《Floating Immortal Order》 Prologue Chapter 0 ¨C Prologue ¨C Return to Formless A vast, boundless sea stretched out as far as the eye could see, melding into the dark blue expanse of the sky that billowed and churned like a majestic tapestry. In the midst of the sky sat three colossal golden suns that cast their radiance upon the earth, shining unabated throughout the endless ages. The seas churned below, waves rolling as they crashed and broke. These waves were 100 zhang1 tall at the peak of their crests, seeming to reach endlessly up into the heavens. At times, the waves even rose up to fleetingly blot out the radiance of the three suns that hung in the sky. Standing proudly atop the crest of a certain wave was a lone man, dressed nobly in a moonlit white dragon robe, sleeves trimmed with gold. A pair of horns adorned the top of this man¡¯s head, but rather than resembling the horns of a venerable Dragon, they were instead reminiscent of the horns of a lofty Flood Dragon2. He stood perched on this colossal 100 zhang tall wave with his head slightly raised, gazing up at the three golden discs nestled in the sky. With his left hand placed behind his back and his right palm lightly caressing the air in front of him, his gesture looked as if he was trying to brush away the dust before him. But with a light flick of his gilded sleeves, the surface of the sea began to roil and hiss crazily! Within the radius of thousands of miles, the seawater darkened into a deep, inky blue. A hundred columns of water rose out of the sea and shot towards the sky, wreaking earth-shattering havoc, causing the brackish blackwater to seethe madly! The man¡¯s golden eyes opened, and a thread of golden light escaped from his pupils, illuminating the surface of the sea. The golden beam pierced through the blackness of the water, causing cascades of color to reflect off each other. With a flick of his sleeves, the man¡¯s foot tapped lightly off the crest of the wave as he shot towards the three suns upon the horizon. Among the golden suns, one of them suddenly burst out with an incomparable ray of light, brilliantly illuminating the man¡¯s body from afar. The bright golden light penetrated his body, starting from his horns and spreading to his head, body, and then feet. The golden light burst out from within like light shining through jade, as his body transformed into a golden-white Flood Dragon that soared up through the sky. A vast white cloud suddenly appeared and began to revolve around the golden-white Flood Dragon, frightening away evil spirits. Golden lotuses blossomed out of nowhere upon the surface of the sea, causing the scent of rare perfume to permeate the air. Peals of gongs and drums resounded out, and Sanskrit sounds and mantras tickled the ears mysteriously in accordance with the auguries of Buddhism! The remaining motes of golden light gathered together to form a humanoid figure that floated a small distance away from the massive head of the golden-white Flood Dragon. The golden-white Flood Dragon¡¯s body was about 50 zhang long, and just the head had a radius of 3 zhang. Its whole body exuded golden light, wrapped in the voice of Buddha, and its imposing manner startled the heavens. The figure formed by the motes of golden-colored light wasn¡¯t nearly as tall as the Flood Dragon¡¯s head, but this did not diminish its imposing manner in the slightest. His face was cold and expressionless. Bare-chested, bare-footed, and without any hair, the figure was adorned with a floating reddish-gold raiment. A pestle, a bead, a hoop, a drum, and so on hovered behind the figure, making for a total of six Buddhist Magic Tools. With a light wave of his hand, a golden silk brocade materialized from within his caress, as if it appeared out of thin air. After grasping the silk brocade in its hand and casting a glance at the golden-white Flood Dragon, the descendant of the Luo Clan, Luo Han declared, ¡°The decree of the Formless Bodhisattva of the Buddhist Sun Realm proclaims that Zhao Ming has already endured confinement within the Heavenly Sea Border Territory for 23,000 years and is now permitted to leave. You will return to the Formless Territory of the Buddhist Sun Realm, and once again work for the seat of the respected Formless Bodhisattva. For assisting the Water Sky Dragon in unifying 200 million miles of sea territory for the Formless Territory, your title as the Dragon King Zhao Ming will be reinstated.¡± When his words ceased, the golden silk brocade in his hands took off and flew away, growing larger until it enveloped the body of the golden-white Flood Dragon. It continued to shroud the Flood Dragon until it eventually permeated into its body completely. The body of the Flood Dragon began to shrink, ultimately taking the form of a human, but it was completely different from before. Wrapped in a plain white Buddhist robe, the horns atop his head from before were nowhere to be seen. A resplendent golden hoop was visible floating behind his head, and the phantom image of a Flood Dragon was wrapped around him, bathing him in an incomparably holy Buddhist aura. After the Dragon King Zhao Ming looked down at his body and examined the Buddhist robe wrapped around him, he said, ¡°Sorry for the trouble, Luo Han. You¡¯ve freed me from the grips of punishment and reconstructed my Buddhist Physique. This lowly dragon Zhao Ming pays his gratitude and respect to the great Formless Buddha.¡± The expression on Luo Han¡¯s face was not nearly as cold compared to before, when he was announcing the decree with the golden silk brocade in his hand. He opened his mouth and spoke, ¡°You are most welcome, Dragon King. You are also a Flood Dragon cultivator of the Formless Sea Territory, and besides, among the three Bodhisattvas of the Buddhist Sun Realm, the Formless Bodhisattva is moral and just, refraining from destruction and slaughter. Although the Formless Territory possesses a billion Buddhist domains, many beings live in ignorance and chaos where the teachings of Buddha do not reach. Your punishment period has expired, but the main purpose in your release is actually to help the Formless Bodhisattva in enlightening the beings of the Formless Sea Territory.¡± ¡°This lowly dragon accepts his duty,¡± Zhao Ming said with a bow, cupping his fist. Luo Han nodded lightly, then turned around. His body dispelled into countless motes of golden light, which began to float and drift towards the distant reaches of the sky, eventually disappearing into one of the suns in the heavens. Zhao Ming raised his head to look up at the three blazing golden suns in the sky. However, he knew that these three golden discs were simply the Buddhist representations of the Three Bodhisattvas, and it was totally unknown to him just how many billions of miles away their true bodies were from this area of the Heavenly Sea Border Territory. Then, he lowered his head, peering down at the boundless sea below him, which had long been restored to its former deep blue state of calm. He let out a chuckle, and his fingers turned into claws. Below him, the sea floor began to tremble, as if something wanted to break free from the bed of the ocean. ¡°Only because I could obtain this, I don¡¯t regret enduring 23,000 years of confinement in the Heavenly Sea Border Territory,¡± Zhao Ming said to himself. The moment these words left his mouth, the seas shifted and the sky quaked, causing the surface of the water to hiss and roil angrily. A massive royal seal rose up slowly and majestically from the depths. Its entire body was a gleaming silvery white, embroiled in an imposing killing intent. The murderous aura that encompassed the seal manifested visibly in the form of ink-colored qi that swept and coiled around it, as if it had slaughtered countless beings. Engraved at the bottom of the seal were two ancient symbols. When Zhao Ming caught sight of these two symbols, a mysterious light glinted in his eyes. Buddhist laws surging around his entire body, he concentrated more golden Buddhist power on his hands before reaching out to grab the seal out of the air. As if the seal had a spirit, it began to slowly shrink down, eventually becoming a small stamp that fit perfectly in Zhao Ming¡¯s palm, where it faded out of sight. With both hands behind his back, Zhao Ming muttered to himself, ¡°This treasure has no master, so I can use it. With a single touch it can crumble mountains, and moving it slightly will cause the heavens to fall and the earth to shatter. However, I still can¡¯t control it properly. I can draw out 1 or 2 percent of its potential at most, but that¡¯s enough for me.¡± Zhao Ming was exceptionally talented, boldly fierce, and diligent in forging his own path. But even with his age of 40,000 years, he still couldn¡¯t fathom the origin of this treasure. Before this treasure was plundered, even among other Immortal Treasures, it possessed an outstandingly fearful name. It was a Xiantian Artifact, with a spirituality that rose to the heavens, because it was formerly used by an ¡°Immortal¡±! An Immortal! This seal was named Fantian! TL Note: Hello, crescent here. This is my first Chinese translation work, and I hope you¡¯ll enjoy it. I am also translating Unfairly Fired from the Healer¡¯s Guild, a Japanese web novel that I¡¯ve already translated up to the raws, so please check that out if you¡¯re interested. It¡¯s a completely different vibe from this novel, though. I¡¯m currently looking for an editor to help me work on this novel, who preferably knows Chinese (and maybe Buddhist terms) and has worked on cultivation novels before. Please DM me through the Foxaholic Discord if you¡¯re interested. The release frequency will be 1-2 chapters per week for now, depending on my workload each week. Sponsored chapters will be available through Ko-Fi, and I¡¯ll do my best to release them as soon as I can, but I¡¯m juggling school and also Unfairly Fired from the Healer¡¯s Guild among other things. If you appreciate my work or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 1 Chapter 1 ¨C Innate Wisdom1 The Grand Chu Dynasty was governed under a feudal system, and their lands were split into 11 different provinces. The Grand Chu controlled the central Emperor¡¯s province, and the remaining ten provinces were each divided and conferred upon different kings and relatives of the imperial state, who commanded their respective regions. There was also the Shangqing official state religion. The Shangqing Dao of the distant past passed on their traditions until the current day, and had now branched out and expanded to the point of possessing a seat of power in every province, overseeing the entire country. The Xu Clan was one of the three clans that governed the Ruyang Region, which was located in the You Province. From one hereditary successor to the next, they had already been in power for over 300 years, commanding over the Southern region of the Ruyang Region that encompassed 400 square li2 of land. In this region, everything from the taxes, to the population, croplands, politics, and laws were all under the sole jurisdiction of the Xu Clan. The only thing they were required to do was pay a fixed portion of tax to the county each year. Almost all of the ordinary civilians went out to labor at sunrise and returned at sunset, perhaps engaging in trading or business each day. However, there were some who possessed Dao Channels. If you were born with Dao Channels, you could cultivate Martial Techniques! There were 9 grades of Dao Channels that could be ranked from best to worst, and every grade of Dao Channels was capable of cultivating Martial Techniques. But if one practiced forcibly, it would still only overwork the body and damage the meridians. There were also cases where the Dao Channels were blocked, making it impossible to cultivate any Martial Laws whatsoever. Occasionally, there were a few sons from poor families or peasant families who discovered that they possessed Dao Channels. They would report this to the Xu Clan, who would take them under their wing and foster them, allowing them to undergo a meteoric rise to glory and splendor. The main branch of the Xu Clan was located in the Zhenhai Prefecture, which was one of the biggest prefectures in Ruyang Region aside from Ruyang Prefecture itself, placing Zhenhai Prefecture at 2nd place among the four major prefectures in the county. ¡°Where is this?¡± Xu Disheng opened his eyes, seeing only darkness save for a single small point of white light before him. His head was completely muddled as he floated forwards. ¡°Who am I?¡± ¡°Where am I?¡± That small white point of light gradually grew larger, but his head was throbbing with a splitting headache. ¡°Why am I here, and what is this place?¡± The blazing white ray of light flashed in front of his eyes. An extremely warm aura washed over Xu Disheng¡¯s body, but his eyes stung from the brilliant radiance, forcing him to close his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, there was a puddle of scarlet blood staining the top of a large expensive satin mattress, and a fishy smell assailed his nostrils. He suddenly felt his body being turned over, and a middle-aged woman with a happy expression came into his view. It turned out that he was currently being held in her arms. He vaguely heard a noisy exclamation right next to his ears, which most likely came from the middle-aged woman. Her voice was laden with a myriad of complex tones, with pleasant surprise being the foremost among them. ¡°Miss Yu, it¡¯s a little boy! Congratulations, Miss Yu! Hurry and report this to the Young Patriarch!¡± the voice exclaimed. Judging by her tone, the latter half of the sentence was clearly directed towards the maids by her side. Several maids proceeded to bow their heads then leave the room. ¡°But Miss Yu, it¡¯s rather strange. Your son isn¡¯t crying at all.¡± On the bed, there was a young woman with a pained expression on her face. ¡°Carry him here so I can see him,¡± she said softly, her face clearing up a bit. The middle-aged woman was probably the young woman¡¯s maid, who was brought over from her own family, which was most likely why she was being referred to as ¡°Miss Yu¡±, and not ¡°Madame Yu¡±. Doing as she said, the middle-aged woman held Xu Disheng in her arms and sat down in front of the young woman. The young woman really wanted to sit up, but she wasn¡¯t able to do so because of her weakened body, and she ended up lying back down, her efforts in vain. By now, Xu Disheng¡¯s head had cleared a bit. After discovering that he couldn¡¯t exert any strength in his body whatsoever, he only realized just now that he had turned into a newborn infant. ¡°Mother Xun, what did my son spit out?¡± Jin Yu was momentarily surprised, but with her noble identity, she was experienced and knowledgeable. She didn¡¯t think it was particularly strange, and only quietly opened her mouth and asked this question. The maid saw a vision, and was frozen in astonishment. After hearing Jin Yu¡¯s voice calling out to her to get her attention once more, she hurriedly held the baby with one hand, and reached her other hand into his mouth to retrieve the cyan ray of light. It was a small, exquisite jade bamboo flute with a cyan shaft, and it was only about as thick as a pinky finger, half a palm long. Mother Xun stood there in daze with the bamboo flute in her palm. Several streams of resplendent cyan light shone brilliantly through the gaps between her fingers, giving off a mystical quality. ¡°A Xiantian Life Partner Artifact?¡± Jin Yu muttered, lifting her head slightly to look at her son once more. Her son¡¯s facial features were delicate and refined, and he simply looked back at Jin Yu with his pair of unfocused beady black eyes, not crying or making any fuss whatsoever. But as Xu Disheng stared back at the young woman, his mind was desperately trying to remember. Who am I, really? Why am I an infant now? I only remember that my name is Xu Disheng, and that I was reincarnated. But how do I know that I was reincarnated? The more he thought, the more his head hurt. It seemed as if these were things he used to know, but he couldn¡¯t remember the source of this information in the slightest. Jin Yu, who was still watching her son, suddenly saw his brows furrow and his expression become pained. She hurriedly told Mother Xun to cheer the child up, and Mother Xun immediately began to gently rock and cradle the baby in her arms. In the midst of all this, the doors were pushed open, and a handsome and bright young man walked in, followed by several young married women who were all good-looking in their own ways. The young man had a happy expression on his face, and the several women behind him had all had a variety of expressions on their faces. He walked over to the bedside and took a seat, taking Jin Yu¡¯s hand in his own, and said, ¡°Yu¡¯er, take good care of your health, okay? I had someone make you some Spirit Ginseng Soup. I¡¯ll ask someone to bring it to you later.¡± Turning his head to look at the infant in Mother Xun¡¯s arms, he reached out to take the baby into his arms. After gazing at the infant¡¯s face for a while, he grinned from ear to ear and said, ¡°This child is my eleventh son, and he really resembles me quite a lot. Today, I will reward each maid with 20 taels3 of silver.¡± Looking back at Mother Xun, he continued, ¡°And for Mother Xun, 10 taels of gold.¡± Every maid bowed in gratitude in reception of their reward. Mother Xun then silently cast a questioning glance at Jin Yu. Jin Yu was still in a weakened state, and after looking at the young man and the several women behind him, she opened her mouth and said, ¡°You can take it out.¡± Mother Xun slowly opened her palm, immediately basking the room in a mystical cyan glow. ¡°When Young Master was born, he didn¡¯t kick or cry, and in his mouth was this cyan jade flute Life Companion Artifact.¡± The young man was called Xu Xiao, and he was the eldest son of the first wife of the Patriarch of the Xu Clan. He held the position of the young master of the family, governing the Zhenhai Province with hundreds of martial artist troops under his command. His authority was enormous. When he heard this news, he immediately put away his frivolous attitude. He picked up the small, delicate green jade flute and examined it closely with a solemn expression on his face. His expression became more and more solemn, and he put away the jade flute before inquiring flatly, ¡°Where is the Zhenhai Army?¡± A light breeze swept throughout the room, and two black-armored men appeared, who immediately knelt on the ground. ¡°Zhenhai Army Commander, Xiang Nan, reporting in,¡± one of them stated, cupping his hands in greeting. ¡°Zhenhai Vice Army Commander, Xu Cheng, reporting in,¡± said the other. Xu Xiao looked around at the maids and servants, then ordered in a neutral tone, ¡°Remove all maids, guards, and servants from Lady Yu¡¯s residence and arrange for a new batch!¡± ¡°¡°We respectfully obey Young Patriarch¡¯s command!¡±¡± Xiang Nan rose to his feet and cast a chilly gaze at the maids and the guards outside the room. ¡°The Zhenhai Army respectfully obeys. Take them away!¡± A group of black-armored martial artists rushed in from outside the Rain Listening Pavilion and rounded up all of the maids and guards. Each of them had a pale expression, and they trembled nervously, not even daring to utter the slightest sound. They didn¡¯t dare to resist, for they had seen something they shouldn¡¯t have. If they tried to resist, they would bring disaster upon their family and relatives, and there was no room for negotiation. This was the reality of the feudal system. The Xu Clan was in charge of the whole county and the cities and towns inside it, and to the ordinary citizens who lived within, their word was law. ¡°No one is allowed to disclose this matter, otherwise I will execute whoever is involved, including the previous three generations of their family!¡± Xu Xiao declared sternly to the women behind him and the remaining people in the room with a cold and serious expression on his face. ¡°¡°Yes, Young Patriarch!¡±¡± ¡°Yes, husband!¡± Xu Xiao held Xu Disheng in his arms, then shared a look with Jin Yu, who was on the bed. When they made eye contact, he nodded his head slightly and stood up. He waved his sleeves and said, ¡°You can all go back now. Xu Cheng, bring 50 Zhenhai Army Warriors to accompany me to the ancestral domain to see Father.¡± ¡°I respectfully obey Young Patriarch¡¯s command!¡± Xu Cheng said deferentially. Before Xu Xiao left the room, he turned his head slightly. ¡°Mother Xun, please take good care of Yu¡¯er.¡± Mother Xun bowed her head in response and took another look at the baby in Xu Xiao¡¯s arms, but his eyes were already closed. At the moment, Xu Disheng was only an infant, and he was too weak. For the entire time, he was thinking and racking his brains nonstop. He was already physically and mentally spent, and he couldn¡¯t help but fall into a deep slumber. If you appreciate my work or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 2 Chapter 2 ¨C Ancient Legend TL Note: Decided to change Xu Family to Xu Clan, and hereafter use the word ¡®clan¡¯ to describe extensive families with successors and exclusive cultivation techniques, etc. The capital city of Zhenhai was flourishing and lively, with many shops and businesses dotting the townscape. Yet the city was still neat and tidy, which was evidence of the Xu Clan¡¯s strict governance in upholding the public order. Several Imperial Guards patrolled the streets, and those who saw them either flashed ingratiating smiles or respectfully made way for them. There was one person who resembled a leader figure amongst them, wearing the standard uniform of the Imperial Guard. He said to the two behind him laughingly, ¡°I heard that there were two new stunning beauties at the Fragrance House. Are you guys interested in checking out some ladies tonight?¡± When the two people behind him heard what he said, they silently cursed under their breath. This petty captain was clearly implying for them to cover the bill as always. One of them, a tall, lanky Imperial Guard with an ugly expression on his face, said in a small voice, ¡°The day after tomorrow is the payday for the Meng Squadron, so how about us two treat you to have a good time then?¡± The other one, a chubby Imperial Guard, nodded his head repeatedly. ¡°How¡¯s that gonna be okay? This great captain of yours is bringing you guys out to experience the wider world, so it should naturally be me treating you two brothers of mine. What do you guys take me for?¡± The captain Meng Mo said with a stiff expression on his face after hearing what they said, playfully feigning anger. ¡°No, no, you take care of us every day, Captain, so this much is to be expected of us,¡± the tall Imperial Guard replied. ¡°Well since you guys insist, I won¡¯t be overly courteous. I¡¯ll take you guys up on your offer. Then the day after tomorrow, we¡¯ll go to the Fragrance House in the evening. Next time I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll go make a booking!¡± The captain said, beaming magnificently. The two of them once again let out a torrent of curses in their mind, but on the surface they remained smiling, repeatedly nodding in agreement. In fact, an Imperial Guard was a rather coveted position since the salary was high, earning as much as 2 taels of silver each month. Plus, even though they were only considered the bottom rungs of the staffing structure, all they had to do each day was patrol the streets or stand guard. Both of these tasks were pretty much just idling about, yet they were still considered personnel of the Xu Clan. On top of that, a vast majority of these Imperial Guards were martial artists that possessed Ninth-Grade Dao Channels, and could only cultivate Martial Techniques to a basic level at the highest. Their progress was slow, and their path forward was pretty much blocked. Even though they were much better off than ordinary citizens, they spent each day muddleheaded, and had long lost their drive to forge ahead and improve. The Xu Clan was also extremely generous towards martial artists, conferring each of them arable land and incorporating them into their ranks. As a result, they wasted their time away every day, and bullying the commoners was a typical occurrence. A spotlessly white carrier pigeon suddenly swooped down and landed on Captain Meng¡¯s shoulder with a flutter of its wings. He undid the slip of paper attached to the leg of the carrier pigeon, and read the slip. His expression changed drastically, and exclaimed in an anxious tone, ¡°Quickly gather at the main street at once! The Young Patriarch is going out. We must quickly clear the streets!¡± This scene was merely one perspective in the main street of the prefectural capital. Xu Xiao¡¯s luxurious horse-drawn carriage had just left the Rain Listening Pavilion. Before he even left the pavilion courtyard, all of the Imperial Guards had received the news and were dispatched to clear the main street. They stood in two orderly rows along the street, leaving a broad path down the street. Leading the way at the front on horseback was the Vice Commander of the Zhenhai Army, Xu Cheng, covered from head to toe in an imposing set of black armor. Behind him was a luxurious horse-drawn carriage, accompanied by fifty martial artists of the Zhenhai Army. They were also all fitted in black armor, inspiring awe and grandeur. The Imperial Guards, citizens, and traders alike were all bowing their heads, displaying their utmost respects. The Zhenhai Army couldn¡¯t be compared to those Imperial Guards at all. The Zhenhai Army was the core strength behind the Xu Clan, and most of them were martial artists who possessed Eighth-Grade Dao Channels, and there were even some with Seventh-Grade Dao Channels! There were Nine Grades of Dao Channels, but each Grade was marked by a difference between heaven and earth. No matter which Martial Technique it was, if one wanted to cultivate it to a higher level or get stronger, it required the foundation of naturally endowed talent. For example, for the Xu Clan¡¯s Heavenly Dipper Martial Technique, which allowed the cultivator to gain the strength of an elephant from completion of the 1st Rank, it would take someone with Ninth-Grade Dao Channels three to four years to reach completion of the 1st Rank. But for someone with Eighth-Grade Dao Channels, it would only take them one or two years! For someone with Ninth-Grade Dao Channels, it would become harder and harder to cultivate further. For completion of the 2nd Rank of the Heavenly Dipper Martial Technique, it would take them eight years, while it would take someone with Eighth-Grade Dao Channels only three to four years! In the end, how much time does a person have in their lifetime? These Imperial Guards mostly wasted their days away, pushing around their own weight, and the number of diligent cultivators amongst them was few. As a result, there were even some who wasted 20 years, still stuck at a bottleneck on the 1st Rank as they withered away, continuing to lead a confused existence, bullying the citizens. Yet these people were still necessary existences in serving as the Xu Clan¡¯s lowest rung, tasked with the duty of supervising the fiefdom and watching over the citizens. Therefore, for these martial artists with inferior natural talents, the Xu Clan was quite magnanimous. Xu Xiao¡¯s carriage procession proceeded quickly due south, leaving the capital of Zhenhai Prefecture. After traveling 30 li out, they arrived at the ancestral domain of the Xu Clan. The Xu Clan¡¯s ancestral domain was also a group of pavilions and buildings with several extravagant palace buildings in the center, rising up out of the townscape. The current Patriarch was the resident of this palace, and this was the place where he meditated. Xu Xiao was the eldest son of the first wife, and although he was the Young Patriarch, he originally wasn¡¯t supposed to take up this role so early. However, the Patriarch of the Xu Clan, Xu Chaoyang, was a single-minded, ascetic cultivator with an unusually high natural aptitude. He possessed Fifth-Grade Dao Channels, and he had cultivated the Heavenly Dipper Martial Technique to the 6th Rank. His strength was at the perfect completion of the Houtian stage! He was already the pinnacle of martial artists in the Ruyang Region, but after he reached perfect completion of the Houtian stage, he entered closed door cultivation here with the intention of breaking through to the indescribably lofty Xiantian stage. It had to be mentioned that every time a Xiantian martial artist appeared within a clan, it was a world-shaking event. The Ruyang Region was part of the You Province, which was under the command of Prince Xing, and he highly valued Xiantian martial artists. As soon as one appeared, he would immediately grant them an entire region as their fiefdom, along with all kinds of natural resources, money and treasures, spirit medicines, and beauties. The current Official of the Ruyang Region was called Guo Ruping, but he actually wasn¡¯t a Xiantian martial artist. Several hundreds of years ago, the ancestor of the Ruyang Region¡¯s Guo Clan was a Xiantian martial artist, and he was enfeoffed with the Ruyang Region at that time. Their ancestor grasped control of the region, established his clan, and exerted a firm rule over the capital city of the Ruyang Region. Governing over thousands of li of land, he was a man of mettle. Eventually, time flowed onward and the world changed, as several hundreds of years went by. The Guo Clan¡¯s ancestor remained stuck at a bottleneck in the Xiantian stage without any further breakthroughs, and he silently grew old and wizened. Even in the later generations, the Guo Clan failed to produce a Xiantian martial artist, but they remained in control of their fiefdom according to the imperial order, and they continued to pass down their family¡¯s wealth from successor to successor throughout the years. However, the Xu Clan¡¯s fiefdom was a part of the Guo Clan¡¯s Ruyang Region, and was under their command. Therefore, even though Xu Chaoyang had already cultivated right up to the brink of the Xiantian stage, he was still unable to replace the Guo Clan. If he wanted to strengthen the position of the Xu Clan, the only path he had left was to make a breakthrough to the Xiantian stage. Inside the luxurious horse-drawn carriage, Xu Xiao was carrying a baby within his arms. The baby¡¯s eyes were closed, and he was fast asleep. Xu Xiao lowered his head to look at the infant in his embrace, but his thoughts were far and distant. Since the power of the clan fell into his hands, he was rather fickle in love, having married several wives and sired 11 sons and 3 daughters. He divided and conferred some of the county official positions to his younger brothers, but controlled the principal seat of power in the Zhenhai Prefecture himself. No matter how generous one person could be, after sharing among each and every person, there naturally wouldn¡¯t be much remaining. But Jin Yu was different. She was the sole daughter of the Jin Clan, and her marriage into the Xu Clan was arranged. Her dowry had been exceedingly generous. The Jin Clan was the third biggest clan in the Ruyang Region, and as soon as Xu Chaoyang made a breakthrough into perfect completion of the Houtian stage, Jin Hai made the decision to marry off his only daughter to the Xu Clan to show his goodwill. Xu Chaoyang was still quite young, and he cultivated to the perfect completion of the Houtian stage at only 46 years of age. Along with his Fifth-Grade Dao Channels and natural aptitude, he was a genius in the Ruyang Region that only appeared once every 100 years. His future prospects were bright and promising, and provided he could make a breakthrough into the Xiantian stage, his status would skyrocket as he would then be able to rule over an entire region. Although many people were stuck at the peak of the Houtian stage their whole life without any way of making a breakthrough, Jin Hai still chose to make the gamble to marry off his only daughter to the Xu Clan. Now, he had cast his lot with the Xu Clan, and whether they rose to new heights or fell to an all time low, his position would follow right along with them. But there were so many choices and decisions in life; when would it not be a gamble? Clasped within his hand was the small and exquisite jade flute, pulsating with cyan light. At this moment, its brilliant resplendence had dwindled as it contained the light within. It continued to glow mystically, the light shining mutedly as it pervaded throughout the jade. Xu Xiao bowed his head in contemplation, recalling a legend his father told him when he was little. It was said that only an Innate Saint would have a Xiantian Life Partner Artifact. For example, the ancient legends told that these heavenly beings would guide the people to break free of the shackles of their fate and establish an imperial court to rule the heavens, ruling over all races, forcing heaven and earth to submit to their power. Among those supreme beings, every one of them possessed a Xiantian Life Partner Artifact. Even though this was just a legend and might be nothing more than hearsay, this Xiantian Life Partner Artifact was truly too bizarre. He had to first report this matter to his father before he could make a decision. ¡°Reporting to the Young Patriarch, we have now arrived at the ancestral domain, Western Ravine Palace,¡± Xu Cheng¡¯s voice resounded respectfully from outside of the carriage. The carriage procession had already traversed into the group of buildings and pavilions, stopping before the gate to the large palace hall in the center of the domain. Xu Xiao roused from his thoughts, putting away the jade flute before stepping out of the carriage with the infant still fast asleep in his arms. After casting a glance at the sign in front of the palace with the three characters, ¡°Western Ravine Palace¡± on it, he strode into the palace hall. If you appreciate my work or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 3 Chapter 3 ¨C Disheng From the outside looking in, the palace hall seemed murky and unclear. But from the inside of the palace hall, the lights cast long rays of light, illuminating the place brightly. The main palace hall was more than 5 zhang tall, and was decorated very simply, with only a jade censer for burning incense and a document table. In contrast to the opulence of the capital city of Zhenhai, it was akin to the difference between clouds and mud. ¡°Come in, Xiao¡¯er. I heard from Elder Shadow that you¡¯ve given me a truly remarkable grandchild,¡± a clear and sonorous middle-aged voice resounded from deeper within the palace hall. Xu Xiao jumped momentarily in fright. He had immediately rushed over here on horseback and even silenced all of the maids and servants, but his father had already known about it nonetheless. The Elder Shadow that he spoke of was his father¡¯s Dao protector, and he was one of the most powerful elders in the Xu Clan. His strength was shrouded in mystery, and even Xu Xiao had only seen him a handful of times. ¡°Father,¡± Xu Xiao greeted. He didn¡¯t dare to overthink, and he immediately entered the rear palace hall with the infant in his arms. In the rear palace hall was only a single octagonal Dao platform, upon which Xu Chaoyang was sitting. ¡°Cultivating this, cultivating that¡­ If this Martial Technique can be cultivated to the Xiantian stage, then there¡¯s no such thing as martial arts¡­¡± Xu Chaoyang grumbled to himself. When he noticed that Xu Xiao entered, he raised his gaze to look at him, then nodded his head slightly. He took the infant into his arms, and his expression grew solemn. Lowering his voice, he said quietly, ¡°Hand me the thing.¡± Xu Xiao took out the delicate jade flute and handed it over to Xu Chaoyang. After scrutinizing it for a long time, Xu Chaoyang¡¯s expression became grave. ¡°For one to possess a Xiantian Life Partner Artifact, it is rumored that they are an almighty reincarnated being or an Innate Saint, but our Xu Clan doesn¡¯t know for certain¡­¡± Xu Xiao exclaimed in shock, ¡°Could this really be true?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t dare to come to a conclusion on it, since in the end, those legends are truly too ancient and archaic. Even my father had never heard of an actual instance of a Xiantian Life Partner Artifact appearing,¡± Xu Chaoyang replied. After closely sizing up the baby for a while, he said, ¡°You must absolutely not divulge this matter to outsiders. Just raise him like you would any ordinary heir, take good care of your wives, and act like you don¡¯t know about this matter! If this matter gets leaked¡­¡± A murderous glint momentarily flashed in Xu Chaoyang¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yes, Father,¡± Xu Xiao answered in a low voice. Inwardly, he was always somewhat afraid of Xu Chaoyang. After looking at the baby for a moment, he opened his mouth once more and said, ¡°This child still doesn¡¯t have a name. I hope Father can bestow him with a name.¡± Xu Chaoyang was fiddling with the jade flute, but he couldn¡¯t detect even a shred of spiritual qi from it despite the radiance that circulated within. After he heard what Xu Xiao said, he replied, ¡°Let¡¯s just call him Disheng then.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± All of a sudden, the cyan jade flute began to tremble, as if it wanted to struggle free from Xu Chaoyang¡¯s palm. Xu Chaoyang¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. He released the strength of six elephants that he possessed from cultivating the Heavenly Dipper Martial Technique, and held onto it tightly. But the cyan jade flute weaseled through a crack in his fingers as if it was soft and flexible, and it came to float in the middle of the air above Xu Disheng¡¯s forehead, emitting brilliant cyan light as it spun slowly. Xu Chaoyang and Xu Xiao¡¯s expressions became grave as they saw the infant basking underneath the cyan glow, when he suddenly began to open his eyes slowly. Xu Disheng had woken up, but although he had been sleeping because his infant body tired easily, his consciousness was always alert. The warm streams of qi emanating from the cyan light of the small, exquisite jade flute were continually nourishing his body with vigor, washing away his fatigue, which gave him the strength to awaken. When he saw his own ¡°father¡± and ¡°grandfather¡±, he wanted to say something, but the moment he opened his mouth, all that came out was an incoherent babbling that sounded much like ¡®googoo gaga¡¯. Frustrated, he had no choice but to shut his mouth. Then, as if gods and demons were at work, Xu Disheng opened his mouth and sucked a breath in. The jade flute that had been floating and circulating in the air was sucked into his mouth and disappeared without a single trace. (TL Note: ¹íʹÉñ²î is a Chinese idiom, which literally means ¡°as if gods and demons were at work¡±, which just describes something completely supernatural or an unexplainable occurrence.) Xu Xiao was completely dumbstruck. Although he was a cultivator of Martial Techniques, he had never seen something as miraculous as this. He hurriedly turned his head to look at Xu Chaoyang. Xu Chaoyang shot him a glance back and snapped, ¡°What are you making a fuss for? How are you going to be in charge of our Xu Clan in the future if you get surprised over something like this?¡± Although he said this, he had a slightly happy expression on his face. ¡°Our Xu Clan has been blessed with this child. Tonight, I will convene an Elders¡¯ Meeting, and we will decide on our course of action. For now, you can take him and go back.¡± ¡°As you wish, Father,¡± Xu Xiao replied. Back on the extravagant horse-drawn carriage, Xu Disheng was being carried in Xu Xiao¡¯s embrace. He could feel Xu Xiao¡¯s complex mood, but he did not think too much of it. He closed his eyes, sensing the cyan jade flute that was hovering within his sea of consciousness. It gave him a kind of strange sensation, as if it were an image directly imprinted within his brain. Although Xu Disheng couldn¡¯t recall any of his memories, he was aware that being self-aware of his own consciousness as a newborn infant was something out of the ordinary. He only knew that somehow this jade flute was residing within his sea of consciousness. In his mind, he silently visualized the jade flute, where it spun slowly within his sea of consciousness, spilling out a cyan light. It was important to note that out of the countless Xiantian martial artists in the world, if one were to be picked randomly, the chances would be incredibly low for that person to have reached the realm of opening up their sea of consciousness! Xu Disheng was just an infant, but he had already opened up his sea of consciousness upon birth. If this was known to anyone else, it would inevitably cause them to go crazy! The cyan light that spilled forth took the form of a word written in ancient seal script, which began to impart to him an Internal Cultivation Method. It was called Soul Song, and it was split into 7 core mantra forms: Nurturing Soul, Soul Limit, Sealing Soul, Soul Devour, Soulslayer, Soul Division, and Soul Requiem. Although they were split into 7 different forms of mnemonic chants, their effects were all completely different from one another. In fact, the first one was already in effect, which was the Nurturing Soul Mantra. It involved absorbing the essence of the sun and moon in order to nourish and strengthen the soul, which gave rise to Soul Force. This core mantra was the foundation to cultivating the Soul-Soothing Song. The other forms¡¯ mantras still hadn¡¯t been made known to him, but Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t worried. He could just slowly begin practice according to the Nurturing Soul Mantra. This was a cultivation world, and his Life Partner Jade Flute provided him with a Life Partner Cultivation Method, which let him cultivate Soul Force. Xu Disheng cultivated for a while, but he hardly made any noticeable progress because his mind felt somewhat jittery. When he opened his eyes, he saw Xu Xiao¡¯s handsome face turned towards him, and he felt the corners of his mouth lift slightly. When Xu Xiao saw the baby¡¯s big, clear, black and white eyes looking back at him with a hint of a smile, his heart felt touched somewhat, and he held the baby a bit tighter to his chest. With a hint of joy in his eyes, the outwardly frivolous young clan master said smilingly, ¡°Father said you might be a Innate Saint, but how could that mean that you aren¡¯t my son?¡± Xu Xiao reached out and lightly pinched the baby¡¯s soft, supple cheeks, smiling to himself. Xu Disheng couldn¡¯t resist at all since his body was powerless, so he just closed his eyes and let him be. But for some reason, he felt a calm begin to resonate deep inside in his heart, as if a voice was murmuring tenderly to him from within. Although Xu Xiao had numerous sons and daughters, he rarely expressed his emotions. But as he faced this very special eleventh son of his, he felt a bit at a loss for what to feel. When he remembered Xu Chaoyang¡¯s instructions, Xu Xiao quickly adjusted his state of mind and said in a lowered voice, ¡°Is Xu Cheng present?¡± ¡°At your command!¡± ¡°Announce to the entire capital city that this morning, my eleventh son was born, and that his name will be Xu Disheng. Tonight, we will have a celebratory feast. Invite the other two great clans of the Ruyang Region, as well as the presiding Guo Clan. ¡°As you wish, Young Patriarch!¡± Between the aloof great clans, there had always been mutual interaction. This time it would be this clan having a son, and then next time it would be the other clan having a daughter; everyone in the great clans would always mutually congratulate each other and exchange presents. It was a pretext for everyone to gather and strike private business deals over the feast. As a result, whenever an important person gave birth to a child, arranging a celebratory feast had long since become a routine convention. ¡°Young Patriarch¡­¡± Xu Cheng began, slowing down his horse as if he had something to say. ¡°No need to hem and haw, just spit it out,¡± Xu Xiao snapped in a reprimanding tone, feeling somewhat displeased. ¡°I just received a message that Young Master Jin has already arrived in Zhenhai City.¡± ¡°Send a message back saying I will return to the Fragrant Pillar at once.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Jin Qingzhao was the eldest son of Jin Hai, the Patriarch of the Jin Clan, and he was Xu Xiao¡¯s elder brother-in-law. He was similarly frivolous, loose, and uninhibited, and since a few years ago, he and Xu Xiao had been like birds of a feather. They would often go out and frequent brothels together. But ever since Xu Xiao assumed his role as the Young Patriarch, he became swamped in all kinds of work, and the amount of time he had to go out and fool around was much less. At the moment, it had only been about 4 hours since Jin Yu gave birth, but Jin Qingzhao had already managed to receive the news. Although the two clan¡¯s fiefdoms bordered each other, the Jin Clan¡¯s capital city was about 300 li away to the southwest of the Xu Clan¡¯s Zhenhai City. It was clear from this that Jin Qingzhao was exceptionally well-informed, and he must have rushed over quickly on horseback without rest. If you appreciate my work or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 4 Chapter 4 ¨C Starting Nourishing Soul, Five Years Pass Five Years of Nourishing Soul Xu Xiao returned to Zhenhai City and was now outside the Rain Listening Pavilion. He could hear Jin Qingzhao¡¯s uproarious laughter from inside the Rain Listening Pavilion before he even entered, causing him to lightly scowl as he strode in. A man wearing white clothes was holding onto Jin Yu¡¯s hand as they chatted about who knows what, laughing every now and then. His air and demeanor were completely unlike that of the eldest son of a clan. When he saw Xu Xiao enter, he stood up and winked at him. ¡°My good brother-in-law, it¡¯s already been over half a year since we last saw each other. This elder brother of yours really missed you so much,¡± Jin Qingzhao said smilingly. Xu Xiao¡¯s brows wrinkled further and said in a flat tone, ¡°Elder Brother Jin, watch your tongue.¡± When Jin Qingzhao heard his cold tone, he couldn¡¯t help but stare blankly at Xu Xiao before examining him closely from head to toe. ¡°Brother-in-law, your Heavenly Dipper Martial Technique has already reached the 4th Rank?¡± Hearing that, Xu Xiao¡¯s complexion loosened slightly, and he said, ¡°You have good eyes, Elder Brother Jin. I don¡¯t mean to lecture you, but as the eldest son of the Jin Clan, and the elder brother of Yu¡¯er, you should try to be the Jin Clan¡¯s role model on the outside. If you act like this all the time, the servants will look down on you.¡± Jin Qingzhao glanced at Jin Yu, then turned back to Xu Xiao and smiled. ¡°After you took the position of Young Patriarch, you¡¯ve really started to put on airs, haven¡¯t you? I¡¯ve never had the desire for power, and even though I¡¯m the eldest son, I¡¯ve only ever wanted to live a carefree and leisurely lifestyle.¡± Hearing this, Xu Xiao was silent. Jin Yu mustered up her best efforts to sit up, and her face was already no longer as pale as before. Her tone still slightly weak, she said softly, ¡°Husband, look at what Elder Brother brought for us.¡± Jin Qingzhao picked up an agarwood box from the bedside table and said with a laugh, ¡°When I heard that my younger sister gave birth, I immediately arranged for people to accompany me to rush over here without rest, all so that I could give my one and only sister this congratulatory gift. And yet, you¡¯re still getting the wrong idea about me.¡± Xu Xiao¡¯s complexion relaxed. ¡°It seems that your feelings are sincere. I spoke too strictly. Please forgive me, Elder Brother Jin.¡± "" ¡°It¡¯s no problem. I know you mean well for me. I¡¯ve always been close to Jin Yu since we were young, and while Jin Yu¡¯s son isn¡¯t your only child, to me he is my only nephew. How could I not come to offer my congratulations?¡± Jin Qingzhao opened up the wooden box, revealing a necklace strung with Buddhist prayer beads made out of white jade, faintly emanating white light. ¡°A Martial Treasure? Elder Brother, this is far too precious of a gift,¡± Xu Xiao said after staring at it. He was surprised to discover that this Buddhist prayer bead necklace was none other than a genuine Martial Treasure. Most martial artists used ordinary weapons, but there was a level above ordinary weapons known as Martial Treasures, which could only be refined by Xiantian martial artists. There were very few in circulation, such that even after the accumulation of several hundred years of history among the great clans in the Ruyang Region, there were still only a handful in their possession. Yet at this moment in time, Jin Qingzhao had taken out one of these Martial Treasures, showing his intentions to express his intimate goodwill to Xu Xiao and Jin Yu. ¡°This isn¡¯t a complete Martial Treasure, since it¡¯s a bit damaged. Even still, it¡¯s a body protection-type Martial Treasure, which are fairly rare. It¡¯s just the right thing to give to my nephew as a present to offer him protection.¡± ¡°Husband, Elder Brother already brought it all the way here for us, so let¡¯s just accept it,¡± Jin Yu said, persuading him gently. ¡°My Jin Clan doesn¡¯t really need this Martial Treasure. Where is my son? Please bring him to me, I want to personally feed him.¡± ¡°Your body is still weak. You need to take care of yourself first. I already had Mother Xun bring him to the Green Bamboo Pavilion, and we also found three wet nurses from within the city to take turns taking care of him and feeding him, so you don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Xu Xiao said, taking the Buddhist prayer beads and placing them gently in Jin Yu¡¯s hands. ¡°Father gave a name to our child; this eleventh child¡¯s name is Xu Disheng.¡± ¡°Then his nickname will be Sheng¡¯er.¡± Later that evening, Jin Qingdi, the second son of the Jin Family, Bai Fanyu, the young patriarch of the Bai Clan, and the Foreign Affairs Elder of the Guo Clan arrived in Zhenhai City accompanied by carriages and servants, bringing celebratory gifts and tidings. Influential officials of the Ruyang Region who belonged to rich and powerful aristocratic families also arrived in droves with their own presents. Xu Xiao was hosting a banquet in the Four Seas Pavilion in Zhenhai City. The three branch families of the Xu Clan also returned to the main branch to congratulate the Young Patriarch on the birth of his newest son, and both the guests and hosts thoroughly enjoyed themselves for a merry period of time. Only Xu Xiao¡¯s wives, Lady Zhang, who came from a merchant family, Lady Liu, who came from a small aristocratic family, and Lady Sun, who came from a commoner¡¯s family, sat opposite each other inside the Phoenix Pavilion. ¡°We¡¯ve had some good days in the past, but ever since Lady Jin entered the family, she¡¯s been using the Jin Clan backing to bully others. Although she seems mild on the outside, she¡¯s actually so unyielding and overbearing! Today she even gave birth to a son who was accompanied with natural phenomena. At this rate, we¡¯re going to lose favor!¡± Lady Zhang said begrudgingly, with bitterness apparent in her voice. These women didn¡¯t understand the significance of a Life Partner Artifact, and only knew that it was some kind of supernatural birth-related phenomena. They were also under strict orders not to disclose the matter to outsiders, so they didn¡¯t think too much of it. Lady Liu, who came from a small aristocratic family in the Xu Clan¡¯s fiefdom, didn¡¯t seem to care too much about it. ¡°Our Fu¡¯er, who¡¯s the eldest son, is already four years old. Although the Jin Clan¡¯s influence is great, Lady Jin¡¯s son has only just been born. That four year disparity and his status as the eldest son isn¡¯t something that can be erased so easily,¡± she said smilingly. As the first wife, the one Lady Liu was speaking of was her own son, Xu Fu, who was born four years ago. He was bright and intelligent from childhood, and he had always been well known within the capital city. These ladies continued to chat and gossip away within the pavilion. Within the Four Seas Pavilion, the guests were making merry in their luxurious satin attire, some celebrated with dance and song, while others gambled and drank. The sky above Zhenhai City was dark, but the city below was ablaze with lights. There were beggars on the street, dressed scantily in threadbare rags, shaking their broken bowls as they begged for money. The beggars shrunk back as frigid winds swept through the streets, causing them to shiver, but that only made them even colder. There were also commoner households, seated around their stoves and hearths with their bowls of food in their hands, chatting and laughing happily with their families. A merchant within the city was getting ready to close down shop for the night, when he suddenly saw a patrolling Imperial Guard approach. He hurriedly offered up a few taels of silver, and was forced to laugh along with him and endure the tongue-lashing before sending the guard on his way. In the brothels of the red-light district, prostitutes swayed seductively, flaunting their sensual beauty. However, hidden deep behind their alluring facade was a numb sense of apathy towards the world. And yet, they still continued to beckon and entice the passing citizens and merchants all so that they could earn their meager fill of silver. In a dim underground hall, two martial artists were fighting upon a stone platform while surrounded by the frenzied gazes of the spectators, who cast their bets while shouting and cheering in a crazed fashion. Outside of the capital city in the midst of the farm fields, an old farmer looked up at the sky, wiping the sweat from his brow. After a thoughtful pause, he slung his tools over his shoulder and began to walk home. There was also a hunter carrying a plump pheasant in one hand and a hare in the other, on his way home. As he approached his thatch cottage, he lifted the prey in his hands with a silly grin, showing off to his wife. On a cold and quiet riverbank, an old man sat there fishing, although the skies had long since gone dark. The old man picked up a gourd filled with alcohol and took a swig. ¡°Distant is the Immortal way, bitter is the mortal world. Yet upon reminiscence, it is truly hard to turn your back on it. Without slaughter, the mortal world cannot bother to change,¡± the old man muttered to himself. Five years passed. Large snowflakes filled the sky, covering Zhenhai City and the 100-li radius around it in a blanket of white. All the traveling merchants on the street had to wrap their horses¡¯ hooves in cloth just so they could move forward. The river was frozen over, and several naughty children played upon its surface. Before long, their parents came along and dragged them off, half pulling and half carrying them home. On the streets, most of the shops were already closed. In some of the clan properties, the people were already gathered around their stoves, sharing their warmth. Those that couldn¡¯t light a stove could only drape more clothes over their shoulders and shiver within the shelter of their own rooms as they bore the cold. Above the Green Bamboo Pavilion, Xu Disheng stood on the balcony with a white fur gown draped over his shoulders, looking over the myriad forms of the world. The maids behind him, Lan¡¯er and Mei¡¯er, who were well aware of their young master¡¯s temperament, stepped forward and said, ¡°Young Master Sheng, it¡¯s cold in front of the window. Please don¡¯t stand there for too long.¡± ¡°No harm,¡± the five year old boy said with a mild expression on his face. His lips were red and his teeth were white, accentuating his delicate and handsome features. Within Xu Disheng¡¯s black eyes were a brilliant sheen. He had been revolving his Nourishing Soul Cultivation Method for the last five years without pause. The Soul Song was a cultivation method whose miraculous merits could hardly be counted. Xu Disheng was practicing the first part of the cultivation method, Nourishing Soul, revolving it throughout every single day and night. He would absorb the energy of the sun and moon through the Bai Hui meridian point1 into his sea of consciousness. Although the amount he took in at one time couldn¡¯t be considered much, after the persistent accumulation of many small steps, he had already come a long way. At this point, it was starting to become possible to put the might of the Nourishing Soul Mantra to use. One of the many wondrous uses of this cultivation was the operation of Soul Power. If he concentrated the Soul Power on his eyes, he could see the hair, the color, shape, and size of an object in the distance with complete clarity up to 10 li away. Dispelling the Soul Force within his eyes, Xu Disheng turned around and asked, ¡°What time is it right now?¡± Lan¡¯er and Mei¡¯er glanced at each other before saying softly, ¡°At this moment, the dawn hours will soon be over2.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to go see Mother. Change my clothes.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The two maids didn¡¯t dare to speak too much, and they helped Xu Disheng change his clothes in silence. He switched out of the white fur gown into a more formal traditional robe. Xu Disheng was already over a meter tall, possessing a slim figure. Once he donned this custom-fitted traditional robe, he somewhat looked like he could pass for an eight or nine year old young boy. CH 5 Chapter 5 ¨C You Really Can¡¯t Speak to a Summer Insect About Ice? Servant Girl and Measuring Dao Channels TL Note: There are two sources that have the raws, one on Zongheng, the publisher, and one on Ranwen, and they have completely different titles for each chapter even though the content of each chapter is the exact same. From here on, I¡¯ll use the title from Zongheng (the publisher) as the main title, and then the title on Ranwen as the subtitle. Sometimes, the title on Zongheng is a bit long or difficult to translate since it¡¯s an idiom (like in this chapter), but the reader shouldn¡¯t have any problem understanding the meaning of it by the end of the chapter. Accompanied by two maids, Xu Disheng walked along the path between two pavilions, which had been cleared of snow by the servants. When he was one year old, he could already talk, and when he was two years old, he requested to be moved to the Green Bamboo Pavilion so he could live independently. In the eyes of the Xu Clan¡¯s Patriarch, this young master was both unusually opinionated and truly peculiar. When he entered the Rain Listening Pavilion, some snowflakes had been blown along the wind, settling upon his shoulders. Within the room, Jin Yu was playing with a little girl in her arms. When Jin Yu saw him enter, her mouth widened into a smile. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, come and take a look at your sister! She can already talk!¡± Xu Disheng stepped forward and reached out, taking the little girl into his arms. The girl was only 2 years old, and she stared up at Xu Disheng with her jet-black, glossy eyes, babbling. ¡°Br¡­other¡­ Wuuuu¡­ Moth..er¡­¡± As he looked at his sister, a trace of amusement flashed in his eyes. He could see that her face happened to resemble his quite a bit. After he played with her for a while, he gently handed Xu Yan back to Jin Yu before bowing to her to offer his respects. With Xu Yan back in her arms, she suddenly caught sight of the snow gathered on Xu Disheng¡¯s shoulders. Her face turned cold as she turned her gaze towards the maid, Lan¡¯er. Lan¡¯er also saw the snow, and she stood in the back, not daring to make a single sound. When she saw Jin Yu¡¯s cold, severe expression, she immediately knelt down on the ground, head lowered as she quivered in fear. ¡°Is this how you serve Young Master Sheng?¡± Jin Yu didn¡¯t speak loudly, but to Lan¡¯er, those words were like a thunderbolt in her ears. She began to kowtow endlessly without a word. Mei¡¯er also joined her in kneeling down, her head deeply lowered. ¡°Come in,¡± Jin Yu said. Two black-armored soldiers from the Zhenhai Army quickly walked in and cupped their fists in greeting. ¡°Madame Yu.¡± ¡°These two maid servants will¡­¡± Jin Yu started, her clear and elegant face contorted in anger. She was about to deal with them according to the clan¡¯s disciplinary rules before Xu Disheng spoke up. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Xu Disheng said, turning back to look at Lan¡¯er and Mei¡¯er. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, our clan has its own rules. These are just some lowly servant girls and nothing more. If one lives off the king¡¯s salary, one has to be loyal to him. These two are earning such a high salary, yet this is how they take care of the clan? If they do something wrong, they must be punished!¡± Jin Yu was also born in a big clan. Although she was very tolerant towards her family, she was exceedingly strict towards the servants. In the last few years, by relying on the backing influence of the Jin Clan, she had been exerting significant pressure on all the other wives. Within the whole community of pavilions, there was not a single person who dared to oppose her. ¡°Sheng¡¯er understands what Mother means. But it¡¯s just that I got used to wearing this, so I didn¡¯t feel like changing clothes again,¡± Xu Disheng said, turning around again to look at the two black-armored Zhenhai Army soldiers. ¡°You two may leave.¡± The two black-armored soldiers looked over at Jin Yu, looking somewhat hesitant. ¡°Young Master Sheng told you to leave, can¡¯t you hear?¡± Jin Yu raised her voice slightly, already feeling somewhat angered. The two black-armored soldiers slowly withdrew. ¡°Tomorrow is our Xu Clan¡¯s Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony, which we hold once every five years. Within the 400-li of the fiefdom, any children above 5 years of age and under 10 years of age will come to Zhenhai City to attend. Those with Dao Channels that manage to catch the eye of the Xu Clan will be taken under our care for cultivation. After they grow up, they can join the Imperial Guard, the Zhenhai Army, or other departments. These are the people who will become your troops and subordinates! Your brothers have all been eagerly trying to attract talents, and yet you aren¡¯t interested at all!¡± Jin Yu said a bit reproachfully. Even if the parents did not have Dao Channels, their children could still have Dao Channels since they were considered natural dispositions. But if both parents had Dao Channels, the probability of their children having Dao Channels was over 90 percent! Moreover, the Grade of the parents¡¯ Dao Channels had an enormous impact as well. The higher each of their Grades were, when the two qualities combined in their offspring, their Grade would usually become even higher. How could the Xu Clan be perched upon this lofty position as the local tyrant ruling over 400-li of land? Could it be the Grand Chu¡¯s conferral of their fiefdom had simply made things this way? No, even if they did confer them land, if the clan didn¡¯t have the power to protect it, there was no point! As a result, these martial artists who were gifted with Dao Channels were considered the roots upon which these clans built their power. The main branch of the clan would possess formidable strength, and the branch families would spread out throughout the land, assimilating these future martial artists into their ranks within their fiefdoms. This enabled the clans to continue to exist, maintain their rule over their fiefdom, and flourish endlessly. Because the Xu Clan had over 100 years of history, they had several body tempering techniques that could be practiced from childhood, among which was one called the Changquan Martial Art1. This technique was entirely geared towards providing the fundamentals for children, and had to be practiced alongside nourishing baths in spirit medicine. Before the Xu Clan¡¯s children even measured their Dao Channels, they had already begun to strengthen their bodies. Xu Disheng began to practice the Changquan Martial Art when he was 3 years old, and he received medicinal baths every day. As a result, even though he was only 5 years old, he already had strength comparable to an ordinary commoner adult. On top of that, the cyan jade flute was always spilling forth light within his sea of consciousness, as if prompting Xu Disheng to continue cultivating Soul Force at all times. Because of this, his cultivation of the Nourishing Soul Mantra was extremely fast. It was the next day in the central plaza of Zhenhai City. The plaza was extremely spacious, spanning over 200 zhang in radius. In the very center of the plaza was a massive 16-sided Dao platform, above which was a statue depicting a cross-legged youth. This statue bore the resemblance of Xu Kunyu, the ancestor of the Xu Clan who was enfeoffed 300 years ago at this location. The plaza was packed to the brim with people. The shops surrounding the plaza had already stopped doing business, and had instead started putting out wooden chairs and tables. They began to sell seats for half a tael of silver per wooden stool, and even still people came rushing over like ducks to bread. The Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony was a grand occasion that occurred only once every five years in the Xu Clan¡¯s fiefdom. This day alone decided many common households¡¯ futures. It determined whether they would have to do manual labor for the rest of their life and be confined to mediocrity, or whether they would soar to the heavens with a single step and transcend their status as mere commoners. The last time the Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony took place in this 400-li radius fiefdom was exactly five years ago on this day. Over the last five years, there had been about 1500 children who were now aged between five and ten years, not to mention their parents and the other bustling onlookers adding onto that figure. These people were crowded into every free spot in the plaza and the area surrounding it. In the middle of the plaza, there was a considerably large empty area, but every now and then there were Imperial Guards laying out seats, which were reserved for aristocratic families and other precious guests. ¡°Our family¡¯s Er Niu had always been a strong ¡®un since he was a lil¡¯ kid. I think our boy Er Niu¡¯s gotta have at least Eighth Grade Dao Channels!¡± A robust man bragged to the others beside him, pulling along a little chubby boy. ¡°Stop dreaming, Old Niu. If he actually ends up having Eighth Grade Dao Channels, he¡¯ll be taken under the Xu Family¡¯s wing, conferred five fields of cropland, and earn a salary of ten taels of silver each month! There¡¯s no way your family has that kind of good fortune!¡± A man next to him from the same village sneered, unable to stomach his rambunctious, arrogant attitude. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, just you wait and see!¡± Old Niu said with a snort. He pulled along the chubby youngster by the hand as they forced their way through the crowd. This was only the happenings in one corner of the plaza. Within the center of the plaza, 10 Zhenhai Army troops who were in charge of doing the measurements were gathered. From the surroundings, another 10 Zhenhai Army troops stood by to maintain order. ¡°Make way! Step aside!¡± Several Imperial Guards roared loudly. From the south side of the plaza, a path was opened up through the crowd of people. Several Imperial Guards were cooperating to lift and transport a stone platform together. The stone platform was clearly extremely heavy, but these guards were all martial artists. Even still, they had to exert themselves heavily, their faces turning red in the process. ¡°That¡¯s the Dao Channel Measuring Platform?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that each region received one Dao Channel Measuring Platform from the Grand Chu. This one is ordinarily under the care of the Ruyang Region¡¯s Guo Clan. When a clan needed to use it, it would then be transported in advance. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t look like much.¡± ¡°What the hell do you know? This stone platform is a Martial Treasure! Not only that, it was refined by the court of the Grand Chu Dynasty! You only need to go up and take a seat to find out if you have Dao Channels!¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Martial Treasure?¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s seriously no point speaking to a summer insect about what happens in the winter!2¡± In the vast crowd, the people were talking excitedly amongst themselves, but when this blithely ignorant guy blurted out things without thinking, he attracted many disdainful gazes. CH 6 Chapter 6 ¨C Beautiful as Jade In the middle of the immense plaza, the seats and platters of fruit prepared for the aristocratic families had already been set out. Suddenly, the crowd parted to make a path, and an Imperial Guard announced in a loud voice, ¡°The Bai Clan¡¯s Young Patriarch, Bai Fanyu, son of Bai Xiuyu, has arrived!¡± The delegation from the Bai Clan was made up of 10 people, led at the front by a handsome and bright youth wearing white clothes, who was none other than Bai Fanyu. ¡°Brother Yu, my apologies for being unable to welcome you from afar. I was an inhospitable host.¡± Xu Xiao said, stepping down from the Dao platform to welcome him. He had just finished bringing the members of the main family and branch family of the Xu Clan to pay respects to their ancestor, Xu Kunyu. Bai Fanyu replied with a smile, ¡°No problem, Brother Xu. I know you are busy, so we will just make ourselves comfortable.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding, Brother Yu.¡± Xu Xiao took a good look at the youth that was half a step behind Bai Fanyu and said, ¡°This must be Xiuyu, right? He looks like quite the heroic youth.¡± Bai Xiuyu¡¯s expression was haughty, but when he heard Xu Xiao praising him, he slightly restrained his proud bearing and cupped his fists in greeting. ¡°This dog son of mine, his manners are far too lacking. Please don¡¯t mind it, Brother Xu,¡± Bai Fanyu said with a forced smile, shooting a sideways glance at Bai Xiuyu. ¡°No problem, no problem. Geniuses always have their own unique character.¡± Bai Xiuyu was the eldest son of the first wife of Bai Fanyu, and he was 11 years old. Three years ago at the Bai Clan¡¯s Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony, he was measured to have Fifth Grade Dao Channels, momentarily shocking the entire Ruyang Region. Currently, he already had strength at the middle-rank Houtian level. His speed of cultivation of Martial Techniques rendered others speechless, and he was already stronger than those martial artists who had already been at the Houtian stage for several years. He had already cultivated the Bai Clan¡¯s Barbarian Ox Martial Technique to perfect completion of the 3rd Rank, which meant that he possessed the full strength of three oxen. The oxen in this analogy couldn¡¯t be likened to mere domesticated cows, but rather rhinoceroses with incredible strength! For a martial artist who hadn¡¯t reached the Xiantian level, the differences between their strengths were not always apparent. They would roughly be divided into early-stage, middle-stage, and late-stage, but a Houtian martial artist¡¯s fighting power was mainly dependent on the Martial Technique that they cultivated. The higher the rank of the Martial Technique they cultivated, the stronger their fighting power would be; the more exquisite their Martial Technique, the easier they could take on multiple opponents alone. The delegation from the Bai Clan was seated in turn. Xu Xiao¡¯s younger clan brothers, Xu Yan and Xu Chen, were from the Xu Clan¡¯s branch family. They normally helped out with managing political and economic affairs, and at this time they were helping to greet and receive the guests. The two great clans, the Guo Clan and the Jin Clan, as well as the smaller clans like the Liu Clan and the Zuo Clan all arrived in succession, taking their seats. As such, the whole area in the plaza was distinctly divided based on standing. In the open space in the very center of the enormous plaza was the Martial Treasure for measuring Dao channels, which consisted of the Dao platform with the tall statue towering above it. Surrounding it were the three great clans of the Ruyang Region, including the Xu Clan, which, as the hosts, had the most people present. In the main branch of the Xu Clan, there were 5 people who were of the appropriate age for measuring their Dao Channels: Xu Disheng, Xu Qian, Xu Yufeng, and Xu Ziyu. The branch families had 2 people, a boy named Xu Zhi and a small girl called Xu Qingcheng. Jin Qingdi, the second son of the Jin Clan, was the Young Patriarch of the Jin Clan. He gave Xu Xiao a glance, then turned and gave several instructions to the servant beside him. That servant stood up and walked over to Xu Xiao, cupping his fists in salute before speaking to him in a low tone. When Xu Xiao heard what was said, he looked in Jin Qingdi¡¯s direction and gave him a slight nod. Jin Qingdi turned around and gave a smile to the red-clothed little girl by his side. ¡°Yu¡¯er, you¡¯re already 8 years old this year. You weren¡¯t old enough at the Jin Clan¡¯s last Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony, so you¡¯ll have your Dao Channels measured alongside the Xu Clan¡¯s younger generation this time. You can go on over first.¡± Jin Yu¡¯er was wearing a red dress that extended from her head to her toes. Her hair was tied up into two pigtails that extended cutely from both sides of her head. She was extremely attractive with her delicate eyes and brows, red lips and white teeth. ¡°Yes, Father,¡± she replied in a melodious voice when she heard what he said. She stood up gracefully and walked off towards where the Xu Clan¡¯s youth were situated. This kind of situation was common. In every clan, there were inevitably children who would narrowly miss the Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony because they were just below the appropriate age, and they would have no choice but to wait for the next one. The Dao Channel Measurement Platforms were all uniformly refined by the Grand Chu, and they were designed to only measure people between 5 to 10 years of age, so they could tell what the true age of the person being measured was. For example, if someone was 4 years old at the time of this Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony, they couldn¡¯t have their Dao Channels measured. But if they were to wait until they were 9 years old for their clan to hold the next one, it would already be a bit too late for them. Thus, the children in this situation would take advantage of other clan¡¯s Dao Channel Measurement Ceremonies and have their Dao Channels measured alongside that clan¡¯s youths. The Guo Clan, who presided over the Ruyang Region, were naturally not bound by this restriction, since the Dao Channel Measurement Platforms were usually in their safekeeping. If they wanted to measure their Dao Channels, they could do so whenever they wished. Xu Xiao¡¯s first son, Xu Fu, already had his Dao Channels measured at the Guo Clan at an earlier date in this manner. However, normal people ordinarily couldn¡¯t bend the rules like this. The look in Jin Yu¡¯er¡¯s eyes was bright and dazzling, and she was also beautiful. As she walked towards the Xu Clan¡¯s side where the other children were, many little boys were too shy to even look at her. However, she was a daring person and she strode right up to Xu Yan and asked in a loud and clear voice, ¡°Uncle, where should I wait?¡± Xu Yan and Xu Chen were both clan brothers of Xu Xiao, who had conferred a prefectural seat to each of them. For today¡¯s Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony, they had readily come back to help Xu Xiao manage various affairs. Xu Yan patted Jin Yu¡¯er on the head, and said with a smile, ¡°Yu¡¯er, just find a seat here and sit down.¡± Jin Yu¡¯er nodded and gave a cute chirp in agreement, and made her way to the seats that the Xu Clan¡¯s children were sitting in. At this moment, the only ones seated here among Xu Xiao¡¯s children were Xu Xuan, Xu Qian, and Xu Disheng. They were seated in a circle in the innermost part of the group made up of the other children of the Xu Clan. Jin Yu¡¯er walked right into the middle of the circle, looking at them with her big eyes. ¡°Can I sit here?¡± she asked clearly, pointing at the spot next to Xu Qian. Xu Qian was 7 years old, with handsome and refined features. He was the second son of Madame Zhang, and as the son belonging to a merchant family, he had a decent sense of propriety. ¡°You can,¡± he said with a smile, extending his arm out in a gesture of invitation. Next to them, Xu Xuan, the daughter of Madame Sun, had never seen such a pretty little girl around her age. She belonged to a commoner¡¯s family, so even though she had good looks, her beauty was only about on par with a typical maid servant in the Xu Family. Her face turned red as she looked down and muttered indistinctly, not daring to speak out. Jin Yu¡¯er didn¡¯t mind this at all, and continued to talk to Xu Qian for a while before turning her beautiful gaze in Xu Disheng¡¯s direction. The child was sitting there wrapped in a black robe, not talking to anyone else. She found him a bit strange, so she asked Xu Qian, ¡°Who is this?¡± Xu Qian took a glance at Xu Disheng before saying quietly, ¡°His name is Xu Disheng, and he¡¯s my 11th brother. He¡¯s a rather strange person.¡± Jin Qingzhao and Jin Yu were fairly close, but even though she and Jin Qingdi were siblings, they weren¡¯t nearly as close because Jin Qingdi was always busy with the clan¡¯s affairs. On top of that, there were many marital relations between the Xu Clan and the Jin Clan. There were simply too many relatives, to the point that Jin Yu¡¯er could actually be considered as Xu Disheng¡¯s older female cousin. In the eyes of the other children of the Xu Clan, Xu Disheng was indeed perceived as being rather strange. Over the past five years, he rarely left the house, and he never took the initiative to speak to others. Even if he was spoken to, his words were extremely scarce, and he would never say more than was necessary. As a result, aside from the few relatives that were close to him, he had very little presence in the massive extended family that was made up of the marital network between the Xu Clan and the Jin Clan. ¡°But he¡¯s so good-looking,¡± Jin Yu¡¯er secretly muttered to herself. She stared at Xu Disheng for a while longer, taking note of the calm, peaceful look in his eyes as he sat there, his thoughts unreadable. This whole time, he hadn¡¯t even bothered to spare her a glance, so she was somewhat upset by this. She was beautiful from birth, so everywhere she went, she had always been the center of everyone¡¯s attention. But at this moment, Xu Disheng still hadn¡¯t looked in her direction, so she couldn¡¯t help feeling unhappy. Xu Yufeng and Xu Ziyu, who were both 8 years old, walked over at this time. Although Xu Ziyu could be considered pretty, she was also a daughter of the commoner Sun Family, so she lacked the graceful, dignified bearing that was characteristic of the Xu Clan. As a result, her looks were overshadowed by Jin Yu¡¯er¡¯s. When Xu Yufeng spotted Jin Yu¡¯er, he was momentarily captivated by her beauty, but since he was from an aristocratic family, he was only startled for a short instant before restoring his composure. Turning to Xu Qian, he said, ¡°Younger Brother Qian, I just went below to look around. There are quite a few promising people getting their Dao Channels measured this time.¡± It turned out that he arrived a bit later just now because he was observing the other children getting their Dao Channels measured, so he could recruit any potential talents. He also had the attendant by his side note down the names of any children who might have Eighth-Grade Dao Channels. However, the one who was making the biggest moves was still Xu Fu, who was blessed with Sixth-Grade Dao Channels, which was already considered among the highest in the Xu Clan. He was also the eldest son of the first wife, and over the recent years he had been winning over many people from the main family and the branch families. CH 7 Chapter 7 ¨C Grade The Fiefdom of Patriarch Xu Chaoyang In the plaza where the seats were arranged by class, the crowd gradually began to quiet down. There was a counted total of 1500 children in the open area under the Dao platform in the very center of the plaza. Among them were the children from the Xu Clan who had just come down from their seats, the children from the branch families, and of course, Jin Yu¡¯er. Surrounding the four great clans of the Ruyang Region were the small aristocratic families beneath them, and behind those aristocratic families were the local gentry and government officials. The ordinary citizens, who were the greatest in number, were on the outermost edge of the plaza. Although the venue was packed to the brim, a silence fell over the crowd. Xu Yan, one of the ministers who was in charge of this Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony, stood on the Dao platform and announced loudly, ¡°The Patriarch has arrived.¡± Many people felt a gale of spring wind rush over the tops of their heads, and before they knew it, there was a person standing on the Dao platform. It was none other than the Patriarch of the Xu Clan, Xu Chaoyang, the great expert who was at the pinnacle of the Houtian stage. When those from the several great clans saw this, their pupils constricted and their expressions turned grave. The representative that the Guo Clan sent this time was a foreign affairs minister named Guo Renhou. He cultivated the same Martial Technique, having also reached the 6th Rank, but he had still not reached the peak of the rank. When he saw the speed of Xu Chaoyang¡¯s movement technique, his expression changed, and he shared a meaningful look with Bai Fanyu and Jin Qingdi. ¡°Xu Chaoyang has already reached the peak of the Houtian stage! At this rate, I¡¯m afraid that he will become the top expert in the Ruyang Region!¡± Bai Fanyu¡¯s expression was still fine. Although the Jin Clan had always expressed their goodwill towards the Xu Clan, and the two clans were very close with many intermarital relations, the Bai Clan still had Bai Xiuyu, who also possessed Fifth-Grade Dao Channels. Guo Renhou had a heavy expression since the Guo Clan hadn¡¯t produced a Xiantian martial artist in the last several hundred years. But in this one generation, Xu Chaoyang, who had Fifth-Grade Dao Channels, had appeared, followed shortly after by the Bai Clan¡¯s Bai Xiuyu, who was also gifted with Fifth-Grade Dao Channels! If Xu Chaoyang managed to break through into the Xiantian stage, Guo Renhou feared that the one presiding over the Ruyang Region would no longer be the Guo Clan. The Grand Chu Dynasty had conferred fiefdoms by their own edict, and this tradition was carried on across tens of thousands of years. But even though their millions and millions of li of their realm¡¯s lands had long since been divided into the 11 provinces, there were always new, rising clans that overtook the old, weaker clans. This much was considered to be normal. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask everyone to please forgive our Xu Clan for our poor hospitality today,¡± Xu Chaoyang said gently to the people of the great clans. These people all politely responded in turn, not daring to antagonize him. In front of people like Xu Yan and Xu Chen, they could act normally, but once Xu Chaoyang arrived, they had to pay their utmost respects. After all, strength was the root of every clan. All of the wealth, farmland, territory, and servants that a clan possessed were merely outward appearances. Supporting all of these things from behind the scenes was just one simple truth: strength! ¡°As the Patriarch, I hereby declare that the Xu Clan¡¯s Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony has officially begun.¡± Xu Chaoyang circulated his Martial Technique, causing his concise words to resonate throughout the whole plaza. Once he was finished speaking, he walked to the main seat meant for the Patriarch and took a seat. Xu Xiao was next to him, in a seat whose position was beneath him. Yet when the ordinary citizens and local gentry saw this head of the entire prefecture, they didn¡¯t have that much of a reaction. Xu Chaoyang was always in secluded meditation, and very few of the citizens under their jurisdiction saw him very rarely. On the contrary, they revered the Young Patriarch, Xu Xiao, because he was the one who actively protected the Zhenhai Prefecture with the hundreds of martial artists under his command. The ones who cared most about this event were naturally the ordinary citizens. Whether or not their children possessed Dao Channels was a matter that could allow them to achieve a meteoric rise in class and join the ranks of the Xu Clan¡¯s personnel. The children were lined up neatly in a queue, and under the direction of the Zhenhai Army Troops, they began to have their Dao Channels measured. The first one in the line was a child from a peasant family, who had a simple and honest demeanor. He was led to the area below the Dao Channel Measurement Platform by a Zhenhai Army soldier, where he hesitated, at a complete loss for what to do. Xu Yan, who was sitting beneath the platform, glanced at Xu Cheng, the vice commander of the Zhenhai Army who was currently in charge of keeping record for the ceremony, and said, ¡°Help out those who can¡¯t get up themselves.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± At Xu Cheng¡¯s command, two armored Zhenhai Army troops lifted up that child, who was still standing there somewhat at a loss, and helped him up onto the platform. The whole plaza waited in a hushed silence, quietly watching the stone platform. The Dao Channel Measurement Platform detected that someone had come up, triggering the power of the Martial Treasure. A faint, circular halo of white light was gradually emitted from the center. This halo was extremely eye-catching, and its blazing white light was distinctly visible even under the radiance of the bright daytime sun. The parents of this simple and honest-looking child watched suspensefully from the back, holding onto each other¡¯s hands tightly. All of a sudden, that halo shuddered, and it spread outwards, coalescing into two resplendent white halos! It then ceased its shaking and stabilized. ¡°Liu Shicong, Ninth-Grade Dao Channels!¡± the armored troop in charge of the measurement declared in a loud voice. ¡°Dao Channels! Our Cong¡¯er has Dao Channels!¡± Liu Shicong¡¯s parents cried tears of joy. From this day on, their child would be fostered by the Xu Clan, and the child¡¯s parents would be bestowed with generous rewards. Once they grew up, they would be able to join the staffing structure of the Xu Clan and earn a salary! They could even own servants and slaves. To them, it was truly reaching heaven with a single bound! That simple and honest-looking child, Liu Shicong, stood there in a daze. It was only when he was carried off the platform by the soldiers that he got a hold of himself, and he ran towards his parents, brimming with emotion. He wailed, ¡°Mom, Dad, I have Dao Channels!¡± The other civilians in the area who saw this kept straight faces, but envy was hidden deep within their gazes. The people of the clans in the center of the plaza had no change in expression whatsoever, as they were completely unmoved by this scene. To the ordinary civilians, discovering your child had Ninth-Grade Dao Channels was an event that altered the family¡¯s entire fate, but to these people from the clans, it was nothing at all. ¡°Xu Lu, no Dao Channels!¡± One circle of white light signified no Dao Channels, while two circles of white light signified Ninth-Grade Dao Channels. The measuring of Dao Channels continued on. ¡°Zhang Jingcong, no Dao Channels!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± In reality, it wasn¡¯t that easy to find someone with Dao Channels, and the first person who went, Liu Shicong, just happened to be an exception. The next 100 children all had no Dao Channels! Even having the most inferior Ninth-Grade Dao Channels was enough for that person, once they joined the personnel, to never have to worry about eating or drinking for the rest of their lives. It was far better than being a part of an ordinary social class. For the parents whose children didn¡¯t have Dao Channels, disappointed, lackluster looks were apparent in their eyes, forming a harsh juxtaposition with their expressions that were so full of hope before. Several hours later, around 1000 children already had their Dao Channels measured. So far, there were 19 children with Ninth-Grade Dao Channels, and 1 child with Eighth-Grade Dao Channels. Those children were separated, each of them standing apart from the rest. Each of their parents could hardly conceal the glee in their eyes. This was especially the case for the parents of that one child who had Eighth-Grade Dao Channels. Their heads were raised high, backs proud and straight, and they looked extremely moved. After all, if one with Eighth-Grade Dao Channels was diligent in their cultivation, they could potentially enter the Zhenhai Army! In the Zhenhai Army, each soldier¡¯s strength could equate to 10 martial artists or 100 ordinary people! Not only were their salaries incredibly high, but they also received bountiful material benefits. They were bestowed a house with a courtyard, farmland, and servants! There were about 300 people in the Zhenhai Army, and they acted as the Xu Clan¡¯s direct bodyguards and subordinates. But on the outside, each and every one of them was viewed as a great figure that ordinary people couldn¡¯t even hope to aspire to. When it finally came time for the children of the branch family of the Xu Clan to begin measuring their Dao Channels, a complete silence stretched over the entire plaza. Everyone knew that at every Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony, this part was the main highlight. The probability of the commoners having Dao Channels was simply too low, since none of their parents had Dao Channels. But in the main family and branch families of the Xu Clan, almost every single parent had Dao Channels. There were exceedingly few Ninth-Grade Dao Channels, and most of them had Eighth-Grade Dao Channels. Some even had Seventh-Grade or even Sixth-Grade Dao Channels. As a result, there were surprises almost every time, and even the children with the worst aptitudes in the Xu Clan would end up having Ninth-Grade Dao Channels at the very least. If you appreciate my work or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 8 Chapter 8 ¨C Constrict then Expand So What Grade? TL Note: Changed ¡°Soul Power¡± to ¡°Soul Force¡±, and changed the format of Dao Channel Grades to Grade 9 Dao Channels instead of Ninth-Grade Dao Channels. ¡°Xu Lingshan, Grade 8 Dao Channels!¡± ¡°Xu Jiaju, Grade 8 Dao Channels!¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Xu Chen turned his head and said to Xu Xiao, ¡°Young Patriarch, my Yu County branch family has quite a few children with Grade 8 Dao Channels this time. It¡¯s a lot more than previous years.¡± The Yu County branch family had a total of 11 children having their Dao Channels measured this time. Among them, there were 2 Grade 8 Dao Channels and 9 Grade 9 Dao Channels. Xu Xiao nodded his head slightly, then looked at Xu Yan¡¯s branch family. Xu Yan¡¯s branch family had only two children up for measurement this time: Xu Zhi and Xu Qingcheng. Xu Zhi was dressed from head to toe in a black robe, and had an indifferent expression. Xu Qingcheng was extremely beautiful since birth, and she was currently 9 years old. Wearing a white dress, she made her way towards the platform, unexpectedly not showing even the slightest signs of stage fright. She cast a glance over at Xu Yan, who nodded back at her in response. When the little girl in the white dress arrived in front of the platform, the armored soldier from the Zhenhai Army made a move to pick her up, but she lightly waved her hand to stop him. Placing her two hands on the ledge, she gracefully flipped herself up onto the platform, her white dress fluttering in the wind. Although she was still very young, she was already beginning to look very much like a budding beauty. The boys below stared wide-eyed at this sight, completely enamored by this sight. The Dao Channel Measurement Platform slightly shuddered, and one circle of white light rippled outwards. Xu Yan¡¯s eyebrows wrinkled, but just as the armored soldier was about to announce that she had no Dao Channels, the stone platform suddenly began to swell with white light. When the brilliant light finally receded, what remained was a total of 6 splendid halos of white light encircling the stone platform! Xu Chaoyang stood up abruptly, his eyes fixed on the small girl in the white dress atop the stone platform. Almost all the people from every one of the great clans also shot to their feet! ¡°Xu Qingcheng, Grade 5 Dao Channels!!¡± the armored soldier from the Zhenhai Army announced in a trembling voice. ¡°Hahaha, great! My Xu Clan has yet another with Grade 5 Dao Channels!¡± Xu Chaoyang bellowed, his unrestrained laughter echoing out. The other people from the great clans all had varying expressions. The arrogant and lofty youth Bai Xiuyu withdrew his haughty expression, and he was now directing a fiery gaze towards Xu Qingcheng. ¡°This is the third person with Grade 5 Dao Channels in the whole Ruyang Region!¡± ¡°The Xu Clan has two people with Grade 5 Dao Channels!¡± The aristocratic families began to whisper among each other, casting glances over at the Guo Clan¡¯s seats from time to time. Guo Renhou¡¯s expression was heavy. He took out a secret sealed letter that he had written from within his sleeve and furtively handed it to the attendant behind him. After the attendant received the letter, he took advantage of a moment where no one was watching and slipped away from the crowd. He quickly mounted a horse and gave it several whips, making his way at a full gallop towards the Guo Clan¡¯s property in the capital city of the Ruyang Region. Having Grade 5 Dao Channels meant the possibility for the martial artist to break through to the Xiantian stage, and in the entire Ruyang Region, there were only three! As soon as a Xiantian martial artist were to appear in one of the clans, the Guo Clan, who had been slowly weakening over the years, would surely lose their position. The whole Ruyang Region would be overturned! Xu Yan forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart. In his Yu County branch family, Xu Qingcheng was a niece of his. But when he brought her along this time to have her Dao Channels measured, he never would have guessed that he would get this big of a surprise! She would henceforth be taken into the main branch of the clan, but¡­ ¡°As rewards for Xu Yan¡¯s merits, he will be granted 50 servants, 20 maids, 1000 taels of gold, 100 rolls of silk, 100 good horses, and 10 units of 100-year spirit medicine!¡± Xu Chaoyang announced in a deep voice. ¡°Thank you for the generosity, Patriarch!¡± Xu Yan revealed a delighted expression. Even though he had to split a portion to the parents of Xu Qingcheng, he would still be able to keep a majority of it. Also, with those gold taels, he could purchase medicinal ingredients to assist with his cultivation, or martial arts to increase his combat strength! ¡°Bring her over!¡± ¡°At once, Patriarch!¡± Xu Qingcheng was soon brought before Xu Chaoyang. He had Grade 5 Dao Channels himself, so he was fully aware of how fast her cultivation of Martial Techniques would be. A smile appeared on his face as he sized up Xu Qingcheng. ¡°Qingcheng greets Patriarch!¡± she chirped sweetly. Although her age was small, she was thoughtful in her etiquette, which gave people a good impression of her. ¡°No need to be too courteous! You can just call me Grandpa1,¡± Xu Chaoyang said with a chuckle. If she didn¡¯t possess Grade 5 Dao Channels, Xu Chaoyang would never have even spared this little brat from a branch family a second glance, much less allow her to call him ¡°grandpa¡±. The rest of the clansmen knew what Xu Chaoyang¡¯s personality was like, and cursed inwardly when they heard this. ¡°You can stand behind me for now.¡± ¡°Yes, grandpa.¡± ¡°Continue the Dao Channel measurements,¡± Xu Chaoyang instructed. ¡°Understood, Father.¡± Xu Xiao saw that Xu Chaoyang was in a wonderful mood, and he smiled. Whenever Xu Chaoyang was around, as the Young Patriarch, he would be left with almost no say at all. Now that the pressure had been alleviated somewhat, he turned his head to Xu Yan and told him to recommence the measuring of the Dao Channels. ¡°As you wish, Young Patriarch.¡± At this moment, the only ones who haven¡¯t had their Dao Channels measured yet were the 5 children from the main branch of the Xu Clan, and Xu Zhi, the other from Xu Yan¡¯s branch family who was the same age as Xu Qingcheng. With an indifferent expression, Xu Zhi walked up to the stone platform and flipped up onto the stage, where he took a seat. In an instant, the stone platform released a single circle of white light which didn¡¯t show any signs of further change. The crowd was stunned. It was known that every person in the Xu Clan¡¯s main family and branch families possessed at least Grade 9 Channels at the very minimum, and there were almost no cases where they had no Dao Channels. ¡°No problem, you can come down,¡± Xu Chaoyang said with a smile. Evidently, the fact that Xu Qingcheng had Grade 5 Dao Channels had made him extremely pleased. Xu Zhi was Xu Qingcheng¡¯s little brother, so even though he somewhat lost face for the Xu Clan by having no Dao Channels, he didn¡¯t see it as a big problem. Xu Zhi¡¯s expression became even more detached, and he jumped down from the platform. Without a word, he returned back to the crowd where the branch family was seated. The remaining five were the sons and daughters of Xu Xiao, and thus the direct blood kin of Xu Chaoyang. However, in face of the value in Xu Qingcheng¡¯s Grade 5 Dao Channels, Xu Chaoyang actually didn¡¯t hold that much expectations towards these children. Aside from the small boy in the black robe, that is. That secret had been protected for these last five years. At that time, the elders of the Xu Clan held a meeting and made the decision to raise him as a normal heir, and only when his Dao Channels were measured would they decide on his cultivation agenda. This secret was forbidden to be told to any outsiders, and they even got rid of several soldiers of the Zhenhai Army who happened to be around at his birth in order to hide it. The only remaining people who were privy to this knowledge were the clan elders, Xu Xiao, and his wives. Xu Xiao¡¯s wives were all heavily guarded. In the last five years, many imperial guards were placed on patrol, and vigilance was demanded of them at all times. This measure guaranteed that even at the slightest hint of trouble, there wouldn¡¯t be any leak of information outside of Zhenhai City. ¡°Xu Qian, Grade 6 Dao Channels!¡± ¡°Xu Ziyu, Grade 8 Dao Channels!¡± ¡°Xu Yufeng, Grade 7 Dao Channels!¡± ¡°Xu Xuan, Grade 7 Dao Channels!¡± Xu Qian was the only one with Grade 6 Dao Channels, and the others all had Seventh or Grade 8 Dao Channels, yet this result wasn¡¯t shocking in the least to the crowd. There weren¡¯t many with Grade 6 Dao Channels, but to these great clans who passed on their blood for hundreds of years, they weren¡¯t necessarily considered that rare either. Xu Disheng was constantly circulating his Soul Force throughout his body¡¯s circuit this whole time, starting from the Shenque meridian point near his navel2, going up to the Crimson Palace at the heart where it flowed in orbit. Lastly, it would go up to the Baihui meridian3 at the top of his head, where it would congregate within his sea of consciousness. At this moment, he opened his eyes and stood up, and began to walk slowly towards the stone platform. Jin Yu¡¯er was watching him unblinkingly, while Xu Qingcheng, who was standing behind Xu Chaoyang, looked on at Xu Disheng with interest. Only Xu Chaoyang and Xu Xiao¡¯s expressions had a hint of nervousness in them. Xu Disheng lightly flipped onto the stone platform and sat down cross-legged upon it. He felt a strand of foreign energy spring up from the platform below, which entered his meridians and circulated around, then disappeared back into the stone platform. This was the probing technique of this stone platform Martial Treasure, which could only be refined by those in the Xiantian stage. It was also a Martial Treasure distributed by the Grand Chu Dynasty, so as expected, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary item. Xu Disheng was trying to use his Soul Force to feel out the strand of probing energy, but he was completely blocked. After a while, he stopped trying and let the strand of energy wander about in his meridians several times. The Dao Channel Measurement Platform suddenly started shaking, and the white circle of light constricted, where it was stuck closely to the top of the platform. The crowd was completely flabbergasted. They had only ever seen the white halo of light expand outwards, and had never seen it constrict inwards like this. The halo of light kept shrinking smaller and smaller, as if it would expand outwards violently in the next second. ¡°Expand?!¡± Xu Chaoyang began to feel inwardly that something bad was going to happen, and he wanted to fly to the front, but he was already too late. A phantom image of a hand suddenly appeared, covering the Dao Channel Measurement Platform. The white light that looked like it was about to explode was contained within the palm, and after it closed into a fist with a firm grasp, there was no more sound. An eagle-eyed elder appeared on the platform, his appearance somewhat similar to Xu Chaoyang. ¡°Respect to the Great Elder!¡± ¡°Greetings to Grandpa Elder!¡± Everyone from the Xu Clan still couldn¡¯t wrap their heads around what just happened, but when they saw the eagle-eyed elder, they suppressed their astonishment and each of them immediately began to greet him with respect. This person was the Great Elder of the Xu Clan, Xu Qinying. He was the previous Patriarch and also the father of Xu Chaoyang. It was rumored that he had long since reached the half-step to Xiantian stage, and he was known for possessing incredible fighting prowess. However, Xu Qinying had long since withdrawn from the main stage, and over 20 years ago, he had retired to the Council of Elders. Many people thought he was already dead, but now he had suddenly showed up to interrupt this Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony. ¡°This time¡¯s Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony is over!¡± Xu Qinying declared in a deep voice. He glanced at Xu Disheng, picked him up, and then flew off. The crowd had all kinds of expressions on their faces, but they soon began to say their farewells to Xu Chaoyang in turn, wanting to return to their own clans as soon as possible. The Zhenhai Army and Imperial Guards began to direct people to make a methodical exit. Those children who were measured to have Dao Channels stayed in the capital, and their parents received their rewards, returning home to have their celebratory feasts. But for the numerous aristocratic families of the Ruyang Region, as well as the four great clans, stormy undercurrents began to brew. The Ruyang Region was about to experience a great change. If you appreciate my work or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 9 Chapter 9 ¨C Ink Blot on the Painting In the Western Ravine Palace of the Xu Clan ancestral domain, the lanterns were still brightly lit as before, emanating light from within. Xu Qinying walked into the main palace hall with Xu Disheng in his arms, where he placed him down. There were four old men sitting cross-legged in the hall. When they saw Xu Qinying come in, they each opened their eyes. ¡°Great Elder, how did it go?¡± Xu Qinying responded in a low voice, ¡°It was a good thing that I was watching the ceremony from the shadows. Before the Dao Channel Measurement Platform could completely measure the result, I interrupted it and brought Sheng¡¯er here.¡± The Second Elder, who was the longest-lived among the four elders, asked somewhat impatiently, ¡°Then what of this child¡¯s Dao Channels?¡± Xu Qinying only shook his head and didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he lowered his head to look at Xu Disheng. ¡°What Grade of Dao Channels do you think you have?¡± Although Xu Disheng had been carried here the entire way by the Great Elder, he wasn¡¯t flustered at all as a normal 5 year old should have been by such a method of travel. His eyes retained an air of calmness, and after he heard what he was asked, he first dusted off and straightened out his robe before responding. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Xu Qinying slightly nodded, and said to the Second Elder, ¡°If the halo of light on the Dao Channel Measurement Platform first constricts before expanding, then expands completely, it will measure a result of at least Grade 3 Dao Channels! That¡¯s why I interrupted it right away. But Guo Renhou and Bai Fanyu both have sharp eyes, so I probably wasn¡¯t able to completely hide this fact from them. Once Guo Renhou goes back, I¡¯m afraid he will report this to Youyang City, the capital of You Province.¡± The Shangqing Path, which was the religion of the Grand Chu Dynasty, had a seat of power in every Province, overseeing their entire realm! Their authority exceeded even that of the one presiding over the Province. Although Prince Xing presided over the You Province, commanding all 19 Regions in the tens of thousands of li in the Province, it was rumored among the citizens that the Executive in the Shangqing Path seat of power was on equal footing with him, or even slightly surpassed him in power! However, the Executives in the Shangqing seats of power were mainly focused on cultivation, and did not care too much about worldly affairs. ¡°Grade 3 Dao Channels! To think that such a proud, heaven-defying talent could actually appear in our Xu Clan!¡± The Second Elder stood up quickly, looking moved. ¡°My Xu Clan ancestor, who reached the strength of the half-step Xiantian stage, was the personal guard of the one presiding over the Region at the time when he was conferred his fiefdom. But that ancestor¡¯s aptitude was only Grade 4!¡± The Third Elder, also known as Elder Shadow, said with a happy expression on his face. The faces of the other two elders held expressions of pleasant surprise. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this matter is a blessing or curse,¡± Xu Qinying started, not looking as optimistic. He gestured for the other elders to sit down before continuing in a low voice, ¡°Even in the entire 19 Regions of the You Province, someone with Grade 3 Dao Channels has practically never appeared before! The highest is Grade 4 Dao Channels, and even those are considered extraordinary talents under the heavens! Their breakthroughs are incomparably easy, and reaching the Xiantian stage for them is simply a foregone conclusion!¡± At this time, Xu Chaoyang, the Patriarch of the Xu Clan, approached the palace hall. After he had sent off the guests, he quickly flew straight here to the Western Ravine Palace. He walked into the palace hall and cupped his fists in salute. ¡°Greetings to the Great Elder, and all elders of the Council of Elders.¡± The elders all nodded their heads in acknowledgement. Even though Xu Qinying was the father of Xu Chaoyang, the authority of the Great Elder in the Xu Clan¡¯s Council of Elders was unquestionable. In front of others, he still had to call him ¡®Great Elder¡¯. Xu Qinying raised his hand in a gesture, saying, ¡°Chaoyang, at ease. From your point of view, how do you think we should handle this matter?¡± Xu Chaoyang glanced at the octagonal Dao platform that he cultivated on every day, which was currently being sat upon by Xu Qinying. His eyelids twitched slightly, but he didn¡¯t dare to say anything about it. ¡°Great Elder, from my point of view, Sheng¡¯er most likely has Upper Third Dao Channels! I once saw in an ancient text that the white light of the Dao Channel Measurement Platform will only constrict then expand dramatically for those with Upper Third Dao Channels!¡± The term ¡®Upper Third Dao Channels¡¯ collectively referred to Grade 3 Dao Channels, Grade 2 Dao Channels, as well as the Grade 1 Dao Channels that only existed in legends. ¡°En! Our Xu Family already had 3 peak Houtian stage martial artists, and today alone, we now have Xu Qingcheng with Grade 5 Dao Channels, and Sheng¡¯er, who has a Xiantian Companion Artifact and suspected Upper Third Dao Channels! This generation of the Xu Clan will undoubtedly be greatly prosperous!¡± Xu Qinying was also feeling rather moved. ¡°But unfortunately, now that one with Upper Third Dao Channels has appeared in our clan, it is no longer a matter that we can handle ourselves. You must swiftly arrange for some of our people to hurry under the cover of night to the Youyang City of the You Province, and recount this matter to Prince Xing and the Shangqing! Do not allow the Guo Clan to report to them first. We absolutely cannot be passive here. As for the Xiantian Companion Artifact¡­ continue to keep it a secret for now.¡± ¡°Understood, Great Elder,¡± Xu Chaoyang forcefully repressed his excitement. He called to the outside of the palace hall, ¡°Come!¡± An armored soldier from the Zhenhai Army entered from the palace gate, and kneeled in front of Xu Chaoyang, awaiting orders. ¡°Great-Grandfather, what kind of power is the Shangqing Path? Why have I not heard of them before in the last 5 years?¡± Xu Disheng suddenly asked, his voice clear and his eyes bright. He very rarely interacted with others, to the point that the entire Xu Clan thought of him as a strange child. Only the Council of Elders knew that he had a Xiantian Companion Artifact, and that he had always been inherently different from others since birth. He suddenly opened his mouth to ask this, but it was actually a good question. The five elders in the palace hall, as well as Xu Chaoyang, all saw him as just a child. Xu Disheng also never said too much, so no one had ever asked him for his input. As a result, upon hearing him ask this question at this moment in time, they all couldn¡¯t help but stare blankly. ¡°The Shangqing Path¡­¡± Xu Qinying began, a deferential look on his face. ¡°You certainly must have heard of Prince Xing?¡± ¡°Yes. Prince Xing is the eldest son of King Xing, one of the three Kings of the Grand Chu Dynasty. After he was appointed as the crown prince, he now presides over the You Province, and rules over the tens of thousands of li of land composing the 19 Regions of this Province.¡± ¡°Not bad. Prince Xing has another identity as a disciple of an Executive of the Shangqing Path. If he didn¡¯t have this position, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to obtain power over an entire Province despite being a crown prince.¡± ¡°Could it be that the Shangqing Path can interfere with the Grand Chu Dynasty?¡± Xu Disheng asked. ¡°Hmph!¡± Xu Qinying scoffed. ¡°Interfere? They oversee their realm in name only. After all, how often do you hear of the Shangqing Path on a day to day basis?¡± ¡°Great Elder, you¡¯re saying too much,¡± the Second Elder gently interrupted. ¡°Xu Disheng, since you are the most exceptionally talented individual in this generation of the Xu Clan, the Council of Elders has already made the decision to fully support you with our clan¡¯s resources. In addition to our Xu Clan¡¯s Heavenly Dipper Martial Technique, we also have two Secret Martial Techniques which were bestowed to us by the Grand Chu Dynasty. Only those with Grade 5 Dao Channels and higher can cultivate them, so you can select one to cultivate. As for the Martial Skills, they will all be available for you to choose from!¡± ¡°Thank you Elders, thank you Great-Grandfather,¡± Xu Disheng bowed gratefully, the latter half of his statement directed towards Xu Qinying. This way of referring to him was extremely prudent. If it was any other person, they would have to call him ¡®Great Elder¡¯. But as the direct great-grandson of Xu Qinying, only Xu Disheng could afford to call him ¡®Great-Grandfather¡¯, and no one could object to it. ¡°Great! With this child, our Xu Clan will surely prosper!¡± Xu Qinying said, laughing to his heart¡¯s content. He and the other Elders had been stuck at a bottleneck at the peak of the Houtian stage, and even his son, Xu Chaoyang, had caught up and was now also at the peak of the Houtian stage. Xiantian! As long as they could just reach the Xiantian stage, they could break away from this land and preside over an entire Region! The Xu Clan seemed to be well-off, holding autonomy over a radius of several hundred li of land. However, several hundreds of years had gone by, going from one generation to the next, and not a single Xiantian stage martial artist had appeared within their family! Peak Houtian stage martial artists were innumerable. If one were to put it nicely, the Xu Clan was one of the four great clans in the Ruyang Region, but in the grand scheme of the entire You Province, they could really only be considered a small countryside clan. In a magnificent study in the Guo Clan property in Ruyang City of Ruyang Province, a black-robed, middle-aged man was moving his hands freely as he painted. His expression was conscientious, and his looks were solemn. But when he suddenly heard a burst of noise from outside the door, his brows wrinkled. ¡°Your Excellency, as you know, when the Regional Minister is painting, it is strictly forbidden to disturb him. Please do not make things difficult for this subordinate of yours.¡± ¡°I have an important matter I must report,¡± Guo Renhou said in a heavy tone. ¡°Let him in,¡± a middle-aged voice sounded from within the study. ¡°Understood.¡± Guo Renhou closed the door behind him, then turned around and saluted, ¡°Respectful greetings to Patriarch.¡± ¡°At ease. What is it that makes you so anxious? Didn¡¯t you bring people to attend the Ceremony at the Xu Clan? According to the tradition from previous years, there are always several days of banquets after the Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony. Why have you hurried back this time?¡± The paintbrush in the middle-aged man¡¯s hand was still moving unaffected as before. ¡°Reporting to Patriarch, someone with Grade 5 Dao Channels called Xu Qingcheng has appeared in the Xu Clan!¡± The brush came to a halt on the canvas, which portrayed a verdant pine tree after the rain. A large blot of ink began to bleed outwards, completely destroying the atmosphere of the entire painting. If you appreciate my work or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 10 Chapter 10 ¨C Your Brother Is More Handsome Two Secret Scrolls ¡°Grade 5 Dao Channels? Are you sure?¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but that massive blot of ink on his painting gave away his inner turmoil. ¡°Yes,¡± Guo Renhou said, raising his head slightly to carefully check on the middle-aged man¡¯s expression. ¡°Hm? What else is there?¡± The middle-aged man noticed Guo Renhou¡¯s small gesture, and he picked up the painting, rolled it up, and threw it into the waste basket underneath the desk. ¡°The Xu Clan¡­ might also have someone with suspected Upper Third Dao Channels! I don¡¯t dare to say for certain, but that Dao Channel Measurement Platform constricted before expanding, and right when it was about to expand, the Xu Clan¡¯s Great Elder, Xu Qinying, interrupted it!¡± Guo Renhou said in one breath, grinding his teeth tightly. Bang! The middle-aged man couldn¡¯t maintain his composure any longer, and he slammed the paintbrush down onto the table. Guo Renhou hurriedly knelt on the ground, and the bodyguards outside the door trembled, and turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the happenings within the study. ¡°When the Dao Channel Measurement Platform constricts before expanding, it absolutely has to be Upper Third Dao Channels! How can this be?! In this barren land known as You Province, even Grade 4 Dao Channels are extremely scarce. Much less our Ruyang Region, trapped in some remote corner of the You Province, possessing a weak fate. How in the world could a proud son of heaven with Upper Third Dao Channels appear here?!¡± The middle-aged man flew into a rage. This man was none other than the Patriarch of the Guo Clan, Guo Ruping. Guo Renhou didn¡¯t dare to speak further, kneeling there with his head lowered. Guo Ruping¡¯s face was gloomy. ¡°Our Guo Clan presides over the Region, and whenever a proud son of heaven appears, we must promptly report this upwards. This is the iron law! You will personally bring people to the capital city of You Province immediately, and report this to the Prince. I will go to the Ruyang ancestral domain and report this to the old ancestor!¡± ¡°As you command, Patriarch!¡± Even though the Guo Clan presided over the Ruyang Region, the difference in strength between the four great clans wasn¡¯t that big. They didn¡¯t have a Xiantian martial artist, and only the old ancestor of the Guo Clan was suspected to be a half-step away from the Xiantian stage. The Ruyang Region was also just a poor, remote corner of the You Province, where ordinary struggles were infrequent. After so many years had passed, the great clans all lived in harmony, since there wasn¡¯t much to really fight over. They were all similarly cooped up in this place, living and reproducing. This time, someone with Upper Third Dao Channels appeared in the Xu Clan, sending shockwaves through the entire Region! Even though Xu Qinying interrupted the Dao Channel measurement at the final juncture, it didn¡¯t stop people from talking. There were many sharp people there after all, so gradually the collective feeling among the influential clans started to become unstable, causing stormy undercurrents to brew. Of course, this was only limited to the upper class among the influential families, and the lower class that consisted of the ordinary citizens didn¡¯t speak much further on the matter. At most, they would speak of the terrifying strength behind the phantom image of the palm that the Great Elder of the Xu Clan displayed before their very eyes, treating it as a cool story to brag about over tea time. At this time, within the Rain Listening Pavilion, Jin Yu and a group of people from her Jin Clan were talking. Jin Qingzhao¡¯s wife, Lady Qing, and Jin Qingdi¡¯s wife, Lady Xu, were both present. Aside from these ladies, there was also a little girl in a red dress standing in the Rain Listening Pavilion, which was none other than Jin Yu¡¯er. She didn¡¯t follow her father, Jin Qingdi, to return to the Jin Clan. Instead, she followed Lady Xu to come and visit this aunt of hers. The Jin Clan was related to many influential clans by marriage, so even though Jin Yu was her direct paternal aunt, they weren¡¯t very close. Lady Xu smiled and said, ¡°Sister Yu, after you were married off and gave birth to Sheng¡¯er, it¡¯s already been five years since we last saw each other. I wasn¡¯t able to come even for Yan¡¯er¡¯s birth, so this time I brought some small gifts for Yan¡¯er.¡± The servants behind her brought in two chests, and when Lady Xu nodded her head, they placed them down and left. ¡°Sister-in-law, there¡¯s no need for such formal courtesies!¡± Jin Yu said smilingly, carrying Xu Yan in her arms. Lady Qing also brought some gifts, and after the three of them exchanged pleasantries, they each sat down. ¡°So this is Yu¡¯er? I¡¯ve already heard long ago that this is our Jin Clan¡¯s most famous little girl. Sure enough, she looks so beautiful that she must have been blessed by the heavens. So pretty and charming!¡± Jin Yu spotted the girl behind Lady Xu, gushing with praise. ¡°Thank you, Aunt,¡± Jin Yu¡¯er¡¯s sparkling eyes were accentuated by her red dress, and she bowed sensibly upon hearing praise. Although she was a girl, she wasn¡¯t shy or timid in the least. In front of her elders, she was elegant and natural, making her seem very likable. ¡°At this time¡¯s Dao Channel Measurement ceremony, because of Sheng¡¯er, Yu¡¯er wasn¡¯t able to have her Dao Channels measured. Please forgive us for that,¡± Jin Yu said apologetically.to Lady Xu. ¡°No problem. Next year will be the Jin Clan¡¯s Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony anyway. We brought her along this time because she felt too bored being stuck at home.¡± Lady Xu and Lady Qing looked at each other and laughed at the same time. ¡°This little girl is so cute. Aunt, can I hold her?¡± Jin Yu¡¯er asked upon seeing Xu Yan, who was in Jin Yu¡¯s arms. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°This is quite the good-looking one. When she grows up, she¡¯ll definitely be a beauty in the making,¡± Jin Yu¡¯er muttered profoundly in a playfully exaggerated way, acting as if she was part of the older generation. Jin Yu¡¯er held Xu Yan in her arms as she gazed into her big crow-black eyes. When the few married women saw this sight, they all chuckled. Lady Qing said with a laugh, ¡°You¡¯re only 8 years old, and you¡¯re calling her a beauty in the making. Then what would that make you?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Jin Yu¡¯er uttered, as if she hadn¡¯t thought that one through. Nevertheless, she was indeed a little bit entranced just now. When she saw Xu Yan¡¯s face, she saw her uncanny resemblance to Xu Disheng, and mumbled quietly, ¡°She looks just like her brother.¡± ¡°What?¡± Her voice was too quiet just now, and no one could hear her. Jin Yu¡¯er turned around, her face somewhat blushing. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ n-nothing,¡± she said hurriedly. She stole a glance up at their faces, and after she confirmed that they really hadn¡¯t heard what she said, she felt inwardly relieved. Jin Yu¡¯er¡¯s thoughts and mindset were still that of a little girl, so after she saw Xu Disheng and found him good-looking, she thoroughly remembered him despite having only met him once. While this casual conversation was occurring in the Rain Listening Pavilion, Xu Disheng was in the Western Ravine Palace of the Xu Clan ancestral domain, choosing his Martial Technique. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, do you know what Martial Techniques are?