thousand five hundred years into Qinghong Realman's stewardship.
It could be said that Chu Qingyan was, among the four Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators of the Mirage Palace, the one who contributed the most to the sect and also possessed the greatest strength.
"Indeed," Liang Huan said with a smile. "Patriarch Chu also left behind his opinion of True Person Qiu in the Mirage Palace's library. He said that among the three Heavenly Summit Mountain Stewards he had met, True Person Qiu was, in terms of both cultivation and mental state, the most lacking of the three."
Compared to Qiu Siruo's veiled sarcasm, Liang Huan's response was far more direct.
It almost came to pointing a finger directly at Qiu Siruo's nose and cursing her outright.
Qiu Siruo's eyes narrowed slightly for a moment before she let out a soft, humorless laugh.
"So Realman Chu once held such a lofty opinion. However, exactly what my cultivation and mental state are like, Realman Liang will come to know in due time."
Although her tone was quite measured, the scent of gunpowder and the implied threat in Qiu Siruo's words were practically overflowing.
One must remember, over seventy thousand years ago, Pure Dust True Person was already famous throughout the world for her terrible temper.
The Kongshan Sect understood Pure Dust True Person's temper all too well.
Countless times, Heavenly Summit Mountain and the Kongshan Sect had found themselves on the brink of all-out war.
The only reason war never broke out was because, in that era, the strength of True Person Kongmiao, Yan Yunhe, did indeed manage to suppress Qiu Siruo by a head.
"Realman Liang."
Gu Jing, who had remained silent until now, took a step forward. He raised his hands and bowed slightly in Liang Huan's direction.
"The reason for this visit by myself and Pure Dust True Person to the Mirage Palace, I believe Realman Liang should be perfectly clear about."
"The Heavenly Summit Mirror fragments."
Seated in the hall, Liang Huan did not evade the question in the slightest, answering directly.
"Back on Heavenly Summit Mountain, Realman Gu had already made this demand of myself and the other Realmen from the three great sects. I recall I already refused Realman Gu at that time. May I ask, what makes Realman Gu think I would agree to you now?"
As he spoke, this great power of the Immortal Ascension Realm, clad in dark cyan daoist robes, smiled again.
"I recall Realman Gu exchanged the Dao Basis of Realman Sun and Moon with the Star Heaven Sect for their Heavenly Summit Mirror fragments. Then may I ask, what does Realman Gu intend to offer in exchange with my Mirage Palace?"
"That depends on what Realman Liang deems suitable."
Gu Jing said calmly.
"The Abyssal Tower, and Kong Yang's head. How about that?"
Realman Sun-Eroding said.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jing merely offered a faint smile and did not reply.
Liang Huan's demand represented that Gu Jing would have to completely break with Kong Yang. And a total rupture with Kong Yang held no benefit whatsoever for the current Lingxuan and Jingchen.
Of course, more importantly, even though the relationship between Liang Huan and Kong Yang could currently be described as fire and water being incompatible.
The goal of Heavenly Summit Mountain was sufficient to make them set aside their previous grievances.
Therefore, both Gu Jing and Qiu Siruo understood perfectly well that whether it was the Mirage Palace or the Lingxiao Temple.
The method to obtain the Heavenly Summit Mirror fragments from the hands of these major sects—
In reality, there was only one.