¡± Xu Qinying asked, his hands behind his back. In the palace hall, only Xu Qinying and Xu Disheng were present. ¡°According to what I know, Martial Techniques are the basic factor deciding the strength of a Houtian martial artist, and only clans possess various Martial Techniques. Also, Martial Techniques are the fundamentals of cultivation for martial artists. The higher the Rank that the Martial Technique is cultivated to, the greater the power that the body can erupt with. Once cultivated to a high enough level, one can possess extraordinary strength. But that hand phantom image that you projected, normally most martial artists would be incapable of producing that level of strength,¡± Xu Disheng narrated. ¡°Right,¡± Xu Qinying nodded. ¡°Since ancient times, the Grand Chu Dynasty ruled over the 11 Provinces in their realm continuously for 10,000 years, but the ranks and hierarchy of the whole world have always been strictly upheld. The Grand Chu Dynasty divided and conferred the lands of their realm, issuing the clans various Martial Techniques so they could cultivate and govern their respective realms. Every clan, regardless of their size, was bestowed a secret and a common Martial Technique by the Dynasty. Although the names of the common Martial Technique have differing names, they are all virtually the same, differing on only a few small points. For example, for the common Martial Technique of the Xu Clan, the Heavenly Dipper Martial Technique, every Rank marks an increase in one elephant¡¯s worth of strength to the body. Meanwhile, for the Bai Clan¡¯s common Martial Technique, the Barbarian Ox Martial Technique, every Rank corresponds to an increase in one rhinoceros¡¯s worth of strength. The difference really isn¡¯t that great.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of this, but what exactly are these secret Martial Techniques? Why have I never heard anyone speak of them before?¡± Xu Disheng asked. ¡°That¡¯s because the secret Martial Techniques are extremely difficult to cultivate. Even though the Dynasty bestowed them to clans, it is very rare for someone in the entire You Province to have successfully cultivated it, not to mention this small corner of the Province, in Ruyang Region. Also, the requirements for aptitude are extremely harsh, requiring Grade 5 Dao Channels at the very minimum in order to cultivate. In the entire Ruyang Region, there are only 3 people with Grade 5 Dao Channels, including your Grandpa Chaoyang, let alone the fact that they even manage to cultivate it successfully. Therefore, normally no one mentions it.¡± When Xu Qinying finished speaking, he retrieved two very ancient looking scrolls from the hidden chamber of the palace hall, and said, ¡°One is called Shangqing Qi, and the other is called Guiyuan Qi.¡± ¡°Qi?¡± Xu Disheng blinked, waiting for further explanation from Xu Qinying. ¡°That¡¯s right. Even though they¡¯re called secret Martial Techniques, from my perspective they are more akin to a method of cultivating qi, which only Grade 5 Dao Channels can succeed in cultivating. The Guo Clan¡¯s old ancestor, who has already retired for several decades, has already lived for around 120 years. Everyone says that he already passed away, but I know that he¡¯s actually still alive. Plus, he¡¯s already reached half a step from the Xiantian stage, and he¡¯s right on the brink of breaking through. The fact that he¡¯s already 120 and still lives is due in part to this Guiyuan Qi.¡± ¡°Then does he also have Grade 5 Dao Channels?¡± Xu Disheng asked. ¡°Of course, those who have below Grade 5 Dao Channels simply aren¡¯t able to cultivate qi or sense it. The reason why everyone widely considers there to only be 3 people in the Ruyang Region with Grade 5 Dao Channels is because he had already retired several decades ago, so he naturally can¡¯t be counted among them. Although your Grandpa Chaoyang has Grade 5 Dao Channels, he wasn¡¯t successful in cultivating the secret Martial Technique, even after much bitter hardship. It¡¯s truly regrettable.¡± If you appreciate my work or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 11 Chapter 11 ¨C Me Too Youyang Envoy Xu Disheng went forward and took the two ancient secret scrolls. The first one, Shangqing Qi, was very long, and was split into three cultivation techniques: Qi Nourishing Technique, Qi Controlling Technique, and Spirit Controlling Technique. The third technique could only be cultivated by those in the Xiantian stage, and even with Xu Disheng¡¯s Soul Force, he actually felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded just from looking at the 3 techniques of this Cultivation Method. He could only roughly look at the beginning parts. Lightly shaking his head, he looked towards the second one, Guiyuan Qi. This one only had 2 parts: Qi Cultivation and Life Extension. Compared to the Shangqing Qi, the first parts of both scrolls were virtually the same. This first step required at minimum Grade 5 Dao Channels, and required the cultivator to develop the ability to perceive qi, yet this step alone had caused countless people to get stuck. Even though every clan had these two secret scrolls, they simply had no way of cultivating them even provided they had Grade 5 Dao Channels. Adding on the difficulty of cultivating the ability to perceive qi, it was harder than ascending to the heavens. The cultivation technique parts after the first were different. The Shangqing Qi¡¯s Qi Controlling Technique prioritized slaughter, and the entire page was suffused with killing intent. On the other hand, the Life Extension cultivation technique of the Guiyuan Qi emphasized controlling qi for the purpose of longevity and slowing down the aging process, which made it much more neutral and calm in nature. Xu Disheng was always diligently cultivating his companion cultivation method, Soul Song, which resided in his sea of consciousness. Despite making full use of all the time available in those 5 years, he had barely managed to get down the basics of the first part, the Nourishing Soul Mantra, and could now somewhat control his Soul Force. His heart stirred, and he raised his head to ask, ¡°Great-Grandfather, are these two secret scrolls methods of cultivating qi?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Cultivating qi is akin to cultivating profound energy,¡± Xu Qinying replied with a light sigh. ¡°I suppose I could be considered to be experienced and knowledgeable in my lifetime. When I was younger, I once went to the eastern neighboring Qin Province and saw for myself how big and flourishing that land was. After that, I had become aware of how the You Province was just a barren piece of land in comparison, and how the Ruyang Region was even more so just a small region tucked into a corner. I don¡¯t know how much stronger cultivating profound energy is than cultivating Martial Techniques. The other Elders, including your Grandpa Chaoyang, have pretty much never left the Ruyang Region, so they probably have never heard of cultivating profound energy before. But every time the Dynasty confers a piece of land, they will also grant them these two secret scrolls. Based on my own conjecture, they are probably trying to find the people who can cultivate the sense of qi.¡± A light glimmered in Xu Disheng¡¯s pupils. He was already self-aware of the time when he was still in the fetus, and even though he lost his past memories, he was a reincarnated being with innate wisdom, and he had broken through the befuddlement associated with being a fetus. In these last five years, he had been rather vacant and helpless, and aside from diligently cultivating the Soul Song every day, he had no other objectives. He was a bit muddle-headed, just going along with the flow. At this moment, his heart which had been stagnant for the last five years gradually began to throb intensely. A sharp, piercingly bright light gleamed in his eyes, and a stream of comprehension suddenly flashed through his heart, and a single phrase suddenly sprung up from his memories. Cultivators of profound energy can divide mountains and split seas, calling the wind and summoning the rain. They are immortal, possessing eternal longevity. Xu Disheng recalled these words, but he had no idea how he knew these words. No matter how much he racked his brains, he didn¡¯t have the slightest clue. ¡°Great-Grandfather, I want to cultivate the Shangqing Qi,¡± Xu Disheng said, although there was a new, strange light in his eyes. Xu Qinying glanced at him, somewhat astonished, but he didn¡¯t think too much of it. He nodded his head, and handed over the Shangqing Qi ancient scroll. ¡°The Patriarch has arrived!¡± the voice of an armored Zhenhai Army soldier suddenly rang out from outside the palace hall. Xu Chaoyang brought a little white-clothed girl into the palace hall. Xu Chaoyang cupped his hands in salute and greeted, ¡°Great Elder.¡± ¡°At ease,¡± Xu Qinying took a look at the little girl behind him, who was wearing a long, white dress with a small pink blouse. Although her age was small, she was born with a pleasant charm, making her both attractive and intelligent. ¡°So this is the one under Xu Yan¡¯s Yu County branch family, Xu Qingcheng. We¡¯ve treated you a bit coldly.¡± ¡°Great Elder, Qingcheng wouldn¡¯t dare to make a big deal of this,¡± Xu Qingcheng bowed and said gently in a very polite tone. When she raised her head once again, she saw that Xu Disheng was looking at her, and she gazed fixedly back with her big eyes, not yielding to Xu Disheng¡¯s gaze in the least. Xu Disheng laughed inwardly and mused to himself that this little girl actually had such a unique temperament. He removed his gaze and didn¡¯t look in her direction again. Grade 5 Dao Channels were already considered to be extremely rare, and she could be considered a rare talent. But in the face of Xu Disheng¡¯s outstanding genius, the Council of Elders had no choice but to somewhat neglect Xu Qingcheng for this short period of time. Xu Chaoyang said, ¡°Great Elder, we came this time to allow Xu Qingcheng to choose a secret scroll.¡± ¡°Certainly. There are two scrolls, the Shangqing Qi and the Guiyuan Qi. You can see which one you want to cultivate. Sheng¡¯er, hand the Shangqing Qi to your cousin for now.¡± ¡°Yes, Great-Grandfather.¡± Xu Disheng walked up to Xu Qingcheng and held out the ancient scroll that recorded the Shangqing Qi. Xu Qingcheng didn¡¯t reach her hand out to receive it. Instead, she stared at Xu Disheng¡¯s face for a while, and only then did she reach out a small, slender, delicate hand to take it. ¡°Which scroll are you cultivating?¡± Xu Qingcheng looked at Xu Disheng and asked curtly. ¡°This one,¡± Xu Disheng said, shaking his head with a laugh. ¡°Then I will also cultivate this one!¡± Xu Qingcheng raised her elegantly defined eyebrows and looked at him with unblinking eyes. ¡°Choosing a secret technique to cultivate is no laughing matter,¡± Xu Chaoyang chided, shaking his head. His tolerance for someone with Grade 5 Dao Channels, or perhaps to be more precise, his tolerance for the Xu Clan, was nonetheless still extremely high. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Have someone make a copy, give it to Qingcheng, and then take her away. For the coming days, have her cultivate at the Xu Clan¡¯s Martial Arts Hall. A new pavilion will be built in the capital city in accordance with the same style and structure as the one given to the eldest son of the Patriarch, which will then be bestowed to Qingcheng. Also, reward her with 20 servants, 10 maids, 500 taels of gold, and permission for her parents to come to the capital city to join the staff and earn the usual salary.¡± ¡°Understood, Great Elder,¡± Xu Chaoyang complied, then turned to the armored soldier at his side. ¡°Did you hear that? Pass this on to the Young Patriarch immediately, and have him arrange it without fail.¡± ¡°As you command.¡± Xu Qinying¡¯s position was aloof and remote. It was hard for anyone to even meet with the Patriarch, Xu Chaoyang, much less Xu Qinying. So now that he had personally given out an order to grant rewards, no one had the courage to neglect his command in the slightest. The Xu Clan¡¯s Martial Arts Hall was the place where the Xu Clan¡¯s children and the entire body of people with Dao Channels who were attracted to the Xu Clan went to practice martial arts. It was a vast structure that took up a lot of space, and was the core structure of the martial artists that the Xu Clan cultivated. It was further divided into the Upper Hall and the Lower Hall. The Lower Hall was for children under 13 years of age, while the Upper Hall was for the youths who had already cultivated their Martial Techniques to a basic level. Then, they only had to somewhat train themselves for a few years before they could choose to enter either the Imperial Guards or the Zhenhai Army. Or, they could go back to their own respective towns and become a neighborhood head or a village chief or something similar, and manage the citizens on behalf of the Xu Clan. ¡°Thank you, Great Elder,¡± Xu Qingcheng saluted cutely. ¡°No worries, you can leave for now.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Xu Qingcheng walked up to the palace gate, where she stopped and turned around, taking one more look at Xu Disheng with her big, beautiful eyes before exiting through the palace gate. Xu Disheng was somewhat at a loss. Just because he was born a bit better looking than the rest, he had somehow managed to attract the ardent gaze of so many young girls. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, you seem a bit tired. How about you come tomorrow to choose your Martial Skills?¡± Xu Qinying said with a chuckle. His true age was only 5 years old, so after a whole day of rushing about here and there, others would definitely think that he should be tired by now. Although Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t tired in the slightest, he still replied, ¡°Yes, Great-Grandfather. Please excuse me.¡± Once he left the Western Ravine Palace, he sat upon the palanquin prepared by the Zhenhai Army and went straight back to the Green Bamboo Pavilion. These few people would never have guessed that the next day, Xu Disheng wouldn¡¯t be able to come and choose his Martial Skills in the end. The next day, the entire Region received a shock! Prince Xing of the You Province sent out an envoy fleet to the Ruyang Region. They first stopped at the Guo Clan in Ruyang City, then directly made their way towards the Xu Clan¡¯s Zhenhai City. The Ruyang Region was in the corner of the You Province. It was surrounded by an endless stretch of barren mountains, which had no signs of human inhabitants within them. It was truly the very edge of the Grand Chu Dynasty¡¯s territory. The last time the You Province¡¯s Envoy was sent out to the Ruyang Region like this was 200 years ago, when the Bai Family was enfeoffed, and the clan was established. It had already been a full 212 years since then. Zhenhai City was under strict martial order, and a red carpet had been rolled out, which stretched from the entrance of the city all the way to the center of the plaza in the Juying Palace. The Zhenhai Army was deployed in full force, and all three hundred strong of their black-armored troops were standing on both sides of the red carpet in an imposing manner. The Xu Clan¡¯s five Elders from the Council of Elders, the current Patriarch, Xu Chaoyang, the Young Patriarch, Xu Xiao, and the rest of the upper class of the Xu Clan were all waiting respectfully in Juying Palace. The delegation¡¯s procession continued unhurriedly along the red carpet. There weren¡¯t many people in the procession, which only consisted of two extravagant horse-drawn carriages, eight porters for the palanquin, and ten guards on horseback. At the front of the procession, there was a white-clothed youth who looked to be about 15 or 16 years of age, riding a precious horse. His pupils resonated with glowing vigor, and his clothes were grand and exquisitely detailed. As he looked around at Zhenhai City, an indescribable look flashed in his eyes. If you appreciate my work or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 12 Chapter 12 ¨C You Seriously Won¡¯t Turn Around? Profound Law Xiantian The procession finally entered the Juying Palance, where it slowly came to a stop in the center of the plaza. The people of the Xu Clan filed out to greet them, and Xu Qinying took the lead, ¡°The Xu Clan of the Ruyang Region respectfully welcomes the Envoy. Long live His Majesty the Prince!¡± The Xu Clan all gave their most respectful greetings in unison. The white-clothed youth at the front dismounted his horse. ¡°At ease.¡± After that, he turned around to open the curtain of the first horse-drawn carriage and respectfully extended his hand in an inviting gesture. A middle-aged person wearing a luxurious robe stepped down from the carriage, sweeping his eyes over the people of the Xu Clan. With a smile, he asked, ¡°Where is the Great Elder of the Xu Clan, Xu Qinying?¡± Xu Qinying stepped forward and said, ¡°I am Xu Qinying, the eighth generation grandson of Xu Kunyu. Respectful greetings to the Envoy.¡± ¡°En, you may be at ease,¡± the extravagant-looking middle-aged man lightly waved his hand, then ran his eyes over the crowd. ¡°Where is the child who is suspected to have Upper Third Dao Channels?¡± Xu Qinying glanced behind him, and Xu Disheng stepped forward. ¡°Xu Disheng respectfully greets the Envoy,¡± he said with a salute. ¡°Good,¡± the luxurious middle-aged person nodded slightly, and said to the white-robed youth beside him, ¡°Take it out.¡± The white-robed youth¡¯s identity was clearly not ordinary, but in front of this middle-aged man, he had to be sincere and polite. He took out an ancient mirror from his chest pocket and very carefully handed it over to the middle-aged Envoy. This Envoy had a gentle expression while handing the mirror to Xu Disheng. ¡°Drip a drop of blood on this mirror,¡± the Envoy instructed. Xu Disheng received the ancient mirror. He looked to his sides, but none of the people from the Xu Clan had brought any weapons with them. He lifted his head and asked the white-robed youth, ¡°Can I borrow a dagger?¡± The white-robed youth raised his eyebrows, not expecting this situation. ¡°This child is truly interesting¡­ You must know that I am¡­¡± His words trailed off when the Envoy shot him a glance. The youth immediately shut his mouth, and he removed his dagger from his waist and tossed it to Xu Disheng. This toss had some strength behind it, and he didn¡¯t think a mere 5 year old boy would be able to receive this throw. But he totally didn¡¯t expect the boy to simply just reach out a hand and firmly grasp the dagger in his hand. The white-robed youth looked shocked for a moment, and there was a slight shift in his gaze. Xu Disheng gave a word of thanks and didn¡¯t spare him another glance, then pulled out the dagger. The dagger reflected a blindingly brilliant sheen, and at a quick glance it was clear that it was an incredibly sharp Spiritual Weapon. It didn¡¯t quite reach the level of a Martial Treasure, but it was not that far off. Xu Disheng used it to lightly prick his fingertip, allowing a drop of blood to fall upon the ancient mirror. He looked up at the Envoy, who nodded at him in response. Xu Disheng then returned the dagger to its sheath and returned it to the white-robed youth. All of the onlookers from the Xu Clan could see the ancient mirror, but none of them knew what it was for. It was only Xu Qinying that knew that all of this was done to confirm Xu Disheng¡¯s aptitude. It was unknown to him what rank this ancient mirror was exactly, but judging by how carefully that youth was handling it, it was clear that it was a mysterious treasure that was a lot more precious than the Dao Channel Measurement Platform. At first, the ancient mirror had no reaction. But once the drop of blood completely permeated the surface, it suddenly began to shine brightly with a blood-colored light. After a short moment, the radiance faded, and two blood-colored characters formed in the air above the surface of the mirror. ¡°Profound!¡± ¡°Two!¡± ¡°Grade 2 Profound Meridians!¡± the white-robed youth cried out in alarm, his formerly unperturbed demeanor changing drastically. The Envoy wearing the luxurious robes was momentarily astonished. The results of this measurement were completely beyond his expectations. Xu Qinying, Xu Chaoyang, and everyone else did not know what Grade 2 Profound Meridians meant. Their bodies trembled upon hearing the words ¡®Grade 2¡¯, and they were left completely speechless. ¡°Grade 2! Our Xu Clan actually produced such a proud son of heaven,¡± Xu Qinying muttered to himself. Within the crowd, Xu Qingcheng was standing there in a white dress. She was biting her lips as she stared at the boy who was currently the center of so many people¡¯s attention. At the back of the procession, the curtains of the second carriage were lifted, and a middle-aged monk in light green Daoist robes stepped upon the back of a servant and descended from the carriage. His expression was indifferent as he strode up to the crowd. He reached out his hand, and that ancient mirror surprisingly flew straight to his outstretched hand. He looked down at the two blood-colored characters that were by now gradually scattering, and he nodded his head lightly. A trace of a smile leaked through his apathetic expression. ¡°I only went to the Guo Clan to return a favor, but this time it seems there is a pleasant surprise.¡± When the luxuriously-dressed middle-aged man and the white-robed youth saw the monk, they neatly bowed and paid their respects. When the people of the Xu Clan saw this, they followed suit in bowing deferentially, even though they did not know who this monk was. Monstrous waves crashed within Xu Qinying¡¯s mind. ¡°A Xiantian! This monk must be a Xiantian! His aura is as deep as the sea, this is the unstoppable power of a Xiantian!¡± ¡°At ease,¡± the middle-aged monk said lightly. Although his voice was quiet, it resonated throughout the entire plaza of the Juying Palace. ¡°You take care of the rest,¡± the monk instructed the Envoy. ¡°Yes, Daoist Monarch.¡± The middle-aged monk glanced at Xu Disheng, then turned around and headed back to the horse-drawn carriage. Sending a direct voice transmission to him, the monk said, ¡°Come with me.¡± Xu Disheng turned and looked back at Xu Xiao, Xu Qinying, and his mother, Jin Yu. He also looked at Xu Chaoyang, Xu Qian, his father¡¯s wives, and even returned the gaze of Xu Qingcheng, who had been staring fixedly at him the whole time. Everyone had different expressions, with various complex emotions flashing in their eyes. Xu Disheng felt a bit emotional inside, but he revolved his Soul Force to suppress his turbulent emotions. He proceeded to follow the middle-aged monk onto the carriage, and didn¡¯t look back again. ¡°I am Zhang Kemu, the Inspector of the 19 Regions in the You Province, appointed by none other than His Majesty the Crown Prince. I govern the Ministry of Supervision of You Province, which is in charge of patrolling and inspecting the 19 Regions in the You Province,¡± the Envoy said, finally introducing himself. With a smile, he continued, ¡°This time, someone suspected to have Upper Third Dao Channels appeared, and His Majesty the Crown Prince attached great importance to this matter, which is why I came personally. But we never expected that it was actually the rarely-seen Grade 2 Profound Meridians, and he even managed to catch the eye of Daoist Monarch Qingxin. Brother Xu, congratulations.¡± This Zhang Kemu was only a Houtian martial artist, but he served in an incredibly high position. There was an extraordinary bearing in his every word and action. Xu Qinying watched Xu Disheng board the horse-drawn carriage, and a complicated expression crossed his face. He asked, ¡°Lord Zhang, what are Grade 2 Profound Meridians?¡± Zhang Kemu momentarily had a blank expression, but he suddenly seemed to have recalled something shortly after. With a smile, he responded, ¡°It was my oversight. I forgot that this place is remote and poor, so it¡¯s only natural to not know what Profound Meridians are. Upper Third Dao Channels are extremely rare, and you can count the number that exist in the entire You Province on one hand. Once it reaches the top 3 Grades, it is no longer referred to as Dao Channels. It is instead called Profound Meridians, and they can join the Shangqing Path to cultivate Profound Laws!¡± After he spoke to this point, there was a trace of longing in Zhang Kemu¡¯s eyes. Clearly, even though he had a high status, he wasn¡¯t someone who possessed Upper Third Profound Meridians. ¡°Just now, that Daoist Monarch was Daoist Monarch Qingxin, one of the three Daoist Monarchs of the Shangqing Dao Palace in the You Province. As a peak stage Profound Law Xiantian and the Martial Uncle of His Majesty the Crown Prince, his status is incredibly high,¡± Zheng Kemu explained. ¡°Our visit to the Ruyang Region this time was only to return a favor to the Guo Clan. The old ancestor of the Guo Clan, Guo Nansu, had been at the half-step to Xiantian stage for many years, and he was just lacking that final spurt. This time, he used a favor that was owed to an ancestor of his from a hundred years ago, and managed to invite Daoist Monarch Qingxin to help him break through to the Xiantian stage.¡± ¡°Guo Nansu?¡± The people of the Xu Clan exchanged glances, but none of them seemed to have any impression of this person. Xu Qinying replied with alarm, ¡°The Guo Clan¡¯s current old ancestor, Guo Nansu, has already broken through to the Xiantian stage?¡± Once he reached the second half of his sentence, he could no longer hide the shock on his face. ¡°Brother Xu, you don¡¯t need to be too worried about this. After a few days, the Guo Clan¡¯s appointed title will be demoted. Although Guo Nansu did break through to the Xiantian stage, the Guo Clan will still be relocated to the Lin¡¯an Region.¡± The Lin¡¯an Region was located in the heart of the northern part of the You Province, covering a radius of a little over 2000 li. It was the first or second largest Region in You Province, and was over 10 times more rich and fertile than the Ruyang Region. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. He achieved the Xiantian stage, and now that his rank is exceedingly high, he couldn¡¯t stand to be relocated to this Ruyang Region?¡± Xu Qinying had already received numerous shocks from the news in such a short period of time that it was hard for him to maintain his composure. However, he was still the Great Elder of a clan, so he managed to quickly collect himself. ¡°Thank you for clarifying this, Lord Zhang. I have another question. Your Excellency gave a general overview of the inspection of the 19 Regions earlier, but why is it that we have not been graced by the presence of the Inspector Envoy for more than 200 years¡­?¡± A little embarrassed, Zhang Kemu replied, ¡°The Ruyang Region¡­ is located in such a remote corner, and is relatively barren. It can¡¯t compare to the other regional cities. But when we return to the You Province this time, I am determined to send someone to take up permanent residence here in Ruyang Region. Come, Brother Xu, let me introduce you to someone.¡± He pulled over the white-robed youth and said, ¡°This is my nephew, Zhang Shichuan, the second son of the Crown Prince.¡± ¡°Greetings, Your Excellency.¡± The people of the Xu Clan never thought that the status of this person would be this high, and they all bowed their heads in succession. Xu Qinying noticed that he used the word ¡®nephew¡¯1. This Zhang Kemu was actually the clan brother of the Crown Prince? But judging from Zhang Kemu¡¯s demeanor, he was probably born of a concubine, so his status was not nearly as high as that of the Prince. Prince Xing had several dozens of sons, over a hundred nephews, and even more illegitimate sons, which was considered to be common among royalty. However, seeing that this second son had to be so respectful to him meant that Zhang Kemu had a certain level of status. Zhang Kemu saw that Xu Chaoyang and most of the upper class of the Xu Clan were still stuck on the fact that a Xiantian martial artist had appeared in the Guo Clan, and were about to be relocated to the Lin¡¯an Region, and that they had still yet to regain their composure. He once again looked towards Xu Qinying and said with a smile, ¡°Brother Xu, at first we thought that at most it would be someone with Grade 3 Profound Meridians, but the Crown Prince still placed great importance on the matter. We didn¡¯t expect it to actually be Grade 2 Profound Meridians. I hereby extend my sincere congratulations to you.¡± Seeing that the people from the Xu Clan were casting him rather dubious glances, he continued, ¡°Brother Xu probably isn¡¯t aware of the weight of Grade 2 Profound Meridians. There are only 9 of these kinds of people in the entirety of You Province¡¯s Shangqing Dao Palace. There are the three Dao Monarchs, and then 6 cultivators of profound energy, of which the majority have Grade 3 Profound Meridians. Only one has Grade 2 Profound Meridians.¡± The second son of the Crown Prince, Zhang Shichuan, followed up saying, ¡°If all goes well, that child will enter the Shangqing Dao Palace, and the Xu Clan¡¯s status will rise along with him. I surmise that in the coming days, the Xu Clan should receive conferral of control over the Ruyang Region, and be granted generous rewards.¡± If you appreciate my work or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 13 Chapter 13 ¨C Transformation of Mind Clear Mental State TL: Changed the term ¡®Daoist Monarch¡¯ to ¡®Daoist Lord¡¯. The procession slowly left Zhenhai City, but the people of the Xu Clan still had not come back to their senses after receiving such a shock. The five Elders of the Council of Elders, the Patriarch Xu Chaoyang, the Young Patriarch Xu Xiao, and the rest of the upper management of the Xu Clan were now in the main hall of the Juying Palace. Xu Qinying was seated in the head position at the table. He met eyes with Xu Chaoyang before speaking. ¡°The Guo Clan is about to be relocated, and the power balance of the Ruyang Region is about to be reshuffled. Although the second son of the Prince said we might soon receive the conferral order from the Dynasty, we must not let our guard down before that day comes. I command you all to continue as normal. There must be no changes!¡± ¡°Understood, Great Elder!¡± Everyone responded in unison. At this moment, Xu Qinying looked over at Xu Xiao, whose presence was extremely weak in the past few days. He was ordinarily in charge of overseeing and protecting Zhenhai City while the Patriarch and the Elders all retired to the Western Ravine Palace to cultivate. As the Young Patriarch, his authority was by no means small, but at this moment, he didn¡¯t have much say. ¡°Xiao¡¯er, what do you think about the matter with Sheng¡¯er?¡± Xu Qinying asked in a low voice. ¡°Reporting to Great Elder, Sheng¡¯er is¡­¡± Xu Xiao trailed off, somewhat at a loss for words. He was a promiscuous man, with several dozens of sons and 4 or 5 daughters. Aside from the time that Xu Disheng was born and was discovered to have a Xiantian Companion Artifact, he hadn¡¯t managed to get that close to him in the last five years. Xu Disheng was a young boy who didn¡¯t like speaking to other people, so there wasn¡¯t really anyone that he was that close with aside from Jin Yu. But now that Xu Disheng had become a proud son of heaven with a legendary Grade 2 aptitude that others could only dream of but never meet, the others from the Xu Clan had a hard time fully accepting this. ¡°Hmph!¡± Xu Chaoyang gave a cold snort, clearly somewhat unhappy. Others might not be able to understand Xu Xiao, but as the Patriarch, he understood him best. ¡°Ai, let¡¯s take it one step at a time. In the end, Sheng¡¯er is a member of the Xu Clan,¡± the Second Elder shook his head with a sigh. ??? Although the carriage was luxurious, the roads were still rather bumpy, yet Daoist Lord Qingxin sat upright within, as if he was completely unaware of it. Xu Disheng sat at the end of the carriage. Since he entered the carriage, Daoist Lord Qingxin had still not uttered a word, and he just sat there with his eyes closed, meditating. Xu Disheng also didn¡¯t say anything. He inwardly considered that perhaps the Daoist Lord was testing his temperament, so he wordlessly started to try and perceive the qi according to the Shangqing Qi Cultivation Method. He sat there for half a day, but he didn¡¯t make any progress. Daoist Lord Qingxin suddenly opened his eyes and asked, ¡°Are you cultivating the Shangqing Qi?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cultivate it anymore. If you cultivate the Shangqing Qi, you will never be able to develop a sense of qi perception. That secret technique is for martial artists with inferior grade Dao Channels. But you have Grade 2 Profound Meridians, so this secret technique doesn¡¯t apply to you.¡± Xu Disheng quietly complied, feeling somewhat amazed. He had long since entered the carriage and didn¡¯t get to hear Zhang Kemu¡¯s explanations, so he still didn¡¯t know what Profound Meridians were. There were a myriad of doubts and misgivings in his heart, but he kept them to himself and forced himself to remain silent in his seat at the end of the carriage. Daoist Lord Qingxin saw that his temperament was steady despite only being a young five year old child. He slightly nodded his head and began to tell him a bit about Profound Meridians and the Dao Palace. The Shangqing Dao was the state religion of the Grand Chu Dynasty, and it was an independent Daoist sect. Those belonging to the Dao Palace in each Province were disciples of the Shangqing Path. Having as many as 3 Xiantian Daoist Lords, the You Province¡¯s Dao Palace possessed a fearsome level of power! However, although they were powerful, they had very few people. Cultivating profound energy was different from cultivating Martial Techniques, as the requisite aptitude was extremely high. The minimum requirement was Grade 3 Profound Meridians. Martial Xiantians and Profound Law Xiantians couldn¡¯t even be mentioned in the same breath. Profound Laws were incredible, granting all kinds of inconceivable powers. On the other hand, while martial cultivators could reach the Xiantian stage, they could only rely on Martial Skills and Martial Techniques to fight. Although all Xiantians were similarly extraordinary, Profound Law Xiantians had about 500 years of lifespan while Martial Xiantians only had about 200 years of lifespan. The only similarity between the two was that no matter which type of Xiantian it was, they were all exceedingly rare existences. Up in front of the other horse-drawn carriage, the white-robed youth Zhang Shichuan dismounted from his horse and passed the reins of the horse to an attendant before entering the carriage himself. Once inside, he took a side across from Zhang Kemu. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I thought you liked to ride horses? Was coming with me as an Envoy this time to patrol the Ruyang Region satisfactory enough for you?¡± Zhang Kemu said with a laugh. The family upbringing in Crown Prince Xing¡¯s household was very strict. Even though Zhang Shichuan was the second son of the Crown Prince and had received all kinds of aristocratic family teachings from a young age, he was still a teenager at heart. When he heard the news that a person with Upper Third Dao Channels had appeared in the Ruyang Region, he had his mother, one of Prince Xing¡¯s concubines, plead Crown Prince Xing for a long time before he was finally permitted to go along with the Envoy to the Ruyang Region. ¡°The Ruyang Region is poor. I don¡¯t think I could stay here for even one day. I originally came out here to take a break, but I really didn¡¯t think I would be so disappointed,¡± Zhang Shichuan said softly, rubbing his somewhat sore feet. ¡°What do you think about that young child?¡± Zhang Shichuan thought of the calm, peaceful look in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes, and that time he easily reached out and grabbed the dagger that he threw. He found that he actually somewhat liked him. ¡°If only he was a little older, we could have been playmates¡­¡± he muttered. Zhang Kemu couldn¡¯t suppress his laughter. ¡°This is someone with Grade 2 Profound Meridians, who is qualified to join the Shangqing Dao Palace to cultivate Profound Laws, and you actually want him to be your playmate? If His Excellency heard you say this, he would have punished you heavily again.¡± ¡°But Clan Uncle, you won¡¯t tell him, right?¡± There were no strangers around at the moment, so the youth deliberately put on a tone that made him sound like a spoiled kid, a playful smile apparent in his bright eyes. It was clear that the uncle and nephew pair had a good relationship. ¡°You¡¯re a famous genius from Youyang City with Grade 4 Dao Channels, so when you¡¯re outside you can¡¯t go acting like a little brat like this, alright?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ??? For the last 5 years, Xu Disheng had been somewhat vacant and lost, living one day to the next. For a long time now, he didn¡¯t have any goals to speak of, to the point that he even began to doubt the meaning of his own existence. After he got on the carriage with Daoist Lord Qingxin, he started to think deeply. Just what was my purpose for being reincarnated like this? For my mother, Jin Yu? No, that wasn¡¯t necessarily true, since Jin Yu¡¯s love was not reserved only for him. There was Xu Xiao, his sister Xu Yan, as well as Jin Hai, Jin Qingzhao, Jin Qingdi, and her parents. Then was it for my father, Xu Xiao? That also wasn¡¯t right, since he hadn¡¯t had a close relationship with his father. Since the matter with the Xiantian Companion Jade Flute, Xu Xiao had always had a somewhat complex attitude towards him. As the Young Patriarch, he was also very busy, and he had many wives and children, so he wouldn¡¯t pay that much attention to his eleventh son. Was it for the Xu Clan? Zhenhai City was the home location of the Xu Clan. Apart from his connection with Xu Xiao, there were 7 branch families associated with the various Elders. He had over a hundred clan uncles, clan brothers, and clan juniors. Until now, Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t even gotten acquainted with everyone in the main branch of the Xu Clan, and in everyone else¡¯s eyes he was just a child. He didn¡¯t hold much significance to them, so he never felt any particular sense of belonging to the Xu Clan. He had lost his memories and had awakened mysteriously as a newborn infant, remembering only his name. He had too many secrets about himself, and as he was at a loss on what to do, five whole years flew past! I want to know who I am, and where I came from! Only by becoming stronger could he begin to solve these mysteries. Xu Disheng abruptly opened his eyes, which were burning brightly like stars as he crazily revolved the Nourishing Soul Mantra. Two round, black vortexes spun in his pupils, and his body¡¯s aura changed completely. His mind suddenly became clear as he thoroughly cast away the muddleheaded state that he had been trapped in for these five years. He turned over a new leaf, as if he had become a completely different person! Daoist Lord Qingxin opened his eyes and looked at Xu Disheng, as if he sensed something. Xu Disheng hid the vortexes of Soul Force in his eyes before saluting respectfully. ¡°Please forgive me for disturbing Daoist Lord¡¯s meditation,¡± he said politely. ¡°No problem. I saw that there was some change in your temperament. Perhaps you¡¯ve figured some things out, or sorted through your worries and set your heart at ease?¡± ¡°Daoist Lord has incredible sight. It¡¯s exactly as you say,¡± Xu Disheng replied. Daoist Lord Qingxin nodded slightly. Although he was normally somewhat cold, he was happy that he unexpectedly managed to find someone with Grade 2 Profound Meridians. ¡°I know that you must have many doubts, but once we reach the You Province¡¯s Dao Palace, they will slowly clear up.¡± ¡°Yes, Daoist Lord.¡± Xu Disheng sensed the Soul Force that he had cultivated through the Soul Song, which was entirely different from the cultivation of Martial Techniques or Profound Laws. The Soul Song cultivation method had a direct effect on his soul, which was completely unheard of. Even though Daoist Lord Qingxin was an incredible being at the peak of the Xiantian stage and possessed an incredibly discerning eye, he still wasn¡¯t able to perceive the Soul Force within his body, nor could he discover the secret that he already possessed a sea of consciousness. He looked into his sea of consciousness and examined the cyan jade flute as it slowly rotated within. It occasionally spilled out cyan light, which nourished his sea of consciousness. Seeing this, he began to understand somewhat. How could this Xiantian Companion Artifact possible be ordinary? At this moment, he set his mind at ease. The black Soul Force flowed through his body, starting from the Jianggong meridian point in his palms to the Shenque meridian point in his navel, then the Baihui meridian at the top of his head, where it finally incorporated into his sea of consciousness, completing a full revolution. If you appreciate my work or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 14 Chapter 14 ¨C Mere Shackles Questions and Truths TL: There are a good number of Chinese distance units used in this chapter, so here¡¯s a reminder that 1 li is 500 meters, or half a kilometer. So 100 li would be 50 kilometers. Also, 1 zhang is around 3 meters (3.3m to be exact), so 3 zhang is 10 meters. While translating, I did my best to convert to real world units (m, km, etc.) where possible. The Jianggong, Shenque, and Baihui acupoints were the three most important acupoints on the body. The Jianggong Sea of Qi was also known as the lower dantian, while the Shenque Temple and Baihui served as the heart and sea of consciousness, respectively. The Jianggong Sea of Qi, the Shenque Temple, and the Baihui Sea of Consciousness were extremely important to cultivators of profound energy. At this moment in time, Xu Disheng was still not aware of this fact, but the Soul Song cultivation method that he had been diligently cultivating for the last five years had always been automatically storing Soul Force inside his sea of consciousness. The Nourishing Soul Mantra in Xu Disheng¡¯s accompanying cultivation method allowed him to absorb the essence of the sun and moon to nourish his Soul Force. In this manner, like spinning silk one thread at a time or moving mountains one shovel at a time, Xu Disheng¡¯s soul was slowly being strengthened. This Soul Force, which was black in color, was the core foundation of the Nourishing Soul Mantra, and had many incredible uses. Internally, it could strengthen the meridians or slowly expand the sea of consciousness. It also provided night vision and far-sight, and even strengthened the awareness of his surroundings such that he could still roughly perceive the situation around him even with his eyes closed. His sea of consciousness was forcefully established by the cyan jade flute, but it didn¡¯t resemble an ordinary Xiantian martial artist¡¯s sea of consciousness. Xiantian martial artists could project their sea of consciousness outward in an area about 3 meters around them, allowing them to slaughter across space within that domain, which was why the Xiantian stage was also sometimes referred to as the Transcendent Realm. However, the Nourishing Soul Mantra was fair and mild, and wasn¡¯t oriented towards slaughter. Xu Disheng had tried many times to comprehend the second mantra of Soul Song, but every time he tried to do so, he began to feel dizzy and light-headed. He didn¡¯t manage to make any progress, so he could only give up. Youyang City was the capital city of the You Province, and the massive city spanned a radius of around 100 li. This city was at the very core of the entire You Province, and its city walls towered at a height of more than 100 meters tall, looming over the city in an imposing manner. The city gates, which were more than 10 meters tall, were wide open. Beneath the enormous city gates, people were coming and going. There were rich and powerful-looking horse carriages, handsome young men, and noble ladies. Traveling merchants and martial artists carrying swords could also be seen moving about. Two rows of armored soldiers, each wearing a solemn expression, lined both sides of the road. They all held halberds in their hands, diligently watching over and guarding the city gates. If one looked closely, they would realize that among these people coming and going, about two or three out of ten were actually martial artists! In the Ruyang Region, it was rare for someone to have Dao Channels, so every one of them was a prized talent. Out of several hundreds of people, there might only be one. Even the most inferior Grade 9 talents were recruited into the clan that presided over the area so their cultivation could be supported. But in Youyang City, the capital of the You Province which oversaw the 19 Regions, there were this many martial artists with Dao Channels! In the center of Youyang City was the Youyang Palace complex which spanned a radius of about 30 li, consisting of marvelous, ornate palace buildings that stretched as far as the eye could see. Crown Prince Xing and his wife, children, and clan members, as well as his subordinates¡¯ clans, all lived in the Youyang Palace, where they ruled over the You Province. The rear of the palace complex was a restricted area that was approximately 5 li in radius, and within it was a massive Dao Palace and 10 pagodas. The Dao Palace was divided into 9 layers, and was more than 30 meters tall, while the pagodas were each around 20 to 25 meters tall. Above the main gate of the Dao Palace was a signboard with the three characters, ¡°Shangqing Path¡±, engraved in calligraphy style writing. The characters were encompassed by streams of roaming clear qi, making it look extremely profound and mystical. Xu Disheng was still sitting in the carriage. Although he didn¡¯t get off to look, he could hear the sounds of the city from within. Just by taking a peek out of the window curtain, he could tell how bustling and prosperous Youyang City was. Although Youyang City was in a corner of the Grand Chu Dynasty, the Province still consisted of tens of thousands of li of land. Youyang City, which was in the center of such a Province, would definitely be hundreds of times more prosperous than the likes of the Ruyang Region. This massive city alone was comparable to over 20 Zhenhai Cities. The procession entered the city and followed the main road for more than 10 kilometers. After passing about 30 major streets, the surrounding buildings started to look more luxurious. Once they continued further, a large river several tens of zhang wide became visible in the distance. The river encircled an expansive area with a complex of magnificent palace buildings. This area was none other than the Youyang Palace. Xu Disheng was still sitting in the carriage when the curtain to his side was pushed aside. He lifted his gaze and saw the white-robed youth, Zhang Shichuan, but he wasn¡¯t looking back at him. Zhang Shichuan addressed Daoist Lord Qingxin in a respectful tone, ¡°Martial Grandfather, we have arrived at Youyang Palace.¡± Zhang Shichuan was the second son of Crown Prince Xing, and Daoist Lord Qingxin was the martial uncle of Crown Prince Xing. He had to behave with absolute respect to this Martial Grandfather of his, who was also a peak Profound Law Xiantian. After a whole day of riding on the bumpy carriage, Xu Disheng was already feeling somewhat tired. But on the other hand, Daoist Lord Qingxin was still seated upright just as before, not affected in the slightest. He slowly opened his eyes and said, ¡°Okay, you can go on ahead with Zhang Kemu to report in. I will bring him to the Dao Palace. Tell Yu¡¯er to make a trip to the Dao Palace in the evening.¡± ¡°Understood, Martial Grandfather,¡± Zhang Shichuan assented, bowing his head. Was the one he referred to as ¡°Yu¡¯er¡± actually Crown Prince Xing, Zhang Keyu? Xu Disheng shuddered inwardly, realizing all over again just how high Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s status was. After Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s horse carriage crossed over the river and passed through the gates of Youyang Palace, the building directly ahead was Youyang Palace¡¯s main hall, Taihe Palace. But the carriage didn¡¯t stop there. Instead, it went around Taihe Palace and continued onward through the palace complex for another 5 or so kilometers, arriving at the Dao Palace in the restricted area, where it stopped in front of the Shangqing Palace Hall. ¡°The Daoist Lord arrives at the Dao Palace!¡± one of the guards of the carriage announced respectfully. When Daoist Lord Qingxin stood up, the guards bent over, allowing him to step on their backs and descend from the carriage. Xu Disheng hopped down from the carriage and saw the magnificent Dao Palace in front of him. He craned his neck to look up at the three characters, ¡°Shangqing Dao¡±, written above, and he examined the clear qi roving about those characters. He discovered that there was a strand of power affecting his gaze, causing the board to seem blurry, as if it were both real and illusory at the same time. Xu Disheng revolved his Soul Force and looked again at the signboard. But before he could completely see it clearly, he felt that strand of clear qi from earlier pierce into his mind and give his consciousness a jolt, causing him to nearly fall over. ¡°Stop looking and come in.¡± An immensely loud and brilliant sound was transmitted next to his ears, rousing Xu Disheng from his stupor and allowing his mind to clear up. When he looked up again, he saw that Daoist Lord Qingxin had already reached the top of the stairs, and was standing at the entrance to the palace hall, peering down at him. ¡°Yes.¡± Xu Disheng began to slowly climb up the flight of steps, and he happened to look over at the orderly guards who had their heads lowered as they stood on each side of the staircase. He thought of the words that Daoist Lord Qingxin mentioned only to him just now about certain magical methods, and he started to feel increasingly excited for the future. In the temple on the first layer of the Dao Palace, Daoist Lord Qingxin was sitting on a prayer mat. He pointed to a prayer mat at his side and said, ¡°Sit.¡± Xu Disheng followed suit and took a seat. ¡°Are you willing to enter the Shangqing Path?¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Since you came from a barren land, there are many things you don¡¯t know. There is only one thing you must remember now that you are part of the Dao Palace. In terms of influence, the power of the Dao Palace reigns above the Grand Chu Dynasty. In the future, you must never lose face for the Dao Palace!¡± Once Daoist Lord Qingxin spoke up to the latter half of his words, his usually plain way of speaking became somewhat strict. Power above the Grand Chu Dynasty? This statement was earth-shattering to Xu Disheng. His expression changed as he quietly agreed. ¡°With the Grand Chu Dynasty¡¯s 11 Provinces being split into fiefdoms with strictly fixed statuses, this land rarely sees the chaos of war. The entire Grand Chu Dynasty has had peace for tens of thousands of years. Although the Dao Palace¡¯s influence is above all, the enfeoffed clans under the Zhang imperial family do well in maintaining order within their realms. Do you know why the ranks are clearly separated?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Xu Disheng replied. ¡°You came from a small clan. If a gifted martial artist appeared in your clan¡¯s territory, what would you do?¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin asked. ¡°Recruit them into the clan and nurture them, then use them to manage the fiefdom,¡± Xu Disheng answered. ¡°What if that person was someone with Upper Third Dao Channels?¡± ¡°Naturally, report it to the provincial seat of power. We wouldn¡¯t dare to monopolize them.¡± ¡°Then do you understand now?¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin clapped his hands with a light smile. Xu Disheng frowned, and a lightbulb suddenly went off in his head. His expression changed as he blurted out, ¡°Could it be¡­!¡± "" Daoist Lord Qingxin lightly waved his hand, cutting him off. ¡°This evening, you will be formally admitted into the Shangqing Path as my second disciple.¡± CH 15 Chapter 15 ¨C Murky Heart Concentrating Gem Sect Jade Slip Inside Taihe Palace, the main hall of the Youyang Palace, a youth wearing a black official dragon robe1 was standing with his hands behind his back. He spoke in a dignified voice, ¡°Since you two are already back, does that mean Martial Uncle Qingxin has returned to the Dao Palace?¡± Standing in the middle of the main hall of Taihe Palace were Zhang Kemu and Zhang Shichuan, who had just returned. Zhang Kemu took a step forward and said respectfully, ¡°Your Excellency, after Daoist Lord Qingxin returned to Youyang Palace, he returned directly to the Dao Palace.¡± ¡°What about that genius from that small clan in Ruyang Region? It was said that he had Upper Third Dao Channels or Profound Meridians, but what Grade was he in the end? Why didn¡¯t you bring him here?¡± Towards the end of his words, his tone turned strict. This person in the official robe was none other than Zhang Keyu, also known as Crown Prince Xing. Although he was only 30 years old, he ruled firmly over the entire Province, possessing extremely high authority and power. ¡°Your Excellency, that child has Grade 2 Profound Meridians. He caught the eye of Daoist Lord Qingxin, so he took him directly back to the Dao Palace,¡± Zhang Kemu said with his head lowered. ¡°Grade 2 Profound Meridians?¡± Zhang Keyu turned around, sounding somewhat astonished. He himself was a rare talent with Grade 3 Profound Meridians, and only after he entered into the You Province Dao Palace under Daoist Lord Qingyu could he have the influence to rule over an entire Province. ¡°Without a doubt, this is true.¡± Zhang Keyu nodded, and fell silent for a moment. Zhang Shichuan saw that Zhang Kemu, who was standing before him, had simply lowered his head without speaking, so he had no choice but to take a step forward. ¡°Father, Martial Grandfather Qingxin said that he wanted you to make a trip over to the Dao Palace,¡± he finally spoke up respectfully. ¡°I understand, you two can leave now,¡± Zhang Keyu responded with a wave of his sleeve. ¡°Yes, Your Excellency.¡± ¡°Yes, Father.¡± Evening eventually fell in the Dao Palace restricted area. In the Shangqing Dao Palace, Daoist Lord Qingxin, who was dressed in a light green Daoist robe, was sitting upright on a prayer mat. Clear qi revolved around his body as he meditated with his eyes closed. Xu Disheng was seated beside him. Although he had been sitting there for the whole day, he wasn¡¯t impatient in the slightest. He just continued to sit there in silence, cultivating his Soul Force. The sound of footsteps rang out, and a middle-aged Daoist with white hair slowly paced down the steps from the 2nd floor of the Dao Palace. ¡°Junior Martial Brother, the temperament of this new disciple of yours is not bad. He¡¯s actually able to keep his composure despite being only 4 or 5 years old, and he isn¡¯t impatient in the slightest,¡± he said with a gentle smile. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Qingyu,¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin opened his eyes and greeted him. Then he turned to Xu Disheng. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, greet your Martial Uncle.¡± ¡°Respectful greetings to Martial Uncle,¡± Xu Disheng said, standing up and bowing to him. ¡°You may be at ease. Qingxin, in all the previous years whenever I took in a disciple, you gave out plenty of greeting gifts. But now that you¡¯ve finally taken in your second disciple after 80 years, this Senior Martial Brother of yours can¡¯t be stingy in repaying the favor,¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu said. He reached into his sleeve and took out an ancient white jade pendant, which he wrapped in a cloud of mysterious light and sent it floating over towards Xu Disheng. The jade pendant was surrounded by white light, and it was obvious from a glance that it was no ordinary item. At this moment, it was slightly trembling as it hovered in midair before Xu Disheng. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Qingyu, this Murky Heart Jade was given by Master. Are you actually willing to part with it?¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu said with a rare hint of surprise in his voice. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. This item was given to me by Master for me to use as a Dao protection item. You and I are both stuck at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage, so I won¡¯t be able to use this item anymore.¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu flicked his sleeves and continued, ¡°Besides, for your whole life, you only accepted that Su Che as your disciple, and then¡­ 80 years later, now that you¡¯ve finally accepted another disciple, how can I afford to be stingy?¡± It seemed that Daoist Lord Qingyu didn¡¯t dare to touch upon the matter regarding Su Che lightly, as he stopped when he spoke to that point and then proceeded to change the topic. ¡°Then thank you, Senior Martial Brother,¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin said. When he heard the name Su Che, his pupils shrunk and his aura became turbulent as he was unable to fully control himself. After a few moments, he retracted his aura and returned to normal. Turning his head to Xu Disheng, he said, ¡°You may receive the gift from your Martial Uncle.¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you, Martial Uncle,¡± Xu Disheng said, reaching out to take the ancient white jade pendant. The jade pendant had an excellent spiritual effect. As it lay in his palm, he could feel a stream of refreshing qi circulate through his body from his hand. When Xu Disheng focused, he could feel his mind clearing up and his meridians being cleansed. ¡°This Murky Heart Jade was given to us by our Master, and it has all kinds of wonderful effects. The people around these parts would call it a top quality Martial Treasure. You can slowly explore its effects yourself,¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin instructed. ¡°I understand.¡± At this moment, a voice with a respectful tone rang out from outside the Dao Palace. ¡°Yu¡¯er pays respects to Master and Martial Uncle Qingxin.¡± ¡°Enter,¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu said. Wearing a black official robe, Zhang Keyu came in and lowered his head. ¡°Greetings, Master and Martial Uncle.¡± ¡°At ease.¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu lightly flicked his sleeves. Daoist Lord Qingxin spoke, ¡°Regarding me taking in a disciple, there are only us four from the You Province Dao Palace in Youyang City at the moment, which makes everything simpler.¡± He exchanged a glance with Daoist Lord Qingyu, who nodded back at him. He continued, ¡°Here is the sect jade slip.¡± From within his sleeve, a dark green jade tablet flew out, flickering with splendor as it gave off a very mystical aura. ¡°Place a drop of blood on the jade slip.¡± Xu Disheng did as he was instructed, biting into the tip of his tongue and withdrawing a drop of blood, which he then smeared onto the jade slip. Daoist Lord Qingxin watched as the green light coming from the jade slip grew brighter, then made some hand seals above it before speaking in a reverential tone. ¡°Respectful greetings to the Directory Hall on Wenyuan Mountain of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. I, Outer Disciple Qingxin of Zhuri Mountain hereby accept Xu Disheng, with the Spiritual Root of Grade 2 Profound Meridians, as my disciple in the Seventh Mortal Secret Area of the Chu territory. His blood has already been extracted for record, and I implore you to input it in the directory. Yours sincerely, Disciple Qingxin.¡± When he finished speaking, that dark green jade slip began to emit resplendent rays of light, which rushed out of the Dao Palace straight towards the horizon, disappearing without a trace within the blink of an eye. Daoist Lord Qingyu scoffed. ¡°Those bastards from Wenyuan Mountain¡¯s Directory Hall. Who knows how many decades they¡¯ll let these disciple acceptance jade slips from the Mortal Secret Areas stack up for before inputting them into the directory.¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin sighed. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Qingyu, please watch what you say about the sect.¡± The two of them weren¡¯t making a big deal out of it, but their words caused a sense of crisis to bud within Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. Qingyu and Qingxin were both peak Xiantian realm cultivators of Profound Laws. To say nothing of the You Province, these two would probably be considered peak level masters even in the Central Imperial Province. Even the extremely powerful Prince Xing could only be a disciple to Qingyu. He did this so he could use his power as a disciple as a pretext to gain control over a Province and rule over several tens of thousands of li of land. And yet, these two overwhelmingly powerful Daoist Lords could only be considered Outer Disciples of a mountain range in the Shangqing Sacred Sect? This world was nothing more than a small secret area of the Shangqing Sacred Sect? If this frightening secret was made known to the rest of the world, it would cause an incredible panic! Xu Disheng¡¯s mind was greatly shaken. He inadvertently looked over at Crown Prince Xing, Zhang Keyu, whose expression was unchanged. When he felt his gaze upon him, he looked back at him and lightly shook his head. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, since I have accepted you as my disciple on behalf of the sect, you are now part of the Shangqing Path, and from now on you may call me Master. Remember that the first rule of the Shangqing Path is that the Dao Palace is above all else, and you must never lightly insult its honor,¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin said. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Martial Uncle, I have a greeting gift for Junior Martial Brother,¡± Zhang Keyu saw that the process was over, so he stepped forward and spoke. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin said. Zhang Keyu said with a smile, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, this is our first time meeting, but this Senior Martial Brother of yours doesn¡¯t have anything great to give you. I heard that you came from a small clan in the Ruyang Region. In that case, how about I grant the Xu Clan authority over the Ruyang Region, and allow them to rule Ruyang City?¡± Xu Disheng was moved, knowing that this youth wearing the official dragon robe was none other than the son of King Xing. In the eyes of Xu Qinying and the others, he was a massively important and high class figure with an overwhelming level of power and authority. At this moment in time, this person had now become his Senior Martial Brother, someone he could be close to. Truly, life could really be filled with all kinds of twists and turns. Although his thoughts were a mess, his movements weren¡¯t slow. He immediately bowed respectfully, ¡°If you would be so kind, Senior Martial Brother.¡± Zhang Keyu turned around and left the Dao Palace, arriving in front of the palace gate. ¡°Attend to me,¡± he ordered. There were two armored guards in front of the Dao Palace, who knelt respectfully before him. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Pass down my decree. Confer power of the entire Ruyang Region to the Ruyang Region¡¯s Xu Clan, and allow them to establish their own capital city,¡± Zhang Keyu commanded. He paused at this point, then turned around to look at the 5 year old child in the palace hall before continuing. ¡°Leave the position for the head of the Region open for now, and have the Patriarch of the Xu Clan serve as the acting representative. Also, regarding the Guo Clan¡¯s newly relocated fiefdom, the Lin¡¯an Region, give authority over that Region to the Xu Clan as well.¡± ¡°As you command, Your Majesty.¡± One of the armored guards left to fulfill his orders. CH 16 Chapter 16 ¨C Jianggong Sea of Qi, Formation of Profound Qi TL Note: Sorry for the late chapter. I have exams this week, so next week¡¯s chapter will probably also be delayed. Over the holidays, I plan to catch up on translating so there will be more frequent releases. I¡¯m excited to get this series off the ground and out of the early chapters, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading. ¡°Thank you, Martial Uncle,¡± Xu Disheng said, bowing again. Daoist Lord Qingyu unexpectedly said, ¡°Yu¡¯er, if you were more diligent about your cultivation, you would have already broken through to the Cleansed Meridians stage!¡± Zhang Keyu walked back into the palace hall, a bit speechless. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± he replied with a bitter smile. Daoist Lord Qingxin looked at the master and disciple pair, and didn¡¯t butt in. With a flick of his sleeves, he moved towards the 2nd layer of the Shangqing Dao Palace. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, come along with me,¡± he said to Xu Disheng through voice transmission. The two of them went directly up to the 7th layer of the Dao Palace. On the 7th layer, there were four quiet halls, which were the Cultivation Hall, the Refinement Hall, the Storage Hall, and the Common Hall. Each of these palace rooms were extremely expansive and extravagant. As they walked into the Cultivation Hall, Daoist Lord Qingxin said, ¡°As I said earlier, you can¡¯t continue to cultivate that Shangqing Qi from before. That was just some defective part sectioned out of the Shangqing Profound Laws, and was mainly for the martial artists of this land to cultivate qi, but it¡¯s worthless to you.¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Xu Disheng lowered his head in agreement as he followed behind him. ¡°I will pass the Shangqing Profound Laws onto you. These are the fundamental laws of the Shangqing Path, and can lead you to the Great Dao. You should cultivate it to the best of your ability,¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin said. He waved his sleeves, and a cyan jade slip flew out and landed on the ground. Xu Disheng picked up the jade slip and stood back up with an awkward expression on his face. ¡°Hm?¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s brows slightly wrinkled as he looked at Xu Disheng. This five year old child was both attractive and intelligent, but at this moment he stood there at a complete loss. He was indeed smart, but after receiving so much information at once, not knowing what exactly to do was quite normal. Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s tone immediately became a lot gentler. ¡°Is there anything you want to say?¡± When Daoist Lord brought out the sect jade slip earlier, it brought up a lot of his memories of his past, so his mood was somewhat agitated. ¡°Master, I don¡¯t know how to use this jade slip,¡± Xu Disheng said awkwardly, standing there as he held onto the jade slip. Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s face stiffened. He was a Profound Law Xiantian who had already reached the peak of his realm and was exalted by all the mortals in this land, but he was not a god. Adding onto his anxious mood earlier, Xu Disheng was always cool and collected, and spoke to him respectfully. As a result, he somehow overlooked the fact that he was only 5 years old. He hadn¡¯t practiced Profound Laws before, nor had he cultivated any Martial Techniques, so it was only natural for him to not know how to use the jade slip. Plus, it was worth noting that this record jade slip was refined by Daoist Lord Qingxin himself, and it couldn¡¯t be operated unless one used Shangqing Profound Qi. Daoist Lord Qingxin closed both of his eyes and revolved his Profound Energy to adjust his mood, suppressing the anxiety from before. After a short while when he opened his eyes again, his look of calm tranquility had returned, and his mental state had gone back to normal. ¡°I will help you gain perception of qi, so sit down.¡± Xu Disheng obeyed, sitting down cross-legged on the floor. ¡°You have Grade 2 Profound Meridians, so perceiving qi won¡¯t be too hard for you. I will use a stream of Shangqing Profound Qi to assist you. Make sure you firmly remember the route it takes.¡± Humans had 36 meridian points, and there were 3 major ones among them. Those 3 Major Acupoints were the Baihui meridian point, the Shenque meridian point, and the Jianggong meridian point. The Baihui meridian point was located on the top of the head, forming the sea of consciousness; the Shenque meridian point was at the heart, forming the Spirit Temple; the Jianggong meridian point was located at the lower dantian, forming the Jianggong Sea of Qi. (TL Note: There was a confusion with the major meridian points earlier, which I have fixed. When they were mentioned in earlier chapters, the author hadn¡¯t clarified where they were on the body yet, so I did a quick Google search to see where they were so the reader could get a better idea of what was happening. But it turns out that here, where the author is finally describing their locations, the author has given them a different location than is actually described in sources online. Not sure if this is an error on the author¡¯s part or a choice since this is a fictitious world. Either way, I¡¯ll be going with the meridian point locations the author has given here, and I¡¯ve gone back to fix them accordingly.) Daoist Lord Qingxin sent out a stream of Shangqing Profound Qi, which entered through the top of Xu Disheng¡¯s head and began to circulate slowly through his meridians. Xu Disheng had Grade 2 Profound Meridians, so his talent was very exceptional. He also had the cyan jade flute constantly nourishing his entire body with qi. When the Shangqing Profound Qi began to flow through the meridians in his entire body, he suddenly felt his body grow hot, as if there was a power that wanted to erupt forth from his meridians. While he followed that stream of Shangqing Profound Qi as it circulated, he was also doing his best to perceive the qi in the surrounding area. It was exceedingly mysterious, but if one had Profound Meridians, it was actually possible to slightly feel the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy. And if one absorbed it into their body, it would become their own Profound Qi. But without Profound Meridians, even if one sat there for a hundred years, they wouldn¡¯t be able to feel even a single shred of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy. Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy was different from the essence of the sun and the moon. Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy had always existed since the origin of the world, but the number of people who could harness it was exceedingly small. Even those cultivators who practiced similar Martial Techniques that cultivated Astral Energy couldn¡¯t match up to Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy at all. Only after Martial Technique cultivators broke through to the Xiantian realm could they borrow the power of their sea of consciousness to forcefully use a small amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy. ¡°Be diligent with perceiving the existence of Primordial Energy,¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s voice resounded in his ears. Xu Disheng tightly closed his eyes. His world became blanketed in an expanse of blackness, and his body began to feel like it was floating in midair. He began to feel out that small stream of light. Suddenly, a strand of energy emerged from a corner of that pitch darkness, brimming with unlimited vitality. Xu Disheng immediately exerted all of his body and mind¡¯s efforts to lock onto it. He envisioned the Jianggong meridian point in his mind and began to try to pull that strand of energy into it. Having Grade 2 Profound Meridians entailed a heavenly level of talent. Even if it could only be considered ordinary in the grand scheme of the Spiritual Root order, it was already the peak level of aptitude in this world. That strand of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy that was overflowing with vitality slowly entered his Jianggong meridian point. Bang! As a loud sound came from Xu Disheng¡¯s body, the darkness surrounding him was split open, and his world became bathed with radiance. When Xu Disheng opened his eyes, he could perceive the same aura from that stream of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy spread throughout the world around him. And at this moment, he clearly understood. It was always around him, but it was just that he couldn¡¯t feel it. ¡°Go along that path I traced just now with that stream of Shangqing Profound Qi, and transform that Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy into your own Shangqing Profound Qi!¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin controlled his stream of Shangqing Profound Qi and began to lead that stream of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy that entered Xu Disheng¡¯s body throughout his meridians along the route passing through the 36 Meridian Points, which was written in the Shangqing Profound Laws. Xu Disheng tried to control the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy, but it was incredibly difficult. After the strand of energy completed one revolution along the path, an extremely thin wisp of Shangqing Profound Qi was born within his meridians. After it formed, Xu Disheng tried to observe and control it, and he felt that he could control it like it were his own arm. This was truly his own Shangqing Profound Qi. When Daoist Lord Qingxin saw that he had formed his own Shangqing Profound Qi, he withdrew his own stream of qi and nodded his head. When Xu Disheng developed perception of qi, he had already somewhat surpassed his expectations. Even though he was helping him, this result was outstanding. After a moment of contemplation, he said, ¡°From now on, you should cultivate by absorbing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy and transforming it into Shangqing Profound Qi. When your meridians are fully permeated with Shangqing Profound Qi, then you¡¯ll be considered to be at the Cleansed Meridians stage.¡± Xu Disheng was silently revolving the Shangqing Profound Laws, trying to absorb more Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy to strengthen that wisp of Shangqing Profound Qi, but he found his speed to be extremely slow. After he finished one revolution, that wisp of Profound Qi only increased by a . If he didn¡¯t carefully observe it, he might not have even noticed the increase at all. In fact, the thickness of the strand of Profound Qi had hardly changed at all. When he heard what Daoist Lord Qingxin said, he lifted his head and asked, ¡°Master, what realm is this Cleansed Meridians stage equivalent to for martial cultivators?¡± ¡°The two can¡¯t even be compared. You only need to know that Cleansed Meridians stage profound cultivators can fight against martial Xiantians and have an enormous advantage.¡± A light flashed in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes. ¡°Then what about the Profound Law Xiantian realm?¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin chuckled. ¡°After you have absorbed all of the Shangqing Profound Qi within your meridians into your Jianggong meridian point and refine it into the Sea of Qi to form the Jianggong Sea of Qi, then you can begin to circulate Profound Qi endlessly. This is the Sea of Qi stage, which is considered to be what constitutes a Profound Law Xiantian!¡± Xu Disheng nodded quietly. Daoist Lord Qingxin glanced at him and continued, ¡°If you become a Profound Law Xiantian, your lifespan will increase by 500 years. I myself am already 230 years old.¡± CH 17 Chapter 17 ¨C The Comfort of Solitude TL Note: Due to their being a sponsored chapter, there will be a double release today (although this is my second time uploading these chapters since there was a problem with the website). Also, from here on, the names of cultivation methods will be italicized. Thanks to everyone who donated on Ko-Fi, much love! This chapter was really challenging to translate, but I think it turned out well. Please enjoy! Xu Disheng silently hung his head, his emotions in a turmoil. After he lost his memories, he had always been lost. But now, he had the opportunity to cultivate Profound Laws and achieve longevity. When he heard what Daoist Lord Qingxin said about the truly vast world out there, he realized that only by achieving a more formidable power could he begin to unravel the mysteries about himself. Daoist Lord Qingxin seemed to know what he was thinking. ¡°There were some things that you probably shouldn¡¯t have heard. But now that you have, you must remember. The weak will always be weak. You can go now. Pick a pagoda and begin to cultivate on your own. Food will always be sent to Youyang Palace by the guards.¡± ¡°Yes, Master. Please excuse me then.¡± Xu Disheng quelled his broodings, then picked up the Shangqing Profound Law jade slip and left the Cultivation Hall. On the 7th floor of the Dao Palace, there was a place where one could enjoy the scenery of the whole Youyang palace complex. The expanse of magnificent pavilions stretched out as far as the eye could see, looking even more elegant under the moonlight. Xu Disheng admired this nightscape, and for a while he was entranced. Just as he was about to lift his foot to begin his descent down the stairs, Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s flat voice was transmitted to him from inside the hall. ¡°Hold on, take this cultivation method to protect yourself.¡± An ordinary-looking jade slip wrapped in profound qi landed at his feet. Xu Disheng bent down to pick it up. He probed the jade slip with his thread of Shangqing Profound Qi, and the cultivation method immediately materialized in his brain. The cultivation method was called Azure Ocean, and had four forms. The cultivation method, as it was aptly named, allowed the cultivator to control water. The four forms were Amassing Water, Rain Summoning, Controlling Waves, and Capsizing Ocean. When he examined it closely, he found that the only one that he could cultivate was the Amassing Waves form. The other three required the cultivator to be at least at the Cleansed Meridians stage. He put away the jade slip and thanked his master respectfully. ¡°You can leave now.¡± When Xu Disheng walked out of the Dao Palace, it was night. Stars filled the sky, and the moon cast bright rays that bathed the ground in a pale luster which shimmered like white jade. There were more than ten pagodas around the Dao Palace. They seemed to be in a state of disrepair, as if they had not seen use for a long time. It was exceptionally quiet and peaceful as Xu Disheng slowly paced in between the pagodas. About a hundred paces behind him, there was only one armored guard silently keeping watch. He stood there solemnly looking straight ahead, and even if Xu Disheng were to walk past him, he wouldn¡¯t react. Xu Disheng picked one of the more intact looking pagodas and went inside. The pagoda had 7 layers, and each layer of the pagoda was a little over 3 meters tall. It stood at an imposing height, but the interior was rather empty. There were only a few simple praying mats and Dao platforms inside. Xu Disheng was momentarily speechless. Could it be that they wanted him to sleep on a prayer mat or on the floor? Just as he thought that, he heard the bustling of footsteps outside the pagoda gate. A soldier in black armor was bringing along several tens of soldiers with him as they carried in a large, luxurious looking bed. They were also bringing in chairs, tables, daily necessities, brushes and ink, and other kinds of miscellaneous stationery. The black-armored soldier issued a command to the soldiers behind him, ¡°Put them down for now.¡± When he turned back around, he saluted Xu Disheng. ¡°Young Sir, His Excellency instructed me to completely renovate the pagoda after you have finished making your selection. May I respectfully inquire whether you would like to live in this pagoda?¡± Xu Disheng was surprised at Zhang Keyu¡¯s consideration. This Senior Martial Brother of his was a Prince from an imperial family that possessed an overwhelming level of authority, but he wasn¡¯t putting on any airs towards him. He was really taking care of him quite well. Even if it was because they were part of the same sect, Xu Disheng remembered this favor firmly in his heart. ¡°Sorry to trouble you all with this. From now on, I¡¯ll be living here on the 7th floor,¡± he said. ¡°Understood, Young Sir,¡± the black-armored soldier replied. He didn¡¯t treat Xu Disheng with any contempt in the slightest despite his age being small. Every person that was affiliated with the provincial government of Youyang City knew that even though the Youyang palace complex was so big and housed several hundred of the Prince¡¯s family members, the most eminent people residing in this place were not they. In the entirety of the provincial government area in Youyang City, there was only one restricted area, and that was here. Even though there were only two words in the phrase ¡°Dao Palace¡±, those two words carried an incredible weight behind them. Even the Prince was vigilant at all times about upholding the prestige of the Dao Palace. Of course, there was something the general populace didn¡¯t know. After the taxes from the entirety of the Province¡¯s 19 Regions, encompassing a whole 36000 li radius, were handed over to the provincial government, the sum was then converted into spiritual medicines, treasured herbs, and mysterious treasures, all to provide for the mere few belonging to the Dao Palace. The top floor of the seven layered pagoda wasn¡¯t all that large. When the soldiers finished cleaning it up and renovating it, there were only two halls: a cultivation hall and a living hall. Although the area itself wasn¡¯t large, it became very well-furnished. There were all kinds of interior decor, ranging from woven mats, a large bed, folding screens, mirrors, tables, chairs, cupboards, and much more. This wide selection of items also consisted only of exquisitely refined commodities. Xu Disheng was sitting upright on a Dao platform in the cultivation room, looking out of the pagoda. His mind was somewhere else. Five years after being born, spending each day mindlessly, he now had a place he could call his own. His body belonged to the Xu Clan, but he felt no sense of belonging to them. He could be considered close with his own mother, Jin Yu, but that was about it. This pagoda was extremely quiet and serene, making him feel lonely. But his heart was still calm, and he somehow even began to feel a sense of belonging here already, as if he had long gotten used to this solitary pace. Suppressing his thoughts, he summoned his strand of Shangqing Profound Qi to enter the jade slip containing the Shangqing Profound Laws. General Outline of the Shangqing Sacred Sect Profound Laws. The cultivation method appeared in his mind. When Xu Disheng saw the words ¡®Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯, his gaze grew sharp, and he could hear Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s words reverberating in his ears. ¡°There were some things that you probably shouldn¡¯t have heard. But now that you have, you must remember. The weak will always be weak.¡± He retracted his gaze and looked at the 3 parts of the cultivation method. The first part was the one that he wanted to cultivate, the Shangqing Profound Laws. The second one was called Talisman Law, and the third was called Incantation Law. The Shangqing Profound Laws were the basics to cultivating profound qi. The next step for him was to circulate the profound qi within his meridians according to these laws, and slowly transform the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy into his own Shangqing Profound Qi until his meridians were completely filled with it. At that time, he would be considered to have reached the Cleansed Meridians stage. Xu Disheng lightly shook his head. At this speed, he shouldn¡¯t even think about the Cleansed Meridians stage. With the speed he was going, he didn¡¯t even know how long it would take to make his strand of Shangqing Profound Qi become even slightly thicker. Besides, this strand of Shangqing Profound Qi currently had no other uses to him besides allowing him to view jade slips. At this moment, it was simply too weak. It would take him many years of hard cultivation to slowly strengthen it, so he didn¡¯t become impatient. Xu Disheng couldn¡¯t help but think back to that time earlier today when Daoist Lord Qingyu reprimanded Zhang Keyu about his cultivation progress. He thought of the bitter laugh that Zhang Keyu gave, and now he felt that he could understand what he was feeling at that time. He had Grade 2 Profound Meridians, and his progress was already this slow. But Zhang Keyu was already 30 years old, and only had Grade 3 Profound Meridians. He supposed that it wasn¡¯t that Zhang Keyu was slacking in the amount of effort he put towards his cultivation. It was likely that it simply wasn¡¯t possible to speed it up by much at all, and it could only be accomplished through lots of time and constant effort. There were no shortcuts. The lifespan of normal people was around 80 to 100 years old. But if they broke through to the Xiantian realm, martial Xiantian cultivators could increase their lifespan to 200 years. For Profound Law Xiantians, they could increase their lifespan to 500 years, forever retaining a youthful appearance. Xu Disheng sat there and quietly meditated. The cyan jade flute revolved within his sea of consciousness in the Baihui meridian point, slowly spilling out cyan light, which nourished his sea of consciousness and meridians. Black soul power was present all throughout his sea of consciousness, slowly absorbing the essence of the moon to gradually strengthen him. The Spirit Temple in the Shenque meridian point was in the heart, and it was the important location to martial cultivators since it was the place where they stored their qi. Xu Disheng had never cultivated Martial Techniques before, so the space in this meridian point was empty. Occasionally, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy that he absorbed would simply pass by this area. In the Jianggong meridian point, a strand of Shangqing Profound Qi swam about, strengthening itself with Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy. Xu Disheng rummaged through the clothes that he changed out of earlier and took out the string of Buddhist prayer beads, which were shining dimly with white light. It was a damaged Martial Treasure with extremely strong protective power. This was something given to him at birth by his easygoing uncle, Jin Qingzhao. He also looked at the white jade pendant, which was called the Murky Heart Jade. This was the greeting gift that Daoist Lord Qingyu gave to him. Not only was it a completely intact Martial Treasure, but it also was an extremely precious top quality item. When he placed the pendant close to his body, a refreshing strand of qi would flow throughout his body, which even slightly increased the operating speed of his Shangqing Profound Qi. There were still the two jade slips next to him: the Shangqing Profound Laws, and Azure Ocean. Xu Disheng looked at the few belongings he had, and actually felt somewhat at ease. He didn¡¯t think any further, and sat down cross legged. He began to revolve the Nourishing Soul Mantra to transform the essence of the moon into Soul Force. At the same time, he was constantly revolving the Shangqing Profound Laws to absorb the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy. The five year old child gradually delved deeper into the dry and dull world of cultivation. There was a certain poem that went like this. Floating Immortal Order I don¡¯t know where the immortals are, following their dreams in vain; Aside from the moon at the end of the horizon, no one knows. Sword dancing under the moonlight, a beautiful woman emerges within a dream; Silently watching the world with hands tucked in her sleeves, not daring to recall the bygones of yonder past. A great gale rises as he steps upon on a myriad of clouds in the midst of an intoxicated dream; The immortal road is distant, the mortal world bitter. Constantly looking back with complex yearning; Unable to bear this mortal coil. CH 18 Chapter 18 ¨C The Passing of Time TL Note: Sponsored chapter (1/1) The heavy rain gradually subsided, leaving only the occasional raindrops to pitter and patter against the stone bricks. A rainbow began to shine from the edge of the horizon, quietly drawing an end to the storm. The rain stopped, as if it were as short and fleeting as a human life. One¡¯s existence was akin to the brevity of a raindrop¡¯s descent, where it converged into a puddle among countless other raindrops, seeping into the ground to disappear without a trace. The moments after the rain were the time for life to blossom and take root. A tender green sprout of grass fought and squeezed its way through the cracks between two stone bricks as it budded upwards. Even though the wind and rain swept strongly, the flexible but resilient stem of the grass sprout bent and arced in the wind. And when the gale finally finished blowing past, it still stood as strong as ever. The sound of a pair of black satin shoes stepping upon the stone bricks could be heard, and a long, fair finger reached out to pluck that piece of baby grass that just grew out after the rain. With a chuckle, the voice said, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since the last rainfall. It came just in time, too.¡± The young Daoist let the blade of grass flutter away into the breeze, then he turned around and walked towards the Dao Palace in the very center. He wore a dark black Daoist robe from head to toe, which somewhat obscured his shoeline. It was fitted well to his body, accentuating his lanky figure. Whenever the youth turned, the hem of the robe would flutter slightly in the wind. It was still lightly drizzling, and the raindrops landed on the black Daoist robe, but they left no trace. It was clear from this that the silk fabric it was made from was of first-rate quality. His long, ink black hair was coiled into a bun and fastened with a dark green jade hairpin. The young Daoist lightly brushed his bangs and muttered to himself, ¡°Before I realized it, my hair got this long.¡± When he arrived in front of the gate of the Dao Palace, he saw a young man in a dragon robe walking out. He saluted him in greeting. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhang.¡± This young man was none other than Prince Xing, Zhang Keyu. Zhang Keyu looked surprised. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Sheng, I heard from Martial Uncle Qingxin that you were comprehending the Amassing Water form. For this last closed door cultivation of yours, it¡¯s already been 3 years since you last came out of your pagoda.¡± This youth was Xu Disheng. With a smile, he replied, ¡°Ten years of time to us cultivators is just the blink of an eye. It¡¯s been three years since we last met, but I see that your handsome figure is just as undiminished as ever.¡± Zhang Keyu gave a wry smile. ¡°If one doesn¡¯t enter the Xiantian realm, one¡¯s lifespan won¡¯t increase. Although I¡¯ve managed to reach the Cleansed Meridians stage, halting the aging of my complexion for a while, I¡¯m still as far away as ever from the Xiantian stage. Junior Martial Brother Sheng, did you manage to succeed with the Amassing Water form?¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°I¡¯ve managed to get a hang of the details of it,¡± he said with a smile. The Amassing Water form that he was speaking of was the first form of the Azure Ocean cultivation method that Daoist Lord Qingxin gave him 10 years ago. ¡°How would you like to demonstrate your Shangqing incantation for this Senior Martial Brother of yours?¡± Zhang Keyu was somewhat curious about this technique that was given to him by Daoist Lord Qingxin, and he wanted to see it for himself. ¡°Then please give me pointers,¡± Xu Disheng answered respectfully, his hand already forming a hand seal. The sleeves of his black robe began to flutter in the wind. ¡°Amassing Water, bind.¡± Zhang Keyu had already cultivated profound qi for 20 years, and he had finally completely filled the meridians throughout his whole body with Shangqing Profound Qi, reaching the Cleansed Meridians stage. In front of the palace hall where he stood, the air around him suddenly became thick. Out of nowhere, a circular screen of water formed around him, pressing against his skin and enveloping his entire body. It began to constrict him, and he was unable to move a single step. Zhang Keyu wiggled his fingers and found that the water screen was flexible and tough, making it difficult for him to break free. The sides of his mouth hinted at a smile. ¡°Alright, this Senior Martial Brother of yours won¡¯t bully you with Cleansed Meridian Profound Qi. I¡¯ll only use incantations. Shangqing, break!¡± A stream of Shangqing Profound Qi rushed out from his Jianggong meridian point, encircling his entire body. With a bang, the water screen that was binding his body was broken. ¡°Amassing Water, slaughter.¡± Xu Disheng made another hand seal. The water in the atmosphere condensed, slowly forming into the shape of a slender arrow. The water arrow was transparent, trembling slightly as it floated in the air. It didn¡¯t look like it had all that much destructive power. But Zhang Keyu¡¯s expression became a tad more serious after seeing this. He flicked his sleeves and summoned forth a stream of Shangqing Profound Qi to surround his body, amassing it into the shape of a shield. ¡°Protect.¡± The water arrow burst forward and struck the shield made from profound qi, splitting it open and causing it to slowly dissipate. That water arrow ricocheted off and changed directions, colliding with the stone brick flooring of the Dao Palace. Bam! Stone bricks were sent flying, leaving a large crater that was about 7 meters wide and 3 meters deep. It was clear that the power behind the water arrow was incredible. If it landed, even if it were 10 people, it would probably pierce through all of them like a meat skewer. ¡°This Amassing Water form is really marvelous. If you used it with profound qi, I¡¯m afraid it might be even better than a Shangqing incantation,¡± Zhang Keyu said, praise evident in his voice. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve your praise, Senior Martial Brother.¡± Xu Disheng walked up to inspect the stone bricks. ¡°I didn¡¯t leave my pagoda for 3 years during this time¡¯s closed door seclusion. I managed to successfully cultivate the Amassing Water form, but there are still some parts where it¡¯s rough around the edges, so I was about to go to the Dao Palace to see Master and ask for his guidance.¡± Zhang Keyu looked at the great hall behind him and said, ¡°Martial Uncle Qingxin and Master went to the Dao Palace Eastern Qin Province about one year ago, so it¡¯s only you and me present in the Dao Palace at the moment. Just now, I was on the 3rd floor of the Dao Palace retrieving medicine. Among the refined Meridian Pills in the palace, there aren¡¯t enough qi nourishing type Medicinal Pills.¡± Xu Disheng was puzzled. ¡°Senior Martial Brother, you¡¯re already at the Cleansed Meridians stage. Why would you need these body strengthening Medicinal Pills that martial artists normally use?¡± Zhang Keyu walked down the steps and said with a smile, ¡°To give to my subordinates.¡± As a Prince ruling over an entire Province, he had countless subordinates, so it was only right for him to need them. He continued, ¡°But now that I think about it, Junior Martial Brother Sheng, after you joined the Dao Palace, you really put your whole heart into cultivating. At the beginning it was fine since you would frequently walk about the Dao Palace, so we would still see each other often. But these past few years, you¡¯ve started to become even more intense about cultivation. At the drop of a hat, you¡¯d go into one or two years of closed door cultivation, and this time it was actually a whole three years that you didn¡¯t leave your pagoda. When you first came, you were just a 5 year old child. Even after 10 years have passed, your temperament is still the same as ever. This Senior Martial Brother of yours really admires that.¡± ¡°What about Master and Martial Uncle Qingyu, don¡¯t they also go into closed door cultivation for more than 10 years all the time?¡± Xu Disheng stretched out his palm, and a tiny raindrop landed in the center of it. ¡°But those elders of ours have 500 years of longevity. I, on the other hand, haven¡¯t reached the Xiantian realm, so I only have about 100 years of longevity,¡± Zhang Keyu said with a sigh, a hint of envy in his eyes. ¡°Then that¡¯s all the more reason we should cultivate this way, so we can forge ahead and become powerful.¡± Xu Disheng lowered his gaze, where it rested upon the tender green sprouts of grass growing from the cracks between the stone bricks. His tone also contained a hint of yearning. ¡°In the last few years, the Ruyang Region¡¯s Xu Clan sent quite a few letters. Even though some people from the Xu Clan came multiple times, I didn¡¯t let them in because you were in closed door cultivation and the Dao Palace is in the restricted area of the Youyang Palace.¡± ¡°The Xu Clan, huh? Ten years have gone by, perhaps it¡¯s about time for me to go back for a visit,¡± Xu Disheng said quietly. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Sheng, if you need horses, chariots, or anything like that, you can directly let the guards in the palace know.¡± Zhang Keyu boarded the ornate palanquin by his side. ¡°Return to Taihe Palace Hall.¡± ¡°As you command, Your Excellency.¡± The palanquin porters waited for Zhang Keyu to get situated on the palanquin before heading off in the direction of Taihe Palace Hall. In the last 10 years, Xu Disheng had been cultivating nonstop, and now he was already a 15 year old strikingly handsome young man. That strand of Shangqing Profound Qi that he had at the start had now progressed to the point of filling 20 of his meridian points. There were only a little over 10 meridian points left to fill before he could reach the Cleansed Meridians stage. Xu Disheng could sense that the rate at which he was absorbing and converting Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy was increasing, and this made him gradually form a bold conjecture. The cyan jade flute in his sea of consciousness, which was constantly revolving and spilling forth cyan light, had always been like that since he was born. And yet, he never felt that his body had transformed in any way. He also thought back to the fact that he was measured to have an aptitude of Grade 2 Profound Meridians. No matter whether it was passed onto him by his parents, or if it was due to the blood of his ancestors, none of those conclusions seemed reasonable. That left only one explanation! And that was, this jade flute Xiantian Companion Artifact that was slowly spilling forth cyan light¡­ was raising none other than his own aptitude! Especially in recent years, the rate at which Xu Disheng was transforming Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy to Shangqing Profound Qi experienced an explosive increase, completely defying common sense! No matter how he thought about it, this was the only possible explanation. CH 19 Chapter 19 ¨C Unknown Path Forward Passing Soul TL Note: The second mantra of Soul Song, which was initially called Soul Limit Mantra in Chapter 3, will now be called Passing Soul Mantra. The name for the different mantras of Soul Song, the cultivation method that appeared in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind at birth, might be subject to change throughout the story as the author explains them. I haven¡¯t really read ahead of the translation, so this may continue to be the case for other cultivation methods/info in the future. But either way, I will always let the readers know about the changes, and go back to the previous chapters to change it accordingly. Black Soul Force was slowly revolving in Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness in his Baihui meridian point. His Soul Force had already become completely jet black in color, filling his entire sea of consciousness. In the past few years of cultivation, Xu Disheng¡¯s Soul Force had already undergone a fundamental change. The corners of Xu Disheng¡¯s mouth curled up into a smile, happy despite this being the result from a whole 10 years of hard cultivation. Two years ago, he had finally figured out the main outline of the second part of his life companion cultivation method that was in his mind from birth, Soul Song, and it was called the Passing Soul Mantra. Its name couldn¡¯t be interpreted in the most obvious literal sense. This mantra was extremely malicious. Xu Disheng had hardly used the Passing Soul Mantra, but its power was astonishing to him. Passing Soul. It didn¡¯t refer to the passing of souls into the cycle of reincarnation, nor was it the peaceful liberation of ghosts from this world into the Pure Land1. It was taking the soul and forcefully passing it into the void, turning the entire being into an empty corpse. Although Xu Disheng could put the Passing Soul Mantra to use, even he didn¡¯t know where this ¡®passing¡¯ soul would end up. Up to this point, he had only used it twice. He had some imperial guards bring over a death row prisoner to his pagoda so he could use it on them. Plus, it took a lot to use the Passing Soul Mantra. Just one use of it took up half of his available Soul Force. With Xu Disheng¡¯s current capacity, he could only use it twice before he would be completely empty. The upper limit of the amount of Soul Force was related to the sea of consciousness. The cyan jade flute was slowly expanding Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and converting it to Soul Force. A bigger sea of consciousness could hold more Soul Force, but if it were to be completely used up, it would only take 1 or 2 days to replenish back to full. But if he wanted to increase the upper limit of the amount of Soul Force, he had to follow the aforementioned method and accumulate it through a long period of bitter and dull cultivation. The young Daoist was wearing a black robe with a complex design. He had red lips and white teeth, handsome eyebrows, and his jet black hair was tied into a bun at the back of his head, secured with a jade hairpin. Overall, he was extremely good-looking. Xu Disheng was already 15 years old. He was thinking about what Zhang Keyu said about the letters from the Xu Clan, and he was already starting to internally form plans about going back to the Ruyang Region for a visit. The Xu Clan sent quite a few letters. They were not only written by Jin Yu and Xu Xiao, but also Xu Chaoyang and the people from the Council of Elders. For the most part, they were all inquiring about when he would come back to the Ruyang Region. The people of the Xu Clan also came in person several times, but they weren¡¯t even allowed to enter the gate of Youyang Palace. If an ordinary five year old child were to leave for 10 years and not return, then they would have to have an incredibly patient temperament. As he walked within the palace complex, he traveled several li, arriving at the front gates before he even knew it. Xu Disheng had never used a carriage when inside of the palace. From the time that he arrived here, he had never gone to see any other parts of the You Province to experience the local customs and scenery. In the last 10 years, he had barely left the vicinity of the Dao Palace, and now he was trying to go out alone, into the busy, flourishing Youyang City. He looked over at the armored guards who were saluting at him, and nodded his head in response while laughing at himself inwardly. This place could truly be considered the place that he grew up. He came when he was 5 years old and now he was already 15 years old, yet he had spent practically all of his childhood days in his pagoda, cultivating ascetically. Other children would spend their childhood fussing and acting spoiled in the tender embraces of their parents arms, or going outside to frolic about and play wildly. But him? These 10 years, he just sat there on the 7th layer of his pagoda in complete solitude. Alone in that hall under the bright moonlight shining down from the heavens, with nothing to accompany him but dull cultivation. When he exited Youyang Palace, he was met with the familiar scene from 10 years past; the bustling din on the main street of Youyang City, alive with human activity. Xu Disheng walked into the masses of people, and for a short period of time, he seemed to blend into the crowd. At this time, he happened across a market. There were merchants calling out from both sides of the street, loudly hawking their wares to the passersby. Xu Disheng walked up to a merchant¡¯s stall and stopped in front of it. This stall had a bunch of simple wooden tiles, with the various animals from the Chinese zodiac carved onto them. Whether it was the small, adorable mouse, or the simple and honest ox, the animals carved onto the palm-sized wooden tiles seemed to have eyes full of expression and vitality, as if they were alive. He picked up an engraved tile with a small dog on it and began to examine it closely in the palm of his hand. The small dog had a very cute design, as it sat on its haunches with its tail coiled around its leg and its mouth closed. It was obediently gazing towards the forefront, looking very lovable. ¡°Young Daoist, these zodiac carvings were personally carved by my mother in her free time. Each and every one of them is a high quality work of art, so the price they¡¯re being sold at is slightly higher.¡± The owner of the stall was a pretty young girl wearing plain cotton clothing, somewhere around 14 or 15 years old. When she saw Xu Disheng stop and pick up the wooden tile, she called out to him in a pleasant, clear voice. Xu Disheng was still looking down at the wooden tile, but when he heard what she said, his long eyelashes twitched and he shifted his gaze upwards with a light smile upon his lips. ¡°How much does this cost?¡± The plainly clothed young girl didn¡¯t immediately respond, and just stared at him in a momentary daze. Earlier, Xu Disheng was looking downwards with his jet black hair hanging down from both sides of his face, so she didn¡¯t notice his appearance at first. But now, when he finally looked up, the entirety of his fair, handsome face was exposed to the young girl¡¯s gaze. His eyes seemed to be as bright as stars, but at the same time, there was also a faint black vortex spinning in the pupils of his eyes, which made him give off a sense of coldness. When he suddenly smiled, that cold feeling about him suddenly became more lively, as if his smiling expression had become the center of the world. His smile was like the clouds in the sky, or the blossoming of flowers, firmly capturing the plain clothed young girl¡¯s eye. ¡°Ah¡­about that¡­ it¡¯s 1 tael of silver,¡± the young girl finally got a hold of herself and managed to stutter out a reply. Xu Disheng nodded and reached into his sleeve, pulling out a piece of gold, which he lightly placed on the stall. With the wooden tile in hand, he turned around and left. ¡°Ah¡­ young Daoist, you left too much!¡± the young girl called out after him in a hurry. She looked up and saw the view of his back as it got farther and farther away. All she could see was his long, jet black hair fastened by a jade hairpin into a bun which hung slightly down his back. But he didn¡¯t ever turn around, and before she knew it, he disappeared into the tide of people. ¡°So how much are you selling these wooden tiles for?¡± ¡°3 taels of silver,¡± the plain clothed young girl dealt with the customers before her, but in her heart, she was still thinking about that young man¡¯s beautiful smile. It was firmly imprinted into her mind, and she couldn¡¯t seem to get it out of her head. Back when Xu Disheng was born in Zhenhai City, in the Xu Clan¡¯s Ruyang Region, he vaguely remembered being told that his own zodiac sign was the dog. Thus, when he saw the delicate and refined wooden tile, he took a liking to it right away. Youyang City was the capital and the true heart of the You Province, so there were countless stables for horses and carriages. In order to get to the Ruyang Region, he had to cross over two Regions, which were the Wu¡¯an Region and the Lin¡¯an Region. With a top-notch horse and the highest quality chariot, it would take about 1 day. If one forced the horse as much as possible and traveled lightly, just a bit over half a day would be sufficient. Xu Disheng looked for a horse stable that was on the larger side and then walked in. He was immediately welcomed by a clever-looking shop assistant, ¡°Young Daoist, are you looking to transport goods, or are you looking to ride in a horse-drawn carriage?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to go to the Ruyang Region, departing as soon as possible.¡± ¡°The Ruyang Region? You came at just the right time, young Daoist. There¡¯s a merchant caravan from the Ruyang Region here, and they should¡¯ve already unloaded their goods. They just changed their horses and were just about to head back to the Ruyang Region. I¡¯ll go ahead and ask them whether or not there are any spots left on their carriage.¡± CH 20 Chapter 20 ¨C Are You Worthy of Transcending? Bai Chan¡¯er When he finished speaking, the shop assistant walked out of the gate of the horse stable towards a merchant caravan, and exchanged several lines with a man who looked like he was in charge. The shop assistant was repeatedly nodding his head while looking in Xu Disheng¡¯s direction, looking a little embarrassed. After a short period of time, the shop assistant returned and said with a bitter smile, ¡°This merchant caravan is indeed returning to the Ruyang Region, but¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°The person in charge of that merchant caravan said that there¡¯s only one free corner in their caravan. But because they¡¯re a merchant caravan, their carriage is steady and well-built, so the fare will be somewhat more expensive,¡± the shop assistant said with a stiff expression on his face. The other party had obviously raised the price at the last moment in an unreasonable manner. ¡°Young Daoist, do you still want to go with that merchant caravan, or do you want to use one of the horses from our stable? Our horse-drawn carriages are a lot cheaper. Although there aren¡¯t any free carriages at the moment, if you want about 2 hours or so, there will be a horse carriage returning.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem if the fare is expensive,¡± Xu Disheng said. ¡°Go ahead and let them know. Here¡¯s the fare.¡± He took a piece of gold out from his sleeves and passed it over to the shop assistant. When he left the Dao Palace earlier, he asked the commanding guard to give him some travel allowance. It was just a few pieces of loose gold, but he didn¡¯t ask for more since he felt that it would be enough to use on the road. ¡°Young Daoist, this much¡­ only 5 silver taels would be sufficient,¡± the shop assistant said with a flabbergasted expression as he received the gold. But his hand didn¡¯t loosen at all, and instead he gripped it tighter. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Consider the remaining amount to be your errand fee, so go ahead and keep it.¡± Xu Disheng felt that it was troublesome, and he didn¡¯t feel like wasting time on these trifling matters. ¡°Thank you, young Daoist,¡± the shop assistant left, feeling joy and excitement. For a short while, the shop assistant negotiated with the person in charge of the caravan, who could eventually be seen nodding his head. Then, the shop assistant turned around and started beckoning towards Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng walked over, and the person in charge was clearly surprised by Xu Disheng¡¯s appearance and aura. ¡°Young Daoist, the only open spot we have on our horse-drawn carriage is a small corner. If you have no objections to that, I can help you aboard the carriage,¡± the man in charge of the caravan said. ¡°No objections here,¡± Xu Disheng said, lightly brushing his sleeves. The person in charge brought Xu Disheng towards the last carriage in the merchant caravan. The carriage indeed seemed steady and well-built, and the horses pulling the carriages were also excellent. When the person in charge lifted the curtain, there were already 3 or 4 people inside, and there really was only one small corner spot remaining. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t say anything and just boarded the carriage. The group of carriages slowly began to move forward. Between the capital city of the You Province, Youyang City, and the Ruyang Region, they had to pass the Wu¡¯an Region and the Lin¡¯an Region. The caravan was going rather slowly, and at this rate it would take a little over a day to reach the Ruyang Region. Xu Disheng was sitting in the back with his eyes closed and his heart calm, concentrating on absorbing Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy and transforming it to Shangqing Profound Qi. Cultivation wasn¡¯t something that could be achieved overnight, and even with such a high level of aptitude, Xu Disheng was never one to slack on it. He would always take advantage of any time he had to further increase his strength. In the carriage, there were also three female passengers and one other male passenger. The male passenger was a youth who seemed to be dressed like someone from a rich noble family. He was wearing embroidered silk clothes, and had a jade pendant hanging from his waist. From time to time, he would flirt with the woman he was journeying together with, who was sitting next to him. When he saw Xu Disheng get on the carriage, he only shot him a glance and had no other reaction. The other two female passengers were a master and her servant; a young lady dressed in elegant white clothes, and a black-clothed servant girl. After Xu Disheng got on the carriage, he sat down in the corner, which was next to this white-clothed young lady. This caused the servant girl to stare at him, but Xu Disheng didn¡¯t pay her any mind and just sat there with both eyes closed as he cultivated. The Soul Force in Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness was constantly revolving at all times, so he had long since gotten a clear understanding of what was going on around him. Even with his eyes closed, he could perceive the occasional gazes of the other people on him. But Xu Disheng¡¯s heart was like a still lake, without a single ripple in its clear waters. He just continued to quietly cultivate, silently revolving the Shangqing Profound Laws and concentrating on converting the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy into Shangqing Profound Qi. The black-clothed servant girl eventually said something. ¡°Miss, the Ruyang Region¡¯s Bai Clan is so unkind to Madame. They haven¡¯t been in contact for more than 10 years, so why do we have to go attend their Transcendence Ceremony?¡± ¡°Bai Fanyi has all kinds of faults, but he is still my biological father. Last time, he made an agreement with my mother. He said that when the Transcendence Ceremony came around, I would have to come back to the Bai Clan, and he would find a way to restore the status of me and mother. I guess after all these years, he finally started to feel guilty about what he did.¡± The black-clothed servant girl nodded her head and said, ¡°I heard that Bai Xiuyu, with his Grade 5 Dao Channels, has really advanced by leaps and bounds in these last ten or so years. Now that he broke through to the Xiantian realm, they are holding this Transcendence Ceremony for him. The surrounding Regions all sent people to congratulate him, and even the Prince¡¯s envoy went to bestow rewards. Technically, if we look at it closely, Bai Xiuyu could be counted as your older cousin, Miss.¡± ¡°I left the Bai Clan along with Mother when I was still a child. It¡¯s already been over 10 years, and aside from Father and Older Uncle, I don¡¯t really remember anyone else from the Bai Clan,¡± the white-clothed young lady said gently with a light smile on her lips. ¡°This merchant caravan belongs to the Ruyang Region¡¯s Bai Clan?¡± a flat voice said from beside them. The white-clothed young lady slightly turned her head, a somewhat astonished look in her eyes. The one who spoke just now was a handsome young man beside her, who was wearing a black Daoist robe with complex patterns. She still hadn¡¯t said anything, but that black-clothed servant girl raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°You¡¯re real funny. You don¡¯t even know what clan the carriage you¡¯re riding on belongs to?¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t respond, and just slowly closed his eyes in thought. Bai Xiuyu of the Bai Clan broke through to the Xiantian realm? Was it that really arrogant looking youth from the Bai Clan? What a coincidence. No wonder when I left, Senior Martial Brother Zhang had that indescribable look in his eyes. Transcendence Ceremony? Heh. This merchant caravan actually belonged to the Ruyang Region¡¯s Bai Clan. However, Xu Disheng had no interest whatsoever in this young lady, Bai Chan¡¯er, or the rest of the Bai Clan¡¯s matters and disputes. It had simply occurred to him that among the people in the Xu Clan, it didn¡¯t seem like any of them had broken through to the Xiantian realm, otherwise he would have heard about it. The Bai Clan¡­ they clearly weren¡¯t satisfied with their position. Bai Chan¡¯er cast a sidelong glance at the servant girl and said, ¡°Yun¡¯er, don¡¯t be rude.¡± She turned back towards Xu Disheng. ¡°Young¡­ sir, this is indeed a merchant caravan belonging to the Ruyang Region¡¯s Bai Clan.¡± When she saw Xu Disheng¡¯s jet black hair hanging down from his fair complexion, and his long eyelashes slightly trembling as his eyes remained shut, she had a hard time referring to him as a young Daoist since he looked more like the son of a rich noble family. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t spare her a glance and just nodded his head. Bai Chan¡¯er felt a bit awkward. She turned her gaze back to the servant girl and glared at her for a moment. Meanwhile, in the Bai Clan¡¯s territory within the city of Jiangdu in the Ruyang Region¡­ ¡°Esteemed Envoy, the feast has been prepared. You may come in and take your seat,¡± Bai Fanyu said with a smile. A few years ago, he had been promoted from Young Patriarch to the Patriarch. He now controlled Jiangdu City and was also in charge of the Bai Clan. The envoy sent from Youyang City was an elderly man. When he heard what was said, he nodded. He was the envoy of the Prince. A Xiantian realm transcendent appeared within the Bai Clan, and according to the olden rules, this meant they would be conferred rewards. If the current presiding clan of the Region didn¡¯t have a Xiantian, then they would have assumed control. But if they did have a Xiantian, then they would be moved to a new Region, which they would then receive control over. If the clan felt that their Region was too poor, they could also appeal to the Prince to directly move them to another Region, just like the Guo Clan did in the past. At the feast, there was the elderly envoy, who was seated with the upper ranks of the Bai Clan, and among them was Bai Fanyu. Next to him was the one who recently transcended to the Xiantian realm, Bai Xiuyu. As 10 years had already passed, the arrogant youth from that time had transformed into a respected scholar who had now reached the Xiantian realm. He had curbed his proud, haughty nature, and an air of dignity could be seen in his movements instead. He was just sitting there, but it was like he was the center of the room. It had to do with the fact that he had reached the Xiantian realm, as he possessed a truly imposing appearance with his sea of consciousness spread out and his spirit visible about his body. His display was certainly worthy of his status as a genius with Grade 5 Dao Channels. The Patriarch of the Xu Clan, Xu Chaoyang, also had Grade 5 Dao Channels, but he had already been trapped at the peak of the Houtian realm for several decades, unable to break through to the Xiantian realm. He simply lacked the powers of comprehension and the opportunity. CH 21 Chapter 21 ¨C Frog In The Well Bai Clan Bai Fanyu raised his wine cup with a smile. ¡°Esteemed Envoy.¡± The other upper ranking members of the Bai Clan followed suit in offering their toasts. That elderly envoy had been constantly eyeing the women who were gracefully dancing below, so he was a bit late in lifting his cup in the same manner. ¡°No need to be overly courteous,¡± he said. After downing the cup, Bai Fanyu said, ¡°Esteemed Envoy, tomorrow is the official Transcendence Ceremony, and we, the Bai Clan, invited the 3 Regions neighboring the Ruyang Region. The Lin¡¯an Region¡¯s Guo Clan, the Yecheng Region¡¯s Zhao Clan, and the Gaoyang Region¡¯s Gao Clan are all coming here to attend this grand occasion, which might not even appear once in hundreds of years. I sincerely wish that the Esteemed Envoy will do us the honor of participating in the ritual of the Transcendence Ceremony with us!¡± The elderly envoy let out an ambiguous smile as he said, ¡°Naturally, when a genius breaks through to the Transcendent realm, it deserves congratulating! But¡­ this time, His Excellency the Prince¡¯s conferral of rewards is different from the old rules.¡± When the people of the Bai Clan heard this, they all wore happy expressions. They thought that since Bai Xiuyu broke through to the Xiantian realm at such an age, he had earned the Prince¡¯s regard and would be granted with even more rewards. Bai Fanyu noticed the elderly envoy¡¯s expression so he didn¡¯t celebrate too early. He glanced at Bai Xiuyu, who was by his side, and calmed his thoughts. Bai Xiuyu said in a serious voice, ¡°May I dare ask Esteemed Envoy, how will this time be different from the old rules?¡± The elderly envoy was careful in collecting himself momentarily. When addressing a Xiantian transcendent, it was important to show a necessary level of respect. ¡°Sir Bai, His Excellency the Prince passed down his decree, saying that the Bai Clan¡¯s conferred land wouldn¡¯t change, but the rewards befitting of a Xiantian will still be granted in accordance with the old rules. Slaves, maids, gold, silk, and spiritual medicines will all be rewarded in full.¡± Bai Xiuyu was the son of Bai Fanyu, but while the elderly envoy could still be somewhat arrogant towards Bai Fanyu, he had to refer to Bai Xiuyu as someone superior to him. He knew that this young Xiantian realm martial artist was the core of the Bai Clan, so he was also the only person in the entire Bai Clan who could act irreverently towards him. The banquet became absolutely silent as the expressions of the people from the Bai Clan changed greatly. Among their expressions was anger and astonishment. They simply couldn¡¯t comprehend this treatment. ¡°Why is this so?¡± Bai Fanyu asked urgently. The elderly envoy shook his head and said, ¡°Even as the envoy, I cannot hope to understand the meaning behind the will of the edict of His Excellency the Prince. When I met with His Excellency briefly, he only told me his command, and I did not dare to ask more.¡± Bai Fanyu saw the reserved expression of the elder and sneered inwardly. He turned around and gave several words of instruction to his servants, who went off to fulfill his orders. When the elderly envoy saw this act, he didn¡¯t say anything and just lightly stroked his beard. After a short while, a servant entered, carrying a tray. Bai Fanyu lifted the cloth covering the tray, and immediately, dazzling golden rays of light were cast throughout the palace hall. ¡°Esteemed Envoy came so far, all the way from Youyang City. It must have been a tiresome journey, so we wanted to offer our humble regards. Something like this cannot even be considered a tribute, but we hope that you will kindly accept our offering,¡± Bai Fanyu said. In his seat, Bai Xiuyu¡¯s body became surrounded with clear qi, revolving in a complete revolution. It was actually the Shangqing Qi! TL: Reminder that this Shangqing Qi secret method is one of those passed down to every clan. Xu Disheng originally received a copy from Xu Qinying, but he didn¡¯t end up cultivating it because it wasn¡¯t useful to him. It was no wonder that he could transcend to the Xiantian realm in just 19 years. He wasn¡¯t just simply cultivating Martial Techniques. Instead, he was using this secret qi cultivation method. With clear qi roiling around his body, his mood was clearly not as tranquil as his expression implied. But with Bai Fanyu here serving as the Patriarch, he did not open his mouth to interrupt. He just closely eyed the elderly envoy, not saying a word. The elderly envoy looked at the gold upon the tray and said with a smile, ¡°The Bai Clan is much too kind.¡± He then continued in a quiet voice, ¡°The reason why Sir Bai was not conferred any titles or land this time is for two reasons.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to hear the details.¡± ¡°First, those presiding over the neighboring several Regions all have Xiantians, and we weren¡¯t sure whether the Bai Clan was willing to migrate far away,¡± the envoy explained. "" ¡°Our Bai Clan is aware of this. The Ruyang Region is where our Bai Clan originated, so we aren¡¯t really that willing to migrate elsewhere. However, the Xu Clan which presides over this Region¡­ does not have a Xiantian,¡± Bai Xiuyu finally said, unable to contain himself any longer. Bai Fanyu glanced at him, but didn¡¯t say anything. The elderly envoy chuckled and stroked his beard. ¡°The second reason, well, that would have something to do with the Xu Clan. I heard from a guard in Youyang Palace that this matter is related to that event 10 years ago where one of the Xu Clan¡¯s children joined the Dao Palace. However, the other details regarding this matter are a closely guarded secret, so I don¡¯t dare to say more.¡± ¡°Could it be that this child from the Xu Clan broke through to the Xiantian realm? How could this be!? At that time he was just five years old¡­ by now, he would only be 15 years old!¡± ¡°In recent years, I haven¡¯t heard of there being anyone who broke through to the Xiantian realm within the Youyang Dao Palace,¡± the elderly envoy said. ¡°Dao Palace? So is this supposed to mean that if someone enters the Dao Palace, they can just break all of the old rules of conferral? This is too unfair to our Bai Clan!¡± Bai Xiuyu seethed, his tone becoming angry. In the end, he was still young. Although his talent was exceptional and he had transcended to the Xiantian realm, he was still unable to fully control his mood. ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Bai Fanyu turned around and said angrily. He hastily turned back around to look at the elderly envoy to examine his expression. Sure enough, his face had turned serious. ¡°Sir Bai, I still ask that you watch your tongue, in order to avoid bringing any unwanted disasters upon yourself,¡± the elderly envoy said eventually, gently chiding him. It was unclear what he was thinking, as his face returned to normal. Bai Xiuyu was also aware that he misspoke, so he immediately offered his apologies, but the envoy didn¡¯t say anything. After 3 rounds of alcohol, the elderly envoy said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit tired. What time is the ceremony tomorrow?¡± Bai Fanyu was sizing up his words and body language. He saw that the elderly envoy was always looking at the dancing women down below, so he had a good estimate of his state of mind. ¡°Esteemed Envoy, the ceremony starts tomorrow at 9 in the morning. Since you are tired, I will ask our servants to bring you to your resting quarters,¡± he said, turning around to give out orders. ¡°Send those dancers in the lower hall to the Esteemed Envoy¡¯s quarters.¡± ¡°As you command, Patriarch.¡± Night fell in Jiangdu City, and in the Bai Clan Patriarch¡¯s study¡­ ¡°Father, what is the meaning of Dao Palace this, Dao Palace that?! Just what kind of existence is this Dao Palace?¡± Bai Xiuyu couldn¡¯t control his mood, and his expression was ugly. ¡°One time, there was a Xiantian martial artist who was conferred a Region, and he spoke nonsense and slandered the Dao Palace. The next day, his entire clan was mysteriously wiped out, and His Excellency the Prince issued an order, taking back the fiefdom and eliminating their name. You tell me, what kind of existence do you think the Dao Palace is?¡± Bai Fanyu said furiously. ¡°Even the Prince himself is a disciple of the Dao Palace! You seriously misspoke today!¡± ¡°But now that I¡¯m at the Xiantian realm, His Excellency should view me with extreme importance. Without a fiefdom, it doesn¡¯t match up to my identity as a Xiantian realm martial artist!¡± Bai Xiuyu was full of resentment. ¡°Besides, now that I successfully cultivated the secret cultivation method, Shangqing Qi, my fighting strength at this time is unparalleled. Although the old ancestor of the Guo Clan, Guo Nansu, has been at the Xiantian realm for 10 years, he is only a Xiantian through Martial Techniques, so even he might not be my match! Just what pretext does the Xu Clan think they have to rule over this Region? I can eliminate the Xu Clan with just the flip of my hand, so why do I have to continue to suffer this humiliation beneath someone else¡¯s rule?¡± ¡°This matter of you successfully cultivating the secret Shangqing Qi still should not be told to others at this time. But right now, you have no choice but to reveal it. Once I pass these cultivation books onto you, and we report this matter to Youyang City, the Prince should look upon you with importance. We should ask the Prince to reissue his edict and confer us a fiefdom,¡± Bai Fanyu replied. ¡°We can only proceed like this. But Father, there¡¯s one thing. About the Xu Clan¡¯s Xu Qingcheng¡­¡± Bai Xiuyu said. Bai Fanyu snorted and said, ¡°Okay. Tomorrow at the ceremony, Father will assist you in asking the Xu Clan for her hand.¡± ¡°Thank you, Father.¡± Bai Xiuyu was now at the Xiantian realm, but he still continued to treat Bai Fanyu in a respectful manner. Before Bai Xiuyu broke through to the Transcendent realm, he already adored Xu Qingcheng. Just like him, she also had Grade 5 Dao Channels. She was beautiful, possessed an extraordinary aptitude, and was given countless resources by the Xu Clan to assist with her cultivation. Her progress was extremely rapid just like him, and she also cultivated the secret Shangqing Qi. But Xu Qingcheng had always been rather indifferent towards him. When he went to the Xu Clan several times, he had hardly been able to see her. Now that he had finally taken a step forward and entered the Xiantian realm, whenever he thought about that sharp and bright girl in a white dress, he felt a pressing desire for her. He could envision that girl in his embrace, and he could imagine her proud gaze becoming submissive right before his eyes. He could only fantasize about how great of a satisfaction that would bring him. CH 22 Chapter 22 ¨C Those Who Know Are Wise, Those Who Do Not Invite Disaster Ceremony Within the Ruyang Region, in Jiangdu City, a grand occasion that might only happen once every few hundred years was taking place! It had already been a few hundred years since the Ruyang Region produced a Xiantian. Plus, the Ruyang Region was located in a corner of the You Province, and was poor and barren. It was never a place that attracted much attention, but today it was unusually bustling with noise and excitement. There was a vast crowd in the central plaza of Jiangdu City. In the last few days, a massive stone platform had been hastily built, and in the middle of it was a statue of the Bai Clan¡¯s great original ancestor. On the stone platform, seated in the highest, most respected position, was an old man, who was none other than the envoy from Youyang. The seats around him were all empty. There were guards near the entrance points, and they would occasionally call out loudly, announcing the names of those arriving. Peals of delighted, surprised cheers would burst out from the crowd every time they did so. ¡°Lord Zhao from the Yecheng Region has arrived!¡± That announcement was followed by the entry of the Xiantian transcendent presiding over the Yecheng Region, Zhao Huichun. As he was led by the Bai Clan to the seats of honor, his expression was calm and indifferent. But when he saw the elderly envoy, he smiled and saluted him. ¡°Respectful greetings to the Esteemed Envoy.¡± The elderly envoy returned his greeting. Even though he was an envoy from Youyang City, he still had to have a certain level of courtesy towards these Xiantian martial artists, who were exceedingly rare beings. ¡°Lord Gao from the Gaoyang Region has arrived!¡± ¡°Lord Guo from the Lin¡¯an Region has arrived!¡± This was the old ancestor of the Guo Clan who once presided over the Ruyang Region, Guo Nansu. Previously, he made use of an accumulated favor from 100 years ago to invite Daoist Lord Qingxin to assist him with breaking through to the Xiantian realm. He found the Ruyang Region too poor, so the clan migrated to the Lin¡¯an Region to take over as the local tyrant. The Xiantian martial artists from the surrounding regions had all arrived, and among the highest seats of honor there were only two remaining seats. One of those two seats was supposed to belong to the clan who presided over the Region. However, the ranking of this seat left the people puzzled. According to established tradition, the one presiding over the clan should be higher in ranking, and the Bai Clan should be after. But at this time, the Bai Clan had a Xiantian transcendent martial artist who possessed impressive might, yet the clan presiding over the Region, the Xu Clan, did not have a Xiantian martial artist, which created a somewhat awkward situation. The small aristocratic families continued to steal glances at the two seats as they speculated. ¡°The presiding clan of the Ruyang Region, the Xu Clan, has arrived!¡± Xu Chaoyang brought along around 10 people from the Xu Clan as he entered the plaza. ¡°Elder Brother Xu, you¡¯re finally here. The other clans that preside over their respective Regions have already all arrived,¡± Bai Fanyu said, welcoming him with a smile. When Xu Chaoyang looked up at the seats of honor, his pupils constricted. Sitting there were 3 Xiantian martial artists, exerting an impressive amount of pressure over the whole plaza. Dignity was apparent in their every movement. After waving his hands, he walked up there. Having presided over the Region for 10 years, his prestige was unrivaled. While the Bai Clan was outwardly compliant but inwardly opposed to their rule, they still had to give the Xu Clan their due respect. He greeted those three parties who presided over their own respective Regions, as well as the envoy. They all gave rather indifferent-sounding replies. Xu Chaoyang secretly breathed a sigh. The strength of the Xu Clan was clearly insufficient, otherwise how could these people ever dare to treat him with such an attitude? Only the Guo Clan¡¯s Guo Nansu opened his mouth and said with a smile, ¡°Chaoyang, after our Guo Clan migrated, it seems that you¡¯ve ruled over the Ruyang Region quite well, haven¡¯t you?¡± Guo Nansu was considered his senior in terms of their respective family hierarchies, and was far older than him to the point that he could even be considered his grandfather. He was still a Xiantian realm transcendent, but a hint of sarcastic irony could be heard in his words. Xu Chaoyang replied with a salute, ¡°Thank you for your praise, Elder Guo.¡± Guo Nansu simply laughed again and didn¡¯t say anything more. Xu Chaoyang had just taken his seat, but he suddenly felt the pressure of qi weigh upon him like a mountain. The clear qi was so profound and heavy to him that he could hardly resist it. When he raised his head, he saw a youth making his way over with a lofty, unyieldingly proud expression on his face. His body was recklessly giving off clear qi as he revolved his Shangqing Qi secret method, suppressing him with his qi that was at the Xiantian transcendent realm. ¡°Bai Xiuyu? What are you trying to do?¡± Xu Chaoyang asked, anger flashing across his face. He tried to revolve his own Astral Qi to resist the pressure. The other Xiantian martial artists didn¡¯t react. They were only surprised at the fact that Bai Xiuyu managed to successfully cultivate the Shangqing Qi secret method. The elderly envoy was holding in a smile, as if he was trying not to sneer mockingly at the situation that was taking place. To him, it was as if they were a bunch of domesticated dogs. If the dogs helped to watch over the house and acted as entertainment from time to time, that was good enough. But if the dogs didn¡¯t listen, or were disrespectful to their owner, they would become nothing more than braised dog meat. This envoy clearly knew about the Dao Palace, and he even knew about the matter regarding Xu Disheng. But he didn¡¯t tell the Bai Clan the entire truth. ¡°Lord Xu, these are the seats for Xiantian martial artists. Although you¡¯re temporarily in control of the Region, you¡¯re just here to fill the seat,¡± Bai Xiuyu didn¡¯t bother to mask his arrogance, placing himself on the social high ground to talk disdainfully to Xu Chaoyang. Bai Xiuyu was not Bai Fanyu. As a Xiantian martial artist, he didn¡¯t give Xu Chaoyang a shred of face for being the one who presided over the Region. His words didn¡¯t leave any room for courtesy. Although Xu Chaoyang ruled over the whole Region, the Bai Clan had always been compliant on the surface, but in secret, they were opposed to their rule. Upon arriving in Jiangdu City, which was essentially the Bai Clan¡¯s base camp, Xu Chaoyang didn¡¯t think that Bai Xiuyu would be this brash right away! Everyone from the Xu Clan that was seated below him wore angry expressions. Xu Qingcheng, who was wearing a white dress, was among them. She immediately stood up and shouted, ¡°Bai Xiuyu! Patriarch is the one appointed by His Excellency the Prince to rule over the Region. How could you dare to be rude to him! Are you disobeying the Prince?¡± When Bai Xiuyu heard what she said, he hesitated a bit. Xu Qingcheng was too sharp-tongued. He didn¡¯t want to be labeled as someone who committed offense towards the Prince in front of so many people. He dispelled the qi surrounding him and stepped aside. He put on a fake smile and said, ¡°Lord Xu, as you please.¡± He then shot a sidewards glance at Xu Qingcheng, his desire for her in his heart became even more intense. Xu Chaoyang released his breath and slowly sat back down, feeling rather sullen. When he once again thought of his grandson who had entered the Dao Palace but had never been heard from since then, he let out a sigh in his heart. He then looked over at Xu Qingcheng and felt a bit better. These previous years, Xu Qingcheng had received the full support of the Xu Clan¡¯s resources, and now she was already half a step from the Xiantian realm. Once she broke through and became a Xiantian realm martial artist, the Xu Clan would no longer have to be this passive. Bai Xiuyu took his place in the end seat of the seats of honor, clear qi flashing through his eyes from time to time. It wasn¡¯t clear what he was thinking about. The Ruyang Region¡¯s Jin Clan, along with some other smaller clans had filed in one after the other in the meantime. Bai Fanyu, seeing that everyone was more or less here, revolved his Astral Qi to amplify his voice so it would reach the entire plaza. ¡°Since the 200 years that our Bai Family became enfeoffed as the Bai Clan, we have finally produced a Xiantian realm transcendent. With the power to suppress a whole Region, living up to the ancestor¡¯s name!¡± The sea of onlookers erupted into loud cheers. Xu Chaoyang¡¯s expression was ugly. Bai Fanyu¡¯s words had crossed the line. What was ¡°the power to suppress a whole Region¡± supposed to mean? What was that supposed to make the Xu Clan, who actually presided over the Region? With this act, the Bai Clan was letting the surrounding clans and powers know that the Bai Clan now had a Xiantian transcendent, so they couldn¡¯t be insulted lightly. According to the old rules, the envoy from Youyang City was supposed to officially announce the edict from the You Province. If they were not to migrate, they were supposed to replace the Xu Clan as the presiding clan and rule over the entire Region. But at this moment, that elderly envoy was just sitting there, not doing anything, as if this matter had nothing to do with him. The three Xiantian martial artists from the surrounding Regions exchanged glances. They could all see the puzzled look in each others¡¯ eyes. The Xu Clan had no Xiantian, but the Bai Clan had a Xiantian transcendent. And yet, the clan ruling over the Region remained unchanged?! But there wasn¡¯t any other aside from Bai Xiuyu, with his exceptional Grade 5 Dao Channels, who could become a Xiantian transcendent. At this moment, their expressions all changed greatly, as if they had thought of something. They all directed their gazes toward Xu Chaoyang. Could it be that the Xu Clan has some kind of special position? Speaking of special circumstances, there was one vague piece of news that came to their minds. But these people all belonged to other Regions, so their information wasn¡¯t that accurate. Only the old ancestor of the Guo Clan, Guo Nansu, thought of something in particular, and muttered inwardly to himself, ¡°Could it really be that that Grade 2 child from 10 years ago actually joined the Dao Palace¡­?¡± As he continued to ponder, he looked over at Bai Xiuyu, whose face was still full of arrogance, and shook his head. In the past, when Daoist Lord Qingxin first came to the You Province, Guo Nansu¡¯s ancestors previously had a good relationship with him. That was why Guo Nansu was very clear that among the 11 Provinces, the Dao Palace in the You Province was just the tip of an enormous iceberg. ¡°Now, to offer rites to the great ancestor!¡± Bai Fanyu signaled for the entirety of the Bai Clan to come forth. Bai Xiuyu walked down from his seat of honor and stood behind Bai Fanyu. There were also the Elders of the Bai Clan that almost never showed their faces, and all kinds of collateral relatives and branch families. In total there were more than 300 people, and they all stood in an orderly fashion upon the stone platform as they began to offer rites to their great ancestor. At this moment, there was a merchant caravan coming from Youyang City, slowly making its way into the Bai Clan¡¯s Jiangdu City. CH 23 Chapter 23 ¨C Just One Word is the Difference Between Clouds and Mud Marriage Proposal? It was now around 9 AM in the morning. The journey took over a day, and it was quite exhausting. Even though the horse-drawn carriage was overall rather steady, it didn¡¯t change the fact that it was constantly shaking and vibrating. Although Bai Chan¡¯er had gone along with her mother to live in Youyang City at her mother¡¯s house since childhood, she had always been pampered and spoiled. At this moment, she was gazing out the window. ¡°It¡¯s already morning, is it?¡± She looked again over at the youth beside her, who was still sitting there with his eyes closed, his long eyelashes trembling ever so slightly. His jet black hair hung down, and his thin lips were tightly closed. Since the time he got on the carriage, he had been completely indifferent to her. On her other side, Yun¡¯er had long since fallen asleep, and she didn¡¯t bother to wake her up. She just kept watching that extremely handsome young man, and for a while she couldn¡¯t take her gaze off of him. The young man¡¯s eyelashes twitched, and he suddenly opened his eyes, meeting the gaze of Bai Chan¡¯er. Bai Chan¡¯er was startled when she found herself suddenly looking into his bright eyes. Somewhat at a loss, she said, ¡°I¡­ w-wasn¡¯t looking at you¡­ no, I was just looking outside.¡± Her cheeks blushed, and she looked away towards the other three people that were lightly sleeping in the carriage. She felt a bit relieved, seeing that none of them had seen that embarrassing exchange. Xu Disheng just shook his head and didn¡¯t look at her again. Turning his head to look outside the carriage, he muttered indifferently, ¡°So we¡¯ve arrived in Ruyang Region.¡± ¡°Huh? Were you speaking to me?¡± Bai Chan¡¯er said with a start. She was staring blankly, but she quickly brought herself around and said hurriedly, ¡°This is my first time coming to the Ruyang Region, but I heard Uncle Zhong say that we would arrive at the Ruyang Region¡¯s Bai Clan a little after 9 AM. At this time we should have already made it into Ruyang Region¡¯s borders, but I don¡¯t know which fiefdom we¡¯re in.¡± Meanwhile, at the Transcendence Ceremony¡­ The ancestral ceremony of rites was finished. Bai Fanyu¡¯s face was filled with excitement as he returned to the seats of honor and said to the several seated Xiantian realm martial artists, ¡°Esteemed Envoy, my lords, we will now enter the palace hall.¡± He then turned around and commanded, ¡°Begin the feast!¡± The aristocratic clans all entered the palace hall. The main hall was filled with splendid lights all ablaze. Exotic delicacies, fine liquors, and rare foods were being brought in at all times. Beautiful maids filed out in a line, dancing gracefully. The servants of the Bai Clan had placed many tables and chairs on the sides for the many smaller officials and landowners to attend the feast, leaving a wide passageway in the middle for access to the main hall. The feast soon began to bustle with activity, creating a rich atmosphere brimming with the clamor of excited voices. Conversation and deals were exchanged over wine, and festive singing and dancing were abundant. In the palace hall, at the most respected table in the entire feast, Bai Fanyu raised his glass. ¡°Lord Xu, our Bai Clan would like to bring up a request with you.¡± Xu Chaoyang was alone, drinking away his sorrows. Only Guo Nansu would talk to him from time to time, making him feel obliged to his company. When he heard what Bai Fanyu said, he groaned inwardly, thinking that there was no way it could be anything good. He immediately frowned and said, ¡°No need to make too big of a deal about it, Patriarch Bai. Now that the Bai Clan has a Xiantian transcendent martial artist, what could you possibly have to request?¡± Bai Fanyu laughed and replied, ¡°This matter can really only be accomplished by Lord Xu.¡± ¡°Just go ahead and say it, Patriarch Bai. There is no need for us to act like married women who are gossiping in secret.¡± ¡°My son has reached the Xiantian realm, but he still does not have a partner. Xu Qingcheng also has Grade 5 Dao Channels like him, and also has hopeful prospects of becoming transcending to the Xiantian realm. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if she marries into the Bai Clan, and the two of our families join hands to watch over one another as we reach for higher goals?¡± Bai Fanyu said. At his side, Bai Xiuyu was also staring fixedly at Xu Chaoyang, watching for his reaction. The people in the seats of honor all had various expressions. The elderly envoy still had the usual slight smile on his face. But Xu Chaoyang said, ¡°That won¡¯t be possible!¡± ¡°Why not? Could it be that my son and direct heir in line to be the next head of the clan, who is also at the Xiantian realm, is not a match for that girl who is just an extended relation to you?¡± Bai Fanyu said in a low voice. "" Xu Qingcheng was the only other person with Grade 5 Dao Channels aside from himself. His own power of comprehension wasn¡¯t sufficient, so he had been stuck at the peak Houtian stage for several decades. But Xu Qingcheng was already half a step from the Xiantian stage, so she had great prospects in becoming a Xiantian transcendent! In the past few years, she had also received the full backing of the clan¡¯s resources to fuel her cultivation. She was carrying all the hopes of the clan on her back. How could they just marry her off to another clan? But these words couldn¡¯t be easily spoken in front of so many others. Xu Chaoyang¡¯s face became ashen as he replied angrily, ¡°Your Bai Clan really cooked up a great scheme!¡± ¡°Xu Chaoyang! I¡¯ve only been so kindly referring to you as ¡®Lord¡¯ Xu thanks to His Excellency the Prince¡¯s direct conferral of the position of temporary ruler of the Region upon you! For you to shout such slander in front of all of these Xiantian martial artists, you¡¯re really making a mistake!¡± Bai Xiuyu scowled savagely. He released his qi aura, causing Shangqing Qi to revolve around him as he activated his Qi Controlling Technique. Xu Chaoyang suddenly felt a massive pressure crashing down on him. ¡°Ai, don¡¯t get so angry, little baby of the Bai Clan. You¡¯re throwing too big of a tantrum,¡± Guo Nansu said laughingly, waving his hand to cast out his own qi, blocking the pressure for Xu Chaoyang. Xu Chaoyang immediately felt the burden upon his body ease up, and he cast an appreciative glance towards Guo Nansu. ¡°Elder Guo, I respect you as a senior. The Guo Clan has also existed alongside the Bai Clan for hundreds of years, so it would be best if you didn¡¯t get involved this time. It¡¯s fine if our Bai Clan isn¡¯t conferred a fiefdom, or doesn¡¯t become the presiding clan of the Region. But I must have Xu Qingcheng!¡± Bai Xiuyu turned to look at the envoy seated in the seat of honor. ¡°Esteemed Envoy, if there is an irreconcilable disagreement between two clans, is it possible according to the imperial court rules to initiate a life or death battle between clans?¡± The elderly envoy nodded his head and replied, ¡°Yes. Although there is very little fighting within our Grand Chu Dynasty, if the conflict between two clans cannot be mediated, then they can apply to the presiding Province to start an all-out clan war. Among the two clans, only one clan can remain. But in the last few hundred years, there has been very little fighting between influential clans.¡± Xu Chaoyang said with an ugly expression, ¡°Are you trying to threaten me?¡± If the Bai Clan really started the clan battle, it would be in accordance with the laws. But the Bai Clan had Bai Xiuyu, a Xiantian transcendent, so the Xu Clan would hardly have any chance of victory. Guo Nansu lightly sighed and said, ¡°Little baby from the Bai Clan, this is too extreme. You¡¯ve gone a bit too far.¡± Nonetheless, he waved his hand, showing that he wouldn¡¯t get involved any further. Bai Xiuyu was looking pleased with himself, as if he already had Xu Chaoyang in his clutches. ¡°Lord Xu, have you thought it over?¡± Xu Chaoyang could only reply, ¡°Let our Xu Clan think about it for a few days!¡± But Bai Xiuyu didn¡¯t give one inch. He activated the third scripture of Shangqing Qi, the Spirit Controlling Technique, and shouted, ¡°Forbidden Technique, Spirit Control!¡± In a flash, the Shangqing Qi around his body rushed forth madly, covering more than half of the palace hall. Everyone in the hall fell silent as they looked over. The pressure on Xu Chaoyang¡¯s body multiplied, and it felt as if his body had aged 10 years. He revolved his Astral Qi to cover his whole body, but it was incredibly difficult for him to resist the pressure. His face trembled as he was about to open his mouth to concede, but the Spirit Control Forbidden Technique was suddenly broken with a loud bang! Xu Chaoyang suddenly felt his body become lighter again. As he looked towards the outside of the palace hall, his expression fluctuated. Bai Xiuyu only heard the words, ¡°Shangqing Incantation, Break,¡± and with that, his Spirit Control Forbidden Technique was broken. After years of dedicating his life to cultivating the Shangqing Qi, his technique had now encountered its ancestor. Countless pairs of eyes turned towards the gate of the palace hall. A youth wearing a black robe walked in slowly amidst the sunlight. With the sun shining brightly at his back, it was hard to make out the features of his face. They could only see his tall and slender figure, his intricately designed Daoist robe, and his long, black hair. An indifferent-sounding voice resonated throughout the hall. ¡°If I came back just a few days later, I wonder if the Region that Senior Martial Brother, the Prince, had personally conferred to me would have been taken control of by someone else¡­?¡± When the people heard the youth refer to the Prince as Senior Martial Brother without any honorifics instead of His Excellency, they were all confused about his identity. But when they understood the gravity of what he said, it caused the people in the hall to turn pale with fright. ¡°¡­Personally conferred to him?!¡± ¡°This youth, who in the world is he?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡± Xu Chaoyang had always been the substitute ruler of the Region. Very few people remembered that the real ruler of the Region had disappeared 10 years ago, and that at the time, this person was just a child. Some people who happened to know a bit about the inside story exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Could it be that person who had Grade 2 Dao Channels?! The proud son of heaven from the Xu Clan!!¡± ¡°Grade 2 Dao Channels! The Xu Clan actually had this kind of genius in their family? How did I not know of this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already been 10 years. The news revealed at that time was half true and half false, so it wasn¡¯t clear.¡± ¡°If he really has Grade 2 Dao Channels, then that¡¯s just too frightening!¡± ¡°How could someone with Grade 2 Dao Channels emerge from the You Province?! This has to be false. But if this youth can break Lord Bai¡¯s secret Martial Technique, could he also be a Xiantian transcendent? He¡¯s so young, though.¡± The palace hall was in an uproar as everyone began to whisper and discuss spiritedly. Xu Disheng slowly walked into the palace hall. The handsome youth was covered in a revolving aura of Shangqing Profound Qi, causing his hair to flutter in the wind. He looked at Bai Xiuyu and said, ¡°So as you were saying earlier, you wanted to exterminate my Xu Clan in an all-out clan war?¡± A flash of anger crossed Bai Xiuyu¡¯s scowling face. He was pissed off at himself for being intimidated by this small Daoist priest, so he didn¡¯t open his mouth to reply. Just as he was about to unleash his Spirit Control Technique towards the youth, he discovered that his own Shangqing Qi seemed to be trembling in fear of the Shangqing Profound Qi that surrounded the youth. He couldn¡¯t help but become greatly alarmed. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t bother to wait for his reply, and formed a hand seal with both hands. His black hair and dark black Daoist robe began to flap wildly in the wind as his thin lips began to move. A frigid voice spread throughout the entire main hall. ¡°Passing Soul.¡± A huge gale erupted! A black wind coalesced from the void and instantly transformed into a massive skull of an evil spirit, occupying the entire hall. Black gas oozed outwards from the skull. Around a dozen people standing near it inadvertently came into contact with it, and their limbs immediately began to fester and bleed. Seeing this, the remaining people in the palace hall began to scatter in every direction, terrified of that massive evil spirit skull formed from the black winds. Xu Disheng pointed his long, slender finger directly at Bai Xiuyu, who was stunned by this horrifying scene. The Shangqing Qi surrounding Bai Xiuyu¡¯s body was being suppressed by the Shangqing Profound Qi, and it wouldn¡¯t obey his will in the slightest. Without waiting for a response, the skull rushed forth, accompanied by evil winds, plummeting right towards the direction that Xu Disheng¡¯s finger was pointing. CH 24 Chapter 24 ¨C Water Gives Life, But Just As Easily Takes It Jiangdu City Evil winds howled and screeched as the massive evil spirit skull burrowed itself all the way into Bai Xiuyu¡¯s body. Bai Xiuyu¡¯s face was still blank. After a short while, the black wind began to slowly dissipate out from his body as tranquility was restored to the palace hall. At the top of Bai Xiuyu¡¯s head, all that was left was a strand of black gas vaporizing into the atmosphere. ¡°!!!¡± ¡°He¡­ killed Lord Bai?¡± ¡°A Xiantian transcendent¡­ died?¡± ¡°Sheng¡¯er! Is that you?¡± ¡°Xiuyu!!¡± Everything happened too quickly. Eventually, everyone in the hall started to come back to their senses. Xu Chaoyang walked over to Xu Disheng, his emotions stirred up. He almost didn¡¯t dare to believe his eyes. Bai Fanyu crazily shook Bai Xiuyu¡¯s responseless body, watching the blank expression on his face in a hysterical panic. But no matter how much he shook him, Bai Xiuyu had no reaction whatsoever. All that remained of him was that blank expression on his face as his body slowly turned as cold as ice. This Passing Soul Mantra was incomparably malicious. It could directly pass a person¡¯s soul into nothingness! Just this one move cost Xu Disheng a little less than half of his Soul Force reserves. ¡°Old Xiu pays respects to Regional Lord Xu,¡± the elderly envoy from Youyang City slowly lowered his body and offered his courtesies to Xu Disheng. ¡°The Bai Clan disrespected the Prince and slandered the Dao Palace. According to the law, they deserve punishment by death! I was about to write a letter to His Excellency, but I did not expect Regional Lord Xu to come back. In this case, it would be apt for Regional Lord Xu to directly determine everything.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡± When he looked over at the other Xiantian martial artists, he saw Guo Nansu squinting his eyes as he smiled at him. Zhao Huichun and Gao Sishui were on guard against him, their seas of consciousness revolving at full power as they stared warily at him. ¡°Elder Guo, about the matter of exterminating the Bai Clan. It¡¯s a bit out of my reach to accomplish alone, so I¡¯d like to invite you to help me,¡± Xu Disheng said. Guo Nansu laughed out loud before glancing at Bai Fanyu. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, your Xu Clan and my Guo Clan are friends, so naturally I will offer my aid.¡± ¡°According to law? Just whose law? Xu Disheng! You just came back and immediately pull this shit without any notice whatsoever? You son of a bitch!¡± Bai Fanyu roared madly, his eyes bloodshot as he glowered at Xu Disheng and the elderly envoy. ¡°The Dao Palace is law,¡± Xu Disheng said quietly. He formed a hand seal and activated a Shangqing Incantation. ¡°Shangqing, Fierce Incantation.¡± From the Shangqing Profound Qi surrounding his body, a strand was separated out and immediately transformed into an orb which exploded on Bai Fanyu¡¯s body. With a flash, he was blasted away into the depths of the palace hall, spitting out blood the entire way. When he landed, it wasn¡¯t clear if he was dead or alive. Xu Disheng had not yet reached the Cleansed Meridians Stage. At this point, only about two-thirds of his meridian points were filled with Shangqing Profound Qi. If he were to go head to head with a Martial Technique Xiantian, he wasn¡¯t 100% certain about being able to secure victory. Just now, it was only because his Shangqing Profound Qi was the direct ancestor of Shangqing Qi that Bai Xiuyu wasn¡¯t able to revolve his qi and couldn¡¯t make any moves. He also picked the strongest move in his arsenal at the moment, which was the second mantra of the Soul Song in his sea of consciousness, the Passing Soul Mantra. Its power allowed him to directly slaughter Bai Xiuyu and intimidate everyone present. ¡°Grandpa Chaoyang,¡± Xu Disheng muttered. Xu Chaoyang¡¯s emotions were evident in his eyes as he moved forward to try and reach out and touch Xu Disheng, but he saw that his body was surrounded with profound qi. The intricate Daoist robe that he was wearing was so noble and grand, and his black hair was long and elegantly secured by a jade hairpin. His expression was also cold. In the end, he wasn¡¯t able to reach out with his hands to touch him. He could only manage to utter, ¡°Sheng¡¯er, you¡¯re finally back.¡± The other people from the Xu Clan had been completely stunned this whole time. The Young Patriarch, Xu Xiao, was also among them, his expression complicated as he gazed upon Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng exchanged a sentence with Guo Nansu. ¡°Elder Guo, I¡¯ll be leaving the upper echelons of the Bai Clan to you.¡± Guo Nansu smiled and replied, ¡°You can leave it to me. Go on ahead, Sheng¡¯er.¡¯ Xu Disheng exited the palace hall. The outside of the palace hall was still bustling with activity, clearly unaware of the fact that Bai Xiuyu had already died. The people had only seen a youth with a Daoist robe walk into the hall, then after a while, some wisps of black gas drifting out. Then after another short moment, the youth left the hall. He took a look at the surrounding people. Most of them belonged to the Bai Clan¡¯s Jiangdu City guard forces, and there were also several small aristocratic clans. None of these people were from the Xu Clan. He closed his eyes that glittered like starlight and muttered, ¡°Amassing Water.¡± He revolved his profound qi, and water began to condense rapidly in front of him. The water transformed into 10 exquisitely sparkling, translucent water arrows, which trembled ever so slightly as they floated in midair. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t bother to look at the people around him anymore. With a flick of his sleeves, he turned on his heel and went back into the palace hall. ¡°What are these water arrows? They look so mystical!¡± ¡°Is this some kind of magic trick?¡± The guards belonging to the Bai Clan found it rather novel, and they stared at the 10 water arrows in amazement. They never would have thought that in the next moment, each arrow would point towards a different direction and shoot out, indiscriminately attacking everyone in a circular radius within the great hall. Although the water arrows didn¡¯t look spectacular, their power far exceeded their appearance. Every single water arrow brought about an explosion that affected a radius of 5 to 6 meters. Regardless of whether it was a person or an object, all were violently ripped apart by profound qi as they exploded into countless bits that flew in every which direction, never to be whole again. In about half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the water arrows dissipated, leaving a perfect stillness in their wake. TL: ¡°The time it takes for an incense stick to burn¡± ¨C a commonly used frame of reference for time in Chinese cultivation novels. Equates to around 5 to 30 minutes. Xu Disheng walked into the palace hall. Guo Nansu had bloodstains on his hands, and he welcomed him over with a smile. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, the upper ranks of the Bai Clan have all been executed according to the law.¡± Guo Nansu was a Martial Technique Xiantian, which meant that he could expand his sea of consciousness to attack others in its field of range, but that method was very wasteful in terms of power. It would be much easier for him to just take them out one by one with his fists. The other slightly larger clans in the great hall had all become docile and obedient. They were frightened out of their wits, and didn¡¯t even dare to make a sound. The Xu Clan faced him, their expressions filled with emotion. Among the crowd were also the people from the Jin Clan who were close to the Xu Clan, and their expressions were similarly complicated as they looked at Xu Disheng. ¡°I had long since heard of Regional Lord Xu¡¯s entry into the Dao Palace, and how profound your ways of the Dao were. Now that I have finally met you in person, I can see that your reputation is truly well-deserved,¡± Zhao Huichun said with a bright laugh. Even he himself wasn¡¯t sure if the words of goodwill he was spouting were genuine or fake. From his complexion, he seemed to be trying to hold back his fear of the consequences of offending him, and it was obvious that he was also rather afraid of Xu Disheng¡¯s Passing Soul Mantra. Xu Disheng had just wordlessly extinguished the life of a Xiantian transcendent, one who had successfully cultivated the Shangqing Qi nonetheless. Bai Xiuyu didn¡¯t even have the time to raise a finger or make a move, which was in part one of the reasons they couldn¡¯t help but feel the need to tread carefully. ¡°What a heroic youth,¡± Gao Sishui, the Regional Lord of the Gaoyang Region, praised while wearing a smile on his face. These few people were the Regional Lords of the Regions surrounding the Ruyang Region, and every single one of them were, in the eyes of regular people, extremely aloof and untouchable Xiantian martial artists. And at this moment, they were all layering on the praise, acting in a nearly reverent manner towards Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng returned their greeting, then turned to the side to look at Xu Chaoyang. ¡°Patriarch, you can write back to Zhenhai City. Have them immediately dispatch the Zhenhai Army to purge the borders of Jiangdu City of the remnants of the Bai Clan through execution at the gallows. Then, have people take control of Jiangdu City and take it under the jurisdiction of the Xu Clan.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll pass the order on!¡± Xu Chaoyang was still feeling rather moved. Just now, he didn¡¯t even notice that Xu Disheng had called him ¡®Patriarch¡¯, and not ¡®Grandpa Chaoyang¡¯. Within one day, the state of affairs in the Ruyang Region underwent massive changes! Rumors spread like wildfire among the citizens as they began to talk about the return of the real Regional Lord. The gossip described the lord as a handsome youth, who also happened to be profound in the Daoist ways. They spoke of how he slaughtered the Xiantian martial artist of the Bai Clan, Bai Xiuyu, by simply raising his hand, and how he had dispatched troops to purge the borders of Jiangdu City and confiscated the entirety of the wealth that the Bai Clan had been accumulating for centuries. From henceforth, there would be no Bai Clan. Now, the only two clans left in the Ruyang Region were the Xu Clan and the Jin Clan. After two days, the Bai Clan¡¯s wealth that was accumulated over centuries was finally plundered dry, but there were still some people from the Bai Clan who took advantage of the chaos to escape. In the Juying Hall in Zhenhai City, the upper echelons of the Xu Clan had gotten together. Everyone of them had unconcealable delight upon their faces. The five elders in the Council of Elders were seated above on the seats of honor, while below them were Xu Chaoyang, Xu Xiao, Xu Chen, and Xu Yan, along with around 10 others from the upper echelons of the Xu Clan. The face of the Grand Elder, Xu Qinying, looked normal, but the excitement in his eyes couldn¡¯t be hidden so easily. In his hand was a list, and the further he read down the list, the more excited the look in his eyes became. ¡°The Bai Clan¡¯s property sure is impressive! This elder didn¡¯t go to attend the Transcendence Ceremony, but I really didn¡¯t expect Sheng¡¯er would bring me such a great surprise!¡± As he spoke, his honorifics started to loosen as he began to refer to himself as ¡®I¡¯ instead of ¡®this elder¡¯, and by this it was evident that even though Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t arrived yet, he didn¡¯t try to exaggerate his own position. TL: Chinese honorifics are incredibly complicated, and there are many different pronouns that can be used to refer to oneself in a lowering or superior manner, depending on that person¡¯s status being higher or lower than the other party (although these aren¡¯t generally used in daily speech nowadays). Most of the time, I simply translate all of those pronouns to ¡®I¡¯ or ¡®me¡¯ since English doesn¡¯t have an equivalent concept of honorific pronouns, then I try to imply their honorific tone through their speech. If you¡¯re interested in reading more in detail about this topic, see this wiki link: Chinese Honorifics ¡°The Regional Lord arrives,¡± a voice announced from outside of the palace hall. Shortly after, a Daoist youth wearing an intricate black Daoist robe walked into the palace hall. CH 25 Chapter 25 ¨C Autumn Water The Xu Clan The upper echelon members of the Xu Clan all bowed deeply to Xu Disheng. They had heard rumors that he was ranked at the Xiantian realm, and he was conferred as the lord of the Region by the Prince. Plus, he had just completely uprooted and crushed the Bai Clan with his unparalleled might. Although these people were of his parents¡¯ generation or his grandfather¡¯s generation, they had to be respectful towards Xu Disheng. Only Xu Qinying and the elders, as well as Xu Xiao and Xu Disheng¡¯s own direct family members didn¡¯t bow, but they still stood on attention as they looked at him. Xu Qinying had an excited look on his face as he walked down from his seat and exclaimed warmly, ¡°Sheng¡¯er, come on up quickly!¡± Xu Disheng walked up, and Xu Qinying studied the youth, feeling as if it had been millenia since he last saw him. ¡°Great-Grandfather,¡± Xu Disheng greeted with a light bow. Xu Qinying handed over the list in his hands and said with a smile, ¡°Sheng¡¯er, you are the Regional Lord appointed by His Excellency the Prince. This time, you coming back and destroying the Bai Clan has earned you the admiration and respect of the people. This list records the wealth the Bai Clan accumulated over several hundreds of years. You can decide what you want to do with them.¡± The upper echelon members of the Xu Clan in the lower hall below them suddenly became noisy as they gazed fervently at the list in Xu Disheng¡¯s hands. It was clear that these branch families all desired their own share of the spoils. Nevertheless, they didn¡¯t dare to speak up about how Xu Disheng was to distribute these resources. They were all overawed and frightened into submission not only by his position as the Regional Lord appointed by the Dynasty, but also his power as someone who had easily executed a Xiantian. Xu Disheng received the list and looked it over. There were only 4 Martial Treasures. One drum-like Martial Treasure, one longsword, a small seal, and a piece of silk cloth. Martial Treasures could only be refined by old, experienced Xiantians. Newly promoted Xiantians like Bai Xiuyu for example, lacked the knowhow and information required to refine them. However, in more flourishing areas, Martial Treasures weren¡¯t considered particularly rare, and could be acquired by bartering with money, valuables, or spiritual medicines. But still, after several hundreds of years, the Bai Clan only had 4 Martial Treasures. If used by an ordinary martial artist, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to display 10 or 20 percent of the might of the Martial Treasure. The full power of a Martial Treasure could only be brought out in the hands of a Xiantian realm transcendent. Among these 4 Martial Treasures, only the longsword was a high quality Martial Treasure. It had the characters ¡®Autumn Water¡¯ engraved on it, and it was normally stored for safekeeping in the Bai Clan¡¯s ancestral domain. They didn¡¯t dare to take it out easily, and before they could even find an opportunity to use it, it had already fallen into the hands of the Xu Clan. If a Martial Treasure was carelessly given to an ordinary, innocent person, they would easily become the target of everyone¡¯s greed and be unable to protect it. High quality Martial Treasures were extremely difficult to refine, and even Xiantian transcendents would be tempted towards avarice. When Xu Disheng got to the lower part of the list, he saw records of the Bai Clan¡¯s stores of spiritual medicine that they had accumulated in their treasury over the years, as well as their hefty sum of gold, silver, and other valuables. They ruled over their fiefdom for hundreds of years, so their accumulated wealth was by no means a small figure. Xu Disheng looked back at Xu Qinying, who had been watching him this whole time. He knew that Xu Qinying was trying to help him establish reputation and influence, and he laughed inwardly. But he still opened his mouth and said quietly, ¡°This drum Martial Treasure will go to Great-Grandfather for his protection.¡± In the first row of the upper echelon of the Xu Clan standing in the lower hall, there was a girl in a white dress. Her complexion was graceful, and her skin was clear and smooth. Her eyes were bright and intelligent, which made it hard for people to stare at her for a long time. Xu Disheng looked at her, a bit surprised. ¡°Xu Qingcheng, are you already a half step to the Xiantian realm?¡± Xu Qingcheng had Grade 5 Dao Channels, and she was already a half-step Xiantian. In the Xu Clan, she had the highest fighting power. She also cultivated the Shangqing Qi, so she was naturally qualified to take part in the upper echelon¡¯s meeting. When she saw Xu Disheng looking at her, her mood became complicated. She knew of everything that happened, especially the fact that Bai Xiuyu was trying to rely on his power to forcefully take her as his wife. In the middle of such a crisis, Xu Disheng suddenly appeared out of nowhere, with his jade-like complexion and unparalleled might, and turned the entire situation around. The young girl regarded this act very fondly in her heart. But now when she saw Xu Disheng look at her as if he had just noticed that she existed, she couldn¡¯t help but feel depressed. ¡°Greetings to the Regional Lord, Qingcheng offers her respects,¡± she replied. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t notice the complicated situation in the girl¡¯s heart. ¡°Since you have the highest cultivation in the Xu Clan, this silk cloth Martial Treasure will go to you for your protection.¡± The eyes of the upper echelon members of the Xu Clan below began to burn with unconcealable envy. This was none other than a Martial Treasure! "" Xu Qingcheng felt her heart, which was normally guarded and calm, suddenly flutter with emotion. She hurriedly lowered her head in gratitude, concealing the sentiment in her eyes. Xu Disheng looked over the list again. Those spiritual medicines listed didn¡¯t catch his interest. After all, the spiritual medicines from all 19 Regions in the You Province were always taken to fuel the You Province¡¯s Dao Palace alone, so there was no way he would covet this meager amount that the Bai Clan had. He returned the list to Xu Qinying and said, ¡°I¡¯m a little tired of looking at all these trivial things. I¡¯ll take the Autumn Water Martial Treasure. Great-Grandfather and the other elders can decide on what to do with the rest of the property.¡± Xu Qinying replied with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t bother to get preoccupied with the trivial things. It¡¯s no wonder then that you could reach this level of cultivation at such a young age!¡± He looked down at the 10 members of the Xu Clan upper echelon below and muttered resignedly to himself before saying, ¡°Xiao¡¯er, I¡¯ll leave the distribution of the Bai Clan¡¯s spiritual medicines to you, so go ahead and split them among the branch families. The small seal Martial Treasure will go to you. You are the Young Patriarch, so you should have a Martial Treasure for your own protection as well.¡± The members of the upper echelon of the Xu Clan were waiting for these words. They wore delighted expressions as they bowed respectfully in gratitude. Xu Xiao was surprised that the matter that would allow one to win over the people¡¯s hearts was handed over to him. He looked up at the youth above him, a wry smile forming in his heart. His own son was this brilliant, so he felt that he couldn¡¯t afford to be too lazy. He stepped forward and said, ¡°Understood, Grand Elder.¡± The Second Elder suddenly said, ¡°Regional Lord, Jiangdu City is currently empty, unoccupied by our troops. Should we send some of our people to permanently occupy the city?¡± Xu Disheng glanced back at the Second Elder and replied, ¡°Just have the Elders handle this matter themselves.¡± With these words, everyone was shocked and puzzled. This time was clearly the best opportunity to assign trusted aides and subordinates. Jiangdu City wasn¡¯t small, and its territory accounted for 20 to 30 percent of the land in the Ruyang Region. It was apparent that this legitimate Regional Lord didn¡¯t care much for these matters. Xu Disheng scoffed inwardly. He didn¡¯t feel like wasting any bit of energy on this small foot of land. Assigning subordinates? Trusted aides? Establishing prestige? If he really became the local tyrant in this place and led such a petty existence, he was afraid that he would truly waste his life away in mediocrity. He walked out of the palace hall without saying anything more, and the people in the hall looked at each other with dismay. Under the respectful gazes of the guards, he made his way to the Rain Listening Pavilion. At the time that Jin Yu gave birth to Xu Disheng, she was only a 20-something year old young lady. But because she had taken care of her health well, her complexion was fair and without a single wrinkle, despite the fact that she was now well into her thirties. Jin Yu had already heard Xu Yan go on and on about Xu Disheng¡¯s actions regarding the Bai Clan. She looked at the pretty young girl in front of her, then said in a slightly exasperated tone, ¡°Yan¡¯er, you¡¯ve already told me tons of times. It¡¯s almost like you were at Jiangdu City yourself when it happened.¡± Xu Yan was already 12 years old. When she heard what Jin Yu said, she smiled sweetly. ¡°I heard about it from the Zhenhai Army¡¯s Uncle Xiang! He told me that with a wave of his hand, my brother turned heaven and earth upside down, and that he¡¯s the most outstanding person in the entire You Province.¡± Jin Yu replied, ¡°You say that you¡¯ve never met your brother, but he actually used to carry you in his arms every day when you were just 1 year old. You just don¡¯t remember it.¡± As the two were talking, all of a sudden the guards outside the gates exclaimed respectfully, ¡°The Regional Lord has arrived!¡± Xu Yan suddenly looked like a startled rabbit, and she immediately ran to hide behind Jin Yu. Only her head peeked out as she looked towards the entrance of the hall. Jin Yu didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°This little rascal,¡± she muttered to herself, amused. She also looked towards the gates, and saw a youth in a Daoist robe walk in. His hair was long and black, and he looked extremely handsome. His appearance somewhat bore a resemblance to Xu Xiao in his younger years, although his character and temperament were infinitely better than Xu Xiao¡¯s. ¡°Sheng¡¯er¡­¡± Jin Yu went forward and took Xu Disheng into her embrace, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Xu Yan was cowering in the back, staring fixedly at Xu Disheng with wide eyes. The usual sprightly liveliness that she showed on a daily basis was nowhere to be found. When Xu Disheng suddenly found himself in his mother¡¯s arms, his body was a bit stiff, but he didn¡¯t shake her off. He only opened his mouth and said gently, ¡°Sheng¡¯er greets Mother.¡± CH 26 Chapter 26 ¨C Blessed With Wonderful Luck Autumn Water When Jin Yu¡¯s mood eventually stabilized, she took a seat and glared at Xu Disheng. ¡°Sheng¡¯er! Why did you never reply to our letters? I even sent people to Youyang City several times, but you didn¡¯t even leave a message for us! They were always turned away by the Youyang Palace¡¯s guards!¡± Xu Disheng shook his head and replied, ¡°I was always single-mindedly cultivating, oftentimes not leaving my pagoda for 1 or 2 years at a time. I was really not in the mood to be bothered with trifling matters.¡± ¡°Trifling matters?¡± Jin Yu repeated, growing even angrier. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t allow her to continue as he looked towards the little girl in the back and smiled. ¡°Yan¡¯er?¡± Xu Yan was staring at him with round eyes, her face slightly red. ¡°Brother,¡± she murmured affectionately. Sure enough, Jin Yu¡¯s attention was diverted by this and she said to Xu Yan, ¡°You always go on and on about your brother every day, but now that your brother actually came back, you¡¯re acting all shy now?¡± Xu Disheng reached out his hand and patted Xu Yan¡¯s long hair with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve already grown into a big, beautiful girl now, haven¡¯t you? Have you had your Dao Channels measured yet?¡± As her head was being patted gently, Xu Yan¡¯s little face blushed even deeper, none of her usual peppy cleverness apparent at this moment. ¡°They were measured a few years ago. I have Grade 6 Dao Channels,¡± she peeped shyly. Xu Disheng looked deeper into the pavilion and only saw a few maids within. A bit surprised, he asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t I see Mother Xun?¡± ¡°So at least you still remember Mother Xun, huh? Mother Xun used to talk about you every day, but these past few years she was able to accumulate some wealth. She was also starting to get a bit old, so I arranged for her to return to my old home in the Jin Clan. In her last letter, she said her family opened a horse carriage business, and they¡¯re doing quite well,¡± Jin Yu replied. Xu Disheng nodded in understanding. He talked for a while with the mother-daughter pair, then he left and returned to his own Green Bamboo Pavilion. The inside of the pavilion was the same as it was all those years ago. Everything was clean and spotless, making it clear that there was someone assigned to cleaning it on a frequent basis. With a calm look in his eyes, the youth was standing by the window on high as he gazed down on the distant scenery of Zhenhai City. ¡°Regional Lord,¡± a deferential voice called from outside of the pavilion. ¡°Enter.¡± A black-armored officer walked in with two other Zhenhai Army soldiers. It was Xu Cheng, the vice commander of the Zhenhai Army all those years ago. Now, he was the commander of the whole Regional Army. Xu Cheng looked at the youth before him and bowed. ¡°Regional Lord, upon the orders of the Grand Elder, I am here to bring Regional Lord the item that was taken out from the Bai Clan¡¯s storage.¡± When he finished speaking, he signaled to the troops behind him. They presented to Xu Disheng an ancient sword, which was a little more than a meter long. The scabbard was simple and unadorned, without any character engravings on it. Xu Disheng received the longsword and slowly unsheathed it. When the ancient sword was revealed, it looked average, without anything unique about it. There were only two characters engraved on the blade. Autumn Water. He tried to insert a strand of Shangqing Profound Qi into the blade. It flowed unobstructed, and there wasn¡¯t the slightest resistance from the blade. When the profound qi passed through the tip of the sword, the seemingly average blade suddenly let out a clear ringing sound. The length of the Autumn Water Sword began to glow intensely with white light. With a flash of sword light, the table before him was instantly split into two. When it finally slid into two halves, the surface of the cut portion was extremely smooth. Xu Disheng muttered to himself, ¡°It really deserves its name as a high quality Martial Treasure. For the Bai Clan to produce a Xiantian transcendent and also have this Martial Treasure, they were truly blessed with wonderful luck.¡± Xu Cheng and the other troops just lowered their heads and pretended to not hear. The Bai Clan¡¯s Xiantian was slain by him, and now their precious Martial Treasure is in his hands and he still dares to call them lucky? If Bai Xiuyu and Bai Fanyu heard him say this, they would have risen from their grave and died again from pure anger. Of course Xu Cheng didn¡¯t dare to say any of this out loud. He was from a branch of the Xu Clan, and after the Xu Clan became the presiding clan in the Region, he replaced Xiang Nan as the commander of the Regional Army. He even remembered the auspicious happenings surrounding Xu Disheng¡¯s birth, but he was determined to take that secret to the grave. As he stood there with his head lowered, the youth¡¯s calm, flat voice sounded in his ears. ¡°Xu Cheng, was it? You may be excused now.¡± Feeling as if he had been relieved of a huge burden, his face relaxed. After saluting to Xu Disheng in farewell, he brought the other troops along with him and slowly left the Green Bamboo Pavilion. Xu Disheng stroked the length of the Autumn Water Sword, a happy look in his eyes. Seizing this treasure from the Bai Clan was truly an unexpected windfall. Martial Treasures oriented towards slaughter were extremely rare. It was also a sword type, so if a cultivator of profound laws were to use it, they could display an astonishing level of might. To top it all off, it was a high quality Martial Treasure, which absolutely couldn¡¯t be refined by mere Martial Technique Xiantians. According to his estimates, a Martial Treasure of this quality could only be refined by Profound Law Xiantians like Daoist Lord Qingxin, or others at the Sea of Qi stage. This Autumn Water Sword was most likely made by a Daoist Lord from a different Dao Palace, and it probably wandered about for a long time before eventually ending up in the hands of the Bai Clan by pure coincidence. He returned the Autumn Water Sword to its scabbard. The youth restored his mood and took a seat upon the couch to begin cultivating in silence. He fully revolved the Nourishing Soul Mantra to slowly recover the Soul Force that he had expended earlier today from using the Passing Soul Mantra. The next day, Xu Disheng went to the Western Ravine Palace to verify the conjecture that he had made previously. The rate at which he was transforming Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy into Shangqing Profound Qi was continuously increasing. In the course of 10 years, he had already managed to fill 60 to 70 percent of his meridian points with Shangqing Profound Qi, which was abnormally fast. "" At this time, he was thinking of using the Dao Channel Measuring Platform to see whether or not the cyan jade flute really was slowly raising his aptitude. When the Xu Clan became the presiding clan of the Region, the Dao Channel Measuring Platform was moved from the Guo Clan to the Xu Clan, so Xu Disheng could now use it at any time. Xu Disheng arrived alone at a secret chamber and examined the Dao Channel Measuring Platform before him. He flipped himself up onto the platform and sat down. A probing strand of qi sprung up from the stone platform, just like 10 years ago. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t resist, allowing the strand of qi to swim once through his meridians before returning to the stone platform. The Dao Channel Measuring Platform began to tremble slightly. One halo of light clung to the surface of the stone platform, which then suddenly rippled outward silently. Ten circles! Ten splendidly bright white circles of light were trembling as they floated around the stone platform. Grade 1 Profound Meridians! This was the limit of what the Dao Channel Measuring Platform could detect! Xu Disheng got off the stone platform and examined his sea of consciousness. Above his sea of consciousness, just as it was every single day from his birth 15 years ago, the small, exquisite cyan jade flute was slowly spinning, spilling forth cyan light to nourish his sea of consciousness and the meridians in his entire body. This secret was way too frightening! Grade 1 Profound Meridians was a level of aptitude high enough to shock the heavens! Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t all that surprised since he had already begun to suspect this fact long ago. At this moment, he was just trying to thoroughly confirm this truth. Besides, he had always remembered what Daoist Lord Qingxin had mentioned at that time about the ¡®Spiritual Root Sequence¡¯. In this system, Grade 2 Profound Meridians could only be considered as ordinary. While Grade 1 was higher than Grade 2, he did not feel that Grade 1 Profound Meridians, which were only one step above ¡®ordinary¡¯, could be all that more special in the entire context of the ¡®Spiritual Root Sequence¡¯. After putting away the stone platform, Xu Disheng exited the secret chamber and arrived at the main hall of the Western Ravine Palace, where Xu Qinying and others were currently holding a banquet. Several armored soldiers stopped in front of him, and they all saluted in turn. The commanding officer among them spoke up respectfully, ¡°Regional Lord, Grand Elder, the Patriarch of the Jin Clan, Jin Qingdi, has come bearing congratulatory gifts. He has already arrived in the Juying Palace Hall in the city, and has been received by the Patriarch.¡± Xu Qinying replied, ¡°We will go immediately.¡± After he watched the soldier receive the order and leave, he turned to Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Your Uncle has come to congratulate you for becoming the Regional Lord.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t make fun of me, Great-Grandfather. When this matter is over, I¡¯m going to ask Senior Martial Brother to issue an order to officially establish our Patriarch as the Regional Lord,¡± Xu Disheng said. Xu Qinying nodded. He knew that Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t going to stay long at the Xu Clan, since that would only serve to burden him instead. CH 27 Chapter 27 ¨C Sword Dance in a Red Dress, Frost Beneath the Moonlight Beneath the Moonlight In the Juying Palace Hall in Zhenhai City, Xu Chaoyang was sitting in the host¡¯s seat. Across from him was the former Patriarch of the Jin Clan, Jin Hai, as well as the current Patriarch, Jin Qingdi. Jin Hai had already retired a long time ago, taking up a behind-the-scenes role. No one expected him to suddenly come out of obscurity to congratulate the Xu Clan like this. Seated below them was an extremely beautiful girl in a red dress, with an exquisite face and a picturesque countenance. It was none other than Jin Yu¡¯er, the eldest daughter of Jin Qingdi. They were all conversing amongst themselves when Xu Qinying and Xu Disheng entered the palace hall together. The dozen or more people in the hall all stood up and saluted. ¡°Grand Elder!¡± ¡°Regional Lord!¡± Xu Qinying¡¯s dignified gaze swept the hall. ¡°At ease.¡± When he caught sight of Jin Hai, a look of astonishment crossed his face. He said with a smile, ¡°Former Patriarch Jin, why are you here?¡± From his seat, Jin Hai smiled as he replied, ¡°Of course, to pay my respects to the presiding clan of the Ruyang Region.¡± When he finished speaking, he looked at Xu Disheng and felt amazed. The rumors amongst the citizens only said that Xu Disheng was extremely young. He didn¡¯t think that he was really just a youth, nor that he would have such a handsome appearance. In all these years, this was actually Jin Hai¡¯s first time seeing this grandson of his. Hidden in the pupils of the youth in Daoist robe were vortexes of black Soul Force. Profound qi encircled Xu Disheng¡¯s whole body, emitting an aura as deep as the ocean. ¡°Greetings to Former Patriarch Jin and the Patriarch of the Jin Clan.¡± These two were considered to be his maternal grandfather and uncle, so this degree of etiquette was fitting. Jin Hai and Jin Qingdi hurriedly waved their hands, not daring to receive his humble courtesies. This was especially so for Jin Qingdi, who had led the upper echelon of the clan to attend the Bai Clan¡¯s Transcendence Ceremony, and was now only respectfully accompanying Jin Hai as the lowest position at the table. The sight of Xu Disheng using the Passing Soul Mantra to execute a Xiantian transcendent was still burned vividly in his mind, his black hair fluttering about as the black energy wreaked havoc as an evil spirit skull floated in the air above him. There was no way that Jin Qingdi could dare to assert his identity over Xu Disheng as his uncle. Xu Qinying let out a hearty laugh. ¡°Great! Pass down the order. We will host a grand banquet tonight, invite the guests!¡± ¡°As you command, Grand Elder!¡± Several servants accepted the order and left the room to carry it out. The more Jin Hai looked at Xu Disheng, the more he found himself liking him. With a broad smile, he said, ¡°Yu¡¯er is my only daughter, but I never would have imagined that my daughter¡¯s son would be such an outstanding young man who reached the Xiantian realm at such a young age, ruling over an entire Region.¡± Xu Disheng replied, ¡°I don¡¯t deserve your praise, Grandpa. I¡¯m not yet at the Xiantian realm.¡± He was about to refer to Jin Hai as ¡®Former Patriarch Jin¡¯, but he suddenly saw Jin Yu enter the palace hall at that moment, accompanied by a maid, so he quickly took it back and called him ¡®grandfather¡¯ instead. Almost everyone had a look of astonishment on their faces. The entire city was aware of the fact that Xu Disheng had executed a Xiantian transcendent, so they all assumed that he had recently advanced to the Xiantian realm. But at this moment, Xu Disheng himself denied that fact, leaving everyone in complete disbelief. Xu Qinying was the only person here who knew a thing or two about the Dao Palace and cultivating profound qi. He said with a smile, ¡°Sheng¡¯er is part of the Dao Palace. The Dao Palace is marvelous and unmatched, and everything related to it cannot be understood with common sense. After all, even His Excellency the Prince is a part of the Dao Palace.¡± Everyone nodded in response to this. Jin Qingdi spoke up and said, ¡°Sheng¡¯er, now that you are the Regional Lord, your status should be upheld accordingly, so shouldn¡¯t we construct a new Regional capital? Although Zhenhai City is big, it still isn¡¯t as big as Ruyang City, so it doesn¡¯t match up to your status.¡± Xu Disheng just flicked his sleeves and shook his head. ¡°Uncle, I want to resign from my position as the Regional Lord. Today, I have already sent a letter to Senior Martial Brother to officially appoint Grandpa Chaoyang as the Regional Lord of the Ruyang Region. In a few days¡¯ time, I will be returning to Youyang City.¡± Jin Yu had just walked up to where they were and finished greeting her father and elder brother when she heard what he said. Her elegant brows wrinkled and she said anxiously, ¡°Sheng¡¯er, you¡¯re leaving again? Why didn¡¯t you even tell me? You¡¯ve only been here for a few days!¡± Seated in the lower hall was the girl in the red dress, Jin Yu¡¯er. Her eyes were like the reflection of sunlight off the ocean waves as she looked at Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng glanced around at the varied expressions of everyone in the hall before once again looking back at Jin Yu. ¡°Mother, Sheng¡¯er has his own matters to attend to.¡± Jin Yu¡¯s eyes began to tear up. ¡°I¡¯ve always known that you¡¯ve had strong opinions even since you were little. But you haven¡¯t returned for 10 years, and now that you¡¯re finally back you¡¯re only going to stay a few days before leaving. How could you be so uncaring?¡± Xu Disheng remained silent, unsure of what to say. In the end, Xu Qinying, whose face was stiff as a board, tried to speak up for him. ¡°Sheng¡¯er has already grown up, and having joined the Dao Palace, the road before him is immeasurably long. Not to mention a small place like the Ruyang Region, even the You Province wouldn¡¯t be able to contain him. Xiao¡¯er, please try to persuade Yu¡¯er. The women of our clan do not need to be involved with such matters.¡± Xu Xiao complied and dragged Jin Yu to him, urging her to take a seat. That night, the Xu Clan¡¯s grand feast began in the Four Seas Palace Hall, and there were countless colored lanterns abound. The commoners of Zhenhai City all looked out from their houses and saw the magnificent view of these lanterns in the sky, illuminating the night. The people of the Xu Clan and the Jin Clan had many marital relations, and were mutually related. There were more than 10 tables in the palace hall, and at this moment, they were all completely seated to capacity. They were all drinking and engaging in festivities as laughter permeated the hall with a noisy and exciting atmosphere. In the hall, ten or so beautiful maids were dancing elegantly, accompanied by musicians playing their instruments. Xu Disheng was there, sitting alone at a table. His black Daoist robe had gotten a bit wrinkled, and he had long since changed out of it. He was now wearing white luxurious satin clothes with gilded sleeves. He had taken out the jade hairpin atop his head, and his long black hair was now fastened in a ponytail by a jade band, making him look somewhat like a handsome playboy noble. Xu Disheng shifted his gaze upwards and looked around at the singing and dancing going on around him. After a while, he grew disinterested and shut his eyes, silently entering a cultivation state. Although the maids were good-looking, their dancing lacked spirit, and they were only dancing to show off their figures. But he wasn¡¯t aware that among the gazes in the palace hall, there was one girl always looking straight at him. When she saw that he clearly had no interest in the singing and dancing in the hall, this girl wearing a red dress smiled faintly. With a twinkle in her beautiful eyes, she stood up. ¡°Grand Elder, Grandfather, Father, there is a sword dance that I would like to demonstrate, to commemorate the long-standing friendship between our two clans,¡± Jin Yu¡¯er said after she walked into the hall and bowed deeply. The hall quieted down a bit, and Xu Qinying, who was seated at the most honored position at the table, shared a glance with Jin Hai and the others. They all smiled, either giving their assent or speaking highly of her. ¡°You may,¡± Xu Qinying replied. ¡°Much obliged.¡± "" Xu Disheng had already closed his eyes to cultivate. When he heard the girl¡¯s silvery sweet voice in his ears, standing out amidst all of the loud, festive celebrating going on around him, his long eyelashes twitched slightly, but he didn¡¯t open his eyes. In the middle of the hall, the girl in the red dress stood, her hair black as ink, looking like she had just walked out of a dream. Her features were picturesque; her countenance refined. From time to time, she would lift her arm and lower her eyebrows, and other times she would gently wave her hands like the clouds1. With the longsword grasped in her hand, her sleeves would look like jade winds as they moved with the flow of her elegant movements. The sword gave off a clear ring, gracing the ears with a sound that resembled flowing water. As her movements ebbed and flowed in a similar manner, the 1-meter long sword in her hand looked flexible, as if it was made out of cloth. As she turned, swung her sword outwards, maneuvered through open and closed movements, twisted, spun, and arced, her dance seemed to paint the picture of a phoenix cutting through a deep valley. The phoenix was soaring amidst a sea of clouds, as light upon the wind as a dragonfly alighting upon the surface of a pond. Akin to a butterfly dancing among peach blossoms, the sword dance gradually slowed to a stop. Although the lanterns in the hall were brightly lit, there was a beam of moonlight that happened to be shining upon the girl and her red dress from the window on high. Beneath the moonlight that scintillated upon her like frost, the girl in the red dress finished her sword dance and gave a full bow. She cast a fleeting glance at the white-robed youth seated among the seats of honor before going back to her seat. The hall had long since fallen into absolute silence. After a short moment, the entire audience erupted into applause, crying out in admiration. But Jin Yu¡¯er just continued to sit in her seat, staring fixedly at that white-clothed youth. The youth¡¯s eyelashes eventually shifted downward as he averted his gaze, no longer meeting her eyes again. Only then did the corners of her mouth curl into a wide smile. Jin Yu¡¯er had an extremely proud temperament. A few years ago, she was measured to have Grade 5 Dao Channels, and her cultivation progress was extremely fast. She was cultivating the secret method, the Guiyuan Qi, and she was only a bit away from being at the half-step Xiantian realm. She had long thought that that calm boy in her memories had long since disappeared. But now, he had unexpectedly returned as such a dazzling, intimidating presence, overturning heaven and earth. However, the one thing that didn¡¯t change since childhood was his cold nature. Jin Yu¡¯er¡¯s proud temperament caused her to be inclined to showing off, so she had yet to exchange any words with Xu Disheng even up until now. Even so, the girl¡¯s feelings and thoughts were all concealed within this one sword dance. CH 28 Chapter 28 ¨C Unshakable Melancholy, Unsolvable Quandary Xu Disheng lowered his gaze and shut his eyes. That girl¡­ She was actually able to make him awaken from his cultivation state and watch the whole sword dance from beginning to end. He revolved his Soul Force to calm his throbbing heart, then went back to absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy. Suddenly, the voice of a Zhenhai Army soldier could be heard in announcement from outside the hall. ¡°Urgent report! An Imperial Courier of the Dynasty wishes to see the Regional Lord.¡± Xu Qinying was astonished. The Grand Chu Dynasty¡¯s Imperial Couriers were the direct liaisons between the Central Imperial Province and the capital of each Province. Why would one come to such a small place? Xu Disheng opened his eyes and responded. ¡°Let him enter.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The Imperial Courier jumped down from his horse and walked into the palace hall. When he saw that everyone¡¯s eyes were on him, he spoke in a neither servile nor overbearing manner. ¡°Upon orders from the Dao Palace of the Eastern Qin Province, I, Xingye, have made utmost haste to deliver this item to the Xu Disheng in the Ruyang Region of the You Province.¡± When the Imperial Courier finished speaking, he took a small, exquisite wooden box. A servant received it and carried it to Xu Disheng. The Imperial Courier was a bit surprised, clearly not expecting that the Regional Lord would be someone so young. However, he didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary. He was a messenger from the Grand Chu Dynasty who was entrusted with delivering important items or passing down the imperial orders. Each of these Couriers were elites who had undergone constant training, and only took orders from the Dynasty¡¯s general headquarters. Xu Disheng gently opened the wooden box. Placed within it was an ordinary-looking jade slip, faintly emitting Shangqing Profound Qi. Seeing what was within, he understood. ¡°You must have gone through a lot of trouble, Imperial Courier. Bring his compensation!¡± Immediately after he gave the order, a servant came forth, carrying a tray of silver taels. The Imperial Courier cupped his hands in gratitude. He didn¡¯t argue, and simply accepted the proffered reward. ¡°Thank you, Regional Lord. I will now withdraw.¡± Xu Disheng nodded. When he passed a stream of profound qi through his hand to probe the jade slip, Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s cold voice was transmitted to his ears. After a long while, Xu Disheng put down the jade slip, his thoughts in disarray. There was a huge amount of information contained within this jade slip! Daoist Lord Qingxin had gone to the Eastern Qin Province some time ago, but he had previously informed Xu Disheng of some extremely secret matters. Xu Disheng had already guessed that this world was just one small Mortal Secret Area belonging to the Shangqing Sacred Sect. At the time that Xu Disheng was taken as Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s disciple and he used the sect jade slip, Daoist Lord Qingxin didn¡¯t deliberately try to keep this fact from him. The Shangqing Sacred Sect was located in the immensely vast Human Realm. The Human Realm could truly be considered to have a size befitting a ¡®world¡¯. Up at the top of the sky, there were 3 suns and 3 moons that continuously rose and fell in turn, illuminating the immensity of the world in a never-ending cycle. The Human Realm was boundless. There were countless sects within, but there were even more mortal beings, to the point that they were like the innumerable grains of sand in a riverbed. The profound law cultivators were like the fish swimming in this river, simply uncountable. Just as there were great demons swallowing up the heaven and earth, dominating over their domains, and splitting mountains and the sea, there were gods deriving power from faith, bestowing divinity, and blessing and protecting their domains. Countless spirit treasures and exotic plants and fruits existed between heaven and earth. From time to time there were ancient inheritances being uncovered, witnessing the light of day once more. The world was filled with spiritual qi. Everything from a stalk of grass to a flower petal could develop a spirit and cultivate towards enlightenment if it possessed the right destiny for it. TL: This part is probably referring to something like the concept of yokai in Japanese folklore. There was even a legend that there was a heavenly realm above the endlessly high sky. However, this legend was far too vague and long since become an unverifiable tale. Why was the hierarchical order in this world so strict, with little to no fighting? Why was the Grand Chu Dynasty gathering all of the resources of the 11 Provinces to provide for the hundred or so people of the Dao Palaces? Why did this world possess such a still, lifeless atmosphere, where no spiritual beings gained enlightenment, nor evil demons raised havoc? That was because the rules of this world weren¡¯t even complete! This world was just a small secret realm belonging to the Shangqing Sacred Sect, known as the Seventh Mortal Secret Area¡¯s Chu Realm! Those like Daoist Lord Qingxin were outer disciples of the Eight Mountain Ranges of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Outer disciples possessed a meager cultivation level, and were all at the Sea of Qi stage. If one violated the rules of the sect, the Disciplinary Hall would punish them by exiling them to the Secret Area and giving them the mission of seeking out disciples for the sect. As long as they never reached the Dao Foundation realm, they would never be allowed to return to the sect. The rules of the Shangqing Sacred Sect were extremely strict. There were 8 mountain ranges in total, and each mountain range had hundreds of peaks and several tens of thousands of disciples. The Disciplinary Hall in the Fourth Mountain, known as the Mountain of Law, was in charge of everything with regards to the trials and punishments meted out to the Sea of Qi stage disciples. Some were sent to the Spirit Ore mines, and once they reached the sufficient age, they could return; others were sent to gather resources, and once they obtained a sufficient amount, they could also return. There were even some who were sent to the sect prison, where they would have to refine pills and medicines for the sect, without a shred of freedom. The remaining ones were like Daoist Lord Qingxin, who were sent to the Secret Areas, unable to reach the Dao Foundation realm nor return to the sect. They were trapped in the Mortal Secret Areas, without much freedom to speak of. But just like everything in the world, there were exceptions. There would inevitably be Sea of Qi stage cultivators who did not wish to remain in the cruel reality of the Human Realm, aware of the fact that their aptitude wasn¡¯t sufficient to allow them to break through. Nor did they want to participate in any elaborate schemes to get stronger, living from hand to mouth. Instead, they voluntarily chose to enter the Mortal Secret Areas to seek out disciples on behalf of the sect. These kinds of people would lead a lost, befuddled existence, exhaust the length of their lifespan, and eventually die within the Secret Areas. The real names of the cultivation stages for profound cultivators weren¡¯t Houtian and Xiantian. The first stage was called the Cleansed Meridians stage, which involved filling the entire body with profound qi, establishing a linked circuit in the meridians. Those at this level could already be considered profound cultivators, and the gap between them and martial cultivators was evident by this point. Therefore, the Martial Technique Xiantians in this place couldn¡¯t put up the slightest resistance against someone from the Dao Palace at the Cleansed Meridians stage or Sea of Qi realm. The second stage was called the Sea of Qi stage, which was the cultivation level that Daoist Lord Qingxin and the others were at. The profound qi would turn into an entire sea of qi and start to cycle endlessly within the body, providing endless magic power. Above that was the third stage, known as the Dao Foundation realm. Those that could reach this level of cultivation all possessed extraordinary levels of aptitude, and were all incredibly rare geniuses. Once one reached this level of cultivation, they could become a master of a mountain peak in the sect or a deacon. If these exiled disciples of the Shangqing Sacred Sect discovered a disciple in the Secret Areas who could cultivate Profound Laws and had an aptitude on the Spiritual Root Sequence, they could use the sect jade slip and report it to Directory Hall on Wenyuan Mountain. However, the disciples handling the matters in the Directory Hall on Wenyuan Mountain were usually occupied with processing the disciples taken in from the Human Realm. These jade slip reports from the Mortal Secret Areas usually piled up for decades before being inputted all at once. Each of the disciples that came from the Secret Areas had to meet 3 requirements involving temperament, comprehension, and aptitude in order to be brought out to the sect. They could then be assigned to each of the Mountain Ranges depending on their aptitude. From then on, they would become a disciple of the Shangqing Sacred Sect and be officially inputted into the records at the Directory Hall. Also, while the sect jade slips were not considered officially inputted, they were set aside for observation so the sect could avoid missing out on the appearance of an exceptional talent. The Spiritual Root Sequence was a measure of cultivation aptitude. Grade 3 and Grade 2 Profound Meridians were considered to be the most ordinary of aptitudes, while Grade 1 Profound Meridians could just barely be considered a talent. Above that were six ranks of Spiritual Roots. Rank 6 Spiritual Roots were only slightly better than Grade 1 Profound Meridians. But Rank 5 and Rank 4 Spiritual Roots could be considered as a proud talent. Even in the monstrous enormity that was the Shangqing Sacred Sect, they were regarded as important. The reason why Daoist Lord Qingxin sent Xu Disheng information via jade slip when he was all the way in the Eastern Qin Province was to inform him that next year, the Shangqing Sacred Sect was going to input the disciples from the Seventh Mortal Secret Area, and that the disciples belonging to the Dao Palaces of each Province had already set out towards the Central Imperial Province. This time, he was ordering Xu Disheng and Zhang Keyu to go to the Eastern Qin Province to meet up with the two Daoist Lords so they could all head to the Central Imperial Province together. Profound qi was roiling around Xu Disheng¡¯s body as he muttered, ¡°The Human Realm, three suns¡­ the Three Realms of the Golden Crow¡­?¡± A memory suddenly appeared in his mind. In the Human Realm, above the endless skies on high, those three suns that were there since time immemorial were actually not real suns; they were the ¡°Three Realms of the Golden Crow¡±! "" But what were the Three Realms of the Golden Crow? Xu Disheng pondered deeply, but to no avail. The cyan jade flute in his sea of consciousness let out a mysterious light that obstructed the searching of his memories. When he stood up and looked around at all the people drinking, engaging in festivities while singing and dancing, he felt sorrowful for them. For their entire lives, these people would never know that they were living inside of a cage. Just as he was about to walk out of the gate of the palace hall, he felt a gaze following him. Turning his head to the side, he found the beautiful eyes of the girl in the red dress staring fixedly at him. He felt his heartbeat quicken, and he unexpectedly smiled at her as he thought of that sword dance beneath the moonlit frost. Jin Yu¡¯er felt that his bright eyes, which seemed to conceal the moonlight within, were even brighter than the beautiful lanterns in the palace hall. The moment his smile showed through his usual calm countenance, it was as if he became the center of the universe. Within that one smile, the whole world seemed to blossom. When he left the palace hall, the sky was full of lanterns that were lightly floating and dancing on the wind. Each one eventually winked out and came to its end. Xu Disheng took a sealed scroll out from his sleeve and handed it to a guard along with a few sentences of instructions. Then, he walked off into the boundless night, never looking back. There was a certain poem that went like this. Life begins with the sunrise and ends with death in the sunset; A hazy gray mist descends as the spent fireworks sputter out and lose their heat. Moonlight adorns the land; neither yearning nor daring to forget The white dew between the pines, the ancient dried-up well, the mulberry tree far by the street. One wearing a plain white cloth skirt, steeped in the ties to the world; An unshakable melancholy abetted by an unsolvable quandary. TL Note: Some explanations for the poem: in Chinese culture, the mulberry tree often symbolizes loss, mourning, and death, since the word É£ s¨¡ng (mulberry tree) sounds like É¥ s¨¤ng which means ¡®loss, mourning and death¡¯. The last line is ¡°ÄÑ»æÐéÍý£¬Äѽâã°âꡱ, which is a phrase usually found in some song lyrics that means something along the lines of a problem that can¡¯t be solved, where it is difficult to make false things into a reality, and usually involves incessant worrying over this difficult problem. This line is the title of this chapter, but it was really difficult to capture the meaning of this phrase while also translating it into a short and sweet phrase. CH 29 Chapter 29 ¨C This Little Beggar Has Guts? Anyang The early morning skies were a vague, dark indigo. Although the main gates were still closed at this hour, there was a sizable stream of people going in and out of the side gate. The empty-handed pedestrians were lightly questioned before being permitted to enter, while the horse carriages carrying commodities couldn¡¯t avoid having to pay service to the guards, who took advantage of the citizens at every possible opportunity. If one stood atop the city gate and looked over the wide moat into the distance, it was possible to see countless early-rising peasants working in the vast fields. There was a son of a rich family who got up early to let out the birds, young martial artists doing their morning exercise, and traveling merchants with their heads lowered as they hastened upon their journeys. The whole world seemed to be lively as each person, whether it was the martial artists or the peasants, the merchants or the laymen, went about the tasks that they thought they should be doing, day in, day out, year after year. The brisk morning air gave way to a chilling wind that nipped at the body, forcing the guards protecting the gate to wrap their uniforms tighter around themselves. A guard wearing silver armor who looked to be the leader let out a cold, misty breath as he watched a carriage make its way over the drawbridge. He moved forward to question them per routine procedure. But when he drew closer, he saw that among the riders that were dressed like bodyguards, there was a person who was at the late Houtian stage, openly emitting Astral Qi. His gaze was majestic and intense like a hawk. When the silver-armored guard saw the person¡¯s appearance clearly, he jumped in fright before immediately changing his expression. He saluted with a fawning smile. ¡°Commander Wang¡­ I saw from afar that it was Commander, so I especially came out to welcome you,¡± he said in an ingratiating manner before turning around and shouting, ¡°Hurry up and make way!¡± This person was none other than the Commander of the Wang Clan of the Anyang Region. Commander Wang hardly spared him a glance. He just turned around to glance at the person in the carriage behind him. When he saw that there wasn¡¯t any reaction, he said with a cold snort, ¡°Next time, make sure your smile is even wider.¡± He then urged his horse forward, leading the way into the city. The bodyguards at his sides all wore proud expressions, completely ignoring the city guards as they rode on either side of the carriage as they entered the city. ¡°What did Wang Yueguo bring all these men for? The clothes of the people under him all looked newly changed, and his expression looked unnatural. Should we report it to the commander-in-chief?¡± the silver-armored soldier, who was the butt of such a cold rebuke, said to his comrade beside him, spitting on the ground with a bitter expression. ¡°Don¡¯t meddle in other people¡¯s business. You must really not want to live anymore. Commander Wang is on the verge of becoming a half-step Xiantian. He holds great authority over the regional city¡¯s guard corps, and is an important person in the line of the Wang Clan. Even though the commander-in-chief told us in private to pay attention to any abnormal developments, it¡¯s better for us little pawns to not get involved in the struggle between the clans and the branch families.¡± ¡°Hmph, just you wait until this lil¡¯ daddy makes it to half-step Xiantian so I can embarrass this guy!¡± ¡°Stop daydreaming, Wang Yueguo¡¯d give you one slap and you¡¯d be crushed into a paste, hahaha.¡± ¡°The future is long¡­ who knows, maybe I¡¯ll reach half-step Xiantian one day.¡± ¡°You two better hurry up and go patrolling right this minute! What are you two whispering amongst yourselves about?!¡± A high-ranking officer in black armor walked over with a displeased expression, interrupting their fantasies. ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± Anyang City was a flourishing city in the Eastern Qin Province, only second to the Provincial capital. It was also the place where the Dao Palace of the Eastern Qin Province was located. However, no matter how flourishing a place was, or how magnificent of a golden age it was in, it was never short of a certain type of person. Within the massive gates, there were several beggars crouched in a corner. Among them was a middle-aged beggar with messy hair and a dirty face, wearing tattered, threadbare clothes. Parts of his skin were purple, and it was clear this beggar had suffered much misery. In the beggar¡¯s hands was a bamboo flute. It was clean and a deep jade green in color, forming a stark contrast with his dirty, sullied appearance. The middle-aged beggar played the flute with his grimy lips, and every time he finished playing a song, he would bow down until his head almost touched the floor, pleading the passerby for their goodwill. By the side of this middle-aged beggar was another beggar of a slight build, who was only 10 or so years of age. Although this beggar¡¯s body and face were just as filthy, his eyes were big and contained traces of cleverness that weren¡¯t characteristic of the usual malnourished and sickly appearance of a little beggar. After all, the other beggars couldn¡¯t eat their fill like him. This little beggar knew how to talk, begging for money in a clever and lovable way. Usually, people fancied what he said and tossed her a few coppers. In this way, this little beggar actually managed to earn more than the middle-aged beggar¡¯s method of showing off his skills. Some occasionally even gave small silver pieces to the little beggar, making it so he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about food or drink for quite a few days. The middle-aged beggar finished playing a song. A few people passing by tossed some copper coins, and the middle-aged beggar praised and thanked them obsequiously as he picked the coppers from the grimy, wet ground. As his eyes were pinned to the ground, scanning for the coins, a pair of clean, black shoes appeared in his vision, stopping before him. The design of these shoes was simple, but the materials used in their make were expensive. The middle-aged beggar attempted to straighten his crooked back as he looked up with difficulty. Standing before him was a youth with a slender figure, wearing a black Daoist robe, his crow black hair tied up behind his head. Although the middle-aged beggar couldn¡¯t see his face clearly, he felt slightly favorably towards this person. After all, these monks and Daoists were the types who were most willing to give donations in response to begging, and each time they would give a lot. They could be considered to be quite the generous folk. However, the youth in the Daoist robe wasn¡¯t looking at him, but the clever little beggar, and his eyes looked to be deep in thought. This youth was none other than Xu Disheng. He was only 15 years old, still considered extremely young. But with the Daoist robe he was wearing, along with his black hair, handsome facial features, and the black brilliance hidden in his tranquil and calm eyes, it made others see him as more of a young man. At first, he was attracted over here by the middle-aged beggar only because of the cyan jade colored bamboo flute he was playing. But now, he felt something particular about the little beggar by his side. Xu Disheng was a step away from reaching the Cleansed Meridians stage, so his five senses were extremely acute. Any kind of feeling or intuition he got wouldn¡¯t just be a mere coincidence. The little beggar was young, without any trace of having cultivated Martial Techniques, and it was clear that he hadn¡¯t had his Dao Channels measured even once throughout growing up. So why did this little beggar give him such a particular feeling? That little beggar was quick-witted, and he looked at Xu Disheng with his big eyes. ¡°Excellent and unrivaled Daoist, you¡¯re so handsome. I can tell just from a glance that you have great fortune and are an amazingly accomplished individual in the ways of the Dao and the world. Would you be so kind as to spare this little one a few silvers so I can go to the temple and pray for your longevity and wellbeing¡­¡± Xu Disheng was holding back his laughter, immediately noticing how amusing this little beggar was. His mood had been lifted by him somewhat. ¡°If I really had great fortune, I would linger on in this mortal life once again.¡± He lightly shook his head, then turned and was about to walk away into the stream of people. ¡°If you had skills that reach the heavens but couldn¡¯t bear the loneliness of being all by oneself, in the end, wouldn¡¯t it still be better to return to this mundane world to simply appreciate life?¡± The little beggar said with a grin, exposing a mouth full of spotlessly white teeth. It was clear that he had always regularly used some animal fur or rough product to clean his teeth. Although the little beggar just spouted a bunch of nonsense, Xu Disheng stopped in his tracks and turned his head. ¡°What is the most important thing to you?¡± he asked. The little beggar looked at Xu Disheng with bright eyes, trying to figure out his intentions. ¡°Since I was young, I didn¡¯t have a family. All I had was my older sister as we relied upon each other for survival. It was always my dream to be able to live with my family. Every time I dream about my parents and wake up, I can laugh and smile. Daoist, please spare me a bit of money so I can eat my fill and go to sleep so I can see my parents again.¡± CH 30 Chapter 30 ¨C Chance Encounter Accompanied by Dust Flying Under the Horse¡¯s Hooves TL Note: Henceforth, the term ¡°Secret Areas¡± will be changed to ¡°Secret Realms¡±, which more accurately reflects its nature. As such, the world that Xu Disheng lives in will be called the ¡°Seventh Mortal Secret Realm¡±. Xu Disheng shook his head. ¡°This beggar. Do you only know how to eat and sleep or something?¡± The little beggar grinned, showing his regularly cleaned white teeth. He didn¡¯t say anything, but in his large eyes that were watching Xu Disheng, the meaning in his eyes was clear. ¡°Daoist Sir, please give me some money, then I¡¯ll keep talking.¡± Xu Disheng lightly flicked his sleeves, not really interested in speaking with this beggar any further. He turned around and started heading in the direction of the center of the city. As he began to walk, he said, ¡°If you want to never have to worry about eating and drinking ever again, you can come with me.¡± By the time his words sunk in, he was already 10 meters away. The beggar¡¯s eyes went round, staring at the view of Xu Disheng¡¯s retreating back. After a moment, he seemed to have made his decision. The beggar stood up, not even caring about the small bowl he used to collect his money anymore. With a kick, the bowl flew off with a crash, landing who knows where. Looking in the direction that Xu Disheng went, the beggar jogged after him, leaving the other beggars sitting in that corner of the city wall looking at each other in dismay. Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t been able to pinpoint the origin of that particular feeling he had about this beggar. As he walked, he spoke to the person following behind him. ¡°You seem to be rather clever and quick-witted, so how did you end up as a beggar?¡± The little beggar, who was blindly following Xu Disheng, raised his head and said, ¡°When other people beg, they can¡¯t earn enough to eat their fill, but I always had some extra money. Then again, in these times, if you aren¡¯t a martial artist, there isn¡¯t much of a difference.¡± With these words, the look in his bright eyes grew dim. Since he was small, he and his older sister had relied upon each other for survival, and although he was already 11 years old, he hadn¡¯t had his Dao Channels measured. At the Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony that took place in this city, the officials and soldiers in charge of the records saw that he was a beggar and gave him nasty looks, kicking him out of the ceremony. How could they let such a dirty beggar have his Dao Channels measured in front of so many aristocratic families and clans? The ways of this world were quite unfair to him. Unable to measure his Dao Channels, he had no hope of cultivating Martial Techniques. He was also too young to do physically demanding labor, so he could only suffer a bitter struggle at the lowest rungs of society. Xu Disheng nodded, apparently having pinpointed the source of that particular feeling he had. ¡°That¡¯s alright. Meeting me can also be considered to be your fate. What¡¯s your name?¡± The beggar replied, ¡°This little one¡¯s surname is Su. But I¡¯m just a lowly beggar, how can I possibly dare to speak of my own name? Daoist Sir, you can just call me Su.¡± Su walked with Xu Disheng for a little over two hours. As they walked along the main streets, Su noticed that Xu Disheng¡¯s feet never stopped for a moment, and he already began to feel exhausted. Su gritted his teeth and continued to lift his weary feet, placing them one after the other as he continued to follow after him. Eventually, when Su looked up, he saw that they had already reached the center of Anyang City. Up ahead, there was a continuous stretch of imposing, rich pavilions, inspiring awe within him. He started to wonder about the origins of this young Daoist. All this time, they had been walking in the direction of the palace complex, which was the place where the Regional Lord of the Anyang Region lived. He didn¡¯t dare to think too much about it. He suppressed his thoughts, once again picking up his feet, which were practically numb by this point, and continued to plod forward one step at a time. The interior of the Shangqing Dao Palace of the Eastern Qin Province in Anyang City was a dazzling sight, decorated with gold and jade in glorious splendor. It was impressive and grand, and on the roof face of the palace were ten glittering Night Pearls. The engraved faces of the obelisks were inlaid with gold and inset with jades, giving off an extremely luxurious air. In the host seat, a middle-aged man sat, wearing magnificent clothing. With a smile, he said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Qingxin, it seems that with you successfully refining a Foundation Laying Pill, there¡¯s hope for you to reach the Dao Foundation stage. Congratulations.¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin replied, ¡°It took gathering all the power of the You Province and ten years just to refine these two Foundation Laying Pills. This spiritual medicine would be common in the Human Realm. This world is too lacking; it¡¯s simply impossible to find these anywhere else in this world. I was even of the mind to replace it with a different spiritual medicine, but I was afraid the effects would be way less than anticipated.¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu was also in the hall, and he said, ¡°Among the Outer Disciples of Zhuri Mountain, this pill was still extremely precious. Junior Martial Brother Qingxin¡¯s pill refining skills are truly impressive. Even though it offers minimal assistance with condensing the foundation of Profound Laws, being trapped in this place yet still being able to refine pills is extremely astonishing.¡± These two Daoist Lords, along with the middle-aged man, Daoist Lord Shangyuan, didn¡¯t come from the same Mountain Range in the sect. However, they were all similarly stranded in this faraway Mortal Secret Realm together, so they were all like martial brothers to each other, engaging in many mutual interactions. Daoist Lord Shangyuan said, ¡°You two still have hope to reach the Dao Foundation stage. Although I have 400 years of longevity left, there¡¯s already no hope for me. I can only waste away here in mediocrity.¡± Although he spoke in this manner, there was a smile on his face. Daoist Lord Shangyuan was someone who voluntarily chose to enter the Secret Realms. After all, in the Shangqing Sacred Sect, he was just a small, insignificant Sea of Qi disciple. The sect was rife with elaborate schemes and mutual deception amongst the disciples as they vied for power. Going out to do missions for the sect was always a dangerous task, and it made him feel like he was just a minute existence whom no one cared about. In the Mortal Secret Realms, he could have a high position with a title of Daoist Lord, and have several hundreds of concubines. Even the Regional Lord of this place had to suck up to him and be respectful. He wouldn¡¯t leave behind this hedonistic, befuddled lifestyle, nor did he want to. He only had to deal with the periodic visits of the Secret Realms Envoy from the Affairs Hall of Wenyuan Mountain. All of the other times, he could engage in sensual pleasures and party and drink however much he wanted. A guard entered the hall and announced respectfully, ¡°Daoist Lord, Regional Lord sent a letter saying that a person arrived who proclaims he is from the You Province Dao Palace.¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin smiled. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Qingxin, it seems your disciple has arrived.¡± Then, he turned and addressed the guard. ¡°Bring him directly to the Dao Palace.¡± The guard received the order and withdrew. Daoist Lord Qingxin lightly nodded, but Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s brows were furrowed as he said, ¡°Last time I received a letter from Yu¡¯er, he said that he wanted to quietly and stably continue his life as the Prince, and that he had no intention to escape from this world. In the end, I guess he was just a mere aboriginal of this land, his mind too stiff to be enlightened.¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin replied with a sigh, ¡°With Yu¡¯er¡¯s aptitude and temperament, even if he went to the sect inspection, there¡¯s no guarantee that he would pass. Everyone has their own ambitions, so don¡¯t be angry, Senior Martial Brother.¡± Even though disciples were temporarily accepted by them on behalf of the sect, they still had a master-disciple relationship, and Daoist Lord Qingyu had done Zhang Keyu the favor of passing his teachings on to him. In the Secret Realm, disciples were often taught and raised with sincerity, and Daoist Lord Qingyu was clearly regretful for Zhang Keyu¡¯s decision. Shortly after, Xu Disheng arrived outside the palace hall. He announced respectfully, ¡°Xu Disheng wishes to see Master.¡± ¡°Come in,¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin replied. When Xu Disheng entered the palace hall and saw Daoist Lord Shangyuan and Daoist Lord Qingyu, he saluted. ¡°Greetings to both Martial Uncles.¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu nodded at him. Daoist Lord Shangyuan said amiably, ¡°Daoist Lord Qingxin, upon closer inspection of this disciple of yours, I actually think there is a good chance that he will pass the sect¡¯s examination.¡± ¡°Thank you for your praise, Martial Uncle,¡± Xu Disheng said. Daoist Lord Qingxin waved his hand and sent out a stream of Shangqing Profound Qi, which circled once through Xu Disheng¡¯s meridians before returning to him. With a rare look of surprise, he exclaimed, ¡°Sheng¡¯er, you¡¯re about to reach the Cleansed Meridians stage? Your meridians are actually already about 70 to 80 percent filled with Shangqing Profound Qi!¡± Xu Disheng nodded but didn¡¯t speak. Daoist Lord Qingxin shook his head and said, ¡°After this, you don¡¯t have to call me Master anymore. With your age and aptitude, it won¡¯t be hard for you to pass the examination. All I did was temporarily accept you on behalf of the sect. Once you enter the Shangqing Sacred Sect, you will naturally come to understand why.¡± Xu Disheng was silent. After a while, he raised his head. ¡°Master, there¡¯s one thing.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Xu Disheng looked at Daoist Lord Shangyuan and said with a salute, ¡°Martial Uncle, I would like to borrow the Dao Channel Measuring Martial Treasure for a bit.¡± ¡°You may,¡± Daoist Lord Shangyuan replied. He then instructed the servants to bring the Dao Channel Measuring Martial Treasure. The item he was referring to wasn¡¯t the ordinary Dao Channel Measuring Stone Platform, but the item that the envoy, Zhang Kemu brought to the You Province last time. It was the Martial Treasure that looked like an ancient mirror, and was far more precious. The Daoist Lords all looked at Xu Disheng, waiting for him to speak further. Xu Disheng walked to the gate of the palace hall and said, ¡°Come in.¡± Su was blinded by the dazzling splendor of the Dao Palace, and there were tall waves rocking his heart. At the moment, he was in a daze, just standing there before the gate. When he heard Xu Disheng calling him, he grunted subconsciously in agreement before walking with him into the Dao Palace. When he looked up, he saw a middle-aged man in magnificent clothing, looking brilliant and awe-inspiring. Seated next two him were two Daoists with auras that were as deep and profound as the ocean. It was as if they immediately saw through all the secrets on his body with just one glance. CH 31 Chapter 31 ¨C ¡°I see there are tracks in the mountains, yet I fear I may never be able to return to the home in my heart.¡± Sponsored Chapter (1/2), thanks for your support! TL: The title is a line directly taken from a poem called ÓÀÓöÀÖ, written during the Song dynasty by the famous poet Su Shi. You can find a translation that someone else did here: link. Su was in over his head. Unlike his normal clever self, he was stunned silly. Xu Disheng slightly frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude.¡± Su immediately came to his senses and prostrated himself on the ground. ¡°Utmost greetings to these mighty gods.¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin said, ¡°Sheng¡¯er, did you feel that this beggar has Profound Meridians, so you brought him here to verify?¡± ¡°It is exactly as you say, Master,¡± Xu Disheng said. ¡°This beggar¡¯s thoughts are very quick-witted, and he is overflowing with spiritual energy. He always gave me this particular feeling, and it seemed like spiritual energy was spilling out from him.¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu suddenly spoke up. ¡°Not bad. This child was actually born from the spiritual energy of this world.This kind of person indigenous to this world will appear in the Secret Realm once every few decades. The size of the Chu Territory is limited, and the rules governing this world are badly damaged. There are only 11 Provinces across the land, and periodically there will be a person who is born receiving the directive of the damaged rules governing this world. Their purpose upon birth is to inherit the will of the Secret Realm and fix the damaged rules governing the Secret Realm. TL: The word the author is using here is simply ¡°rules¡±, but I think the author is referring to a metaphysical, intangible concept of the natural rules/laws governing the stability of the world. For example, if the rules were to become too damaged and end up breaking, then the assumed result would be that the world would collapse into ruin and cease to exist¡­? That¡¯s my understanding of it at least, feel free to correct me. ¡°The Secret Realm has a will?¡± Xu Disheng asked, astounded. Daoist Lord Qingxin glanced at him and said, ¡°You don¡¯t know just how unimaginably vast and boundless the Sacred Sect truly is. Many countless years in the past, the almighty, supreme figures of the Sacred Sect brought together 36 badly damaged small worlds and refined them into what is known as the Secret Realms. Among them, there are 27 Mortal Secret Realms, which offer many uses, like supplying fresh blood to the sect or punishing disciples.¡± He continued, ¡°These small Secret Realms will continually improve themselves, which is why every so often a spiritual energy child will appear. However, most of them end up mediocre, without a single accomplishment. Since the Shangqing Sacred Sect has power over all 27 Mortal Secret Realms, they treat these indigenous people of the Secret Realms like livestock.¡± Having said all this, Daoist Lord Qingxin seemed to have forgotten that Xu Disheng was also an indigenous person of the Secret Realms, but nonetheless, he didn¡¯t sugarcoat his words. Daoist Lord Qingyu said, ¡°However, there have been some spiritual energy children who had outstanding aptitudes and were taken into the Shangqing Path, breaking out from their world. This occurrence could be considered fairly common.¡± The several people present nodded their heads. While they were talking, the ancient mirror-shaped Dao Channel Measuring Martial Treasure belonging to the Eastern Qin Province¡¯s Dao Palace had already been brought to them. ¡°Bite the tip of your tongue and extract a drop of blood, then smear it on the mirror,¡± Xu Disheng instructed. Su had already been frightened out of his wits by the conversation these people were having. For the moment, he still hadn¡¯t completely gotten a hold of himself, but when he heard what Xu Disheng said, he silently bit his tongue and wiped a smear of blood on the ancient mirror. The ancient mirror gradually began to glow with a crimson light as bloody qi wafted through the air, coalescing into 2 words. Profound. One. The look on the Daoist Lords faces showed that it came to them as no surprise. Grade 1 Profound Meridians were certainly exceedingly rare in these parts, but in the entire Shangqing Sacred Sect, he could only be considered to have a slight level of talent. Plus, he was the spiritual energy child of this Secret Realm, so him having Grade 1 Profound Meridians was still normal. Daoist Lord Shangyuan opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, could we discuss this for a moment?¡± ¡°Discuss, I wouldn¡¯t dare call it that. Martial Uncle is exaggerating too much. You can just tell me your command,¡± Xu Disheng replied. Daoist Lord Shangyuan looked at Su for a while before glancing at Daoist Lord Qingxin. ¡°Recently, my Eastern Qin Province Dao Palace has not found a disciple for several decades. Could this person be considered a part of my Eastern Qin Province¡¯s quota? I, Shangyuan, will owe you a favor for this.¡± Xu Disheng looked towards Daoist Lord Qingxin, but he saw that his expression was unchanged, just as cold as before. He wasn¡¯t looking in Xu Disheng¡¯s direction. ¡°I will go with Martial Uncle¡¯s wishes. I don¡¯t dare to count this as a favor, just think of it as a trifling matter.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t dwell too much about it. If it wasn¡¯t for the sake of giving Daoist Lord Qingxin face, Daoist Lord Shangyuan probably wouldn¡¯t have even spoken to him in this manner, going so far as to call it a discussion. Daoist Lord Shangyuan said, ¡°Delivering a disciple with Grade 1 Profound Meridians to the sect is by no means a small favor. Even though it¡¯s just a drop in the ocean to them, just as the Sacred Sect inflicts punishment, they also bestow rewards. You can exchange this favor for medicinal pills that can extend longevity or nourish qi.¡± He didn¡¯t hide anything, explaining the insider way of doing things in a straightforward manner. After all, Qingxin and Qingyu were both present so he had nothing to hide. When he finished speaking, he turned to Su and said, ¡°You can step forward.¡± Su stepped forward, and when Daoist Lord Shangyuan saw his dirty, worn-out clothes, his brows wrinkled. ¡°Cleaning Incantation.¡± A stream of Shangqing Profound Qi covered the entirety of Su¡¯s body, and after a short while, there was not a single trace of filth left upon his body. His looks were exposed in their original appearance, unexpectedly revealing a rather delicate and attractive youth. Su looked down at his white hands, then felt his own face. It had been ages since he had been this clean. Now that he had returned to his original appearance, he was left in momentary disbelief. Daoist Lord Shangyuan commanded the servants standing outside the palace hall. ¡°Change this beggar into a set of new clothes. From now on, he will be my disciple.¡± ¡°Yes, Daoist Lord.¡± The two servants standing outside entered the hall, not daring to raise their heads. They brought Su away, keeping their heads bowed the entire time. Daoist Lord Qingxin sighed emotionally and said, ¡°When I first entered the Sea of Qi stage, I was in such high spirits. But I never would have imagined that after I didn¡¯t make it in time for the Peak Entry Examination, I would be punished and sent to this realm, squandering away 200 years of my life with the Sea of Qi stage being the highest cultivation I would ever reach. Of my fellow outer disciples of the Eighth Mountain of the Zhuri Mountain Range at the time, I wonder how many of them have already cultivated to the Dao Foundation stage.¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu was also feeling somewhat sorrowful. At this moment, it was as if they had been stripped of their title as Daoist Lords, as they reminisced about the time when they first entered the Shangqing Sacred Sect among the ranks of the hundreds of thousands of other disciples. "" These Daoist Lords were all once people of the Human Realm, living in one of the territories under the jurisdiction of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Once they entered the Sacred Sect, their outlooks were frivolous and na?ve. At that time, they were still completely unaware of how cruel and unfeeling the relationships were between profound cultivators, with their endless scheming and mutual deception. On top of that, the missions for the sect were extremely dangerous. Monsters running amuck, deities shaking the world, demons wreaking havoc; if you weren¡¯t careful, you wouldn¡¯t even be fortunate enough to leave behind a corpse. Daoist Lord Qingyu said to Daoist Lord Shangyuan, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, I¡¯ll have to inconvenience you with this time¡¯s visit to the Imperial Province to see the Lord of the Realm and the Secret Realm Envoy.¡± ¡°Senior Martial Brother, how could you say that? It¡¯s my duty,¡± Daoist Lord Shangyuan said with a smile. Daoist Lord Shangyuan originally belonged to a large, wealthy family under the jurisdiction of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, with a considerable amount of property and assets. After he joined the Sacred Sect, he sold off his family property in exchange for several spirit stones. Although it was only 10 spirit stones, it was an amount of assets that other ordinary disciples could only hope for. He later made use of bribes to bring his relatives along with him to live in the Secret Realms and spent all of his money on protection items, Spirit Tools, and Spirit Treasures. Among them was a travel-type treasure called the ¡°Spirit Cloud¡±, which was about 15 meters in radius in total. The top of the cloud was comfortable, and when powered by spirit stones, it could float in the air and act as a means of transport. It was worth about 12 spirit stones. Although it was the lowest rank flying-type Spirit Tool in the Shangqing Sacred Sect, every disciple with a bit of wealth would buy one, since the Shangqing Sacred Sect had eight massive Mountain Ranges. Each mountain range was incomparably vast with hundreds of mountain peaks, the tallest ones reaching over 3000 meters in height. The lower peaks were still around 300 meters in height, so if you didn¡¯t buy a flying-type Spirit Tool, even going up and down the mountains would be a problem. The only thing you could do at that point was to ride someone else¡¯s Spirit Cloud, but you would have to pay them a fee of at least half a spirit stone. This practice gave rise to a bunch of disciples who did this for a living. Once they bought a Spirit Cloud, they would wait around in various places every day, transporting those new disciples who couldn¡¯t yet afford a Spirit Cloud. No matter how far, as long as it was inside the sect, they would charge them half a spirit stone. This would give rise to a vicious cycle, since those outer disciples only earned about 1 or 2 spirit stones per month, and they had to pay half a spirit stone in fare each time, so they would never be able to save enough to buy a Spirit Cloud themselves. That was why there were quite a few people who, for the sake of saving their spirit stones, would climb the precipitous mountain roads to the peak of the mountain every day. Not only did this waste a lot of time, but it also presented the danger of falling. However, ordinary disciples like Daoist Lord Qingxin and Daoist Lord Qingyu hadn¡¯t been able to afford something like a Spirit Cloud. After Daoist Lord Shangyuan came to this realm, he hardly used it since it cost too many spirit stones to operate. Every 2500 kilometers, it would cost 1 spirit stone, which was quite the extravagant expenditure. Daoist Lord Shangyuan had previously talked it out with the other two Daoist Lords, demanding one spirit stone from each of them for this trip, but now he had no need to mention this matter anymore. After all, Daoist Lord Shangyuan wasn¡¯t just going to take them, since he was now responsible for taking Su to the Central Imperial Province as well. Plus, the favor he owed to Daoist Lord Qingxin had something to do with it. CH 32 Chapter 32 ¨C Hastening Upon the Journey All the Same Liu Province Sponsored Chapter (2/2) TL: In the prologue chapter, I mistranslated the name for the character that I called ¡°Luo Han¡± at the time. The proper name should be Arhat Luoyin. Arhat is a title given to the perfected followers of Buddha who have gained insight into the true nature of existence and reached the state of nirvana (spiritual enlightenment), which is basically the main goal of a Buddhist. Also, Formless Territory ¡ú Formless Realm, and Heavenly Sea Border Territory ¡ú Heavenly Ocean Territory. In this novel, the word for stage/realm (cultivation level), realm (world), and territory are all the same character in Chinese, so it can be hard to tell. It may be helpful to go back and read the prologue chapter, the events happening here are consistent with what happened in that chapter, just told from a different perspective. 20,000 years ago, in the Three Realms of the Golden Crow, the Qingluo Palace was floating above the endless sea of clouds that made up the Formless Realm. The palace halls stretched forever into the distance, pervaded with Buddhist aura. Golden lotuses bloomed all over the place and Sanskrit sounds teased the ears endlessly. The space inside the palace was like a world of its own, tall enough to encompass the heavens and just as limitless in width. In such a lofty and stately place, there was a man who exceeded the limits of description. He was dressed in golden Buddhist robes, and a radiant golden halo floated behind his head, scattering prismatic light that shined throughout the ages. The Buddhist aura surrounding him was profound, and he was seated upon a lotus seat with a thousand leaves. When his eyes opened and closed, the gaze within seemed to embody all the living things in the world while also containing an unfathomable void. His eyes seemed to reflect the birth and destruction of countless worlds. Seated below him were ten arhats, and the first among them was a senior arhat named Panthaka1. At this moment, he stepped forward and put his hands together, giving a Buddhist salute to the person seated upon the thousand-leaved lotus seat upon high. ¡°Venerable One, Arhat Luoyin has already arrived at the Heavenly Ocean Territory.¡± When he finished speaking, a Buddhist aura began to revolve in his palm, and in the blink of an eye it began to emit magnificent rays of light that illuminated the interior of the Qingluo Palace. Eventually, the rays of light formed into a massive screen of light. Projected on the screen was a scene taking place in the Heavenly Ocean Territory showing a man wearing a golden white dragon robe, walking on the surface of the ocean. The extremely lofty, venerable man seated upon the thousand-leaved lotus seat simply nodded. He then freely moved his finger around, releasing a very fine stream of golden light from his hand. Although the golden light was small, it began to grow in size, and by the time it left the Qingluo Palace, it had already transformed into a sphere of golden light that gave off enough radiance to illuminate the entire pristine sea of clouds. It was always daytime in the Formless Realm since it was one of the Three Realms of the Golden Crow, and was established on one of the three supreme, almighty suns by means of great dharmic power. In the bodhimanda situated on top of the sun, there were countless living beings receiving enlightenment, belonging to the Formless Realm. The Formless Realm had one billion Buddhist disciples, and at this moment the countless living beings all witnessed a beam of golden light splitting open the walls of the realm, disappearing into the distance hundreds of millions of li away. The golden light left the great sun, shooting directly towards the Heavenly Ocean Realm with brilliant momentum. When this happened, the almighty beings in the Three Realms of the Golden Crow all had their own reactions. Some shook their heads while others sighed in silence, and somewhere in the Three Realms of the Golden Crow, there was even someone who spat, ¡°That son of a bastard dragon. In the end he¡¯s just an uncivilized aboriginal, not even worthy of enlightenment. The venerable Formless Bodhisattva is just too biased towards him.¡± There was a person beside him who cut in, ¡°The venerable Formless Bodhisattva¡¯s dharmic power is known by all. Even among the Three Bodhisattvas of the Realms, it ranks near the top. If you mention his name, he can sense it within the range of 100 million li, so watch your tongue!¡± That person responded with a disapproving smile, ¡°If the venerable Formless Bodhisattva really cared about the discussions of such small beings, then the fruits of his millions of years of cultivation would have been wasted on him.¡± The person next to him turned pale with fright, not even bothering to say that he bad-mouthed the Bodhisattva. He simply turned into light and flew off as fast as he could, resolving in his heart to never get involved with this person ever again. Time went on, although there was no concept of time for these living beings who had transcended the concept of worldliness. But for regular living beings, not to mention 10,000 years, even 100 years was an extremely long amount of time, more than enough for a lifetime. In the fields, there was an old farmer laboring away. The sun began to set, casting forth the colors of an extremely beautiful magenta sunset. The old farmer wiped the sweat from his brow, putting down his hoe to look up at the colors of the sky. Speaking to his old wife next to him, he said, ¡°Dear wife, it looks like the gods are granting me a great harvest this year. After paying tax to the Wang Clan, it looks like our Bai family will have at least half a year¡¯s worth of provisions left.¡± The woman¡¯s face was wrinkled with age, but it was clear that when she was young, she was extremely pretty. Hearing what he said, she smiled and nodded, then took a rag and helped to wipe the dirt off the face and neck of the old farmer. ¡°Hu¡¯er has also reached the age to get married and settled down. Last time the matchmaker from the landlord Liu family came over, she said that she could help set him up if he¡¯s willing.¡± Just as the old farmer was about to reply, he suddenly saw a massive white cloud flying over his head about 300 meters above him. It was moving quickly through the sunset afterglow on high, leaving the old farmer completely dumbstruck. ¡°Dear, look at the sky.¡± The woman took a look and replied, ¡°What¡¯s so alarming about it? If the wind blows, the clouds will move, that¡¯s all.¡± The old farmer rubbed his eyes, and he found that in such a short time, that massive white cloud had already floated far off into the distance. He didn¡¯t dwell on it, and under the care of his wife, he packed up his farming tools and prepared to return home. That white cloud was none other than the Spirit Cloud belonging to Daoist Lord Shangyuan. The party of people had already departed from the Anyang Region, leaving for the Central Imperial Province. The cloud was around 15 meters in radius, and was very fast. It could also fly at a high altitude, and conveniently had a thin, transparent protective cover over the top of it to block the wind and rain. Su had washed up and changed into a set of satin clothes. He could be considered to be a tender, good-looking youth, and he was younger than Xu Disheng, at around 11 or 12 years old, so he had already changed his way of address for him to ¡®Senior Martial Brother¡¯. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sheng, isn¡¯t this also your first time riding on a cloud? Why are you not excited in the least?¡± When Su saw the calm and indifferent look on Xu Disheng¡¯s face, he felt gloomy, and had a hard time getting excited all by himself. From time to time, he would go to the edge of the cloud and press his face to the protective cover, oohing and aahing as he watched the scenery go by. Su didn¡¯t dare to disturb the three Daoist Lords, but he always wanted to be close to Xu Disheng, so Su was always making a fuss around him. When he thought about what happened to him recently, he couldn¡¯t even find words to describe it. He was originally a beggar, but the experiences he went through in the last few days had overturned his entire life, which ultimately caused his temperament to change a bit. Before he left, he went to go pick up his older sister, who had been begging on the streets by showing off her skills. With a casual order from Daoist Lord Shangyuan, she was given a house in the Anyang Region, some maids, and some belongings. As for himself, who had always been a lowly beggar, he now was clothed in an entire outfit of embroidered satin, sitting upon a cloud to embark upon his path as a profound cultivator. His destiny had been completely altered in such an unexpected manner, so it made sense for him to have some changes in his temperament. As such, he silently examined Xu Disheng, learning from his mannerisms. He also sat down cross-legged and began to absorb the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy, transforming it into Shangqing Profound Qi. In the last few days, Daoist Lord Shangyuan had already helped him cultivate a single strand of profound qi, just like Xu Disheng had to do at the very start. Although they were at more than 300 meters in altitude, the sky wasn¡¯t devoid of living creatures. From time to time, there were vultures, cranes, and wild geese flying by. Looking further, there were villages and hamlets dotting the landscape, interspersed with vast expanses of farmland. In the far distance, the vague, towering outline of a gigantic city came into view. They had already left the Eastern Qin Province, and were about to enter the territory of the Liu Province. This gigantic city was known as the Jiujiang Region, and it served as the border region of Liu Province. Xu Disheng was still in the middle of cultivating when he heard Daoist Lord Shangyuan¡¯s saying, ¡°Senior Martial Brothers, how about we rest in Jiujiang Region tonight?¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu replied, ¡°I, just like other profound cultivators, don¡¯t need to eat or drink. We can just continue traveling through the night.¡± Daoist Lord Shangyuan was at a loss. He came to the Secret Realms to live a comfortable life, and at no time was he willing to strain himself. Nevertheless, it was Daoist Lord Qingxin who helped save him from this situation. ¡°Senior Martial Brother, this isn¡¯t the sect, so what need is there to be so strict? You¡¯ve been here for 100 years already, but you haven¡¯t changed one bit,¡± he said with a smile. He then turned around and looked at Xu Disheng and Su before continuing, ¡°Plus, Sheng¡¯er and Junior Martial Brother Shangyuan¡¯s disciple still need to eat and drink. There¡¯s still more than half a year until the Secret Realm Envoy from Wenyuan Mountain arrives, so there¡¯s no need to be so rushed. Let¡¯s just travel during the day and rest at night.¡± CH 33 Chapter 33 ¨C Fragrance Tucked in the Sleeves Rising Fragrance House TL Note: 3rd Mantra of Soul Song, Sealing Soul, changed to Bestowing Soul. The Liu Province was a magnificently flourishing Province, far more than the You Province. Even in comparison to the Eastern Qin Province, it was still over ten times more prosperous. The border area known as the Jiujiang Region was established in a strategic location where three rivers converged, making it adjacent to three different Provinces. Inside the city, pavilion buildings could be seen everywhere, with countless shops of all varieties lining the streets. Even though the night had just begun, the wide streets had long been lit up with a myriad of multi-colored lanterns, making it seem as bright as daytime. Xu Disheng was alone in a cozy, luxurious guest room, focusing on his sea of consciousness. He could already use Passing Soul, the 2nd mantra of Soul Song, in a fairly practiced manner, but he still had no leads on the 3rd scripture which was called Bestowing Soul. However, he had a slight hunch that this mantra wasn¡¯t oriented towards slaughter, but more towards supporting. As he was deep in his thoughts, a knock came from outside the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± Xu Disheng asked, spreading out his Soul Force to search the area within 15 meters of him. The door was pushed open, and a youth wearing embroidered satin clothes entered. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sheng, I can¡¯t fall asleep. This place is so lively, so we should go out and play.¡± It was Su. His feelings towards Xu Disheng were extremely complex, since he was the person who changed his destiny. He was only a boy between 11 and 12 years old after all, so he couldn¡¯t hide his thoughts so easily. It was clear that he always wanted to be close to Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng lifted his gaze to look at him. ¡°If you don¡¯t work hard at your cultivation and only think about playing around every day, how are you going to survive in the Shangqing Sacred Sect? That place is nowhere near as easy as here. The life there is tough and cruel beyond belief.¡± Su let out a toothy grin. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sheng, you¡¯re only a few years older than me, how could you already like lecturing so much? Blindly submerging yourself in bitter cultivation is also not the way to go. I cultivated profound qi for a good number of days, but it hasn¡¯t changed one bit.¡± He let out a strand of Shangqing Profound Qi from his fingertip, but it was only as thin as a hair. When Xu Disheng heard what Su said, he became momentarily distracted. It wasn¡¯t because of much; just that the phrase ¡®you¡¯re only a few years older than me¡¯ he uttered caused his normally stable mental state to stir slightly. He thought to himself: Why do I always have the recollection that I have endured this kind of cultivation lifestyle for countless years? It feels so habitual, so natural to me. How could I forget that I was only 15 years old? Just what are these fuzzy memories in my head? Xu Disheng knitted his brows as Shangqing Profound Qi began roiling around his body. His Daoist robe began to flutter although there was no wind, and his long, pitch-black hair began to float. The chairs and tables in the room began to vibrate. He couldn¡¯t control his aura that was almost at the Cleansed Meridians stage, and it pressed down on Su so hard that it nearly forced him to the ground. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sheng, what¡¯s wrong?!¡± Su shouted anxiously. Su was extremely quick-witted, and he could tell at a glance that there was something wrong with Xu Disheng¡¯s state. A breath of refreshing, cool qi entered his heart and traveled throughout his body, suppressing the mess of disorderly thoughts in his mind. It was none other than the effect of the top quality Martial Treasure, the Muddy Heart Jade. Top quality Martial Treasures were only a step inferior to Spirit Tools. In the Secret Realms, they were considered to be extremely precious items. When Xu Disheng regained his composure, he found that the truth that he had been searching for had only gotten buried far deeper into the depths of his mind. He lifted his head and said to Su with a smile, ¡°Wait for me, let me switch clothes first.¡± Su grew excited. The Rising Fragrance House was the biggest and most popular brothel in Jiujiang City. The three-storied pavilion was built on a vast plot of land. People frequently passed through the entrance, which was decorated with many lanterns of all colors of the rainbow. Xu Disheng stopped in his tracks and peered at Su, who was leading the way. A little embarrassed, Su said, ¡°Just now when I asked the servants in that restaurant where the best place to have fun and spend money quickly was, they told me it was this place.¡± The attendant standing by the entrance welcoming customers had a sharp eye. He quickly caught on to those two who looked like they were the sons of nobles. One of them was a white-clothed youth with handsome red lips and white teeth, and the other was a slightly younger pretty boy. Both of their clothes were luxurious, although they seemed new here. The attendant hurriedly stepped forward, greeting them with a flattering smile. ¡°Young sirs, please come in. Both sirs are also here to participate in tonight¡¯s Lantern Festival, I presume? You gotta make sure you bring enough money though,¡± he finished with a suggestive wink. Su was actually somewhat eager to give it a go. He was once a beggar, and although he was clever and bright, he could barely provide adequate food and clothes for himself. He was never able to save up money. But now that he had gained the privilege, he wanted to see everything and play with everything he could. ¡°What Lantern Festival is this that you speak of?¡± Xu Disheng asked. The attendant was surprised. ¡°Young sir came here, not even aware of the Lantern Festival happening tonight?¡± Seeing both of their gazes on him, he felt pleased with himself. He continued in a bragging tone, ¡°The Lantern Festival happens once every year in the Rising Fragrance House. It¡¯s a famous event in Jiujiang City, and every time it occurs, sons of aristocratic families, Astral Qi martial artists, officials, local despots, and all kinds of other people all come flocking. There have even been times when Xiantian transcendents have paid a visit!¡± ¡°Why would a Xiantian transcendent come to the lantern festival of a trifling brothel?¡± Su asked with a smirk. In the last few days, he had come to understand a lot of general knowledge, and he was aware of how rare Xiantian transcendents were. However, he wasn¡¯t aware that the Eastern Qin Province and the You Province were unlike the Liu Province, in that every Region here had to have a Xiantian, given how prosperous the Liu Province was. The former Patriarchs of each of the clans were usually at the Xiantian realm as well, so on average each Region had between 2 to 3 Xiantian realm transcendents. Not to mention, aside from the Xu Clan that presided over this border area known as the Jiujiang Region, the other 3 great clans all had former Patriarchs that were at the Xiantian realm. The attendant replied sternly, ¡°Young sir, please watch your tongue. The Rising Fragrance House is the property of the Regional Lord. It isn¡¯t some kind of vulgar, sultry brothel. Once you go in, you two will see why it attracts these kinds of people.¡± Xu Disheng and Su shared a glance. ¡°Lead the way then.¡± The interior of the pavilion was like a completely different world with regards to its exceptional charm and beauty. Because of the Lantern Festival, the lobby was very organized, with private rooms on the second and third floor and general seating in the lobby. Su tossed out a gold tael and requested a private room on the 2nd floor. In the private room, there was a waiter who was there for the sole purpose of looking after the customers¡¯ every need. Seeing that Xu Disheng and Su looked rather inexperienced, the waiter asked respectfully, ¡°Young sirs, is this your first time attending the Lantern Festival?¡± When Su nodded his head, the servant smiled. ¡°Although it¡¯s called the ¡®Lantern Festival¡¯, this is actually an auction.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s long eyelashes trembled slightly, but he didn¡¯t open his eyes. Su¡¯s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear more details.¡± ¡°Gladly, it is my duty to do so. Since several decades ago, the Regional Lord has always selected a female child with Dao Channels every year, and raised her with many resources and spiritual medicines. Their progress with cultivating Astral Qi would always be extremely quick, and every year at the Rising Fragrance House¡¯s Lantern Festival, these grown young ladies that possess Astral Qi are auctioned off. The customer that wins the auction will also be given the Plucking Yin Martial Technique along with their purchase. If the buyer wishes, they may undergo dual cultivation with the young lady, which will allow them to slowly plunder her Astral Qi to rapidly improve their own cultivation. When Su heard this, he asked angrily, ¡°Are these girls doing this voluntarily? What happens to them after their yin energy has been plucked?¡± Xu Disheng opened his mouth at the same time, but his words were completely different. ¡°Since these young ladies possess Astral Qi, if the customer who wins the auction has a lower cultivation and can¡¯t control them, then what happens?¡± The waiter glanced at Su but didn¡¯t respond. On the other hand, he praised Xu Disheng, ¡°Young sir is sharp; your words are spot on. I was just about to get to that part. Although these young ladies have Dao Channels, the Martial Technique that they were given to cultivate is called the Human Cauldron Martial Technique, which is meant to be paired with the Plucking Yin Martial Technique. From the start, the Astral Qi that the girls cultivate is very prone to be plundered through dual cultivation, and their Martial Technique completely lacks fighting power.¡± CH 34 Chapter 34 ¨C Using the Autumn Water Lantern Festival Su couldn¡¯t repress the anger on his face. Just as he was about to speak up, Xu Disheng¡¯s bright eyes turned to him, causing a shiver to run from his head to his toes. He couldn¡¯t speak the words at the tip of his tongue. Xu Disheng seemed to know what he was thinking, so he retracted his gaze and turned to look at the hall below. He transmitted his voice to Su¡¯s ears. ¡°What were you going to say just now?¡± Su was still angry, but he hesitated. In the end, he still spoke his mind. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sheng, these girls are so pitiful. Can¡¯t we save them?¡± ¡°Foolish!¡± Xu Disheng said in a cold voice. He looked back at him and saw the complex look of expectation on his face. He eased his tone and continued thoughtfully, ¡°Although, if you really want to save them, we could just buy them.¡± ¡°Really, Senior Martial Brother Sheng?!¡± Su exclaimed, delighted. He turned to the attendant. ¡°How much do these girls usually go for?¡± The attendant turned a deaf ear to their conversation just now, and his expression was unchanged from before. He was quite prudent and qualified at his job. He responded respectfully, ¡°Young sir, you will know shortly.¡± The hall below gradually became more lively, and the private rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors slowly filled up with people. Some of those private rooms were obscured with hanging screens, making it hard to make out the appearance of the people inside. A girl in black clothes walked to the front of the hall and stood on the wide, empty stage. Revolving her Astral Qi, she projected her lovely voice throughout the entire hall. ¡°Treasured guests, you all should already be aware of the rules of the Rising Fragrance Pavilion¡¯s Lantern Festival. I am the host this time, Yi¡¯er.¡± Yi¡¯er looked around at the audience¡¯s enthusiastic reaction and smiled. She took out a list and began, ¡°Lantern 1 is 17 years old with Grade 6 Dao Channels, at the 4th Rank of the Human Cauldron Martial Technique. Starting bid is 52 gold taels.¡± When she finished speaking, a girl in red clothes walked in from the side entrance. Her features were beautiful and delicate, but her gaze was empty. "" The people in the audience were all somewhat used to this, and they shouted out their bids, creating a fervent atmosphere. ¡°60 gold taels! This young lady¡¯s skin is so fair, I definitely want her!¡± the son of a noble with a starchy face and oily skinhead called out loudly. ¡°This stunning of a young lady and you want to take her home for just 60 taels? I bid 80 gold taels!¡± ¡°100 gold taels!¡± ¡­ If you looked closely, you would find that the only ones calling the bids were those in the hall below, made up of officials, landowners, and those from small aristocratic families. There were no bids being made from the private rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Su was a bit anxious. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sheng, how could it be this expensive? The price that my older sister sold for at the time wasn¡¯t even worth 2 gold taels.¡± Xu Disheng ignored him. He used his Soul Force to probe the red-clothed girl, a little curious about the Human Cauldron Martial Technique. He slightly admired the Regional Lord of this place for being able to create a method like this. It was indeed impressive that he could find such a quick way of raising the Astral Qi in one¡¯s body, which was also practical in making a complete, intact product chain of these girls for auction. It was such a creatively bizarre idea, how could he not find it praiseworthy? Su had only brought several loose gold taels. If he wanted to win the auction for this ¡®Lantern 1¡¯, he needed way more money. Seeing that Xu Disheng was ignoring him, he started getting a little worried. He gritted his teeth and took off a ring from his finger and handed it to the attendant who was standing by in the private room. ¡°How many gold taels is this Martial Treasure worth?¡± Su asked. When Su was taken in as a disciple, he received this protective Martial Treasure as a gift from Daoist Lord Shangyuan. The indifferent look was wiped off the attendant¡¯s face. The fact that this youth was able to take out an intact Martial Treasure so easily meant that his background was far from ordinary. But in the Liu Province¡¯s Jiujiang Region, there were quite a few Xiantian transcendents. This attendant was experienced and knowledgeable, with a good eye. He immediately replied, ¡°If this Martial Treasure has protective powers, it could be converted into approximately 120 gold taels. If it has offensive powers, then it could be converted into approximately 200 gold taels. If you would like an exact estimate on the price, I can go report it to the manager, who can help you find a specialist to appraise it.¡± As Su watched the bidding price continue to climb up to 130 gold taels, he started feeling even more anxious. ¡°It does have an offensive power. Hurry up and have someone appraise it!¡± The attendant bowed and said, ¡°Then please wait just a moment, young sir.¡± Then he glanced at ¡®Lantern 1¡¯ in the hall below and said, ¡°If young sir is in a hurry, then I can take the lead for the time being and state that you may use this Martial Treasure to call a bid up to 200 gold taels.¡± With that, he took the ring and slowly withdrew from the room. ¡°200 gold taels!¡± Su immediately shouted, not hesitating in the slightest. An utter silence fell upon the hall. The price for this red-clothed girl would be around 150 gold taels at the very most. After all, she only had Grade 6 Dao Channels and a cultivation at Rank 4 of her Martial Technique. Even if she was beautiful, the people present weren¡¯t only here for their looks. Yi¡¯er looked up at the private room from which that voice came, and saw the vague form of a white-clothed youth standing within. His ink black hair was tied back behind his head, and his eyes were closed, but it was difficult to make out his expression. However, the one who called out the bid wasn¡¯t him, but the smaller youth behind him. His eyes contained a hint of anxiety as he looked at her. Yi¡¯er smiled sweetly as she said, ¡°200 gold taels. If there aren¡¯t any higher bids, then ¡®Lantern 1¡¯ will be auctioned off to these two young sirs.¡± Countless gazes turned towards Xu Disheng and Su, but Xu Disheng was just cultivating in silence as if the events going on around him had nothing to do with him. In another private room, someone commanded, ¡°Go look into the backgrounds of these two people. There are no such people in the clans of the Jiujiang Region who can pull out 200 gold taels all at once like this!¡± When Su saw that it was finalized, he let out a sigh of relief. The door to the private room was pushed open, and the attendant returned, carrying a tray in his hands. ¡°Young sir, the Martial Treasure was converted into 230 gold taels. Since ¡®Lantern 1¡¯ was sold for 200 gold taels, here are the remaining 30 gold taels and a copy of the Plucking Yin Martial Technique.¡± Following behind the attendant was the beautiful red-clothed girl. Su received the gold and put it down on the table. After looking at the girl, he said, ¡°You can go home now.¡± This time, a look of surprise showed up on the attendant¡¯s face. The girl¡¯s apathetic gaze shifted upwards, and she said in a melodious, but rather hoarse voice, ¡°Young sir, how could you say such a thing? Could it be that you are making fun of me?¡± Su shook his head. ¡°The only reason I bought you was to save you. I just don¡¯t want to see an innocent person become someone else¡¯s tool for cultivation.¡± In the girl¡¯s melodic voice, there was a hint of weariness. ¡°Young sir, please stop messing around. I have no home to return to. Now that young sir has bought me, I am now yours.¡± In the hall below, Yi¡¯er¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Our dear, treasured guests, Lantern 2 is 15 years old with Grade 5 Dao Channels, at the 5th Rank of the Human Cauldron Martial Technique. Starting bid is 180 gold taels.¡± A girl in white walked out from the side entrance, her gaze detached and indifferent. ¡°200 gold taels!¡± ¡°230 gold taels!¡± There were now plenty of bids coming from the private rooms on the 2nd floor. Possessing Grade 5 Dao Channels and the Astral Qi from cultivating up to Rank 5 of the Human Cauldron Martial Technique, this ¡®Lantern 2¡¯ was receiving a much greater reception than the red-clothed girl. Su couldn¡¯t do anything about the red-clothed girl for now, so he turned to Xu Disheng. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sheng, if you have any gold on you, could you please help save her?¡± "" Xu Disheng opened his eyes, already feeling a bit unwilling to respond. But when he thought of Daoist Lord Shangyuan and Daoist Lord Qingxin, he forced himself to be patient. He replied gently, ¡°Look into the eyes of the girl down there. She¡¯s clearly already given up all hope. For these girls who were raised like this from childhood, it¡¯s clear that becoming a tool for others¡¯ cultivation is their final destination. They were already mentally prepared for this from the start.¡± He turned around and looked at the attendant. ¡°Besides, judging by the scale and the fact that this is happening every year, the people behind-the-scenes at the Rising Fragrance House must be raising at least several hundred girls of different ages in the same manner. Do you really think you can save them all?¡± Yet, there was still a look of expectation in Su¡¯s eyes. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sheng. With how strong you are, I¡¯m sure you could save them all.¡± Xu Disheng lowered his head, ¡°Ignorance. You don¡¯t even know what you yourself should be doing. Remember this. As your Senior Martial Brother, this will be my first and last lesson I will give to you. Rules are meant to bind the weak. Although you can save people, you need to be strong enough to do it yourself. Do you understand?¡± When his words sunk in, he unsheathed the meter-long sword from its scabbard. He revolved profound qi and poured it into the Autumn Water Sword, causing the sword light extending from it to grow to more than 7 meters in length. The wooden slat curtains covering the private room were ripped apart. With a swipe of his hand, the 7 meter long sword light flew out, separating the massive wooden stage, along with Yi¡¯er and ¡®Lantern 2¡¯ into two parts with a loud bang. Xu Disheng spoke quietly, but in the deafening silence within the hall, his voice could be heard distinctly. ¡°In three breath¡¯s time, you will hand back that ring-type Martial Treasure.¡± CH 35 Chapter 35 ¨C Rotten Wood Cannot Be Carved Sealing Soul The manager of the Rising Fragrance House made his way forward, his expression cold and serious. With Astral Qi roiling about his body, he walked into the hall. ¡°You come in and start slaughtering without saying anything and then spout mad ravings¡­ If you want to fight, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve come to the wrong place!¡± Among the audience in the hall, some were frightened while others were curious about what was happening. But there were even more who were sneering, all too aware of the fact that the Regional Lord of Jiujiang Region was backing the Rising Fragrance House. Everyone here knew this, so there were never any people who dared to cause a disturbance at this place. At this moment, even in the private rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors, there were people who cast puzzled looks over. Xu Disheng just laughed at them and turned to speak to Su, whose expression had changed greatly. ¡°These fools can¡¯t even recognize reality. Well, they¡¯ll just have to pay a higher price, that¡¯s all.¡± He looked back at the hall, and counted in an icy tone that spread easily throughout the audience in the Rising Fragrance House, ¡°One breath.¡± With the Autumn Water Sword in his hand, he slashed once more towards the hall below. This time, it was infused with even more profound qi. In the time that it took for the Autumn Water Sword to complete the swing, the sword light grew into a 10 meter long sword energy, which ripped downwards through the air. Boom! That manager hadn¡¯t even reached the half-step Xiantian realm. Although his body was covered with Astral Qi, the manager, along with some other extremely unfortunate folk who were caught in the path of the sword energy, were immediately ripped to shreds like wet paper. Even the fortunate people in the corners of the room suffered slightly from the aftermath of the sword energy, forcing them to conjure Astral Qi in an effort to withstand it. Xu Disheng suddenly perceived a trace of danger. He immediately concentrated Soul Force in his eyes and searched the area around him in a wide radius. In a private room on the 3rd floor, hiding behind a hanging curtain, there was a middle-aged man who was channeling power in an attempt to attack him using his sea of consciousness. It was a Xiantian realm transcendent. Xu Disheng laughed coldly. If a Martial Technique Xiantian used Astral Qi to fight him, he would have to be a little cautious. But if they were going for an attack using their sea of consciousness, it was as useless against him as throwing an egg at a rock. After all, he had been cultivating Soul Force for over ten years. He completely ignored the Xiantian and continued, ¡°Two breaths.¡± He sheathed the Autumn Water Sword and began to amass Shangqing Profound Qi in his hand, which gradually formed into a whirlpool. It was a Shangqing Fierce Incantation. The middle-aged man on the 3rd floor was one of the Xiantian transcendents of the Jiujiang Region, but he had another identity. He was the clan junior of the Regional Lord, and was an intimidating presence as the behind-the-scenes supporter of the Rising Fragrance House. He was the one in charge of raising the girls and auctioning them. When he saw the Shangqing Profound Qi converging around Xu Disheng¡¯s body, he immediately stopped channeling power for his sea of consciousness attack. His expression changed wildly as he exclaimed, ¡°Please wait a moment! Young sir, are you someone from the Dao Palace? This is a misunderstanding! My Rising Fragrance House is willing to return the ring. Please, accept my apologies!¡± The Dao Palace of the Liu Province wasn¡¯t in the Jiujiang Region, but he was still able to recognize the Shangqing Profound Qi. At first, Xu Disheng was just putting profound qi into the Autumn Water Sword and the top quality Martial Treasure was automatically converting it into sword energy as he swung it around. That was why he didn¡¯t notice at first that Xu Disheng was using Shangqing Profound Qi. Only after he saw Xu Disheng casting a Fierce Incantation with the Shangqing Profound Qi around him obviously congregating into a vortex did he realize that this person belonged to the Dao Palace. He hurriedly stopped his actions and made his position clear. As a Xiantian transcendent, he knew all too well that the people of the Dao Palace were the real rulers of this land. Xu Disheng laughed, ¡°Sure. Three breaths of time haven¡¯t passed yet.¡± Be that as it may, the Fierce Incantation whirlpool formed in the fair, lanky youth¡¯s hand just a moment ago was still there. He pointed it towards the outside, in the direction of the tall gates of the Rising Fragrance House. With a loud explosion, the luxurious gates of the Rising Fragrance House, which had stood tall for decades, were reduced to rubble in an instant, killing or injuring several passerby in the process. The middle-aged man jumped down from the 3rd floor and surveyed the area around him. In the hall, the small number of people who remained were all half-step Xiantians or people who had special life-saving methods from their Martial Techniques. The corners of his mouth turned into a bitter smile. ¡°If young sir had revealed your identity earlier, how could my Rising Fragrance House have dared to take your Junior Martial Brother¡¯s Martial Treasure? You could have just taken away whichever Lantern you fancied! Even if you wanted to take away all 7 of the Lanterns being auctioned at the Lantern Festival today, I could have still done that much for you.¡± He hesitated a moment before continuing in a respectful tone, ¡°Could I venture to inquire which Dao Palace it is that young sir belongs to? That way, if the Regional Lord asks about this, I will be able to explain.¡± Xu Disheng flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°We are from the You Province¡¯s Dao Palace. It would be normal for you to not recognize us.¡± Su¡¯s heart had long been filled to the brim with excitement, thinking that Xu Disheng had finally stepped in to save these poor girls. He hurriedly said, ¡°Then we will take away these girls and let them go home!¡± The middle-aged man paused and clenched his teeth. ¡°That¡¯s no problem. However, just now ¡®Lantern 2¡¯ was hit by young sir¡¯s sword light and died. At the moment, there are only 5 Lanterns backstage. If young sir would like to take them away, I can call them here right now.¡± Xu Disheng waved his hands and said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t my intention to heroically wrest these girls away from you. You still need to do business after all. This was just meant to be a lesson for my Junior Martial Brother, but I didn¡¯t think that this child was so tough to teach. Seems like I went through this trouble for nothing.¡± He shot Su a cold look, then walked out of the private room and went directly down the stairs, making his way out of the Rising Fragrance House. The middle-aged man let out a sigh of admiration before saying respectfully, ¡°Young sir really deserves to be called a member of the Dao Palace. Such free-spirited actions, an unfathomably profound mind¡­ truly commanding respect.¡± He turned his head and called out to the servants outside the pavilion, instructing them to begin cleaning up this mess. A lot of influential officials and gentry were killed, along with some of the people in charge of some smaller aristocratic families. But clearly, with this middle-aged man¡¯s Xiantian realm cultivation, no one would dare to find trouble with his clan because of this matter. In the private rooms of the 2nd floor, there were very few who had been affected. There were a lot of onlookers who saw what happened from beginning to end and were now silently leaving the pavilion without a trace. All that was left were the attendant and the red-clothed girl in Xu Disheng¡¯s private room, kneeling on the floor trembling, as well as Su, whose expression was fluctuating wildly. The next day, the entire city was shaken. The news about the incident at the Rising Fragrance House spread like wildfire overnight. There ended up being all kinds of versions on the story, including one that even told of a chivalrous hero from the Dao Palace rescuing a damsel in distress, leaving people unsure whether to laugh or cry. However, the several Xiantian transcendents of this land were the masters of this place after all. Under an order from the Regional Lord, no one dared to rashly comment further on this disturbance, and it was gradually suppressed. At an altitude of about 300 meters in the sky, the winds howled as they rushed past the Spirit Cloud. Xu Disheng was sitting near the edge, right next to the transparent spiritual energy barrier. His windswept hair was hanging down in front of his forehead, covering his eyes. Just judging by the sound of the wind, the gales outside seemed to be blowing fiercely. But strangely enough, after the wind blew through the Spirit Cloud¡¯s transparent barrier, only a breeze could be felt on the other side, which was continuously ruffling his hair. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sheng,¡± Su inched over, his expression a little timid. Xu Disheng glanced at him before turning away. His jet black bangs danced in the wind, but he didn¡¯t respond. The two of them sat by the edge of the cloud, watching as the scenery below them flew past. The Daoist Lords were sitting in the center of the Spirit Cloud, unaware of what happened last night. Even if they did know, they would just laugh. In the first place, the Daoist Lords weren¡¯t people from this realm. They were extremely contemptuous towards the ordinary, indigenous people of this realm, viewing them as if they were nothing more than air. With the Shangqing Profound Qi filling Xu Disheng¡¯s meridians, he was close to the Cleansed Meridians stage, and in his sea of consciousness, he was gradually starting to make some headway on the Sealing Soul Mantra. Although his eyes were watching the scenery below, his thoughts were submerged in his sea of consciousness. As he guessed earlier, the Sealing Soul Mantra was an auxiliary technique. As its name somewhat suggested, it was a type of method for refining tools and weapons. After choosing a weapon, he could nourish and bathe it day and night with Soul Force, turning it into a Soul Vessel. The meaning behind the words ¡®Sealing Soul¡¯ were universally shocking. After slaughtering someone, he could take their soul and seal it within the Soul Vessel, which would increase its might. The soul that was used would be unable to return to the cycle of reincarnation, eternally trapped within. CH 36 Chapter 36 ¨C Emperor of the Grand Chu Dynasty, What Realm? Xu Disheng put aside his thoughts for the time being. Not to mention the difficulties of sealing a person¡¯s soul into a Soul Vessel, he was currently unable to use the method of making a Soul Vessel by nourishing it with Soul Force. As of right now, he could only understand and appreciate the wonderful uses of the Sealing Soul Mantra from afar. According to his estimates, if he wanted to reach the point where he could use Soul Force to nourish a Soul Vessel, he needed at least another 1 or 2 years of absorbing the essence of the sun and moon in order to increase his total amount of Soul Force. Daoist Lord Qingyu opened his eyes and said, ¡°We¡¯ve already entered the Central Imperial Province. We will fly directly to the Imperial Court of Grand Chu Imperial City to meet with His Imperial Majesty.¡± Su said doubtfully, ¡°Master, didn¡¯t you say before that the Shangqing Dao Palaces were the real rulers of the land? Why do we need to go to the Grand Chu Imperial City to see His Imperial Majesty?¡± Xu Disheng also lifted his gaze and looked over. Daoist Lord Shangyuan replied, ¡°This Secret Realm is known as the Chu Territory. That¡¯s because at the beginning when the realm was established, a disciple who was surnamed Chu had brought his clan into the realm. Under orders from the sect, he was in charge of overseeing the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm on their behalf.¡± He paused and looked at Xu Disheng, who had a look of understanding, while Su still had a somewhat clueless expression. He shook his head and continued, ¡°The Chu Clan controls the Secret Realm on behalf of the sect. While the Sacred Sect uses it to punish and imprison wrongdoers, rake in resources, and find new disciples, the Dao Palaces in each Province are all subject to the Chu Clan¡¯s unified rule. There is no Dao Palace in the Central Imperial Province, only the Chu Clan, which is the imperial family of this place.¡± Xu Disheng spoke up. ¡°Martial Uncle Shangyuan, as far as I know, isn¡¯t the Grand Chu imperial family surname Zhang?¡± Daoist Lord Shangyuan nodded his head and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. After the Chu Clan became the unified administration over the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm, practically all of them changed to the Zhang surname. Only those whose aptitudes were on the Spiritual Root Sequence and could cultivate profound laws could change their surname back to their ancestral surname of Chu and return to the sect. Right now, Emperor Chu is a genuine Dao Foundation realm powerhouse.¡± Once someone reached the Dao Foundation stage, their lifespan would increase to 800 years. They had to first comprehend their heart of the Dao before they could construct the Dao Foundation. There were countless people who reached this step and wanted to successfully reach the Dao Foundation stage, but it required comprehension, destiny, and arduous cultivation. If a single one of those elements was missing, they wouldn¡¯t succeed. When the Spirit Cloud entered the Central Imperial Province, it maintained its speed and flew directly towards Grand Chu Imperial City at the very center. The closer they got to the center, the more prosperous the scenery on the ground below became. Even from high up in the air, they could clearly feel the changes. They could already see Grand Chu Imperial City towering majestically in the distance, making for a spectacular sight. Su sat by the edge of the cloud, gazing humbly at the imposing city in the distance with an expression of excitement on his face. Although the city walls of Grand Chu Imperial City were over 65 meters in height, the Spirit Cloud flew directly over them, heading straight for the Imperial Palace in the deepest parts of the city. Above the Imperial Court of the Palace, there was a gigantic platform about 2 li in radius, more than 30 meters up. This platform was used by the Chu Clan to get in contact with the Sacred Sect, offer sacrifices to their ancestors, and welcome the Secret Realm Envoy. The spacious Spirit Cloud slowly descended upon the platform with Daoist Lord Qingxin and the others on it. The captain of the guards of the Imperial Court had come forward to welcome them. Unexpectedly, he was a Xiantian realm transcendent. He had long known their purpose for coming. He cupped his hands in greeting, and asked in a neither servile nor overbearing manner, ¡°Daoist Lords, which Dao Palace have you come from?¡± Daoist Lord Shangyuan put away the Spirit Cloud and replied, ¡°The Eastern Qin Province and the You Province.¡± ¡°Would you like to rest for several days, or do you want to meet with His Imperial Majesty first? The Imperial Court has already arranged palaces for each Province¡¯s Dao Palace members to stay in, so you may check in at any time,¡± the palace guard captain said. ¡°We will first go to meet His Imperial Majesty,¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu answered. Daoist Lords Qingxin and Shangyuan both nodded in agreement. ¡°His Imperial Majesty spends his days cultivating in the Heavenly Heart Palace, so I will call someone to bring you there,¡± the palace guard captain responded. Soon after, he ordered two guards to bring them to the Heavenly Heart Palace. There were countless palace halls in the Imperial Palace, extending continuously as far as the eye could see. Guards stood by in great numbers, and from time to time, influential officials and members of the royal family would walk by. In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they had already seen two princes pass by, wearing official robes. Xu Disheng was amazed by the fact that Xiantian transcendents seemed to be extremely common in the Imperial Palace. Almost every important figure was accompanied by one or two guards who were at the Xiantian realm. Compared to the show of extravagance by these members of the imperial family, the Heavenly Heart Palace was much simpler. It was just a palace hall that wasn¡¯t especially luxuriously decorated. But when they arrived at the palace hall, before even entering, Xu Disheng felt that the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy here was incredibly rich, almost 100 times more than other places. When he slightly used the Qi Nourishing Technique, he could feel his Shangqing Profound Qi increasing at a visible rate. If he cultivated here, he could quickly reach the Cleansed Meridians stage! After the guard reported in, Emperor Chu¡¯s tepid voice rang out from within the hall. ¡°Come in, my Martial Nephews.¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin and the other Daoist Lords straightened their clothes and walked into the hall. Xu Disheng and Su followed after them. Emperor Chu was a handsome, youthful-looking man. He was expressionless as he sat upon his dragon platform, wearing a black intricately decorated Daoist robe with embellished gold trimming. The robe was circulating with Shangqing light, and the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy and Shangqing Profound Qi were constantly congregating into a small vortex that was being absorbed into his body. Clearly, this Daoist robe was an incredibly precious Spirit Tool. ¡°Respectful greetings to Martial Uncle.¡± ¡°Respectful greetings to Your Imperial Majesty.¡± The group saluted one after the other. Because Xu Disheng and Su hadn¡¯t been officially recorded into the Directory Hall of Wenyuan Mountain yet, they could only refer to him as ¡®Your Imperial Majesty¡¯. ¡°This time, the disciples that you all brought from your Provinces are only these two little fellows?¡± the Imperial Emperor casually glanced at Xu Disheng and Su. Just from this casual glance, Xu Disheng felt the Shangqing Profound Qi in his body become sluggish, making him unable to revolve it smoothly. It was even harder for Su to bear. His small strand of Shangqing Profound Qi was forced to hide in the deepest depths of his meridians, and there was no response even if he tried to urge it forth. Daoist Lord Qingyu¡¯s age made him the most senior among them, so he stepped forward to speak. ¡°Yes, Martial Uncle.¡± ¡°You may withdraw and wait then. In half a year¡¯s time, the Secret Realm Envoy will descend, and at that time, the Secret Realm Envoy, the Chu Clan, and the other 10 Provinces will attend the Sacred Sect Admission. Everything will go according to normal.¡± When Emperor Chu finished speaking, he closed his eyes and returned to cultivating, focusing on the vortex of clear qi. "" ¡°Understood, Martial Uncle.¡± When they left the Heavenly Heart Palace, Daoist Lord Shangyuan said, ¡°Based on the feeling that I get from Martial Uncle this time, it seems he is even more terrifying than a Peak Master from the Mingxin Mountain Range. Senior Martial Brother Qingxin, wouldn¡¯t you say that Martial Uncle has almost reached that realm?¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin shook his head and replied, ¡°The primordial energy in the Secret Realm is limited. Even with the Spirit Gathering Formation, he probably still doesn¡¯t have enough to support the amount required by his cultivation realm. But after observing His Imperial Majesty, I surmise that he¡¯s already reached the peak of the Dao Foundation stage. His talent is truly extraordinary. Being able to cultivate to this stage in a little over 300 years time is formidable.¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu also nodded his head in agreement. Su¡¯s forehead was beaded with sweat and his entire body felt weak. Even though Emperor Chu didn¡¯t deliberately release his aura, a Dao Foundation powerhouse was at the very peak level of power in the Secret Realm. Just the amount of aura he gave off inadvertently was enough to make it difficult for Su to bear. After all, he had just begun cultivating not long ago. The guard beside them who was guiding them said in a courteous tone, ¡°Respected Daoist Lords, please come this way. The Imperial Court has already prepared the palace dwellings for each of your respective Dao Palaces.¡± ¡°Alright, show us the way,¡± Daoist Lord Shangyuan replied. Daoist Lord Qingxin turned his head to the side and looked at Xu Disheng. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, how is your cultivation of Azure Ocean going?¡± ¡°This disciple of yours is too dimwitted. I have only finished cultivating the first scripture, Amassing Water,¡± Xu Disheng responded. Daoist Lord Qingxin nodded. ¡°No problem. This cultivation method was passed down to me by a senior of mine back in the day. Continue to cultivate it properly. Only after you¡¯ve entered the Sea of Qi stage will you be able to demonstrate its full potential.¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin had always avoided speaking of his past like the plague. Hearing him voluntarily bring it up just now, even Daoist Lord Qingyu examined him with surprise. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± CH 37 Chapter 37 ¨C Meridians Filled With Profound Qi Cleansed Meridians The Imperial Court in the outer palace consisted of an endless stretch of palace halls. They had already swept and cleaned the residence pavilions for each of the 10 Provinces¡¯ Dao Palaces. A guard led Daoist Lord Qingxin and the others to the front of a palace and said, ¡°Respected Daoist Lords, this place is the temporary residence for the 10 Provinces¡¯ Dao Palaces. You may pick a palace hall as you please and check in. If you need anything, you can just summon a guard outside your palace hall.¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± The guard withdrew and went to one side to silently stand guard. Xu Disheng quietly spread out his senses and found that the Chu Clan had set up a Spirit Gathering Formation inside of the palace hall. Although it wasn¡¯t nearly as big as the one in the Heavenly Heart Palace, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy here was still 10 times richer than any other ordinary place. He inwardly nodded his head in approval. After waiting for the Daoist Lords to finish choosing their palace, he randomly chose a quiet, remote pavilion within the palace they chose. He saluted to the Daoist Lords in farewell before disappearing into the pavilion. He sat down cross-legged on the bed and immediately began to cultivate, feeling the beneficial effects of the Spirit Gathering Formation straight away. Even though the congregating Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy was only about 10 times more concentrated than normal, the speed at which his Qi Nourishing Technique was transforming it to Shangqing Profound Qi was far more than several tens of times faster. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t know how much the cyan jade flute had ended up raising his aptitude by, but when he revolved his Qi Nourishing Technique, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy outside his body formed into a small vortex, which caused it to pour endlessly into his meridians. He surmised that he had already surpassed Grade 1 Profound Meridians and wasn¡¯t far from reaching 6th Rank Spiritual Root. He didn¡¯t waste any more time. He ate a Fasting Pill that he brought from the You Province¡¯s Dao Palace before settling into a comfortable cross-legged position and closing his eyes, immersing himself in cultivation. Half a year passed by in an unhurried manner. The people from the 10 Dao Palaces had long arrived, and the Sea of Qi stage Daoist Lords from each Dao Palace were all gathered in the Imperial Court. In total, the disciples that they brought numbered a little over 10. Along with 3 people that consisted of Emperor Chu¡¯s heir and descendents, there were a total of 17 people attending the Seventh Mortal Secret Area¡¯s Disciple Admissions. By the door of Xu Disheng¡¯s pavilion, there were 2 guards on standby, yawning as they tried to stave off their boredom. As guards of the Imperial Court, these two by all means weren¡¯t supposed to be negligent. But for these two, the last half a year was truly boring to the extreme. Among them, one of them who was carrying a halberd said, ¡°Come to think of it, it¡¯s strange. After these Daoist Lords arrived at the Imperial Court, they have pretty much all been coming and going, engaging amongst themselves. They would celebrate with wine and song every night, indulging in feminine charms. Yet only this young sir stood out from the rest, holding his patience. In this last half a year, he didn¡¯t even leave his pavilion nor give us any instructions for anything. He didn¡¯t enjoy any of the delicacies, fine foods, and beautiful maids that we went out of our way to prepare beforehand.¡± The other guard replied with a laugh, ¡°But didn¡¯t this make it easier for us two? Our last half a year was a breeze since all we had to do was change guard shifts. Look at how dog-tired all our other colleagues who had to serve the Daoist Lords are. Their job was far from ideal, having to wait upon them and sit through their scoldings.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s long eyelashes trembled and he slowly opened his eyes, revealing a deep, serene look in his eyes. He overheard the idle talk going on between the two outside the pavilion, but he didn¡¯t pay it any mind. The black Daoist robe on his body was still luxurious as if it was new, which was a result of his Purifying Attire Incantation. Shangqing Profound Qi was also continuously washing over him, making it so there wasn¡¯t a single speck of dust on him. He slightly frowned and cast a Cleaning Incantation. The profound qi around his body was urged forth from his arm, spreading outwards to sweep away the dust that had settled upon the surfaces of the bed, table, and other furniture. Such refined control over Shangqing Profound Qi was a distinct characteristic of the Cleansed Meridians stage! After half a year of ceaseless, painstaking cultivation in this place that was rich with Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy due to the Spirit Gathering Formation, he had finally managed to fill all 36 of his meridian points with Shangqing Profound Qi. At last, he successfully reached the first stage of profound cultivation, the Cleansed Meridians stage. Next, he would have to condense the Shangqing Profound Qi in his body into the Jianggong meridian point to form the Jianggong Sea of Qi. It would then form into its own endless cycle of replenishment, which was known as the Sea of Qi stage. To be exact, there wasn¡¯t any sort of bottleneck between the Cleansed Meridians stage and the Sea of Qi stage. It was only possible to bridge the gap through the efforts of many years, similar to flowing water eroding away at rock. Before the Dao Foundation stage, a person¡¯s cultivation speed was dependent on their own talent and cultivation environment. Even considering that Prince Xing, Zhang Keyu, had Grade 3 Profound Meridians, it took him over 20 years to reach the Cleansed Meridians stage. Although he never went out of his way to cultivate arduously, the most important factor was that someone who only had Grade 3 Profound Meridians just barely met the minimum level of talent to cultivate profound laws. While Zhang Keyu was someone who had the imperial bloodline of the Chu Clan, he wasn¡¯t a direct descendent of Emperor Chu. He didn¡¯t have the necessary talent to be able to change his surname to Chu, and he was only able to rule over a whole Province by relying on the influence of the Dao Palace. Xu Disheng extended his senses to the Sealing Soul Mantra, the third scripture of Soul Song. Since the Soul Force in his sea of consciousness had gone through half a year¡¯s worth of growth, he had already reached the bare minimum amount required to initially start nourishing a Soul Vessel. But with his current Soul Force, he still couldn¡¯t put the Sealing Soul Technique to full use. Xu Disheng just realized that his ever-increasing aptitude was not only increasing the speed of his profound law cultivation, but also the rate at which he was absorbing Soul Force. According to his original estimates, he would¡¯ve needed another 1 or 2 years of arduous cultivation before he could reach the point where he could start nourishing a Soul Vessel. But as of now, he ended up reaching that goal in just half a year, which was a pleasant surprise to him. He muttered to himself shortly then picked up the Autumn Water Sword by his side and held his palm over it. According to the method described in the Sealing Soul Mantra, he started to slowly pass Soul Force through it. After a short while, Xu Disheng retracted his palm and furrowed his brows. The Autumn Water Sword had no reaction to Soul Force. It was completely unlike its normal mode of operation, where it would automatically convert his Shangqing Profound Qi into sword energy. As he was deep in his thoughts, a guard¡¯s voice was heard from outside the hall. ¡°Respectful greetings to the Commander.¡± When he lifted his gaze, he saw that commanding officer in golden armor walk in. He was a Xiantian realm martial artist. When the golden-armored commander entered the hall, he slightly lowered his head and cupped his fists in salute. ¡°Young Sir. According to His Imperial Majesty¡¯s orders, every Dao Palaces¡¯ Daoist Lords and their disciples must be present in the Heavenly Heart Palace tomorrow morning.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and replied, ¡°I understand.¡± The golden-armored commander lifted his head and gazed at the handsome youth in front of him before cupping his hands once more and leaving the hall. Xu Disheng lowered his head to look at the Autumn Water Sword. He was guessing that the Autumn Water Sword¡¯s quality simply wasn¡¯t good enough. It probably lacked the qualifications to become a Soul Vessel, so when he bathed in Soul Force just now, it had no reaction whatsoever. However, the Autumn Water Sword was a top-quality Martial Treasure, and it was already the best weapon in his possession. If he wanted something even better, it would have to be one of those extremely precious Spirit Tools. He learned from Daoist Lord Qingxin that offensive-type Spirit Tools were incomparably more expensive than something like the Spirit Cloud, which was only worth around 12 spirit stones. In the Sacred Sect, even an ordinary Spirit Tool sword was several dozen spirit stones at the minimum. If he wanted one with some magical seals on it, then it would easily be over 100 spirit stones. In addition, a disciple at the Sea of Qi stage received only 2 spirit stones a month to support their cultivation. If he wanted to rely on that amount alone to gather the amount required for a Spirit Tool sword, it would take him many years. In reality, for most ordinary Sea of Qi disciples like Daoist Lord Qingxin and Qingyu, they hardly had enough spirit stones to support their own cultivation. After all these years, they didn¡¯t have any Spirit Tools, and could only scrape by using a few top-quality Martial Treasures. Daoist Lord Qingxin and Qingyu were originally outer disciples of Zhuri Mountain, and since they were sent away to the Secret Realms, they couldn¡¯t afford to use their few spirit stones for cultivation. Earlier, when they were all traveling on Daoist Lord Shangyuan¡¯s Spirit Cloud, the Daoist Lords had both agreed to give Daoist Lord Shangyuan 1 spirit stone as fare. But because Xu Disheng brought Su along, causing Daoist Lord Shangyuan to owe him a favor, he allowed the two Daoist Lords to save their spirit stones. CH 38 Chapter 38 ¨C Descending Amidst the Tempest The next day arrived in the Grand Chu Imperial City. If one looked down from a bird¡¯s eye view upon the Imperial Palace, they would be able to see the orderly, continuous arrangement of palace halls. The entire network of palace halls was part of one massive Spirit Gathering Formation, with the heart of the formation being the Heavenly Heart Palace where Emperor Chu resided. In the main hall of the Heavenly Heart Palace, Emperor Chu was seated on high, his face as expressionless as it was half a year ago. He sat there silently cultivating, focusing on the vortex of spiritual energy around him. The sound of footsteps could be heard outside the hall from time to time as groups of two or three Daoists would come in, bringing young girls or young boys with them into the hall. When they entered the palace hall, none of them dared to talk loudly or make a racket. Once they saluted to Emperor Chu, they would all stand there quietly. After a while, the 19 Daoist Lords from each of the 10 Dao Palaces of each Province, excluding the Central Imperial Province, had all arrived in the hall. They had brought with them a total of 14 youths, which were the disciples that had been temporarily accepted into the Dao Palaces of each of the 10 Provinces on behalf of the sect. Emperor Chu stopped cultivating and looked around at the people gathered in the hall. ¡°Since everyone has arrived, we shall go to the Sky Platform of the Imperial Court to welcome the Secret Realm Envoy from the Affairs Hall of Wenyuan Mountain,¡± he announced in a flat tone. The Third Mountain of the Shangqing Sacred Sect was Wenyuan Mountain, and there were 12 Halls and hundreds of peaks belonging to it. The sect¡¯s various miscellaneous jobs like keeping record of the directory, writing down records of the missions and their rankings were all matters that were taken care of by each of the Halls on Wenyuan Mountain. Each Hall was under the management of a different Elder. All of the matters related to the disciple admissions from the 27 Secret Mortal Realms fell under the unified jurisdiction of the Affairs Hall. Every Daoist Lord saluted and replied in unison, ¡°Understood, Martial Uncle.¡± Xu Disheng was among the crowd, his gaze slightly lowered as he sized up the Daoist Lords in the palace hall. He found that a large majority of them had deep auras. From the profound qi that was aggregating and dissipating around their bodies, their cultivations were clearly at the Sea of Qi stage. There were 2 of them that were only at the Cleansed Meridians stage. To his surprise, someone of the same cultivation realm as him could become a Daoist Lord of a Dao Palace. He shook his head and didn¡¯t say anything. Needless to say, these were outer disciples of the Sacred Sect, and they had no initiative of their own. They could bribe the disciples of the Disciplinary Hall of Mountain of Law to give them a fake punishment so they could enter the Secret Realms and drag out an ignoble existence. Emperor Chu said, ¡°At ease. Come this way now.¡± He walked down the stairs and made his way out of the palace hall, followed by dozens of people. When they came out from the Heavenly Heart Palace, there were two young men and a young lady waiting outside of the gate. When they saw Emperor Chu coming out, they bowed respectfully to him. ¡°Greetings to Great-Grandpa.¡± These three people were those that belonged to the Chu Clan and had already changed their name back to their ancestral surname of Chu. Emperor Chu nodded at them. With a flick of his sleeves, he directly headed towards the Imperial Court in the outer palace. When they arrived on top of the Imperial Court¡¯s Sky Platform, there were several hundred guards standing on all sides keeping watch. A breeze blew over the lofty Sky Platform which gradually strengthened into a gale that caused peoples¡¯ sleeves to flutter in the wind. Emperor Chu turned to the side and asked, ¡°What time is it now?¡± The golden-armored guard standing respectfully by his side lowered his head and replied, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, it just passed 9 o¡¯ clock.¡± In the crowd of people behind him, a young Daoist Lord who was clearly from the Chu Clan stepped forward and said, ¡°Old Ancestor, those Secret Realm Envoys are so overconfident in their own authority over the Mortal Secret Realms¡¯ affairs, and they¡¯ve never showed up on time before. This time, they must be putting on airs once again.¡± When the other Daoist Lords heard what he said, each of them looked at this Daoist Lord from the Chu Clan with a different look in their eyes, but none of them said anything. A look of annoyance appeared on Emperor Chu¡¯s expressionless face as he cast a cold sideways glance at the young Daoist Lord. The young Daoist Lord, aware of his slip of the tongue, retreated into the crowd with a resentful expression. In the Chu Clan, people like this particular Daoist Lord weren¡¯t here in the Secret Realm due to punishment. They were born into the Chu Clan with Profound Meridians on the Spirit Root Sequence. At the same time, they weren¡¯t willing to leave for the Human Realm, so they would stay here and cultivate smoothly to the Sea of Qi stage without running into a single obstacle. Then, they could become a Daoist Lord and wield great authority. And yet, as a member of the Imperial Family, they always felt that they were never quite able to exhibit the authority of their own position. The sound of the wind grew louder as the wind gradually became a wild, fierce gale. High in the sky above the Sky Platform, a stormy vortex approximately 3 meters wide took form. In a short time after the vortex formed, it expanded rapidly outwards to a size of 30 meters. A wooden boat appeared from the center of the tempestuous vortex, entering into the airspace where it floated high above the Sky Platform. Emperor Chu revealed a hint of a smile and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Liu, how come this time there are only you and these 2 Junior Martial Brothers? Did the Deacon not come?¡± He was clearly talking to the person in the front, who he had been acquainted with. The numerous Daoist Lords behind Emperor Chu greeted respectfully, ¡°We offer a respectful welcome to the Secret Realm Envoy of Affairs Hall.¡± The wooden boat landed on the Sky Platform, and the middle-aged person in charge stepped down. He didn¡¯t even spare a glance at the numerous Sea of Qi stage Daoist Lords. He just waved his hand and replied to Emperor Chu with a smile, ¡°I¡¯d like to congratulate Senior Martial Brother for advancing another step in these past few decades we haven¡¯t seen each other. The Deacon has recently been busy with making preparations for the placements of these new disciples from the Secret Mortal Realms. I was a bit late because I¡¯ve already been to 4 or 5 Secret Realms within the last few days, so please don¡¯t blame me too much, Senior Martial Brother Chu.¡± This Secret Realm Envoy Liu was at the Dao Foundation stage, and even though the two disciples behind him from the Affairs Hall were only at the Sea of Qi stage, they had haughty, arrogant expressions on their faces. They were only somewhat respectful towards Emperor Chu, but they didn¡¯t spare any glances at the Sea of Qi stage Daoist Lords behind him. It was clearly impossible to get such a well-earning, high-ranking position like theirs without a strong family status backing. Thus, they couldn¡¯t even be bothered to look at these disciples who had violated sect rules and were sent to the Secret Realms as punishment. Emperor Chu shook his head lightly and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Liu is being far too polite. I have already arranged a spiritual feast to welcome my three Junior Martial Brothers here.¡± Secret Realm Envoy Liu¡¯s eyes lit up, but his words betrayed the look in his eyes. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, this¡­ this is too much for us.¡± The two disciples from the Affairs Hall behind him also revealed a hint of a cheerful expression. Emperor Chu merely smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. Junior Martial Brother Liu, we haven¡¯t seen each other for decades. A mere spiritual feast like this is the least I could offer.¡± "" A ¡®spiritual feast¡¯ was a meal made from a bunch of spiritual medicines and fruits of the Human Realm, meaning it was abundant in spiritual energy and brought great benefits to one¡¯s cultivation. In the Shangqing Sacred Sect, the costs of even the least expensive spiritual feast boasted a price of about 150 spirit stones, which spoke volumes about how costly it could actually end up being. However, the Chu Clan owned an entire realm, so they were wealthy. On paper, even though they were managing the realm ¡°on behalf of the sect¡±, the sect never actually interfered. As long as they occasionally provided the sect with fresh disciples, that was enough for them. With the Chu Clan¡¯s wealth, it was obvious that a spiritual feast wasn¡¯t much to them. A spiritual feast was something that normal Sea of Qi disciples couldn¡¯t even dare to imagine. Even for a Dao Foundation powerhouse, there was no need for them to be so extravagant as to spend a minimum of 150 spirit stones to host a spiritual feast. It would be far more cost-effective for them to just buy Medicinal Pills of an equivalent value. Therefore, a spiritual feast was usually only held to treat guests. Secret Realm Envoy Liu smiled. ¡°Then I must thank you for your magnificent hospitality, Senior Martial Brother Chu. It would be impolite for me to refuse.¡± After he finished speaking, he formed a hand seal and the stormy vortex in the air gradually faded away, returning the air to calmness. He looked at the wooden boat and continued, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, this Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat that was given to me by the sect is too heavy and cumbersome. I don¡¯t have enough room in my Storage Spirit Tool for it, so I¡¯ll leave it here with you.¡± Emperor Chu nodded, leading the three people from the Affairs Hall down from the Sky Platform. From beginning to end, those three didn¡¯t even look at any of the people there. The Daoist Lords shared glances with each other and laughed bitterly before bringing their respective disciples to follow after them. CH 39 Chapter 39 ¨C Test In the Nourishing Heart Hall, spiritual energy was abundant to the point of overflowing. Xu Disheng was seated in one of the end seats, peering curiously into a cup of clear jade-colored liquid. It was exuding a wonderful scent, dispelling spiritual energy into the air. Everyone else was virtually the same. They were all given a portion of the clear jade liquid, but each of the Daoist Lords portions were slightly larger. At the highest status table at the feast, there was an entire vase of the exquisite liquid with a bunch of neatly arranged rare, exotic fruits surrounding it. There were only 6 people seated around this table, consisting of the 3 disciples from the Affairs Hall, Emperor Chu, and two Sea of Qi stage Daoist Lords from the Chu Clan. Daoist Lord Shangyuan swirled his cup with a light laugh. ¡°With just this one gulp, that¡¯s three spirit stones gone.¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin said, ¡°Being in this Realm, even if you do have spirit stones, what¡¯s the use?¡± He then turned and said to Xu Disheng, ¡°Stop sniffing it and just drink it. Although there isn¡¯t much of this fruit extract, it¡¯ll be beneficial in stabilizing your cultivation at the Cleansed Meridians stage.¡± Xu Disheng complied, picking up the bowl of exquisite liquid and downing it in one go, leaving behind a pleasant aftertaste in his mouth. After the fruit extract entered his stomach, it quickly turned into spiritual energy, which began to proliferate throughout his pores and meridians. Eventually, it blended and became one with his Shangqing Profound Qi. Although Xu Disheng didn¡¯t feel his total amount of profound qi increase, he noticed that the Shangqing Profound Qi in his body had become more pure, which would make it easier for him to condense his Jianggong Sea of Qi later. As he was taking in the minute changes to the profound qi in his pores and meridians, he heard Secret Realm Envoy Liu¡¯s voice spread widely throughout the Nourishing Heart Hall from the honored seats on high. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, it¡¯s about time to wrap up with the spiritual feast now. It¡¯s time to get down to the main matter at hand. That way, I can also return to the sect earlier to perform my duties.¡± Xu Disheng looked up at the honored seats and saw that the plate of fruits in front of Secret Realm Envoy Liu¡¯s had only decreased in volume by a bit. He clearly only nibbled away a bit at delicacies. On the other hand, the two Affairs Hall disciples didn¡¯t hold back. They had already almost finished off an entire plate of rare, exotic fruits and had clearly gone through several refills of their cups of exquisite jade-colored liquid. Emperor Chu replied, ¡°As you shall.¡± He called upon the servants to clear away the tables, making a space in the center of the hall about 15 meters in radius. Secret Realm Envoy Liu lightly waved his hand and an ordinary-looking standing mirror about the height of an average human appeared out of thin air. Xu Disheng noticed that the moment Secret Realm Envoy Liu waved his hand, he rubbed the simple, unadorned ring on his finger. This was most likely the Storage Spirit Tool that he had mentioned earlier. Secret Realm Envoy Liu let out a stream of magic techniques from his hand, which entered the mirror. The standing mirror gradually began to exude light, and the surface of the mirror slowly started to undulate. Eventually, the entire mirror fluctuated and took shape in the form of a multicolored vortex that spun incessantly, letting out a halo of dappled light. When he stopped the technique, Secret Realm Envoy Liu said, ¡°You may enter at this time for the sect¡¯s test. Zhou Xin, you¡¯re in charge of recording the results of the first two tests. Liu Jiangwu, you¡¯ll be in charge of recording the results for the last test. ¡°Yes, milord,¡± the two Affairs Hall disciples responded politely. Although Emperor Chu referred to those two as Junior Martial Brother, he was only giving them some face due to their position in the Affairs Hall. In front of their own superior, they had to be as well-behaved as little chicks. For a moment, some people hesitated, others were anticipative, while some were nervous. No one wanted to be the first to walk into the multicolored vortex. Emperor Chu¡¯s brows furrowed, and just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, a young lady who was one of the 3 from the Chu Clan spoke up in a crisp tone. ¡°Great-Grandpa, can Qing¡¯er try the first test?¡± Emperor Chu¡¯s expression eased up a bit, and he nodded. Secret Realm Envoy Liu¡¯s eyes lit up with praise. ¡°This girl is not bad.¡± Chu Qing¡¯er was about 16 or 17 years old. Robed in white, she made her way towards the colorful vortex. And then, after gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and walked in. Now that someone took the lead, the other young men and women got up one by one and walked into the multicolored vortex. Xu Disheng was also among them. He watched the youth in front of him get swallowed up by the color vortex, and he followed closely behind. However, he didn¡¯t close his eyes. His vision became filled with kaleidoscopic light, and he felt his body become weightless, as if he were falling. When the light faded away, the scenery before his eyes became distinct as he felt solid ground beneath his feet. A cold voice was transmitted directly into his mind. ¡°If you enter the multicolored vortex in the Mirror World, you will complete the test and be allowed to advance to the next part.¡± Around him was an ancient jungle with trees that towered to the sky, pervaded with the sound of birdsong and the abundance of life. Everything was realistic to the extreme, and Xu Disheng could even smell the distinct scent of petrichor and the faint fragrance of flowers. There was a wooden cabin in front of him. The door was open, and a strong qi aura was discernible from within. Xu Disheng pondered for a moment, then walked directly towards the wooden cabin in front of him. He had heard Daoist Lord Qingxin say before that the sect¡¯s entrance test consisted of three parts: temperament, comprehension, and aptitude. Although he didn¡¯t know what relation the trees around him had to do with temperament, this obvious set-up was clearly telling him to go in. As soon as he went into the wooden cabin, his pupils shrunk. Right before his eyes was a massive demon with a tiger¡¯s head and a human body, sitting on a couch. His entire body was giving off an aura at the equivalent of a human¡¯s Sea of Qi stage, and its cold-blooded eyes, characteristic of a predator, were staring straight at him. Xu Disheng¡¯s expression changed rapidly, and his thoughts raced. He didn¡¯t have any time to react before the tiger-headed demon opened its bloody maw and spoke in human language. ¡°Brat, do you see this door behind me? If you help me gather 100 Udumbara Flowers 1within 3 days, I¡¯ll let you go through.¡± When he slightly moved out of the way, there was a multicolored vortex on the wall behind him, slowly spinning as it emitted a prismatic halo. The tiger-headed demon¡¯s build was too large, so even when it was sitting down, it was over 3 meters tall, completely obstructing the view of the vortex. Xu Disheng had a thoughtful look in his eyes. He didn¡¯t turn around to go and pick those so-called Udumbara Flowers, instead choosing to slowly take a step forward. ¡°ROOOAAAAARRRR!!!!!¡± The tiger-headed demon opened its bloody maw wide and let out a deafening roar. Its two vertically-slitted pupils glowered at Xu Disheng as it let its Sea of Qi stage aura erupt outwards. Xu Disheng felt a sense of mortal danger. If he made another step forward, he would definitely suffer the berserk onslaught of the tiger-headed demon. Since it was at the Sea of Qi stage, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to block it. He backed up, then turned around and left the wooden cabin. In the ancient, primordial jungle, there were many birds, and he would occasionally spot a rare bird species flying by, although its name was unknown to him. There was only one type of flower. When he took a wide look, there were several dozen small, delicate flowers with pure white petals around the wooden cabin. They let out an exotic scent, and although they were several meters away from him, he could smell their faint but distinct fragrance. He caressed one of the petals, pinching it between his fingers as he took a closer look. Aside from the fact that it continuously let out a floral fragrance, there was nothing that set it apart from an ordinary wildflower. In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Xu Disheng had made a round about the area surrounding the wooden cabin, and there were already several dozen small flowers in his hand. It was rather strange that although he was holding that many small, delicate flowers in his hand, none of them fell apart nor wrinkled. They would all stick together, forming a cluster of white flowers. Xu Disheng¡¯s brows furrowed. He had already swept the entire area surrounding the wooden cabin, and there were only these several dozen flowers. It was not nearly enough to meet the requirement of 100 flowers. When he walked further outwards, there was a towering barrier made of qi, stretching boundlessly upwards. The jungle only continued up to the barrier, and there was nothing past it. Xu Disheng reached out to touch the barrier, and it was like touching an invisible wall. It was impossible to take even a single step out of it. As it turned out, this place was an enclosed environment, and the entire area of this space only encompassed a little over 30 meters in radius. CH 40 Chapter 40 ¨C Comprehension Xu Disheng walked back into the wooden cabin and looked at the tiger-headed demon¡¯s vertically-slitted eyes before saying slowly, ¡°There were only these 50 Udumbara Flowers here.¡± The tiger-headed demon seemed to have anticipated that Xu Disheng would say this, and he immediately replied. ¡°I have a lot of Udumbara Flower seeds here. If you take them and plant them in your flesh, they will blossom after an hour.¡± When Xu Disheng heard this, he wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°And?¡± An angry look flashed through the tiger-headed demon¡¯s eyes and it growled as if it was about to pounce and tear Xu Disheng to shreds. But in the end, it slowly said, ¡°If you think it¡¯s too painful to plant them in your flesh, you can just cut them off first. You have four limbs, and each one will let you grow 17 Udumbara Flowers.¡± These words were incredibly sinister. If one limb could grow 17 flowers, he would need to cut off at least 3 limbs in order to get enough for the remaining 50 flowers. Xu Disheng still wasn¡¯t moved. Instead, he took a step forward and asked yet again, ¡°What else?¡± Strangely enough, the tiger-headed demon¡¯s tone calmed a bit. ¡°Or you could climb to the top of those tall trees. There should be several flowers on the top of each one.¡± After he finished speaking, he didn¡¯t wait for Xu Disheng to reply. He muttered as if minding his own business, ¡°You don¡¯t need to plant them into your own flesh either. You could scatter them in the dirt and they would grow in an hour all the same.¡± Xu Disheng looked at the tiger-headed human that had suddenly become somewhat mechanical, and his gaze became more pensive. In the Nourishing Heart Hall, once every person had entered the multicolored vortex, the standing mirror transformed into 17 screens of light, which began to broadcast the scenes of each of the 17 participants in the Mirror World. Some of them were total doormats, and were scared by the tiger-headed demon into planting the Udumbara Flower seeds into their own flesh. They would then sit there and endure the pain until the flowers sprouted. Others were a bit smarter, and after taking into account the tiger-headed demon¡¯s power, asked a few more questions. Then, they proceeded to chop off 3 limbs, only leaving a single leg, and passed through to the next part of the test. They had clearly known that it was just a fantasy world, so they wouldn¡¯t actually lose their limbs. "" Then there was Chu Qing¡¯er, who had plucked 50 Udumbara Flowers, then tore each flower petal into two to make it look like 100 flowers. This method actually worked, and the tiger-headed demon let her pass. The Affairs Hall disciple, Zhou Xin, was staring fixedly at the projections as he busily recorded down the results of the first part of the test. On the list in his hand, the names were categorized based on their evaluation into Lacking, Fair, Good, and Superior. There were several names under Lacking and Fair, and under the Good category, there was only Chu Qing¡¯er. These evaluations weren¡¯t actually being done by Zhou Xin. This standing mirror was a low-grade Magic Treasure with 3 fantasy dimensions within, and there was an Artifact Spirit inside the mirror. It was specifically used for providing a simple sect test for those from the Mortal Secret Realms. Although it wasn¡¯t as all-encompassing of an examination as the sect test for those in the Human Realm entering the main sect, it was virtually the same, only differing on a few points. The biggest feature was that it was convenient to carry around, so when it was time to admit disciples, it made its way around to each of the 27 Mortal Secret Realms. Back in the day, a Holy Lord had refined it specifically for this purpose. The tiger-headed demon inside the mirror was actually an Artifact Spirit, and it would come up with differing evaluations based on the person¡¯s behavior. Therefore, all Zhou Xin was doing was writing down the results. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, this Chu Qing¡¯er is pretty good. Although, I¡¯m not sure how she¡¯ll do on comprehension,¡± Secret Realm Envoy Liu praised with a smile. Emperor Chu was also somewhat surprised. In fact, the Shangqing Sacred Sect didn¡¯t place that much importance on temperament, and it wasn¡¯t nearly as crucial as comprehension and aptitude. In previous years, several people had managed to get a Fair evaluation and that was considered enough, but Chu Qing¡¯er actually went so far as to get a Good evaluation. As he watched her enter the comprehension part of the test, he felt expectation rising in his chest. He was well aware that Chu Qing¡¯er had Grade 1 Profound Meridians, which meant that her aptitude wasn¡¯t too bad. In the Mirror World, Xu Disheng was looking at the tiger-headed demon in front of him. ¡°Why are you just sitting there, not doing anything?¡± The tiger-headed demon¡¯s ferocious face was frozen in place. Xu Disheng continued, ¡°When I first came to this place, a cold voice was transmitted into my ear, saying that I would pass through to the next test if I entered that multicolored vortex over there.¡± He pointed at the vortex behind the tiger-headed demon. ¡°But you said that I needed to gather up 100 Udumbara Flowers before you would let me pass.¡± The tiger-headed demon¡¯s frozen, mechanical expression finally showed a bit of change, as if he was waiting for Xu Disheng to continue speaking. ¡°If it was any ordinary person, perhaps they wouldn¡¯t have noticed the small discrepancy. After all, with your Sea of Qi stage cultivation, they wouldn¡¯t be able to force their way through unless you let them pass. So they had no choice but to follow your demands.¡± "" Xu Disheng took another step forward, and the tiger-headed demon¡¯s aura became even more intense. The demon energy around its body was exploding outwards, as if it was about to pounce at Xu Disheng in the next second. Xu Disheng ignored his intuition that was warning him of the life-threatening danger. He put his foot down and said, ¡°But if you could just kill me, what would be the purpose of this test then?¡± The tiger-headed human¡¯s aura remained unabated, but it didn¡¯t take initiative to attack. It only sat there and continued to listen to Xu Disheng¡¯s words. Xu Disheng walked right up to the tiger-headed demon, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch. He brought his face right up to the tiger-headed demon¡¯s ferocious, sinister-looking face, close enough to the point that he could examine the texture of the nearly foot long fangs extending out of its maw and smell the fishy odor from its mouth. ¡°And so, all I have to do is listen to that voice and walk straight into the vortex. Why would I have to look for any Udumbara Flowers?¡± Xu Disheng tossed the ball of flowers onto the ground with a laugh, then went around the tiger-headed demon¡¯s massive body and walked straight into the multicolored vortex behind it. The tiger-headed demon still didn¡¯t move. But after Xu Disheng disappeared into the multicolored vortex, the tiger-headed demon turned into a strand of clear qi, then warped and dissipated along with the wooden cabin and the jungle. ¡°Xu Disheng?!¡± Zhou Xin cried out. ¡°What are you making a fuss about?¡± Secret Realm Envoy Liu said in a cold voice. As a disciple of the Affairs Hall, Zhou Xin being at a loss like this in front of Emperor Chu was making him lose a bit of face. ¡°Milord, there¡¯s this youth called Xu Disheng¡­ on the temperament test, he got a Superior evaluation.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Emperor Chu and Secret Realm Envoy Liu looked over at the same time. There were too many light screens, and most of their attention was already on Chu Qing¡¯er, who was currently in the middle of the comprehension test. They hadn¡¯t been paying any special attention to Xu Disheng¡¯s light screen. Secret Realm Envoy Liu said in a low tone, ¡°Continue to record the results for the comprehension test.¡± The Daoist Lords in the hall were all shocked. A look of expectation flashed through Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s eyes as he muttered, ¡°Sheng¡¯er¡­¡± In the end, it was extremely rare for a person indigenous to the Secret Realms to have a Superior temperament. It wasn¡¯t that people with Superior temperaments didn¡¯t really exist, since there were a lot of them in the Sacred Sect from the Human Realm. It was just that the people indigenous to the Secret Realms were usually inexperienced and na?ve, and were just frogs at the bottom of a well. Due to these circumstances, there were practically no people with Superior temperaments appearing in the Secret Realms. At least in the Chu Clan¡¯s territory, the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm, a Superior temperament hadn¡¯t appeared in the last several hundred years. Xu Disheng looked all around him, at the endless span of cyan. The Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy in this place was so thick and concentrated that it felt like it could condense into liquid and drip out of the atmosphere. The profound qi in his body was revolving extremely quickly. About 10 meters in front of him, there was a towering stone stele with a cultivation method called ¡®The First Scripture of Controlling Fire¡¯ engraved into its surface. It was a technique that allowed one to convert Shangqing Profound Qi into controllable fire. There was only the first, most basic level of the cultivation method recorded on the stele, which meant that the extent of its power at this time would be transforming Shangqing Profound Qi into a single ball of fire. A cold voice was again transmitted to his ears. ¡°In this area abundant with Primordial Energy, cultivate the first scripture of Controlling Fire as quickly as you can. Your evaluation will be higher the less time you take, or the greater the strength of your fireball.¡± As soon as the words faded, an undulating water screen appeared behind the stone stele. It was clearly for assessing the strength of the ball of fire after he finished cultivating the method. CH 41 Chapter 41 ¨C Controlling Fire TL: Changed the term Holy Lord ¡ú Saint Lord. The Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy in this place was so concentrated that it could be considered a priceless location for cultivating. It was even better of a location than Emperor Chu¡¯s Heavenly Heart Palace. Xu Disheng began to multitask. On one side, he was cultivating, purifying and compressing his profound qi, and on the other side, he was working on learning the Controlling Fire Cultivation Method. In the center of Nourishing Heart Hall, everyone¡¯s gaze was focused on one light screen, their faces showing looks of surprise. In that screen, a youth in black clothes already managed to successfully cultivate the technique. He stood up and made a hand seal, causing profound qi to circulate around his fingertips, which transformed into a fireball about the size of a head. Then, he threw it with force at the curtain of water behind the stone stele, where it exploded and caused the entire massive curtain of water to shake and tremble. A multicolored vortex slowly appeared in the middle of the air as a cold voice spoke. ¡°Time taken was 1 hour. Satisfactory fireball strength.¡± The black-clothed youth looked up at the multicolored vortex that appeared, then walked in. In the hall, a Daoist Lord from the Ding¡¯an Province had a cheerful look on his face. ¡°Wang Ziyu not only has Grade 1 Profound Meridians, but he also managed to show a tremendous comprehension ability. He cultivated it successfully in just 1 hour!¡± The flow of time inside the Mirror World was different from the outside. Several hours inside of the Mirror World was only several incense sticks worth of time on the outside. After all, this Magic Treasure was refined by an almighty Saint Lord, so it was truly an extraordinary and magical item. Since the first part of the test took a varying amount of time for everyone, each person would be starting the second part of the test at a different time. That meant that the person who finished the second part of the test first wasn¡¯t necessarily the fastest. It would all depend on the time that they started the test. There were two from the Chu Clan who were also very noteworthy. Chu Qing¡¯er finished in a little over an hour, while Chu Tianhe finished in 1 hour. The power of their fireballs was about the same as Wang Ziyu. Although this second part of the test was called the comprehension test, it was influenced to a certain degree by each person¡¯s aptitude. The initial part of the Controlling Fire Cultivation Method was very demanding in terms of comprehension, so it was undeniable that the faster one could cultivate it, the better their powers of comprehension were. Xu Disheng had entered a little later than the others, and he was currently sitting cross-legged on the ground in cultivation, absorbing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy at a crazy rate. Gradually, a strand of extremely condensed, pure Shangqing Profound Qi appeared in his lower dantian. This single strand of Shangqing Profound Qi was over a thousand times more refined than the profound qi currently in his Jianggong meridian point. Once this refined profound qi filled up his Jianggong, it would form a continuous cycle. At that point, he would be considered to have attained the Jianggong Sea of Qi, and would gain access to boundless magic power. As for the first scripture of Controlling Fire, Xu Disheng was only distractedly cultivating it on the side. However, he had once cultivated the first scripture of Azure Ocean, Amassing Water, which was passed on to him in the past by Daoist Lord Qingxin for his protection. He realized just now that the first scriptures of both cultivation methods were just two similar methods of reaching a somewhat differing result. However, the fundamental method of transforming the profound qi into a fireball which was recorded in the first scripture of Controlling Fire was nowhere near as refined as Amassing Water, the first scripture of Azure Ocean. As a result, it was much quicker for him to comprehend this cultivation method. In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he had already managed to make a fireball. It might have seemed like a lucky, opportune shortcut, but in the Sacred Sect in the Human Realm, this was extremely common. The content of the sect test would hardly change each time, only differing on a few points. As such, there were always Deacons or Elders who would learn of the contents of the test in advance and relay this information to their relatives to make it easier for them to pass. Taking the Controlling Fire Cultivation Method as an example, instead of giving them the Amassing Water, which was merely analogous to the first scripture of Controlling Fire, these people would directly give their relatives the first scripture of Controlling Fire for them to cultivate in advance. Then, when they got to the actual test, they would already be able to make a fireball, making it an even cheaper workaround. The people in charge of recording the results never paid this any mind. After all, nepotism was an inherent part of things in the sect, and especially when they were related, they would watch out for one another, so they couldn¡¯t be disturbed lightly. Moreover, in the Sacred Sect, out of the three parts of the test, the first two parts were only there for the record. The most important part of the test was still the third part, which tested aptitude, and it was also the most simple. It wasn¡¯t tolerated to mess with this part in the slightest. Xu Disheng casually tossed the fireball he had conjured in his hand towards the water curtain where it exploded, causing the entire surface to shake violently, clearly demonstrating the power of the fireball. He didn¡¯t use his full force, since he was only using about half of his mind to conjure the fireball. Most of his attention was on the concentrated Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy around him, and the compression and refinement of the Shangqing Profound Qi in his body. After all, this kind of cultivation environment was far too difficult for him to come by. The expression of Zhou Xin, who was still in charge of recording the results, changed again, but he didn¡¯t make a fuss about it because of the reprimanding he received earlier. He just silently recorded, ¡°Xu Disheng, time for one incense stick to burn, very strong fireball power.¡± The last test was the easiest test. Wang Ziyu, Chu Tianhe and such had already reached the 3rd part of the test, where there was a jade obelisk. All one had to do was drip a drop of blood onto it, and the jade obelisk would directly display the person¡¯s aptitude. The Daoist Lords in the hall already knew of their aptitudes, since they had to have at least Grade 3 Profound Meridians in order to be brought here. Because of that, the atmosphere in the hall lightened a lot after the comprehension part of the test passed. The requirements that the sect had for the disciples coming from the Mortal Secret Realms weren¡¯t as high as the requirements for those coming from the Human Realm. If they were subjected to the same harsh requirements as those from the Human Realm, only 2 or 3 out of the 17 disciples here would end up passing. It was enough as long as they successfully conjured a fireball within 4 hours with an adequate level of power. As for their aptitude, as long as they were on the Spiritual Root Sequence then it was fine. Even if they had Grade 3 Profound Meridians, which was the lowest on the Spiritual Root Sequence, they would still be able to pass. This simple sect admission test played a big role in deciding the proportion of resources allocated to them, and which peak or miscellaneous tasks they were assigned. As a result, people still treated the test very carefully. In the Nourishing Heart Hall, the multicolored vortex once again flashed with a halo of light, and Wang Ziyu, who was the first to finish the aptitude test, walked out from it. Gradually, everyone appeared one by one in the hall, and the light screens faded away one by one. In the end, there was only one light screen left. Sixteen people had already come out. Four of them turned pale, as these were the ones who had exceeded the 4 hours given to conjure a fireball, which meant that their powers of comprehension were too lacking. There was no way the Sacred Sect would want these people. They weren¡¯t able to conjure a fireball in 4 hours and thus weren¡¯t able to pass this test which already had such loose requirements. The look in everyone¡¯s eyes became somewhat strange as they looked towards the final light screen and saw Xu Disheng with his eyes closed, cultivating. The multicolored vortex had appeared by his side a long time ago, but he seemed to be totally unaware as he sat there cross-legged, continuing to cultivate. Even though the time flow in the Mirror World was different from the outside, he was still the last person within. He didn¡¯t come out, and instead chose to just sit there and begin cultivating, which made people totally speechless. When those like Chu Qing¡¯er and Chu Tianhe were in the comprehension part of the test, they were only thinking about completing the test as soon as possible. Even though the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy in that place was unexpectedly concentrated, it never crossed their mind to stay behind. When they saw Xu Disheng sitting there, cultivating without a single regard for other people or his circumstances, they all had varying expressions. But they didn¡¯t say anything, and they each silently went back to their places behind their respective Daoist Lords. Emperor Chu gazed at the light screen and asked the people in the hall, ¡°Which Dao Palace does this child belong to?¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu stepped forward. ¡°Martial Uncle, this is a disciple from my You Province Dao Palace.¡± He nodded in response, then looked towards Secret Realm Envoy Liu and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Liu, I¡¯ll have to inconvenience you.¡± ¡°Not at all, Senior Martial Brother. I see that this child is pretty good, never forgetting about his cultivation at any time. This is exactly the fundamental way of thinking that people like us should have,¡± Secret Realm Envoy Liu replied with a smile. He sent a strand of magic into the mirror and said quietly, ¡°Enter the vortex immediately and continue with the third part of the test.¡± These words were directly transmitted into the Mirror World, right into Xu Disheng¡¯s ears. This Magic Treasure was temporarily in his possession for safekeeping after all, so he was connected to it with a strand of consciousness. CH 42 Chapter 42 ¨C Choice Xu Disheng opened his eyes, feeling that it was a pity that he had to leave so soon. In the time that everything had been happening in the hall, he had already cultivated for 6 hours. He managed to compress 10 strands of Sea of Qi stage profound qi, which could be considered to be a shockingly fast cultivation speed. He stood up, then walked directly into the vortex. When the multicolored light before his eyes dissipated, he was in another cyan-colored space, and there was only a single jade obelisk in front of him, glowing with splendor. In his ears, a cold, yet somewhat stupefied voice was transmitted. ¡°Place a drop of blood on the jade obelisk and your aptitude will be shown.¡± This aptitude test was really simple and crude to the extreme. Xu Disheng shook his head, taking out the Autumn Water Sword from its scabbard and cutting his finger with it. He then placed a drop of fresh blood onto the jade obelisk. The obelisk lit up with jade-colored light, and a few words slowly floated into the air above it. ¡°Rank 6 Spiritual Root!¡± Secret Realm Envoy Liu¡¯s eyes flashed with astonishment. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, how did you not know beforehand that there was a Rank 6 Spiritual Root talent in your Chu Territory?¡± The highest aptitudes among the people here were those with Grade 1 Profound Meridians. Even the people from the You Province Dao Palace like Daoist Lords Qingxin and Qingyu had rapidly changing expressions, stunned beyond belief. The look in Emperor Chu¡¯s eyes deepened as he looked towards Daoist Lord Qingyu. ¡°When your You Province Dao Palace reported about this child to the sect, why did you rank his aptitude so?¡± Daoist Lord Qingyu saluted with a bitter smile. ¡°Martial Uncle, when Sheng¡¯er was admitted to the Dao Palace 10 years ago, he was tested to have Grade 2 Profound Meridians. When we came to the Central Imperial Province this time, we reported this to the court a long time ago, but we didn¡¯t dare to give a misreport.¡± Secret Realm Envoy Liu said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, as far as I know, there aren¡¯t any sufficient Spirit Tools within the Mortal Secret Realms to test the middle ranks of the Spiritual Root Sequence. It could be considered normal for them to have incorrectly measured it as Grade 2 Profound Meridians.¡± The Spiritual Root Sequence was split into three classes. The low class Spiritual Root included Grade 3 Profound Meridians, Grade 2 Profound Meridians, and Grade 1 Profound Meridians, while the middle class Spiritual Root consisted of Rank 6 Spiritual Root, Rank 5 Spiritual Root, and Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Although Rank 6 Spiritual Root was only slightly better than Grade 1 Profound Meridians, those with Rank 6 Spiritual Roots were considered to be part of the middle class of the Spiritual Root, so the difference in their treatment within the sect was considerably better on many fronts. Emperor Chu nodded and said, ¡°What you say makes sense, Junior Martial Brother. But the ancient mirror Martial Treasures given to each Dao Palace can measure Dao Channels up to Grade 1 Profound Meridians. So when you reported it, shouldn¡¯t it have been Grade 1 Profound Meridians?¡± As they were speaking, Xu Disheng stepped out from the multicolored vortex. He bowed towards the honored seats in the hall, receiving different looks from everyone as he went to stand behind Daoist Lord Qingxin. Emperor Chu and Secret Realm Envoy Liu were both at the Dao Foundation stage, but it never once occurred to them that Xu Disheng¡¯s aptitude had increased. In the endless vastness of the Human Realm, there was never a single reported instance of a person¡¯s aptitude changing. One¡¯s aptitude on the Spiritual Root was fixed by nature. This was the immutable truth for the hundreds of millions of years that the Human Realm existed, just as the three suns had always shined unabated in the sky during the day, and the three moons during the night. They were somewhat amazed by this, since it was impossible for the jade obelisk to make a mistake. It was personally refined by a Saint Lord level power, so if it showed Rank 6 Spiritual Root, then it had to be exactly Rank 6 Spiritual Root. Zhou Xin and Liu Jiangwu walked up to Secret Realm Envoy Liu and respectfully handed him the detailed records. Secret Realm Envoy Liu casually flipped through it then smiled and said to Emperor Chu, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, out of the 17 total people participating in the test, 13 have passed and can join the sect.¡± Emperor Chu received the list, and his brows furrowed slightly. Among the four people who didn¡¯t pass, one of them was a direct descendent of his Chu Clan. The other person participating from the Chu Clan aside from Chu Qing¡¯er and Chu Tianhe had Grade 2 Profound Meridians, but he was unable to conjure a fireball within 4 hours. Secret Realm Envoy Liu glanced at Emperor Chu. He saw that there was a person called Chu Yuanlin among the names of the four who didn¡¯t pass, and he understood. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, it¡¯s alright for the comprehension to be a little lacking. After all, it can be made up for with hard work.¡± With that, he took back the list of results and handed it back to Zhou Xin, giving him a meaningful look. Zhou Xin had received a scolding earlier, so he had already learned his lesson. He smartened up and became perceptive, making sure to always pay attention to Secret Realm Envoy Liu¡¯s body language and facial expression. When Zhou Xin took back the list of names, he directly crossed out Chu Yuanlin¡¯s name from the list of the four who were eliminated, added it to the 13 who passed, then politely handed it back to Secret Realm Envoy Liu. Secret Realm Envoy Liu put away the list, then addressed the entire Nourishing Heart Hall. ¡°This marks the end of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s disciple admission tests for the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm. There were 14 people who passed. Chu Qing¡¯er, Chu Tianhe, Chu Yuanlin, Wang Ziyu, Zhao Zheng, Xu Disheng¡­ These fourteen people, please come with me.¡± He turned to Emperor Chu and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, we¡¯ll be returning to the sect early to continue with our duties. There are still several Secret Realms I need to visit. Now that this matter is complete, I won¡¯t be staying too long.¡± Emperor Chu nodded. ¡°Thanks for your hard work, Junior Martial Brother.¡± Secret Realm Envoy Liu replied with a smile. ¡°I was just performing my duties.¡± He glanced at Xu Disheng before taking Zhou Xin and Liu Jiangwu with him to exit the hall. The fourteen who passed the test followed after them, while the three whose names weren¡¯t called all had ugly expressions on their faces. ¡°Secret Realm Envoy, milord,¡± an unconfident-sounding voice called out from the crowd of people. It was an 11 or 12 year old boy of a small build. He didn¡¯t stick out from the crowd at all, but he was still one of the people who had Grade 1 Profound Meridians. This person was none other than Su. Xu Disheng¡¯s brows wrinkled, but he didn¡¯t say anything. The actual name of Secret Realm Envoy Liu was Liu Xiangji, and he was one of the people from the Affairs Hall put in charge of the Secret Realms. As a Dao Foundation powerhouse, he had enormous power and wealth second only to the Deacon of the Affairs Hall. When he heard himself being addressed, he stopped walking and turned his head. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Su¡¯s face was stiff. ¡°May I dare to ask, if I leave this time, when will I be able to return here?¡± The hall was silent for a moment. Everyone looked at the small, young boy with looks of disdain, doubt, or disparagement apparent in their eyes. Liu Xiangji didn¡¯t get angry. He cast him a sideways glance and said, ¡°There is no turning back in the path of profound cultivation. If you don¡¯t want to leave for the Human Realm then you can just stay here.¡± With that, he stepped out from the gate and went directly towards the Imperial Court with Zhou Xin, Liu Jiangwu, and the 14 people following after him. Xu Disheng was the last person following along in the crowd of people. He saw Su standing there, struggle apparent in his eyes. Xu Disheng shook his head, then followed after the crowd. During the test, Su managed to conjure a small walnut-sized fireball in 2 hours. Although its power was very weak, it was because he didn¡¯t have much profound qi since he had only cultivated for such a short time. However, his powers of comprehension weren¡¯t bad. He muttered to himself, ¡°If I leave this place, I won¡¯t be able to return? Then what about my sister? What should I do¡­?¡± After he hesitated for a while, watching as Xu Disheng¡¯s figure grew further in the distance, he was still unable to take that one step forward. A voice was transmitted to his ear. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, then just stay at the Eastern Qin Province Dao Palace.¡± That voice belonged to Daoist Lord Shangyuan. In certain aspects, Su was somewhat similar to Daoist Lord Shangyuan. They were both unwilling, and didn¡¯t dare to confront the cruel reality of leaving for the Human Realm and never returning. The massive Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat was still sitting there on the Sky Platform in the Imperial Court. Liu Xiangji performed a series of complicated hand seals, and a stormy vortex slowly appeared high up in the air, which slowly grew in size. This stormy vortex was the Realm Passage that was set up tens of thousands of years ago, and it could only be opened with a specific sequence of hand seals. After the stormy vortex completely took shape, Liu Xiangji said, ¡°Get on the ship.¡± The procession of people boarded the wooden boat in turns. Liu Xiangji looked in the direction of the Heavenly Heart Palace in the far off distance and saw Emperor Chu standing by the palace gate, gesturing to him in farewell. He nodded in return, then boarded the wooden boat himself. The wooden boat began to slowly ascend, heading towards the ever-fluctuating stormy vortex. Xu Disheng stood there on the bow of the ship, watching the scenery below him grow smaller as the wooden ship continued to ascend. When the entire Imperial Palace Complex looked like it could fit in the small of his palm, the front of the wooden boat entered the vortex, destined for the real, complete world: the Human Realm. CH 43 Chapter 43 ¨C The Human Realm Reed Village was a small village at the fork between a river and a coastal area. ¡°Second Brother, wait for me! I¡¯m scared!¡± A little girl in coarse cloth garments exclaimed with a pout, her face smeared with a bit of mud. She looked like she was on the brink of bursting into tears. ¡°Xiao Yue, don¡¯t be scared. Look what I picked! I¡¯ll give it to you once we get out of the Red Spirit Fruit Forest,¡± a strong and honest-looking boy replied. When he saw Xiao Yue stop in her tracks as if she was about to cry, he hurriedly flashed the item in his hand and dangled it around. It was a Red Spirit Fruit which was emitting a dull golden glow. In the Red Spirit Fruit Forest, these golden Red Spirit Fruits were extremely precious and rare. As if it worked like a charm, the pout on Xiao Yue¡¯s face went away. But when she looked at the golden Red Spirit Fruit, she shook her head. ¡°Second Brother, we secretly entered the Red Spirit Fruit Forest without letting Uncle Wang know, and even took a rare golden Red Spirit Fruit. Won¡¯t he be mad?¡± The boy furrowed his brows and replied, ¡°If neither of us say anything, he¡¯ll never know. Let¡¯s hurry up. We¡¯ll cut through the forest and come out from the side, then return to the village. There¡¯s still quite a few li left in our journey to go.¡± Xiao Yue was still hesitant. She looked around at the lush thickets of the Red Spirit Fruit Trees around her before saying, ¡°I¡¯m still a little scared. They say that Uncle Wang raised several vicious dogs in the forest. What if¡­¡± As if confirming her worries, a grating howl cut through the air at that very moment, originating from the depths of the Red Spirit Fruit Forest. The fruit trees in their surroundings seemed to shake and quiver in response. ¡°Ahhh!! Second Brother, did you hear that?!¡± Xiao Yue cried out. Earlier, she had been tricked by Xiao Hu into coming into the forest to steal some Red Spirit Fruits. Now that she received such a scare, she stood rooted in place as tears welled up from her eyes. When Xiao Hu heard the howl, his heart began to pound even though he knew that the vicious dogs wouldn¡¯t harm the people from the village. He didn¡¯t utter a single word, and he immediately began pulling Xiao Yue along in running towards the edge of the forest. That side face of the Red Spirit Forest was surrounded by a fence, but there was an extremely well-hidden gap in the fence that Xiao Hu and his buddies had spent a tremendous amount of effort to make several years ago. The Red Spirit Forest was the lifeblood supporting every person in Reed Village. Every family had spent dozens of years toiling within, and among the villagers, Uncle Wang was the person in charge of overseeing the Red Spirit Forest. From their harvest, a large portion had to be given up to their superiors, but that extremely small remaining portion could be exchanged for money and food. It was enough to keep the 10 or so families in their village clothed and fed. Therefore, even if there were some naughty children occasionally stealing one or two fruits from the forest, Uncle Wang was very laid back about it. He knew about that hole in the fence on the side of the Red Spirit Forest, but he simply turned a blind eye to it. However, these vicious dogs that he raised were seriously frightening. The origin of these vicious dogs was unknown. Some of the villagers said that they were granted to him from the higher-ups in order to protect the Red Spirit Forest. Each of them was about the height of a person, and their mouths were filled with razor sharp fangs, and if they even slightly bit down with their ferocious maws, they would be able to exert enough force to snap a person in half. The last time there were some thieves who were trying to steal from the forest, they ended up becoming appetizers for these vicious dogs. It was Xiao Yue¡¯s first time being in the forest since she had been tricked by Xiao Hu into coming, but she had long heard of these rumors about those vicious dogs. While Xiao Hu was grabbing her arm as they sprinted like the wind, she was getting more and more terrified the longer she thought about it. Another set of fierce howls could be heard at that moment, and her little face turned as white as a sheet. The two of them ran for a while. Beads of sweat had formed on Xiao Hu¡¯s forehead as he ran, and he wiped them off with his sleeve. When he gazed off into the distance, he smiled. ¡°Xiao Yue, look! We¡¯re almost at the hole in the fence. Just hang in there for a bit longer and we¡¯ll be back at the village.¡± When Xiao Yue saw that they were almost out, her expression relaxed a bit. She used her tender hands to mop the sweat on her brow which was mixing with the mud smeared on her face. Although the little girl¡¯s face was a bit dirty, it didn¡¯t subtract from her cuteness. Once they made it past the fence, Xiao Hu took the Red Spirit Fruit, which was emitting golden light, and hid it tightly in his bosom. The two of them calmed down a bit before unhurriedly making their way towards the village. ¡°Second Brother, why is there not a single light on in the village?¡± Xiao Yue stopped, her face wrought with anxiety as she looked at Reed Village, covered in darkness. The two of them had entered the Red Spirit Forest in the afternoon, and it was now evening. It was already getting dark, and by this time the village would normally already be bright with lantern light. Xiao Hu gazed up at the silver light shining down from the three moons low on the horizon and muttered to himself, ¡°The moons are already out, why hasn¡¯t the village lit up any lanterns?¡± They both stood panic-stricken at the entrance of the village in the pitch dark, not daring to venture in any further. When they thought of all the scary stories they had heard, they became even more frightened. Xiao Hu turned around to look at his little sister, Xiao Yue, who was already at her wit¡¯s end and was on the brink of sobbing. He forced himself to calm down by pinching his wrist. In a steady voice, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Uncle Wang¡¯s place first!¡± "" He stopped looking towards the lightless village, and pulled Xiao Yue along with him as he began heading towards the Red Spirit Fruit Forest which they just came from. But this time he was going to the front entrance, where Uncle Wang lived. However, what frightened the two even further was that the several wooden houses that made up Uncle Wang¡¯s residence were also completely dark, without a single lantern aglow. ¡°Second Brother, what do we do? Where should we go?¡± Xiao Yue¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, but she was just barely managing to hold it in. The brother and sister pair had lost their parents when they were small, so they had always depended on each other for survival. Through the support of the people in the village, they had been able to steadily live out a poor but upright lifestyle. Xiao Hu forced himself to calm down, knowing that he couldn¡¯t lose his composure in front of his little sister. ¡°Let¡¯s first go into the village and take a look. Who knows, maybe they¡¯re just sleeping early tonight so they didn¡¯t bother to light the lanterns?¡± Xiao Hu said in a low voice. The two of them didn¡¯t have much choice. Aside from their house in the village, the two had nowhere to go. It was far too dangerous to spend the night in a deserted area outside the village. Just as the two were about to continue talking, a shriek pierced through the silence from within the village. There was no way that this shriek could have been produced by a human. It was a strange, high-pitched screech, filled with bitter resentment. Xiao Hu clutched Xiao Yue¡¯s hand tighter. When they heard the shrieks continuing inside the village, they began to tremble and their faces turned deathly pale. The strange shrieks eventually stopped, and Xiao Hu opened his mouth to speak. But suddenly, he saw Xiao Yue¡¯s pupils shrink in terror, her face filled with incomparable horror. Her gaze was focused on something behind him, and her mouth was hanging slightly open, but she couldn¡¯t produce a single sound. Just as Xiao Hu caught on that something strange was happening, he heard the very same deafening, vengeful shriek right behind him! He wanted to turn around and check, but his vision went dark at that very moment, and he lost consciousness. A woman with long hair suddenly appeared behind Xiao Hu. She opened her bloody mouth wide and completely swallowed Xiao Hu up in one bite. Although she could be described as a ¡®woman¡¯, it was only because she was wearing a ghastly white dress. Her facial features were nonexistent, and her entire face was instead occupied with just a large mouth, filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth. Xiao Yue¡¯s mouth was stuck hanging open, but she couldn¡¯t make any sounds as tears began to streak down her face. The woman was floating in the air, and she opened her pointy jaws wide. Just as the woman was about to swallow Xiao Yue and refine her soul, she suddenly stopped and looked fixedly towards a position high in the sky. A scarlet-tinged beam of rainbow light streaked through the sky like a meteor, but it suddenly paused in midair and changed directions, going directly towards Reed Village where it landed right in front of the woman and Xiao Yue. The light faded, and a man who looked to be around 30 years old was standing there, wearing a Daoist robe imprinted with a complicated seal. His body was basked in scarlet light, and when the light around him subsided, he saw the woman-like figure and Xiao Yue standing there frozen. He furrowed his brows when he saw the women half floating in the air. Her entire body began to tremble and her razor-sharp jaws began to clatter. Her body language made it seem as if she was begging for forgiveness. The Daoist didn¡¯t glare at her any further and expanded his Dao Foundation stage sea of consciousness, which covered the entire Reed Village. He didn¡¯t even blink when he saw the village littered with corpses, but when he saw the vicious dogs dead in the forest, his brows furrowed even deeper. Tears were flowing endlessly down Xiao Yue¡¯s face. She suddenly found that she could finally speak again, so she kneeled down on the ground, her mind completely blank. She sobbed, ¡°I-Immortal, are you an immortal? Please take revenge for my brother, for my village, wuuuuu¡­¡± The woman began to tremble even more intensely, not even daring to move an inch. The Daoist shot a sideways glance at Xiao Yue, speaking his first word since arriving here. ¡°Fine.¡± A light flashed in his hand and a crimson sword appeared, glimmering with a dazzling radiance against the backdrop of the night sky. With a casual swipe, he drew a brilliant sword light which bisected the terrified woman floating in midair. Xiao Yue was also in its range, but before dying, she closed her eyes and welcomed the sword light. The Daoist took out a dark green jade slip and muttered to himself for a bit as he deliberated on what to say. Then, he conveyed the information into it. ¡°Reporting in to the Patrol Guard Hall of the Mountain of Law. Just now, I was doing a routine patrol, and about 23,000 li from the Eighth Mountain of the Zhuri Mountain Range, an Evil Spirit had appeared in the vicinity of an unidentified village. I hereby report that I have already exterminated it. This village has a Red Spirit Fruit Forest, which could be a supply of low-grade spiritual medicine for the sect, so I will also forward this jade slip message to the Botany Hall of Wenyuan Mountain. I recommend migrating people here to repopulate the village so they can cultivate the forest. I have recorded the location of the unidentified village in the map within the jade slip. I hereby respectfully conclude this as the third report for the routine patrol by Wang He of the Patrol Guard Hall.¡± In the jade slip message, the deaths of nearly 10 or so families was hardly even mentioned. The only thing that somewhat related to it was the part where he mentioned, ¡®I recommend migrating people here to repopulate the village so they can cultivate the forest¡¯. In his eyes, and the sects¡¯ as well, these lives were probably only tools to harvest the supply of low-grade spiritual medicine. Once again turning into a beam of scarlet-tinged rainbow light, he shot off like a comet and gradually disappeared beyond the horizon. All that remained was the moonlight shining perpetually from on high, illuminating the disastrous chaos left behind in the village. CH 44 Chapter 44 ¨C Cangming TL: ¡®Eighth Mountain of Zhuri Mountain¡¯ was a mistranslation, it¡¯s actually that Zhuri Mountain IS the Eighth Mountain of the sect. My apologies, I¡¯ve gone back and fixed it. From here on, it will be ¡®Zhuri Eighth Mountain or Zhuri Eighth Mountain Range¡¯. Cangming Peak belonged to Wenyuan Mountain, the Third Mountain of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Standing at a height of more than 1000 meters, it was tall enough to reach the clouds, and it was located on the outskirts of the Wenyuan Mountain Range. The peak of the mountain looked as if the top had been cleaved off with a sword, creating an extremely flat terrace that was around 150 meters in radius. There was a palace in the middle of it, and there were several wooden boats parked in the plaza in front of the palace. The winds in the palace plaza swept about wildly as a stormy vortex gradually took shape above it. A wooden boat identical to the rest already parked there slowly emerged from the vortex, where it floated in the airspace before slowly descending to the ground. In the main hall of the palace, there were more than a dozen disciples wearing cyan Daoist robes, but they weren¡¯t fazed in the slightest by the sight of the boat appearing. Among one of them was an extremely young-looking disciple, who opened his eyes at the sight of the wooden boat descending into the plaza. He then stood up and brought along the people around him as he walked out of the palace. ¡°Hm, I was wondering who it was. Looks like it was just Envoy Liu returning. Go ahead and enter the hall to make your records,¡± the young disciple said casually upon seeing that it was Liu Xiangji stepping out from the wooden boat. With that, he turned around and went back into the palace hall. Liu Xiangji didn¡¯t bother to reply and just signaled to the people on the wooden boat to get off. Next to him, Zhou Xin was livid. ¡°Milord, how could this Liu Daoming actually dare to be this disrespectful to you?¡± Liu Xiangji was a Dao Foundation powerhouse after all, so he didn¡¯t bother to mention this matter. But now that Zhou Xin said it so shamelessly out loud in front of everyone, it made him feel embarrassed. Liu Xiangji gave a cold snort and shot him an icy glare out of the corner of his eye before walking into the palace hall. He couldn¡¯t help feeling inwardly stifled and grumpy about this because Li Daoming was the nephew of Elder Li, who was an Elder of the Affairs Hall. Despite only being at the Sea of Qi stage, Li Daoming had taken advantage of this familial relationship to gain authority over Cangming Peak, which was in charge of assigning every single disciple from the 27 Mortal Secret Realms into their respective Mountain Ranges and Peaks. Even though Li Daoming was both young and had no qualifications to speak of, he wielded a tremendous amount of authority. Because he had the backing of Elder Li, who was one of the three Grand Elders of Wenyuan Mountain¡¯s Affairs Hall, Li Daoming had always acted disrespectfully towards Liu Xiangji even though he was a Secret Realm Envoy and had a Dao Foundation stage cultivation. It was also for this reason that Liu Xiangji didn¡¯t dare to lose his temper over this matter. However, this damned Zhou Xin had already lost face for him in front of Emperor Chu earlier, and now he misspoke yet again! Liu Xiangji suppressed the unhappiness in his heart and stepped into the hall. Xu Disheng stepped off the wooden boat, feeling shocked beyond words. He breathed in deeply, savoring the rich Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy on the summit of the peak as he gazed off into the distance. Before him, there was an endless stretch of mountain peaks jutting out from the clouds, and there was even one in the far off distance that seemed to pierce into the very heavens. He couldn¡¯t even see the top of it. Above the continuous link of mountain peaks, he could see the misty, ethereal silhouettes of many rows of pavilions. He could also faintly see several massive palaces suspended in the air, luxurious and grand beyond description. They each floated up in the lofty heights of the sky on their respective clouds. Beside him, every blade of grass and tree trunk seemed to possess spiritual energy. In his eyes, every single grain of sand and drop of water suddenly seemed exceedingly real. Upon arriving here from the Chu Territory, he felt as if he had just walked out of a painting into the real world. The sensation was extremely mysterious and hard to describe. Up in the sky up above, the three golden suns were there, shining unabated as they always had since times immemorial. After stabilizing his composure, he followed everyone else to enter the main hall atop the summit of the mountain peak. The people beside Xu Disheng were even worse. They were completely flabbergasted by the surroundings, their mouths hanging open, slack-jawed as if they had completely forgotten themselves altogether. That young Daoist, Li Daoming, walked into the palace hall and sat down in the very center. ¡°Liu Xiangji, you can hand over the list of names from the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm.¡± Liu Xiangji handed over the list to a disciple in a green robe, who received it and walked forward to give it to Li Daoming. He looked at the gawking appearances of the people in the hall, but didn¡¯t say anything. He was clearly used to this sight. When the people indigenous to the Secret Realms came to the Human Realm for the first time, a grand majority of them were like this. He took the list into his hands. It was an extremely comprehensive list which included on it every person¡¯s name, age, length of cultivation, and extremely detailed data on the happenings in the sect admission test. Li Daoming first gave an order to the disciple beside him. ¡°Send a copy to the Directory Hall and have them verify it with the preexisting records.¡± After that, he looked over the list, but he didn¡¯t examine the records all that carefully. He mainly focused on the aptitude column, giving it a few looks over before commenting, ¡°There¡¯s only one middle class Spiritual Root this time? That¡¯s no better than yesterday¡¯s Zhao Realm and Fan Realm.¡± He put down the list, then casually addressed the disciple beside him who was responsible for keeping records. ¡°Assign this Rank 6 Spiritual Root to the outer region of Mingxin Mountain. As for the rest, assign them all to the outer region of Zhuri Mountain.¡± Mingxin Mountain was the Sixth Mountain, while Zhuri Mountain was the Eighth Mountain, so there was a clear disparity between the two. When disciples first entered the sects, they would be admitted to the outer region of the mountain. Once they broke through to the Sea of Qi stage, they could attend the official Mountain Entry Examination. If they passed, they could join one of the several hundred peaks within and be taken under the wing of one of the Peak Masters. In the past, Daoist Lord Qingxin and Qingyu were both outer disciples of Zhuri Eighth Mountain. Even though they reached the Sea of Qi stage at that time, they didn¡¯t manage to pass the Mountain Entry Examination so they weren¡¯t even considered to have officially become inner disciples. They both had to stay as mere outer disciples of Zhuri Eighth Mountain. ¡°Understood, Senior Martial Brother Li.¡± The disciple took out a jade slip and was about to use it when he was interrupted by someone in the hall below. ¡°Lord Li, my grandfather is Chu Mu of the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm. Please accept my meager offering.¡± It was Chu Qing¡¯er, who stepped forward respectfully, proffering a wooden box. Li Daoming made a furtive signal, and the disciple received the wooden box and passed it over to him. When he opened it, there were 30 spirit stones arranged neatly within, which were basically spiritual energy condensed into a solid form. He closed the box, but didn¡¯t regard it that importantly. He put it aside and said offhandedly, ¡°Chu Mu? The Realm Lord of the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm, was it? Fine, noted.¡± He turned to the disciple in charge of the records and said, ¡°Assign this woman to the outer region of Mingxin Mountain.¡± ¡°As you command, milord.¡± Chu Qing¡¯er¡¯s complexion was somewhat awkward. The Chu Clan had 3 people, and these 30 spirit stones were originally prepared as a fee for all 3 of them to be promoted, so she wasn¡¯t sure whether or not to speak up further. She saw that beside her, Liu Xiangji had a cautionary look in his eyes, so she had no choice but to close her mouth, feeling inwardly resentful. Chu Tianhe was unsatisfied, seeing firsthand that he was about to be assigned to the Zhuri Eighth Mountain Range. He stepped forward and said, ¡°Milord, I am also from the Chu Clan.¡± At that moment, Li Daoming was fiddling with a jade pendant in his hands. When he heard what he said, he was slightly amused. ¡°And?¡± Everyone turned to look at Chu Tianhe, who had now hopped onto the tiger¡¯s back with no way to get off. He gritted his teeth and continued, ¡°Milord, those spirit stones that were presented to you just now¡­ they weren¡¯t only for her. My portion was also included within.¡± The other person from the Chu Clan, Chu Yuanlin, knew that his aptitude and powers of comprehension were lacking, and he was only able to make it here because Liu Xiangji made an exception for him. Thus, he didn¡¯t speak up, and just continued to watch on from amongst the crowd. Li Daoming was trying to hold in his laughter, and he hadn¡¯t even said anything before a white-robed disciple on his left laughed uproariously and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Li, just where did this primitive caveman crawl out of? They actually dare to make fun of Senior Martial Brother?¡± That disciple stood up and unleashed his peak Sea of Qi stage aura, separating a small fraction of it to weigh down on Chu Tianhe. In an instant, Chu Tianhe was forced into a half-kneel, painfully struggling to keep himself upright. The white-robed disciple complexion became icy. In a cold tone, he said, ¡°The Chu Clan of the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm? You don¡¯t count for anything! Remember, this place is the Cangming Peak of Wenyuan Mountain. Here, Senior Martial Brother Li is the biggest. You understand?¡± When he finished, he turned to the center of the hall and cupped his fists in salute to Li Daoming. As a henchman, he was clearly extremely qualified, completely deserving of full points on his act. Chu Tianhe had been pampered since childhood. Once his surname had been changed from Zhang back to Chu, he had always been in Grand Chu Imperial City, and he was the proud, arrogant son of heaven type. Being disgraced like this filled his heart with a bitter hatred that could topple the heavens! Why did the spirit stones have to be kept on Chu Qing¡¯er¡¯s person? This slut! It was clearly 10 spirit stones per person! She went and counted it all for herself! He didn¡¯t dare to question the formidable white-robed disciple or the lofty, overbearing Li Daoming, so he dumped all of his resentment and loathing onto Chu Qing¡¯er. He didn¡¯t know that she also had a hard time speaking up just now. He felt the weight of the aura pressing down on him continuously increasing, so he slowly slackened his tightened jaw and squeezed out his words bit by bit. ¡°Milord, I understand now. In this place, I will always listen to Lord Li. I am willing to comply with Lord Li¡¯s arrangements,¡± he said, his eyes completely bloodshot. The white-robed disciple scoffed lightly and sneered. ¡°Powerless like a dog.¡± He retracted his aura and returned to his seat by Li Daoming¡¯s side, not sparing him another glance. CH 45 Chapter 45 ¨C Mingxin TL: Patrol Guard Hall ¡ú Patrol Enforcement Hall. Liu Xiangji¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change throughout all of this. He simply turned a blind eye to it and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now that the disciple assignments are done.¡± He turned around and left the hall, taking Zhou Xin and Liu Jiangwu with him. He then waved his hand and summoned a Spirit Cloud that was much larger than the one that Daoist Lord Shangyuan had, and flew off into the skies. Li Daoming didn¡¯t mind in the slightest. He commanded the people in the hall below him. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Zhou, dispatch several disciples and have them bring these people to their respective places. Each assignment should be recorded in detail into the jade slip, then a copy should be sent to both the Chief Peaks of the Affairs Hall and the Directory Hall.¡± ¡°Understood, Senior Martial Brother Li.¡± A servant disciple immediately stepped out from the ranks below, then addressed Xu Disheng and the rest. ¡°Come with me.¡± He took the dozen or so people along with him as he left the main hall. There were several early Sea of Qi stage disciples waiting outside. When one of them saw the servant disciple coming out, he approached him with an ingratiating smile. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhou, were there any orders?¡± The servant disciple who happened to be surnamed Zhou had an aloof expression, but he didn¡¯t bother to respond to them. He turned towards the crowd of people following him and asked, ¡°Who is the one called Xu Disheng?¡± Xu Disheng replied, ¡°Reporting to Senior Martial Brother, that would be me.¡± Servant disciple Zhou didn¡¯t stare at Xu Disheng, and just pointed at him and Chu Qing¡¯er while addressing the several early Sea of Qi stage disciples. ¡°Take these two to the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain. As for the other 10 or so people, take them to the Outer Region of Zhuri Mountain. No mistakes will be permitted.¡± ¡°Understood, Senior Martial Brother Zhou.¡± They immediately left to carry out the order. Clouds and hazy mists filled the skies. From time to time, there would be rays of light passing by, flying over their heads or below them. But most of the people were like them, riding upon pure white Spirit Clouds, which were low-grade flying-type Spirit Tools. Xu Disheng and Chu Qing¡¯er were atop one of the Spirit Clouds, which belonged to an ordinary servant disciple, who was at the early Sea of Qi stage. Xu Disheng roughly felt him out using his perception, and detected that his cultivation and Daoist Lord Shangyuan¡¯s cultivation were roughly similar. Seeing that this servant disciple wasn¡¯t nearly as cold as the rest, Chu Qing¡¯er approached him with a salute. She smiled and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, this is my first time in the Human Realm, and there are many things I don¡¯t know. I was wondering whether or not Senior Martial Brother could help me answer some questions?¡± The servant disciple was in the middle of controlling the Spirit Cloud, which slowly sped up when he heard this. He didn¡¯t turn around, and he just stood there by the edge of the cloud as he spoke. ¡°I know that you have a lot of questions, but I don¡¯t have that much free time to answer you. Wait until you get to the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain. There will be people there who can help explain things to you.¡± After that, he didn¡¯t say anything more, and just silently urged the Spirit Cloud onward. He clearly didn¡¯t want to be stuck with overseeing these ¡®primitives¡¯ from the Mortal Secret Realm. Xu Disheng was in the back of the Spirit Cloud, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He was just watching the scenery as they passed by, silently calculating the route they were taking. They had already traveled several hundred li and passed by several dozen Peaks since leaving Cangming Peak of Wenyuan Mountain, but they had only just left the Wenyuan Mountain Range. From this alone, it was easy to see how enormous the Shangqing Sacred Sect was. Along the way, there were all kinds of passing rays of light, which belonged to various flying-type Spirit Tools, and he had already seen so many that he became somewhat numb to it. With how vast the Wenyuan Mountain Range was, it was still only the Third Mountain out of the Eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. The name ¡®Mingxin Mountain¡¯ meant seeing through the nature of the mind. An unknown number of years ago, a Saint Lord of the Shangqing Sacred Sect had established it. Over time, it had developed into the exceedingly prosperous state it was now, and became known as the Sixth Mountain Range. It had two great Mountain Lords, several hundred Peak Masters, and several tens of thousands of disciples. Inside the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain, there was an extremely massive, broad mountain peak standing at a height of more than 2600 meters. This mountain was used as a temporary place for the new disciples to stay. Most of the disciples were recruited from the Human Realm. There were very few who were from the 27 Mortal Secret Realms, where most of them were ordinary mortals, a few were profound cultivators, and even fewer who were like Xu Disheng, who were already at the Cleansed Meridians stage at the time they entered the sect. Once the new disciples cultivated to the Sea of Qi stage, they could apply for the Mountain Entry Examination at one of the Eight Mountains. If they passed, they would be considered to have genuinely become a part of the Shangqing Sacred Sect and join the Mountain they applied to. At that time, they could report to their Mountain¡¯s branch of the Affairs Hall, who would then assign them to one of the Peaks amongst the hundreds or so belonging to that Mountain Range. From then on, they would be considered officially initiated, and the treatment and resources they would receive would be completely different from when they were in the Outer Region. The Affairs Hall was equally as famous as the Mountain of Law¡¯s Disciplinary Hall and Patrol Enforcement Hall, and in the Shangqing Sacred Sect, these three were known as the Three Great Halls, since they had the most authority. The Chief Branch of the Affairs Hall was on Wenyuan Mountain. Since they were in charge of overseeing all kinds of miscellaneous proceedings, the movement of personnel, the distribution of resources, and so on, they possessed an incredible amount of power. The Three Great Halls had branches at each of the Eight Mountains, and at this moment, the servant disciple was bringing Xu Disheng and Chu Qing¡¯er to the branch of the Affairs Hall on Mingxin Mountain. The Spirit Cloud slowly landed atop a colossal mountain peak. The servant disciple seemed a bit impatient as he brought the two of them off the Spirit Cloud. Several disciples who were part of the Affairs Hall branch had come forward long ago to welcome them. With a smile, one of them said, ¡°Greetings, Senior Martial Brother.¡± The servant disciple said, ¡°These two people are new disciples from the Mortal Secret Realm. One of them is Rank 6 Spiritual Root and one of them has Grade 1 Profound Meridians. Distribute the first month¡¯s resources to them and arrange a place for them to stay in the Outer Region. Quickly.¡± He didn¡¯t even wait for the several disciples to nod their heads in agreement. He tossed the recording jade slip to them and immediately returned to his Spirit Cloud, urging it back into the skies with the navigation spell. Xu Disheng probed the several Affairs Hall disciples in front of him. Most of them were at the Cleansed Meridians stage, and only two of them were at the Sea of Qi stage. The Sea of Qi stage disciple who was leading them, Liu Dian, had received the jade slip from thata servant disciple. He sent a strand of his consciousness into it, and after a short while, he raised his head to look at the two people in front of him. ¡°Come with me to receive your robes, spirit stones, and medicinal pills,¡± he said. This peak was called Mountain Affairs Peak. Even though it was situated on the edge of the Mingxin Mountain Range, it was an exceedingly flourishing and prosperous location because the Mingxin branch of the Affairs Hall was located here. There were four main palace halls located atop the peak, namely the Spirit Origin Hall, Sect Affairs Hall, Examination Hall, and the Human Resources Hall. Every one of these halls was extremely grand, each one towering at hundreds of meters in height. From time to time, beams of light of all different colors and descriptions would fly out from the Mountain Range, landing in the Sect Affairs Hall where these disciples would enter the grand halls. Liu Dian brought Xu Disheng and Chu Qing¡¯er directly into the Spirit Origin Hall. It was only when they entered the hall that they discovered what kind of universe lay within. From the outside, it only looked like it was several hundred meters tall, but the space inside was immeasurably vast. There was an endless stream of disciples going in and out of the hall, all looking like they were in a hurry. Spirit Origin Hall was the place on Mingxin Mountain where the sect kept the resources. The palace hall was further split up into the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, the Spirit Weapons Pavilion, Cultivation Method Pavilion, and so on. Almost everything that could be thought of was here, categorized in an all-encompassing manner. Liu Dian brought Xu Disheng and Chu Qing¡¯er into the Spirit Weapons Pavilion, and he sent in the jade slip. He bowed respectfully from outside and said, ¡°Lord Deacon, I have brought two new disciples to receive their robes and weapons. I sent in the record jade slip already.¡± After a short while, the jade slip flew back out from within the door, and an indifferent voice rang out. ¡°Come in.¡± The three of them entered, and a middle-aged Daoist was seated on high with several disciples below him. As it turned out, the Deacon of Spirit Weapons Hall was a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse. The middle-aged Daoist glanced at Xu Disheng and Chu Qing¡¯er and instructed the several disciples below him. ¡°In accordance with the record in the jade slip, give the Rank 6 Spiritual Root a low-grade protective Daoist robe Spirit Tool. As for the rest, proceed as usual.¡± "" ¡°Understood, Lord Deacon.¡± A disciple immediately received the order and went into the pavilion¡¯s treasury. After about half the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the disciple came back out. When he reached the main lobby, he said respectfully, ¡°Lord Deacon, I have brought the items.¡± He waited for the middle-aged Daoist to nod his head, then gave the things he was carrying to Xu Disheng and Chu Qing¡¯er one by one. Xu Disheng was given a high-grade Martial Treasure sword, just like his Autumn Water Sword, as well as a light green Daoist robe, which was faintly emitting a magical, halo-like glow. Chu Qing¡¯er didn¡¯t receive such an item. Instead, she received an ordinary Martial Treasure Daoist robe. Chu Qing¡¯er stared at the low-grade Daoist robe Spirit Tool in Xu Disheng¡¯s hands, not concealing the envy in her eyes in the slightest. Seeing that the matter was completed, Liu Dian saluted and said, ¡°Then we will withdraw for now, Lord Deacon.¡± He took Xu Disheng and Chu Qing¡¯er along with him to exit Spirit Weapons Pavilion before saying, ¡°Since you two are disciples recruited from those Secret Realms, have you already cultivated the Shangqing Profound Laws? If that¡¯s the case, then for now you don¡¯t need to pick a cultivation method straight away. You can wait several days and find a place to stay first, then come back to the Spirit Origin Hall to pick a cultivation method at Cultivation Method Pavilion. We will first go to Human Resources Hall to pick up your identity jade slips and spirit stones, and then I will drop you two off at the Outer Region.¡± Xu Disheng and Chu Qing¡¯er nodded their heads in agreement. Liu Dian brought the two of them out of Spirit Origin Hall, seeming to be in a hurry as he walked quickly towards Human Resources Hall. On Mountain Affairs Peak, flying was prohibited. Once they landed on the peak, they could only walk. There was not a single person who dared to violate this rule. The fact that even a place as small as the Spirit Weapons Pavilion in the Spirit Origin Hall of Mountain Affairs Peak was being guarded by a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse made Xu Disheng realize all over again the enormity of the behemoth that was the Shangqing Sacred Sect. From Human Resources Hall, Xu Disheng received an identity jade slip and 3 spirit stones, while Chu Qing¡¯er only received 2. Liu Dian said, ¡°These spirit stones are only the amount given to you at the start. After this, outer disciples who haven¡¯t yet reached the Sea of Qi stage will only be able to receive 1 spirit stone per month, regardless of whether they belong to the low class Spiritual Root or middle class Spiritual Root. As for spiritual medicines, medicinal pills, and so on, those are something that you new disciples won¡¯t be able to afford, so don¡¯t even bother thinking about it.¡± Xu Disheng saluted and said, ¡°Sorry for all the trouble. Thank you, Senior Martial Brother.¡± Liu Dian gave a wry smile and replied, ¡°No problem. This is my duty after all, so I have no choice.¡± It was clear that he didn¡¯t really like having to help with leading around new disciples. He turned around and continued, ¡°To finish up this matter, I will be bringing you two to the Outer Region where you will stay.¡± The two of them nodded and boarded Liu Dian¡¯s Spirit Cloud, which began to head in the direction of the massive mountain peak that was known as the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain. CH 46 Chapter 46 ¨C Outer Region The mountain that made up the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain Range was over 2,400 meters in altitude, the peak towering majestically up into the sky. There were thousands of seemingly randomly scattered courtyards of varying sizes at different altitudes on the mountain, all the way down to the lowest point at the very foot of the mountain. Liu Dian landed the Spirit Cloud, bringing Xu Disheng and Chu Qing¡¯er to the foot of the Outer Region. They stopped in front of a slightly larger one of those scattered courtyards, which was none other than the Outer Region¡¯s Errands Office. When Liu Dian landed the Spirit Cloud, several errand disciples came forward. Liu Dian turned and said, ¡°Give them your identity jade slips.¡± Xu Disheng and Chu Qing¡¯er pulled out their jade slips and an errand disciple stepped forward to receive them. After examining them, he said, ¡°New disciples entering the Outer Region will be assigned a courtyard. Xu Disheng, number 3763. Chu Qing¡¯er, number 2783.¡± He pulled two jade slips out from his chest pocket and continued, ¡°These jade slips are the keys to open the array in your courtyard. Don¡¯t lose them.¡± Every courtyard was enclosed by a small array for gathering spiritual energy, protection, communication, and taking pictures, all combined in one. Although it had the lowest level performance on all of these aspects, the functions were very inclusive and it took care of many things. It could be seen how deep the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s reserves were, given that even the mere outer disciples had access to something like this. Xu Disheng received the jade slip key. When he saw that Liu Dian had already left on his Spirit Cloud, he shook his head. He said to the Outer Region errand disciple, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, may I ask where Courtyard 3763 is?¡± The errand disciple raised his brow and replied, ¡°The record jade slip said that you had Rank 6 Spiritual Root, so the courtyard assigned to you is pretty good. It¡¯s located about halfway up the mountain, about 1500 meters from the base of the mountain. It might be a little difficult to get to though.¡± He pointed towards the foot of the mountain, where there was an extremely steep, meandering path. It was clearly made in a slipshod, haphazard manner, and despite it being the only way up the mountain, there was not a person to be seen walking the path. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes traced up the peak that extended up into the skies. He estimated that on foot, it would take him about 7 days to climb halfway up the mountain. ¡°Aside from this path, are there any other ways to get up the mountain?¡± Just as the errand disciple was about to open his mouth and speak, a round-faced youth passed by them. He gave Xu Disheng a look over and butted in. ¡°Just arrived, I¡¯m guessing? Junior Martial Brother, if you ride my Spirit Cloud, I can quickly and safely take you halfway up the mountain in just the time it takes an incense stick to burn. It¡¯ll only cost 1 spirit stone. Look at how precarious that path is. If you want to climb halfway up the mountain, you¡¯ll have to climb at least 1200 meters. I¡¯m afraid that even for you, you probably won¡¯t make it even after several days, and you¡¯ll have suffered so much for nothing.¡± Upon seeing this, the errand disciple didn¡¯t interrupt. He just shook his head, giving Xu Disheng and Chu Qing¡¯er each a small jade bottle before turning around and going back into the courtyard. The round-faced youth glanced at his surroundings. He saw that there were several other disciples who were ¡®waiting for work¡¯, looking in this direction. When he saw them slowly approaching, he couldn¡¯t help becoming a bit anxious. ¡°Junior Martial Brother, I¡¯ll be a good person today! Just for you two, I¡¯ll make it half a spirit stone each. Come on aboard.¡± Xu Disheng looked around him, immediately understanding the situation going on. He replied, ¡°Thank you for your good intentions, Senior Martial Brother. However, I still want to look around the scenery of the mountain base a bit more.¡± Chu Qing¡¯er didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. ¡°Senior Martial Brother, just take us up there. I want to go to Courtyard 2783,¡± she said. The round-faced youth looked pleased. ¡°2783, is it? Junior Martial Sister, I guarantee that you will arrive in just the time it takes an incense stick to burn. However, about the fare¡­ you have to pay it in advance,¡± he replied, rubbing his fingers together as he glanced at Chu Qing¡¯er. Aside from the 30 spirit stones that Chu Qing¡¯er gifted to Li Daoming, she still had some spirit stones remaining that were given to her by Emperor Chu. As a result, she didn¡¯t bother to spend frugally. She casually tossed over the 2 spirit stones that she received earlier from the Human Resources Hall on Mountain Affairs Peak, then turned and said to Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Xu Disheng, do you want to come with me? I¡¯ll cover the fare for you.¡± Seeing Chu Qing¡¯er acting this generously, the round-faced youth smiled widely and said, ¡°Junior Martial Sister, you two should hurry up and get on so we can depart.¡± The people around them had already walked over. When they saw the 2 spirit stones in the round-faced youth¡¯s hand, their eyes filled with greed, and they immediately understood what happened. One of them exclaimed, ¡°Liu Santu, you really have no shame, deceiving a Junior Martial Brother and Sister who just entered the mountain like this!¡± ¡°Junior Martial Sister, if you ride my Spirit Cloud, it¡¯ll only be 1 spirit stone for the both of you!¡± ¡°Look like this bastard Liu Santu happened across some dumb luck today. In the blink of an eye, he got his hands on 2 spirit stones!¡± The face of the round-faced youth, Liu Santu, became somewhat stiff. He turned around, flashing a smile at Chu Qing¡¯er. ¡°Junior Martial Sister, don¡¯t mind them. These Senior Martial Brothers were only joking around with you. Let¡¯s hurry up and go,¡± he said. He was very obviously taking these two for complete fools. Chu Qing¡¯er was by no means a fool. She ignored those people and spoke to Xu Disheng. ¡°Xu Disheng, are you coming or not? Otherwise I¡¯m leaving,¡± she said, getting on Liu Santu¡¯s Spirit Cloud. Clearly, she didn¡¯t care enough to bother taking back the spirit stones she handed over as fare. Xu Disheng looked up at the pretty girl standing on the Spirit Cloud, and after a short pause he got on as well. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said to her, feeling a bit confused inwardly. Throughout the entire trip up to this point, Chu Qing¡¯er didn¡¯t really interact with him, and now she had casually spent 2 spirit stones, paying for his trip up the mountain. Presumably, Emperor Chu had given her plenty of spirit stones, but even still, it wasn¡¯t his money to spend. Xu Disheng would have to owe her a favor for this in the future. From the 3 spirit stones he had received not long ago, Xu Disheng could feel a pure, refined spiritual energy emanating from them. If he cultivated while holding one in his palm, he would be able to receive an effect that was about 70-80% of that of the Emperor Chu¡¯s Spirit Gathering Formation in the Heavenly Heart Palace. Each and every spirit stone was extremely precious! "" Liu Santu gave the rest of those disciples a haughty glance before activating his Spirit Cloud, urging it toward the heights of the massive mountain peak. As the Spirit Cloud slowly ascended, streaking by the passing scenery, Chu Qing¡¯er looked at the steep, meandering mountain path where not a soul could be seen. Then, she looked down at the small jade bottle in her hands, which the errand disciple had given her earlier. She opened her mouth to ask, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, what does this jade bottle do? This mountain path is so steep. How do the other disciples without Spirit Clouds get up and down the mountain? Do they really have no option but to take this secluded, dangerous mountain path?¡± Liu Santu turned around, smiling at her before replying, ¡°It looks like that errand disciple forgot to explain that to you two. Those are Fasting Pills. You can take one for each meal, and you can go half a year without having to eat or drink. Once you enter the Sea of Qi stage, you won¡¯t need Fasting Pills anymore. The Jianggong Sea of Qi in your body will have formed its own cycle, and you won¡¯t have the need to eat anymore. When he spoke up to this point, he gazed at the dangerous, rugged mountain path before continuing, ¡°As an outer disciple, if there¡¯s nothing they have to do, why would they descend the mountain? Without joining a Peak, others won¡¯t even consider you to have officially joined the sect. You also don¡¯t need to do missions, so all you need to do is receive the year¡¯s worth of spirit stone and resources, then stay on the mountain and undergo painstaking cultivation. Occasionally, they have to come down the mountain to choose a cultivation method and other such matters, so some of them won¡¯t be stingy and will spend half a spirit stone to ride a Spirit Cloud. You just need to be careful that you don¡¯t violate any sect rules, otherwise you will be punished severely.¡± In a momentary slip of the tongue, he accidentally revealed the market price for going up and down the mountain, which was actually half a spirit stone. However, Chu Qing¡¯er wasn¡¯t mindful of these small details. She exclaimed in surprise, ¡°You can receive the year¡¯s worth of cultivation resources in advance?¡± Liu Santu replied, ¡°Yes. Otherwise, it would pose too big of a problem to those disciples that have to go up and down the mountain. There are very, very few who actually take the mountain path.¡± The disciples that were under the Sea of Qi stage only received 1 spirit stone in resources every month. In order to buy a Spirit Cloud, which was a low-grade Spirit Tool, it would require over 10 Spirit Stones. Even if they were to receive the entire year¡¯s worth of Spirit Stones in advance and buy a Spirit Cloud, while they would be able to conveniently travel up and down the mountain, they wouldn¡¯t have any Spirit Stones at their disposal. Their cultivation speed would end up dropping by over ten times, making it no different from killing the chicken to take the eggs. Aside from those whose families were rich, a grand majority of the new disciples would opt to receive the year¡¯s worth of spirit stones in advance, then cultivate arduously in the Outer Region. They wouldn¡¯t lightly come down the mountain for anything. Liu Dian didn¡¯t tell them about any of this. It was unknown whether it was deliberate or not, but he only had them receive the first month¡¯s worth of spirit stones. CH 47 Chapter 47 ¨C Courtyard Xu Disheng noticed that the higher they went, the more concentrated the spiritual energy was becoming. By the time they reached about 900 meters in altitude, the spiritual energy was comparable to a small-scale Spirit Gathering Formation in the Mortal Secret Realms. He wondered to himself what kind of cultivation speed he would be able to achieve if he stayed in one of these courtyards which had a miniature Spirit Gathering Formation while cultivating with a spirit stone in hand. It was no surprise that there were so many Cleansed Meridians stage disciples here. Even Sea of Qi stage disciples could be seen everywhere, and they were all extremely young. In this place, even a pig might be able to slowly cultivate its way to the Sea of Qi stage given enough time. Previously, Xu Disheng thought that the only advantage that the disciples from the Mortal Secret Realms had over the disciples who were native to the Human Realm was that they had cultivated the Shangqing Profound Laws beforehand, and thus had some foundation of cultivating profound qi. However, he now realized that this slight advantage was nothing in the face of this kind of cultivation environment. In a case like Daoist Lord Qingxin in the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm, back when he first entered the Sea of Qi stage, he was only 30 years old, and full of spirit and mettle. But simply because he broke a sect rule, he was punished by being sent to the cage known as the Secret Realms for over 200 years, which was why he was still wasting his time away at the Sea of Qi stage. Since the rules in the Mortal Secret Realms were incomplete, there wasn¡¯t enough spiritual energy, and unless he was able to break away from that cage, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to break through even if another 200 years went by. As he was contemplating these matters, they had already arrived at a point halfway up to the middle of the mountain, at an altitude of about 900 meters. Liu Santu landed the Spirit Cloud into the middle of a large group of courtyards and said, ¡°Junior Martial Sister, Courtyard 2783 is in the middle of this group of courtyards, but you¡¯ll need to carefully look for it yourself.¡± Then he turned and asked Xu Disheng, ¡°What number is your courtyard?¡± Xu Disheng looked at the key jade slip in his hand before replying, ¡°Courtyard 3763.¡± Liu Santu looked a bit shocked. ¡°A middle-rank courtyard? Are you a Rank 6 Spiritual Root?¡± Xu Disheng nodded his head. Liu Santu cast an envious gaze at him and said, ¡°Your courtyard is even higher up, so I¡¯ll take you there. Those middle-rank courtyards are all mostly occupied by those Senior Martial Brothers and Sisters who are about to break through to the Sea of Qi stage, and belong to the middle class Spiritual Root Sequence.¡± Chu Qing¡¯er didn¡¯t have much to say, and she only looked at Xu Disheng before saying, ¡°Well then, I¡¯m leaving now.¡± She didn¡¯t wait for his reply before turning around and walking off towards the complex consisting of dozens of courtyards. Liu Santu urged the Spirit Cloud back into the air, bringing Xu Disheng along with him to continue their journey. When they ascended another 300 or so meters, the spiritual energy started becoming so thick that it was on the brink of forming into mist. "" There was a terraced clearing along the mountain, forming an extremely wide space upon which a few dozen courtyards were situated. Each of those courtyards was more spacious and refined than those belonging to the group of courtyards that Chu Qing¡¯er was dropped off at. The outside of every courtyard was enveloped in a translucent barrier of light, which constantly emitted a faint halo. Liu Santu landed the Spirit Cloud and took a look around at the few dozen courtyards around them. With a hint of envy and admiration in his tone, he said, ¡°This is one of the small communities of the middle-rank courtyards. Is there anything else that Junior Martial Brother doesn¡¯t understand? You can go ahead and ask, and I¡¯ll consider it as part of the price of the 2 spirit stones that were paid.¡± Xu Disheng replied, ¡°Thank you, Senior Martial Brother. I see that the Outer Region of the Mingxin Mountain is a place of arduous cultivation. Is there anything that I should avoid while I am here?¡± Liu Santu looked at Xu Disheng and said, ¡°There isn¡¯t much. You¡¯ll understand everything when you enter your courtyard. But if I had to say one thing, absolutely do not violate any sect rules. Unless you are a part of one of those privileged social classes, the law is absolutely merciless. If you end up breaking a sect rule, it¡¯ll be far too late to even regret it.¡± Xu Disheng got off the Spirit Cloud, and after thanking Liu Santu, he walked directly towards the courtyards. As he walked among the courtyards, he noticed that the terraced ground was vast, with little slope to it. It was practically like flat ground, and between every courtyard, there were at least 30 meters between them, which was quite a generous amount of space. As he continued along, he felt several gazes sweeping over him, all of them observing him carefully. From time to time, he even felt the sea of consciousness domains of Sea of Qi stage powerhouses spreading outwards and enveloping him. He didn¡¯t care about them, and was only paying attention to the stone steles in front of each courtyard. ¡°3761, 3762, 3763,¡± he muttered. When Xu Disheng finally arrived and saw the exquisite courtyard spread before him, a look of satisfaction surfaced in his eyes. In front of the courtyard was a stone stele with the numbers ¡®3763¡¯ engraved on it, and the light barrier that enveloped the entire courtyard was originating from this stone stele. The two courtyards on both sides of his courtyard were very quiet, to the point that Xu Disheng didn¡¯t even know if there was anyone inside them, but he didn¡¯t bother to look. Xu Disheng took out the key jade slip and held it up to the stone stele. A hole about 1 person wide opened up in the faint light barrier and Xu Disheng walked inside. Once he was in, the rift in the light barrier sealed back up seamlessly with a swirling shimmer of luminosity. Only after entering the courtyard did Xu Disheng discover that the spiritual energy within was actually over 10 times richer than the outside. Earlier, when he was outside the courtyards, he had been probed by many Sea of Qi stage sea of consciousness domains, so the inside of the courtyard was clearly a lot safer than any place outside of the light barrier. The courtyard was simple, with only 4 rooms. It wasn¡¯t too decorated too lavishly, but everything was extremely well-made and refined. It was furnished with tables, beds, sofas, stone counters, a pill furnace, Dao platforms, and so on. It was also possible to grow some low-grade spiritual fruits and spiritual medicines in the courtyard, and there was even an Alchemy Room with an ordinary pill furnace that could be used to refine pills. It was small, but it had everything needed for pill refinement. However, it was a pity that Xu Disheng knew nothing about alchemy and spiritual plants, so it was totally unclear when these things would have any sort of use. Suddenly, the key jade slip in Xu Disheng¡¯s hands began to vibrate. He held it up, and a segment of information entered his mind. ¡°The Sect Rules of the Shangqing Sacred Sect.¡± After a long while, Xu Disheng set down the jade slip with a pensive look upon his face. The Sect Rules of the Shangqing Sacred Sect was over several hundreds of lines long, and was extremely strict. First and foremost was that the ranking of each mountain was extremely distinct. There were duties that the Mountain Ranges at the top of the ranking had to fulfill. For example, the Wenyuan Third Mountain Range had the Affairs Hall and the Directory Hall, which were in charge of the distribution of resources to all the disciples of the Eight Mountains, in addition to keeping records, rank examinations and so on. In particular, the duties that the Affairs Hall were in charge of consisted of a great variety. Even though they were just one Hall, they had 3 Great Elders and 9 Deacons, and each of those 9 Deacons was in charge of a specific type of matter. For example, the admission of disciples from the Secret Realms was overseen by one of those Deacons, and Liu Xiangji was one of the Secret Realm Envoys under that Lord Deacon. And then there was Li Daoming on Cangming Peak who was the nephew of one of those 3 Great Elders and controlled the placement of disciples from the Secret Realms. The amount of authority he had was indisputable. If any proud sons of heaven who had Rank 5 Spiritual Root and above appeared in the 27 Mortal Secret Realms, he would try to bring them over to his side the moment he learned of their existence. The Fourth Mountain was the Mountain of Law, and had the Disciplinary Hall and the Patrol Enforcement Hall, which were in charge of law enforcement, passing judgment regarding sentences, and patrolling the tens of thousands of li of land belonging to the Sacred Sect. The several Mountains at the end of the ranking didn¡¯t have as much wealth, authority, or special functions. Among the Eight Mountains, they had fairly ordinary lineage in comparison. However, while the sect rules of the Shangqing Sacred Sect were strict, they placed very little restrictions upon the disciples of the Eight Mountains. Most of the restrictions were being placed upon those disciples who had already passed the Mountain Entry Examination and joined a Peak. After all, a grand majority of the disciples in the Outer Region had only been recruited recently. The disciples in all eight of the Outer Regions amounted to a total somewhere in the tens of thousands, and in the future, they would serve as the fresh blood entering the sect. Almost all of the disciples belonging to the Outer Regions of the Mountains at the top of the ranking entered one of the Peaks in the Inner Region through recommendation, although there weren¡¯t many of these kinds of disciples. Most of the disciples that were recruited from the Human Realm and the Mortal Secret Realms were assigned to either the Outer Region of the Mingxin Sixth Mountain or the Outer Region of the Zhuri Eighth Mountain. Therefore, those two Mountains had far more outer disciples than the rest, even though the amount of resources allocated to them was less than the other Mountains. As a Rank 6 Spiritual Root belonging to the middle class Spiritual Root Sequence, the treatment that Xu Disheng received wasn¡¯t bad. At the very least, he had a middle-rank courtyard, which he was extremely satisfied with. With how concentrated the spiritual energy was here, his cultivation speed would be extremely fast. Plus, the Soul Force in his sea of consciousness had started growing at an explosive rate ever since he entered the Human Realm. After all, the essence of the sun and moon in the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm was pathetically sparse and lacking in spiritual nature, so the upper limit on the amount of Soul Force he had currently was the result of 10 years of slow accumulation. "" This courtyard was located more than 1200 meters up the mountain. The sunlight that shone from the three suns in the sky within the Mortal Secret Realms was like the twinkling light of a firefly in comparison to the beaming radiance of the three great suns in the Human Realm. Thus, when Xu Disheng even slightly revolved the Nourishing Soul Mantra of Soul Song, the essence of the sun and moon in the Human Realm, which was brimming with spiritual energy, would come rushing crazily into his sea of consciousness, and would be transformed into Soul Force at a rate tens of times faster than before. His sea of consciousness in his Baihui meridian point was slowly expanding, and the ocean of black-colored Soul Force within was becoming even more resplendent. Xu Disheng felt that if he continued to cultivate like this for a few days, the ocean of Soul Force in his sea of consciousness would undergo its first fundamental transformation. CH 48 Chapter 48 ¨C Sect Affairs Hall Xu Disheng lowered his head and looked at the spirit stone in his palm, which had already been exhausted of spiritual energy. His brows slightly furrowed, and with a slight clench of his fist, the spent spirit stone crumbled into a fine powder, falling through the cracks between his fingers. He had used up three spirit stones in just 20 days, but the effects that they brought to his cultivation were considerable. Due to various contributing factors, the speed at which he was able to purify and compress profound qi in his Sea of Qi was greatly increased, and the Sea of Qi in Xu Disheng¡¯s Jianggong meridian point had already begun to take a preliminary form. The Sea of Qi stage profound qi swirling and circulating around his Jianggong point was extremely refined. However, outer disciples who hadn¡¯t yet reached the Sea of Qi stage could only receive 1 spirit stone per month for cultivation resources, and he was going through spirit stones at a rate of one per every 7-8 days. Even if he received the year¡¯s worth of cultivation resources in advance, it would only amount to 12 spirit stones, which was far from enough. Once someone experienced the amazing cultivation speed that cultivating with spirit stones could provide, it was hard for them not to be disappointed when they tried to go back to absorbing spiritual energy and transforming it to profound qi the regular way. After all, there was a difference of several tens of times in cultivation speed. Xu Disheng browsed through the key jade slip again. At the end of the ¡°Sect Rules of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡±, there was an appendix section with some simple information. Outer disciples weren¡¯t required to do any sect missions. They just had to focus on cultivating to the Sea of Qi stage and then participate in the Mountain Entry Examination. There were some who took over 10 years to reach the Sea of Qi stage, while there were others who were lacking in aptitude and resources, requiring several decades to reach the Sea of Qi stage. If they couldn¡¯t pass the Mountain Entry Examination, they could only stay stuck in the Outer Region. To this point, resources such as spirit stones were especially important. No matter how poor someone¡¯s aptitude was, they could still quickly reach the Sea of Qi stage if they simply had enough spirit stones. The information written in the appendix revealed that outer disciples could take the initiative to go to the Sect Affairs Palace Hall and apply for some sect missions if they wanted to obtain extra spirit stones. However, even the most simplest and most basic sect missions required a Sea of Qi stage cultivation. The grand majority of the outer disciples had very elementary cultivation realms, and even the better ones among them were only at the Cleansed Meridians stage. Doing these missions was extremely dangerous. If there was even the slightest mishap, they would certainly disappear forever. As a result, almost everyone was unwilling to go down the mountain, even despite the utter lack of spirit stones and slow cultivation speed. They just blindly cultivated, using time as a currency to reach the Sea of Qi stage. After all, once they reached the Sea of Qi stage, their lifespan would increase to 500 years, so they still had a long future ahead of them. There was no need to go out of their way to do the sect missions that only those disciples who had already joined a Peak would normally do, facing life-threatening danger in the process. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t want to put up with this slow cultivation speed caused by a lack of spirit stones. He stood up, taking the key jade slip with him, and walked out of the room into the courtyard. The courtyard was as serene as always, and the surrounding courtyards were as silent and seemingly deserted as before. He looked up and gazed off into the distance at the edges of the terraced platforms, and caught sight of several human figures. Xu Disheng pondered for a moment, then walked out from the light barrier and made his way towards them. Those people were currently sitting next to a massive boulder, talking amongst themselves. Upon seeing Xu Disheng approaching, their eyes lit up. Among them was a square-faced guy who said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, do you want to go down the mountain?¡± Xu Disheng said, ¡°I do want to go down the mountain, but¡­ right now, I don¡¯t have any spirit stones on me.¡± In fact, the mountain path was located not far from Xu Disheng¡¯s courtyard, but it was extremely steep. It extended perilously downwards through the clouds and mist as far as the eye could see. It wasn¡¯t that Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t thought of taking the mountain path. It was just that there was almost no one on the path, and it was winding and precipitous, turning frequently every few hundred meters. With his Cleansed Meridian stage cultivation, he would end up dying a horrible death if he were to accidentally lose his footing even once. A look of disappointment surfaced on the square-faced youth¡¯s face, and he sat back down. But another one among them, a young man with a pockmarked face, was a little quicker on the uptake. He said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, are you going to receive your spirit stones? In that case, I can first drop you off, and then regarding the fare¡­ you can give it to me after you pick up your spirit stones.¡± Xu Disheng sized up the several people in front of him. All of them were wearing Spirit Tool-class Daoist robes, so they were probably all Rank 6 Spiritual Root like him, and had a similar cultivation somewhere around the Cleansed Meridians stage. However, they were all wealthier than he was by far. Xu Disheng nodded and replied, ¡°That works.¡± The youth with the pockmarked face revealed a smile. ¡°Come aboard then. Once we get there you can pay me half a spirit stone.¡± He summoned his Spirit Cloud and got on first. The youth with the pockmarked face was fairly talkative. On the way, Xu Disheng came to learn that his name was Zhao Yuan, and he originally came from a land under the jurisdiction of the Sacred Sect. When he first came to the sect several years ago, he hadn¡¯t even reached the Cleansed Meridians stage yet. For the last several years, he had put up with the slow cultivation speed and saved up around a dozen spirit stones to buy a Spirit Cloud. Now, he usually chauffeured around new disciples and other disciples who couldn¡¯t afford to buy a Spirit Cloud to go up and down the mountain, earning himself a profit in spirit stones. The group of courtyards that Xu Disheng¡¯s lived in was a middle-rank community, so the lowest there were Rank 6 Spiritual Roots, and there were even talents with Rank 5 Spiritual Roots. However, those talents only needed a few years to reach the Sea of Qi stage, and they would often be quickly scooped up by other powers in the sect. They wouldn¡¯t end up staying in the Outer Region for long. "" Eventually, Xu Disheng and Zhao Yuan arrived at Mountain Affairs Peak. Just as always, there were many people coming and going, and various travel-type Spirit Tools and beams of light colored the sky. The four palace halls towered impressively at dizzying heights. Xu Disheng said, ¡°I¡¯m going to go to the Human Resources Hall to receive my spirit stones. You can wait here for me.¡± Zhao Yuan smiled and replied, ¡°That works for me. I¡¯ll be waiting here for you.¡± Xu Disheng nodded, then made his way to the Human Resources Hall. The Human Resources Hall and the Examination Hall were less frequented than the other two halls. In the hall, there was only one human resources disciple present, who was in the middle of making a record on a jade slip. Xu Disheng saluted and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, I would like to receive my share of spirit stones for the next year in advance.¡± The human resources disciple continued making records in the jade slip, not bothering to raise his head as he replied, ¡°Your jade identity tablet.¡± Xu Disheng handed it over, and the human resources disciple sank his spiritual sense into it to check it. He tossed back the jade slip and recited, ¡°Outer Disciple Xu Disheng, one year advance payment of 12 spirit stones, as recorded. You can go to the rear hall to receive them now.¡± Xu Disheng thanked him before going to the rear hall to pick up the spirit stones. He set aside half a spirit stone and gave it to Zhao Yuan, then headed directly to the Sect Affairs Hall. The Sect Affairs Hall was unlike the Human Resources Hall. It was extremely wide and over 100 meters tall, and even the palace gate stood at a grandiose height comparable to about 5 people standing on top of each other. When Xu Disheng entered the palace hall, he saw an endless stream of people passing through, and almost every person that he saw was a Sea of Qi stage official disciple. There were even one or two amongst them that had boundlessly profound auras, and when Xu Disheng slightly sensed them, he discovered that they were actually formidable Dao Foundation stage powerhouses like Emperor Chu. Wherever those Dao Foundation stage powerhouses walked, disciples would go out of their way to make space for them, greeting them respectfully as they passed. Mingxin Mountain had 300 Peaks, and each of them had a Peak Master and a Vice Peak Master. There was a good chance that these Dao Foundation stage powerhouses that occasionally passed by were one of these Peak Masters or Vice Peak Masters, so no one dared to be disrespectful. Xu Disheng walked into the hall. There was a massive table with several hundred record jade slips laid out on top of it. From time to time, people would pick up the jade slips to accept the missions within, and the details would then be sent to their jade identity tablet. He randomly picked one up, and dense clusters of information about several hundred missions appeared in his mind. ¡°Pick 10 Moonlight Flowers from Broken Moon Valley and turn them in at the Botany Hall¡¯s branch on Mingxin Mountain. Reward of 40 spirit stones.¡± ¡°A half-transformed tiger demon was discovered 9,800 li to the east of Mingxin Mountain. It has developed spiritual awareness necessary for cultivation. Subjugate the demon and turn it in at the Demon Refining Hall¡¯s branch on Mingxin Mountain. Reward of 60 spirit stones.¡± ¡°Act as an envoy on behalf of the Sacred Sect to go to the Anbei Province and protect the Liu Clan¡¯s prosperity for 10 years. Reward of 100 spirit stones and one Spirit Tool sword. Note: Requires a cultivation of at least the peak of the Sea of Qi stage.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­¡± These missions were collected by the Affairs Hall¡¯s Sect Affairs Division. Hundreds of disciples were always working day and night to collect these tasks or find abnormalities and strange treasures. Or, if someone were to put in a commission or request, these disciples would immediately record it as a mission and send it to the Sect Affairs Hall, where the completion rewards would be assessed. Disciples of all cultivation realms would perform these missions, thus ensuring the prosperity and vitality of the sect. CH 49 Chapter 49 ¨C Hanging Moon Valley TL Note: Identity jade slip ¡ú jade identity tablet Xu Disheng put down that jade slip and picked up another one, his brows furrowing in the process. These missions were all very dangerous, and it could be said that not a single one of them was easy. If it wasn¡¯t monsters, it was demons, and he could deal with neither of those given his current capabilities. After going through several jade slips, Xu Disheng still didn¡¯t find any suitable missions. He looked up at the sect affairs disciples behind the massive table. A thought arose in his mind, and he made his way around the table. ¡°Excuse me, Senior Martial Brother. Are there any missions that a Cleansed Meridian stage outer disciple can do?¡± Xu Disheng approached them and asked with a polite greeting. One of the sect affairs disciples among them heard what he said and shot him a glance. He said in a well-meaning tone, ¡°You¡¯re a disciple who recently entered the Outer Region, right? Don¡¯t even think about it. Even the most ordinary of those missions have very few people who are willing to go do them. People only do them because they are forced to do several a year once they officially join a Mountain Range. Other people avoid these missions like the plague, but you actually want to go out of your way to do them? It¡¯d be better for you to just hurry back and cultivate to the Sea of Qi realm first.¡± His words weren¡¯t entirely accurate, however. While most people were indeed this way, there were some proud sons of heaven who were eager to perform more missions and heroically forge ahead by earning resources to boost their strength. Mingxin Mountain had several tens of thousands of official disciples, so there was no way that every single one of them would be so perfunctory and cower away from these missions. Nonetheless, this sect affairs disciple had good intentions, so Xu Disheng thanked him. Just as he was about to turn around, another sect affairs disciple said in an indifferent tone, ¡°Are you troubled about not having enough spirit stones? For daring to come here to choose a mission as a mere outer disciple, your bravery is rather commendable. Go take a look at the several jade slips on the east side. You might find the one you want there.¡± Judging by his tone, he had clearly once experienced a shortage of spirit stones himself, so he thoroughly understood what it was like. Xu Disheng gazed intently at the disciple who just spoke. It was an attractive-looking youth who was dressed in white clothes. After he finished speaking, he was no longer looking in Xu Disheng¡¯s direction. Xu Disheng expressed his gratitude, then walked over to the eastern side of the massive table. Each jade slip had dozens to hundreds of missions listed in them. Xu Disheng picked up one of the jade slips and found that almost all of the missions within were more or less the same. They were all medicinal plant gathering missions. ¡°Pick 20 Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb in the Floating Moon Valley and turn them in at the Botany Hall¡¯s branch on Mingxin Mountain. Reward of 15 spirit stones. Note: There may be a half-transformed wolf demon roaming about the area. Also, this mission can be undertaken multiple times.¡± ¡°Collect low-grade spiritual medicines and spirit fruits on behalf of the sect. In the territory of Mingxin Mountain, harvest about 80% of the spiritual medicines and spirit fruits being grown in the village near the Zhaojiang Coastal Area and turn them in at the Botany Hall branch on Mingxin Mountain. Reward of 50 spirit stones, time limit of 1 year. Note: You may borrow a high-grade storage ring-type Spirit Tool and a Spirit Cloud. Upon completion of the mission, they must be returned to the sect. Also, there may be monster attacks.¡± ¡°Pick 5 Jade Corals from the Zhaojiang River Basin and turn them in at the Botany Hall branch on Mountain Mountain. Reward of 30 spirit stones. Note: You may be attacked by monsters in the Zhaojiang waters.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­¡± These missions were almost all put out by the Botany Hall, and this was a major source of their spiritual medicines and spirit fruits. The common point between all of these missions was that they were slightly safer than the other types, but this so-called safety was totally dependent on each person¡¯s luck. If their luck was good, they would finish picking the required medicinal ingredients without running into anything. They would then be able to return safely and receive several tens of spirit stones. But this was also exactly the point that people bemoaned. If they were unlucky and their strength wasn¡¯t sufficient, they would get attacked by a monster or demon and die a gruesome death in the wilderness, their corpses left to dry under the sun. Xu Disheng continued looking for a while and eventually decided to accept the mission that involved going to the Floating Moon Valley to pick Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb. The reward amount was always proportionate to the level of danger, and in comparison to the other missions, the amount of spirit stones this mission gave really wasn¡¯t much. But this precisely meant that the mission itself wasn¡¯t that dangerous. As long as he was a little careful and avoided the half-wolf demon that was potentially roaming about, his chances of successfully completing the mission wouldn¡¯t be small by any means. Having made up his mind, he took out his jade identity tablet, then received the mission from the record jade slip into his own jade identity tablet. The detailed information regarding the mission showed up on his jade identity tablet. ¡°Floating Moon Valley, located on the outer edges of the Mingxin Mountain Range. Its specific location has been recorded on the map in the jade slip. The half-wolf demon is a Feral Wolf that gained spiritual awareness for cultivation, and has been seen wandering the Floating Moon Valley. It has the head of a wolf and the body of a human, walks on two legs, and has extraordinary strength. It is proficient in 3 types of Demonic Spells, and has strength equivalent to the Sea of Qi stage.¡± Once the information finished, small glowing icons in the shape of a blade of grass appeared on the identity jade tablet, marking the locations for the Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb that he needed to pick. Xu Disheng came out from the Sect Affairs Hall. After a moment of pondering, he went straight to Spirit Origin Hall. Spirit Origin Hall was the biggest subordinate palace hall underneath the Affairs Hall. Inside Spirit Origin Hall, there were three pavilions, which were the Spirit Weapon Pavilion, the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, and the Cultivation Method Pavilion. Even though this Spirit Origin Hall was just the branch located in the Mingxin Mountain Range, it was all-inclusive and had everything one could think of. Xu Disheng recalled what Liu Dian had said last time about picking a cultivation method the next time he visited. He entered Spirit Origin Hall, then went to the left side, towards the palace room where the Cultivation Method Pavilion was located. ¡°Your jade identity tablet.¡± An affairs disciple in black clothes said coldly upon seeing Xu Disheng approaching. He was standing in front of the pavilion with a jade slip in hand, letting off a peak Sea of Qi aura. Xu Disheng handed over his jade tablet. The affairs disciple roughly swept his through the jade tablet, then handed it back. ¡°Outer disciple Xu Disheng, you may select three cultivation methods of your own choosing. If you want to pick more than that, you must pay with spirit stones. At this time, you have not yet selected any cultivation methods.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and took back his identity jade tablet, then began to make his way into the pavilion. The affairs disciple lifted his gaze and said, ¡°It looks like you might still be unfamiliar with this place. Are you a disciple who just entered a Mountain not long ago? Let me give you some advice. Even though the first three cultivation methods are free of charge, don¡¯t pick them all at the beginning. For now, pick one, and only come back to pick another one once you master it. Don¡¯t bite off more than you can chew, otherwise you will suffer the consequences.¡± Xu Disheng stopped walking and turned around. ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Senior Martial Brother,¡± he said. The affairs disciple still had the same cold expression as before. ¡°Go on then. This is just my duty, no need for thanks.¡± After he saw Xu Disheng walk into the pavilion, his eyes gleamed with a curious light. He muttered to himself, ¡°The profound qi around his body has the faint aura of water energy. Could it be the aura of Azure Ocean? But that cultivation method is the exclusive cultivation method of that lord¡­¡± When Xu Disheng entered the pavilion, his vision was filled with a myriad of jade slips on display, dimly emitting light. As far as his eyes could see, there were several tens of thousands of neatly arranged wooden shelves, each containing a jade slip. He looked up at the directions sign hanging above. These cultivation methods were displayed in 4 different areas categorized into Attack, Defense, Deception, and Control, which were the four general attributes for cultivation methods overall. Displayed below each jade slip was the price that was required to purchase it. These prices were terrifyingly expensive. Each and every one of them was easily several dozens of spirit stones, and deeper within the pavilion, there were even some cultivation methods that were priced at hundreds or even thousands of spirit stones. After picking a cultivation method jade slip, the selection would have to be confirmed using the jade identity tablet, and then the cultivation method from the jade slip would directly appear in one¡¯s mind. These cultivation methods were strictly only for one¡¯s own cultivation, and couldn¡¯t be passed on to others. "" In this aspect, the Sacred Sect¡¯s treatment of its disciples was really quite good. After all, most of these cultivation methods jade slips were priced at tens to hundreds of spirit stones, but they still allowed their disciples to pick and cultivate three of them free of charge. In the future when they wanted to pick more cultivation methods, they would have to purchase them with spirit stones, but nonetheless, each disciple would have been able to save hundreds of spirit stones on their first three cultivation methods. CH 50 Chapter 50 ¨C Corrosion In the Cultivation Method Pavilion, there were only a few people who occasionally passed by. They came to select cultivation methods, but they were very efficient about it, leaving immediately after they finished picking. They were clearly already very familiar with the Cultivation Method Pavilion. Xu Disheng continued looking as he went along and somehow ended up wandering into the ¡°Control¡± category area. The cultivation jade slips were roughly divided into 4 areas according to the categories of Attack, Defense, Deception, and Control. Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t really short of slaughtering methods, so he randomly picked up a jade slip and sunk his consciousness into it. ¡°Bramblethorn Incantation, 5 ranks total. Summon forth numerous thorny vines that can whip, wrap, twist, crush, and kill.¡± Xu Disheng shook his head. This was a cultivation method that was only valued at a little over 10 spirit stones, and it wasn¡¯t even better than the incantation spell included in the Sacred Sect¡¯s Shangqing Profound Laws. He put it down and looked at another jade slip. ¡°Earth Bindings, 4 ranks total. Control the surrounding earth, allowing you to shape the terrain and transform it into a river swamp.¡± ¡°Binding Ocean, a method that uses the Spiritual Power of the sea of consciousness to trap and kill. Note: Only Rank 6 Spiritual Root and above can cultivate this method.¡± Xu Disheng gradually wandered deeper into the pavilion, where each cultivation method was easily priced at several hundred spirit stones. These prices were all internal pricings. If they were to be sold externally, these extremely precious cultivation methods would likely be more than a thousand spirit stones, if not more. ¡°God Binding Rope, 9 ranks total. Conjure twisting chains from the void, which can block spiritual energy or profound qi. Note: Only Rank 4 Spiritual Root and above can cultivate this method.¡± ¡°Amassing Spirit Incantation, 3 ranks total. Can gather the world¡¯s spiritual energy and form an Amassing Spirit Array within one¡¯s body using profound qi, which can also speed up one¡¯s cultivation speed by 100x. Note: Only Rank 3 Spiritual Root and above can cultivate this method.¡± ¡°Sanctioned Decree (badly damaged), 3 ranks total. Upon uttering Holy Words, golden lotuses will blossom and the darkness will stir, forcing the words into existence. Note: Only Rank 2 Spiritual Root and above can cultivate this method.¡± Xu Disheng gave a bitter laugh as he finally realized why there were so many precious cultivation methods placed here. Originally, he thought that it was a bit too extravagant for the sect to be providing 3 of these extremely precious cultivation methods to disciples for free. But now, he understood that the requirements for these cultivation methods were just far too demanding for ordinary disciples. The Shangqing Sacred Sect had existed for countless generations, and there many Rank 3 Spiritual Roots had appeared throughout the ages. That Amassing Spirit Incantation, which could be cultivated by Rank 3 Spiritual Roots, could allow them to form an Amassing Spirit Array and experience a 100-fold growth on top of their original cultivation speed. What kind of ridiculous idea was that? If they could get their hands on this cultivation method, even the worst Rank 3 Spiritual Root would probably be a Holy Lord by now, ruling over one of the Eight Mountain Ranges. A Rank 3 Spiritual Root was a proud son of heaven. The world was never fair. Xu Disheng walked out of the ¡°Control¡± category area. He wasn¡¯t interested in the ordinary jade slips here. He wasn¡¯t willing to cultivate them since it would be more worthwhile for him to just focus on cultivating the incantation Shangqing Profound Laws. Those precious cultivation methods in those jade slips couldn¡¯t be cultivated without the proper aptitude, so he had no choice but to drop them for now. He entered the ¡°Deception¡± area. There were less jade slips here in comparison, only numbering several hundred in total. ¡°Thick Fog, 5 ranks total. Can control the surrounding 100-200 meters of water vapor to condense into a thick, hazy fog. Can somewhat block the effectiveness of spiritual sense.¡± ¡°Puppet Technique (Low), 3 ranks total. Allows one to wipe the consciousness within living beings and brand them with one¡¯s spiritual sense, turning them into a puppet which can be controlled at one¡¯s will. Note: The success rate of Puppet Technique (Low) is extremely low, and the puppet will lack intelligence and can only be used to observe.¡± ¡°Transformation Incantation (badly damaged), 3 ranks total. Can somewhat change facial structure and outer appearance. At the most profound level, one can alter and transform one¡¯s body in myriad ways.¡± ¡°Corrosion Incantation (badly damaged), 3 ranks total. Adds a corrosive element to one¡¯s profound qi, which can corrode profound qi, flesh, and Spirit Tools. At the most profound level, one can corrode everything.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t look at the cultivation method jade slips that were deeper within, since he knew that even if he looked at them, he didn¡¯t have any way of cultivating them for now. But when he saw the Corrosion Incantation, he became interested in it. He wasn¡¯t short of attack methods, and his defense aspect was so-so. However, the incantation in the Shangqing Profound Laws and the Amassing Water form of Azure Ocean were capable of both attack and defense. He immediately took out his jade identity tablet and selected the Corrosion Incantation. The jade slip floated up into the air and shot out a stream of green light, which entered Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness. It then returned back to its original location on the shelf. The Corrosion Incantation appeared in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. There were 3 ranks. The first rank was called ¡°Rot¡±, and it could be cultivated at the Cleansed Meridians stage. The remaining two ranks would be revealed to him at the Sea of Qi stage and Dao Foundation stage respectively. Xu Disheng turned and went towards the ¡°Defense¡± area, thinking of selecting a defense cultivation method, when he found that his jade identity tablet was showing that he had already finished selecting his 3 cultivation methods. He stood there in shock. Could it be that rank of the cultivation method counts for 1 entire cultivation method? The Corrosion Incantation has 3 ranks, so did it use up all 3 counts? Xu Disheng went back out of the pavilion and greeted that affairs disciple in greeting before handing over his jade identity tablet. He said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, I finished picking. But just now, I only picked one cultivation method, why does it say I can¡¯t select any more?¡± The affairs disciple seemed to have experienced this before. He took his identity jade tablet and said as he made a record, ¡°You¡¯re only at the Cleansed Meridians stage, it would have been enough for you to just pick the first rank, but you actually went and picked the Sea of Qi stage and Dao Foundation stage cultivation methods as well? Other people would normally only pick the first rank from three different cultivation methods. Each rank counts as one cultivation method, so now you¡¯ve already used up all of them.¡± Xu Disheng was speechless, but he didn¡¯t feel any sense of loss. After all, he was the one who picked the cultivation method, and he would have wanted to cultivate it sooner or later. At least it saved him the spirit stones for the future. He took back his jade identity tablet and thanked the affairs disciple before turning around and leaving the Cultivation Method Pavilion. Behind him, the affairs disciple chuckled quietly and muttered, ¡°Corrosion Incantation? Hehe¡­¡± Xu Disheng currently had 11 and a half spirit stones. He wanted to go to the Spiritual Armament Pavilion and see whether he could buy a more convenient Spirit Tool. At the moment, he only had one low-grade Daoist robe Spirit Tool on him, which was distributed to him for being a Rank 6 Spiritual Root. The rest of the things he had were all Martial Treasures. Aside from the Muddy Heart Jade that was given to him by Daoist Lord Qingxin, which still had some use to him, the others were completely obsolete here. He learned after arriving here that the Muddy Heart Jade was the reward that was given to outer disciples when they reached the Sea of Qi stage. Even though Daoist Lord Qingxin hadn¡¯t passed the Mountain Entry Examination, they weren¡¯t deprived of this breakthrough reward. Even the Autumn Water sword, which was a top-grade Martial Treasure that was considered precious in the Chu Territory, was only seen as ordinary in the Mingxin Mountain Range. In fact, it was very similar to the Martial Treasure sword that was given to each disciple who had just entered the sect. It was Xu Disheng¡¯s second time coming to the Spiritual Armament Pavilion. The Dao Foundation stage Deacon wasn¡¯t here this time, and there were only several busy-looking disciples working away. One of the disciples saw Xu Disheng enter and casually tossed him a jade slip. ¡°What do you want to buy? Take a look yourself.¡± The Spiritual Armament Pavilion was unlike the Cultivation Method Pavilion in that entry into the treasury was forbidden. If someone wanted to buy something, they had to pick it out from the catalog in the jade slip themselves, pay the spirit stones, and then one of the disciples would go to the treasury in the rear hall to bring it out. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t say more. He received the jade slip and sunk his consciousness into it. ¡°Low-grade longsword Spirit Tool, 35 spirit stones.¡± At the end, there were virtual images of the sword, rotating on display while emitting a faint light. ¡°Low-grade longsword Spirit Tool, 40 spirit stones.¡± Although it was also a longsword, the shape and spiritual force that it gave off were different. Most likely, it was refined by a different refining expert. The Refining Hall was unlike the Botany Hall. The Refining Hall was called a ¡®hall¡¯, but it was completely subordinate to the Affairs Hall¡¯s Spirit Origin Hall, and was solely in charge of refining Spirit Tools and Magic Treasures for the sect. ¡°Low-grade Daoist robe Spirit Tool, 60 spirit stones.¡± Xu Disheng was shocked. The virtual image of the Daoist robe showed a garment that was the exact same as the one he was currently wearing. As it turned out, the Daoist robe that was distributed to each Rank 6 Spiritual Root was worth 60 spirit stones. Through this, it could be seen just how big of a discrepancy in the sect¡¯s treatment there was between those with exceptional aptitudes and those with ordinary aptitudes. In fact, embarrassing situations where Rank 6 Spiritual Roots would be forced to sell off their own Daoist robe Spirit Tool were pretty common, especially if they were short on spirit stones. CH 51 Chapter 51 ¨C Frame of Mind TL: Changed the name of Spirit Weapon Pavilion to Spiritual Armament Pavilion. It was revealed in this chapter that the Spirit Weapon Pavilion/Spiritual Armament Pavilion sells Spirit Tools, Spirit Weapons, and consumables, so the term ¡®armament¡¯ works a bit better, as it is a bit more inclusive of the types of items being sold in the pavilion. The jade slip in Xu Disheng¡¯s hands was the record jade slip of the Spiritual Armament Pavilion, which displayed the prices of the lowest-grade Spirit Tools and Spirit Weapons. But the number of items that Xu Disheng could actually afford to buy was painfully few. After flipping through it again, he found that there were quite a few top-grade Martial Treasures that cost several spirit stones, as well as consumables like charms. However, he wasn¡¯t short for Martial Treasures, and those charms could only be used once. If he were to use one, it would be several spirit stones gone just like that, and that would be too wasteful. There was no need for him to waste his precious spirit stones like that. Xu Disheng returned the jade slip back to them and turned around to leave. The Spiritual Armament Pavilion disciple picked up the jade slip and said to him, ¡°Are you short on money? Here, take a look at this jade slip.¡± With that, he flicked his sleeve and tossed out a jade slip, which was slightly smaller and heavier than the standard record jade slip. Xu Disheng stopped and caught it. He glanced at that Spiritual Armament Pavilion disciple, then sank his consciousness into the jade slip. ¡°Spirit Cloud, 7 spirit stones. Refined by Li Wuya.¡± ¡°Standard Longsword Spirit Tool, 23 spirit stones. Refined by Liu Xuan.¡± ¡°Standard Daoist Robe Spirit Tool, 30 spirit stones. Refined by Liu Qinsong.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Senior Martial Brother, may I dare ask why these Spirit Tools are so cheap?¡± Xu Disheng raised his head and asked, jade slip in hand. ¡°These Spirit Tools weren¡¯t put up for sale by the Spiritual Armament Pavilion of Spirit Origin Hall. They were refined by disciples that belong to various Peaks in the Mountain Ranges. These disciples commissioned the Spiritual Armament Pavilion to sell them, and the Spiritual Armament Pavilion only requires a small commission fee in return,¡± the Spiritual Armament Pavilion disciple responded matter-of-factly. ¡°Given that you aren¡¯t aware, you must be a newly admitted disciple. Most older disciples already know of this matter. You can save a lot of spirit stones this way, but there¡¯s a slight difference in the quality compared to the items sold by the Spiritual Armament Pavilion.¡± The Spirit Cloud immediately caught Xu Disheng¡¯s eye. Not having one was too inconvenient, to the point that traveling up and down the mountain was a problem. He said, ¡°Then I would like this Spirit Cloud for 7 spirit stones.¡± The look on the Spiritual Armament Pavilion disciple became somewhat strange. ¡°This Spirit Cloud refined by Li Wuya¡­ although the price is somewhat cheaper, it¡¯s rather peculiar.¡± Xu Disheng noticed the disciple¡¯s expression and his thoughts stirred. ¡°Senior Martial Brother, can you bring it out so I can take a look at it?¡± he asked. The Spiritual Armament Pavilion disciple nodded and turned around, heading to the rear hall. After a while, he came back to the front and waved his hand. A jet-black Spirit Cloud appeared in the hall, its size about the same as an ordinary Spirit Cloud. The only thing different was the fact that it was a sooty black color, looking more like a stormy thunder cloud. Xu Disheng was about to go to Floating Moon Valley to pick Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb, so it would be really inconvenient if he didn¡¯t have a flying-type Spirit Tool. This black Spirit Cloud was a little less aesthetically pleasing, but all things considered, it was still a flying-type Spirit Tool. Regular Spirit Clouds were at least 12 spirit stones, but he was a little short on spirit stones for that. Xu Disheng took out 7 spirit stones and said, ¡°Then Senior Martial Brother, I will purchase this item.¡± The Spiritual Armament Pavilion disciple didn¡¯t reach out to take his spirit stones. Instead, he waved his hand and summoned the jade slip that was on top of the black Spirit Cloud. He put it in Xu Disheng¡¯s hand and said, ¡°This is the instruction tablet for the Spirit Cloud refined by Li Wuya. You can take a look at it. You also need to pay 1 more spirit stone for the Spiritual Armament Pavilion¡¯s commission fee. There is a commission fee of 1 spirit stone for every 10 spirit stones in price. This transaction is a little less than 10 spirit stones, but you only need to pay 1 spirit stone.¡± Xu Disheng took out another spirit stone and handed it over. Then, he took the instruction tablet and swept through it. A voice rang in his ears. ¡°Getting to purchase a Spirit Cloud exclusively refined by me, you¡¯ve really struck gold! Although it¡¯s a little less pretty lookin¡¯ than the rest, it¡¯s a tad faster than ordinary Spirit Clouds since I added a Wind Gathering Array to it. This can be considered a small boon to you little Junior Martial Brothers and Sisters. For the method on how to activate the Spirit Cloud, see the appendix.¡± This instruction tablet was also a voice recording jade tablet. The voice speaking was lively and somewhat frivolous, hinting at an eccentric vigor. After Xu Disheng finished listening to the voice, he wordlessly took the Spirit Cloud and the tablet with the activation method recorded in it, then turned and left the Spiritual Armament Pavilion. The Spirit Origin Hall had three pavilions in it: the Spiritual Armament Pavilion, the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, and the Cultivation Method Pavilion. Xu Disheng looked at the multi-storied Spiritual Medicine Pavilion at the center of the hall, which was the biggest pavilion of the three, but he didn¡¯t go in. As Liu Dian had said before, the spiritual medicines and medicinal pills in the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion were extremely expensive, and weren¡¯t something that outer disciples could afford. He only had a bit over 3 spirit stones on him right now, so there was no point in him even going. Upon leaving Spirit Origin Hall, he was met with the same scenery from before. People were busily passing by, and various colored beams of light flew past or occasionally landed nearby. Most of the fliers were ordinary flying-type Spirit Tools like Spirit Clouds. From time to time, he spotted people who were using a black Spirit Cloud just like the one he had just purchased. Xu Disheng walked to the edge of a platform and gazed at the beautiful mountain scenery, thick with ethereal mist and clouds. At a point extremely high in the sky, there was a palace hidden among haziness. Profound cultivators were flying about it using their Spirit Weapons, looking like tiny grains of sand from where he was standing. Xu Disheng¡¯s heart stirred upon seeing this scenery. For the past ten or so years, he lacked direction and felt lost inside because he had lost his memories. He now felt more and more of a desire to experience an awakening within himself. He felt his heart stir once more, and he heard an indistinct murmur in his mind. His past was a dense, thick fog to him. He couldn¡¯t get any leads on it, which always drove him crazy. Xu Disheng carefully tried to dig in and recall his very first memories, but his thoughts were messy and disordered, forcing him to endure a splitting headache in the process. In his memories, there was pitch black darkness, then a stream of warm white light before he was born into the Xu Clan of the Ruyang Region. But any memories before that were just a misty haze, and he couldn¡¯t recall anything before that point no matter how much he tried. Subconsciously, Xu Disheng revolved his Soul Force, moving it to wrap around his Baihui meridian point, which slightly alleviated the violent headache he was experiencing. The massive amount of black, resplendent Soul Force in his Baihui sea of consciousness poured into the pitch black expanse of darkness within his memories, somehow forcing open a crack in the blackness. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes widened, turning bloodshot. For the first time, an extremely brilliant ray of light shone within his eyes, erupting with vitality. The tiniest crack was forced open in that pitch black sheet of darkness that was blocking the memories before his birth, from his previous life. Even though it was just an instant before the sheet of darkness sealed back up, he saw something! In that one startling scene, he saw a purple and gold hem of a robe, and the white jade tiles of the palace hall beneath it. Before the darkness sealed up, he saw the view of his own back! Xu Disheng clenched his fists tightly, digging his fingernails into his palms to the point of drawing blood. In his heart, he spoke determinedly, word by word. ¡°In this life, I must pursue the truth about my past. Even death won¡¯t stop me. If anyone tries to get in my way of that goal, I will kill them.¡± "" In his sea of consciousness, the cyan jade flute was slowly revolving and spilling forth light as it had for the past 10 plus years, continuously raising the aptitude of Xu Disheng¡¯s body. At this time, it underwent its first change. Its short body slowly grew in length, becoming a long slender cyan flute, and the magnificent light radiating from it became even more pronounced. There were detailed engravings of a dragon coiling around the flute, letting off a mystical aura. If he wasn¡¯t a reincarnated being, and wasn¡¯t someone who was self-aware since birth, he would probably still be the pampered son of the Ruyang Region¡¯s Xu Clan. He would have been able to enjoy the lavish lifestyle of nobility, but he would have stayed an ordinary mortal for his entire life. Despite being self-aware since birth, he always felt lost and muddleheaded. While he seemed normal on the surface, his inner emotions were like stagnant water, and he had little interest in life. However, entering the You Province Dao Palace had somewhat caused a contemplative mental state to stir within him. As he stood here at the edge of Mountain Affairs Peak, watching the mist-laden scenery of Mingxin Mountain Range, his dormant heart had suddenly been awakened from its slumber. This was the first time that Xu Disheng had found some clues about the truth behind his previous life, and it stimulated a strong, all-consuming desire to pursue these truths. Black vortexes swirled in his eyes. The resplendent black ocean of Soul Force in his sea of consciousness had long since become saturated. And now, under the operation of Soul Song, the ocean of Soul Force underwent a change! The ocean began to tumble and roil with angry crashing waves! In fact, black wasn¡¯t a color that could normally emit light. Even still, a bright, mystical black light shot radiantly out of the raging ocean of Soul Force. It gradually became smaller and smaller, and eventually formed into an extremely refined, pure black flute inside of his sea of consciousness. Its shape was similar to the cyan jade flute! The flute, which was made of Soul Force, floated there in his sea of consciousness, surrounded by a myriad of dynamic, twisting threads of black Soul Force. It was constantly absorbing the essence of the sun and moon from the outside world and converting it into Soul Force. Its speed of absorption was over 100 times faster than before! Xu Disheng¡¯s eyelashes slightly trembled, and his eyes suddenly opened. He looked down at his palms. Before, he could feel that he could only use the Passing Soul Mantra two or three times, but now, it would only consume an extremely small amount of Soul Force out of that Soul Force Flute. Also, the fourth mantra of Soul Song, the Swallowing Soul Mantra, had finally opened up, and he could now cultivate it. The third mantra of Soul Song, Bestowing Soul Mantra, was an auxiliary technique, and had no offensive killing power. It allowed him to pick a weapon and nourish it continually with Soul Force, turning it into a Soul Vessel. The core of it was the ¡°bestowing soul¡± part, which allowed him to trap a person¡¯s soul inside of the Soul Vessel to increase its might. That soul would never be able to return to the cycle of reincarnation, forever trapped without freedom. It could be considered a very malicious technique overall. However, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t have any suitable weapons for the Bestowing Soul Mantra. He tried it before with the Autumn Water sword, but its quality grade was too low, so it couldn¡¯t be used as a Soul Vessel. He had no choice but to set the matter aside for now. CH 52 Chapter 52 ¨C Ghost Xu Disheng summoned the black Spirit Cloud, then took out a spirit stone and placed it in the core array before getting on it. He checked the map of Floating Moon Valley in his jade identity tablet. It wasn¡¯t too far from where he was now. Mingxin Mountain¡¯s branch of the Mountain Affairs Peak was located near the edges of the Mingxin Mountain Range, while Floating Moon Valley was located right on the very edge of the mountain range. There was only a distance of several hundred li between them. When he tried to activate the Spirit Cloud, it began to float slowly upwards above the Mountain Affairs Peak, where it hovered in midair among mist and clouds. It was his first time controlling the Spirit Cloud, so he wasn¡¯t that proficient in it yet. He spent some time trying to learn how to change direction, lift off, and accelerate. After he became somewhat accustomed to it, he urged the Spirit Cloud in the direction of Floating Moon Valley. This Spirit Cloud was a bit conspicuous and unsightly, and other disciples who rode past him on their flying-type Spirit Tools would sometimes give him weird looks. At least there were a few other people who were using the same type of Spirit Cloud, so it wasn¡¯t considered too unconventional. The reason that Spirit Tool longswords were so expensive is that aside from being used for killing, they could also be used as flying mounts. Therefore, they were priced at tens to hundreds of spirit stones, so ordinary disciples couldn¡¯t afford to buy one. Inside of the mist and clouds off in the distant horizon, the vague outlines of countless towering mountain peaks could be seen. Beneath the gray clouds, the mountains extended onwards boundlessly. The three suns in the sky gradually lowered on the horizon, dying the nearby mountains and clouds a homogeneous shade of gold. All that remained in the dusk was the lonely mountain peaks standing straight and tall in the clouds and mist. Halfway up one of the mountains, there was a pounding waterfall, crashing heavily upon the rocks. Yet at the same time, the water looked soft as cloth. Over tens of thousands of years, the water had slowly worn down the rock, transforming it into smooth, polished stone as it gently flowed past. The rushing water weaved throughout the mountains, forming a picturesque beauty rife with the harmony of graceful water and rugged earth. On one of those mountains, there was an extremely steep mountain cliff. About halfway up, a certain figure could be seen speeding along, seemingly as small as an ant against the backdrop of the scenery, pushing through the mottled golden clouds as he climbed towards the summit of the mountain of untold heights. Xu Disheng was standing atop the black Spirit Cloud, wearing the light green Spirit Tool Daoist Robe. His long hair floated in the wind, and a resplendent, mystical gleam shone like starlight within his pupils, hiding the black vortexes within. He pushed the speed of the Spirit Cloud to its maximum, piercing through the clouds, which were painted pale gold by the sunset. Although this Spirit Cloud wasn¡¯t as good looking as the rest, it was a level faster than ordinary Spirit Clouds. In the span of about one hour, he already reached the edge of Floating Moon Valley. After checking the map in the jade slip, he slowly brought the Spirit Cloud to the ground. The terrain of this mountain peak was extremely steep, and the deep valley below it was known as Floating Moon Valley. At a mere glance, the valley was filled with craggy rock formations, overgrown thickets of trees, wild beasts, and venomous insects, teeming with danger. Xu Disheng put away the Spirit Cloud, then pulled out the jade slip once again to check what the Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb looked like before heading directly down to Floating Moon Valley at the base of the mountain. The trees in the valley were lush and thick. The more he continued down into the valley, the more dangerous it became. Eventually, Xu Disheng came to a stop. Before his eyes, there was a wide, clear creek flowing through the basin of the valley, the gentle murmuring of flowing water reaching his ears. Bluish-green grass grew by the water, which was completely clear and transparent. However, Xu Disheng felt a sense of danger coming from the creek. With a wave of his sleeve, he cast a Shangqing Incantation to surround himself, then went directly towards the creek. 10 meters¡­ 6 meters¡­ 3 meters¡­ Xu Disheng walked right up to the edge of the creek and looked down. The clear waters of the creek were reflecting the grass and trees, but Xu Disheng¡¯s reflection was completely different! Xu Disheng¡¯s reflection had the appearance of a withered, dried-up skeleton with only a single eye that was dripping tears of blood. When the strange reflection saw Xu Disheng lower his head to take a look, its single eye trembled grotesquely, and it shot a ghastly claw out of the creek, swiping towards Xu Disheng¡¯s face! Bang! The shroud of profound qi surrounding Xu Disheng ruptured with a loud explosion. Smoke rose off of the ghostly claws. The bloody eye sockets of the ghost filled with an utter, unquenchable hatred as it retracted its claws. "" Just as it was about to flee into the water, it suddenly found itself unable to move, causing it to let out a bizarre, ear-piercing screech. Xu Disheng had formed the hand seal for the Amassing Water form, trapping the reflection in a layer of water. Half of its body was underwater, but half of its body was suspended above the water, making it unable to move whatsoever. Xu Disheng glared at the ghost and asked, ¡°Are you capable of human tongue?¡± Xu Disheng understood very little about ghosts since they didn¡¯t exist in the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm. This was his first time seeing the ghosts of the Human Realm, so he couldn¡¯t help being a bit curious. This ghost was very weak. Xu Disheng had sensed right away that the ghost thought he was going to run, so it used his own body¡¯s reflection to lure him in. But nonetheless, Xu Disheng deliberately approached it. The ghost struggled, but it wasn¡¯t able to break free of the seemingly soft water prison. It didn¡¯t have a mouth on its face, but it was still able to produce those ear-piercing screeches. If an ordinary mortal heard these screeches, they would probably pass out on the spot. Seeing that there was no response, Xu Disheng shook his head. It didn¡¯t seem to possess sapience. He revolved the Sealing Soul Mantra to try to see if he could seal it inside of his Spirit Tool Daoist Robe or not. Although the Sealing Soul Mantra could only allow him to select one Soul Vessel to nourish, it didn¡¯t necessarily have to be a weapon. A defensive-type Spirit Tool also worked. Earlier, Xu Disheng¡¯s Soul Force underwent a qualitative change. His Soul Force had coalesced into a Soul Force Flute, so he could already completely make use of the third scripture, the Sealing Soul Mantra. The ghost¡¯s cries became louder and shriller as its body slowly shrunk down under Xu Disheng¡¯s control, causing it to float towards him. Xu Disheng reached out his hand, and a small vortex of Soul Force appeared in his palm. The ghost was sucked towards the vortex, cutting off the cacophony of screams. Xu Disheng looked at the black vortex in his palm, then thrust it towards the standardized Spirit Tool Daoist Robe. On the way here, he had been imbuing the Daoist Robe with Soul Force the entire time, so now Xu Disheng could trap his first soul within. Although it belonged to a ghost, it still counted. The selection of the Soul Vessel was extremely important. The scripture of the Sealing Soul Mantra said that only one Soul Vessel could ever be selected. For Xu Disheng to randomly select this standardized Spirit Tool Daoist Robe as his Soul Vessel, was he unaware or did he have a plan? After having that epiphanous change in his frame of mind, Xu DIsheng became like a completely different person. The look in his eyes would transform endlessly, making it difficult for people to see through him. Xu Disheng lightly grasped the Daoist Robe, causing a black beam of light to flash. A dull black shadow floated out before his eyes. Its facial features vaguely resembled the ghost from just now. As soon as the shadow appeared, it politely expressed its gratitude. ¡°Greetings, Master. Thank you for washing the ghost energy from my soul and allowing me to be reborn.¡± Xu Disheng ignored him and asked, ¡°Is there a demon on this mountain?¡± The black shadow¡¯s tone grew resentful as he replied, ¡°Master, there is a wolf demon with an extremely large physique in this valley. I was originally from a hunting family in Stone Village of the Mingxin Mountain Range. When I was out hunting one time, I accidentally set foot into this valley, and by this creek, that wolf demon swiped me to death with a single claw. After that, I turned into a ghost and my consciousness became unclear. It¡¯s already been more than 10 years since then.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and asked another question. ¡°Do you know of its current whereabouts?¡± The black shadow hesitated a bit, then responded, ¡°I don¡¯t have the slightest idea. After I transformed into a ghost, everything became blurry. In the last ten or so years, I was completely dominated by my instincts, and killed several mortals who had accidentally wandered into this place. I didn¡¯t find any clues on the wolf demon during that entire time.¡± Xu Disheng pondered a little, but didn¡¯t speak further. He reached out to grab the black shadow, and it began to grow weaker and more transparent. The black shadow tried to avoid his palm as it urgently said, ¡°Master, can you release me back into the cycle of reincarnation? I promise to work myself like an ox to pay Master back in my next life.¡± Xu Disheng shook his head. ¡°In the next life? After you enter my Soul Vessel, you will be confined within it forever. You already have no more afterlife, but at least there will be people coming to join you in the future.¡± With that, he grabbed the soul in his hand and thrust it back into the Daoist Robe. A resentful howl resounded in his ears, and the force of that intense, bitter resentment within was absorbed by the Daoist Robe, slightly raising the power of the Daoist Robe. Xu Disheng felt a bit frustrated. Every single scripture of Soul Song, the cultivation method that accompanied him at birth, was extremely malicious. The first scripture, the Nourishing Soul Mantra, was an exception, but the second scripture, the Passing Soul Mantra, was completely unheard of. The technique allowed him to pass a person¡¯s soul into nothingness, which was an extremely frightening concept. The third scripture, the Sealing Soul Mantra, left the souls unable to beg for death nor life. They would be trapped within the Soul Vessel for eternity, being used as fodder for their resentment energy to raise the power of the Soul Vessel. Unless Xu Disheng died, they would be resigned to this fate forever. However, Soul Song was essentially his bread and butter, so he couldn¡¯t just give up on it. To uncover the truths behind his past, he had to become stronger at all costs. After all, everyone had their own selfish ambitions. CH 53 Chapter 53 ¨C Swallow! Xu Disheng followed along the clear creek. The terrain of the valley became increasingly rugged, and he was now truly in the territory of Floating Moon Valley. He was scanning both sides of the creek, but there were no signs of any Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb. All he saw were the occasional wild flowers and fruits, giving off a dim light. They could barely be considered low-grade Spirit Fruits, so Xu Disheng didn¡¯t go to pick them. The first reason was because these low-grade Spirit Fruits were limited in value, so it wasn¡¯t worth the time and effort required to pick them. The second reason was that they were simply way too common in this valley. He could see several of them every few steps, so there was no way they could be anything that precious. At best, they were similar to those Red Spirit Fruits that were grown in Reed Village. He continued to follow the creek downstream, and he had now already reached the depths of Floating Moon Valley. And at last, among several of those wild fruits, Xu Disheng found a small herb that was giving off fluorescent halo of green light, swaying lightly in the wind. It was Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb, the plant he needed for the mission! Xu Disheng stepped forward, profound qi revolving in his palm. When he scooped up the Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb, there was a dark green jade attached to its roots. The Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb used this jade stone to absorb spiritual energy, which it used to grow. Just as he put away the Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb, he heard an angry howl resound in his ears, and the ground beneath his feet began to shake. Xu Disheng raised an eyebrow. That howl just now sounded a lot like a wolf¡¯s howl. His luck wasn¡¯t good. That ghost said that it had been over ten years since any traces of the wolf demon were seen, so how could he run into it immediately upon coming here? However, he didn¡¯t look that nervous. When he heard that howl, it was still several li away. Although the wolf demon¡¯s body was large, he could just take out the Spirit Cloud and fly up into the air within several breath¡¯s time. He proceeded further into the depths. He spotted several more Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb, which he harvested and wrapped in a black cloth. In a short time, the wolf¡¯s howls got increasingly closer. Xu Disheng¡¯s face became increasingly solemn, and his steps hastened as he quickened the pace that he was picking the herbs. In a short time, the dozen or so Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb in this part of the valley had been picked clean by Xu Disheng and put away safely. However, the mission objective required 20 Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb, and if he wanted to continue gathering them, he had to keep going deeper into the valley. Just as he began to ponder about whether or not he wanted to go deeper in, the wolf¡¯s howl suddenly roared deafeningly in his ears. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t think further and immediately took out the Spirit Cloud and hopped on, ascending rapidly towards the sky. Boom! In the spot where he was standing moments before, a massive crater about 3 meters wide had appeared, giving off smoke. From within the thicket, a demon with the head of a wolf and the body of a human rushed out. Its muscular, well-built body towered at about 7 meters in height. It slowly closed its mouth, which had been giving off the ominous glow of demonic power from within. Xu Disheng was inwardly fearful. This demon¡¯s Demonic Spells were the type that were shot out of its mouth. If he had reacted even a moment too late just now, it would have been really bad for him. As Xu Disheng stood there in the sky, his heart calmed down a bit, and was thinking about whether to stay or leave. A provoking look appeared in the demon¡¯s expression, and it said in human tongue, ¡°I was wondering which clan of monsters dared to come into my domain and steal my things. Looks like it was just a little junior of the Mingxin Mountain Range. Put the things down and I¡¯ll let you leave.¡± Xu Disheng understood very little about demons, but seeing as he was high in the air where he could leave wherever he wanted, he felt some contempt for the wolf demon. Xu Disheng responded, ¡°I only came to pluck a few pieces of grass. I¡¯ll return them to you next time I come by.¡± The wolf demon scoffed in anger. ¡°Life and death in the Eight Mountain Ranges is decided by natural selection. That is the rule of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. You came to my domain to pick Spirit Fruits. It would have been one thing to hide them, but you took them so openly and brazenly, and even provoked me. Even if I killed you right here, no one would come to give me trouble for it.¡± When it finished speaking, it opened its mouth and aimed it at Xu Disheng, a vortex of power swirling within. Even though Xu Disheng was standing on top of the Spirit Cloud, he felt a mortal sense of danger. Xu Disheng immediately summoned both a protective barrier of profound qi using the Shangqing Incantation and a water barrier using the Amassing Water form, while also controlling the Spirit Cloud to go higher into the sky. A ball of yellow profound qi formed in the wolf demon¡¯s mouth, and as soon as it shot out, it quickly condensed into an earthy yellow orb. In a flash, it was directly in front of Xu Disheng¡¯s face, where it exploded. Demonic Spell: Aggregating Earth! The barrier of profound qi made from the Shangqing Incantation was extremely weak, and it immediately shattered. After all, Xu Disheng was currently only at the Cleansed Meridian stage, so the quality of his profound qi couldn¡¯t block this rank of Demonic Spell. The water barrier made from the Amassing Water form lasted for a bit, but it also shattered, slightly dampening the radiance and power coming from the earthy yellow orb in the process. It exploded directly on Xu Disheng¡¯s body! Bang! The taste of blood filled Xu Disheng¡¯s mouth. He was blasted off of the Spirit Cloud by the orb, where he fell into the trees nearly a hundred meters away. The Daoist Robe that Xu Disheng had refined into a Soul Vessel had absorbed the majority of the impact. Without it, Xu Disheng might have been directly blown to smithereens from this one strike! How could a sect mission be easy to complete? In the hundreds of Peaks in the Mingxin Mountain Range, there were several tens of thousands of Sea of Qi stage disciples, but a large majority of them still regarded the sect missions as incredibly dangerous. They only went to do them when they had absolutely no choice but to do them, and that was with good reason. Not to mention, Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t even in the Sea of Qi stage yet. He laid there in the forest, his hair a mess, his entire body powerless, feeling like his bones had turned into powder. In these ten or so years, this was his first time being in such a sorry shape. When he perceived the wolf demon slowly approaching him, the corners of Xu Disheng¡¯s mouth actually curved up into a smile. He muttered, ¡°What a joke. It¡¯s only in times like this that I can truly feel that I¡¯m alive.¡± The wolf demon¡¯s body was too massive, so as it walked over, it uprooted the trees around him like weeds, tossing them aside. The wolf demon walked up to Xu Disheng. Seeing Xu Disheng lying on the ground, a cold look flashed through its lupine eyes. ¡°Not bad. You managed to take one of my Demonic Spells and live.¡± When it finished talking, it lifted up its palm and swung it down. In Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes, he saw the demon with the wolf head and human body towering over him, palm extended overhead before it sent it smashing downwards towards him. It was an extremely quick movement, but it became extremely slow in his eyes. The palace hall with the white jade tiles. The purple and gold hem of a grand robe. The meaning behind Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s actions when he tossed the Azure Ocean jade slip to him. The endearing, yet somewhat helpless expression of his mother, Jin Yu. The sword dance beneath the moonlight. The Three Realms of the Golden Crow, the Human Realm. I haven¡¯t found out the truth¡­ I haven¡¯t solved the riddle of my past¡­ How can I just stay here lying on the ground? How? Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes suddenly erupted with a resplendent black radiance as he uttered, ¡°Passing Soul.¡± Even though he was lying on the ground, black wind appeared around his body. The gale rose, instantly condensing into the skull of an evil spirit which rushed into the wolf demon¡¯s head. The wolf demon only paused for a moment, a look of confusion flashing through its cold lupine eyes. In just a moment, it recovered and continued to bring its palm down. The difference in cultivation realm was too great, so even with the might of the Passing Soul Mantra, it only caused the wolf demon to falter for a moment. But this was enough. The Muddy Heart Jade flew out from his body to block the wolf demon¡¯s hand, but it instantly exploded. Even though the Muddy Heart Jade was only a top-grade Martial Treasure, it was the reward usually given by the Sacred Sect to disciples who reached the Sea of Qi stage. This one was given to him by Daoist Lord Qingyu as a greeting gift, but it only managed to block the wolf demon¡¯s palm for a moment before shattering to pieces. But this reduced the power of the wolf demon¡¯s palm strike by 30%. A barrier of water formed by the Amassing Water form appeared around his body in a flash, reducing the palm¡¯s power yet again. The palm cut ruthlessly towards Xu Disheng¡¯s chest. A black light shone as the Daoist Robe Soul Vessel worked desperately. A faint black light flew out from it, blocking the palm directly. In a flash, the soul dissipated into black gas, dispelling into the atmosphere. Xu Disheng was smashed into the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood. He was laying there motionlessly, but he wasn¡¯t dead. The Daoist Robe Soul Vessel played a big role at the end there. The only soul inside of it flew out and took some of the impact for him. Xu Disheng¡¯s ribs were broken and blood was trickling out of his ears, but his eyes were glowing with an unprecedented light. The handsome youth¡¯s long hair had long since come loose, and as he lay there on the ground, his bright eyes suddenly turned pure black. The whites of his eyes faded away completely as the jade flute in his sea of consciousness revolved crazily with Soul Force. ¡°It¡¯s my turn.¡± A look of astonishment flashed through the wolf demon¡¯s cold eyes. This youngster took a palm strike and somehow didn¡¯t die. Although it didn¡¯t use a Demonic Spell, that palm strike wasn¡¯t something that a person who had just begun cultivating would be able to resist. Just as it was about to open its mouth to say something, it suddenly felt all of its hair stand on end, scalp tingling. The moment it looked down, it saw the whites of the youth¡¯s eyes disappear, replaced by a pure blackness. The wolf demon¡¯s heart began to thump wildly, and it jumped up, looking all around frantically as if it was searching for the source of this feeling of danger. It had no idea that the danger wasn¡¯t coming from around him, but below him. ¡°Swallowing Soul.¡± With Xu Disheng¡¯s quiet utterance, a wind rose. The phantom image of the skull of an evil spirit coalesced into existence beside Xu Disheng. With its eyes tightly closed, the skull opened its bloody maw wide and ferociously sucked in towards the wolf demon! The wolf demon was still in the middle of trying to sense its surroundings. It suddenly froze, and without a sound, a concentrated black ray of light floated out from its body and was sucked into the evil spirit skull¡¯s mouth. Its gigantic body collapsed to the ground, crushing several trees in the process. After the evil spirit skull sucked in the black ray of light, the light scattered into Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness. Originally, the Soul Force Flute in Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness was pure black and extremely resplendent. But at this moment in time, it had become practically transparent, the Soul Force within nearly exhausted. All that remained in his sea of consciousness was a dimly glowing phantom image of a black flute. Xu Disheng was lying there, bleeding out of all of his orifices. The moment he risked his life to use the Swallowing Soul Mantra, he had already lost consciousness due to the backlash from the Soul Force. CH 54 Chapter 54 ¨C Patrol Disciple A butterfly flapped its mottled blue and silver wings, alighting upon a pale, slender finger. But just as it was about to fold away its delicate wings for a brief moment¡¯s respite, the fair finger twitched, startling the butterfly and prompting it to hurriedly fly away. When the owner of that finger slowly opened his eyes, the first view that entered his eyes was the fleeing figure of that silver and blue butterfly. The sky above was clear and blue, and the three massive suns were perched up high in the heavens. The earthy fragrance of flowers and plants filled his nose. Feeling that it was a bit difficult to breathe, he lifted his hand to feel his face. His face, ears, and nose were covered with dried, scabby blood, which had long since seeped into the surrounding dirt and solidified. Xu Disheng stood up and went to the creekside to wash the dried blood off of his face. After casually casting a clothes cleansing technique, he gazed calmly into the water. His jet black hair hung down loosely, and his eyes that were resplendent as stars were half-closed, an apathetic expression upon his fair, handsome face. When he perceived his sea of consciousness, the black Soul Force Flute was no longer in a semi-transparent state, having become more opaque and condensed. When he lost consciousness, the black Soul Force Flute had clearly been absorbing the essence of the sun and moon nonstop, recovering his body. Above the Soul Force Flute, there was a long cyan jade flute, slowly revolving as it constantly spilled forth cyan light. Around this cyan flute, there was an extremely concentrated black light orbiting it, which would occasionally let out howls filled with bitter resentment. It was that wolf demon¡¯s soul. The Swallowing Soul Mantra was an extremely overbearing technique. Xu Disheng was forced to use the Swallowing Soul Mantra when he was on the brink of death, which allowed him to swallow the soul of that wolf demon, who had cultivated for hundreds of years and was a higher cultivation realm than him by far, sucking it directly into his sea of consciousness. The cyan jade flute suppressed the soul, causing it to be forcefully separated from its body, which spelled an instant death for the wolf demon. However, the Soul Force backlash was extremely frightening. After all, the difference in cultivation realm between Xu Disheng and the wolf demon was far too great. If it wasn¡¯t for his Xiantian Companion Artifact, that cyan jade flute, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to suppress the wolf demon¡¯s soul even if he swallowed it with the Swallowing Soul Mantra. At that point, he would have had no choice but to self-destruct his sea of consciousness. In the best case scenario, that would have turned him into a brainless idiot, and in the worst case scenario, it would have directly killed him. Xu Disheng tried to move the cyan jade flute, but it was just as inert and unresponsive as before. This cyan jade flute had gone through a change, but in the last ten or so years since he was born, he had never been able to consciously use the jade flute. All that he knew about it was that it was always slowly raising his aptitude, and it contained the seven scriptures of Soul Song within. His black Spirit Cloud was floating in the air not far away. As long as the spiritual power of the spirit stone in the array wasn¡¯t used up, it would never land by itself. He called the Spirit Cloud over using the jade slip, then looked at the black cloth bundle that was on it. The dozen or so Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb were still in good condition just like before, completely untouched. This meant that Xu Disheng had probably only been unconscious for about 1 or 2 days at most. "" The wolf demon¡¯s gigantic corpse was sprawled out over the crushed trees. It now no longer had any human component to it, and its entire body had reverted back to a wolf form. Its original appearance was that of a wild wolf covered with gray and black fur. Xu Disheng thought for a moment. He didn¡¯t go to try and move the corpse for the time being, and instead turned around and headed deeper into the valley. It had been indicated that this mission was repeatable, so he would be able to receive 15 spirit stones for every 20 Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb that he gathered. This area was the wolf demon¡¯s domain, and now that it had been taken out, there was practically no danger. If he headed to the depths of the valley, there was a chance that he would be able to sweep the entire place clean of Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb. The deeper he went into the valley, the more spirit fruits and spiritual plants there were around. Some of them even exceeded the low-grade spirit fruit category, reaching the level of middle-grade spirit fruit. Xu Disheng no longer hesitated, picking the spirit fruits that had a more concentrated halo of light surrounding them. When he picked them clean, he would put them on his Spirit Cloud. His Spirit Cloud was somewhere around 10 meters in diameter, and it was covered with a protective light barrier, so it was extremely convenient for storing items. In about an hour, Xu Disheng swept the entire valley clean. He managed to pick over 10 medium-grade spirit fruits and spiritual plants, and over 50 Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb. To an outer disciple like him, this harvest was very bountiful. At the deepest part of the valley, there was a den, which was most likely the resting place of that wolf demon. Xu Disheng went in and looked around, but there were only heaps of bones, without anything worthwhile to harvest. But this was more or less what he anticipated. To cultivate, the wolf demon also only had to absorb Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy and essence of the sun and moon. Once it awakened to the spirituality deep in its meridians, it could cultivate and learn a lot of Demonic Spells without needing the assistance of a teacher. Even though this wolf demon was just an ordinary wild wolf that had gained spiritual awareness for cultivation, it had learned 2 or 3 astonishingly powerful Demonic Spells, so it was evident how formidable demons could be. Xu Disheng turned the Spirit Cloud around, and in a few breaths¡¯ time, he returned to the creekside where he fought the wolf demon. He looked at the gigantic corpse and pondered to himself. According to the information he had so far, the corpses of the demons killed in the Mountain Ranges could be brought back and traded in at the Spirit Weapon Pavilion of Spirit Origin Hall for spirit stones. The Spirit Weapon Pavilion was supported by the Refining Hall, which was in charge of collecting these kinds of demon corpses. However, the corpse of this wolf demon was too large and heavy. After it reverted back to its original form, it was now around 10 meters long, so he didn¡¯t really have a way to carry it on his Spirit Cloud. Xu Disheng took his identity jade tablet out from his chest pocket, feeling a bit hesitant. When doing sect missions, every disciple had the ability to use their jade identity tablet to reach out to the patrol disciple nearest to them if there were any special circumstances. But these patrol disciples were only responsible for patrolling the Mountain Ranges, and they had no obligation to help with completing the sect mission. Even if you were killed by a demon before their eyes, they still might not even care. Only if you agreed to give them a cut of spirit stones might they help you get through the life and death crisis. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t feel comfortable with leaving the gigantic wolf demon corpse here. If someone passed by, they could easily just take it. In an unhurried manner, he activated his identity jade tablet, causing it to lightly glow. In the deep blue sky, a blazing white trail of light streaked towards him from beyond the horizon, accompanied by the clear sound of a sword cutting through the air. The blazing white longsword arrived in front of him in a flash, hovering in mid-air. Standing on top of it was a white-clothed youth with a cold expression, giving off a thick aura around him. It was a Sea of Qi stage patrol disciple. He glanced at Xu Disheng and asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Xu Disheng replied, ¡°Greetings, Senior Martial Brother. I managed to kill a wolf demon, but unfortunately, I don¡¯t have a storage-type Spirit Tool, so I can¡¯t transport it back to the sect. I would like to request Senior Martial Brother¡¯s assistance. I can offer you a portion of spirit stones for your assistance.¡± The white-clothed youth looked over and noticed the gigantic corpse of the wolf demon. After carefully sensing it, his expression changed slightly, and his tone turned cautious. ¡°A half-transformed wolf demon, which even I might have trouble with, was actually killed by you?¡± Xu Disheng was silent. CH 55 Chapter 55 ¨C Turn In As the white-clothed youth saw the gigantic wolf demon corpse, a strange look flashed in his eyes, as if he had thought of something he shouldn¡¯t have. But then he thought of the strict sect rules, and his own identity as a patrol disciple. The image jade slip from the Patrol Enforcement Hall was always on at all times, so he suppressed those complicated ideas and said, ¡°Okay, show me your jade identity tablet.¡± Xu Disheng tossed over the jade tablet, and the white-clothed youth caught it, then swept his consciousness through it. His face changed once again. ¡°Cleansed Meridian stage outer disciple from Mingxin Mountain Range? Entered the sect only 1 month ago?¡± Xu Disheng said, ¡°10 spirit stones, Senior Martial Brother.¡± The white-clothed youth took a long, good look at Xu Disheng before eventually tossing the jade tablet back to him. Then, he swept the wolf demon corpse into his storage-type Spirit Tool. ¡°Come with me,¡± he said. This white-clothed youth, whose name was Meng Yu, was fairly outstanding among the Sea of Qi stage disciples. He was a Rank 6 Spiritual Root, and had good powers of comprehension. He managed to reach the peak of the Sea of Qi stage in a little over 30 years and join the Patrol Enforcement Hall of the Mountain of Law. Today, he was on patrol duty with 4 other people in the Mingxin Sixth Mountain Range. Meng Yu was slowly riding his flying sword light, occasionally turning around to look at the youth standing on the Spirit Cloud behind him. Killing a half-transformed wolf demon at the Cleansed Meridians stage? Absolutely no way! He was fully aware of how formidable a half-transformed wolf demon could be. Only Dao Foundation stage profound cultivators could suppress them. If he, at a peak Sea of Qi stage, were to try fighting that wolf demon, he would probably only be able to win 50% of the time. Maybe he has an extremely powerful high-grade Spirit Tool on him, or some other kind of highly precious Spirit Tool. But then again, if that were true, why wouldn¡¯t he be able to afford a storage-type Spirit Tool? It makes no sense! As Meng Yu rode on his flying sword at a low speed so Xu Disheng could keep up with him on his Spirit Cloud, his thoughts were continually clashing and churning within him. A glint flashed in Meng Yu¡¯s eyes as if he suddenly figured it out. This wolf demon must have been killed by someone else. Perhaps a Dao Foundation stage Lord Deacon or something passed by and killed it, then didn¡¯t feel like picking up the spoils, so this youth must have picked it up. This was the only explanation he could come up with. There was no way he would be able to wrap his head around the fact that a Cleansed Meridians stage outer disciple could kill a powerful wolf demon. The sect rules were extremely strict. Harming or murdering other fellow disciples was considered a first-degree crime, and wasn¡¯t pardonable under any circumstances. This included killing other disciples in the sect for their possessions. Meng Yu was a disciple of the Patrol Enforcement Hall, and was considered someone who was obligated to enforce the rules of the sect. From the moment he saw the wolf demon¡¯s corpse, a hint of greed had already been born within his heart, but this was only human nature. After all, a completely intact half-transformed wolf demon corpse like this one was extremely valuable! No matter who it was, they would all be tempted. But whether they actually acted on that desire, that was entirely up to how strictly they upheld themselves to their own morality and sense of justice. One in front and one following behind, they eventually arrived at the Mountain Affairs Peak in the Mingxin Mountain Range. Although Meng Yu¡¯s thoughts were all in a jumble, he didn¡¯t show that in the slightest on his face. ¡°I will let you borrow this storage ring for the time being. Go to the Spirit Armament Pavilion of Spirit Origin Hall and turn in the corpse. I will wait for you here,¡± Meng Yu said, handing over a simple-looking, unadorned storage-type Spirit Tool ring. Xu Disheng glanced at the ring and replied, ¡°Thank you, Senior Martial Brother.¡± Meng Yu wasn¡¯t worried in the slightest about him not returning the ring or running off with it. First of all, he had already taken a look at Xu Disheng¡¯s jade identity tablet, so he knew exactly where he lived in the Mingxin Mountain Outer Region. Second, as a disciple of the Patrol Enforcement Hall, he had a lot of discretionary authority, so it was always him taking advantage of others, never the other way around. Xu Disheng walked into Spirit Origin Hall and made his way directly to the Spirit Armament Pavilion. On the way, he swept his consciousness through the ring and saw the gigantic wolf demon corpse lying alongside a bunch of other items, but those items were obscured and separated off by mist. Xu Disheng couldn¡¯t take out those other items or see them clearly, most likely due to restrictions that Meng Yu had set beforehand. Either way, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t have any interest in the personal belongings of others. He entered the Spirit Armament Pavilion and glanced up, noticing right away that the Dao Foundation stage Deacon was present. He was seated on high, and his head was momentarily lowered as he took a sip of spiritual tea. Beside him, there were 4 or 5 attending disciples waiting on standby. Xu Disheng bowed and said, ¡°Lord Deacon, I have a wolf demon corpse that I would like to turn in.¡± The Deacon didn¡¯t even look up, clearly thinking it was just the corpse of a small, ordinary demon. One of the disciples beside him said, ¡°Take it out then. I will assess the intactness of it and settle the sum of spirit stones with you.¡± Xu Disheng took out the wolf demon corpse from inside the ring. Even though the hall was vast, the wolf demon¡¯s corpse was by no means small, immediately drawing the gazes of everyone in the room. The Deacon slowly set down his tea and looked up. In a slightly astonished tone, he said, ¡°A half-transformed wolf demon? Who killed it?¡± His words clearly implied that he didn¡¯t think that Xu Disheng killed this demon alone, and Xu Disheng had no need to try and convince him otherwise. ¡°It was a Senior Martial Brother of mine who killed it. I¡¯m here on his behalf to turn it in.¡± The Deacon nodded his head. This situation was fairly common, so he didn¡¯t inquire further. He swept his senses over the wolf demon corpse and said, ¡°It can be considered pretty intact. I¡¯ll give you 320 spirit stones for it, but because our Spirit Armament Pavilion collects these materials for the Refining Hall, we have to deduct a commission fee. Your cut would amount to 288 spirit stones in the end.¡± Xu Disheng agreed, stepping forward to hand over his jade identity tablet. After the recording process was finished, another disciple took out a storage pouch and tossed it over. ¡°The spirit stones are here, you can check it to make sure.¡± The disciple¡¯s tone seemed to imply that he had no intent to take back the storage pouch. Xu Disheng received the storage pouch and swept his consciousness through it. There was a dimensional space of about 7 cubic meters, and the 288 spirit stones were held within, brimming with concentrated spiritual energy. This storage pouch was the lowest grade of storage artifacts, but it was still worth a little over 10 spirit stones. The disciple seemed to have guessed Xu Disheng¡¯s doubts, and said, ¡°For all turn-in transactions that exceed 200 spirit stones in value, a complimentary storage pouch of 15 spirit stones in value is included.¡± If this wolf demon corpse was sold in the outside world, it would probably sell for a total of around 400 to 500 spirit stones. It was convenient for the disciples to be able to turn in demon materials here at the Spirit Armament Pavilion, but the prices offered by the Spirit Armament Pavilion were always set at the absolute lowest. For them to offer these kinds of complimentary gifts or favors was more or less befitting the circumstances. Xu Disheng expressed his thanks and put away the storage pouch, then turned around and left the Spirit Armament Pavilion. One of the attending disciples looked down at the record jade slip in his hand and said, ¡°Outer Disciple Xu Disheng of Mingxin Mountain Range. The first time he came to the Spirit Armament Pavilion, he came to pick up spirit stones and one Daoist Robe. The second time, he purchased a Spirit Cloud refined by a peak disciple. The third time, he turned in an intact wolf demon corpse.¡± The Deacon nodded, slightly narrowing his eyes before picking up the spiritual tea once more. Xu Disheng came out from the Spirit Origin Hall, met once again by the scenery riddled with arbitrary beams of light from all kinds of flying-type Spirit Tools. Floating on top of a blazing white sword light, Meng Yu was waiting there with his eyes closed. Xu Disheng rode his Spirit Cloud over to Meng Yu and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, I¡¯m returning the ring to you now.¡± Meng Yu opened his eyes and received the ring. He glanced at Xu Disheng, then swept his consciousness through the storage ring. Within the storage dimension, there were 20 spirit stones set neatly in the place where the wolf demon¡¯s corpse had originally been. CH 56 Chapter 56 ¨C Azure Ocean Xu Disheng said, ¡°Thank you for your assistance, Senior Martial Brother. These spirit stones are a small token of my gratitude.¡± Meng Yu mused for a moment, then left behind a jade slip before streaking off into the distance. In just a short time, the blazing white sword light disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving only the sound of his indifferent voice echoing in Xu Disheng¡¯s ears. ¡°If you need anything, you can use this jade slip to summon me.¡± Xu Disheng took the jade slip. This was exactly the result he was going for when he gave Meng Yu an extra 10 spirit stones, and it paid off. Even though he was just a patrol disciple, he had more assets than most ordinary disciples. These 20 spirit stones were probably just easy cash to him, but with his identity as a peak Sea of Qi stage patrol disciple, it was worth the investment for Xu Disheng to get on his good side. He turned around and looked towards the busy atmosphere of Mountain Affairs Peak, then landed the Spirit Cloud and walked into Sect Affairs Hall. Turning in the Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb for the mission was fairly straightforward. However, the mission said that he needed to go to the Botany Hall branch on Mingxin Mountain, but in the first place, he didn¡¯t even know where it was located in the Mingxin Mountain Range. The Mingxin Mountain Range was so vast, with several hundred Peaks, so rather than searching for that branch of the Botany Hall, he might as well turn it in at Sect Affairs Hall. Even though they might charge him a small commission fee just like the Spirit Armament Pavilion had, it was much more convenient for him. He had over 50 Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb, which was enough for him to complete the mission twice with a surplus of about 10 Beauty¡¯s Demise Herb, and he also had those dozen or so middle-grade spirit fruit and spiritual plants. The Sect Affairs Hall didn¡¯t accept spirit fruits and spiritual plants that weren¡¯t part of the mission, so he could only go to the Botany Hall to trade them in for spirit stones or sell them to other disciples who were interested in alchemy and pill refining. But at the moment, he was just a small, insignificant outer disciple without such means, so he could only store those spirit fruits and spiritual plants in his storage pouch for the time being. There were over 300 spirit stones in the storage pouch now, which could be considered more than a good harvest. Even Xu Disheng couldn¡¯t help but feel his mood be lifted by this outcome. As a common saying went, the most important things to the path of a profound cultivator were wealth, relationships, techniques, and land. To say nothing of the other few, the most important of those four was without a doubt, wealth. With enough resources, one would always be able to cultivate well; that was an immutable truth no matter where one went. Xu Disheng had already once experienced the speed of cultivation that spirit stones could bring, so his desire for resources was even more urgent. After leaving Sect Affairs Hall, Xu Disheng once again looked towards Spirit Origin Hall. He wanted to go check out the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, since he had never bothered to go after hearing what Liu Dian had said about it. Spiritual Medicine Pavilion was extremely luxurious, standing out far more than the Spirit Armament Pavilion and the Cultivation Method Pavilion, which were adjacent to it. The gate to the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion was shaped like the outline of a massive jade bottle, standing centered and tall. When Xu Disheng stepped into the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, he heard a gentle, feminine voice. ¡°Senior Martial Brother, what kind of medicines do you require?¡± A red-clothed girl approached with a light, graceful smile. There were several other disciples in the hall who were picking medicines, and they were each accompanied by a red-clothed girl. Xu Disheng was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°This is my first time coming, I want to take a look around.¡± The red-clothed girl didn¡¯t seem to mind, as this was probably something that happened quite often. She pulled a jade slip out from her sleeve and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, you can take your time with looking through this. If you need any pills or medicines, please feel free to tell me right away.¡± The jade slip was a catalog filled with various phantom images of the pills and medicines, slowly rotating on display. On the side of each image, there was an extremely brief introduction and description of their functions. ¡°Spirit Gathering Pill, 20 spirit stones apiece. A huge volume of spiritual energy is contained within, for aiding cultivation.¡± ¡°Qi Gathering Pill, 50 spirit stones apiece. Assists a Cleansed Meridians stage cultivator in speeding up the condensation of their Sea of Qi.¡± ¡°Qi Boosting Pill, 80 spirit stones apiece. Aids Sea of Qi stage disciples in cultivation.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t bother to continue reading further. These prices were too terrifying! No wonder Liu Dian had that expression when this place was brought up, and told him to not even bother thinking about it. It was important to note that outer disciples only received 2 spirit stones income every month, regardless of whether they were at the Sea of Qi stage or not. Even if they passed the Mountain Entry Examination and joined a mountain peak, they still wouldn¡¯t earn more than several spirit stones a month. Even the cheapest of them, the Spirit Gathering Pill, cost 20 spirit stones each! Xu Disheng pondered, then asked, ¡°How is using this Spirit Gathering Pill different from directly using spirit stones to cultivate?¡± The red-clothed girl replied, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, why don¡¯t you buy one and try it out? But I see that you are at the Cleansed Meridians stage and are condensing your Sea of Qi, so this Qi Gathering Pill would be perfect for you too.¡± Even though she was calling him Senior Martial Brother, her cultivation was at least at the Sea of Qi stage. This person was extremely clever, not saying too much, but also saying just enough to imply her meaning, and waiting for Xu Disheng to make his own choice. Xu Disheng glanced down again at the picture of the Qi Gathering Pill in the jade slip, then said, ¡°I want 5 Spirit Gathering Pills and 2 Qi Gathering Pills.¡± He considered the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion in the sect to be reliable, in the sense that if the spiritual medicines and pills were priced this way, that was because they actually cost that many spirit stones. The red-clothed girl wasn¡¯t that surprised. After all, the disciples who dared to enter the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion to spend money either had deep family backgrounds or were the descendants of Deacons and Elders, and they were pretty much all masters of spending money like water. She immediately replied in a gentle tone, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, that would be 200 spirit stones in total. Please prepare the sum, and I will go grab the medicines for you in the meantime.¡± She turned around and walked towards the rear hall, her feminine curves swaying seductively. Just as Xu Disheng was setting aside the spirit stones in the storage pouch, he heard a clear voice behind him. ¡°10 Qi Boosting Pills, get me them quickly.¡± When he turned around to look, he saw a young man in a white and gold Daoist robe with a haughty expression on his face. As soon as he entered the pavilion, he called out loudly. Another red-clothed girl immediately went up to welcome him, expertly wrapping herself around his arm as she spoke in a tender voice, ¡°Lord He, why must you be in such a hurry today? I¡¯ll go and get the medicine for you.¡± A certain look rippled under the surface of her beautiful eyes, as if she inwardly despised sidling up to him like this. That youth gave a cold snort, clearly finding her unworthy of himself. He smoothly slipped out of the red-clothed girl¡¯s grasp and said, ¡°Hurry and go then. There are other matters I must attend to.¡± "" He flung out a storage pouch, which most likely contained the appropriate sum of spirit stones within. 10 Qi Boosting Pills, that was 800 spirit stones! Even though he casually flung out so many spirit stones, this youth¡¯s cultivation was only at the Sea of Qi stage. This blatant display of wealth left people flabbergasted. The girl who went to grab the medicine for Xu Disheng came back. She walked up to Xu Disheng and handed two jade bottles to him. ¡°Senior Martial Brother, please confirm the contents,¡± she said gently. Xu Disheng briefly checked the contents, then nodded his head. He took out the 200 spirit stones he had counted beforehand and placed them on the table. The girl confirmed the amount before moving the spirit stones into the storage-type Spirit Tool. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, she looked up and suddenly saw that youth standing by the entrance. Her face immediately formed into a smile and she said, ¡°Congratulations, Senior Martial Brother He. The Dao Foundation stage is right within your reach.¡± The family background of that youth who was surnamed He was clearly outstanding. When he heard what she said, he only peered at her out of the side of his eye, not even bothering to reply. Xu Disheng put away the two jade bottles, and was about to leave through the gates. On his way out, he passed by that Lord He, meeting his lazy but intimidating gaze for just a brief moment before walking past. Lord He waited until Xu Disheng left the pavilion. In a serious tone, he asked the girl who was attending to Xu Disheng just now, ¡°Is that person¡¯s name Qingxin?¡± The girl was a bit surprised, and looked down at the record jade slip before saying, ¡°Not Qingxin, but Xu Disheng. He is an outer disciple of the Mingxin Mountain Range.¡± Lord He¡¯s brows furrowed, and he muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear, ¡°Many years ago, my father once saved an infant, so that infant had karmic ties with my father. After my father brought him back to the mountain, he changed his name to Qingxin, but my father never really cared much about him. That Qingxin is the only other person who learned my father¡¯s Azure Ocean technique, but why did that person just now have the aura of Azure Ocean on him? After I go back, I need to look into where that Qingxin went.¡± CH 57 Chapter 57 ¨C Grand Tournament! The peak of the mountain that made up the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain was extremely tall, standing at an altitude of 2400 meters. Xu Disheng was ascending the mountain on his Spirit Cloud, making his way to his residence halfway up the mountain. After he finished buying medicinal pills at the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion in Spirit Origin Hall, he wanted to directly return to his courtyard. He desperately wanted to try out the effects of the two medicinal pills that he just bought. Based on his memories, he would find his courtyard after he went somewhere between 1000 and 1200 meters up the mountain. But when he arrived, he suddenly heard a ruckus coming from the edge of the terrace platform. He landed his Spirit Cloud, and spotted a number of outer disciples standing there. Most of them were at the early Sea of Qi stage, and there were several intermingled amongst them who were at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage. They were all gathered together in a crowd, whispering amongst themselves. Xu Disheng was puzzled. He pulled aside an early Sea of Qi stage disciple who was standing near the edge and asked, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, what¡¯s with all the commotion here?¡± When the black-clothed disciple heard what Xu Disheng asked, he was astonished. ¡°Are you a newly admitted outer disciple or something? You really don¡¯t even know? Today is the day of the Mountain Entry Examination, which only happens once a year! We¡¯re waiting here for the ship to come from Mountain Affairs Peak.¡± In the Outer Regions of the Eight Mountains, there would occasionally be outer disciples who broke through to the Sea of Qi stage. Aside from the standard reward that they would receive from Sacred Sect, they still had to attend their first Mountain Entry Examination. Every year, there would be a day dedicated to the examinations of the disciples who broke through to the Sea of Qi stage. The examination itself wasn¡¯t that difficult, and if they passed, they would be considered to have officially joined the mountain, and they could leave the Outer Region. They would move into the Mountain Range and be assigned to a Peak. If they didn¡¯t pass, then they could only continue cultivating in the Outer Region while waiting for next year¡¯s unified examination, which was just the routine unified examination that occurred every year. Xu Disheng was still at the Cleansed Meridians stage, and the condensation of his Jianggong Sea of Qi was still only at 10 or 20%. Only Sea of Qi stage disciples could attend the Mountain Entry Examination, so it was still a far off goal for him. But with these two bottles of medicinal pills that he splurged a massive amount of spirit stones on, was the Sea of Qi stage really all that far away? Xu Disheng didn¡¯t stay for long at that terrace platform. After casually asking a few questions, he walked back to his neighborhood of courtyards and found his own courtyard, number 3763. The surroundings of his courtyard were just as quiet as before. Xu Disheng used the jade slip key to open the light barrier, then went in. Xu Disheng took the items out of his storage pouch. There were a bit more than 100 spirit stones remaining within. This was a massive sum of money that most ordinary disciples couldn¡¯t even dream of having. He didn¡¯t spend any time looking at the pile of spirit stones. Instead, he took out those two jade bottles and inspected them closely. The Spirit Gathering Pill was a pure white pellet with a clean, fresh aroma to it. It was smooth and round like a jade, giving off a full brilliance that made it pleasing to the eye. On the other hand, the Qi Gathering Pill was surrounded with a pale yellow halo of light. According to what that girl from the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion said, this pill was extremely well suited to those disciples who had just started condensing their Sea of Qi. Xu Disheng swept his senses over his Jianggong meridian point. The sea of profound qi was already 10-20% condensed, and with every passing moment, the Shangqing Profound Qi in his body was being compressed and purified into profound qi, which would then enter his Jianggong meridian point. He took out a Spirit Gathering Pill and slowly put it in his mouth. The description of this pill said that it had a ¡°huge volume of spiritual energy contained within, for aiding cultivation¡±, and that it was 20 spirit stones a piece. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t have any idea how much ¡°a huge volume¡± really was. He only felt the pill slowly melting in his mouth, leaving a fragrance on his tongue. An extremely pure strand of spiritual energy passed from his mouth down to his stomach, where it immediately circulated through his entire body¡¯s 36 meridian points. It was so effective that a bit of spiritual energy was dissipating out from his body. There was apparently so much spiritual energy that his meridians couldn¡¯t contain all of it. Xu Disheng revolved the Shangqing Profound Laws to the fullest, causing the compression and purification of profound qi in his Sea of Qi to speed up by almost 10 times. The rate at which his body was absorbing Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy and transforming it into profound qi was also sped up by several tens of times. He picked up a Qi Gathering Pill, and after giving it a look over, he tossed it directly into his mouth as well. It was as if a ball of fire was suddenly set ablaze in his stomach. When the pill melted down to liquid, it set ablaze an intense burning sensation wherever it flowed. Xu Disheng endured the pain, focusing on constantly condensing the profound qi in his Jianggong Sea of Qi. Each Qi Gathering Pill cost 50 spirit stones! Most ordinary disciples without any kind of backing might not have even heard of it before! Xu Disheng could only feel the explosive increase in the speed at which the Sea of Qi in his Jianggong meridian point was condensing. His Jianggong Sea of Qi was steadily forming at a pace visible to the naked eye! When ordinary disciples cultivated from the Cleansed Meridians stage to the Sea of Qi stage, they could only rely on slow, gradual effort over a long period of time that could amount from several years to several dozens of years. But of those who were the descendants of clans or other powerhouses, there were countless incidents of them breaking through to the Sea of Qi realm within half a year to one year. After all, with abundant resources and countless spiritual medicines, they could completely forgo this gradual, cumulative process altogether. However, once one reached the Dao Foundation stage and higher, medicinal pills began to play less of a role, and could only serve as aids. After all, the Sea of Qi stage could be reached through the cumulation of time and effort, but the Dao Foundation stage wasn¡¯t like this. Of aptitude, resources, comprehension, and destiny, none of these key pieces could be lacking. An example of this was that Lord He that Xu Disheng met in the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, who was at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage. He could spend 800 spirit stones in one go and eat those Qi Boosting Pills like candy, yet he was still unable to break through to the Dao Foundation stage. But as that red-clothed girl had said, although he wasn¡¯t at the Dao Foundation stage yet, he was close. Three months passed! Xu Disheng looked at the 3 remaining pills before him, somewhat speechless. Over the span of these few months, Xu Disheng had been here, digesting the medicinal power of the Qi Gathering Pills. Although each pill was small, each of them contained an incomparably abundant amount of energy within, so it could be considered worth its price of 50 spirit stones. Of the 5 Qi Gathering Pills that he had bought, he used 3, so there were now 2 remaining. With his Rank 6 Spiritual Root aptitude, it originally would have taken him several years to condense his Sea of Qi. At this moment, by taking both of these pills simultaneously, his Sea of Qi was already 70% condensed after just three months! However, if this level of expenditure was converted into spirit stones, then he essentially went through 120 spirit stones in just three months! Three Spirit Gathering Pills was 60 spirit stones, and 1 Qi Gathering Pill was 50 spirit stones. Adding on the spirit stones that he was always holding in his palm to cultivate, that was another 10 spirit stones. It was important to remember that an ordinary Cleansed Meridians stage disciple only earned 1 spirit stone per month! It was easy to imagine that the ordinary cultivation speed of someone who only earned only the number of spirit stones given by the sect would be extremely slow, since they could only continue to cultivate blindly without any resources after they ran out of spirit stones. This caused Xu Disheng to realize all over again just how important resources were. The jade slip key had long since begun to flash with light, but he had been submerged in a state of cultivation, so he completely ignored it until now. He picked it up and sank his consciousness into it. ¡°The Inner Disciple Tournament will commence in 2 years time for all belonging to the 317 Peaks of Mingxin Mountain Range.¡± It was a unified notice sent out by the sect, followed by an in-depth description of it. The Inner Disciple Tournament included all 317 Peaks of Mingxin Mountain, and was held once every 50 years. It was split into the Sea of Qi division and the Dao Foundation division. Aptitude, comprehension, talent, and destiny were all underlying indicators, but the ultimate display was one¡¯s strength in battle. The prizes for the Inner Disciple Tournament were extremely generous. When Xu Disheng saw the list of prizes, much of which were rare treasures that he had never even heard of before, he became excited. The tournament wasn¡¯t held only in the Mingxin Mountain Range. The other Mountain Ranges also held their own respective tournaments. When the results for each Mountain Range¡¯s tournament came out, the sect would take the top 100 and allow them to participate in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament! There were fewer Dao Foundation stage disciples in comparison, so only the top 10 from the Dao Foundation division were selected to participate in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. Every Mountain Range had several tens of thousands of Sea of Qi stage disciples. For those in the top 100 to be able to distinguish themselves from the crowd, each and every one of them had to be proud, outstanding geniuses in their own right, standing tall above all the rest! The Shangqing Sacred Sect had many countless ages of tradition. This selection method via survival of the fittest produced countless outstanding disciples over the years, allowing the sect to continue to pass on its inheritances. No one would hear a thing about however many dozens of years you spent assiduously cultivating, but with this tournament, you could instantly make your name known to all! These cases weren¡¯t considered rare at all either. There were always geniuses that were originally complete nobodies without any reputation to speak of, but when the tournament came along, their potential would blossom, and they would completely suppress others of the same generation! From then on, they would have more resources allocated to them, and the road of cultivation for them would become much easier. They might receive the favor of a higher-up in the sect, and their future ahead would open up to immeasurable potential. The corners of Xu Disheng¡¯s lips curled up into a smile, and he mused to himself, ¡°Two years?¡± Xu Disheng slowly closed his eyes, hiding the resplendent glow within. He picked up the last remaining Qi Gathering Pill and tossed it into his mouth, submerging himself back into a state of cultivation once more. CH 58 Chapter 58 ¨C Examination Zhao Xuan was standing on the edge of a platform terrace, stormy emotions raging within. After joining the Outer Region, he had bitterly cultivated for 9 years, and he had finally broken through to the Sea of Qi stage half a year ago. Today was the day of the Mountain Entry Examination. He had long since passed the participation check announced in the key jade slip, and he was currently waiting for the ship from Mountain Affairs Peak to come and pick him up so he could attend the Mountain Entry Examination that occurred annually in the Mingxin Mountain Range. But there was not a soul in sight around him. It was just Zhao Xuan, all by himself. This small community of courtyards were all ordinary low-rank courtyards after all, and the place he was at was only about 300 meters up the mountain that made up the Outer Region. Aside from the several others who were still diligently cultivating, the remaining ones who should have passed the exam and joined a Peak had already done so. So this year, among the few dozens of courtyards here, there was only himself participating in the Mountain Entry Examination this time. A rumbling sound rang out overhead, and gradually, a gigantic shadow was cast over the mountainside. A massive ship slowly descended and landed on the edge of the terrace, where it hovered slightly above the ground. There was a person standing at the very front of the ship, with two disciples standing in attendance behind him. He was robed in purple, and his expression was cold and solemn as he stood there with a jade slip in hand. ¡°Is this Courtyard Community 1566?¡± the purple-robed Daoist asked. On the deck behind him, there were already around 100 disciples who had recently broken through to the Sea of Qi stage, and there were several peak Sea of Qi stage disciples among them who clearly hadn¡¯t passed the examination in the past and were here to take it again. Zhao Xuan hurriedly took a step forward and spoke in a loud voice, ¡°Lord Deacon, this is indeed Courtyard Community 1566!¡± The purple-robed Daoist waved his hand, opening the light barrier covering the ship. ¡°You are the last person to get on the ship to attend this year¡¯s Mountain Entry Examination. Hurry up and come aboard.¡± Zhao Xuan used a Body Lightness Incantation and leaped through the air, traversing nearly 10 meters of void. He landed on the ship at last and joined the rest of the crowd. At the purple-robed Daoist will, the light cover on the giant ship was restored, and it sailed off and gradually disappeared into the sky full of clouds and fog. The giant ship was floating in the air above the Examination Hall at Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Mountain Affairs Peak, but it hadn¡¯t landed. Standing at the front of the ship was the purple-robed Daoist, who took out a transmission jade slip and spoke into it. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zuo, I¡¯ve arrived at the Examination Hall. You can open the channel now.¡± A moment after he finished speaking, a beam of rainbow light suddenly appeared from the upper part of the Examination Hall. The rainbow-colored radiance expanded rapidly, and in several breaths of time it transformed into a massive prismatic vortex, spinning with a brilliant halo of light. The numerous disciples coming and going from the Mountain Affairs Peak only gave this sight a passing glance. They didn¡¯t pay it any more attention, as they were clearly already aware of the occurrence of the Mountain Entry Examination, which happened annually. But Zhao Xuan was rather impressed by the sight. He came from an ordinary peasant family in the Yan Province, which was a land that was under the jurisdiction of the Sacred Sect. When it was discovered that he had Grade 1 Profound Meridians, he was taken into the sect and entered the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain. After 9 years of bitter cultivation, he recently broke through to the Sea of Qi stage, and was highly expectant and hopeful for the bright future ahead of him. Clutching the 15 Spirit Stones closer to his bosom, Zhao Xuan steadied his pounding heart. He had heard long ago from other Senior Martial Brothers and Sisters who had taken the examination and hadn¡¯t passed, that even though the examination was always slightly different each time, there would always be a test of combat strength, in the form of a series of battles. In the last 9 years, he only occasionally used spirit stones to cultivate, and ordinarily he wasn¡¯t able to bring himself to use them. With great effort, he managed to save up 15 spirit stones in the past few years in order to prepare for this examination, for him to use to recover his profound qi between each fight. Because he was admitted into the Sacred Sect, his parents and clan members were rewarded a huge amount of gold and silver, so they no longer had to farm and work the land, and in all these years they had never once sent him a letter. Zhao Xuan could only smile bitterly about this. If he was fortunate and managed to pass this Mountain Entry Examination, he resolved to go back to the Yan Province to visit his parents and see how they were doing. In fact, he didn¡¯t really blame his parents for not getting in touch with him. After all, he hadn¡¯t returned home even once after entering the Sacred Sect. Even if the Yan Province, where Zhao Xuan¡¯s parents lived, was extremely close to the Sacred Sect¡¯s Eight Mountains, they wouldn¡¯t necessarily have been able to get in contact with him because they were just ordinary mortals. The only thing he could do was wait until he had an opportunity to leave the sect and visit his parents and clan members. As Zhao Xuan was standing there lost in thought, the giant ship had already sailed into the rainbow vortex. After the ship disappeared into the vortex, it shrank, and at the end it became just a beam of light, which began to gradually flash slower and slower until it disappeared completely. The giant ship slowly landed among a boundless sea of clouds. The two disciples that were standing in attendance behind the purple-robed Daoist were directing the passengers to get off the ship and onto the sea of clouds. Zhao Xuan pressed his foot down, testing the footing beneath him. The white clouds underfoot were very sturdy, and it was similar to the texture of the floor of a Spirit Cloud, but a bit more steady. The surrounding floor was all similarly composed of clouds, and the sky above was a vast expanse of white. Above this sea of clouds, there was only him, the boat, and the hundred or so disciples who came to attend the examination. The purple-robed Daoist¡¯s expression was just as cold and solemn as always. ¡°As always, this year¡¯s examination is held in the private Secret Realm above the Examination Hall. Although all of you here have cultivated to the Sea of Qi stage, not all of your combat strengths are necessarily at the Sea of Qi stage. Each person will have to participate in 3 battles. If you achieve victory in all of them, you will pass the examination,¡± he announced. He swept his gaze over the crowd before him and continued, ¡°The time it takes you to finish the battles will have an influence on what Mountain Peak you can be assigned to.¡± When the crowd of disciples heard this, they began to whisper excitedly among themselves. There were 317 Mountain Peaks in the Mingxin Mountain Range, so just as there were stronger Peak Masters, there were also weaker Peak Masters. According to the rumors spread among disciples, the several of the strongest Peak Masters had already broken through to the realm past the Dao Foundation stage, reaching that unfathomable realm that the two Mountain Masters of Mingxin Mountain were at. It was rumored that high in the sky above the Mingxin Mountain Range, there were several floating palaces, which were the domain of those two Mountain Masters. Every Mountain Range had a Saint Lord, but they were such a far off existence to these Sea of Qi stage disciples that they were practically myths and legends to them, so there was no point in them even bothering to think of them. Naturally, Zhao Xuan also wanted to join a better Mountain Peak. The more powerful the Peak Master was, not only would they pass down stronger techniques and cultivation methods, but also the resources that would be allocated to their disciples would be more generous than that of weaker Peak Masters. Moreover, of the weaker Peak Masters, most were disciples who joined a Peak and cultivated to the Dao Foundation realm, but then found that their cultivation was making no further progress. Then, after several hundreds of years of building up experience and seniority, they gradually ascended to the seat of Vice Peak Master, and then Peak Master. The number of Dao Foundation stage disciples belonging to each Mountain Range didn¡¯t exceed more than several hundred. Aside from those who were Vice Peak Masters or Peak Masters, there were also those that held positions of power. For example, it was common for Dao Foundation stage disciples to become Deacons, patrol the Mountain Ranges, or hold authority in a Hall of some kind. There were also Dao Foundation stage disciples who didn¡¯t hold any positions of authority whatsoever, and only focused on cultivation. These were the people who had hopes of reaching a higher cultivation realm, and at the Grand Inner Disciple Tournament, they were sure to make an appearance. Seeing that the hubbub among the crowd was finally dying down, the purple-robed Daoist addressed the two disciples beside him. ¡°Wu Liangyu, you will proctor the examination this time. Zhou Chao, you will be in charge of recording the grades.¡± ¡°Understood, Lord Deacon,¡± the two disciples responded respectfully. This purple-robed Daoist was one of the Deacons of the Examination Hall of Mingxin Mountain Range. Wu Liangyu took out a jade slip, then looked at the crowd before calling out, ¡°Courtyard 1678, Zhao Xinyu.¡± A middle-aged man stood up and stepped out from the crowd. Surprisingly, his cultivation was at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage. He bowed respectfully and said, ¡°Yes, Zhao Xinyu is present.¡± CH 59 Chapter 59 ¨C Thirty Breaths Although Wu Liangyu and Zhao Xinyu were both at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage, the pressure Wu Liangyu gave off was much more impressive. While operating the jade slip in his hand, Wu Liangyu said, ¡°You are the first to participate in the examination this time. The rules are the same. Three consecutive battles, and between each battle, you are allowed to rest for the time it takes for one incense stick to burn. You can also choose to not rest, and directly continue.¡± A ray of light spread out from the jade slip in his hands. From the sea of clouds ahead, small tufts of white clouds rose up, quickly condensing into a white humanoid shape which stood there silently. Zhao Xinyu had clearly already experienced this before, and he walked up to the white figure, squaring off against it with a composed expression. His talent for fighting was really poor, and his comprehension was average. He was the kind of person who hadn¡¯t encountered any kind of special, big opportunities, and was trapped at the Sea of Qi realm. More than a decade slipped away, and he still hadn¡¯t passed the examination. This year, Zhao Xinyu had finally broken through to the peak of the Sea of Qi stage and had also stumbled upon some good opportunities, so he had some confidence for this time¡¯s Mountain Entry Examination. In fact, the Mountain Entry Examination wasn¡¯t all that difficult, and it was extremely rare for those who had slowly made their way to the peak of the Sea of Qi stage to not be able to pass the examination. Zhao Xinyu¡¯s hands blurred as he made a series of hand seals, and in a flash, he had conjured a Fierce Incantation from the Shangqing Profound Laws. The orb of light from the Fierce Incantation warped and oscillated as it shot through the air at high speed, exploding on the white humanoid figure. A transparent light barrier appeared around the white humanoid figure¡¯s body, blocking the Fierce Incantation. A white longsword appeared in its hand, gleaming with a cold light. The white humanoid figure brandished the longsword and stabbed it directly towards Zhao Xinyu. Zhao Xinyu wasn¡¯t flustered by this in the slightest. He knew that although the barrier of light covering the white humanoid figure was strong, it wouldn¡¯t last very long. From his storage pouch, he pulled out an exquisitely designed parasol. When he opened it up, the parasol cast out a light barrier, preventing the white humanoid figure¡¯s sword light from advancing any further. ¡°A defense-type Spirit Tool!¡± ¡°This Zhao Xinyu has been in the Outer Region for more than a decade. I guess he actually had some family savings in store!¡± ¡°That parasol must be worth at least 200 spirit stones!¡± There were some disciples who turned red-eyed upon seeing the parasol, their eyes filled with envy. Defense-type Spirit Tools were generally more expensive than attack-type Spirit Tools, and were easily priced at hundreds of spirit stones! With this parasol in hand, this examination would be a piece of cake for Zhao Xinyu. No one knew where Zhao Xinyu managed to acquire this expensive defense-type Spirit Tool, but it definitely couldn¡¯t have been saved up through the 24 spirit stones that a Sea of Qi stage could earn annually from the sect. It could only be considered his own good fortune to have found this Spirit Tool. After all, each person had their own destiny. There were also some disciples whose expressions were indifferent upon seeing this, slightly looking down upon Zhao Xinyu. Zhao Xinyu waited for the barrier of light surrounding the white humanoid figure to disappear, then used a Shangqing Slaughter Incantation. It crashed into the white humanoid figure, destroying it. With this, he passed the first battle. Wu Liangyu looked at the parasol, but didn¡¯t say anything about it. He only asked, ¡°Do you need to take a break?¡± Zhao Xinyu replied, ¡°No need, Senior Martial Brother.¡± Wu Liangyu nodded, then activated the jade slip in his hands. The sea of clouds gave rise to another white humanoid figure, which gave off a slightly stronger aura. With that parasol Spirit Tool protecting him, that white humanoid figure simply couldn¡¯t break through Zhao Xinyu¡¯s defenses. It could only wait in despair as its own barrier of light wore off, and Zhao Xinyu smashed it back into mist. Zhao Xuan watched for a while, and gradually found a pattern. The white humanoid figures started off with an extremely strong barrier of light, but the strength of that barrier gradually weakened over time until it was practically gone. He couldn¡¯t tell exactly how much destructive power it had, since the white humanoid figure hadn¡¯t been able to break through the defenses of that parasol Spirit Tool. After Zhao Xinyu consecutively defeated three white humanoid figures, a somewhat pleased expression arose on his face. The disciple who was in charge of keeping record, Zhou Chao, took out the record jade slip and announced, ¡°Courtyard 1678, Zhou Xinyu, passed. A quarter of an hour elapsed.¡± Two hours was approximately equivalent to the time it took 4 incense sticks to burn, so the time it took for one incense stick to burn was about 30 minutes. For the sake of being meticulous, Zhou Chao recorded the time as a quarter of an hour. The grade that Zhou Xinyu received was already pretty good. Zhao Xuan sat among the spectators, watching one person after the other participating in the exam. Each person had their own methods, and he gradually felt more and more discouraged. Those that had passed the examination in an extremely short time were those that had a powerful cultivation method or a Spirit Tool of some sort. There were even people who would take out a longsword Spirit Tool, which were worth well over a hundred spirit stones, and the moment the white humanoid figure appeared, they would send out a sword light that would directly break through its barrier of light, immediately returning the white humanoid figure to mist. To these kinds of people, this examination was clearly just a formality. Those few disciples that didn¡¯t pass the examination were pretty much all like him, without any background or resources, and Spirit Tools were just a mere fantasy to them. The attack power of the first two white humanoid figures weren¡¯t that strong, and it was possible to just wait until the barrier of light faded away, so they could manage. By the time they got to the third one, they would be able to persevere for a few breaths of time, but then they would inevitably accumulate injuries and be defeated. The only thing that Zhao Xuan could rely on at this point were the three free cultivation methods that he received upon entering the Outer Region. However, he lacked foresight at the time, and only chose the first levels of three different cultivation methods. He only managed to cultivate those cultivation methods to the rank corresponding to the Cleansed Meridians stage. As for the following levels corresponding to the Sea of Qi stage, he hadn¡¯t been able to buy them due to a lack of spirit stones. He only managed to get one cultivation method to the Sea of Qi stage, and that was the Shangqing Profound Laws. The attacking techniques in that cultivation method were extremely limited, and there were only the Shangqing Seal and the Shangqing Incantation. After all, the Shangqing Profound Laws were mainly for cultivating qi, so it wasn¡¯t a technique focused on offense in the first place. Zhao Xuan was aware of his own circumstances. As he watched everyone participate in the examination one after the other, the stormy emotions that had been brewing within him gradually simmered into despair. In his mind¡¯s eye, he could already see himself getting sent flying by the white humanoid figure. ¡°Courtyard 3763, Xu Disheng.¡± Wu Liangyu announced in a weary tone. After a day¡¯s time, there were still a little over 10 people out of the initial 100 examinees who hadn¡¯t taken the examination yet. From having proctored for an entire day, he was already tired. After all, there was no day or night cycle in this sea of clouds; it was only an endless expanse of white. When Zhao Xuan heard the proctor¡¯s words, he saw a handsome youth in a light green Daoist robe stride forward and stand in front of the crowd. The youth¡¯s cultivation realm was about the same as his own, somewhere at the early Sea of Qi stage. The standard issue Daoist Robe Spirit Tool that he was wearing indicated his Rank 6 Spiritual Root aptitude, which made Zhao Xuan look upon him with envy. However, Zhao Xuan noticed that the youth¡¯s Daoist Robe was different in some ways from ordinary. It didn¡¯t have any obvious differences, just that there were thin black stripes stretching along it, which were practically invisible unless paid close attention to. From the sea of clouds in front of the handsome youth, a white humanoid figure condensed into being. Zhao Xuan watched closely, wanting to see what kind of method this person would use to pass the examination. Would he take out a Spirit Tool and steamroll through it, or would he overpower it with a powerful, almighty cultivation method? What Zhao Xuan saw next left him completely dumbfounded. The youth casually sent forth a Shangqing Fierce Incantation. The white humanoid figure¡¯s barrier of light appeared, and the Fierce Incantation blew up on it. This move was the same as the one that the first examinee, Zhao Xinyu, had used at the start, and there were many other disciples who used it as well. Their goal was to draw out the white humanoid figure¡¯s barrier of light, and then they would find a way to endure the white humanoid figure¡¯s attack while waiting for the barrier to disappear. They would then destroy the white humanoid figure and return it to mist, passing the examination. But when that Fierce Incantation came in contact with the barrier, it was completely unlike how the crowd imagined it would turn out. Rather than the profound qi dissipating after drawing out the white humanoid figure¡¯s barrier of light, it emitted a sizzling sound that sounded like something was corroding away at it. After a short period of time, a hole was eroded in the barrier of light. The profound qi from the Fierce Incantation rushed in towards the white humanoid figure¡¯s body, engulfing it and eventually corroding it back into a ball of mist, which dissipated back into the atmosphere. ¡°Such power?!¡± ¡°Is that even the Shangqing Fierce Incantation?¡± ¡°I figured it out. That¡¯s the Corrosion Incantation. I¡¯ve seen it before in the Cultivation Method Pavilion. This youth already cultivated it to the Sea of Qi level, so this kind of power isn¡¯t out of the question.¡± Zhao Xuan was stunned. Hearing the explanation of some of the others around him, he immediately regretted picking 3 attack-type cultivation methods that were all at the Cleansed Meridians level, resulting in an extremely limited degree of power. For the other two white humanoid figures, the youth followed the same pattern, simply corroding them into nothingness with the Shangqing Fierce Incantation. An astounded look appeared on Zhou Chao¡¯s face. The proctor stared at the handsome youth and announced, ¡°Courtyard 3763, Xu Disheng, passed. Time elapsed¡­ 30 breaths.¡± That purple-robed Deacon had been resting cross-legged on the giant ship the whole time. When he heard what Zhou Chao said, he opened his eyes. He looked at Xu Disheng, an unfathomable look crossing his gaze. Zhao Xuan once again rubbed the 15 spirit stones hidden in his bosom, and could only smile bitterly. Of the remaining examinees, there was only himself left. He was just about to go up and fight against those white humanoid figures, but now, he could only feel that he had overestimated himself. Zhao Xuan had already completely lost confidence in himself. With the Cleansed Meridian stage attack-type cultivation methods he had, how could he block the white humanoid figure¡¯s attack when it still had its barrier up? He looked over at the glum expressions of the dozen or so people who had failed the examination. All of them were more or less the same as himself, using Cleansed Meridians stage cultivation methods. They managed to get past the first two battles, but they were defeated by the third white humanoid figure. Zhao Xuan thought of his parents in Yan Zhou, and firmed up his resolve. He muttered to himself, ¡°So what if I get a bit injured while blocking the third figure¡¯s attack? I refuse to believe that I won¡¯t last until its barrier breaks!¡± Hearing Wu Liangyu call his name, he walked to the center of the sea of clouds, lost in thought. He pulled out the Martial Treasure longsword that he had received when he entered the sect 9 years ago, and prepared to face the examination before him. CH 60 Chapter 60 ¨C Bai Zhehua TL: Sponsored chapter (1/1). Xu Disheng was standing at the stern of the giant ship, looking down at the vast sea of clouds below. The giant ship slowly lifted into the air, and the distance to the rainbow vortex above his head shortened. After a short moment, half of the ship had already entered the vortex. As he stood there at the back of the ship, he unconsciously looked down the second before the ship was about to be swallowed up by the multicolored vortex. For a moment, he stared down into the sea of clouds, and suddenly, his pupils contracted violently as if he had seen something inconceivable. He didn¡¯t even have time to react before he felt a wave of dizziness, and then the prismatic light disappeared. In the next moment, they were already back at the Examination Hall at Mountain Affairs Peak. The purple-robed Deacon said, ¡°Zhou Chao, bring them to Examination Hall and record their grades. Those disciples who have already passed the examination may take their jade identity tablet and go to Human Affairs Hall to be assigned to a Mountain Peak.¡± ¡°Understood, Lord Deacon,¡± Zhou Chao and Wu Liangyu respectfully complied to the order. The giant ship slowly landed in front of the entrance to Examination Hall, and the 100 or so people aboard started getting off the ship one by one. Most of them had looks filled with emotion, or looked expectant for the future. Meanwhile, the faces of the dozen or so disciples who didn¡¯t pass the Mountain Entry Examination were ashen, their moods gloomy. Seeing that everyone on the ship had already gotten off, the purple-robed Deacon made a hand seal, and the giant ship shot off into the sky with a streak of light, disappearing over the horizon. Zhou Chao looked at the disciples and stated, ¡°Those who passed the examination, bring your jade identity slips and come in to record your grades. Then, you can go to Human Affairs Hall for your Mountain Peak assignment.¡± Then, he looked over at the dozen or so people who hadn¡¯t passed the examination, his tone turning cold. ¡°As for those who didn¡¯t pass the examination, you can all go back to the Outer Region on your own.¡± When he finished speaking, he turned around and strode into Examination Hall. In the last year or so, Xu Disheng had been digesting the last remaining Qi Gathering Pill, paired with the two remaining Spirit Gathering Pills. He broke through to the Sea of Qi stage in one go, condensing his Jianggong Sea of Qi, which formed an endless, renewing cycle of profound qi in his body. With this, his lifespan was extended to 500 years. He had also cultivated the Corrosion Incantation to the level corresponding to the Sea of Qi stage. When he initially picked his cultivation methods, he chose 3 levels of the Corrosion Incantation. However, it was a badly damaged version, so it could only be cultivated up to the Dao Foundation stage at the highest level. In the examination in the private Secret Realm, he used the most ordinary Shangqing Fierce Incantation with the effect of the Sea of Qi level of the Corrosion Incantation, allowing him to pass the Mountain Entry Examination with ease. He cleared the examination in 30 breaths of time, but it wasn¡¯t the fastest among this time¡¯s cohort of people taking the Mountain Entry Examination. There were two other people who had longsword Spirit Tools, and only needed 20 breaths of time and 12 breaths of time respectively to deal with all 3 white humanoid figures. But he was the most eye-catching of the examinees, since he hadn¡¯t used a Spirit Tool, and only relied on the capabilities of his own profound qi. He only needed to wave his hand to deal with each white humanoid figure, which gave off an extremely effortless and natural impression to the onlookers. The two jade bottles of medicine that he bought were already completely used up, and of the 100 or so spirit stones that he originally had, he now only had somewhere between 50 or 60 remaining. It wasn¡¯t that Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t been able to afford an ordinary longsword Spirit Tool. It was just that in the last year or so, Xu Disheng¡¯s focus had only been on raising his cultivation, so he hadn¡¯t thought much about those sorts of things. Now that he had reached the Sea of Qi stage, his next step was to join one of the 317 Mountain Peaks in the Mingxin Mountain Range. Then, he would be considered a real disciple of the Shangqing Sacred Sect in all aspects. Xu Disheng finished recording his grade, then left Examination Hall. He thought back to the scene he beheld in the sea of clouds while he was standing on the rear of the ship, in the moments before the giant ship disappeared into the rainbow vortex. The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile, and he muttered to himself, ¡°The waters of the Mingxin Sixth Mountain Range are indeed deep and unfathomable.¡± He clutched his jade identity tablet in his hand and went straight to Human Affairs Hall, at the highest point on Mountain Affairs Peak. In Human Affairs Hall, there were already several dozen people who had participated in the examination with him, standing around in groups of 3 or 4, waiting for their Peak assignment. Among them was that youth who used a longsword Spirit Tool and passed the examination in only 12 breaths of time. The youth was conversing with others amidst the crowd, but when he caught a glimpse of Xu Disheng¡¯s figure, his eyes lit up. He took a few steps over and approached Xu Disheng. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, have you picked a Mountain Peak yet?¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s showing in the examination was very striking to many of them, so they remembered his name and appearance. Xu Disheng raised his brow and replied, ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t pick a Mountain Peak yourself, and that you could only be assigned to one?¡± The name of the youth that approached him was Bai Zhehua. When he heard what Xu Disheng said, he was shocked, and the expressions of the other people beside him also revealed a hint of a smile. Because of Bai Zhehua¡¯s presence, those people didn¡¯t say anything, but they looked at Xu Disheng as if he were a country bumpkin. Bai Zhehua smiled and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, you¡¯ve probably always been immersed in cultivation, so you might have been unaware. Ordinary disciples can only listen and comply with the arrangements of Human Affairs Hall. However, there are some disciples who made arrangements in advance with a certain Mountain Peak, and upon leaving the Outer Region, they would be directly taken in by that Mountain Peak, removing the need for an assignment.¡± "" Bai Zhehua had clearly already settled on the Mountain Peak he wanted to join, and he was only here at Human Affairs Hall to go through with the formalities. Xu Disheng nodded, and when he was just about to open his mouth to speak, an obviously quite quick-witted person standing beside Bai Zhehua said to him with a smile, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, if you haven¡¯t picked a Mountain Peak in advance, you could come along with us and join Morning Dew Peak if you would like. We are all fellow martial brothers who took the same examination, so we should look out for each other.¡± This was another custom that was tacitly carried out among people who had been preselected by a Mountain Peak. They would keep an eye out for other outstanding disciples during the examination and try to rope them over to their side. Xu Disheng had drawn the attention of these kinds of people. There were many other groups of 3 to 4 people in Examination Hall, and many of them were now looking in his direction. That quick-witted disciple was called Li Dan. Seeing that Xu Disheng was still pondering, he opened his mouth to continue. Bai Zhehua waved his hand, interrupting Li Dan. He said with a smile, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, you most likely don¡¯t know very much about the 317 Mountain Peaks of Mingxin Mountain Range, right? In that case, you can try to get a better understanding first, you don¡¯t need to be in a hurry to respond.¡± The people beside him all agreed. Xu Disheng cupped his hands and replied, ¡°Thank you, Senior Martial Brother Bai.¡± Bai Zhehua¡¯s identity clearly wasn¡¯t ordinary, given the way that the disciples at his side acted towards him, and that he owned a longsword Spirit Tool while still in the Outer Region, which often cost over 50 spirit stones. There was a good chance that he was even a descendent of the Dao Foundation powerhouse of Morning Dew Peak. Aside from Bai Zhehua¡¯s group of people, there were several other waves of people who approached Xu Disheng to express their goodwill, inviting him to join certain Mountain Peaks, such as Transgression Peak, Tackling Thunder Peak, and so on. Among the people who approached him, one was the other disciple who passed the examination with a longsword Spirit Tool in just 20 breaths of time. His name was Zhang Puze. Xu Disheng neither refused nor accepted any of these invitations. As they all stood waiting in a queue, people would approach him to share a few well-intended words and polite laughs with him. There were several disciples working in Human Affairs Hall. There were very few people left in Xu Disheng¡¯s line, and very soon, it was Xu Disheng¡¯s turn. The human affairs disciple was rather impatient and said coldly, ¡°Hand over your jade identity tablet.¡± Xu Disheng handed over his jade identity slip. The human affairs disciple took it and swept his consciousness through it. The look in his eyes changed, and the impatience from before diminished considerably. He asked, ¡°Xu Disheng, which Mountain Peak were you pre-selected by?¡± Xu Disheng replied, ¡°I have not yet been preselected by a Mountain Peak, Senior Martial Brother.¡± CH 61 Chapter 61 ¨C Morning Dew Peak TL: I misread one of the words on accident and made a minor translation mistake on the previous chapter. Bai Zhehua has actually been calling Xu Disheng ¡°junior martial brother¡±, not ¡°senior martial brother¡±. Sorry about this, I¡¯ve already gone back and corrected it in the previous chapter. The human affairs disciple was astounded. ¡°You were able to obtain such an outstanding grade, there¡¯s no reason why you shouldn¡¯t have been preselected by a Mountain Peak yet¡­ Anyway, as for the matters regarding selecting a Mountain Peak, you have some degree of personal discretion. You can take a look at this list of Mountain Peaks, and once you¡¯ve selected one, please inform me.¡± He tossed over a jade tablet and a record jade slip. Xu Disheng wordlessly received the items and examined the record jade slip. ¡°Mingxin Peak, the highest peak in the Mingxin Mountain Range. Ranked 1st place. Peak Master: Feng Simiao, known as the Spirit Master of Asphyxiation. Temporarily unavailable for selection.¡± ¡°Profound Heart Peak, ranked 7th in the Mingxin Mountain Range. Peak Master: Yu Xingchao, known as the Killing Heart Spirit Master. Temporarily unavailable for selection.¡± ¡°Morning Dew Peak, ranked 45th in the Mingxin Mountain Range. Peak Master: Lu Changge. Available for selection.¡± ¡°Transgression Peak, ranked 58th in the Mingxin Mountain Range. Peak Master: Yi Yuanming. Available for selection.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­¡± Xu Disheng noticed that the Peak Masters of the Mountain Peaks at the top of the ranking also had a Spirit Master honorific title attached to their alias, but the ones lower on the ranking didn¡¯t. Did this mean that the Peak Masters with this title were at the realm above the Dao Foundation stage? As Xu Disheng was pondering, someone came up beside him. It was Bai Zhehua. Bai Zhehua looked at the jade slip in Xu Disheng¡¯s hands and smiled. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, do you have some understanding of the Mountain Peaks of Mingxin Mountain Range now? Among the 317 Mountain Peaks of Mingxin Mountain Range, Morning Dew Peak is ranked 45th. There are over 100 elite Sea of Qi stage disciples and around 10 Dao Foundation stage disciples, and it¡¯s a pretty good place to live too. Just as Junior Martial Brother Li Dan said earlier, you¡¯re a fellow martial brother who took the examination at the same time as us, so we should all look out for each other.¡± Dao Foundation stage disciples were the core force in every Mountain Peak in the Mingxin Mountain Range. The Mountain Peaks at the top of the ranking often had more than ten, and some even had several dozens. Aside from the Peak Master, who had to be at least a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse, there weren¡¯t more than a few Dao Foundation stage disciples belonging to each of the Mountain Peaks further down the ranking. As for the ones ranked lower than 200 out of the 317 Mountain Peaks, the Peak Master was often pretty much the only one at the Dao Foundation stage, and there wasn¡¯t necessarily a Vice Peak Master appointed. Those kinds of Mountain Peaks easily had several hundreds of Sea of Qi stage disciples, but they were all ordinary Sea of Qi stage disciples who were assigned there by the Human Affairs Hall, which couldn¡¯t even be spoken of in the same breath as the elite Sea of Qi stage disciples that belonged to the top-ranking Mountain Peaks. Clearly, Bai Zhehua looked upon Xu Disheng as a future elite Sea of Qi stage disciple, so his attitude towards him was extremely amicable. He stood there smiling, waiting for Xu Disheng¡¯s reply. Xu Disheng looked at the handsome, bright youth beside him, and suddenly returned his smile. ¡°For you to be so hospitable as to invite me twice, it would be too impolite for me to refuse,¡± Xu Disheng replied. With that, he handed back the record jade slip to the human affairs disciple and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, I will choose Morning Dew Peak.¡± The human affairs disciple nodded at Bai Zhehua, clearly indicating that they were acquainted. He then took back the jade slip from Xu Disheng. Smiling, he said, ¡°Okay, then you can go with Brother Zhehua. I¡¯ll help you make a record of it. He¡¯ll make the arrangements for the trip to Morning Dew Peak, so I won¡¯t bother with that part.¡± Bai Zhehua and the others seemed to have already finished recording which Mountain Peak they selected. Seeing that Xu Disheng had finished picking, Li Dan walked over with a wide smile and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Bai, are we leaving then?¡± These few people, including Li Dan, were people that Bai Zhehua attracted over to his side while in the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain. The worst out of them had Grade 1 Profound Meridians, and now they were all following Bai Zhehua. Bai Zhehua pondered for a moment, then replied, ¡°Right now, everyone who took the Mountain Entry Examination this time is already more or less finished with their Mountain Peak assignments. Junior Martial Brother Xu is with us now, and there aren¡¯t any remaining disciples worth waiting for. We can leave for Morning Dew Peak now.¡± The others all nodded in agreement. After leaving Human Affairs Hall, Bai Zhehua¡¯s finger moved slightly. The storage ring on his finger twinkled, and a massive flying sword appeared in front of them. It was extremely spacious, sizing up at around 20 meters long and 7 meters wide. The entire length of the blade glimmered with a brilliant purple sheen. Among their group was a youth with a square face named Ma Zhenghao, who exclaimed, ¡°A high-grade flying-type Spirit Tool! What a flex, Senior Martial Brother Bai!¡± Li Dan also stared blankly in amazement. They already knew that Bai Zhehua owned 3 or 4 Spirit Tools, but this was the first time he took out a flying-type Spirit Tool, and it was a high-grade one at that. This kind of giant flying sword would cost no less than 400 or 500 spirit stones! Bai Zhehua didn¡¯t pay any attention to their reactions, and nonchalantly got on the giant purple flying sword. ¡°Junior Martial Brothers, come aboard. In the Outer Region, we would ordinarily use a Spirit Cloud to get around, but this time, that won¡¯t do. Morning Dew Peak is located in the center of the Mingxin Mountain Range, so we¡¯ll get there a lot faster on this giant sword,¡± he said. Xu Disheng also got on the giant sword, examining it closely in the process. As the name implied, a high-grade flying-type Spirit Tool such as this one had no combat capabilities despite having a sword form. It could only be used for flight. Bai Zhehua made a hand seal for the activation technique, and a barrier of light in the shape of an ellipsoid appeared around the giant purple sword, enveloping everyone within. The spacious length of the blade tilted upward slightly, and the giant sword began to rise toward the skies. Li Dan, Ma Zhenghao and the others still hadn¡¯t had time to react. Xu Disheng saw the corners of Bai Zhehua¡¯s mouth curl up playfully. He secretly stabilized his body, using profound qi to reduce the rocking. And sure enough, in the next moment, the giant purple sword abruptly accelerated, shooting upward like a beam of light. It pierced through the clouds, riding swiftly along the updrafts and wind tunnels between the mountains. Although the giant sword was covered with a purple protective barrier, it was still possible to vaguely hear the roaring of the wind outside. Li Dan, Ma Zhenghao, and the others all hadn¡¯t had the chance to stabilize themselves. They had tumbled backward, and were now sprawled on the floor of the giant sword. Upon seeing this, Bai Zhehua couldn¡¯t conceal the laughing expression on his face. He suddenly turned and noticed Xu Disheng, who was standing as motionless as a rock. He narrowed his eyes and smiled. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, good hold,¡± he praised. Xu Disheng shook his head lightly, not saying anything. Li Dan got back to his feet in a fluster, patting the nonexistent dust from his robes in an exaggerated manner. Ma Zhenghao, on the other hand, simply just sat there on the ground, not even bothering to get up. He lifted his head and asked, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Bai, you said before that once we join a Mountain Peak, things will be different from when we were in the Outer Region. How exactly is it different?¡± "" Bai Zhehua¡¯s expression turned a bit more sober. He looked at the several people around him and replied, ¡°Although you Junior Martial Brothers are coming with me to Morning Dew Peak, there are a few things you must absolutely keep in mind. First, after joining a Peak, you will be counted as a formal disciple, so you must complete at least 5 sect missions each year.¡± Seeing everyone¡¯s expression turn serious, Bai Zhehua nodded slightly and continued. ¡°Second, after joining Morning Dew Peak, you will be considered a disciple of my father¡¯s pedigree. I will take care of allocating the appropriate amount of cultivation resources to you all. But if you have nothing to do, at the very least, don¡¯t start any conflicts with other disciples belonging to other forces on the Peak. Just concentrate on your cultivation, and everything will be fine. I could handle it if anything were to happen in the Outer Region. But in Morning Dew Peak, many of the disciples under the Dao Foundation stage powerhouses are all vicious and greedy personas. If you were to provoke them, I wouldn¡¯t be able to protect you.¡± As it turned out, Bai Zhehua¡¯s father was a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse of Morning Dew Peak, so it was no wonder that he was so wealthy as to be able to easily pull out a high-grade flying-type Spirit Tool. But his words were a bit incongruous. He said that the others were vicious and greedy, but as one similarly belonging to the lineage of a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse, how could his people be any better? CH 62 Chapter 62 ¨C Half a Year Ma Zhenghao had a Rank 6 Spiritual Root, and his results in the examination were quite good. He endured past the white humanoid figure¡¯s attack period when its barrier was still up, and passed the examination in just 30 minutes. However, his demeanor made him seem rather slow and dimwitted. Sitting there on the surface of the giant sword, he raised his head and asked, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Bai, don¡¯t the sect rules state that we aren¡¯t permitted to kill each other? Even if we do end up provoking them, what can they do to us?¡± Bai Zhehua glared at him out of the corner of his eye, looking as if he somewhat regretted bringing an idiot over to his side. He replied, ¡°If another person really wanted you to die, there would be more ways available to them than you could even count. Even the sect¡¯s image jade slips could be counterfeited by a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse if they had the means to do so. After you all enter the Mountain Peak, you must be careful above all else.¡± After that, it seemed like he wasn¡¯t willing to say more. He just stood there at the tip of the giant sword with his hands behind his back, looking off into the boundless expanse of mist and clouds. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t want to waste even the short time that their trip would take. He sat down cross-legged and pulled out two spirit stones, then closed his eyes and began to cultivate. Seeing this luxurious display of cultivating with two spirit stones at once, the other people were flabbergasted. Xu Disheng completely disregarded the others¡¯ gazes. There was only half a year remaining until the Grand Inner Disciple Tournament, and he had only just broken through to the Sea of Qi stage. The only Spirit Tool he had was his Daoist Robe, which he had also refined into a Soul Vessel. It was all too obvious that out of the tens of thousands of Sea of Qi stage disciples in the Mingxin Mountain Range, those that truly had confidence in attending the Grand Inner Disciple Tournament were those elite disciples who were at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage. To say nothing of ordinary Spirit Tools, there would probably be plenty of people with high-grade Spirit Tools attending the tournament. There might even be people with low-grade Magic Treasures! Once someone had a Magic Treasure, they would be completely unparalleled among those at the Sea of Qi stage, completely crushing everyone in their path. If one wanted to enter the top 100 in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, how would one be able to suppress those who possessed high-grade Spirit Tools or even Magic Treasures? Just what qualities were being compared among the competitors in the Grand Inner Disciple Tournament? An overwhelming majority of disciples had ordinary aptitudes. Even if they joined a Mountain Peak, they would only earn a few dozen spirit stones within a year, they might be able to save up a bunch of spirit stones over the years to buy a Spirit Tool, and that would already be considered quite good. By what means could an ordinary disciple with ordinary, badly damaged cultivation methods and ordinary Spirit Tools go up against those with high-grade Spirit Tools and powerful, complete cultivation methods? Despite their best efforts, they might still be felled by the casual swipe of a sword and face defeat. Therefore, these tournaments were comparing none other than destiny, resources, aptitude, comprehension, and fortune! The combination of these basic qualities determined a disciple¡¯s fundamental combat strength. With a strong destiny, it would be possible to obtain treasures and cultivation methods that others might never be able to chance upon, causing their combat strength to grow explosively. It went without saying that with enough resources, anyone could use weapons and equipment as their fangs. With plenty of spiritual medicine and several Spirit Tools in hand, they could crush anyone in their path. Aptitude and comprehension were equally important. There would definitely be people willing to sponsor and support proud geniuses, so they would never be lacking for Spirit Tools, cultivation methods, or spiritual medicines. The most abstract of these was fortune. There was once a rumor of a Spirit Master, who was originally a mediocre disciple with ordinary aptitude and comprehension, as insignificant as a speck of dust. But by possessing exceptional luck, he ascended to lofty heights. After reaching the Sea of Qi stage, his potential erupted. He escaped from certain death on numerous occasions and got his hands on some ancient inheritances, which allowed him to quickly break through multiple cultivation realms in succession. After reaching that lofty cultivation realm past the Dao Foundation stage, he obtained the title of Spirit Master, granting him great authority and power. After all, this was the Human Realm. With how vast and endless it was, no matter what happened, it wouldn¡¯t be entirely out of the question. In the next moment, maybe an inheritance might even appear right next to you. A masterless Magic Treasure could even drop from the sky and recognize you as its master. These kinds of occurrences weren¡¯t without precedent. Thus, it was all up to how much Xu Disheng could raise his combat strength in the next half a year. He wanted to improve his strength however much he could in this time, so he didn¡¯t want to slack off for even a minute. Ma Zhenghao noticed the change in atmosphere between the people present. He was aware that he misspoke earlier, and he was now sitting silently next to the purple barrier of light. It wasn¡¯t clear what he was thinking about. The speed of the giant purple sword gradually slowed, landing upon a Mountain Peak that was roughly 1,300 meters high. Bai Zhehua waved his hand, releasing the barrier around the giant sword. He stepped onto the solid ground of the Mountain Peak and said, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at Morning Dew Peak, Junior Martial Brothers.¡± There were several hundred smaller palace buildings, which were sectioned off into several large, luxurious courtyards. Just now, they had landed in one of these large courtyards. The group stepped off of the giant sword. Bai Zhehua explained, ¡°We will first go to the Errands Office of Morning Dew Peak to trade in your jade identity tablets and pick up your cultivation resources. I¡¯ll also have some people arrange palace rooms for you all.¡± Bai Zhehua was clearly very familiar with this place, probably because he had grown up here on Morning Dew Peak with his father. Then, he was sent to the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain to go through with the sect¡¯s normal procedure for disciples. Now that he was returning to Morning Dew Peak, his behavior was exceedingly composed. Xu Disheng and the others were still using their jade identity tablets from when they were disciples belonging to the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain. Now that they had joined a Mountain Peak, they naturally couldn¡¯t continue using them. But even though they were swapping them for the jade identity tablet of Morning Dew Peak, their details and records since coming to the sect would be untouched, remaining safely stored within. After hearing what Bai Zhehua said on the giant sword, even the clever, witty Li Dan was quiet. The group followed Bai Zhehua to get their jade identity tablets replaced, and each of them received 4 spirit stones. When they came out of the hall, Bai Zhehua saw that the atmosphere was a bit gloomy. He smiled and said, ¡°After this, you all can come here and pick up 4 spirit stones every month. But if you want to accept any missions or buy Spirit Tools and such, you¡¯ll still have to go to Mountain Affairs Peak.¡± He paused in thought and glanced over at Xu Disheng before continuing, ¡°If your performance in the Peak is exceptional, my father might even bestow to you a precious Spirit Tool.¡± He didn¡¯t really specify what exactly constituted an ¡®exceptional performance¡¯. But out of this group of people, the only person Bai Zhehua looked highly upon was Xu Disheng, and this statement was clearly directed towards him. Xu Disheng said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Bai, are we allowed to accept a sect mission at any time? Is there a limit on the frequency?¡± Bai Zhehua was surprised, but he still nodded his head and replied, ¡°There¡¯s no limit on the frequency, so you can go to Mountain Affairs Peak whenever you want to accept a mission. But most people wait until the last two months of the year, when their preparations are adequate, before going on sect missions.¡± Li Dan, Ma Zhenghao and the others had never done a sect mission before, and they had long heard about how dreadful they were. But upon hearing Xu Disheng go out of his way to ask about them, their gazes towards Xu Disheng filled with either astonishment or disdain. Xu Disheng silently nodded, not inquiring any further. There was only half a year until the tournament, so Xu Disheng was feeling a bit pressed for time. This tournament only occurred once every 50 years in the Sacred Sect, so he didn¡¯t want to miss it. He also wanted to contend for the top 100 spots! But with his current strength, the gap in Spirit Tools and cultivation methods between him and even an ordinary disciple might still be too big. Even if he was at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage, he still wouldn¡¯t have full insurance that he¡¯d be able to deal with them the way things currently were. However, this was a materialistic world. Spirit Tools, especially those with Seals on them, along with powerful cultivation methods, could be used to close the gap in combat strength. Xu Disheng looked down at the newly replaced jade identity tablet in his hands. Carved upon it were just a few words: Morning Dew Peak, Xu Disheng. His long eyelashes trembled slightly, and he inadvertently became aware of the long black hair hanging down from both sides of his vision. Before he knew it, he was already 17 years old. The youth¡¯s shapely eyes slowly closed, concealing his mood within. He turned around to face the hazy expanse of fog and mist outside of Morning Dew Peak. At that very moment, sunlight began to peek over the horizon. The effulgence of the three massive suns cast a radiant brilliance upon the layer of clouds, basking the land in a beautiful golden glow. CH 63 Chapter 63 ¨C Mission? Xu Disheng opened his eyes. A month had passed by, and he had long since gotten used to the scenery. The palace room he was in wasn¡¯t that big, but it was cozy and elegant. The door wasn¡¯t closed completely. Sunlight danced naughtily through the crack, stealing into the room and painting the floor with light. He walked out of the palace room, squinting his eyes from the sunlight that was shining down unobstructed through the layer of clouds. He narrowed his eyes and spotted two people outside the gate, in the middle of a conversation. When they saw Xu Disheng come out, one of them smiled and said, ¡°I was just about to send Junior Brother Xu a message jade slip, but it looks like you came out on your own.¡± The person who spoke was Li Dan, and the other person accompanying him was another person from their group who joined the Morning Dew Peak with them a month ago, whose name was Xi Jingshan. He usually didn¡¯t say much, so Xu Disheng didn¡¯t have much of an impression of him. As it turned out, this entire large courtyard of palace rooms belonged to Bai Zhehua¡¯s father. This mysterious Dao Foundation stage powerhouse was considered quite good among those of Morning Dew Peak. Because Xu Disheng and the others had all joined the Peak at the same time, their palace room courtyards were all arranged in the same neighborhood. In the last month, Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t left his residence. He nodded at the two fellow disciples and said, ¡°What have you come here for, Senior Martial Brothers?¡± Xi Jingshan didn¡¯t say anything, remaining habitually taciturn. Li Dan carefully sized up Xu Disheng and replied with a smile, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, your profound qi seems to have improved even more in the last month. As the ones being called Senior Martial Brothers, we¡¯re ashamed.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t really like that when Li Dan spoke, he would always beat around the bush in a troublesome manner. But even though he thought that way inwardly, he didn¡¯t show it on his face. He replied flatly, ¡°It¡¯s already been a month since coming to Morning Dew Peak after all. Can¡¯t stay stuck without making progress forever.¡± Li Dan laughed awkwardly. He was exactly one of those people, stuck without making progress. In the last month, he had hardly cultivated one bit, and had instead been busy making friends with the other Senior Martial Brothers and Sisters that belonged to the pedigree of Bai Zhehua¡¯s father. Xi Jingshan walked forward and said in a low tone, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, we actually came to look for you about something.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Xu Disheng replied. Xi Jingshan glanced at Li Dan. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t going to speak, he continued, ¡°One of our Senior Martial Brothers, Chen Xingzhou, accepted a small-scale mission from Sect Affairs Hall. He needs the assistance of about a dozen or so Sea of Qi stage disciples, and is currently recruiting disciples from the Peak. The two of us are planning to participate, so we came to ask if you wanted to come too. After all, with only four spirit stones a month, it just isn¡¯t enough. Senior Martial Brother Chen has already said that after the mission is successfully completed, each disciple will be rewarded 10 spirit stones.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t agree immediately. Instead, he asked, ¡°What about Senior Martial Brother Ma Zhenghao? Why didn¡¯t he come with the two of you?¡± A month ago, Bai Zhehua had brought four people with him to Morning Dew Peak. Aside from Xu Disheng, there were these two, and then Ma Zhenghao. Xu Disheng had only casually asked this question, but the expressions of the two of them slightly changed. Li Dan scoffed and said, ¡°We only heard about this yesterday, but half a month ago, Junior Martial Brother Ma went alone and accepted an extremely dangerous 3-day time limit mission, and has yet to return. Senior Martial Brother Bai said that he probably won¡¯t be coming back.¡± Xi Jingshan¡¯s face was solemn. They had come together from the Outer Region, and he had been a martial brother who took the examination at the same time as them. But in just the span of one month, they had already lost someone. Although they weren¡¯t that emotionally attached to Ma Zhenghao, they still felt a sympathetic sense of grief from losing someone who was in similar circumstances as them. For some reason, Li Dan was angry. ¡°Ma Zhenghao, you brainless fool! You didn¡¯t even take a good look at yourself before going on a sect mission alone? Even if you did have the skills, your death wouldn¡¯t be undeserved!¡± Beneath Li Dan¡¯s outburst, Xu Disheng could tell that he was scared and was actually putting up a strong front. Xi Jingshan looked at Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Small-scale missions are different from ordinary sect missions, and usually require many people to complete. It is necessary for the person who accepted the small-scale mission to recruit people themselves. The best benefit for us is that if we successfully complete the mission, it counts towards our quota of missions that we need to complete each year.¡± After a Sea of Qi stage disciple entered a Peak, they were required to complete at least 5 missions a year. This was the reason why Xi Jingshan and Li Dan were so keen on taking part in Chen Xingzhou¡¯s small-scale mission. On the other hand, Xu Disheng¡¯s thoughts weren¡¯t so simple. For this Chen Xingzhou person to accept a small-scale mission like this, he certainly wasn¡¯t an idiot. If this random gathering of people could complete a mission just by messing around, why would Chen Xingzhou have to give each of them a reward of 10 spirit stones? However, there wasn¡¯t much time left for him to go out. There were only several months remaining until the Grand Inner Disciple Tournament. In the last month, he had been stabilizing his cultivation of all of the cultivation methods and techniques he knew. He only had a few dozen spirit stones remaining, and it definitely wouldn¡¯t be enough for him to support his future cultivation. Having thought to this point, Xu Disheng nodded his head and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xi, I¡¯ll go with you two. But what kind of person is this Senior Martial Brother Chen?¡± Xi Jingshan replied, ¡°Chen Xingzhou is also from Morning Dew Peak. He¡¯s at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage, and he¡¯s just a bit away from being at the half-step Dao Foundation stage. Senior Martial Brother Chen is among the ranks of the elite Sea of Qi stage disciples, and it was said that he accepted this small-scale mission and put up a recruitment at the Morning Dew Peak¡¯s Errands Office to help out newcomer disciples like us. All of the people who went to sign up this time are newcomer disciples who joined the Peak within the last 3 years.¡± Li Dan was also a bit excited and chimed in, ¡°10 spirit stones for each person! Senior Martial Brother Chen takes such good care of his juniors. We¡¯re really fortunate.¡± Inwardly, Xu Disheng¡¯s doubts only increased. If Chen Xingzhou really wanted to complete a mission, it wouldn¡¯t have been hard for him to just find a few peak Sea of Qi stage disciples who he was familiar with. What exactly was Chen Xingzhou¡¯s intention with giving out a reward of 10 spirit stones per person to recruit newcomer disciples who joined the Peak in the last few years? Li Dan and Xi Jingshan could only see the 10 spirit stones and the free sect mission completion in their minds. The words that Bai Zhehua said to them about the nature of the forces of other pedigrees when they first joined the Peak had long been forgotten. But Xu Disheng still remembered Bai Zhehua¡¯s words clearly. When these two came to find Xu Disheng to ask him to join the small-scale mission, they presumably hadn¡¯t gone to tell Bai Zhehua yet. Expression unchanging, Xu Disheng used his jade identity tablet to restore the protective barrier around his palace room before following the two towards the Errands Office of Morning Dew Peak. The Errands Office wasn¡¯t large, and it was currently bustling with activity. Most of the people standing around were experienced disciples, who were standing around and pointing the way. In front of the gate, there was a youth in a white Daoist robe, who would occasionally talk to the people coming up to him. Li Dan brought along the two of them through the crowd, arriving at the front of the gate. He stepped forward with a somewhat ingratiating smile and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chen, the three of us just joined the Peak about a month ago. We were wondering if we could join this time¡¯s mission?¡± Chen Xingzhou¡¯s complexion was handsome and bright. He had straight sword-like eyebrows and bright, star-like eyes. And yet, his gaze was mild, which allowed others to easily form a good impression about him. He smiled and replied, ¡°No problem. This time¡¯s mission is just a quick trip out of the sect, and there won¡¯t be much danger involved. About one month will be enough to complete the mission.¡± He roughly sized up Li Dan and the other two, noting that the three of them were at the early Sea of Qi stage. He nodded and continued, ¡°You three can come with us. With you guys included, we will have enough for this time¡¯s small-scale mission.¡± There were two attendants standing behind Chen Xingzhou at a relatively close distance. Among them was one called Wang Jun, and when he saw how noisy the crowd was becoming, he shouted loudly, ¡°Move along now! Senior Martial Brother Chen already has enough people for the small-scale mission, so you can all go back.¡± After that, he turned around to check the numbers. Taking into account Xu Disheng and the others, there were 14 people in total. Wang Jun went one by one and recorded each person¡¯s jade identity tablet, then handed the record to Chen Xingzhou. Xu Disheng noticed that aside from Chen Xingzhou and his two attendants, the other people who were participating in the mission were all early Sea of Qi stage disciples. Although they had all entered the Sea of Qi stage already, they were whispering amongst each other, and their expressions revealed their inexperience and lack of composure. It was easy to see at a glance that they were all newcomer disciples who had just joined in the last few years. The more seasoned disciples were standing around the outskirts, watching the bustling crowd. From time to time, there were strange looks in their eyes as they stood there and watched these 11 people, but none of them opened their mouths to say anything. As they saw the dissipating crowd of people that were like bees swarming around honey, the sound of snide remarks and strange laughter could be heard. Chen Xingzhou¡¯s gaze turned cold, and he swept an eye over those veteran disciples. They immediately quieted down and scattered. After all, Chen Xingzhou was at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage and was one of the elite disciples of the Peak. He had great prospects of reaching the Dao Foundation stage, so almost no one dared to offend him. In front of the Errands Office, only the 11 recruited disciples for the mission remained. There were several newcomer disciples who weren¡¯t picked that were standing off to the side, looking upset and unwilling. Chen Xingzhou turned around, his expression becoming warm. He smiled and said, ¡°Everyone, you can go back and make preparations. After two hours, we will meet here.¡± All of the people nodded in understanding. At Chen Xingzhou¡¯s side, Wang Jun had a face full of haughty pride. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chen is supporting you all with this opportunity to earn spirit stones. You better not be late!¡± The other attendant just stood behind Chen Xingzhou, not saying a word. CH 64 Chapter 64 ¨C The People of the Fa Territory In the eyes of Chen Xingzhou and his attendants, Xu Disheng seemed like the most ordinary of disciples who had just entered the Sea of Qi stage, so they didn¡¯t pay him any particular attention. But when Xu Disheng walked past Wang Jun, he eyed him and said, ¡°Stop right there.¡± Xu Disheng stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Wang Jun. ¡°What is it?¡± He didn¡¯t even spare him the respect of calling him Senior Martial Brother, since Wang Jun had really been acting rather arrogant and bossy, making others around him miserable. Wang Jun peered closely at Xu Disheng¡¯s Daoist robe, a suspicious expression on his face. ¡°Why are there so many black lines on this Daoist robe?¡± he asked. A trace of killing intent flashed through Xu Disheng¡¯s slightly lowered gaze, but he concealed it immediately. He replied indifferently, ¡°What does it have to do with you?¡± Wang Jun was extremely dissatisfied with Xu Disheng¡¯s attitude. An angry scowl crossed his face as he shouted, ¡°Unappreciative bastard! You¡¯re a new disciple to this Peak, yet you didn¡¯t even call me Senior Martial Brother. You don¡¯t even know how to respect your superiors!¡± Wang Jun stretched out his palm and summoned forth a spiraling orb of green profound qi, on the verge of releasing it at Xu Disheng. Li Dan and Xi Jingshan weren¡¯t standing that far away. When they saw what was happening, their expressions were filled with anxiety, but they didn¡¯t dare to speak up and interfere. After all, Wang Jun was at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage, and he also had Chen Xingzhou behind him, whom they couldn¡¯t dare to offend. The other 8 people in the group, as well as some of the lingering veteran and newcomer disciples who hadn¡¯t yet dispersed, stopped to watch the situation. They had curious expressions in their eyes as they looked over at the ruckus. Chen Xingzhou¡¯s cold voice rang out. ¡°Wang Jun.¡± Wang Jun¡¯s outstretched hand stopped in midair, and the profound light dissipated. But the angry look in his eyes hadn¡¯t faded. He wordlessly glared at Xu Disheng for a moment before returning to his position behind Chen Xingzhou. Chen Xingzhou walked over and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Wang usually enjoys researching Seals. He must have thought that there was some new kind of seal engraved on your standardized Daoist robe, so he must have gotten too caught up in it. Please don¡¯t mind it.¡± Xu Disheng restrained the mysterious black light revolving in his eyes before replying lightly, ¡°No problem.¡± With that, he walked off towards Xi Jingshan and Li Dan. Chen Xingzhou stared at Xu Disheng¡¯s back as he walked away, an inexplicable look in his eyes. The anger in Wang Jun¡¯s eyes diminished by a lot. He looked at Xu Disheng as if he was looking at someone who was already dead. Xu Disheng further confirmed that Chen Xingzhou and his two attendants were conspiring. A grand majority of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s missions were doable within their own territory. After all, the Sacred Sect had jurisdiction over millions and millions of li of land. No matter if it was demons, ghosts, mortals, or river deities, and so on, all of them had to pay respect to the Shangqing Sacred Sect. This time, they actually had to leave the sect. On top of that, Chen Xingzhou had gone out of his way to choose only newcomer disciples. It was considered pretty normal for disciples who recently joined a Peak to end up as casualties in sect missions. There was another point that the newcomer disciples had unintentionally overlooked. Although the sect rules seemed extremely strict, as soon as they left sect territory and were in the middle of a mission, the rules would no longer be as strictly upheld. Xu Disheng laughed quietly. If Wang Jun had really dared to attack him just now, he would have immediately unleashed the Passing Soul Mantra that he had been revolving in his sea of consciousness and truly let him know the meaning of a ¡®silent death¡¯. On the other hand, Wang Jun was still totally unaware of the fact that he had just stepped away from the edge of the pit to hell. In the first place, he wasn¡¯t thinking of hitting that hard. After all, they were still on Morning Dew Peak, and no one would dare to brazenly violate the sect rules by murdering a fellow disciple. The only thing Wang Jun would have never fathomed was that Xu Disheng actually didn¡¯t care too much about the sect rules. If someone were to attack him, he would just directly kill them, no matter where they were. Was there really for him to silently endure such treatment? If the road of a profound cultivator was really so stifling and dull, it would be better for him to just die and be reincarnated a day sooner. There wouldn¡¯t be any need for him to pursue the truths about his previous life. If one¡¯s values weren¡¯t clearly defined, barriers in the heart would exist. As soon as there was something obstructing one¡¯s Dao Heart, then they might stay stuck at the Sea of Qi stage forever, unable to improve an inch until their dying day. Seeing that there was no scene to be witnessed, the loitering disciples gradually dispersed. After this matter occurred, they pretty much all formed some impression of Xu Disheng. One of the intelligent veteran disciples nearby laughed coldly to himself and muttered, ¡°Death is near at hand, and they don¡¯t even know. How could Chen Xingzhou be a pushover? Who knows if even a single one of those newcomer disciples will return.¡± The sky gradually darkened, but the Mingxin Mountain Range was still bright, as if it wasn¡¯t night at all. Each of the several hundred Mountain Peaks was letting off different levels of light, illuminating the horizon. In the air, there were countless beams of light of varying sizes, flashing and disappearing within moments like falling stars. It was an extremely beautiful spectacle to behold. Even the three moons in the sky slightly paled in comparison to that sight of the myriad of streaking, multi-colored lights. One of those bigger purple beams of light was Chen Xingzhou¡¯s party of 14. The flying-type Spirit Tool that Chen Xingzhou was flying was an extremely large purple Spirit Cloud. Although its speed was average and couldn¡¯t compare to Bai Zhehua¡¯s giant sword in that aspect, it was much more spacious and comfortable. The group on board was gathered together in groups of 3 to 5. Xi Jingshan had returned to his habitually reticent style, while Li Dan was rather excited. He looked down at the Mountain Peaks flitting past them below and said to Xu Disheng with a grin, ¡°It¡¯s already been 10 years since joining the sect and entering Outer Region, and I hadn¡¯t left the sect since then. Oh right! Junior Martial Brother Xu, what Province did you come from?¡± As Xu Disheng sat there on the cloud, his bangs blew lightly in the wind, occasionally revealing his fair forehead. The youth¡¯s shapely black eyes hid a bright magnificence within. When he heard what Li Dan asked him, he paused a bit before answering, ¡°I actually didn¡¯t come from the Human Realm.¡± Li Dan looked a bit puzzled, and lowered his head in contemplation. An idea suddenly seemed to hit him and he said, ¡°Are you from a Secret Mortal Realm then? It¡¯s really not easy, being able to escape from that cage and come to the real world.¡± Xu Disheng lightly shook his head and replied, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®real¡¯? It¡¯s just the difference between intact and damaged. No matter if it¡¯s the confined Secret Mortal Realms or the vast Human Realm, both are still ¡®real¡¯.¡± In the past, Xu Disheng had stood on the balcony of his pavilion in the Ruyang Region¡¯s Xu Clan property in Zhenhai City, watching the hundred shapes of human life. Those mortals who lived in the small, cloistered land of the Secret Realm would never know the truth. They would only go through the happiness and sorrows of their life as it fleetingly passed by. Why would anyone bother to tell them that the reality they were living in was a lie? Xu Disheng heard these kinds of remarks all too often. Even Daoist Lord Qingxin, who was his first teacher, often referred to mortals of the Secret Realm as ¡®primitive aboriginals¡¯ and viewed them as lowly as livestock. Xi Jingshan suddenly spoke up, his tone rather downcast. ¡°I also came from the Secret Mortal Realms. The Fa Territory of the 17th Secret Mortal Realm.¡± Li Dan turned around, a look of astonishment on his face. Normally, no one who came from the Mortal Secret Realms would willingly speak up about their origin. Xi Jingshan looked at Xu Disheng. His tone changed slightly as he said, ¡°I used to be a really cheerful and lively kid. I had a stable and happy household, and my parents and relatives all lived in one courtyard. Although we weren¡¯t considered rich, our big family was harmonious and full of joy and warmth.¡± He continued, ¡°That courtyard was so familiar, so warm to me. Every night after we all finished laboring in the fields, we would eat dinner together¡­ It was always a time full of cheer and laughter. But once the Prefectural Army stepped in, everything changed.¡± Xi Jingshan¡¯s voice began to slightly tremble as he said, ¡°They grabbed all of the kids of appropriate age and forced them to have their Dao Channels measured. Those who didn¡¯t have any Dao Channels were fine. They were returned to their homes, and lived happily ever after. But¡­!¡± His hand curled into a fist, bitter resentment dripping from his voice. ¡°I just had to have these wretched Profound Meridians! The Prefectural Army murdered my parents! They slaughtered all of my relatives! All just to make sure that I ¡®wouldn¡¯t have anything else to worry about¡¯!¡± ¡°Then, they brought me in front of the master of the Fa Territory. Including me, there were 10 children who had the same fate. They slaughtered all of our clans, leaving none alive! It was only later that I found out that they pull this scheme every 10 or so years. Just how many clans were scattered and broken by them?! So many warm, beautiful memories of the past, all stained with blood!¡± Xi Jingshan released his tightly clenched fists, his tone becoming flat and indifferent. He continued quietly, ¡°Now, my life¡¯s sole purpose is to break through to that cultivation realm past the Dao Foundation stage and destroy the Fa Territory in the 17th Secret Mortal Realm. I will do anything to accomplish this.¡± The Realm Lord of each Secret Mortal Realm was different. The Realm Lord of the Chu Territory, which Xu Disheng was from, was much better in comparison. Emperor Chu didn¡¯t really care much about anything in particular, since he was focused on trying to break through to the Dao Foundation stage. Meanwhile, the Realm Lord of the Fa Territory was clearly one of those kinds of people who enjoyed massacres and unleashing bloodbaths at the drop of a hat, and truly treated the aboriginals of the Mortal Secret Realms like swine. After hearing Xi Jingshan¡¯s story, Li Dan was stunned into silence. CH 65 Chapter 65 ¨C Dawn Creek Metropolis TL: This chapter was probably the most challenging one for me by far given the amount of mythology in it and world-building being done all at once. Some of the events and settings described here are related to or were briefly alluded to in the prologue. Starting from this chapter, I changed the term ¡®Buddhist Sun Realm¡¯, which was used a few times in the prologue, to ¡®Great Buddhist Sun World¡¯, to reflect the implication that there can be multiple realms within a ¡®world¡¯. Please enjoy! The gloomy, black water of the river flowed noiselessly past. The water was so dark that it looked like it absorbed all of the light that reflected upon it. It seemed like with just a single fleeting glance, it would suck you in and trap you forever within. The river seemed to have no beginning and no end as it ebbed in from an unknown location, and flowed onwards into the void. The waters of the river glided past the supreme domains of the Eight Grandmasters off into the boundless infinity of the world, all the way down to the venerated Fengdu City in the underworld, traversing the entirety of the Nine Serenities Realm. The river water could turn the dead into the living, attaching flesh to bones, and possessed the heavenly power of creation. It was just like the three massive suns and moons in the sky, existing since times immemorial. This river was known as the Forgotten River, which was spoken of only in legends. (TL: This part is describing the Forgotten River, which is a location in Chinese mythology. It is one of the rivers in the Chinese version of the underworld, which is known as Diyu. It separates the Yellow Springs (similar to the River Styx in Greek Mythology) and the Chinese version of the Underworld. In order to reincarnate, parted souls must cross this river, but the only way to cross is through the Bridge of Helplessness (Naihe Bridge). There¡¯s a legend of an old woman on this bridge named Meng Po, who feeds the recently passed souls a soup which erases the memories of their past life. Ironically enough, there¡¯s no English version of the Wikipedia page for the Forgotten River. If you want to read more about the Chinese version of the underworld: link) Ghosts avoided the Forgotten River like the plague. As soon as they touched even a little bit of the river water, all of the ghostly qi in their body would be completely rinsed out, giving rise to Yang energy and replenishing longevity. If it was in the Human Realm, this was naturally an extremely beneficial outcome, but in the Nine Serenities Realm, it was a straight path to oblivion for the ghosts. Dawn Creek Metropolis was located along the Forgotten River. The Forgotten River stretched onward for untold lengths, and the number of ghost cities that existed along its banks were as innumerable as the grains of sand in a desert. Although Dawn Creek Metropolis was just one amongst many, there was something special about it. The Six Paths of Reincarnation and Rebirth had existed in the Nine Serenities Realm since the ancient days of yore. Within the Three Heavens and Nine Realms, at the very top, there were the Brahmic Heaven, the Three Realms of the Golden Crow, and the Heavenly Court. Below that, there were the Three Realms of the Yin Wheel, the Human Realm, and the Heavenly Ocean Realm. No matter which heaven or realm they came from, and regardless of whether they were bodhisattvas, deities, ghosts, demons, humans, or monsters, every being had to be reincarnated. This required passing through the Six Paths of Reincarnation, which was located in the Nine Serenities Realm. The location of the Human Path of the Six Paths of Reincarnation was in Dawn Creek Metropolis, and it was guarded by Divine General Tianrui. Divine General Tianrui was a direct descendant of one of the Eight Grandmasters of the Nine Serenities Realm. By relying on this noble blood relation, he was appointed the Divine General rank by the Heavenly Court. He was washed of his identity as a ghost, cleansed of all his innate ghostly qi, and was reconstructed into a divine body. He was in charge of ghost generals and three million ghost soldiers, who were tasked with defending the Human Path of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. ¡°Almighty Lord Tianrui, Master Chu has arrived outside Radiant Hall,¡± a ghost general in golden armor reported respectfully, bowing deeply before the throne seated on high within the hall. Tianrui lifted his gaze, and commanded from the throne in a clear tone, ¡°Welcome him in.¡± ¡°Yes, Almighty Lord.¡± ¡°Tianrui, you haven¡¯t left this damned hellhole for several hundred years already. We¡¯ve been bored without you.¡± The gate of Radiant Hall opened and a rich playboy-looking noble in red clothes strided in. His countenance was handsome and refined, and his frivolous nature was apparent through his speech alone. Tianrui motioned with his eyes and the ghost general silently withdrew, closing the giant gate and reactivating the protective array on his way out. After the ghost general left, Divine General Tianrui¡¯s expression immediately softened. He smiled wryly and said, ¡°You think I wanted to be like this? I don¡¯t even know how the Grandmaster of Rotation chose me out of the several tens of thousands of direct descendents to come and defend this damned place. Well, just like that, several hundred years went by.¡± He lifted his gaze and looked around at the spacious, brightly lit hall and the mirror of water in the center of it. Roughly calculating a number on his fingers, he said, ¡°I guess it¡¯s not too bad. After another 1,300 years, it¡¯ll be time for someone else to take over with defending this place. The life of a Divine General is really way too rigid and ascetic for me.¡± The red-clothed rich playboy, whose name was Chu Wuyu, walked straight up to the upper hall where Tianrui was and laughed heartily. He jested, ¡°Being a Divine General isn¡¯t good? At least your position is formally ordained by the Heavenly Court, so you¡¯ll be immortal and be forever immortal.¡± Tianrui gave him a sideways glance and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of me. As descendents of the Grandmasters, we were already born with an eternal lifespan. Why would I need an official post appointed by the Heavenly Court for that?¡± Chu Wuyu seemed to bear veiled criticism against the Heavenly Court. ¡°The Heavenly Court? Heh, it¡¯s only us and a few other lower realms who actually pay them any respect. Just look at the lofty Brahmic Heaven and the Three Realms of the Golden Crow. Does the Heavenly Court even dare to control them one bit?¡± Tianrui frowned and said, ¡°Watch your tongue.¡± Chu Wuyu snorted coldly and said, ¡°In the Nine Serenities Realm, we have the Eight Grandmasters and the Supreme Emperor of Fengdu City, who have existed for countless ages. In my opinion, there isn¡¯t much difference in power between them and the Heavenly Court. Why should we bother to suffer under their control?¡± Tianrui shook his head. ¡°Wuyu, you¡¯re wrong. Although the Heavenly Court rules over the three heavens and nine realms in name, it isn¡¯t as simple as you think. Otherwise, with the almighty power that the Grandmasters possess, do you think they would really be willing to be subservient to others?¡± He paused for a bit, then said, ¡°You haven¡¯t received divinity yet, so there are some things you don¡¯t know. Just how powerful and overbearing are the Three Realms of the Golden Crow? Not to mention the three Bodhisattvas of the three realms, the ten Arhats beneath each of them all have cultivations on par with the likes of the Grandmaster of Rotation. And then there¡¯s the Brahmic Heaven, at the core of the Great Buddhist Sun World.¡± Tianrui continued, ¡°The Great Buddhist Sun World alone occupies one heaven and three realms out of all three heavens and nine realms. There¡¯s the Brahmic Heaven and the Three Realms of the Golden Crow, both with power comparable to the Heavenly Court. Just how terrifying is that? Even though our Nine Serenities Realm is a big realm, how can we compare with the Three Realms of the Golden Crow? So for countless ages, the Nine Serenities Realm continued to withstand the Heavenly Court¡¯s control. In the future, don¡¯t carelessly say what you said just now in front of other people, otherwise they will laugh at you and call you ignorant!¡± Chu Wuyu still seemed unwilling to concede, but he frowned and didn¡¯t speak further. He glanced at the vast water mirror in the center of the hall, where the view of the Human Path on the backdrop of Dawn Creek Metropolis outside was reflecting upon the surface. Even though Chu Wuyu had seen this unfathomable black and white vortex countless times, he still often found himself engrossed by the sight of it. He muttered to himself, ¡°The Six Paths of Reincarnation are really too mysterious. Even just the Human Path of Reincarnation has so much power of creation within.¡± Divine General Tianrui looked at his childhood friend and shook his head. He suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°Speaking of the Human Path, I actually just remembered that there was something interesting that happened one time.¡± Chu Wuyu tore his gaze away and looked at Tianrui with a curious expression. ¡°What happened? You¡¯ve been protecting this place for several hundred years, like being trapped in a cage. What interesting thing could have possibly happened?¡± Tianrui¡¯s expression became more mild, and the lecturing tone he had earlier disappeared. He smiled and said, ¡°When I first came here to guard this place, a Bodhisattva once came to visit. I had seen portraits of the Bodhisattvas of the Three Realms, so I knew that this Bodhisattva wasn¡¯t from the Three Realms of the Golden Crow. This Bodhisattva must have been from the Brahmic Heaven.¡± Chu Wuyu was astonished. ¡°Why would a respected Bodhisattva go out of their way to come to a place like this? And a Bodhisattva from the Brahmic Heaven, no less?¡± Tianrui shook his head and replied, ¡°I also didn¡¯t know what eponym of Buddha this Bodhisattva had, but when they entered the Nine Serenities Realm, they ended up alarming the Supreme Emperor of Fengdu City and the several nearby Grandmasters. At the time, the Grandmaster of Rotation and the Grandmaster of Song Temple both sent clones over here.¡± Chu Wuyu hated being left on a cliffhanger the most. He pressed him anxiously, ¡°Tianrui, hurry up and continue. What happened next?¡± Divine General Tianrui chuckled and said, ¡°And then, you see, this unnamed Bodhisattva, ¡­¡± Seeing that Tianrui was still trying to stall and string him along with his antics, Chu Wuyu let out an annoyed snort. He flipped his palm, causing a glimmering golden rope to appear out of nowhere, and posed as if to threaten to attack Tianrui with it. Tianrui laughed and lightheartedly begged for his mercy. ¡°Put that rope away already! I¡¯ll keep talking.¡± Chu Wuyu didn¡¯t immediately put it away. Instead, he kept the God Binding Rope in his hand and glared coldly at Tianrui. Divine General Tianrui laughed, nudging him with his finger before continuing, ¡°And then, a revolving cyan light appeared in that honorable Bodhisattva¡¯s hand, and he directly threw it into the Human Path.¡± Chu Wuyu found it inconceivable. ¡°When the people of the Great Buddhist Sun World reincarnate, don¡¯t they all directly go through the Sun Path of Reincarnation? Why did he throw that light into the Human Realm? And why did the clone of a Bodhisattva come here personally to do that?¡± The Six Paths of Reincarnation were divided into the Sun Path, the Moon Path, the Human Path, the Ghost Path, and the Sky Path. However, the final Path had been a taboo existence for countless years, and no being dared to utter its name. If one entered the Sun Path, one would be reincarnated into the Buddhist Lands of the Three Realms of the Golden Crow. If it was the Moon Path, one would be reincarnated into the Three Realms of the Yin Wheel. For the Human Path, it was the Human Realm. For the Ghost Path, it was the Nine Serenities Realm. And if one entered the Sky Path, one would be reincarnated into the Heavenly Court of one of the three heavens. Tianrui watched as the God Sealing Rope in Chu Wuyu¡¯s hands disappeared. He laughed and said, ¡°How am I supposed to know what that lofty, high-minded Bodhisattva was thinking? After the clone of that Bodhisattva threw the cyan light into the Human Path, he transformed into golden light and dissipated, returning back to the Brahmic Heaven.¡± In Dawn Creek City, the black and white vortex towered over the bank of the Forgotten River, guarded by several hundred thousand ghost soldiers. Countless true souls twinkled with light as they flowed incessantly along the Forgotten River, straight into the Human Path of Reincarnation, where they would inevitably be reincarnated into the Human Realm. CH 66 Chapter 66 ¨C Jade Water Lake Three days passed. The purple cloud that Chen Xingzhou was driving gradually arrived at the very periphery of the territory of the Sacred Sect. It was very rare even for the patrol disciples of the Eight Mountains to be diligent enough to patrol this far out. There was a dark blue lake surrounded by several mountains, with several interspersed villages sitting at the foot of some of the mountains. Looking down from the skies, it was possible to vaguely see smoke rising out of the chimneys, hinting that it was already mealtime for the villagers. Chen Xingzhou landed the Spirit Cloud, and the group on board followed him off. He led them towards the bank of the dark blue lakeside. Of the attendants following behind him, one was Wang Jun, and the other was called Ge Song, who was also an elite disciple at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage. Ge Song was quiet as usual as he stood behind Chen Xingzhou. Wang Jun swept his senses through the dark blue waters of the lake, causing his eyebrows to furrow. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chen, the Sealing Array on this lake is a bit more complex than how it was described in the mission jade slip.¡± Chen Xingzhou looked at him and said, ¡°Do you have a way to break the array, Junior Martial Brother Wang?¡± Wang Jun usually liked to spend his days delving into the study of arrays. Chen Xingzhou brought him along this time to get his assistance with this Sealing Array. Wang Jun nodded his head and said, ¡°I can give it a try.¡± He took some formation flags and formation stones from his storage pouch and began to set them up on the array. Wang Jun was using the most common method for breaking arrays, which was extremely popular among the disciples of all Peaks. As long as the seals were used appropriately, it could break array formations with fairly little effort. Among the group of 11, there was a youth with a round face, who had only joined Morning Dew Peak two years ago. He was observing what was happening and couldn¡¯t stifle his curiosity. He walked forward and asked Chen Xingzhou, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chen, what are we doing right now?¡± Chen Xingzhou glanced over at him and flashed him a personable smile. ¡°The records of the mission jade slip say that this lake, which is called Jade Water Lake, happens to be located right above a miniature spirit vein. Under the nourishment of tens of thousands of years of spiritual energy, the lake eventually gave rise to spiritually aware demons. With perception of the laws of heaven and earth, the spiritual energy in the area condensed into an imperial seal, which automatically began to shape the laws of heaven and earth so the water demon would condense its own divinity and become the deity of Jade Water Lake.¡± That round-faced youth was a rather easily excitable person. He was immediately alarmed by Chen Xingzhou¡¯s answer and cried, ¡°A real independently ascended deity? We¡¯re all at the Sea of Qi stage. How are we going to be able to deal with something like that?!¡± Wang Jun cast him a begrudging glance and sneered, ¡°Even if it independently ascended to become a deity, it was still originally based off of nothing more than a water demon. Don¡¯t go making a big fuss over nothing.¡± Chen Xingzhou gave him a sidelong look, then turned back towards everyone else and said, ¡°Naturally, the lake deity isn¡¯t something we can handle. However, the water demons under the lake deity of Jade Water Lake had defected, colluding with outside demons to bring harm to the deity. However, the deity¡¯s true soul wasn¡¯t completely extinguished. It was sucked into the lake¡¯s divine seal and then snatched away by the outside monsters, which disappeared without a trace. At this time, there¡¯s already no lake deity or big demons in the lake. At most, there¡¯ll be a few water demons, but that¡¯s it.¡± Wang Jun added, ¡°Our mission this time is to break open the seal on the demon palace in the waters and extract the miniature spirit vein under the lake, which we must then bring back to the sect.¡± An indescribable glint appeared in everyone¡¯s eyes. Although a miniature spirit vein was the smallest type of spirit stone vein, it could yield several hundred spirit stones once purified. If the spirit vein was deep enough, it could be refined into over a thousand spirit stones! As it turned out, this was the real objective of this small-scale mission! But after these people all thought about it a bit more, they realized that it didn¡¯t really concern them. After all, they had already agreed to Chen Xingzhou¡¯s terms, so each person would only receive 10 spirit stones. With the enormous wealth that a miniature spirit vein embodied, even if they had to turn it over to the sect in the end, no one would be the wiser if Chen Xingzhou and his attendants pilfered a cut of the wealth for themselves! After hearing the true circumstances of the mission, everyone in the group inwardly felt rather unsettled. But none of them took the initiative to speak up, so they all ended up staying silent. But none of them could think about what a bunch of newcomer disciples who were at the early Sea of Qi stage would be useful for here. What could they even help with? Getting 10 spirit stones already wasn¡¯t too bad. However¡­ would a small-scale mission really be so simple? Was breaking open the array formation and extracting the spirit vein all that it entailed? A cold gaze as deep as the abyss flashed through the eyes of Chen Xingzhou. To him, these newcomer disciples were ideal for use as cannon fodder. Li Dan was standing next to Xi Jingshan and Xu Disheng amidst the group, in an agitated mood. He could be heard muttering to himself, ¡°Even though it¡¯s just a miniature spirit vein, if it¡¯s deep enough, it could be possible to extract and purify over 1000 spirit stones! I¡¯m seriously envious!¡± Xu Disheng and Xi Jingshan looked over at Li Dan, but they didn¡¯t say anything. Xu Disheng could more or less guess what Xi Jingshan and Li Dan were thinking. Xi Jingshan only wanted the 10 spirit stones, but as for Li Dan? With his temperament and lack of self-awareness, he was on a one track path towards death in this cruel world. Beads of sweat formed on Wang Jun¡¯s forehead as he made hand seals and stared unblinkingly at the sealing array in the lake. The formation flags flew through the air and stuck fast into the surface of the lake, where they floated in place. The flags let out faint halos of light, which gradually started to link up into a formation. To say nothing of his character, Wang Jun¡¯s knowledge of sealing arrays was actually pretty good. Among the peak Sea of Qi stage disciples, there were very few who studied sealing arrays or pill concocting. After all, these were auxiliary Dao which took up a lot of the time that could be spent cultivating, and could even affect one¡¯s ability to break through the bottleneck to the Dao Foundation stage. The array slowly finished taking shape, and Wang Jun willed profound qi into the array. The lines of the array lit up in the void, causing a low rumbling sound to be heard. The rumbling gradually got louder and louder, and at the end, with a loud explosion, the water, algae, and debris on the surface of the lake shot up several meters into the air all at once, as if something beneath the surface had been broken. As everyone stared at Jade Water Lake, they could see the surface of the lake become clear and transparent, and there was no longer a mysterious aura shrouding it. A hint of an approving look appeared in Chen Xingzhou¡¯s eyes. ¡°Good work, Junior Martial Brother Wang,¡± he praised. Wang Jun grunted in response, then sat down cross-legged to adjust his breathing. He even took out a jade bottle from his storage pouch and ate a Spirit Gathering Pill, which cost 20 spirit stones each. Xu Disheng narrowed his eyes, paying careful attention to these details. The other disciples were cheering, making the occasional comment. "" ¡°Senior Martial Brother Wang, your knowledge of arrays is so impressive! You broke that array in just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!¡± One of the disciples said with a jubilant expression, layering the praise on Wang Jun. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll be able to finish the mission this time,¡± another disciple commented in high spirits, as if the reward of 10 spirit stones was already close at hand. ¡°I agree. I surmise that the biggest barrier to this small-scale mission was this sealing array. After all, there are very few people at the Sea of Qi stage with knowledge of arrays,¡± yet another disciple said in an analytical tone, flicking his sleeves as if he thought himself clever. From his storage pouch, Chen Xingzhou took out a pearl, which was the supplementary item given for this small-scale mission. It was called the Parting Water Pearl, which had to be immediately returned to Sect Affairs Hall after the mission. Chen Xingzhou looked at Wang Jun and asked, ¡°Have you finished catching your breath, Junior Martial Brother Wang?¡± Wang Jun stood up and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m ready, Senior Martial Brother Chen.¡± Some of the disciples were cursing him silently. It was truly too wasteful to use a Spirit Gathering Pill, which cost 20 spirit stones per pill, just to recover profound qi like this. However, they didn¡¯t think deeper into it. If this mission was really that simple, why would Wang Jun have to use a precious pill just to recover his profound qi? But it wasn¡¯t really their fault that they were unaware. In the first place, Chen Xingzhou and his attendants had purposefully recruited disciples who had just joined the Peak not long ago, and didn¡¯t have much cultivation experience. Chen Xingzhou and Wang Jun walked at the front with the Parting Water Pearl and entered the water. Everyone followed after them one after the other, while Ge Song deliberately walked at the very back as they slowly descended into the lake. The Parting Water Pearl¡¯s effect was miraculous. It created a waterless zone of about 20 to 25 meters in diameter with Chen Xingzhou at the center, giving everyone an ample sense of comfort within. Xu Disheng stepped upon the soft, spongy silt of the bed of the lake. There were some aquatic plants in the surroundings that shrunk and shriveled in the mud once the water of the lake around them disappeared. The fish and crustaceans that were swimming along suddenly noticed the water around them being pushed away as the group approached. Those who reacted quickly followed the current and swam away, but those that weren¡¯t quick enough fell out of the water and landed with a flop on either the stones or silt of the lake bed below. Only after the group passed by could they once again return to the water and swim away freely. Li Dan was walking behind Xu Disheng, seemingly a bit curious. He asked in a low tone, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, do you smell that strange fishy smell?¡± Xu Disheng shook his head. Before he could respond, Xi Jingshan replied, ¡°This is the bed of the lake. Why would a fishy smell seem strange here?¡± When Xu Disheng heard what Xi Jingshan said, a divine light flashed in his mind, and he felt a thumping sensation in his heart. Memories suddenly resurfaced in his mind as he recalled something. A fishy smell normally couldn¡¯t be so concentrated and strange. He remembered that he had smelled this odor, or something resembling it, on the body of that wolf demon in the Floating Moon Valley! Although it didn¡¯t have the characteristic fishiness of the water demons, everything else about the odor was exactly the same! This was the smell of the demonic energy of the water demons! Chen Xingzhou was walking at the front of the procession when he suddenly stopped, his expression changing. He reached behind him and grabbed the nearest disciple behind him, which was the round-faced youth from earlier, and pushed him in front of him! ¡°Aghh!¡± A massive maw suddenly appeared in the water, reaching into the waterless space created by the Parting Water Pearl and snapping its jaws down! The round-faced youth, who was suddenly thrust to the front, didn¡¯t even have time to react. In a flash, his entire upper body was gone, cleanly bitten off by the densely packed teeth lining the jaws. Fresh blood spurted out of the remaining stub of his lower body as it collapsed to the ground before everyone¡¯s eyes. The bloody maw chewed on the round-faced youth¡¯s upper half several times. A loud gulp was audible to everyone present as it finished chewing and swallowing. Everything had happened too quickly. They didn¡¯t even have time to criticize Chen Xingzhou for his actions. They all turned deathly pale and froze in place, trembling and not even daring to move a single inch. CH 67 Chapter 67 ¨C Summon Rain! Chen Xingzhou¡¯s expression was grave. Even after the bloody maw retreated back into the water, he didn¡¯t loosen up one bit. He stayed where he stood in a guarded manner. From Chen Xingzhou¡¯s left side, Wang Jun said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chen, the mission jade slip only said that there would only be three water demons, two fish demons, and one serpent demon. Just now, which one was that?¡± Chen Xingzhou took out the mission jade slip and briefly swept his consciousness through it before replying, ¡°That was probably the serpent demon. It likes to eat humans, and after all this time, it couldn¡¯t leave Jade Water Lake, so it must have been starving.¡± The information for small-scale missions wasn¡¯t recorded into the jade identity tablets. It always came in a specialized mission jade slip, which was meant to contain detailed explanations. Back in the day, the lake deity had used the lake¡¯s divine seal to appoint those three water demons as demon generals. The other water demons had long scattered and gone their separate ways, so there were only these three remaining. They were bound to this place by the divine power of heaven and earth. If it weren¡¯t for this, they would have abandoned their identity as demon generals a long time ago and left Jade Water Lake forever. This time, the strongest of them, the serpent demon, came over as soon as it saw people because it was beyond starving. After all, from day to day, it normally survived by eating aquatic animals that had no spiritual awareness. Now that living beings abundant with spiritual energy had shown up, how could it hold itself back? It impulsively went for a bite and immediately ripped off half of that round-faced youth¡¯s body to appease its hunger. Wang Jun took several steps to the left and nodded after making eye contact with Chen Xingzhou. Along with Ge Song, the three of them formed a triangular formation with everyone else in the middle. Wang Jun spoke up and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brothers, you¡¯ve all seen the situation. The serpent demon won¡¯t retreat until it¡¯s full. If things continue like this, we will all die in the lake.¡± Wang Jun¡¯s expression at this point was so fake that it was almost comical. Their true purpose wasn¡¯t to fight the serpent demon, but to preserve their own strength as much as possible. No one there was a complete idiot. Seeing how the three peak Sea of Qi stage disciples were surrounding them and the way that the round-faced youth died, they all seemed to finally realize something, and their expressions changed dramatically. Li Dan¡¯s expression was ugly, and for a while he couldn¡¯t even find the words to speak. A youth stepped out from the group, his face ashen. ¡°Just now, how did Zhang Shuo die? Did you get him killed, Senior Martial Brother Chen?¡± Chen Xingzhou glanced at him, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile. ¡°Could it be that you didn¡¯t even see the situation clearly? Did you cultivate idiot qi instead of profound qi?¡± A cold look flashed through his eyes. It was as if the gentle, mild face he showed while on Morning Dew Peak was that of a completely different person. The other attendant, Ge Song, had been silently standing there from the beginning, not giving off much of a presence. As it turned out, he was a silent, ruthless person. Without a single utterance, he extended his hand and a pike Spirit Tool appeared, glimmering with a dark purple sheen. He stabbed out and pierced that youth who just spoke right in the heart, causing blood to splash dramatically. Blood dribbled from his mouth, rendering that disciple unable to speak for eternity. At that very moment, the serpent demon happened to appear once again above the waterless region created by Parting Water Pearl. It gnashed jaws as it reached in, frightening everyone with its sharp, densely-packed teeth. Ge Song swung his pike, throwing the impaled youth, who was still alive, straight up into the air above. As his body flew through the air, his face was filled with endless despair and resentment. The serpent demon opened its sinister mouth wide and snapped the youth up whole. A loud gulping sound could be heard as it swallowed the youth without even chewing. Wang Jun cupped his hands in praise and said, ¡°A heroic performance, Senior Martial Brother Ge! You really fed that serpent demon as if it was your own housepet.¡± Now, there were only 9 newcomer disciples remaining; 7 men and 2 women. Among them was a quiet and attractive black-clothed girl with pretty facial features. Her small face was pale, invoking pity from the others. She said in a tender voice, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chen, please don¡¯t kill me. I¡¯ll do anything.¡± Chen Xingzhou checked her out from top to bottom and nodded. ¡°Okay, you can come over here. It just so happens that one of the slave girls at my house died a few days ago. When we go back, you¡¯ll fill that vacancy perfectly.¡± Wang Jun wasn¡¯t to be outdone, however. He fixed his gaze on the other girl among the group, who was dressed in white. That white-clothed girl could only be considered somewhat delicate and pretty, but her figure was excellent, with two big, ripe melons protruding from her well-endowed chest. Her face was turning deathly pale as despair filled her eyes. Wang Jun walked up to the white-clothed girl and grabbed her arm, pulling her into his embrace. As he forcefully caressed and fondled her big melons, he laughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Junior Martial Sister, I¡¯ll protect you.¡± The white-clothed girl looked like she was about to say something, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t. In the end, she let Wang Jun do as he pleased, and her originally bright and intelligent gaze gradually became numb and glazed over. Ge Song suddenly said in a heavy tone, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chen, the serpent demon still hasn¡¯t left.¡± Chen Xingzhou¡¯s complexion turned grave once more. ¡°This serpent demon is much stronger than those two fish demons. There¡¯s no need for us to waste energy fighting head on. Junior Martial Brother Wang, feed it another treat.¡± Wang Jun turned his gaze to Xu Disheng and said with a smile on his face, ¡°Hey, kiddo. Didn¡¯t I give you face back at Morning Dew Peak? Huh? Don¡¯t you regret not being respectful to me from the start?¡± His nasty smile made it seem as if he was looking at Xu Disheng like he was a fish on a chopping block. Then again, it made sense. The three of them were peak Sea of Qi stage disciples with Spirit Tools. In their struggle, could these newcomer disciples who were all at the early Sea of Qi stage really make any waves? The other several disciples were already silent, with ashen, defeated expressions on their faces. The outcome of the others trying to rebel against them was still vivid in their minds. At this point, they could only silently pray that they wouldn¡¯t be the next one to be tossed into the belly of the serpent demon. Xi Jingshan had his head lowered, as if he wasn¡¯t listening to what was going on around him. Li Dan was already on the verge of breaking down. His gaze was scattered and disheveled, making it clear that his ability to bear stressful situations was extremely poor. Xu Disheng looked at the nasty smile spread across Wang Jun¡¯s face, then smiled right back. With Xu Disheng¡¯s red lips and white teeth, and his long black hair tied back with a jade band, his features were extremely handsome. When he grinned, the entire waterless space created by the Parting Water Pearl seemed to brighten up a bit. Even the gaze of the black-clothed girl standing next to Chen Xingzhou was captivated by him. The youth smiled and said, ¡°Weren¡¯t you wondering what those black lines on my Daoist robe were? Then let me show you now.¡± Before Wang Jun could respond, he saw the green Daoist robe wrapped around the youth slowly start changing. The green gradually faded into a pure black color, and the originally rather short hem of the robe became longer. The black lines that were originally on the Daoist robe transformed into dazzling threads of gold that traced the edges of the Daoist robe. In the end, the standardized Daoist Robe Spirit Tool transformed into a long, pure black silk robe with gilded edges that lined the youth¡¯s fair, handsome figure. Xu Disheng rubbed the edge of the black and gold silk and muttered, ¡°I¡¯ve nourished this Soul Vessel Daoist Robe for a while now, and it¡¯s finally taken its full form. From now on, I will call you the Soul Suppressing Vestment. From now on, you will accompany me to extinguish all of my enemies.¡± Everyone was stunned by this transformation. When they saw the threads of gold appearing on Xu Disheng¡¯s Daoist robe, they all found it extremely mystical. As an elite peak Sea of Qi stage disciple, Chen Xingzhou was the first to regain his senses. He said in a cold tone, ¡°Wang Jun, this guy is strange. Hurry up and get this over with!¡± Wang Jun seemed to be enraged by the provocation. He roughly groped the soft, supple melons in his hands one more time, completely callous to the girl¡¯s delicate and tearful expression. Then, he stepped away and summoned a revolving green profound qi in his hands, which was clearly some type of extremely powerful technique. He spat with hatred dripping from his voice, ¡°That day at Morning Dew Peak, Senior Martial Brother Chen blocked this one for you. But this time, I¡¯ll have you taste its full force. Flameheart Incantation!¡± A ball of green flame condensed in his hand. As soon as it blazed into existence, he threw it straight towards Xu Disheng. Chen Xingzhou and Ge Song¡¯s expressions were unchanged, as they were aware of the might of the Flameheart Incantation. In their eyes, they already seemed to see the scene of Xu Disheng turning into a blowing pile of ashes. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t even look at the green flame. He just moved his slender fingers, twisting them into an extremely complicated hand seal. ¡°Summon Rain.¡± The second scripture of Azure Ocean, Summon Rain! This technique could only be cultivated at the Sea of Qi stage! Right after he uttered those two words, the entire lake seemed to pause for a moment before returning to normal. By the time the green flame approached, the Soul Suppressing Vestment had already summoned a translucent black barrier that enveloped Xu Disheng¡¯s body. The green flame, which was packed with explosive power, was directly destroyed the moment it made contact with the black barrier. It became several pitiful wisps of smoke and embers, which either dissipated into the atmosphere or were extinguished upon contact with the muddy silt of the lake bed. Now that the Soul Vessel had thoroughly taken shape, it actually had incredible defensive power! The people standing around didn¡¯t even have time to be surprised, as they already began to feel a deadly aura on their skin. Profound cultivators were extremely sensitive to this particular feeling, which would only appear the moment they were faced with a danger that truly threatened their life. Wang Jun subconsciously looked up and exclaimed in fear, ¡°Senior Martial Brothers! Above us!¡± Chen Xingzhou and his two attendants didn¡¯t even know when a drop of cyan water had appeared above each of their heads. It was already slowly falling down towards them. Ge Song reacted the fastest. He immediately rolled out of the way, dodging the tiny droplet of rain as if it were an attack. Out of the three of them, the one that Xu Disheng was the most wary of was Ge Song. The power of the Pike Spirit Tool in his hands was extremely great, and it was strong enough to break through the defenses of his Soul Suppressing Vestment. After all, the Soul Suppressing Vestment had just finished thoroughly taking shape, and it was still at an early stage of maturity. But how could he just let him go that easily? The cyan droplet of water followed Ge Song, accelerating as it drew closer. In the end, Ge Song charged out of the waterless space and into the water of the lake in his unwillingness to receive the water droplet head on! CH 68 Chapter 68 ¨C Clever People In his attempts to avoid the cyan droplet of water, Ge Song plunged straight into the lake, which allowed him to dodge it. The droplet followed after him, bursting against the boundary of the waterless zone. It exploded, creating a vacuum in the blast zone that was nearly 10 meters wide before exhausting its power completely. Wang Jun wasn¡¯t as smart. When the water droplet appeared above his head, it was already quite close. He reacted a bit too late to take out a Spirit Tool to block it, so he could only summon several barriers of profound qi and meet it head on. The water droplet fell down, penetrating straight through Wang Jun¡¯s cranium without a sound. Wang Jun was still stuck in the movement of putting up his profound qi barriers when blood came flowing out of his seven apertures. His eyes became lifeless and his limp body collapsed to the ground. Within a few breaths of time, his body began to corrode and rot from the inside out, and very soon, all that remained was a few wisps of white smoke rising up from the space where he once stood. The big melon girl let out a shriek, as if her mind was on the brink of collapsing. (TL: I thought about referring to this girl as just ¡®big-breasted girl¡¯ or something, but the author just insists on calling her what is literally ¡®big papaya girl¡¯. It became hilarious to the Chinese readers since he just kept on spamming the phrase, and by the millionth time he used it, one of the CN readers commented, ¡®okay, okay, we get it, she has big papayas. I¡¯ll never be able to eat papayas the same way again.¡¯ So anyway, I thought it was funny and decided to keep it as ¡®big melon girl¡¯ to give you all the same meme experience LOL) Chen Xingzhou¡¯s expression was heavy. The cyan water droplet above his head was a bit farther away. He immediately took out a bell-shaped Spirit Tool and held it above his head in a strenuous attempt to ward it off. Unexpectedly, the Spirit Tool¡¯s defenses weren¡¯t enough to fully block the water droplet! That was because aside from the Summon Rain technique, there was also the Corrosion Incantation supporting it! Although the power of the water droplet was being slowly consumed, the barrier of the bell-shaped Spirit Tool was also being gradually corroded. If it continued like this, the water droplet would sooner or later drip onto Chen Xingzhou¡¯s head. Chen Xingzhou felt sullen. He had many formidable cultivation methods that he hadn¡¯t used, and had several extremely powerful attack-type Spirit Tools. However, he only had one defense-type Spirit Tool. He had originally thought that one was plenty, but who would have thought that this kid had cultivated a technique as sinister as the Corrosion Incantation? What a rascal! Faced with a surprise attack without having a chance to make any preparations whatsoever, Chen Xingzhou was so frustrated that he wanted to vomit blood. He could only squeeze out a smile and say, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, if this goes on, it¡¯ll be a lose-lose situation for us. How about you retract this water droplet, and we both go extract the spirit vein? After we complete the mission, I¡¯m even willing to split you 100 spirit stones!¡± Xu Disheng revealed a smile again, but this time there was a hint of derision in it. ¡°Oh? Now you¡¯ll let me complete the mission with you guys? Who was the one that had Wang Jun treat me like serpent food again?¡± Li Dan, Xi Jingshan and the others were dumbstruck. Faced with the repeated series of unexpected events, they felt like their brains were about to explode. Chen Xingzhou looked up at the barrier of the bell-shaped Spirit Tool above his head and heard a ¡®zizi¡® sound. The final layer of the barrier was still corroding away, and the water droplet had a little less than half of its power remaining, making him feel even more depressed. Chen Xingzhou looked over at the pretty black-clothed girl next to him, a plan forming in his mind. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, look at this junior martial sister! If you insist on continuing with this, I¡¯ll kill her! Do you have the heart to let such a beautiful woman die?¡± He grabbed the black-clothed girl and held a finger to her fair neck, white profound qi brimming from the tip. The beautiful black-clothed girl directed a lovely yet pitiful gaze at Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng looked at the exquisite features of the black-clothed girl and seemed pensive for a moment. ¡°Indeed, this junior martial sister has pretty features,¡± he commented. When Chen Xingzhou heard what he said, he didn¡¯t even have time to rejoice before hearing the ¡®zizi¡® sound above him suddenly become even louder. He looked up and discovered belatedly that there was suddenly another water droplet above him! The newly appeared water droplet fused with the half-depleted water droplet, sharply increasing its might. It instantly shattered the barrier of the bell-shaped Spirit Tool and surrounded Chen Xingzhou and the black-clothed girl. Chen Xingzhou¡¯s eyes widened as he exclaimed angrily, ¡°You heartless bastard!¡± As soon as those words escaped his lips, the two of them were completely enveloped by the water droplet. With a hiss, they were corroded into a pile of bubbles, not even leaving bones behind. All that remained was smoke that drifted off among the aquatic plants embedded in the silt of the lakebed. There were several storage pouches left behind, faintly glimmering as they resisted the leftover corrosive power. Xu Disheng casually used the Bestowing Soul Mantra, taking the souls of Chen Xingzhou and that black-clothed girl into his Soul Suppressing Vestment. He also picked up those storage pouches before turning around to look at Xi Jingshan and the others. Wang Jun¡¯s soul had dissipated not long ago, and was already bound for the Human Path in the Nine Serenities Realm to be reincarnated. Li Dan came forward and stammered, ¡°J-Junior¡­ Martial Brother Xu.¡± Xi Jingshan stared at him with a light in his eyes that wasn¡¯t there before. Including Xu Disheng, Li Dan, and Xi Jingshan, there were 4 other male disciples and the big melon girl, making for a total of 8 people remaining. Then there was Ge Song, who was chased by that deadly cyan droplet of water and jumped into the water, disappearing without a trace. Out of the four male disciples, there was one fairly clever guy who was also only pretending to be naive until now. Seeing that the dust had settled, he came forward and praised, ¡°What godly might, Senior Martial Brother Xu! Chen Xingzhou and those guys had such malicious intentions! From now on, I¡¯ll follow you wherever you go and listen to your commands, Senior Martial Brother Xu!¡± Xu Disheng looked at him and smiled only on the surface. He asked, ¡°What is your name?¡± The quick-witted disciple still had a respectful expression on his face in his attempt to try and curry favor with Xu Disheng. ¡°My name is Yuan Qi!¡± Xu Disheng nodded. Out of Chen Xingzhou¡¯s storage pouch, he took out a pile of jade slips. Among them were this mission¡¯s record jade slip and mission jade slip. The record jade slip wasn¡¯t turned on yet. Presumably, Chen Xingzhou was planning to wait until after they found the miniature spirit vein to turn it on and start recording. Storage pouches were different from storage rings. Storage rings could have numerous seals protecting it, so they were extremely valuable. Even Chen Xingzhou didn¡¯t have a storage ring on him. Storage pouches were usually around a dozen or so spirit stones. Even the better ones were only several dozen spirit stones in value, and they didn¡¯t have any arrays or seals on them so anyone could take them and open them. Xu Disheng looked over the mission jade slip and said, ¡°We¡¯ll continue with the mission.¡± The other disciples agreed, nodding like a bunch of followers. Still stuttering, Li Dan said, ¡°S-Senior¡­ Martial Brother Xu, how about we just go b-back? We can¡¯t deal with those demons.¡± Yuan Qi was doing his utmost to make a favorable impression. With contempt for Li Dan¡¯s cowardice in his tone, he sneered, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu already said that we will continue with the mission, so he must be certain about the outcome! If you aren¡¯t willing, you can just go back by yourself!¡± Li Dan looked behind him at the lakewater that had become murky at some unknown point. He muttered something nondescript to himself, not daring to go back by himself. Regardless, Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t really been paying attention to their opinions. He picked up the Parting Water Pearl and continued onward without hesitation. Each of them had their own thoughts, but they could only silently follow. Even the big melon girl now had a renewed look of hope in her eyes. She struggled to her feet and followed after them. A sound could be heard from the muddy waters in front of them. The serpent demon¡¯s sinister-looking maw reached into the space of the Parting Water Pearl once more. It moved its mouth, speaking broken, choppy human words. ¡°Brat, give me another 3 pieces of food. If you do, I¡¯ll let you all go and tell the other demons not to give you any more trouble.¡± Every spiritual being who became a demon had extremely high spiritual awareness. However, it was just too ravenous earlier, and had only been blindly focused on filling its stomach. From the water, the serpent demon had seen Xu Disheng use some technique to crush 3 peak Sea of Qi stage disciples, so it also harbored some restrained fear towards him. But it was only slightly intimidated. That didn¡¯t stop it from extending an excessively overbearing demand to them in a sinister fashion! Xu Disheng examined the serpent demon. It was slightly weaker than the wolf demon in Floating Moon Valley, and it was a little bit away from reaching its half-transformed form. However, everything had to be looked at in context. This place was where the serpent demon grew up, and it was also in the waters of the lake. Here, the serpent demon could brandish its might in its entirety. It could attack, retreat, and defend freely in this place, so it was extremely difficult to deal with here. Chen Xingzhou and his attendants hadn¡¯t wanted to face the serpent demon head on, and that was with good reason. After using the Summon Rain technique just now, Xu Disheng already consumed 60-70% of his profound qi. If he wanted to deal with this serpent demon, he would be forced to use the Swallowing Soul Mantra to try and swallow its soul. However, Xu Disheng looked at the expressions of the people behind him, an indescribable hint of a smile appearing in his eyes. If he really used the Swallowing Soul Mantra, he would be left in an extremely feeble state for some time afterwards. Even though it wouldn¡¯t be as bad as last time where he fainted straight away, he still wouldn¡¯t be in any shape to fight. With such options on the table, there was no point in even thinking about it. He turned to Yuan Qi and said, ¡°Yuan Qi, pick out three people to feed to it.¡± Li Dan exclaimed with an incredulous expression, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu¡­! How would this make you any different from Chen Xingzhou and Wang Jun?¡± At first, Yuan Qi was stunned. After a while, the cogs in his brain seemed to finally finish turning and he came back to his senses. His eyes gradually took on a savage light, and he turned towards the other disciples. His sinister gaze even occasionally turned towards Li Dan. Xi Jingshan suddenly spoke up. ¡°I stand by Senior Martial Brother Xu!¡± Xi Jingshan then turned a cold gaze towards the other three disciples and the big melon girl. Xi Jingshan¡¯s family background was filled with hardship, as his clan was completely slaughtered, so he was extremely shrewd. This one sentence was brilliant. With just this one line, Xi Jingshan managed to exclude him from being selected and place himself in a safe position. Following Li Dan¡¯s example with changing his honorific for Xu Disheng to Senior Martial Brother, Xi Jingshan went the extra step to voice his support, indicating that he had always had the intent to follow Xu Disheng in advance and retreat. Xu Disheng had always liked clever people. He nodded in approval at Xi Jingshan. He turned to Li Dan with a smile and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Li, it looks like you aren¡¯t a clever person.¡± Hearing these words, it was as if Yuan Qi had received an imperial edict. His gaze exploded with savage ruthlessness, and he immediately moved to dispose of Li Dan. However, Xi Jingshan stepped forward and blocked him. He condensed profound laws in his hand and directed them at the other three male disciples, who were lost and unsure of what to do, sending them flying. "" Next to the serpent demon, there were several massive water serpents, which had not yet transformed, and were clearly the descendents of the powerful serpent demon. At this time, those serpents snapped up the male disciples that were blown away and swam off into the depths, disappearing without a trace. The murky surrounding water gradually became clear, and the serpent demon¡¯s deep, low voice drifted over. ¡°Go ahead, brat. Back in those days, the demon palace was at the heart of Jade Water Lake.¡± Li Dan cast a grateful glance at Xi Jingshan, then turned back to look at Xu Disheng and studied his side profile. As he examined his fair skin, handsome features, and long black hair, he felt that the person before him suddenly felt extremely unfamiliar to him. Was this really the indifferent, composed Junior Martial Brother Xu that he knew? Or was this the real him? If he hadn¡¯t been indirectly saved by Xi Jingshan just now, he might have already found himself in the mouths of those massive water serpents! He seriously could have died! A wave of lingering fear washed over Li Dan, causing his scalp to tingle. When he finally came back to his senses, he felt cold sweat dripping down from the back of his head. He no longer dared to say anything more. CH 69 Chapter 69 ¨C Divine Rank Xu Disheng was holding the Parting Water Pearl as he walked at the front. After the serpent demon retreated, the surrounding waters once again became crystal clear. It was now possible to see the heart of the lake far off in the depths, where there was a massive, ruined Divine Palace. Once they approached, it was possible to faintly see that there were four words carved into the board above the entrance to the main hall of the Divine Palace. On those characters, there was an inextinguishable divine light shining through, illuminating the surrounding waters. Yuan Qi had been following closely behind Xu Disheng. When they finally arrived at the entrance to the hall of the Divine Palace, he looked up and examined the board that was emitting a penetrating divine light. He furrowed his brows and said, ¡°What are these words? I actually don¡¯t know any of them!¡± Xi Jingshan was walking behind the rest of the disciples. When he saw that everyone had stopped to look at the board, he walked up and stood at Xu Disheng¡¯s side. He smiled and said, ¡°That is divine language. It¡¯s the formal language used by beings like mountain and river deities. Although I also can¡¯t read divine language, I¡¯ve often heard people mention it. According to my analysis, these four words most likely say ¡®Jade Water Divine Palace¡¯.¡± Xu Disheng turned and glanced at him, a hint of praise in his eyes. When Xu Disheng came to this place and saw the board, the words ¡®Jade Water Divine Palace¡¯ automatically appeared in his mind for some reason, which was exactly what Xi Jingshan had figured out on his own. Although the Jade Water Lake Deity had scores of demon troops and none of them were of a good nature, it was still the Jade Water Lake Deity. Even the smallest divinities had a divine rank recognized by the laws of heaven and earth, which was what allowed this palace hall to be a Divine Palace. That serpent demon hated the Lake Deity to the core. When he was talking to Xu Disheng and the others earlier, it referred to the divine palace as the ¡®Jade Water Demon Palace¡¯. After all, the serpent demon, along with the two fish demons, had been appointed as demon generals by the Lake Deity. Without the Lake Deity¡¯s permission, they would forever be bound to these waters, unable to leave. Unless a new Lake Deity was born, or the already dead Lake Deity somehow came back to life, the three demon generals naturally wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the waters without an edict from a deity. The deeper they went in, the more they could perceive the ruined state of the palace hall. From the dilapidated coral jade masonry and the intricate lines engraved upon the pillars, it was possible to vaguely understand the burgeoning glory of the Jade Water Divine Palace back in the day. 30,000 years ago¡­ Torrential rain poured down, battering ruthlessly against the surfaces of the wide canyon. The water level in the creek that ran through the canyon was rising rapidly and gradually began to overflow and submerge the surrounding trees and shrubbery. It was possible to fleetingly spot small hares and squirrels ripe with spiritual energy jumping from one submerged tree to the next in an attempt to evade the ruin caused by the torrential downpour. Above the stormy black clouds, far off in the horizon, there was a woman robed in white. She was riding a white winged horse as she rushed towards the heights of the heavens with a look of anxiety upon her face. In the woman¡¯s hand, there was an exquisite ceramic glazed lantern with a myriad of sparkling, translucent snowflakes slowly revolving around it. The princess of her house was to be married off today to Divine General Gou Chen of the House of the Celestial Lord, and all of the princess¡¯s maids had already prepared congratulatory gifts. But she had gone alone to the Guixue Area in the far south of the Human Realm to prepare this exquisite Liuli Crystal Snowflake Lantern for the princess. She had only managed to return today, and she wasn¡¯t sure if she would make it in time. The princess was a wonderful person. She was noble and graced in elegance by the beauty of heaven and earth, and her features were truly immaculate. Even though she was just a maid of the house, the princess had never once raised her voice to scold her, and she treated the maids by her side just like her own sisters. Thinking of the princess¡¯s warm demeanor, the corners of the white-clothed woman¡¯s mouth curled into a smile. With this smile, the bitter exhaustion that she had to endure in the past few years while going harvesting in the snow that had accumulated in the Guixue Area for thousands of years seemed to lighten significantly. All this time, she had been holding the Snowflake Glazed Ceramic Cup tightly in her hand, and she didn¡¯t even dare to put it into her Storage Magic Treasure to avoid harming its spirituality. But as she was hurrying along her way, she didn¡¯t notice that the Snowflake Glazed Ceramic Cup cautiously nestled in her palm shook ever so slightly, causing some snowflakes to spill out of the lantern and drift down to the earth below. The cluster of snowflakes flurried and swayed along with the wind. In the midst of the devastating downpour, it lightly fluttered down, showing no signs of melting whatsoever. It gradually landed in the center of the creek and settled into the water without a sound. Just as many grains of sand had to accumulate to form a tower, this wasn¡¯t a matter that simply occurred overnight. Another several thousand years passed by, and under the vicissitudes of time, the canyon transformed. Several short mountain peaks remained, and the creek had already become a massive lake. As the ages passed, the snowflakes were unmoved for time immemorial. They stayed quietly at the bottom of the lake for several thousand years, rife with spiritual energy. It glowed with a white divine light, and from time to time, it would twitch and vibrate. There was originally a naturally formed small spirit vein at the bottom of the lake. The snowflakes that had been there for many ages had absorbed more than half of the spirit vein¡¯s spiritual energy, and it had become a miniature spirit vein that was already close to being dried up. The body of water above the spirit vein was also rich in spiritual energy. If one drank a mouthful of that lakewater, it would be enough to support several months of cultivation. Nourished by the spirit vein, this body of water had gradually formed a complete but ignorant consciousness. At the beginning, it didn¡¯t have any thoughts of its own and only subconsciously tried to protect the living beings in this sacred body of water. After an unknown period of time passed, the consciousness of the lake had matured and was on the verge of turning into a water demon! At that very moment, the snowflakes that had been undisturbed for eons suddenly floated up, and in a flash, it sent a wave of frigid qi through the body of water, completely swallowing that ignorant consciousness formed from the lake. A bone-chilling white light blossomed above the snowflakes, and after a few moments, it transformed into a human form. When the white light receded, a naked white-haired youth appeared from the light, slowly opening his eyes. The youth had long white hair, and his skin was like sculpted ice, but his eyes were empty and confused. The youth gradually discovered that the entire body of water around him seemed to be one with him, and he could even freely control the size and direction of the water currents as he wished. Due to the nourishment of the spirit vein, quite a few small demons were born in the waters of the lake. But since not enough time had passed since the lake was formed, the small demons were all very weak. Since the white-haired youth could control the water of the lake, he quickly became familiar with the small demons. If any of the demons didn¡¯t listen to him or didn¡¯t play with him, he would create a water prison and trap the small demons to mess with them. Seeing them stuck in the awkward situation, he would laugh at them alongside the small demons that he was close with. The white-haired youth was innocent and guileless, and was truly kindhearted to the core. Even though he was naughty at times, he was very honest and sincere with all of the demons. Of the two small demons that he was closest with, there was a small water snake with a very high spiritual awareness. The water snake would be coiled around his wrist every day as they swam about and played together. There was also a tortoise demon who was like a very close, good-natured elder to him, and would tell him about all kinds of interesting, novel things. Finally, a day came where the white-haired youth felt that something was about to happen. A golden light illuminated the entire body of water, and the countless demons in the lake, powerful or strong, all heard the cold, indifferent voice. ¡°Spirit that took form in the lake. Edified as the Lake Deity, thou shalt enlighten thy beings.¡± The voice was cold and detached as if it had been preordained in advance. It seemed to contain the truths of heaven and earth within, and could not be disobeyed. Following the voice, a golden beam of light descended, illuminating the blank, dazed face of the white-haired youth. The youth had difficulty opening his eyes, and he peered through squinted eyes to look at the magical golden light that descended in front of him. An imperial seal emitting a dignified aura was formed from the golden light. It floated above the youth¡¯s head, casting a brilliant light in the surrounding water. A scene that countless beings would find unfathomable occurred before their eyes. Underneath the brilliant light at the center of the water, a phantom image of a palace slowly appeared. It gradually condensed into reality, becoming a majestic, towering Divine Palace! Transforming illusion into reality! Even if the Heavenly Courts in the three heavens on high hadn¡¯t ever cared about these small, insignificant mountain and river deities, they were still on the Heavenly Court¡¯s official divine ranking. Despite being mere ants of the lowest rank, the display they put on for them still had to have the grandeur and show of extravagance befitting a divinity. ¡­ ¡­ In the corner of one of the three heavens of the vast, boundless Heavenly Court, in the House of the Earth God, there was an elder who was wrapped in a loose gown with large sleeves, and was holding a divine tome. From time to time, brilliant light would fly out of it and land among the pile of tomes and scrolls that were stacked up like a mountain behind him. The elder muttered, ¡°There were recently 86 mountain deities and 132 river deities born in the Dong Territory of the Human Realm. Why is there such a high consumption of materials recorded in their domains? Those two Divine Excellencies took out so much of the storehouse stock a few days ago. How am I going to find a way to make up for the account deficit¡­?¡± The elder shook his head while flipping through the book, stopping exactly on the page for Jade Water Lake. Words slowly appeared on the book in his hands. ¡°The spirit that formed from Jade Water Lake in the Shan Mountain of the Dong Territory was self-promoted to the divine rank of a lake deity. Of the materials consumed in the domain, there was one divine seal, 20,000 pounds of divine jade, 200,000 green spirit stones¡­ All divine materials were consumed for construction by the method to transform illusion to reality, as recorded.¡± CH 70 Chapter 70 ¨C Spirit Vein With a vacant expression on his face, the white-haired youth slowly walked into the Divine Palace. Countless demons gradually gathered by his side, acting in an extremely deferential manner. At his side, the turtle demon had a jubilant expression on his face. His wizened voice was tinged with nostalgia as he said respectfully, ¡°Congratulations on ascending to divinity, Bai Tong. From now on, you will be forever inextinguishable, possessing an unlimited lifespan.¡± Behind him, countless demons bowed their heads in reverence. It wasn¡¯t only his long hair that was white as snow. Even the color of his pupils were snow white, which was why the demons all called him Bai Tong. (TL: In his name, ¡®Bai¡¯ means white, and the ¡®Tong¡¯ character used here refers to the pupils of the eyes. I didn¡¯t feel like the name translated very well in English (White Eyes and White Pupil both sounded weird), so I kept his name as Bai Tong. In fact, a lot of these demons¡¯ names are very literal, such as later on, the turtle demon is named as Gui Yao, and Gui=turtle, Yao=demon.) Among the demons was a particularly strong fish demon. He glared at the turtle demon and said, ¡°From now on, His Divine Excellency Bai Tong is the deity of this lake, so we ought to call him that in the future.¡± The turtle demon narrowed his eyes but didn¡¯t speak. Seeing this, some of the more quick-witted small demons came forward and began to layer on the flattery, calling him His Divine Excellency Bai Tong at every chance they got. Sitting down on the seat of honor in the Divine Palace, the look in Bai Tong¡¯s eyes became resolute. He looked at all of the demons below him and loudly proclaimed, ¡°Since the laws of heaven and earth have appointed me as the deity of this place, I will definitely do everything in my power to bless and protect all beings of these waters!¡± ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng was standing below the broken divine throne, silently using the profound qi from his Sea of Qi to perceive his surroundings. Xi Jingshan had long since taken the Parting Water Pearl into his own hands. The other three were standing behind Xu Disheng, each with their own expressions. After a while, Xu Disheng opened his eyes and said, ¡°The tail end of the spirit vein is below that divine throne. Yuan Qi, get rid of the divine throne and make an open area.¡± Yuan Qi came forward and blasted the broken divine throne into smithereens. It had been made of exquisite materials, but by this point, it had already decayed to a state of disrepair and could be broken with the slightest touch. After an official divinity died, the spiritual energy of the Divine Palace that was constructed out of divine materials would dissipate and return back to heaven and earth, reverting to ordinary matter. Xu Disheng looked at the small cavity beneath it, his brows creasing. Yuan Qi still looked pleased with himself, as if he had just put on an impressive display. Xi Jingshan walked forward and stuffed the Parting Water Pearl into Yuan Qi¡¯s hands with a cold snort. Profound qi revolved in his palm, creating a hidden vortex, which was clearly an extremely powerful technique. He violently exploded the cavity beneath the divine throne as he said provokingly, ¡°Did you not have enough to eat or something?¡± An angry look appeared on Yuan Qi¡¯s face. But just as he was about to flare up, he heard the explosion. Before his eyes, a cavity about 10 to 15 meters deep appeared, brimming with rich spiritual energy. He cast a resentful glare at Xi Jingshan and shut his mouth. Before, Xi Jingshan had always been a fairly quiet person. Seeing him take on a completely different personality, many people were taken aback. Xu Disheng walked to the edge of the cavity and examined the spiritual energy, which was so concentrated that it was on the verge of condensing. Slight undulations appeared in his resplendent eyes. After turning on the sect¡¯s record jade slip, Xu Disheng and the others completely plowed an open space behind the divine throne. In the end, what appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes was a miniature spirit vein that was about 30 meters long, most of which had already been depleted of spiritual energy and turned into spirit stone powder. There was only an area about 3 meters long that was still full of spirit stone ore. Although the spiritual energy here was extremely rich, it gave off an unpleasant, decaying aura. It was possible to see that many ages ago, this spirit vein was actually a completely intact small spirit vein that was several li long, with spiritual energy rich enough to cover the entire body of water. As time slipped on by, the originally massive Jade Water Lake had become very small. The heavenly paradise that was rife with spiritual energy had gradually become like a dying man on the verge of passing away. Now, this small lake could hardly even sustain the three weak demons that still remained here, which were practically starving to death. How could it return to the grand days of old where it used to be able to sustain countless monsters? Yuan Qi said excitedly, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, the remaining portion of this spirit vein can be purified into over a thousand spirit stones!¡± In reality, there was no way for him to calculate it exactly, and just now he was spouting nonsense without thinking it through. However, no one bothered to refute him. Looking at the few meters of spirit vein remaining, even if it was less than 1,000 spirit stones, it wouldn¡¯t be off by much. The eyes of the other disciples also gleamed. Even the big melon girl, who was dressed in white, became somewhat entranced by the sight of the spirit vein. These disciples had never really seen many spirit stones before. Normally, what few spirit stones they had were spent only after careful, meticulous planning. Seeing this spirit vein made them all somewhat unable to restrain their emotions. Xu Disheng put away the record jade slip that was floating in the air. It could be turned on and off at any time. With its long inheritance behind it, the Sacred Sect wasn¡¯t an unreasonable existence that would lead its horses to the water and not allow them to drink. The jade slip was used more like a record for the mission. From their harvests on the mission, disciples were expected to make a compilation out of some of them. It was a tacit rule in the Sacred Sect that disciples were allowed to exclude certain harvests at their discretion, as long as they weren¡¯t too excessive with it. From Chen Xingzhou¡¯s storage pouch, Xu Disheng took out a green paper parasol. This was the Spirit Tool that Chen Xingzhou and his attendants had prepared in advance to extract the spirit stones from the spirit vein. But now, it was all in vain, and only made things more convenient for Xu Disheng instead. Upon activation, the paper parasol spilled forth green light as it slowly began to spin above the spirit vein. It was unknown just how many arrays and seals there were carved upon it, but this parasol cost well over 200 spirit stones! There were many other things in the storage pouches of Chen Xingzhou and the other attendants. Xu Disheng had only roughly rifled through their contents once, and hadn¡¯t had the chance to go through them in detail yet. Everyone watched as the chunks of spirit stone flew out from the spirit vein and landed beneath the paper parasol. The more it accumulated, the brighter the gleam in everyone¡¯s gazes became. Yuan Qi could bear it even less. The avaricious look was obvious in his eyes. If Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t right there, he might have already thrown himself at the pile of spirit stones. 400 spirit stones! Xu Disheng stopped the paper parasol and put it away. He lifted his gaze, looking at the small fraction of the remaining spirit vein and said, ¡°How do I extract this spirit vein? I looked through their storage pouches a bunch, but I never found any item that could allow us to break the root of the spirit vein and take it away as Chen Xingzhou said.¡± Xi Jingshan smiled and said, ¡°You might be unaware, but breaking the root of the spirit vein is actually extremely simple, Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± When he finished speaking, he walked over to the area underneath the divine throne, at the tail end of the miniature spirit vein. He grasped downwards and pulled up an extremely small jade green strand of spiritual energy. It was full of spirituality as it struggled in his hand. He tightly clenched his hand into a fist, and everyone seemed to hear a scream before everything fell silent. The remaining sliver of the spirit vein quickly dried up into powder. Whatever spiritual energy that remained was already gathered into a 1-meter long tail portion. It glittered with resplendent jade green light in a very eye-catching manner. Xu Disheng glanced pensively at Xi Jingshan but didn¡¯t say anything. He nodded and walked forward, putting away the 1-meter long spirit vein essence. Yuan Qi gazed at Xi Jingshan and said, ¡°How do you just know everything? Earlier, you could recognize divine language, and now you even know a secret like the location of the core of the spirit vein?¡± Xi Jingshan¡¯s face turned a bit stiff. ¡°The core spirit of the spirit vein was already almost on the brink of death. It didn¡¯t have an independent consciousness of its own, and it had at best a few thousand more years left to live. I only helped to set it free.¡± Seeing that his answer was dodging the question, Yuan Qi scoffed, not asking further. Rather, together with the other disciples, he looked at the 400 spirit stones sitting there on the ground, a twinkle in his eyes. Xu Disheng pondered for a moment. ¡°Yuan Qi, Xi Jingshan, Li Dan, you will each get 30 spirit stones. And as for you,¡± he paused, glancing at the big melon girl before continuing. ¡°Hadn¡¯t you already agreed with Chen Xingzhou that you would receive 10 spirit stones? Then I will also give you 10 spirit stones.¡± When he finished speaking, he put away 300 spirit stones, leaving 100 spirit stones there on the ground. Yuan Qi was the first to take his 30 spirit stones, a look of delight on his face. He was quick-witted and self-aware. He knew his position and didn¡¯t dare to make any unreasonable requests. The big melon girl seemed to be a bit afraid of Xu Disheng, so she silently nodded. She reached out her slender, white hands to take 10 spirit stones, then went to stand at the side in a lovely, well-behaved manner. Li Dan¡¯s emotions were also stirred. Just as he was about to go forward, he heard Xi Jingshan¡¯s voice. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, doing it this way wouldn¡¯t be proper,¡± Xi Jingshan said, an indescribable light flashing in his eyes as he stepped forward. Xu Disheng¡¯s brows furrowed as he turned his gaze to Xi Jingshan, waiting for him to continue. A hint of ferocity appeared in Xi Jingshan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu! We¡¯ve murdered Chen Xingzhou and his attendants, and although there¡¯s no record of it in the record jade slip, we have already broken the sect rules.¡± He looked at the white-clothed big melon girl and the other three disciples and continued, ¡°The human heart is treacherous. You have no choice but to take measures to guard against it, Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Chen Xingzhou and his attendants had been killed by Xu Disheng alone, but by saying ¡®we¡¯, Xi Jingshan managed to firmly secure his position behind Xu Disheng in a clever display of propriety. Seeing Xi Jingshan¡¯s cold, dark gaze sweep over them, Yuan Qi¡¯s heart froze. He immediately came forward and protested, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu! I definitely won¡¯t ever be disloyal! As long as you give me the word, I will do whatever you say!¡± Li Dan¡¯s expression was ugly as he stared wordlessly at Xi Jingshan. Not long ago, Xi Jingshan had just saved him, and now he suddenly was accusing him of having ulterior motives! If Xu Disheng really was going to silence them by slaughter, the most likely targets would be him and that white-clothed girl! Xi Jingshan watched as Xu Disheng pondered. A bizarre look appeared on Xi Jingshan¡¯s face, then he suddenly raised his palm toward the white-clothed girl. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, you can¡¯t afford to be softhearted!¡± The white-clothed big melon girl was still tightly clutching the 10 spirit stones in her hands. Seeing a palm raised to strike her, she slowly closed her eyes. She imagined that she would experience a sharp pain or lose consciousness in the next moment, but neither of those things happened. Her long eyelashes, which were moistened by tears, shook as she cautiously opened her eyes. Standing right before her was a youth in a black silk Daoist robe embroidered with gold edges. Tied up in a jade band, his long black hair danced past her. Xu Disheng¡¯s resplendent eyes were focused on Xi Jingshan as he exclaimed, ¡°You aren¡¯t Xi Jingshan!¡± Li Dan and Yuan Qi¡¯s faces changed dramatically! The bizarre look on Xi Jingshan¡¯s face became even more intense. Without a word, he showed a strange smile that gradually split across the length of his face, warping into a large mouth packed with razor sharp teeth. CH 71 Chapter 71 ¨C Qing, Qing TL: Sponsored chapter (1/3). I¡¯m on travel right now, so it might take me a little longer to get the other sponsored chapters out, but I¡¯ll do my best. Thanks for your support! A noiseless sound wave was emitted from its wide open mouth, reverberating throughout the entire hall. Fresh blood oozed out of the ears of Li Dan and the white-clothed girl, and they both fainted. After the sound wave entered his ears, Yuan Qi managed to endure it for two breaths of time before also losing consciousness, collapsing on the floor of the main hall. A translucent black barrier appeared around Xu Disheng¡¯s body, and his expression turned grave. Seeing that the sound wave was doing nothing to Xu Disheng, ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ slowly closed its mouth. For a moment, its face had a fit of irregular warping before reverting to the original appearance of Xi Jingshan. ¡°How did you find out? My Soul Seizing Technique shouldn¡¯t have given away any hints,¡± it asked. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t answer the question. He said casually, ¡°You can¡¯t do anything to me. Were you trying to transform into Xi Jingshan and return to the Sacred Sect? You aren¡¯t scared of being found out?¡± ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ shook its head and said, ¡°The Shangqing Sacred Sect has a long heritage, and there have been countless great powers who have participated in its creation. The Sacred Sect even plays a role in this place, the Shan Mountain in the Dong Territory of the Human Realm. A ghost like me wouldn¡¯t even dare to step into the Sacred Sect.¡± Seeing Xu Disheng pondering but not saying anything, ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ smiled and said, ¡°I just want to use this body to escape from this body of water.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Bai Tong ruled as the deity of Jade Water Lake for several hundred years. As he had an innocent and utterly sincere character, he was all the more trusting of the turtle demon, who helped him to break away from his confused ignorance. In the grotto of Qing Yao¡­ ¡°Lord Qing, you¡¯ve been with His Divine Excellency Bai Tong for so long, but why doesn¡¯t he let you take advantage of the spirit vein? How could these few spirit stones that he gives you each day be enough for Lord Qing¡¯s cultivation?!¡± A beautiful woman with the body of a serpent said, her expression full of resentment as she complained about the injustice to the man in front of her. Qing Yao was that little water snake that used to always play with Bai Tong when he was born. After Bai Tong became a deity, he appointed him as a Demon General who was in charge of upholding the law, which allowed him to use the divine power of the seal to undergo a complete transformation. Hearing the concubine¡¯s words, Qing Yao shook his head and said, ¡°Qing¡¯er, don¡¯t make absurd remarks about His Divine Excellency.¡± Qing¡¯er pouted, feeling wronged. ¡°Aren¡¯t I just thinking for your sake? With that turtle demon Gui Yao holding so much authority over the distribution of resources, just how many spirit stones do you think he embezzles every day? But you, on the other hand, aren¡¯t even allowed into the spirit vein! You already promised me that you would get more spirit stones to help me finish my transformation sooner¡­¡± Qing Yao looked down at Qing¡¯er¡¯s snake lower body, his heart twinging with pain. At that moment, he seemed to make up his mind. ¡°Gui Yao really is bullying us too much! Today, I¡¯m going to go find His Divine Excellency and try to reason with him!¡± Qing¡¯er hurriedly held him back and said, ¡°No, no, I was just complaining a bit, nothing more. Don¡¯t go. I¡¯m worried about you. After all, His Divine Excellency trusts Gui Yao a lot. He has authority over the spirit vein, so his demonic power must be greater than yours by a good amount. I think that it might be better for you to just slowly cultivate.¡± Wresting his hand free from her grasp, Qing Yao left the grotto, his words echoing behind him. ¡°It¡¯s whatever for me, but I¡¯ve really wronged you too much in these years. From now on, I won¡¯t endure it any longer.¡± Qing¡¯er watched his back as he went away, somewhat regretting having complained to him. ¡­ ¡­ At the center of the vast body of water was the sacred land of Jade Water Lake, where the majestic Divine Palace stood tall. It was heavily guarded by scores and scores of demon soldiers. ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Lord Qing? Having such meager demonic power despite being a Demon General, you¡¯re really disgracing our identity as Demon Generals!¡± Just as Qing Yao was slowly leaving the main hall of the Divine Palace, he ran into a young man with a delicate, pretty face. His words deeply pricked Qing Yao¡¯s heart. This young man was none other than the first son of Gui Yao. He had long since undergone his transformation, and he had already been appointed as a Demon General! Qing Yao lowered his head as the words that Bai Tong just spoke rang in his ears. ¡°Little Qing, don¡¯t think too much about it. In my Jade Water Domain, no matter how strong or weak a demon is, everyone is equal. Although I am giving Elder Gui the most trust by leaving him in charge of the spirit vein and the distribution of resources, he definitely wouldn¡¯t embezzle resources!¡± A fire lit in his heart. Bai Tong, oh Bai Tong. Just how childish can you be?! Naive! Ignorant! All demons equal? Hah, what a joke. After seeing the complete human form of Gui Yao¡¯s first son, then thinking of the serpent lower body of Qing¡¯er, Qing Yao¡¯s heart turned ice cold. Demonic power burst forth, and all kinds of demonic techniques clashed. The moment before Qing Yao lost consciousness, he could only inwardly mock himself. Qing Yao, oh Qing Yao. You are really so useless. ¡­ ¡­ Bai Tong handed down his punishment. The first son of Gui Yao was locked up for a year for disrespecting his elders. On the other hand, he sent Qing Yao a bunch of spirit fruits and rare treasures. But everyone knew that Qing Yao had lost influence. In the past, no one dared to be disrespectful to someone who was ranked as a Demon General, even if they had doubts about their strength. Because of the elder figure at Bai Tong¡¯s side, no one would dare to go so far as to criticize the appointment of ranks. Gui Yao¡¯s first son was also a Demon General. He was an example of an up-and-coming youngster outstripping the older generation, and with this fight, he showed an impressive performance. He also told all of the demons of Jade Water Lake that Qing Yao was no longer the same Qing Yao of the past. Give them an inch, and they¡¯ll want a mile¡­ once one¡¯s bottom line was violated, things would only worsen. ¡­ ¡­ Finally, there was a day where Qing Yao returned to his grotto in a drunk stupor. He found Qing¡¯er lying on the bed, breathless. Her upper body was bare, and her lower body was a mess. Qing Yao looked on in a daze, standing there frozen like a sculpture. Although fresh blood was flowing out of Qing¡¯er¡¯s bright red lips, she had a smile upon her face when she saw him. She spoke intermittently as she struggled to get her words out. ¡°I¡­ had no way to resist. The only reason I fought to live a few more moments in this sullied body was¡­ so I could see you one more time. Qing, please¡­ live well.¡± The beautiful gleam that was once contained in her lovely, afflicted eyes dwindled and faded as she closed her eyes for the last time. This was the only time she didn¡¯t call him Lord Qing; the only time that she called him by his own name. Lord Qing, look at the clothes I embroidered for you. Isn¡¯t it pretty? Come on, try it on. Lord Qing, I planted some coral grass behind the grotto. Next year, I¡¯ll be able to weave a pair of shoes for you. It¡¯ll definitely be nice and durable. But you know, I really want to be able to wear shoes too. Lord Qing, do you still remember? When you sought to have me join your grotto, you even had a fight with my father! Tears of blood flowed from Qing Yao¡¯s eyes. The memories of every frown and smile of the beautiful woman flooded through his mind, almost seeming real before his eyes. Lord Qing, my name was given by you, you know? ¡®You¡¯ll be the fish, and I¡¯ll be your water¡­¡¯ Lord Qing¡­ His complexion became demented with sorrow as he reached out a finger and caressed Qing¡¯er¡¯s fair cheek. ¡°Qing¡¯er¡­¡± He murmured her name incessantly. ¡°Qing¡¯er, wake up¡­ please¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ With trembling hands, he buried Qing¡¯er beneath the coral grass behind the grotto. His hands stained with blood, he tore open his own belly and removed his own Transformed Demon Core. Qing Yao seemed unaware of the terrible agony as he silently transformed back into a water snake. Taking his Demon Core into his mouth, he swam out of the Jade Water Domain. ¡­ ¡­ ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ seemed puzzled. ¡°So why do you keep these people around? From the way I saw you handling things, you bear a remarkable resemblance to one of those heavenly geniuses from the Shangqing Sacred Sect several tens of thousands of years ago. You are just as indifferent and unmoved by sentiment as they were. You seem too intelligent to leave food behind. If anything, to avoid any future backlash, you should be tying up such loose ends.¡± Xu Disheng shook his head and said, ¡°You don¡¯t understand how complex and treacherous the human heart is. If I returned to the sect alone, it would actually be even more suspicious. These few people aren¡¯t food to be left behind as you say, but rather witnesses to absolve me of suspicion.¡± ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ seemed to disdain such behavior, but after thinking for a while, it couldn¡¯t come up with any way to refute it. Xu Disheng glanced at ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ and continued, ¡°They won¡¯t say anything because they already chose to embezzle spirit stones with me, so they¡¯re forced to be on my side now. Would they risk punishment to expose the fact that I killed fellow disciples of the sect? Hah, not even an idiot would do something like that.¡± ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ remained unconvinced, but seemed to remember something. It carefully examined Xu Disheng and said, ¡°At the time, the reputation of that heavenly genius of the Shangqing Sacred Sect shook not only throughout Shan Mountain, but even the entirety of the Dong Territory of the Human Realm. His temperament was very similar to yours in a lot of ways.¡± Xu Disheng casually asked, ¡°So what cultivation realm was he at?¡± A look of longing appeared in the eyes of ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ as it spoke. ¡°It was rumored that he reached the stage where he could split and divide his primordial spirit into many clones, proliferating them to know all under heaven. He received a little bit of attention from the heavens, but it wasn¡¯t much,¡± it said. When it spoke to this point, it worriedly scratched its head, its tone becoming more careful as it continued, ¡°Just by moving his divine sense, he could wordlessly unleash techniques, and he could transform illusion into reality. He suppressed the entirety of Shan Mountain, and countless sects paid respects to him. In the last several tens of thousands of years, this was also the time when your Shangqing Sacred Sect was the most thriving.¡± (TL Note: The title name is actually ¡°Ç࣬Ç塱 which are both characters that read ¡®Qing¡¯. The first character corresponds to the character used in the name of Qing Yao, and the second character corresponds to the character used in the name Qing¡¯er. But it doesn¡¯t translate over to English well, so I decided to include an explanation here..) CH 72 Chapter 72 ¨C The End of Fate ¡°The Heavenly Court?¡± A look flashed through Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s best not to speak carelessly of the Heavenly Court,¡± ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ lightly shook its head and continued, ¡°The Heavenly Court has something called the Heaven Supervisory Department, which supervises all living beings of the Three Heavens and Nine Realms. Any time the words ¡®Heaven Realm¡¯ or ¡®Heavenly Court¡¯ are mentioned, the Heaven Supervisory Department will always be able to perceive it. It¡¯s just that they ordinarily wouldn¡¯t pay ants like us any mind.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s long, slender fingers twisted into a hand seal, activating the Amassing Water Technique. Inside of the waterless zone created by the Parting Water Pearl, three spheres of water appeared, lightly splashing onto the heads of Li Dan and the others, waking them up. Li Dan and the white-clothed girl were the first to wake up. Seeing Xu Disheng and ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ communicating, they had a hard time understanding what was going on. They stood behind Xu Disheng, acting in a guarded manner against ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯. Yuan Qi woke up last. When he saw what was going on, an expression of alarm flashed across his face as he pointed at ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ and shouted, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu! That¡¯s a ghost! I saw it with my own eyes!¡± Upon receiving such a cold reception, ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ didn¡¯t say anything, but Xu Disheng furrowed his brow and took the other 30 spirit stones, placing them in Li Dan¡¯s arms. ¡°That¡¯s Xi Jingshan. Earlier, you all just didn¡¯t see clearly. Tidy up and we¡¯ll go back to the Sacred Sect and report in.¡± Yuan Qi wanted to say more, but after ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ swept a cold gaze over him, he swallowed his words. He grumbled and followed after Xu Disheng, not daring to look at him again. The disciples all knew that something was fishy about ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯, but Xu Disheng had already spoken his part, so they had no way of bringing the matter up again. They could only follow Xu Disheng closely while staying as far away as they could from ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯. The Jade Water Divine Palace was already completely exhausted of spiritual energy, in a state of utter disrepair. Aside from that tiny bit of spirit vein remaining, there would be no other reason left for them to stay here. When they held the Parting Water Pearl and made it to the edge of the lakebed, the surrounding waters suddenly turned muddy. The water outside of the waterless space created by the Parting Water Pearl began to roil, and it became difficult to see much of anything. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he calmly perceived his surroundings. In the surrounding water, there were several demonic energy signatures rapidly approaching. Aside from the extremely powerful serpent demon, there were two somewhat weaker demonic energy signatures. In the next moment, a loud splash rang out, and the water tumbled and burst as a sinister maw extended into the waterless space. The serpent demon¡¯s frightening upper body, which was well over 4 meters thick, was revealed, brimming with demonic energy. Shortly after, two greenish-black demons with human heads and fish bodies also charged into the waterless space and stood next to the serpent demon. The serpent demon looked at ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯, and pure, unadulterated resentment dripped from the serpent demon¡¯s tone as it roared loudly in its deep, low voice, causing everyone¡¯s ears to vibrate. ¡°After well over ten thousand years have passed, I never would¡¯ve thought that you had survived on in this world!¡± The face of ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ remained natural as it said flatly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you, the last living Demon General, also alive after all? In these years, the Jade Water Domain is over a thousand times smaller than before, and the spiritual energy in the Divine Palace is practically exhausted to depletion. You and these several other demons are merely existing and can¡¯t even fill your bellies. Perhaps you will all be forever unable to undergo Transformation at this rate. Truly, such pitiful existences.¡± One of the fish demons at the side said in a low, muffled voice, ¡°Although I hadn¡¯t advanced to the rank of demon soldier, I heard that at the time after the war, a spirit with boundless resentment was born and transformed into an evil spirit. Later, it was transformed by Demon King Lingche, but I really never expected that it would survive until now.¡± ¡­ ¡­ The Heavenly Court was one of the Three Great Heaven Realms, which were also called the Three Heavens. They were positioned above the Nine Realms, and were as old as heaven and earth itself, prevailing through countless calamities. In the House of the Celestial Sovereign, in the Heavenly Court¡­ Inside of the vast, majestic divine mansion of Divine Lord Gou Chen, there were several Divine Lords sitting in the seats of honor, talking and laughing amongst each other. In the Heavenly Court, there were 72 domains, and there was a Divine House in control of each, with around a dozen Divine Lords in charge respectively. There were countless deities of varying ranks beneath them, each possessing their own duty in their respective departments. In the Tianyu Domain, today was the day that Divine Lord Mingxi¡¯s little princess was to be married off. Marital relations between deities was common, so there weren¡¯t many overly complicated customs surrounding it. Although the Tianyu Domain and the Domain of the Celestial Sovereign were large, only a few Divine Lords showed up. But of the deities of the two Houses, a large majority showed up. (TL: House/Domain of the Celestial Lord ¡ú House/Domain of the Celestial Sovereign. Also, Divine General Gou Chen ¡ú Divine Lord Gou Chen, since it turns out that Divine Generals and Divine Lords are different existences.) The princess was standing at Divine Lord Gou Chen¡¯s side. She had an anxious look as she kept looking towards the outside of the divine mansion, at the far off horizon, as if she were waiting for someone. ¡°I am a maid of Divine Lord Mingxi¡¯s princess. I¡¯m a little late, but could you please let me in? I have a gift for the princess,¡± a white-clothed woman who was standing outside Gou Chen¡¯s divine mansion said with a begging tone in her voice. She knew that the Divine Domain¡¯s rules were strict and insurmountable. But the spirituality of this Liuli Crystal Snowflake Lantern in her hands, which had been created from ten thousand years of snow, was slowly fading. If she waited until after the princess¡¯s wedding to refine it, its effectiveness would drop by a lot. ¡°You do know that this is the Divine Mansion of Divine Lord Gou Chen? The time has already passed, so be obedient and go back and wait,¡± one of the Divine Lords reprimanded coldly, waving the maid away. Gou Chen¡¯s Divine Mansion was vast and expansive, and was one of the greatest Divine Mansions in the Domain of the Celestial Sovereign. The gate was over 300 meters tall, and there were several thousand celestial soldiers in front of it, heavily guarding the gate with utmost loyalty. The white-clothed woman was disheartened, and she looked down sadly at the Liuli Crystal Snowflake Lantern in her hands as its spirituality slowly disappeared into heaven and earth. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t saying anything, the tone of that Divine Lord who just spoke became even more severe as he said, ¡°Maid, don¡¯t stand in front of the gate of this Divine Mansion. This is an extremely noble place. How can a maid like you loiter around in front of it? Withdraw right this instant!¡± Although the princess¡¯s charming face had a smile on it as she went along with the laughter of Divine Lord Gou Chen and the other Divine Lords, she anxiously thought in her heart, ¡°Lingche, that silly servant girl. She didn¡¯t come for ages, and now that she¡¯s finally here, she¡¯s getting blocked outside of Gou Chen¡¯s Divine Mansion. With all these esteemed Divine Lords here, I can¡¯t speak up. I can only wait for a suitable time to send people to take a look.¡± The maid Lingche found a corner on the edge of the boundless expanse of Gou Chen¡¯s Divine Mansion and waited in silence. Shortly after, she suddenly heard divine tones ringing in her ears as a rare fragrance filled the air. She lifted her gaze and saw that there was an extremely luxurious cloud chariot landing in front of the Divine Mansion, led by three qilins. The chariot was accompanied by countless celestial soldiers and several hundred maids flying through the sky, sprinkling spiritual flowers everywhere. In the places where the spiritual flowers landed, life would take root and grow into divine trees in the blink of an eye, bearing spirit fruits. To all of the people here, this spectacle was no strange sight. But if there were people from the Human Realm here, just by breathing in, they could extend their lifespan by 8,000 years, and simply eating one of the spirit fruits would give them an additional 1,600 years without question. The magnificent gate before Gou Chen¡¯s Divine Mansion rumbled open, and the several Divine Generals led the many deities by example, respectfully bowing in welcome. It was none other than the Almighty Lordship who ruled over the House of the Celestial Sovereign, Celestial Sovereign Taiyi. While Gou Chen was one of the top deities in the House of the Celestial Sovereign, the Almighty Lordship coming here personally was giving Gou Chen plenty of face. ¡°Princess¡­¡± The maid Lingche gazed at the princess at Divine Lord Gou Chen¡¯s side far off in the distance, then looked down at the Liuli Crystal Snowflake Lantern, which had already lost more than half of its spirituality. The Guixue Area of the Human Realm had accumulated snow for ten thousand years, untouched for many an age. Lingche had spent several years gathering all of the snow in the area to produce this Liuli Crystal Snowflake Lantern to give to the princess as a gift. Since she was little, the princess had always liked ice and snow, and she would often talk about the Guixue Area of the Human Realm. Because she was the treasured princess of Divine Lord Mingxi, she could hardly leave the Divine Mansion to play, much less leave the realm of the Heavenly Court. When the news came out that the princess was going to be engaged, the maid Lingche had been constantly worrying about the matter, and quietly stole away to the Human Realm. After several years of arduous effort, gathering the snow sheet by sheet, she was finally able to make the Liuli Crystal Snowflake Lantern. But as long as the princess was happy and content, a little suffering on her part was nothing. The maid Lingche gritted her teeth and flew into the sky, appearing in front of the gate of the Divine House in a flash. She held up the Liuli Crystal Snowflake Lantern in her hand, but just as she was about to speak, she found herself unable to produce any sound. Unknowingly, someone had activated a technique and sealed her speech. She could only stand there rooted in place, panicked and lost. That Divine Lord who had been warding her away from the gate retracted his technique. His expression became extremely ugly, but he didn¡¯t dare to say anything in front of the presence before him as he stood there with his head lowered. He inwardly scolded Lingche a million times over, regretting that he didn¡¯t thoroughly drive her away earlier. Celestial Sovereign Taiyi was the ruler of an entire Domain of the Heavenly Court, had around a dozen Divine Generals subordinate to him, and possessed an all-knowing power of creation over all natural things. He had long noticed the existence of a maid in a strange state in the corner of Gou Chen¡¯s Divine Mansion, but he only saw her as a speck of dust. But naturally, reminiscent of what would happen if a speck of dust were to fly onto one¡¯s face, Celestial Sovereign Taiyi imperceptibly creased his brow in a nearly unnoticeable manner before following Divine Lord Gou Chen and the other deities into the Divine Mansion. Just what existences were these Divine Lords? One of the Divine Lords lagged a bit behind and didn¡¯t enter along with them. He glared loathingly at Lingche, who had been frozen into inaction, then said coldly to the celestial general guarding the gate, ¡°What a blatant failure of etiquette in the face of the Celestial Sovereign¡¯s graceful presence! Today, I will discipline you all on Gou Chen¡¯s behalf. You and the other three thousand celestial soldiers guarding this gate will accept your punishment and be demoted by one rank.¡± "" The celestial general lowered his head in compliance, not daring to speak. As this Divine Lord walked into Gou Chen¡¯s Divine Mansion, his voice was lightly projected, ¡°Strip this discourteous, ignorant maid of her position and banish her to the Human Realm as a demon, never to achieve enlightenment for eternity.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Bai Tong¡¯s entire body became even more transparent, as if he was about to transform into white light and disappear. Seeing the elegant and attractive female demon in front of him, Bai Tong smiled and said, ¡°They were all calling me naive and childish. Only now do I realize that from beginning to end, I was just a snowflake all along.¡± Lingche sighed, bending over to rub Bai Tong¡¯s soft, white hair as she pulled him into her embrace. Bai Tong was hungry for the warmth of her embrace wrapped around his head. He closed his eyes, not wishing to see the ruins of the Divine Palace around him any longer. ¡°Since my birth, I was always completely kindhearted, trusting those by my side. In the end, every one of them turned their backs on me. Or perhaps, I wasn¡¯t even supposed to exist in this world in the first place,¡± Bai Tong muttered quietly. He didn¡¯t say anything after that as he nestled his head deeper into her arms. He enjoyed the warmth that he had never experienced before, as his body gradually turned into white light and dissipated. In those years, Lingche had wandered past many places and seen many landscapes of the Human Realm. One time, when she was passing through the Shan Mountain, she vaguely felt the aura of the Liuli Crystal Snowflake Lantern and tracked it down. Upon arriving here, the entire place was already dyed in blood, and the war had just passed. Countless demons met tragic fates, and the lingering resentment condensed into a ghostly fog, giving rise to evil spirits. CH 73 Chapter 73 ¨C No Way Back TL: Sponsored chapter (2/3) Eyes gently closed, Bai Tong rested in Lingche¡¯s soft, warm embrace, a trace of a tender smile hidden on his face. He gradually transformed into specks of white light that permeated the air as he became one with the lake, never to be seen again. In Lingche¡¯s fair, slender hands, a sparkling, translucent snowflake gradually condensed into being. From beginning to end, it was clear and bright, pure and devoid of complicated thoughts. Lingche looked down at the snowflake in her palm, suddenly thinking of a memory that had long become a distant, hazy past, causing the corners of her lips to curl gently into a smile. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°In the end, I was born from the resentment and souls of these small demons. This enmity has no way to be resolved,¡± ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ said, turning to Xu Disheng as it continued, ¡°Although I¡¯m ranked at the Evil Spirit Realm, these ten thousand plus years have exhausted too much ghostly power. You help me deal with those two fish demons, and I¡¯ll give you a cultivation method from the Ghost Dao. I¡¯ll deal with that small serpent demon myself.¡± Xu Disheng looked at him out of the corner of his eye, then turned back to look at the serpent demon. ¡°We don¡¯t want to get involved with your personal matters,¡± he said. The serpent demon shook its massive head as if it was pondering to itself. After a while, it said in a deep voice, ¡°Fine, you can go then.¡± The serpent demon moved its body, making a space that led upwards, where waves and the vague shadows of the rippling surface water could be seen. Xu Disheng said lightly, ¡°Yuan Qi, Li Dan, you three go up first.¡± Yuan Qi took the lead, walking cautiously past the serpent demon as he resisted the intense fishy odor of the demonic energy. He entered the water, and after a few breaths of time, he was the first to float to the surface of the lake. Li Dan pulled the white-clothed girl along as they both walked past the serpent demon to enter the water. When they were right next to the serpent demon¡¯s body, the serpent demon happened to move a little bit, causing the white-clothed to nearly cry out in fear. Fortunately, Li Dan reacted quickly and held his hand over her mouth, dragging her into the water and swimming to the surface. ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ glanced subtly at Xu Disheng and simply smiled. Xu Disheng was holding the Parting Water Pearl, so the waterless zone always moved along with him as the center. When he walked by the serpent demon¡¯s body and felt the demonic energy just within reach, Xu Disheng stopped. ¡°Last time, that wolf demon¡¯s soul allowed my Soul Force to grow explosively. Who knows how much it will increase this time? Swallowing Soul!¡± In the waterless space, black wind appeared out of nowhere and began to swirl and condense. The black winds transformed into the skull of an evil spirit, its malevolent manifestation even more apparent than ever before. The eyes of that skull which had been tightly closed before, were now already slightly opened! Although it wasn¡¯t obvious, Xu Disheng could feel the endless negativity contained within the eyes of that evil spirit skull. The evil spirit skull opened its jaw, and the serpent demon¡¯s massive body began to tremble in its efforts to resist. The suction force of the evil spirit¡¯s mouth became stronger, and the serpent demon was unable to resist it for much longer. The gaze in its eyes dulled as a concentrated black light was sucked into the evil spirit skull¡¯s mouth, while the enormous body of the serpent demon silently sunk to the bed of the lake. The evil spirit skull transformed into black motes of light and returned into Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. Xu Disheng resisted the dizzy, unwell feeling in his mind as he turned back to ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ and said, ¡°You deal with those two fish demons.¡± The moment that evil spirit skull appeared, the expression of ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ had a huge change in expression, causing him to direct a look of complete bewilderment at Xu Disheng. He inwardly felt a restrained fear towards that evil spirit skull, as it seemed to be a cultivation method that strongly suppressed ghost types. Back at Floating Moon Valley, Xu Disheng had used the Swallowing Soul Mantra while on the brink of death to swallow and kill that half-transformed wolf demon. Since then, the Soul Force inside that wolf demon¡¯s soul had long since been suppressed by the cyan jade flute and assimilated into the black Soul Force Flute, causing his Soul Force to grow explosively. This serpent demon was slightly weaker than that wolf demon, so Xu Disheng could still bear the backlash. He didn¡¯t faint outright, and even had some Soul Force remaining. Ghostly fog swirled in the palm of ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯, which spread outwards, wrapping up the two fish demons. From the outside, the sound of shrieking could be heard. After a while, the screams slowly came to a stop, and no further sounds came from the ghostly fog. The mist gradually faded, revealing the bare skeletons of the two fish demons. Xu Disheng peered at the pasty white fish demon skeletons and said, ¡°I want to sell these corpses for spirit stones. You work rather cleanly.¡± ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ laughed dryly and replied, ¡°I¡¯m already out of ghostly energy, so this is all I can do.¡± With a slight flick of a sleeve, Xu Disheng¡¯s gaze turned and fixed on ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯. After a while, his face spread into a smile and Xu Disheng said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go up. But I don¡¯t have a big enough storage-type Spirit Tool for this serpent demon¡¯s corpse. It¡¯s a bit inconvenient.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t thought about sucking up its soul with the Swallowing Soul Mantra, or using the Sealing Soul Mantra to seal it inside the Soul Suppressing Vestment. ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ looked to be harmless as livestock, but was this really the case? How could it be easy to survive as an evil spirit for over ten thousand years? Seeing him downplay the act of exterminating these two fish demons, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t believe that he didn¡¯t have any energy left. Xu Disheng only had 20-30% of his Soul Force remaining. Without knowing how deep his opponent¡¯s reserves were, it would be unwise to forcefully take action. ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ creased his brow, seeming to contemplate something. After a while, it said, ¡°Then I will give you a cultivation method that only ghosts can cultivate, which allows one to open a space inside of one¡¯s ghostly body. The space will be much bigger than your storage pouch. You might even be bigger than you need.¡± Xu Disheng looked at him without saying anything. ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ nudged him with his finger and said with a laugh, ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re so dull, you probably couldn¡¯t even sell a story if you wanted to.¡± ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ continued, ¡°I saw that the evil spirit skull that you summoned was a ghost-type technique, but strangely enough, was more oriented towards the soul aspect. Maybe you can try using it and see what happens.¡± A stream of ghostly energy condensed in the palm of ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯, which he tossed towards Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng grabbed the stream of ghostly energy and examined it carefully. After looking it over a few times, he confirmed that it really was a technique that allowed one to establish a space inside of one¡¯s ghostly body. In his sea of consciousness, he stimulated Soul Force from the phantom image of the evil spirit skull beneath the Soul Force Flute to see if he could establish a space within. A few moments later, Xu Disheng opened his eyes and shook his head. ¡°Perhaps because my cultivation is too low, this technique won¡¯t work for me right now. But I will hold onto this cultivation method and we¡¯ll consider our scores settled.¡± ¡®Xi Jingshan¡¯ gazed deeply at him and replied, ¡°Perhaps an unknown number of years later, there will be a day where our paths will cross once more. I am only temporarily borrowing this corporeal body to break through the limits that Lingche placed upon my ghostly body and leave these waters. The soul inside of this body has already dissipated, so this storage pouch is yours now.¡± With that, it tossed over the storage pouch that was on Xi Jingshan¡¯s body, then took a step out of the surface of the lake, floating in midair. An enormous ghostly energy dispelled from its body, condensing into an extremely dense ghostly fog. After hovering there for a moment, it scattered off into the horizon without a trace. Xi Jingshan¡¯s body floated down from the sky. Seeing the ghost leave his body, there was no way Li Dan and the others didn¡¯t know what had happened. They hastily went forward to catch his body. Li Dan anxiously touched Xi Jingshan¡¯s body, feeling the ice-cold sensation on his skin. His heart fell as he muttered, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xi¡­ you even saved my life earlier. I didn¡¯t even have a chance to repay you¡­¡± Yuan Qi opened Xi Jingshan¡¯s eyelids, then shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t keep shaking him. He¡¯s already dead.¡± Li Dan lifted his head and glared angrily at him. Yuan Qi also glared straight back at him, sparks flying between their eyes. Holding the Parting Water Pearl, Xu Disheng walked out of the lake. His indifferent voice rang out, ¡°All of you come down to the water and help me move the serpent demon¡¯s corpse onto the Spirit Cloud.¡± A long time passed, and the Jade Water Lake returned to a quiet, undisturbed state. In the midst of a forest, there was a young hunter. He would look to his left and right periodically as he gradually approached the lakeside. "" ¡°Hmph, Father always told me not to come to the lakeside to hunt because there were monsters. What a joke! That coward, monsters don¡¯t even exist,¡± the youth said, tightening the bow and arrow on his back. He scratched his head and continued, ¡°That said, there isn¡¯t any prey to hunt around this lake. That¡¯s strange.¡± After walking for a while, a small mound of earth came into view, and the hunter¡¯s eyes lit up. This mound was clearly made by means of a human effort, and it was in an area where there were no signs of human inhabitation. The people of his village also never came to the lakeside. Could he have perhaps come across a fated encounter with an immortal¡¯s inheritance? Perhaps there was¡­ treasure inside? The young hunter dug and dug away at the shallow mound of earth. Eventually, he came across something. It was an ice-cold limb, causing his heart to leap out of his chest. The hunter pulled the limb out of the earth. Once he got a good look at it, his blood turned cold as he howled, ¡°Ahhhh!! A dead person!¡± He sprinted off towards the forest, screaming. Xi Jingshan¡¯s final resting place actually wasn¡¯t too bad. At least Li Dan had dug a simple grave for him. However, the wish for vengeance in his heart would never become a reality. The Realm Lord of the Fa Territory would still continue to treat the mortals inside of the Secret Realm like swine. Xi Jingshan¡¯s past, the obsessions in his heart, and the longing for his parents and clan members¡­ all of them faded away into the yellow dirt. No matter if it was voluntary or compulsory, once stepping onto this path, there was never a way back. CH 74 Chapter 74 ¨C Returning to the Sect TL: Sponsored chapter (3/3) ¡°Junior Martial Sister Lu, what are you thinking about?¡± Li Dan asked as he walked over to the white-clothed girl¡¯s side, taking a seat and smoothing out the creases in his Daoist robe. The white-clothed girl¡¯s name was Lu Siwan. She had been sitting on the edge of the massive purple Spirit Cloud by herself, staring off into the distant night sky. The sound of the wind howling past was dampened greatly by the light barrier. Only a bit of wind could be felt inside, gently blowing past Lu Siwan¡¯s long hair. However, the girl¡¯s eyes were downcast, as if she had a lot on her mind. Lu Siwan turned her head, seeing the concerned look on her Senior Martial Brother¡¯s face. She smiled lightly and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Li, I was just thinking about whether or not entering the sect and becoming a profound cultivator was the wrong choice for me.¡± She reached her slim finger and tucked the windswept hair behind her ear, revealing her luscious red lips. Without waiting for Li Dan¡¯s reply, she continued, ¡°I was born into a rich family in the Ning¡¯an Province. After that, my father allowed me to measure my Profound Meridians to see if I would qualify for the disciple recruitment held in each Province under the Sacred Sect¡¯s jurisdiction.¡± ¡°After I was measured to have Grade 1 Profound Meridians, the Affairs Hall disciple bestowed my parents with riches, and I was assigned to the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain. It was only after I came here that I became aware of how cruel the path of profound cultivation was. Not to mention the lack of spirit stones, I almost died last year when I went on my first sect mission,¡± she explained. ¡°In the two years since I joined Morning Dew Peak, I lived each day in fear. I never dared to go and accept missions of my own accord. I was always scared of the next time the key jade slip would send another notice forcing me to go on another sect mission. Every time I went on a mission, I always found myself wondering if I would really die this time around,¡± she said, tying up the long hair on her head. Her delicate fingers weaved and danced, and in a short moment, her hair was bundled into an attractive bun. She grinned, turning to look at Li Dan. ¡°Am I beautiful?¡± she asked. Li Dan found himself somewhat unable to tear his eyes away from Lu Siwan¡¯s gaze. He murmured, ¡°You¡¯re beautiful. Very beautiful. Junior Martial Sister Lu, how about I give you another 10 spirit stones? I¡¯ll still have 20 spirit stones left. That¡¯ll be enough for me.¡± Yuan Qi was seated on the purple Spirit Cloud, next to Xu Disheng. He was sitting slightly closer to the two of them so he managed to overhear their conversation, causing the corner of his lips to curl into a disdainful smile. He looked over at the youth in a black and gold Daoist robe, seated in the center of the purple Spirit Cloud with his eyes closed in meditation. Yuan Qi was just an ordinary disciple, but he was slightly more clever than most people. Finding someone who he could attach himself to in order to reach success, he was secretly delighted. As for the white-clothed girl, Lu Siwan, Yuan Qi didn¡¯t really like her. Even though her melons were plump and perky, who knew how many times people had played around with them? Once he became strong enough, what girl couldn¡¯t be his? Riding the coattails of this person in front of him, now that was important. Looking at it like this, Yuan Qi was more strong-minded and eager to excel in life than Li Dan. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyelashes trembled slightly as he opened his eyes and saw the multi-colored beams of light flashing by becoming more frequent. After several days of traveling, the purple Spirit Cloud had already entered the Mingxin Mountain Range. The serpent demon¡¯s massive body was coiled up, placed quietly on the other side of the Spirit Cloud. It was rather eye-catching, and drew a lot of stares throughout their journey. But there was nothing that could be done about this, since he didn¡¯t have an expensive storage ring. He had quite a few storage pouches by this point, but none of them had enough space to contain a serpent demon, so for now he could only place it on the Spirit Cloud. The Mountain Affairs Peak of the Mingxin Mountain was the Peak where the branch of the Affairs Hall was located in the Mingxin Mountain Range. In front of Spirit Origin Hall, a massive purple Spirit Cloud with a serpent demon corpse on it slowly landed. Even though it was coiled up, it was still around 20 meters tall, drawing a huge amount of attention. Li Dan and Lu Siwan had never received the stares of so many Sea of Qi stage disciples before. There were even a lot of peak Sea of Qi stage elite disciples among them, causing them to feel embarrassed and at a loss. On the other hand, Yuan Qi was rather brazen and thick-skinned. Seeing Xu Disheng¡¯s undisturbed, indifferent expression, he also put on a cool front. He helped Xu Disheng, casting a spell with him to lift the corpse of the serpent demon. Together, they all entered the Spirit Armament Pavilion in Spirit Origin Hall. There were a lot of disciples coming and going through Spirit Origin Hall. All of them had strange expressions as they stared at them, but none of them came forward. After all, every one of them had their own things to be doing, so they wouldn¡¯t pay that much attention to other people. In the eyes of the other disciples, these people probably couldn¡¯t afford a storage ring, which wasn¡¯t all that rare. At most, they would comment and laugh about it. What was a bit more surprising to them was that these people were all at the early Sea of Qi stage, and they could actually slaughter a demon that was a bit away from being half-transformed. This level of strength was pretty much on par with a large portion of elite disciples. Deacon Ge Ming, a Dao Foundation stage disciple in charge of protecting the Spirit Armament Pavilion, held a great deal of authority. Seeing the corpse of the serpent demon in the hall, he narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Did you all kill this demon while on a sect mission? Or are you turning it in on behalf of someone else?¡± Xu Disheng came forward, handing the mission jade slip to the disciple standing by, who handed it over to Ge Ming. ¡°Hmm? A small-scale mission, accepted by elite disciple Chen Xingzhou. A total of fourteen people went, and only you four returned?¡± Ge Ming asked, briefly sweeping a glance over the mission jade slip. He shook his head and said, ¡°But that¡¯s a matter for Sect Affairs Hall. Our Spirit Armament Pavilion collects demon corpses on behalf of Refining Hall, but we must take a commission fee. We will offer you 240 spirit stones for this demon.¡± After a while, a disciple finished making inventory of the spirit stones, putting them into a storage pouch and handing it to Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng received the storage pouch and roughly checked over it, finding exactly 240 spirit stones within. He nodded in gratitude, then brought Li Dan and the others with him to leave Spirit Armament Pavilion. Ge Ming watched the retreating figures of Xu Disheng and the others and muttered to himself, ¡°I think I have a bit of an impression of this person. Last time he came, he turned in a completely intact corpse of a half-transformed wolf demon. It hasn¡¯t even been long since then, and now he came again with the corpse of a serpent demon on the brink of the half-transformed stage.¡± The several Spirit Armament Pavilion disciples stood respectfully at attention without replying. From day to day, Ge Ming was normally stationed at the Spirit Armament Pavilion. He never personally attended to any of the ordinary transactions of Spirit Tools. He would always leave those matters to the disciples of Spirit Armament Hall. The matters that passed through his hands had to do with the transactions regarding demon corpses that had a fairly high value, or regarding the reclamation of precious Spirit Tools. The ones that normally came to Spirit Armament Pavilion to turn in demon corpses were all Dao Foundation disciples, who he pretty much all knew by name. Occasionally, there were a few who hadn¡¯t reached the Dao Foundation stage, but they were all geniuses at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage. "" Therefore, Ge Ming had some lingering recollection of this early Sea of Qi stage disciple. Every disciple had their own secrets and destiny. In the Sacred Sect, the rules were also extremely strict, so Ge Ming didn¡¯t think too much about it; he was only somewhat curious. Small-scale missions were different from ordinary sect missions. Upon returning to Sect Affairs Hall, ordinary sect missions could be directly turned in to the Affairs Hall disciples. But small-scale missions and the mid-scale missions that were at a level above them, had to be personally audited by the Dao Foundation stage Deacon upon completion. When turning in the mission, the mission jade slip, the record jade slip, and the required materials for completion all had to be present without exception. For example, this time, the most important thing to turn in was the 1-meter long spirit vein essence, which was also the objective for this small-scale mission. Aside from that, things like the mission jade slip, the record jade slip, and the Parting Water Pearl had to be turned in. Xu Disheng and the others stood in a side hall. There was an elder seated above them, giving off a Dao Foundation stage aura as he combed through the record jade slip. This was just a formality in the end, since the record jade slip could be turned on and off at the disciples¡¯ discretion. The only record in there was the part where Xu Disheng was putting away the spirit vein essence. What was surprising to the old man was that the person who accepted the mission had already died, and it was these early Sea of Qi stage brats coming to turn in the mission. The old man put down the jade slip and picked up the 1-meter long spirit vein essence. At least 70-80 spirit stones could still be extracted from this spirit vein essence. With this, the mission was naturally considered complete. After a moment of contemplation, the elder said, ¡°You pass the investigation. The reward for this small-scale mission of 210 spirit stones will be given to you, which you can distribute among yourselves accordingly. Liu Zhou, bring the spirit stones and give them their reward.¡± After that, he pointed at the jade slips and other things on the table and turned to say, ¡°Shi Ji, take the spirit vein essence and the other things and register them into the storehouse. Then, send a notice jade slip to Morning Dew Peak and Wenyuan Mountain¡¯s Directory Hall and have them mark the records of the dead disciples.¡± From the disciples at his side, two disciples stepped out and respectfully complied. CH 75 Chapter 75 ¨C Harvests At the edge of a vast platform terrace on Mountain Affairs Peak, Xu Disheng summoned forth the comfortable, expansive purple Spirit Cloud and stepped onto it. Yuan Qi followed closely behind, also getting on the Spirit Cloud. Xu Disheng glanced at him out of the corner of his eye but didn¡¯t say anything. Li Dan and Lu Siwan also got on one after the other. There was a bit of hesitation on Li Dan¡¯s face, and after a bit, he still decided to speak up. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, can you give Siwan a bit more spirit stones? 10 spirit stones is enough. If it really isn¡¯t doable, take some from my portion and give it to her. She¡¯s just a weak girl. It¡¯s truly too hard for her to live on Morning Dew peak. Every time she goes on a mission, she only narrowly manages to escape death.¡± Xu Disheng lightly flicked his sleeves, smiling a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Who said that this reward of 210 spirit stones had any of your shares in it?¡± Li Dan choked angrily, and just as he was about to speak, he heard Xu Disheng continue. ¡°Your portion? What portion? Was that serpent demon killed by you? Was the spirit vein extracted by you? Or,¡± the youth turned around, his eyes seeming to have a layer of dense fog shrouding them. ¡°Did you help me complete this small-scale mission at all?¡± Li Dan was left speechless. He turned to look at the delicate expression of the girl behind him, his heart dripping with sympathy for her. He summoned his courage once more and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu¡­¡± Xu Disheng waved his hand to interrupt him, then turned to look at Yuan Qi. ¡°Yuan Qi, in your perspective, how should this matter be handled?¡± he asked. Yuan Qi¡¯s eyes examined Xu Disheng, but he couldn¡¯t see what he was thinking through his calm, indifferent expression. He clenched his teeth, then pointed at Li Dan and shouted, ¡°How dare you, Li Dan! Senior Martial Brother Xu already gave you 30 spirit stones, and that¡¯s him already being quite considerate to you! He gave you an inch, and now you want a mile! You son of a bastard!¡± Yuan Qi turned back to Xu Disheng and cupped his fists. His tone was furious to the extreme, as if he was feeling wronged on Xu Disheng¡¯s behalf. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, in my opinion, Li Dan and her are clearly both starving wolves who can never be satisfied! It would be better to kick these two off this Spirit Cloud right this instant and have them return to Morning Dew Peak by themselves!¡± Xu Disheng turned back around, looking towards the fog and mist among the mountains surrounding Mountain Affairs Peak. His indifferent voice could be heard. ¡°Li Dan, did you hear that?¡± Li Dan¡¯s expression was complex as he looked at the view of Xu Disheng¡¯s back, his heart gradually becoming cold as ice. Suddenly, he felt a small, tender hand grab onto his hand. He turned around and saw the girl¡¯s eyes, like rippling sunlight on the water. She was lightly shaking her head at him. A burst of intense resentment flooded from Li Dan¡¯s heart, and he turned his hand over and tightly grasped Lu Siwan¡¯s soft hands, pulling her along with him as they got off of the Spirit Cloud. He watched as the purple spirit cloud rose up into the air and flew in the direction of Morning Dew Peak. He held tightly onto her warm hand, his chest full of heroic pride as he said, ¡°Xu Disheng, you fickle, unjust man! Sooner or later, I¡¯ll have you eat my dust as I look down on you and show you that you were totally wrong!¡± But in the next moment, when he felt the 20 spirit stones in his bosom, his expression instantly crumpled. The two of them didn¡¯t have a flying-type Spirit Tool, so they could only ride someone else¡¯s Spirit Cloud to get back to Morning Dew Peak. Li Dan retracted his heroic passion as he started to quietly calculate how many spirit stones would be remaining after the two rode a Spirit Cloud back. Standing on the Spirit Cloud, Xu Disheng casually asked, ¡°Yuan Qi, what Spiritual Root Sequence are you?¡± Yuan Qi bowed slightly and said, ¡°Rank 6 Spiritual Root.¡± Slightly surprised, Xu Disheng asked, ¡°Your Spiritual Root aptitude isn¡¯t bad, and you¡¯re clever enough, so why did you join Chen Xingzhou¡¯s small-scale mission when it was clearly a trap?¡± Yuan Qi¡¯s expression turned a bit stiff as he said, ¡°Originally, I was following Senior Martial Brother Chen¡­ no, Chen Xingzhou. He wanted me to disguise myself among the newcomer disciples and wait for an opportunity to take action. But Senior Martial Brother Xu¡¯s corrosive water droplet technique was too tyrannical. Plus, it was a surprise attack, so I never had the chance to reveal myself before Chen Xingzhou and the others were killed by you.¡± Xu Disheng glanced at him and nodded. Yuan Qi was speaking the truth. After all, Chen Xingzhou and his attendants were all dead, aside from Ge Song, whose whereabouts were unknown, so there was no need to continue hiding anything. He waved his hand, and 10 spirit stones and a common longsword Spirit Tool appeared in front of him. Xu Disheng said, ¡°For now, you can take this Spirit Tool and these spirit stones for your own use.¡± A look of delight appeared on Yuan Qi¡¯s face. He hurriedly put the items away, feeling somewhat nervous in his heart. After all, the value of that longsword Spirit Tool was several dozen spirit stones, and was too precious. In the past, when he was following Chen Xingzhou, he had managed to save up a few dozen spirit stones, but he was still reluctant to buy a longsword Spirit Tool. While the two were talking, they had already arrived at Morning Dew Peak. The purple Spirit Cloud slowly landed, and Xu Disheng put away the Spirit Cloud. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about those items and cultivate well. This is my palace courtyard on Morning Dew Peak. If you run out of spirit stones, you can come find me,¡± Xu Disheng said. Feeling moved by Xu Disheng¡¯s favor, Yuan Qi hurriedly agreed. He watched Xu Disheng walk into his palace room. The light barrier appeared, and he subconsciously stroked the longsword Spirit Tool in his hands, in somewhat of a daze. Rank 6 Spiritual Root was already considered part of the middle class Spiritual Root. Regardless of the growth potential, the cultivation speed was much faster than those that had profound meridians belonging to the lower class Spiritual Roots. Xu Disheng seemed to value Yuan Qi and even gave him a precious longsword Spirit Tool, but was that really because of his aptitude? Or was it part of another scheme? Inside the palace room, it was calm. The youth¡¯s state of mind had finally relaxed a bit. It was only when he was all alone that his heart felt at ease. The solace in solitude was the only sentiment that he felt a sense of belonging to. He opened all of the storage pouches he had and took out all of the items, first sorting them neatly into categories. Several heaps of spirit stones piled up into one massive pile, which was concentrated with so much spiritual energy that it was on the verge of condensing into substance. These were the glorious spoils earned through staying true to black-hearted scheming. When he left Morning Dew Peak, he had used up practically all of the spirit stones he had, and he didn¡¯t have a single good Spirit Tool. With this one trip out of the sect, he reaped a truly massive harvest. Back at the spirit vein in Jade Water Lake, he had used the black parasol Spirit Tool that Chen Xingzhou and his attendants had prepared, allowing him to extract 300 spirit stones. He also had 30 spirit stones from Xi Jingshan. Turning in the corpse of the serpent demon to the Spirit Armament Pavilion yielded him over 200 spirit stones, and the completion reward for the small-scale mission was another 210 spirit stones. Chen Xingzhou¡¯s storage pouch had the most spirit stones, with 190 spirit stones inside. There was also a longsword Spirit Tool with seals carved on it, which was called the Three Suns Sword. Although it was only an ordinary Spirit Tool, there were parts on it carved with seals, so it was extremely precious. There was also a bejeweled imperial seal, which was about the size of one¡¯s palm. It was called the Severing Spirit Seal, and it was clad in sharp, offense-oriented qi. As a high-grade Spirit Tool, it was the most valuable thing in his storage pouch. This was most likely Chen Xingzhou¡¯s special treasure, but he didn¡¯t have the chance to use it before receiving the surprise attack of the Summon Rain technique, which had caused him to feel stifled to the extreme at the time. In Chen Xingzhou¡¯s storage pouch, there was actually another ordinary longsword Spirit Tool without any seals engraved on it, but Xu Disheng already gave that one to Yuan Qi. In the other storage pouches, there were far fewer spirit stones. Added together, their value didn¡¯t exceed 50 to 60 spirit stones. Xu Disheng made an inventory of the spirit stones he had right now. Aside from the spirit stones that he gave to Yuan Qi, Li Dan, and Lu Siwan, he now had a little over 1000 spirit stones, but the number didn¡¯t exceed 1,100. Even with Xu Disheng¡¯s temperament, the look in his eyes fluctuated slightly at this amount, and he clearly wasn¡¯t as calm at heart as his appearance suggested. Faced with so many spirit stones, even he wasn¡¯t able to maintain a completely levelheaded gaze. With his identity as an elite disciple, Chen Xingzhou¡¯s assets were plentiful. Just that high-grade Spirit Tool, the Severing Spirit Seal, was worth well over 400 spirit stones! Xu Disheng also made another pile for all the medicines and pills. Most of them were Spirit Gathering Pills, but there was a small number of Qi Gathering Pills, and there was even one Qi Boosting Pill! These medicinal pills were all useful for him. He placed them along with the Severing Spirit Seal into one storage pouch. CH 76 Chapter 76 ¨C Disciplinary? TL: Sponsored chapter (1/1) Aside from that, there were also a varied assortment of cultivation method jade slips and other junk. After Xu Disheng looked through them, he started to set aside a pile of the more common Spirit Tools, which he was planning to get rid of at an appropriate time to trade for spirit stones. Even the Three Suns Sword was included in that pile. Despite being priced at over 100 spirit stones due to the seals engraved on it, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t really like the Spirit Tool, so he tossed it into the pile all the same. As for the jade identity tablets and key jade slips of Chen Xingzhou and his attendants, Xu Disheng had long since crushed them and tossed them out on the way back to the Sacred Sect. Yuan Qi had stayed on Morning Dew Peak for 6-7 years, but he had only been waiting on Chen Xingzhou¡¯s orders and disguising himself as a newcomer disciple. Earlier, he specifically told Xu Disheng that on the nearby Canxia Peak, there was an extremely convenient marketplace for Sea of Qi stage disciples where they all mutually exchanged goods and assistance to help one another out. After all, the things in the Spirit Armament Pavilion in Spirit Origin Hall were too standardized and the prices were slightly more expensive, so it was often the case that it was difficult to buy the Spirit Tools one needed. Plus, upon buying one of their Spirit Tools, there would be a detailed record left behind. If someone else really wanted to, they could just look those records up, which made it an easy way to be targeted by others. As for these kind of marketplaces where disciples exchanged goods amongst each other, there were over 10 in the Mingxin Mountain Range alone. The Mingxin Mountain Range had several hundreds of mountain peaks, and several tens of thousands of disciples. These marketplaces were the places where a majority of the Sea of Qi stage disciples liked to visit and shop. Since there would always be people who were blind and would accidentally sell something an extremely valuable thing for a low price, there would conversely be people who managed to sell something worthless for a high price, allowing them to make a fortune overnight. Such occurrences weren¡¯t all that uncommon either. The time that had passed since Xu Disheng had joined Morning Dew Peak was still short, so he still didn¡¯t know a lot of the inner workings about the place. When they were passing by Canxia Peak and he heard Yuan Qi mention that there was a marketplace set up nearby, his thoughts were stirred, giving him the idea to sell the common Spirit Tools and miscellaneous assortment of cultivation method jade slips and so on at this place. That Severing Spirit Seal was too precious. After Xu Disheng tried it out a bit, he found that it was incredibly powerful! Along with its complete seals, it really deserved to be called a high-grade Spirit Tool. It must have cost an arm and a leg to refine. If he really sold it, it might go for even more than 400 spirit stones! Xu Disheng planned to use this seal for himself. What about people discovering that it was originally Chen Xingzhou¡¯s possession upon him using it? There were several tens of thousands of disciples belonging to Mingxin Mountain. Aside from those that were extremely close to one another, normally no one would pay attention to the Spirit Tools that another person was using. Even if someone who knew Chen Xingzhou recognized it, what did it matter? Report it to the Affairs Hall or the Disciplinary Hall and claim that he killed a fellow disciple? With what evidence? Moreover, even if the people of the Disciplinary Hall looked into the matter and found that there had been something fishy going on between the disciples during the mission, they still might not care or do anything about it. After all, these kinds of situations happened too often, and they couldn¡¯t worry about every single one of them. It was fine as long as they all knew their place while in the sect. Once they left the sect, no matter if they were dead or alive, no one would look too deeply into it in the end. Of course, if someone had evidence recorded on a record jade slip, then that was an entirely different matter. The strict sect rules weren¡¯t just for show. If there was really evidence that someone had committed an offense, the Disciplinary Hall wouldn¡¯t hesitate to show them the very definition of cruelty. As an elite disciple, Chen Xingzhou had his own beautiful courtyard on Morning Dew Peak, with six palace rooms that were generously spacious. There was a lovely woman in one of the rooms, lying on an extremely soft and cozy bed. There were three to four female slaves attending to her. The lovely woman extended out a delicate foot with vermillion painted toenails. ¡°Yu, help me wash my feet,¡± she ordered. One of the female slaves promptly went to bring water. She came back in a short moment with hot water, clearly already prepared for this. After she started washing her feet, the lovely woman suddenly wrinkled her brow and lashed out with her foot! She kicked the plain-clothed slave girl right in the face, causing some of the hot water to splash into her eye. The slave girl Yu held her hand over her eye, crying out softly in pain. The lovely woman shouted coldly, ¡°You stupid slave, why are you using so much force! Are you trying to rub a hole in my foot?¡± The slave girl only kept her head lowered, not even daring to hold her hand over her face. She endured the sharp pain, closing her eyes as she kneeled on the ground. A large majority of these female servants were just mortals. Only this slave girl Yu was once a Cleansed Meridians stage disciple from the Outer Region. Through unknown methods, Chen Xingzhou went to the sect registry and took her into his home. Therefore, this lovely woman couldn¡¯t even bear to look at Yu, and from time to time, she would scold and abuse her for no reason. The lovely woman stood up, and just as she was about to speak, she heard a sound from outside the courtyard, causing her face to light up. Without even putting on shoes, she walked barefooted out of the palace room and looked outside. The person outside of the door wasn¡¯t Chen Xingzhou as she imagined. Instead, there were two Disciplinary Hall disciples in black clothes with cold, serious expressions on their faces. Seeing her come out, the taller of the two Disciplinary Hall disciples looked down and took out a jade slip to examine it. After a while, he lifted his head and asked, ¡°Are you Liu Qian¡¯er, the concubine of Chen Xingzhou?¡± Liu Qian¡¯er had a bad premonition as she responded, ¡°That would be me. What is the matter?¡± The tall Disciplinary Hall disciple nodded and said, ¡°Chen Xingzhou died while on a mission. The Directory Hall already eliminated him from the sect registry. His courtyard must be reclaimed, and all of his personal property will be returned to the hands of the sect!¡± Liu Qian¡¯er¡¯s expression changed greatly and her voice becoming shaky. ¡°What?! Xingzhou is¡­?¡± It wasn¡¯t that she necessarily cared for Chen Xingzhou, but rather she was frightened about her own fate to come. Every elite disciple could have concubines, servants, and slaves, which were all considered the disciples personal property. Earlier, back at Jade Water Lake, Chen Xingzhou had once said that he wanted that black-clothed girl to serve as a replacement slave for him, which had clearly been an extremely belittling remark. Liu Qian¡¯er¡¯s face became pale as she leaned powerlessly against the palace gate. Her eyes became soulless as she watched the two Disciplinary Hall disciples recklessly rummage through and overturn the place. The shorter Disciplinary Hall disciple walked over. Seeing Liu Qian¡¯er¡¯s beautiful looks, he casually groped her buttocks and asked with a laugh, ¡°Where are Chen Xingzhou¡¯s spirit stones and property?¡± Spirit returned to Liu Qian¡¯er¡¯s gaze as she thought of something. Right! Chen Xingzhou had several hundred spirit stones stored in the palace room, which had been accumulated over 100 years. She could use these spirit stones as her own ransom! But while she was still thinking, she suddenly heard an ¡°ah¡±. It was the sound the short disciple made when he saw her extremely attractive bare feet and noticed her excellent figure. He picked up her soft body with a lascivious smile and carried her into the hall. ¡­ ¡­ The short disciple walked out of the palace hall, his face red with pleasure. The taller Disciplinary Hall disciple was lying on the bed, enjoying a massage from several of the female slaves. Seeing him come out, the tall disciple pointed at the storage pouch and said, ¡°In that storage pouch, there are 300 spirit stones and 2 high-grade Spirit Tools. Aside from that, there¡¯s also a bunch of other junk.¡± He sat up and began stroking the hair of a cute female slave as he continued, ¡°I will take these female slaves and those two Spirit Tools. That Liu Qian¡¯er and these spirit stones will belong to you then.¡± The short disciple hesitated as he watched Liu Qian¡¯er walk out from the rear palace hall at come towards him, her face flushed red. He smiled and said, ¡°Then if we go based on your arrangements, how should we record it in the jade slip, Senior Martial Brother?¡± The tall Disciplinary Hall disciple scoffed coldly and said, ¡°Chen Xingzhou, elite disciple of Mingxin Mountain¡¯s Morning Dew Peak, deceased while on a small-scale mission. Under the Disciplinary Hall¡¯s jurisdiction, his personal property, summing to a total of 200 spirit stones, was confiscated. His courtyard was also reclaimed.¡± Seeing the lovely beauty cradled in his arms, a fire lit up in the short disciple¡¯s heart. He nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°We¡¯ll do exactly as you command, Senior Martial Brother!¡± Just now, that was Liu Qian¡¯er¡¯s first time getting laid, and her beautiful face was still flushed red. There was only a semi-transparent red silk undershirt draped around her shoulders. She was half leaning into his embrace, straddled somewhere between wanting to resist and wanting to receive him. The shorter disciple couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, and he picked up her soft, warm body once more and carried her into the hall, pressing her down on the bed as he said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, I¡¯m going to have to inspect Chen Xingzhou¡¯s property one more time.¡± CH 77 Chapter 77 ¨C Glorious Sun The key jade slip in front of Xu Disheng vibrated, emitting a halo of light. Xu Disheng lowered his gaze and picked it up. After a while, the youth put the jade slip back down, black vortexes spinning subtly in his eyes. ¡°The Inner Disciple Tournament of Mingxin Mountain Range is in half a month,¡± he muttered. He stood up and took out another jade slip, examining it carefully. This was a map of the Mingxin Mountain Range that he had found in Chen Xingzhou¡¯s storage pouch. It was convenient for him to take it out and look at it. His own location was marked on the map with a blinking white point of light, and the densely packed green lights were the several hundreds of mountain peaks. Each of the peaks were labeled with their names. ¡°Canxia Peak¡­¡± The green point representing Canxia Peak wasn¡¯t that far. It was only several dozen li away, with several mountain peaks in between. Xu Disheng left the palace room and summoned his own black Spirit Cloud, heading directly for Canxia Peak. The purple Spirit Cloud was too conspicuous. Plus, he was on Morning Dew Peak, so it would be easy for people to notice that it had originally belonged to Chen Xingzhou. Xu Disheng planned to get rid of it along with the rest of the things. When he arrived at Canxia Peak, he discovered that it was more flourishing and busy than the surrounding Peaks. There would frequently be disciples landing and entering the Peak, going into the glamorous marketplace. Behind every marketplace, there was a Peak-Master level existence at the Dao Foundation stage, so no one ever dared to cause trouble here. The scale of the marketplace at Canxia Peak wasn¡¯t small. As far as the eye could see, the place was bustling with activity, with hundreds of disciples manning vendor stalls and shops lined up in great numbers. Although it was a bit noisy, it wasn¡¯t chaotic. It could still be considered neat and in good order. When Xu Disheng landed the Spirit Cloud and entered the giant gate of the marketplace, he was immediately welcomed by a disciple with a clever air to him. He smiled and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, do you need a guide? It¡¯ll just be 2 spirit stones. I guarantee you¡¯ll be completely satisfied with the service.¡± After thinking for a bit, Xu Disheng nodded. A delighted expression appeared on the disciple¡¯s face and he said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, my name is Feng Zhao. Are you here to buy or sell?¡± Xu Disheng glanced past him and saw that there were several disciples standing underneath the gate who would come forward and speak to the disciples that were entering the marketplace. He nodded slightly and said, ¡°I want to sell some random junk, then buy some Spirit Tools.¡± Feng Zhao¡¯s eyes lit up. Buying Spirit Tools involved bigger transactions of spirit stones that usually amounted to several dozen spirit stones. If he brought along a customer who ended up successfully completing a purchase of Spirit Tools from that store, he could also receive a small commission fee. Feng Zhao¡¯s expression became even more polite and he smiled. ¡°So you want to sell some junk, I got you. I know of a shop where they are always willing to accept an item, regardless of its past history!¡± Feng Zhao said, deliberately stressing the word ¡®junk¡¯. He immediately led Xu Disheng past those vendor stalls, heading straight for the depths of the marketplace. There was a hall with a black sign board attached above. What was strange was that the sign board was glossy like a mirror, as if there were no words engraved on it. When they entered the hall, there was an old man sitting cross-legged inside. Seeing Feng Zhao bring someone in, he asked, ¡°Bringing someone?¡± Feng Zhao retreated to the side, not speaking further, in an evident display of suitable behavior. Xu Disheng surveyed the hall. The interior was decorated simply, and there were only several ordinary Spirit Tools. Noticing that it seemed to be Xu Disheng¡¯s first time here, he smiled and said, ¡°Go ahead and take out your things. We accept everything here, but because of that the buying price will be slightly lower than other places.¡± Xu Disheng took out a storage pouch and dumped several Spirit Tools, a pile of cultivation method jade slips, and a miscellaneous assortment of other things in the middle of the hall. The elder seemed to have seen this kind of scene a lot. He roughly examined the things and said, ¡°1 Spirit Tool with seals, 3 ordinary Spirit Tools, 12 cultivation method jade slips, 6 high-grade Martial Treasures¡­ And a bunch of trash.¡± He shook his head and continued, ¡°This is your first time coming, so I¡¯ll offer you 200 spirit stones for these things. How¡¯s that?¡± In fact, just that Spirit Tool with seals on it, the Three Suns Sword, cost over 100 spirit stones alone. Much less the 3 ordinary Spirit Tools, which cost 40-50 spirit stones apiece. However¡­ There were a lot of trash items included. The elder not becoming hostile to him on the spot was already showing Xu Disheng plenty of benevolence. Xu Disheng nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡± The old man nodded in praise and said, ¡°Straightforward enough.¡± He counted out the spirit stones and gave them to Xu Disheng, then turned to Feng Zhao with a smile and said, ¡°Little Fifth, next time bring more of these kinds of customers. Here¡¯s your tip.¡± He tossed 5 spirit stones over to Feng Zhao. Feng Zhao received the spirit stones and thanked him, then brought Xu Disheng out of the hall. As soon as they stepped out of the door of the hall, he nervously turned to Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, this place specializes in accepting those things that¡­ don¡¯t quite have an upright history, so the prices they give are a bit lower. But it¡¯s still extremely convenient.¡± Xu Disheng nodded, not concerned about it. ¡°No problem. They still have to make a profit somehow.¡± Feng Zhao breathed a sigh in relief. Earlier, when he heard Xu Disheng say that he wanted to sell some ¡®junk¡¯, he immediately understood. Normally, when he met people who used such wording, they pretty much all had some other disciple¡¯s storage pouch. He had some experience regarding this, so he decided to directly bring Xu Disheng here. ¡°That shop only takes in and buys items. What do you want to buy, Senior Martial Brother? I¡¯ll bring you wherever you want to go,¡± Feng Zhao said. Xu Disheng looked at the multitude of vendor stalls in the marketplace and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the difference between the vendor stalls and the shops?¡± Feng Zhao said, ¡°I see this is your first time at Canxia Peak¡¯s marketplace, so you may not be aware, but all of the shops are old and have a long history. Some have even been open for several hundred years, but they all have an extremely trustworthy reputation. The ones who set up stalls here are pretty much all disciples of nearby Peaks who have a lot of liquid wealth on their hands. However, there are crooks mixed in with the honest folk, and it¡¯s very easy to be scammed.¡± He pointed towards a nearby stall at a disciple who was currently immersed in picking something out, and continued, ¡°Only experienced disciples who are familiar with this marketplace and have a good eye can sift through these vendor stalls, and from time to time, they might even be able to find something nice. If a newcomer like Senior Martial Brother were to try going to these stalls, you would normally come away from the experience heartlessly scammed.¡± Xu Disheng nodded his head and said, ¡°I want to buy some high-grade Spirit Tools.¡± Feng Zhao agreed, taking note that Xu Disheng said ¡®some¡¯. He brought Xu Disheng to the heart of the marketplace and pointed at the most impressive, luxurious looking four-storied pavilion. ¡°This is the Yunxia Pavilion. It¡¯s the biggest shopfront in this marketplace, and their selection of items on hand is very comprehensive, albeit a bit more pricey. But their reputation can definitely be trusted, since this place is a property of the Peak Master of Canxia Peak. If you find that the item you bought isn¡¯t suitable, you can come back within a limited amount of time to return and exchange the item. It¡¯s a truly conscientious policy.¡± The two of them entered Yunxia Pavilion. There were four good looking female disciples standing by on both sides of the pavilion. When they saw them enter, they politely curtsied in greeting. Another woman of great beauty came forward, glancing at Feng Zhao, who was behind Xu Disheng. She asked Xu Disheng, ¡°This Senior Martial Brother, what would you like to buy today?¡± ¡°High-grade Spirit Tools,¡± Xu Disheng replied curtly. The woman¡¯s eyes lit up, and she took on a polite, business-like bearing. ¡°Please come right this way to the second floor, Senior Martial Brother.¡± The second floor was even more extravagant. There were high-grade Spirit Tools on display all over the place, every one of them twinkling with radiance. None of them were ordinary items, much like the Severing Spirit Seal in Xu Disheng¡¯s storage pouch. However, their prices were also mind boggling. The cheapest of them was 200 spirit stones. The ones that could still be considered somewhat manageable were as much as 500 spirit stones. Xu Disheng¡¯s thoughts suddenly stirred and he asked, ¡°Do you have any Magic Treasures here?¡± The beautiful woman stared blankly at him, losing a bit of her lovely, coquettish air. Her expression became more serious as she replied softly, ¡°We do. But Magic Treasures are too expensive. If Senior Martial Brother wants to choose a Magic Treasure, you must first show at least 1000 spirit stones.¡± Xu Disheng tossed over a storage pouch. The beautiful woman received it and looked through it, then respectfully handed it back to him. ¡°Then I will have to ask Senior Martial Brother to please wait in the inner room for just a moment.¡± Seated in the simple but elegantly decorated inner room, Xu Disheng was waiting patiently as he drank a cup of spirit tea that was worth around a dozen spirit stones. After a short while, a young man entered the room with a bright, cordial smile on his face, which gave others a good impression with a single glance. The youth handed over a jade slip and said smilingly, ¡°This Junior Martial Brother, these are the Magic Treasures we currently have in my Yunxia Pavilion.¡± Xu Disheng took the record jade slip, submerging his consciousness into it and examining the list carefully. There were phantom images of three Magic Treasures, slowly rotating around on display. There was an extremely brief, concise description beneath each, but there were no prices shown. This jade slip was very similar to the one in the Spirit Armament Pavilion in Spirit Origin Hall. ¡°Heart Assimilation Array Diagram, refined by the Spirit Master of Luminosity. Instantly lay out a complete Heart Assimilation Array. Once submerged in it, the mind becomes corrupted, transforming the target into a walking corpse.¡± ¡°Chunjun Sword, refined by Killing Heart Spirit Master. An unparalleled sharpness for cutting down all foes.¡± (TL: This is a reference to the Chunjun Sword, which is a legendary sword in Chinese history, known as being one of the top ten famous swords in China. According to legend, it was made during the Warring States Period and belonged to Goujian, the King of Yue. More info here.) ¡°Glorious Sun Bow, refined by the Pure Ocean Spirit Master, three Destruction Arrows included. Extremely powerful capability for slaughter.¡± Xu Disheng furrowed his brow and asked, ¡°These Magic Treasures all have only one power?¡± A look of astonishment appeared on the young man¡¯s face as he looked at Xu Disheng. ¡°Every single Magic Treasure has a deep and immeasurable might. Those are just the simplified descriptions. For example, the Chunjun Sword can be used to damage enemies and ward off sword attacks, and its size can be altered at will. Once taken into the sea of consciousness, the sword blade even has a vast storage dimension. Junior Martial Brother, could it be you came to buy a Magic Treasure, yet don¡¯t know a single thing about them?¡± The young man was a bit doubtful. Usually, most people who had such status were either proud geniuses or descendents of those with strength equivalent to the rank of an Elder. Even if he was perhaps some Peak Master or the descendent of some Spirit Master, how could he be completely unaware of the might of a Magic Treasure? Xu Disheng detected the young man¡¯s doubt, but his expression remained unchanged. ¡°What about the prices?¡± The young man suppressed his thoughts. After all, his goal was to sell things. The identity or status of the other person was irrelevant to him. As he had been in the middle of thinking, a smile remained on his face. ¡°1,900 spirit stones for the Chunjun Sword. The Heart Assimilation Array Diagram is 1,600 spirit stones, and the Glorious Sun Bow is 1,200 spirit stones.¡± At the moment, Xu Disheng had more than 1,200 spirit stones on him. It would be considered a huge sum of money even for a Dao Foundation stage disciple. He asked, ¡°This bow is clearly extremely powerful, but why is its price so low?¡± The young man¡¯s face stiffened as he replied, ¡°At the time, the Pure Ocean Spirit Master refined three Glorious Sun Bows, and they were originally priced at 1,500 spirit stones, each one coming with 50 arrows.¡± He shook his head and continued, ¡°Afterwards, two of the Glorious Sun Bows were bought by others, and one of the two customers bought a large majority of the Destruction Arrows belonging to the last Glorious Sun Bow. That¡¯s why this bow is a little cheaper.¡± Without arrows, how could it be used? Curiously enough, this Magic Treasure turned out to be a disposable item. The young man seemed to see through Xu Disheng¡¯s thoughts as he hurriedly followed up, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, this bow can be used normally by forming arrows from profound qi, but it will just be a little less powerful. How about this? If you¡¯re interested, I¡¯ll take responsibility and sell it to you for only 1,100 spirit stones. What do you think?¡± Xu Disheng pondered for a moment, then took out his storage pouch and made an inventory of 1,100 spirit stones, placing them on top of the table. The young man¡¯s face became even brighter as he accepted the spirit stones. Smiling widely, he said, ¡°You have a good eye, Junior Martial Brother. The slaughtering ability of this bow is extremely strong. Although you¡¯ll need to be a little bit economical with how you use the arrows, on ordinary occasions, it¡¯ll be fine to use profound qi to form arrows.¡± CH 78 78 - Profound Qi Arrows of Light Xu Disheng was observing his sea of consciousness as he was leaving the Yunxia Pavilion. In his sea of consciousness, beneath the cyan jade flute and the black Soul Force Flute, there was a small brilliant golden bow floating there, slowly revolving as it spilled forth golden light in an exquisite manner. A Magic Treasure! There were very few people who had a Magic Treasure, even among Dao Foundation powerhouses. Magic Treasures were simply too precious. Even the most ordinary of them like the Glorious Sun Bow easily exceeded a thousand spirit stones. It was even less worth mentioning the Sea of Qi stage disciples. For most of them, having a Spirit Tool that was a few dozen spirit stones was already considered pretty good. The more rich ones with a powerful backer could have one or two high-grade Spirit Tools that were several hundred spirit stones in value, allowing them to suppress those at the same stage. For example, Bai Zhehua, whose father was at the Dao Foundation stage, had several Spirit Tools on him, amounting to a value of 500-600 spirit stones in total. Only those who had an absolutely massive backing, or those that had been favored by the sect for a long time could obtain a Magic Treasure at the Sea of Qi stage. However, if a Sea of Qi stage disciple had a Magic Treasure, they couldn¡¯t display its full might. Even a peak Sea of Qi stage disciple would only be able to bring out 40-50% of the Magic Treasure¡¯s might. Feng Zhao¡¯s back was ramrod straight as he followed behind Xu Disheng. With a hint of pandering in his voice, he said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, is there anything else you would like to buy?¡± Just now, the Yunxia Pavilion had given him a whole 20 spirit stones as commission fee. For Feng Zhao, this was a huge windfall. However, the work of a guide disciple couldn¡¯t be done by just any random person. These clever disciples were practically all close to the lineage disciples of Canxia Peak. Regardless of their cultivation, they could earn at least 30 spirit stones in a single day! The spirit stones they earned were taxed by Canxia Peak, but even despite that, they could earn quite a bit. Today was a breath of fresh air for Feng Zhao. By being with Xu Disheng, he had earned 20 spirit stones in just half a day! Even if he excluded the portion that he had to pay in taxes to the Peak, he would still be left with 6-7 spirit stones. It could be said that in the entire month, this was the most he had ever earned in one go, so he couldn¡¯t help being excited. Xu Disheng exited the massive gate of the marketplace. He shook his head and said, ¡°You can go now.¡± Feng Zhao watched Xu Disheng leave on his Spirit Cloud, feeling a bit pained inside. These kinds of disciples who could spend loads of spirit stones to buy a Magic Treasure all had incredibly powerful backers. If he had been able to chat it up with Xu Disheng and establish a connection, he could have gained huge profits. He wanted to try to get closer to him, but along the way, he hadn¡¯t found the opportunity. He could only let out a sigh in secret. But still, why was this person riding such an ugly black Spirit Cloud? Feng Zhao shook his head. Perhaps this person had a strange hobby. After all, just now in that pile of ¡®junk¡¯, he had seen a fairly valuable purple Spirit Cloud. Turning around, he walked back to the gate to the marketplace and stood with several other disciples, waiting for another guest to come by. As soon as Xu Disheng landed in front of his courtyard on Morning Dew Peak, his key jade slip inside of his storage pouch began to vibrate. This courtyard wasn¡¯t that different from the one in the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain. It was more extravagant and had two more rooms, but the array formation was virtually the same. The key jade slip could only receive news through the array when it was in the courtyard. After opening the light barrier, he walked into his palace room and took out the jade slip and silently checked it. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, I just returned to Morning Dew Peak today. I heard that you guys went on a mission, and it was actually a small-scale mission with Chen Xingzhou. I even heard that Junior Martial Brother Xi died while on the mission. Come quickly to my courtyard. There¡¯s something I want to discuss with you,¡± Bai Zhehua¡¯s voice was projected from within. At the end, a small map of Morning Dew Peak was attached, showing the location of Bai Zhehua¡¯s courtyard. It was very close to the summit of Morning Dew Peak. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t care about it that much, and he lightly put down the jade slip. When he reached out both hands and closed them, a golden light gradually condensed. A brilliant golden bow with complex layers of seals on it soon materialized in his hands. Engraved with intricate designs, the golden halo of light emitted by the bow spread outwards, brightly illuminating the entire palace room. With a thought, a water mirror appeared in the hall. It was the Absorbing Spirit Array that came with the courtyard¡¯s palace room. The array could manifest an Absorbing Spirit Mirror for the disciples to use when practicing their techniques. Its defense was comparable to that of an ordinary Dao Foundation stage powerhouse. Profound qi surrounded his hands as he poured it into Glorious Sun Bow, causing the golden light radiating from it to shine even brighter. He pulled on the bowstring, which was formed from golden light, and profound qi from his Sea of Qi began to rapidly funnel into the bow. An entirely golden arrow of light condensed into being, clad with a faint aura of destruction. In just a short moment, 20-30% of the profound qi in his Sea of Qi had disappeared before he could fully condense one arrow of light. Xu Disheng fixed his gaze on the slowly undulating Absorbing Spirit Mirror before releasing the bowstring. The golden light turned into a beam and shot out as fast as lightning, smashing ruthlessly into the Absorbing Spirit Mirror! The arrow of light dissipated. But countless motes of light filled the space, and an invisible shockwave swept powerfully through the palace room, turning the desk in front of him into fine powder. The motes of light filling the palace room slowly dispersed. The surface of the water mirror was shaking violently, and it was somewhat caved in. After a short while, it returned back to its former state. Xu Disheng nodded his head in satisfaction. The power of the arrows of light formed from profound qi weren¡¯t bad. It was important to note that for the sake of meeting all of the disciples¡¯ needs for practicing techniques, the defenses of this Absorbing Spirit Mirror were equivalent to that of the Dao Foundation stage! If he were to use this arrow of light on a Dao Foundation stage cultivator, it would turn out just like this Absorbing Spirit Mirror. He would be capable of causing a bit of injury to them. Of course, a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse wouldn¡¯t be that dumb and just stand there obediently, allowing him to shoot without any retaliation. A simple defensive technique from a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse would be enough to cancel out the arrow of light. However! This was the case for a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse. If someone at the Sea of Qi stage were to receive this profound qi arrow of light with a high-grade defensive Spirit Tool, or much less, an ordinary defensive Spirit Tool for that matter, their defenses would be penetrated and they would get absolutely obliterated by it. Xu Disheng still had three Destruction Arrows. According to his conjecture, these arrows were incredibly powerful! Every single one of these arrows was saturated with the aura of destruction. Even if there was a peak Sea of Qi stage disciple with a high-grade defensive Spirit Tool, they still wouldn¡¯t be able to block these Destruction Arrows. After all, only when coupled with the Destruction Arrows could the Glorious Sun Bow actually be considered a complete Magic Treasure. In the future, if he wanted to continue using this Magic Treasure, he would have to think of a way to procure more arrows. Originally, Chen Xingzhou was too arrogant because everything had always been smooth sailing for him, so he only had one ordinary defensive Spirit Tool. As a result, he got wasted by Xu Disheng¡¯s Summon Rain technique, which had the Corrosion Incantation applied on top of it. There were only a little more than 10 days left until the tournament. Xu Disheng was still planning to go on another mission to find a powerful soul or ghost that he could seal into the Suppressing Soul Vestment to increase the power of the Soul Vessel. He released his fingers from the Glorious Sun Bow and it turned into light and vanished. The exquisite golden bow appeared back in his sea of consciousness, revolving slowly within. Xu Disheng picked up the key jade slip again, replying to Bai Zhehua¡¯s message. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Bai, I need to go to Mountain Affairs Peak. I¡¯m going to do another mission before the Internal Disciple Tournament. I¡¯ll come find you when I get back.¡± CH 79 Chapter 79 ¨C Reward If Xu Disheng wanted to break through to the peak Sea of Qi stage, half a month wasn¡¯t enough time. He looked at the medicinal pills in the storage pouch by his side. They were pretty much all from Chen Xingzhou and his attendants, and there weren¡¯t that many. But even though it wasn¡¯t that much, it was enough for the days left until the tournament. If he continued to simultaneously take medicinal pills and refine the profound qi in his Sea of Qi until the tournament, he would be able to have a stronger foundation. The effectiveness of medicinal pills at the Sea of Qi stage was far less compared to when one was at the Cleansed Meridians stage. If one took a Qi Gathering Pill at the Cleansed Meridians stage, it would allow one to speed up the rate at which one could condense their Sea of Qi, making for very noticeable gains. But after reaching the Sea of Qi stage, taking Spirit Gathering Pills and Qi Gathering Pills would only have the effect of further purifying one¡¯s Sea of Qi. At best, it could somewhat shorten the length of time that would normally be spent slowly working away at it. Only the Qi Boosting Pill, which cost 80 spirit stones, could have a very noticeable effect at the Sea of Qi stage. Frequently using Qi Boosting Pills could actually help a bit with breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage. Naturally, it was only a little bit. Breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage still largely depended on factors like one¡¯s own destiny, powers of comprehension, and aptitude. Only the extremely rare Foundation Establishing Pill could raise the chances of breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage by 10%. When Xu Disheng was at the marketplace earlier, he didn¡¯t happen across any places where they were trading medicinal pills. In all likelihood, the Sacred Sect had banned the trading of pills in the marketplaces due to the massively lucrative nature of the business. On the other hand, talismans, puppets, curse spells, and other unorthodox items were very well received products in those vendor stalls. After all, these things were considered external strength, and could be used to raise one¡¯s combat strength in a short amount of time. With the tournament fast approaching, the sales of these unorthodox items were seeing an abnormal surge. The key jade slip vibrated. It was Bai Zhehua, who had replied after receiving his message. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, don¡¯t go yet. Come to my courtyard first to talk.¡± Xu Disheng pondered for a while, then got to his feet. He walked out of his palace room, activating the key jade slip to restore the light barrier. Following the wide stone steps on the mountain, he began to walk directly to the summit of Morning Dew Peak. There were several hundred courtyards on Morning Dew Peak, split into several large districts. The location on the map that Bai Zhehua had sent over was in a district right at the summit. As he lightly ascended the steps, he started to notice the fragrance of spirit fruits in the air. As it turned out, the closer he got to the summit of the mountain, the more common spirit fruits and spirit grass began to appear on both sides of the stone steps. From time to time, he could see some small spirit beasts which he didn¡¯t know the name of frolicking around among the flowers and plants. He didn¡¯t know if they were someone¡¯s pet or something with how relaxed they seemed. Xu Disheng arrived at the courtyard that Bai Zhehua indicated in the jade slip. This place was already really close to the summit. The spiritual energy in the air was rich and it was quiet and pleasant. It was truly a great place to cultivate. He silently activated the key jade slip, then waited outside of the courtyard. After a while, a hole melted in the light barrier around the courtyard, and Bai Zhehua¡¯s voice was projected over. ¡°Come in, Junior Martial Brother Xu.¡± The youth appeared to be glowing with health and vigor. A cordial smile was on the youth¡¯s handsome, bright face as he said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, this time you really forced me to have a whole new level of respect for you.¡± Xu Disheng sat down, raising a brow at his words. ¡°I¡¯m not deserving of such praise.¡± Bai Zhehua shook his head and said, ¡°I originally thought that you guys wouldn¡¯t go on a sect mission right away, so I didn¡¯t bother to warn you all. I really didn¡¯t think that Xi Jingshan and Li Dan would take you with them on a small-scale mission the moment I stepped foot out of Morning Dew Peak.¡± He picked up a cup of spirit tea and took a sip before saying, ¡°Go ahead and have some tea, Junior Martial Brother Xu. Although this tea isn¡¯t that expensive, it was still grown by my own hand. This cup is probably worth about 2 spirit stones.¡± Xu Disheng looked at the spirit tea on the table, which had been prepared beforehand, then picked up the teacup. ¡°Chen Xingzhou¡¯s reputation was terrible. Every one or two months, he would accept this kind of mission and intentionally swindle disciples who had just joined the Peak into going with him by offering them spirit stones. Then, while on the mission, he would use them as cannon fodder. But what was surprising to me was that you actually¡­¡± Bai Zhehua drained his cup of tea and fixed his gaze on Xu Disheng. Clearly, Bai Zhehua already knew the outcome of this small-scale mission. Xu Disheng lifted his gaze and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a shame that Senior Martial Brother Xi died on the mission.¡± Bai Zhehua smiled slightly and shook his head, fiddling around with an exquisite jade pendant in his hands. ¡°In the message jade slip, you said that you wanted to participate in this time¡¯s Inner Disciple Tournament? You do know that usually, only peak Sea of Qi stage disciples participate in that tournament, right?¡± Xu Disheng nodded and replied, ¡°If I don¡¯t attend this time, the next one will be 50 years later. I¡¯m not willing to wait.¡± Bai Zhehua tossed over the jade pendant in his hands and said, ¡°This is the Muddy Heart Jade, which is the reward from the sect for breaking through to the Sea of Qi stage. Although it isn¡¯t a Spirit Tool, it still has the effect of calming the heart and mind. Receiving the Muddy Heart Jade, Xu Disheng already knew that the item was pretty good. Despite being a reward given by the sect, it was a thoughtful gift that even had a bit of a protective effect. Back at the Floating Moon Valley, that Muddy Heart Jade pendant helped him to block the power of the wolf demon¡¯s palm strike before breaking. That momentary defensive power was already comparable to an ordinary defensive Spirit Tool. But now, Xu Disheng had the high-grade Spirit Tool, the Severing Spirit Seal, in his storage pouch. In his sea of consciousness, he had the Magic Treasure, the Glorious Sun Bow, and he was wearing a Soul Vessel, the Suppressing Soul Vestment. Thus, receiving the Muddy Heart Jade now didn¡¯t mean much to him anymore. Touching the familiar pattern on the Muddy Heart Jade, Xu Disheng asked, ¡°Are you not going to participate in this time¡¯s tournament, Senior Martial Brother Bai?¡± Bai Zhehua shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m only at the early Sea of Qi stage. Even though I have several Spirit Tools from my father, my profound qi cultivation can¡¯t compare to those at the peak Sea of Qi stage, who have several decades more cultivation under their belt. Plus,¡± he said, gesturing towards the outside of the courtyard at the numerous Peaks of Mingxin Mountain, ¡°The top 100 of the inner disciples have to participate in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, where there are even more peak Sea of Qi stage disciples. There are even geniuses half a step to the Dao Foundation stage, forcefully suppressing their breakthroughs so they can compete for a ranking on behalf of the Mingxin Mountain Range in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament.¡± Xu Disheng asked, ¡°Why is the ranking in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament important?¡± Bai Zhehua nodded at the question and replied, ¡°The ranking in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament is used as a reference when distributing resources among the Eight Mountains. Although the Sacred Sect occupies a land of treasures in the Shan Mountain Territory, where there are countless resources and spiritual items, there are too many disciples belonging to each of the Eight Mountains. When dividing up the resources, there will always be some bias involved.¡± ¡°And through the Sea of Qi division and Dao Foundation division of the tournament, it¡¯s possible to exactly figure out the amount of potential and talent in each Mountain Range. Therefore, those that earn a higher rank in the tournament are able to gain an advantage in the allocation of distributed resources for the next 50 years,¡± Bai Zhehua explained. ¡°So you should be aware just how many people¡¯s vested interests are involved here, right? Not to mention the grand, untouchable Mountain Lords, the Peak Masters, Elders, Deacons, and countless other people all have their own interests at stake in this tournament,¡± Bai Zhehua continued. ¡°With my early Sea of Qi stage cultivation, it wouldn¡¯t matter even if I didn¡¯t go. Mingxin Mountain has several tens of thousands of Sea of Qi stage disciples, and over ten thousand peak Sea of Qi stage disciples, so earning a rank is far too difficult. If I could make it into the top 1000, I could be rewarded 100 spirit stones, but such a small sum of spirit stones doesn¡¯t mean much to me.¡± Bai Zhehua finished speaking and pulled out a jade slip, handing it to Xu Disheng. Written within the jade slip was a detailed account of the rules of this time¡¯s Inner Disciple Tournament. Xu Disheng had never seen such a detailed jade slip on the matter. He frowned slightly and took the jade slip, looking within. CH 80 Chapter 80 ¨C Ning¡¯an Province The prizes for the Mingxin Mountain Tournament were generous, and the tournament was split into the Sea of Qi division and the Dao Foundation division. By using either the jade identity tablet of the Peak or the key jade slip to the courtyard, it was possible to directly register for the tournament. For the top 10,000 ranks in the Sea of Qi division of the tournament, each person would receive 10 spirit stones. For the top 5,000, each person would receive 50 spirit stones! Generally speaking, the grand majority of the people participating in the tournament were at the peak Sea of Qi stage, but there were still quite a few early Sea of Qi stage disciples. The number of Sea of Qi stage disciples participating in the tournament was usually around 20,000, but there were times when it was a little less, only numbering somewhere above 10,000. So the reward for the top 10,000 rankings was pretty much like a participation prize. It wasn¡¯t that hard for even the most ordinary of disciples to enter the top 10,000 as long as they were a bit lucky. But the top 1,000 ranks were all relatively outstanding Sea of Qi stage disciples. Each of them would receive 100 spirit stones, which was quite generous on the sect¡¯s part. Even further above that were the top 100 ranks of each of the Mountain Ranges! They would represent their Mountain Range in participating in the Mountain Range ranking placement battle in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament! Countless eyes would be focused on these peak battles. At the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament held every 50 years, there were countless geniuses and talents who appeared and made their names! Those who could suppress their peers at the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament were all dazzling geniuses, without fail! The two disciples who earned rank 1 in Sea of Qi division and Dao Foundation division of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament would even be bestowed a title as a Sacred Youth of the Shangqing Sacred Sect! The amount of resources allocated to them were unimaginable. At the Sea of Qi stage, the disciple bestowed with the title of Sacred Youth would be granted a Mountain Peak and showered with countless resources. Although they would only be at the Sea of Qi stage, their treatment would be at least a hundred times better than an ordinary Dao Foundation stage disciple! As for the Dao Foundation stage Sacred Youth, they could join the best Mountain Peak, Shangqing Mountain, to cultivate! The Shangqing Sacred Sect had existed for countless years. Every disciple who had once received the title of Sacred Youth at some point were all outstanding, unrivaled talents who shone like brilliant suns. Take for example, the rank 1 disciple of the Dao Foundation division 50 years ago, Sacred Son Feng Shao. Sacred Son Feng Shao came from the Fourth Mountain, the Mountain of Law. Although he was at the Dao Foundation stage at the time, he had been a complete nobody, blending into the crowd. It was only once he entered the Inner Disciple Tournament that his fame soared! It was rumored that while he was out on a mission, he unexpectedly happened upon the several tens of thousands of years old inheritance of Saint Lord Xingyuan. By catching this one chance opportunity, Sacred Son Feng Shao¡¯s luck could be said to have been truly heaven-defying. Basked in radiant glory, he soared towards the skies in a completely unstoppable fashion! Just by relying on Sacred Lord Xingyuan¡¯s mysterious body refinement technique and the psychic Magic Treasure, the Star Beheading Sword, he managed to sweep all of the Dao Foundation stage geniuses at the time. After an epic contention for the top spot, he was given the title of Sacred Son! In his hand, he only had the Star Beheading Sword, that one Magic Treasure! The other top Dao Foundation stage competitors all had several extremely powerful Magic Treasures and countless hidden trump cards, but they had all been ruthlessly suppressed by him all the same! From this, it could be seen just how powerful the inheritance of a Saint Lord was. Before Sacred Son Feng Shao rose to fame, the most promising candidate to win and receive the title of Sacred Youth was Du Yuhuan. He was a direct descendent of a Peak Master of Wenyuan Mountain Range, and he had several incredibly powerful Magic Treasures. He had countless secret techniques passed down to him, and he was even given an exotic beast by the Peak Master to serve as his helper! The finals match between them two was an amazing, earth-shattering battle that even caused Divine Core stage Spirit Masters to raise their eyebrows in surprise. Du Yuhuan was such a talented genius, but in the end he couldn¡¯t beat Sacred Son Feng Shao. He came up short by one move and was defeated, making him second place in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. Fifty years passed, and by now, Sacred Son Feng Shao had already long since broken through to the Divine Core stage and was granted the title of Spirit Master. However, Sacred Son Feng Shao hadn¡¯t chosen to cultivate at Shangqing Mountain. Instead, he stayed with the Mountain of Law and held power over several of the top ranked Mountain Peaks there. At the same time, he held a concurrent position as the Chief Elder of the entire Disciplinary Hall of the Mountain of Law, possessing a truly heaven-shaking amount of authority. There had even been hearsay in the Mountain of Law that if Sacred Son Feng Shao broke through one more time, he might have the qualifications to acquire the highly coveted position as Mountain Lord of the Mountain of Law. Other Mountain Ranges all had two Mountain Lords. However, for the past ten thousands or so years, the Fourth Mountain only had one Mountain Lord. In the Mountain of Law, almost all of the Divine Core stage Spirit Masters had control over some of the top ranking Mountain Peaks. They would fight openly and maneuver covertly over the position of the Mountain Lord, and eventually they had ended up in a mutual stalemate. However, Sacred Son Feng Shao emerged as a force to be reckoned with, becoming the most likely one to be able to smash this delicate balance. The total strength of Mingxin Mountain Range which Xu Disheng was a part of was still far from that of the Mountain of Law. Out of the more than 300 Mountain Peaks in Mingxin Mountain, Morning Dew Peak was only ranked 45th. The Peak Master, Lu Changge, was still only at the Dao Foundation stage. Meanwhile, in the Mountain of Law, the number of Divine Core stage Spirit Masters was more than double that of the number in the Mingxin Mountain Range. The two Mountain Ranges couldn¡¯t even be compared. Looking at the prizes for the Sea of Qi division of the Inner Disciple Tournament, Xu Disheng¡¯s interest was piqued. The sect clearly understood the disciples¡¯ thoughts well. The disciples that were able to reach the top 100 were those that had great prospects of reaching the Dao Foundation stage. There were some that were already half a step to the Dao Foundation stage, and were only a bit away from breaking through, which would allow them to increase their lifespan to 800 years. Therefore, not only would the top 100 disciples of the Inner Disciple Tournament be able to participate in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, but they would also get 5 Qi Boosting Pills as a reward! Qi Boosting Pills were very suited for Sea of Qi stage disciples, increasing their chances of breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage by a bit. Each of them was worth 80 spirit stones. The top 10 ranks, on the other hand, would each receive a Foundation Establishing Pill, which were worth 500 spirit stones apiece! It was extremely difficult to purchase these pills, to the point that it wasn¡¯t possible to place a market price on them. Even in the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion in Spirit Origin Hall, there was always an extreme shortage of these pills. They would occasionally bring a few out and sell them, but they would always sell out extremely quickly. The Foundation Establishing Pills could increase the chances of breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage by 10%! The prizes for the top 3 and the rank 1 disciple of the Inner Disciple Tournament made even Xu Disheng¡¯s pupils constrict in surprise. Each of the top 3 would receive a Magic Treasure! If the person who ranked first didn¡¯t have a master yet, they could become the disciple of a Divine Core stage Spirit Master! If they already had a master, or didn¡¯t want to accept a master, then they could receive a pinnacle quality Magic Treasure instead! These rewards were indeed a bit overdone. However, among the upper echelons of Mingxin Mountain Range, aside from the two lofty Mountain Lords, the several Divine Core stage Spirit Masters all had their own considerations in doing this. After all, the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament was right after the Inner Disciple Tournament. Giving these top ranked geniuses these powerful Magic Treasures would be a big help to them later in contending for the Mountain Range¡¯s ranking in the upcoming Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. Although Xu Disheng had several powerful cultivation methods and even had a Magic Treasure, he wasn¡¯t sure if he could make it into the top 100 in the Inner Disciple Tournament. Even though the Sea of Qi division of the tournament wasn¡¯t as intensely competitive as the Dao Foundation division, those that had an ample amount of resources and a strong backer would always have a leg up over ordinary disciples. In the end, Xu Disheng concluded that he still didn¡¯t have enough hidden trump cards! Xu Disheng put down the information jade slip. Just as he was about to speak, Bai Zhehua gestured with his hand, interrupting him. He smiled and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, I know that you want to go to Mountain Affairs Peak to take a mission. I called you here exactly for this reason. I have a mission here, related to a newly born Malicious Ghost somewhere in the Ning¡¯an Province. It has been slaughtering mortals left and right, causing a huge disturbance. It needs to be put down.¡± Ning¡¯an Province? Xu Disheng frowned slightly. On their way back to the sect, on the purple Spirit Cloud, Lu Siwan briefly mentioned that she had come from the Ning¡¯an Province, which was under the jurisdiction of the Sacred Sect. Seeing that Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t saying anything, Bai Zhehua continued, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu. When I came back, I mentioned about you to Deacon Bai, and he said that he was interested in promoting you. For this mission, I will go with you, and it¡¯ll be considered a bit of a test for you.¡± This Deacon Bai he spoke of was none other than his father, who was at the Dao Foundation stage. He was one of the dozen or so Deacons on Morning Dew Peak. A Malicious Spirit was lower than an Evil Spirit by one rank, and was approximately equivalent to the Sea of Qi stage. It was also the lowest rank for ghost beings. A newly born Malicious Spirit was even weaker, so this test wasn¡¯t hard at all. Xu Disheng¡¯s previous performance was too impressive. Fourteen people went on that small-scale mission, and even the people who first accepted the mission had died. Despite that, he had still managed to bring several others back with him safely. Aside from turning in that wolf demon corpse, he had also received the reward for completing the small-scale mission. On the surface, the rewards that could be visibly attributed to his two trips out of the sect amounted to over 400 spirit stones. Every Dao Foundation stage powerhouse had a generous amount of assets. However, Magic Treasures were easily over 1,000 spirit stones. Xu Disheng naturally didn¡¯t really find himself drawn to Deacon Bai¡¯s assets. However, seeing Xu Disheng¡¯s display of his comprehensive potential, Deacon Bai wanted to get him on his side. Although Xu Disheng¡¯s recorded aptitude was only Rank 6 Spiritual Root, which allowed him to just barely be included among the middle class Spiritual Root, those that were able to survive until the end were always the winners. Even though that ghost at Jade Water Lake had been at the Evil Spirit stage, it had exhausted most of its ghostly qi to prolong its life. Thus, its combat strength had been reduced to about 10-20% of its original power. If it weren¡¯t for this, it wouldn¡¯t have had to feign civility with Xu Disheng, and it would have long since materialized its true body and flagrantly attacked him. Xu Disheng¡¯s original idea was to find a similar mission to that one in order to strengthen his Soul Suppressing Vestment, so after he heard that this mission was related to a ghost, he readily agreed. After the two roughly talked over the details, they made some preparations and left the courtyard. They boarded Bai Zhehua¡¯s massive flying sword and rode out into the clouds, away from Morning Dew Peak. CH 81 Chapter 81 ¨C Widowed Mother Beneath the shabby wooden bed, the sounds of rustling could be heard along with the occasional squeaking. Wang Shi got down and rolled up her raggedy sleeves, revealing her crooked, overworked figure. ¡°Get out! Shoo!¡± Using the sparse, frayed broom in her hands, she swatted at the mice underneath the bed. Squeak squeak! After driving the mice out of the room, Wang Shi let out a sigh and put the broom down, suddenly picking up on a burnt smell. Her eyebrows furrowed, causing her already wrinkled skin to scrunch up even more. ¡°I was only worrying about those stupid mice! I totally forgot about the food!¡± she exclaimed anxiously. She hurried into the room and lifted the lid of the pot, callous to the danger of burning her hands. In the corner of the cramped wooden house, there were several bottles of salt and spices and pickled vegetables arranged neatly. Next to it was a stove, letting out bursts of smoke and a burnt stench. Wang Shi picked up a rag and wrapped it around her hands, lifting the pot off the stove as she endured the scalding heat. She blew on her hands, which were already starting to turn bright red from the burns. Seeing that only a small portion at the bottom of the pot was burnt, her expression lightened up a bit as she skimmed the top of it and ladled it into a large bowl. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m home,¡± a boy about eight or nine years old with a cheerful look on his face called out as he entered the wooden house, carrying a small slab of meat in his hands. ¡°I went to help out Uncle Zhang with hunting today. At the end, he gave me a small portion of roe deer venison!¡± Wang Shi gazed affectionately at the boy as she placed the bowl on top of the wooden table. She smiled and said, ¡°You must be tired after going hunting with them. Are you hurt anywhere? Even though Uncle Zhang is there to take care of you, you still have to be careful. I made something for you. You¡¯re still a growing boy, so you have to eat a lot, alright?¡± The boy had good eyes and managed to spot the bright red welts on Wang Shi¡¯s fingers. He immediately cried out anxiously, ¡°Mother, what happened to your hands?¡± Wang Shi shook her head and replied, ¡°I just burnt myself a little bit, it¡¯s nothing to worry about. Hurry up and eat while it¡¯s still hot. Eat as much as you can so you can grow up big and strong.¡± "" The contents of the large bowl were mainly just watery broth and rice, which only had 6 or 7 leaves mixed in with two meager pieces of meat. Smelling the delicious meat, the boy began to salivate uncontrollably. He picked up the large bowl, and just as he was about to eat, the boy suddenly seemed to have thought of something. He blinked and said, ¡°Mother, you should eat these two pieces of meat. I won¡¯t eat them.¡± Scraping the burnt contents of the bottom of the pot into her own bowl, Wang Shi smiled and said, ¡°Mother already ate not long ago. I had enough meat. The remaining part in the pot was a bit burnt, so Mother will just eat it. It would be a waste to just throw it away.¡± The boy looked at his mother, Wang Shi, then lowered his head and picked up the bowl, starting to eat silently. Wang Shi was an unfortunate widowed mother. Shortly after she gave birth to Little Fu, her husband had died out in the mountains while hunting. In this small village in the middle of the mountains and forests, not having a man in the family was the same as not having a source of income. After all, this area surrounding the village was barren and infertile, so the village¡¯s main source of food came from prey hunted in the mountains. It was rather strange that this mountain by the village had been able to sustain this village with food for generations, yet there had never been a noticeable decrease in the number of wild animals. On the contrary, they had only seemed to increase. Thus, the people all thought that they were blessed by the Mountain God, and they kept icons of the Mountain God in their homes, remaining extremely devoted in their respect for the god. By doing other households¡¯ laundry and serving as a maid for some of the wealthier households, Wang Shi had somehow managed to raise Little Fu to nine years of age. Although she still wasn¡¯t over 40 years old yet, these years hadn¡¯t been kind to her, and by now she already looked like an elderly woman. Little Fu had always been a thoughtful child, helping his hard-working mother with household chores since a young age. And once he became a bit older, he began to insist on going with the village¡¯s hunting squad to hunt in the mountains. Wang Shi had no choice, so she could only plead her neighbor, Brother Zhang, to take him along with them. As it turned out, Little Fu was very determined, and had a good discerning eye. Every time they went out, he was the most hardworking out of all of them, so everyone in the village praised him to no end. Therefore, even though Little Fu was only nine years old, he could occasionally bring home some game meat, allowing them to supplement their meals a bit. When Little Fu finished eating, there was a somewhat larger piece of meat left at the bottom of his bowl. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m full,¡± he declared. Wang Shi looked over at his bowl. Seeing the meat left over, she shook her head lightly and smiled. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. She silently cleaned up the table, storing that leftover piece of meat in the shabby cupboard. "" ¡°It¡¯s time to pray to the Mountain God,¡± Wang Shi said once she finished cleaning up. She pulled Little Fu along to kneel in front of the statuette of the Mountain God, and they respectfully kowtowed several times. As usual, when Little Fu finished kowtowing, he inadvertently gazed up at the pitch black statuette. This ebony statuette was one of many manufactured by the village a long time ago, and it had several simple patterns and features drawn on it. Little Fu suddenly felt a horrible wrenching feeling in his heart, characterized by a terrifying feeling of dread, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. He once again carefully examined that statuette of the Mountain God that they prayed to everyday, but couldn¡¯t find anything off about it. For a while, he couldn¡¯t help staring distractedly at it. ¡°Little Fu? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wang Shi asked, her wrinkled face filled with deep concern. Little Fu looked at her, feeling a pang of sadness. His mother wasn¡¯t even 40 years old yet! Every day, she only ate two meals a day, which only consisted of some vegetables and wild herbs, yet she still had to do so much intense manual labor, causing her to age rapidly. He blurted out, ¡°Mother, I want to grow up quickly so I can go hunting by myself. I¡¯ll make nice clothes for you out of hide and let you eat plenty of meat every day!¡± Wang Shi stroked Little Fu¡¯s head, smiling gently. Inwardly, she murmured to herself. Oh, Little Fu¡­ By the time you grow up, Mother will already be old. Late at night, the village in the middle of the mountains and forests was particularly quiet. The silence was occasionally interrupted by the barking of dogs echoing throughout the night. In a half-awake stupor, Little Fu¡¯s eyes moistened. Unwittingly, the pain in his chest intensified as he realized something. He shook his head and sat up in bed, rubbing the corners of his eyes. ¡°Where¡¯s Mother?¡± he wondered to himself. He got up and pulled on a raggedy sweater. When he opened the wooden door, a gust of the brisk night air swept over him. Little Fu trembled, but he didn¡¯t close the door. Instead, he stuck his head out and called out loudly, ¡°Mother?¡± In the middle of the night, where else could his mother have gone? Even if she went to the toilet, she should have been back by now¡­? Standing by the door as the cold wind chilled him straight to his core, Little Fu trembled, growing even more worried. Even though he was only nine years old, he had already become quite an understanding child because his family was poor. Suddenly getting the feeling that he was being watched, Little Fu whipped his head around. But behind him, there was only his poor, scantily furnished home, with the rickety wooden bed and the cupboard and iron pots sitting in the corner. Next to the bed made of wooden boards, there was a pair of half-sown cloth shoes. The meticulous needlework and dense stitching that went into it were apparent. Wang Shi had saved up for a long time to get two thick pieces of cloth and some shoe soles so she could personally sow these shoes for Little Fu. The sensation that he was being watched grew even stronger! Little Fu¡¯s scalp tingled and his hair stood on end, yet he couldn¡¯t find where that feeling was coming from! He once again swept his gaze over the room, everything seemed the same, except¡­ Wait! The statuette of the Mountain God! On the ebony black face of the statuette, the painted eyes looked as if they had come alive! The eyes were glaring straight at him with bitter resentment! ¡°Aaahhhh!!!¡± Frightened out of his wits, Little Fu ended up pissing himself. Heedless of the bone-chilling night air, he sprinted out of the house in horror! But in the next moment, his vision became hazy and he was suddenly faced with a familiar scene again. Didn¡¯t I already leave the house? Shouldn¡¯t I be in the village streets right now? Why am I back at home? After all, Little Fu was only nine years old. No matter how sensible he was, his mind was already on the brink of falling apart upon receiving such a scare. His eyes were empty and glazed over as he stood there rooted in place, staring fixedly at the spiteful gaze belonging to the sinister statuette of the Mountain God. Suddenly, the statuette of the Mountain God seemed to come alive, and it opened its mouth wide, spitting out a pile of ghastly white bones. ¡°Bleghghh, blurgh!¡± Little Fu stared blankly at the pile of bones, until he somehow managed to make out a piece of bone that seemed to be disfigured. His mother¡¯s left pinky had been missing a segment. Two years ago, when she was washing clothes for the village chief¡¯s household, she accidentally crushed the end joint of her left pinky finger. His vision gradually drew back into focus, and he cried out in heartrending anguish from the bottom of lungs, piercing through the quietude of the night sky. ¡°Motheeeerrr!!!¡± All sounds coming from the wooden house abruptly came to a stop. Shortly after, the loud sound of chewing could be heard from within the room, echoing out in an eerie manner. Bizarrely enough, at that moment, the entire village seemed to become like a ghost town, plunged into an utterly dead silence. CH 82 Chapter 82 ¨C Tongyin Mountain ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, the Ning¡¯an Province is considered a major province under the jurisdiction of the Sacred Sect. I know that you originally came from the Mortal Secret Realms, so I could bring you to let loose for a few days. There are quite a few wonderful places there,¡± Bai Zhehua said. He was standing at the pointed end of the massive purple flying sword, his sleeves flapping in the wind. Xu Disheng was seated cross-legged, silently cultivating. When he heard what Bai Zhehua said, he slightly raised his gaze and replied, ¡°What could be interesting about the land of mortals?¡± Bai Zhehua shook his head, smiling. ¡°You might not know, but each of the major provinces in the Sacred Sect¡¯s territory have an Envoy from the Sacred Sect placed at the top. The Envoy of the Ning¡¯an Province is just like us, someone from the Mingxin Mountain Range. He is also a Martial Uncle of mine,¡± Bai Zhehua said, not directly answering Xu Disheng¡¯s question. He turned around and looked at Xu Disheng, who was seated cross-legged on the blade of the flying sword. He shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re too hardworking when it comes to cultivation, Junior Martial Brother Xu. It¡¯s only natural that when you pull a bow taut, it must also be released at some point. You should let loose a bit when you can.¡± Xu Disheng declined to comment and got to his feet. He walked over to Bai Zhehua and stood behind him, gazing down at the clouds flitting past below them. Bai Zhehua seemed to be pondering on something. He then continued, ¡°In the several years after Martial Uncle Xu was appointed as the Envoy of Ning¡¯an Province, he independently raised a lot of female Cleansed Meridians stage cultivators. There are also quite a few at the Sea of Qi stage, even. With that old man¡¯s unique Yin Plucking Secret Method, not only did his cultivation advance by leaps and bounds, but also that feeling¡­ must have been wonderful beyond description.¡± Xu Disheng slightly raised his eyebrows in surprise. The matter that Bai Zhehua was speaking of was almost exactly the same scenario as that Lantern Festival that he happened across in the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm, in the Liu Province. These places would raise girls to pluck their yin, using them as human cauldrons to boost their cultivation. However, this time, it was with girls at the Cleansed Meridians stage and even the Sea of Qi stage. Flicking his sleeves, Xu Disheng said, ¡°When you were with us in the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain, when did you have time to go to the Ning¡¯an Province?¡± Bai Zhehua increased the speed of the massive purple flying sword and responded, ¡°Before I entered the Outer Region, I went with my father once. But at that time, I had just started cultivating profound qi and was only at the half-step Cleansed Meridians stage.¡± He pointed at Xu Disheng and continued, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, you should know that if other disciples wanted to pluck to nurture, they would have to pay Martial Uncle Xiao 50 spirit stones. But because my father is on close terms with Martial Uncle Xiao, if the two of us were to go, we would be able to save a great deal of spirit stones.¡± After these girls had their yin plucked, they could use spirit stones to quickly restore their lost cultivation and have their yin ready to be plucked again. With just one time costing 50 spirit stones, the enormous profit from such a business could be imagined! However, despite being at the Dao Foundation stage, Xiao Weiyan, the Envoy stationed at Ning¡¯an Province, couldn¡¯t monopolize such massive profits all by himself. There were the sect¡¯s internal powers supporting him from behind. Bai Zhehua hadn¡¯t noticed that he had been referring to his father as ¡®father¡¯ in front of Xu Disheng, and not ¡®Deacon Bai¡¯ as he had before. Even Bai Zhehua hadn¡¯t perceived this small, minute change. However, he was subconsciously feeling closer to Xu Disheng a bit. Clearly, Bai Zhehua¡¯s attitude towards cultivation wasn¡¯t nearly as assiduous and unrelenting as Xu Disheng¡¯s. But for this very reason, Xu Disheng¡¯s position in his heart increased even more. Checking the map in the jade slip, Xu Disheng said, ¡°Let¡¯s just go straight to the mission location, Senior Martial Brother Bai. It¡¯s located in a very remote location in the outskirts of the Ning¡¯an Province, at the foot of Tongyin Mountain. It¡¯ll take us one or two days.¡± Before they had left the Mingxin Mountain Range, Bai Zhehua had already shared the details of the mission to Xu Disheng via jade slip. The mission jade slips were extremely convenient. After turning in the mission, their contents would be wiped clean. Then, when the next mission was accepted, it could continue to be used. The recorded information about the mission was much more detailed on the mission jade slip than the jade identity tablet. Bai Zhehua nodded his head and replied, ¡°Okay. But are you sure you don¡¯t want to go to Martial Uncle Xiao¡¯s place? You¡¯ll really be saving me a lot of spirit stones, you know?¡± Xu Disheng laughed lightly and said, ¡°Even if we went, I couldn¡¯t dare to let you pay for all of it, Senior Martial Brother Bai.¡± Bai Zhehua didn¡¯t say anything, but as he stood there at the pointed tip of the flying sword, watching the clouds and mist passing by below, a hint of a smiling expression appeared in his eyes. Tongyin Mountain. It was rumored that a very long time ago, the meaning of the ¡®yin¡¯ in the name Tongyin Mountain represented the moon and yin energy. But after a series of extremely frightening incidents happened on the mountain, the ¡®yin¡¯ in its name now referred to shadowy darkness. The massive flying sword was hovering in midair at the foot of the mountain. Bai Zhehua looked down at the deathly stillness in the area below him and frowned. ¡°When the incident at this place was discovered, the disciple in charge of recording the mission only recorded that the Mountain God of Tongyin Mountain had destroyed his own divinity and transformed into a Malicious Spirit, massacring several villages. As far as I can see, the dozen or so villages around the foot of the mountains have all been wiped out by now.¡± The massive flying sword slowly moved forward, stopping over a village where the ghostly energy was the most concentrated. Inside Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness, the black Soul Force Flute was already condensed into a nearly concrete form. By now, the serpent demon¡¯s soul was almost completely absorbed. It was now only a faint, pale orb of black light, and it was on the brink of being exhausted and consumed at any moment. Also, the Soul Suppressing Vestment that he was wearing was always being nourished by the black Soul Force flute, constantly becoming stronger. He faintly detected a hint of greedy thirst rising from within the Soul Suppressing Vestment, as if there was something it desired in that village below. Xu Disheng willed Soul Force into his eyes and looked down. There was a massive array enveloping those dozen or so villages, and there were countless howls of bitter resentment trapped within, unable to escape. This village below them that was the most concentrated in ghostly energy turned out to be directly in the center of the connections in the massive array. There was a gigantic ghostly face fluctuating into being from the ghostly energy below, shrieking malevolently at Xu Disheng. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Bai, there¡¯s a strange array surrounding the area. Judging by the scale of the ghostly energy, this definitely can¡¯t be a newborn Malicious Spirit,¡± Xu Disheng stated. ¡°Not bad,¡± Bai Zhehua responded, nodding his head as the bright, glowing light in his eyes gradually returned to normal. Just now, he was clearly also using some kind of special observation technique. ¡°After all, it was a mountain god that was transformed into a ghostly being. Even if it was newly born, its strength would have been nearly at the Evil Spirit stage anyway. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for it to have innate proficiency in arrays.¡± Bai Zhehua took out an exquisite lotus platform and unhurriedly activated it. The lotus platform gradually grew larger, spilling forth a white halo of light which enveloped the array below. (TL: I think the author is referring to something like this: lotus platform) ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, let¡¯s act together and quickly dispel the array. We can¡¯t let him use these several hundred resentful souls to break through to the Evil Spirit stage. Otherwise, it might become dangerous for the two of us,¡± Bai Zhehua said. The Evil Spirit stage for ghosts was equivalent to the human Dao Foundation stage. If they really let it break through to the Evil Spirit stage, the two of them definitely wouldn¡¯t stand a chance! Xu Disheng nodded in agreement, activating the Sealing Soul Mantra to support him. The black Soul Force formed the shape of a massive hand, grabbing those resentful souls from the array below and stuffing them into the Soul Suppressing Vestment. In just that short span of time, he grabbed over a dozen resentful souls, decreasing the power of the aura surrounding the entire array by a bit. Wherever the luminous white light emitted from Bai Zhehua¡¯s lotus platform Spirit Tool passed through, the ghostly energy was being visibly dissolved, causing shrill ear-piercing shrieks and howls to ring out. A gigantic ghostly face rose out of the array and spoke in a ponderous voice. ¡°Daoists from the Sacred Sect, please stay your hand. This insignificant deity is willing to submit.¡± CH 83 Chapter 83 ¨C Girl Hearing that, Bai Zhehua didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he channeled even more profound qi into the lotus platform Spirit Tool, causing the white light spilling forth from it to shine even more intensely. Xu Disheng was a lot more laid back. He casually grabbed a resentful soul and tossed it into his Soul Suppressing Vestment. ¡°What, do you take the two of us for idiots? After you manage to break through to the Evil Spirit stage, we¡¯ll probably be the first ones you¡¯ll kill,¡± Xu Disheng jeered with a smile. Seeing that the two of them didn¡¯t fall for it, the ghostly face became even more sinister and it began to shriek loudly. A stream of ghostly qi transformed into ghostly claws, rushing out of the array towards the two of them. Bai Zhehua said in a grave tone, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, block these ghost claws and buy me a bit of time. This bastard is at the most important juncture of its breakthrough. We absolutely can¡¯t let it succeed.¡± When he finished speaking, he began to flash different hand symbols which shot towards the lotus platform, causing the ghostly qi below to sizzle with a ¡®zizi¡¯ sound. The scene that played out was like the scorching sun beating relentlessly upon a field of snow, as the ghostly qi began to rapidly melt away. Xu Disheng released the large Soul Force palm. In the next moment, light began to fill the area, and a small imperial seal appeared, filled with a baleful aura. At a glance, it was easy to tell that it was a top-grade attack-type Spirit Tool. Xu Disheng extended a finger, and the Severing Spirit Seal suddenly grew larger, the baleful aura emanating from it ballooning as it ferociously smashed down towards the ghost claws that were coming in their direction! Bang! The ghost claws fizzled out, reverting back into black energy. The might of the Severing Spirit Seal continued downwards unabated, getting bigger and bigger as it advanced. Once it was about to slam into the array, it was already as big as a house! The Malicious Spirit inside of the array shrieked horrendously and condensed ghostly qi into a massive shield which managed to block the crushing force of the Severing Spirit Seal. The Severing Spirit Seal flew back, gradually shrinking along the way as it returned to Xu Disheng¡¯s hand. After the ghostly qi shield took the brunt of that attack, it wasn¡¯t left in good shape. It had become a lot more transparent, and it finally transformed back into ghostly qi, returning back into the array. ¡°This ghost is at a critical point in its breakthrough. Right now, it can¡¯t use more than 50% of its strength. We should kill it when it¡¯s down, Junior Martial Brother Xu. Let¡¯s attack together and take it out!¡± Bai Zhehua said. Both of them had already seen that the ghost couldn¡¯t display its full might, and on top of that, it had to protect the array. If it didn¡¯t want the array to be destroyed by these two, it could only passively take the beating instead. If both of them were to act at the same time, the attack would be even stronger. ¡°Summon Rain,¡± Xu Disheng uttered after putting away the Severing Spirit Seal. His black and gold Daoist robe began to flap in the wind, and his long, ink black hair began to float and flutter along with it. More than a dozen cyan raindrops appeared above the array. Although they were small, each and every drop of rain was emitting an extremely tyrannical aura. ¡°Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s Azure Ocean cultivation method?¡± Bai Zhehua muttered, his complexion freezing as if he somewhat doubted his eyes. He knew that it wasn¡¯t the time to be asking about this, so his hands didn¡¯t stop moving as he continued to unleash the lotus platform Spirit Tool¡¯s burning, luminous light on the array below. The raindrops pounded down unrelentingly! Every single raindrop was saturated with an intensely powerful corrosive aura, creating massive, indelible craters on the array everywhere they landed. More than 10 resentful souls filled with a huge amount of ghostly qi rushed out of the array. But before they could escape, they were snatched out of the air by a swipe of Xu Disheng¡¯s massive Soul Force palm. ¡°Damn you all!¡± Unable to contain its anger, the Malicious Spirit gave up on defending the array and decided to simply withdraw to the bottommost corner of the array. Seeing that the Malicious Spirit had practically given up on its resistance, Bai Zhehua smiled and said, ¡°Even though you¡¯re weak, as the mountain god of Tongyin Mountain, you had an inexhaustible lifespan. Why did you give up your divine rank and willingly transform into a ghost?¡± The Malicious Spirit was silent for a while before eventually speaking. ¡°Divine rank? As such a low-ranking mountain god, how was I any different from an ant? Trapped in this mountain, with neither freedom nor any hope of progress¡­ It¡¯s no different from an eternal prison. At that point, it was better to just turn into a ghost. At least that way, I could have some freedom. Even if my body was crushed and my soul extinguished, I still wouldn¡¯t be willing to return to that horrible captivity! Hahahahah!¡± The array quivered intensely as ghostly qi dispelled, mirroring the intense waves in the Malicious Spirit¡¯s mood. These kinds of scenarios weren¡¯t that uncommon. There were some low-ranking mountain gods and river deities who resided in poor, barren areas. Even if they were to cultivate for ten thousand years, they would only be able to increase their Divine Force by a bit, but it was still far from being enough to promote to the next divine rank. Of course, the outcome was entirely different for those divine descendents who had a large backer. Take for example, Divine General Tianrui, who was defending the Human Path of Reincarnation. When he was born, he was only the most ordinary of ghost civilians in the Nine Serenities Realm. It was only because he had the blood of the Grandmaster of Rotation that he was able to receive the edict of the Heavenly Court and ascend to such heights in a single step. After his body was washed of ghostly qi and remade into a divine body, he was bestowed the position of a 4th Rank Divine General and assigned the task of guarding the Human Path of Reincarnation with three million ghost soldiers beneath him! Just as Bai Zhehua was shaking his head, about to speak¡­ ¡°Senior Martial Brother Bai! This guy is stalling for time!¡± Xu Disheng exclaimed, his expression becoming even more grave. At the bottom of the array, he could gradually feel the aura of an Evil Spirit emanating outwards. Bai Zhehua¡¯s expression changed greatly. ¡°This bastard actually gave up on a portion of its essence to forcefully break through to the Evil Spirit stage! Even though doing so will limit its future prospects, it¡¯ll still be a genuine Evil Spirit!¡± Bai Zhehua put away the lotus platform and summoned the massive flying sword. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, hurry up and get on. The two of us won¡¯t be able to deal with this Evil Spirit. We should take advantage of the time that it¡¯s still breaking through to hurry and run away,¡± Bai Zhehua said urgently. Without the suppression of the white light coming from the lotus platform, the Evil Spirit stage aura coming from the array became even more concentrated. The entire array also began to slowly shrink and contract. Xu Disheng gazed down at the resentful souls trapped in the ghostly qi, somewhat reluctant to part with the gains right before him. In this time, he had already absorbed more than a dozen resentful souls, which all belonged to the villagers. After their souls had been sucked into the array by the Malicious Spirit, they already had no way of reincarnating, so it was convenient for Xu Disheng. There were still more than a hundred resentful souls in the array, but it was already too late for him to absorb them now. He got on the massive flying sword with Bai Zhehua, and after a short moment, they were streaking across the sky in a purple beam, beating a swift retreat. The massive array surrounding the dozen or so villages shrank and contracted, finally condensing into a humanoid form, shrouded with ghostly mist. When the ghostly qi dissipated, there was a slender, beautiful girl with white teeth and red lips sitting there, completely naked. The girl looked in the direction of the purple beam of light, her heart filled with hateful spite. ¡°Those guys caused me to lose half of my essence, damn it!¡± she grumbled to herself. She felt frustrated, since she definitely didn¡¯t dare to chase after them, even if she was at the Evil Spirit stage, which was said to be similar to the Dao Foundation stage on the surface. If she ran into a Dao Foundation stage disciple from the Sacred Sect, she would be turned into ashes in an instant. After waving her hand, a pink dress appeared on her body, making her appear even more fair and elegant. ¡°The feeling of freedom is truly wonderful, but I need a bit of blood nourishment. However, I can¡¯t show myself in the lands under the jurisdiction of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. I need to get far away from here, fast.¡± The girl transformed into a black wind, blending and disappearing into the air between heaven and earth. The towering Tongyin Mountain stood there as tall as ever. But the foot of the mountain, which was once brimming with lively vigor, was now completely silent. All that remained were a dozen or so deathly still villages. CH 84 Chapter 84 ¨C First Match! ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, did you have some history with Spirit Master Wenshu?¡± Bai Zhehua turned around and asked after gazing far off towards Tongyin Mountain and seeing that the Evil Spirit wasn¡¯t chasing after them. ¡°Not that I know of,¡± Xu Disheng replied. ¡°His title is the Celestial Tide Spirit Master, and he¡¯s one of the top ranking Peak Masters in the Mingxin Mountain Range. His exclusive technique is the Azure Ocean cultivation method. The move you just used was one of its forms, ¡®Summon Rain¡¯. I¡¯ve once seen someone use it before, so I could recognize it,¡± Bai Zhehua said. Xu Disheng nodded but didn¡¯t reply. Bai Zhehua felt that he could see through Xu Disheng even less. In the fight against that ghost just now, that massive Soul Force palm that Xu Disheng was using to absorb the resentful souls already left him astonished. And then right after that, he saw him take out that Severing Spirit Seal, which was a top-grade Spirit Tool. Now, he even discovered that he had some kind of connection with a Divine Core stage Spirit Master. Xu Disheng seemed to recall something. Was the person that Bai Zhehua speaking of that person who he saw at the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion? After all, he did feel that there was the faint aura of a water cultivation method on his body. It was that guy who called out and bought 10 Qi Boosting Pills, casually throwing down 800 spirit stones like it was nothing. Aside from a descendent of a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, who could be that rich? However, the two of them didn¡¯t go into this topic any further. As a result, Bai Zhehua, who was originally intending to find out a bit about the depths of Xu Disheng¡¯s secrets, only felt that the hazy fog surrounding the youth¡¯s body became even more thick. Xu Disheng¡¯s mind was focused on the Soul Suppressing Vestment as he silently refined those resentful souls. The souls that were trapped into the Soul Vessel by the Sealing Soul Mantra could be washed of their ghostly qi and have their consciousness restored, just like that hunter ghost he met in the Floating Moon Valley. But Xu Disheng didn¡¯t do that this time. Instead, he wiped the consciousnesses of all of the souls, turning them into pure Soul Force, which went straight to raising the power of the Soul Suppressing Vestment. Gradually, the messy mix of Soul Force in the Soul Suppressing Vestment became more concentrated, and there were even signs of a vague consciousness about to be born from within. That hungering thirst for resentful souls that it emitted while they were hovering above the villages earlier was also the work of the vague consciousness that was starting to be born from the Soul Suppressing Vestment. With the messy mix of Soul Force from the pure resentful souls, this consciousness was one step closer to being fully born. Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t surprised by this. He already knew since it was recorded in the Sealing Soul Mantra of the Soul Song cultivation method. If he didn¡¯t keep the consciousnesses from the souls sealed within, the Soul Vessel would slowly give rise to an artifact spirit. Once the artifact spirit was born, the might of the Soul Vessel would grow by several times! Bai Zhehua brought Xu Disheng to the Affairs Hall on Mountain Affairs Peak to turn in the mission. Then, they went straight back to Morning Dew Peak. ¡°If the ghost recorded in the mission ends up breaking through to a higher stage, the mission will still be considered completed. In this aspect, the sect is fairly accommodating of the disciples,¡± Bai Zhehua explained with a smile, seated on the main seat in his courtyard. He continued, ¡°The mission reward this time was only around a dozen spirit stones, but my father did say that if your performance this time was excellent, then he would be willing to give this to you, Junior Martial Brother Xu.¡± With that, he lightly waved his hand. On the table, an icy blue longsword appeared. It was shimmering with a bone-chillingly cold light. It was a Spirit Tool with a complete set of seals! Xu Disheng raised his eyebrow. Even though he had a Magic Treasure and the top-grade Spirit Tool, the Severing Spirit Seal, he only had around 200 spirit stones left, so he hadn¡¯t had enough remaining to purchase a top-grade Spirit Tool of his own. Although this longsword was an ordinary Spirit Tool, it had a complete set of seals engraved on it. Due to the might of these seals, this longsword was stronger than that Three Suns Sword that Chen Xingzhou had by a certain amount. Bai Zhehua picked up his teacup and lightly pursed his lips to take a sip as he watched Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng thought for a little bit, then picked up the longsword. A stream of chilliness was transmitted to his hand, hinting that the seals engraved on it were imbued with a freezing effect. ¡°If you insist, then I will oblige. Many thanks to Senior Martial Brother Bai and Deacon Bai,¡± Xu Disheng spoke with gratitude. Seeing him accept the Spirit Tool, Bai Zhehua put down his teacup. A smile spread across his face as he said, ¡°No need to be too courteous, Junior Martial Brother Bai. If you are ever short on cultivation resources in the future, feel free to let me know. I¡¯ll make sure you definitely won¡¯t be lacking in such things.¡± This was a form of investment. It was fairly common for people to invest in people who were talented, but still rather weak. Bai Zhehua had Deacon Bai behind him, so they definitely weren¡¯t investing only in Xu Disheng. Even though the Frozen Spirit Sword was an ordinary Spirit Tool, it could go for over 100 spirit stones due to the seals engraved on it. For Sea of Qi stage disciples, it could already be considered as a very precious item. Mingxin Peak, the top ranked Peak in the Mingxin Mountain Range, was over 3,300 meters tall, and was protected by the Severing Meridian Spirit Master, Feng Simiao. (TL: The title of Feng Simiao was previously translated in Chapter 61 as ¡®Spirit Master of Asphyxiation¡¯. I decided to change his title to Severing Meridian Spirit Master instead.) ¡°Which Spirit Masters still haven¡¯t arrived?¡± ¡°Celestial Tide Spirit Master, Profound Star Spirit Master, and Killing Heart Spirit Master.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t wait anymore then.¡± ¡°The first match of the Internal Disciple Tournament will be the same as those in previous years past. There are three options, Zhenling, Mirror Ocean, and Ghost Road. Spirit Masters, please make your pick.¡± ¡°The one fifty years ago was Ghost Road, so this time, let¡¯s open the Mirror Ocean.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Since there were nine Spirit Masters who chose Mirror Ocean, then we¡¯ll go with the Mirror Ocean for the first match of the Internal Disciple Tournament! Send out the news via jade slip. Tell all the disciples who are participating in the Internal Disciple Tournament tomorrow to come to Mingxin Peak tomorrow early in the morning. Those that participate in the first match will enter the Mirror Ocean!¡± ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng looked at the jade slip in his hands, his brows furrowing slightly. Mirror Ocean! The location of the first match of the Internal Disciple Tournament. It was a badly damaged Secret Realm. It was called an ocean because there was a massive mirror, about 6,600 meters wide and ten thousand li long. On top of the mirror, there were several tens of thousands of small wooden boats floating on the mirror surface. By willing profound qi into the boats, it was possible to move forward quickly. The first match of the tournament was extremely crude and simple. Every person would be given a small wooden boat, which they had to use to traverse the length of the mirror and reach the other side. The first 10,000 Sea of Qi stage disciples to reach the other shore would pass the first match! For the Dao Foundation stage disciples, it was the first 100. However, in the entire Mingxin Mountain Range, there were only several hundred Dao Foundation stage disciples anyway, and they mostly all knew each other. For this reason, the spots for the top 10 who could go on to the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament were practically fixed to some extent. As for the rules for this first match¡­ There were no rules. As long as you were in the top 10,000 to reach the other side of the shore, you would be considered to have passed the first match. During the tournament, the strict sect rules were temporarily ineffective, so there were sometimes bloodthirsty people who would take advantage of this opportunity to slaughter many fellow sect disciples. But in fact, this was the stupidest method, since there would always be people who would aim to settle these scores and get even after the tournament was over. Therefore, most people would choose to act within their own limits. If they felt that they were at the limits of their own capabilities, they could forfeit at any time. To Xu Disheng, who was just an early Sea of Qi stage disciple, these rules were actually rather unfair to him. After all, the profound qi cultivation of peak Sea of Qi stage disciples exceeded that of the early Sea of Qi stage by a lot. Between the two cultivation realms, there was a noticeable gap in the total amount of profound qi and spiritual power. In a competition like this that was primarily testing the endurance of one¡¯s spiritual power, early Sea of Qi stage disciples really had it bad. However, was there anything in this world that was truly fair? In this first match in the Mirror Ocean, storage pouches were sealed upon entry, so flying-type Spirit Tools couldn¡¯t be used. But what about those people with Magic Treasures capable of flight? They could directly summon them from their sea of consciousness and rapidly cross to the other side of the shore without even having to use the wooden boat. And the sect? They didn¡¯t care what method people used to arrive at the goal. They only maintained the requirement that people couldn¡¯t open their storage pouches and storage rings. Even if you didn¡¯t use the wooden boat and crawled your way across the Mirror Ocean on all fours, they wouldn¡¯t care. At best they might coldly say, ¡®so on and so forth, you are the nth person to reach the other side.¡¯, and nothing more. CH 85 Chapter 85 ¨C Green Lotus Domain Beneath Mingxin Peak, there was a spirit lake called Lotus Lake. Lotus Lake was vast and wide, spanning nearly 6,000 meters in diameter. As a standalone body of water, it was so deep that it was impossible to see the bottom. In the center of the lake, there was a large island. There was an extremely grand Daoist domain on it which served as a mainstay of Mingxin Peak. It was rumored that the appearance of the island was extremely mysterious. An untold number of years ago, after the deity of Green Lotus Lake achieved enlightenment, the heaven and earth gave rise to this massive island domain, which was protected by the Mingxin Mountain Range. Every time some extremely important matter came up, the Spirit Masters in power would gather every Peak Master, Vice Peak Master, Deacon, and disciple at the Green Lotus Domain. This time¡¯s Internal Disciple Tournament was no exception. Xu Disheng was riding his own black Spirit Cloud. He didn¡¯t even have to look at the map inside of the jade slip. He just had to follow along with the densely packed stream of disciples flying with him. They flew over the seemingly bottomless Lotus Lake and landed at the Green Lotus Domain on the massive island at the very center of the lake. Almost all of the several tens of thousands of disciples from the Mingxin Mountain Range had come to the Green Lotus Domain. Even those that didn¡¯t want to participate would still come and watch the lively event. Even Dao Foundation stage powerhouses could occasionally be seen among them. There was an impressive arch that was over 30 meters tall at the entrance of the domain, and below it, there were several dozen disciples from the Disciplinary Hall standing guard. Two Dao Foundation stage Deacons from the Disciplinary Hall were there as well. ¡°Your jade identity tablet,¡± a Disciplinary Hall disciple came forward and said after Xu Disheng followed along behind several other Sea of Qi stage disciples and arrived beneath the arch. After having his jade identity tablet checked, he walked through the massive archway. Only then could he truly perceive the magnificent scale of the Green Lotus Domain. It was located at the center of a spirit lake, so it went without saying that the spiritual energy surrounding the place was extremely concentrated. Plus, it was directly adjacent to Mingxin Peak. An enormous space had been cleared out around the domain, and several hundred brilliant white circles of light had been traced out, representing the Peaks of the Mingxin Mountain Range. Xu Disheng did as the Disciplinary Hall disciple instructed him and activated his jade identity tablet. Sure enough, a faint signal several li away began to echo in resonance, which indicated the location of the white circle of light representing Morning Dew Peak. After arriving at Morning Dew Peak¡¯s white circle of light, there were already a little over a hundred people there. In other words, almost all of the disciples from the Peak had already arrived. After all, Morning Dew Peak only had over a hundred people in total. The higher ranked the Peak, the less disciples there were. Seeing that Xu Disheng had arrived, Bai Zhehua came forward and said to him, ¡°Come with me.¡± There were some seats of honor, upon which the Dao Foundation powerhouses of Morning Dew Peak were seated. The Daoist youth in the highest seat of honor was presumably the Peak Master of Morning Dew Peak, Lu Changge. The hundred or so Sea of Qi stage disciples were standing behind the Dao Foundation stage powerhouses. There were also several lone people who were standing all alone. ¡°Father, this is Junior Martial Brother Xu,¡± Bai Zhehua said respectfully to a young man in purple robes after bringing Xu Disheng to the very front. The place where the young man in purple was sitting was clearly the area designated for Dao Foundation stage powerhouses. He gave Xu Disheng a once-over and smiled. ¡°Not bad, daring to participate in the tournament when you¡¯re only at the early Sea of Qi stage.¡± Xu Disheng saluted and said, ¡°I¡¯m only giving it a try.¡± The young man in purple didn¡¯t say too much and just nodded his head, then turned around and began conversing in a quiet tone with some of the other Dao Foundation stage powerhouses. Bai Zhehua and Xu Disheng retreated into the crowd of Sea of Qi stage disciples, attracting quite a few gazes in the process. A grand majority of them didn¡¯t know Xu Disheng, and this was their first time seeing him. They had almost all heard that after Chen Xingzhou died during a mission, the one who came back and received the reward in the end was this new disciple. However, aside from bitter cultivation, the only other thing that Xu Disheng did was sect missions. He lived in a very secluded manner, never going out of his way to establish friendly relationships or make connections with other people. Therefore, out of all of the people of Morning Dew Peak, the only other people who recognized him were Li Dan and Lu Siwan. However, those two hadn¡¯t come to participate in the tournament. They were only here to spectate the liveliness. Out of the hundred or so Sea of Qi stage disciples here, only 30 or so of them were actually participating in the tournament. The excited, spirited conversations between the disciples suddenly quieted down. The Peak Master, Lu Changge, had turned his head to look in their direction. ¡°Disciples of Morning Dew Peak. Those who are participating in the tournament today, stand apart from the rest,¡± Lu Changge¡¯s clear and sonorous voice resounded out. His outer appearance was that of a young man. It was rumored that he was at the peak of the Dao Foundation stage, and he was just a bit away from reaching the half-step Divine Core stage, but he had been stuck at this bottleneck for over a hundred years. The thirty or so disciples participating in the tournament came forward and stood by the side of the several Dao Foundation stage powerhouses. Xu Disheng felt the gazes of these Dao Foundation stage disciples sweep over him, but they didn¡¯t stop and examine him in particular. But when Bai Zhehua¡¯s father¡¯s gaze swept over him, his gaze paused slightly and he nodded. Lu Changge looked at the 30 or so people and said, ¡°As participants in the Internal Disciple Tournament, you all must have made preparations¡­ Is that right? Why are there still two early Sea of Qi stage disciples?¡± His swift, fierce gaze turned towards Xu Disheng and one other disciple. Xu Disheng¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but the other male disciple was a little unable to bear the invisible pressure. That disciple stuttered out, ¡°R-Respected Peak Master¡­ I-I didn¡¯t mean to register, I¡­ I don¡¯t want to participate.¡± He was clearly an early Sea of Qi stage disciple. No one stepped forward to vouch for him, so it was unknown why he had registered. Lu Changge sneered and said, ¡°Cowardly fool. Step down!¡± That male disciple hurriedly retreated into the crowd as if had received a generous pardon. ¡°What about you? Did you also not mean to register?¡± Lu Changge said. ¡°Respected Peak Master, I did not register incorrectly,¡± Xu Disheng replied. Lu Changge narrowed his eyes at Xu Disheng but didn¡¯t look in his direction anymore. Addressing the thirty or so people, he said, ¡°For our Morning Dew Peak, in the last two tournaments, the best placement we achieved in the Sea of Qi stage division was only 800th or so. We practically haven¡¯t participated in the Dao Foundation stage division. For this time¡¯s tournament, if you place in the first 10,000 ranks of the Sea of Qi stage division, I will reward you with 50 spirit stones. If you enter the first 5,000 ranks, I will reward you with 100 spirit stones!¡± He turned to look at the several Dao Foundation stage Deacons and the other several Dao Foundation stage disciples who hadn¡¯t taken up a post, all of them seeming to turn a deaf ear. He furrowed his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Are there still no people at the Dao Foundation stage participating in the tournament this time?¡± No one responded. All of them just sat there, either looking into the distance or fiddling with the Spirit Tools in their hands. After all, these several Deacons were at the same cultivation stage as him, and many of them were old wily foxes with many years of experience of being his subordinates, so he couldn¡¯t criticize them too harshly. As for the other few disciples who had just reached the Dao Foundation stage, there originally should have been one or two brave ones who would be willing to give it a try. But unexpectedly, all of them turned a deaf ear. ¡°Fine,¡± Lu Changge closed his eyes, no longer looking at them. However, there seemed to be people nearby who didn¡¯t intend to let him stay quiet. Directly next to the Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light was the Falling Snow Peak¡¯s circle. ¡°Peak Master Lu, how many people are participating this time from your Morning Dew Peak?¡± an elderly man in white robes asked with a smile. He was the Peak Master of Falling Snow Peak. He had spoken in an overly loud voice, attracting the gazes of the people from the several nearby circles of light. Lu Changge¡¯s complexion soured. He opened his eyes and said coldly, ¡°Peak Master Shi, what is it? Are you that concerned about my Morning Dew Peak?¡± Falling Snow Peak and Morning Dew Peak were directly next to each other location-wise, so they were often compared in all aspects. In recent years, their Peak Master, Shi Jiayu, had gotten a leg up over Lu Changge by reaching the half-step Divine Core stage. He was just a little bit away from forming a Profound Core and ranking up to the Divine Core stage. Then, he would be able to receive a title as a Spirit Master and be showered in endless glory. Shi Jiayu looked closer at the 30 or so people on Morning Dew Peak and pretended to be astonished. ¡°Peak Master Lu, is there no one at your Morning Dew Peak? You actually have disciples at the early Sea of Qi stage participating in the tournament?¡± The several Dao Foundation stage powerhouses by his side also loudly jeered in agreement. The several nearby brilliant white circles of light all belonged to different Peaks, and they were now all looking over in their direction. Many of them began to point at the people of Morning Dew Peak and started to laugh. CH 86 Chapter 86 ¨C Falling Snow Peak Lu Changge was someone who usually cared a lot about appearances. Shi Jiayu provoking him in a loud voice so that everyone nearby could hear him was making him lose a lot of face as a Peak Master. He wanted to open his mouth to retort, but he couldn¡¯t come up with anything. As a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse, his face began turning red with anger. But in the end he didn¡¯t say anything and simply glared coldly at Shi Jiayu. Shi Jiayu understood the concept that going too far was just as bad as not doing enough. After the peals of gossip and laughter beside him subsided, he turned away and never spared another glance in their direction. It wasn¡¯t that early Sea of Qi stage disciples wouldn¡¯t participate in the tournament, but there were extremely few. Even if there were a few, the ones who participated were pretty much all talented geniuses who were ranked at the top of their Peaks or the descendents of Spirit Masters. As such, it was normal for an ordinary early Sea of Qi stage disciple like Xu Disheng to be scorned and looked down upon. It was because of him that Shi Jiayu could find a sore spot to poke fun at Lu Changge. It wasn¡¯t like he necessarily cared about Xu Disheng. Lu Changge turned to the side and asked Bai Honghua, ¡°Is this disciple under you? Why are you letting him participate in the tournament at the early Sea of Qi stage?¡± Xu Disheng was only a disciple at the early Sea of Qi stage, so he couldn¡¯t be held personally accountable for participating. Lu Changge only asked this because he had seen Bai Honghua, the young man in purple, speaking to Xu Disheng. Bai Honghua turned his gaze towards Xu Disheng. After hesitating for a moment, he replied, ¡°Respected Peak Master, this child¡¯s strength and wisdom are indeed above average. It shouldn¡¯t be too big of a problem for him to reach the top 10,000.¡± In the end, he still chose to help Xu Disheng by bragging for him a little bit. After all, many people had seen him speaking to Xu Disheng earlier. If he chose to disparage Xu Disheng here, it would only make himself seem harsh and merciless. As for Xu Disheng¡¯s strength and wisdom, Bai Honghua only had a rough understanding. He had heard most of the information about him from Bai Zhehua. He loved to pamper his only son, so he handed down the Frozen Spirit Sword as a reward to make him happy. In this situation, it was better for him to respond to the Peak Master¡¯s question by bragging a little bit about Xu Disheng. If Xu Disheng managed to get lucky and place in the top 10,000, he would be able to earn himself a bit of reputation as someone with good knowledge and insight. Even if he didn¡¯t reach the top 10,000, it wouldn¡¯t be that big of a loss to him either. Plus, that old bastard Jia Shiyu was provoking Lu Changge over this matter in front of everybody else. If Bai Honghua had stopped Xu Disheng from participating, it would be an even bigger loss of face. There were several hundred massive white circles of light on the Green Lotus Domain. Several tens of thousands of disciples were crowded within, making for a very bustling scene. Suddenly, a deafening boom resounded in the clouds above Mingxin Peak, and a massive turtle emerged from amidst the fog and mist. On the back of the turtle, there were several luxurious chariots occupied by several Spirit Masters. The massive turtle stopped, hovering in the air above the Green Lotus Domain. Clouds and mist seemed to emerge from its body in a mystical manner. ¡°We pay our respects to the esteemed Spirit Masters.¡± Regardless of whether they were Peak Masters or Deacons, every person at the Dao Foundation stage rose to their feet and paid their respects in unison. The Sea of Qi stage disciples all bowed deeply, showing their utmost respects. The Killing Heart Spirit Master, Yu Xingchao, was the Peak Master of the rank 17 Peak, Profound Heart Peak, but he also belonged to the few Spirit Masters who held true authority in the Mingxin Mountain Range. On his impressive chariot, Yu Xingchao slowly got to his feet and spoke, his voice spreading out across the Green Lotus Domain. ¡°The first match of the Internal Disciple Tournament of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Mingxin Mountain Range will take place in the Mirror Ocean.¡± With a light flick of his sleeves, a stream of brilliant azure light swirled along with the wind and flew down from the body of the massive turtle down to the Green Lotus Domain, turning into a gigantic, luminous blue light gate that was over 300 meters tall. Lu Changge turned and addressed everyone from Morning Dew Peak, ¡°All disciples who are participating in the tournament, hurry and go in.¡± The blue gate of light was over 300 meters tall. Countless disciples on all kinds of flying-type Spirit Tools began charging straight into the portal like a dense flock of birds. Next to the massive gate of light, there were two light screens of equivalent height with words clearly visible upon them. ¡°Dao Foundation Division, First Match Ranking. First place¡­ Second place¡­¡± ¡°Sea of Qi Division, First Match Ranking. First place¡­ Second place¡­¡± The light screens were a vertical display of the rankings, showing the top 100 for the Dao Foundation division and the top 10,000 for the Sea of Qi division. The rest of the rankings were empty since the first match clearly hadn¡¯t even started yet. In the Mirror Ocean¡­ Xu Disheng slowly drifted down from the blue vortex in the middle of the air, landing on his feet upon the glossy surface of the mirror. All around him, there were Sea of Qi stage disciples. There weren¡¯t any Dao Foundation stage disciples in sight, presumably because their first match was being held in a different area. The mirror beneath his feet was clear, glossy, and reflective. There were several tens of thousands of small wooden boats not far away, floating about 10 meters above the surface of the mirror ocean. After he entered the blue gate of light on his black Spirit Cloud, it disappeared before he knew it. He tried to open his storage pouch and take things out, but as expected, it was sealed shut by an invisible force and simply couldn¡¯t be opened at all. ¡°After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, set out for the opposite shore of the Mirror Ocean,¡± an indifferent voice rang out from the sky. A huge phantom image of an incense stick slowly appeared, towering in front of tens of thousands of boats. The wave of countless disciples began to move towards the wooden boats. Xu Disheng also picked out a wooden boat. When he tried pouring profound qi into it, he found that the wooden boat was both compact and agile. It was very dexterous and quick on both ascending and accelerating. When he tried putting in a large amount of profound qi, the wooden boat shot forward like an arrow, making a swishing sound as it cut through the air. With this long, long road ahead that stretched on for 10,000 li, it was clear that those who had plenty of medicinal pills would have an overwhelming advantage. Those that could afford to buy medicinal pills could naturally restore their profound qi quicker. Those that couldn¡¯t afford to buy medicinal pills could only wait for their profound qi to slowly recover after it was exhausted. By that point, who knew how long it would take them to reach the other side of the shore. The phantom image of the burning incense stick was gradually approaching its end. There were disciples who found it beneath themselves to use the wooden boats. They just took out golden swords of light and got on top of them. The moment the incense stick finally burnt out, beams of golden light streaked across the sky as they shot off. There were also disciples who took our withered old branches, which they would throw into the air. The withered branches would rise up with the wind and turn into massive tree trunks, carrying the disciples as they whizzed through the air. In a similar manner, there were around 40 to 50 people who took out various Magical Treasures and shot off ahead, leaving everyone in the dust. The Sea of Qi stage disciples who had Magic Treasures could directly store them in their sea of consciousness, so they wouldn¡¯t be affected by the restriction on storage-type Spirit Tools. Xu Disheng was like the overwhelming majority of people, who had to pour profound qi into the wooden boats. He rushed out alongside everyone else, much slower than those people who had Magic Treasures. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to use his Magic Treasure, but the Glorious Sun Bow in his sea of consciousness was the most ordinary of Magic Treasures, valued at only a little over 1,000 spirit stones. Plus, the bow was mainly focused on slaughter. It was one of the very few Magic Treasures that didn¡¯t have any flight capabilities, so he couldn¡¯t use it to take a shortcut here. CH 87 Chapter 87 ¨C Mirror Ocean By Xu Disheng¡¯s sides, countless wooden boats shot forwards like lightning, causing strong gales to sweep about. There were clearly many disciples who were pouring in all of their profound qi right off the bat, bringing the speed of their wooden boats to its utmost limit. After moving forward for a while, Xu Disheng found that the speed of the wooden boat was linked to only one thing: the rate at which he poured in profound qi. If he poured in one portion of profound qi, the speed would increase by one level; if he poured in ten portions of profound qi, the speed would increase by ten. After crossing 10 li, he heard sounds up ahead. When he looked ahead, he saw that there were around 10 wooden boats driving around in circles. They had been caught inside of a Phantom Array. It was unknown which disciple had laid down the array diagram, but they had clearly made preparations in advance. The ten or so disciples behind that disciple hadn¡¯t had any time to prepare and couldn¡¯t slow down in time before running straight into the array. Xu Disheng and the people beside him rapidly changed directions, avoiding the Phantom Array as they continued to press forward. Just a few breaths later, several unknown incantations came whizzing in their directions from up ahead, and the people near Xu Disheng stopped to block them. A black semi-transparent barrier of light appeared around Xu Disheng¡¯s body. He didn¡¯t reduce his speed as he continued forward, blocking all of the incantations in the process. Although the wooden boat was fast, it was still far from a flying-type Spirit Tool. It wasn¡¯t even close to a Spirit Cloud in speed. After about an hour, the tens of thousands disciples had passed the initial period of chaos, settling into several rough groups based on their speed. The first group consisted of the several dozen people who were riding their Magic Treasures, leaving the people behind them in the dust. They were leading by a wide margin. The second group consisted of the people who had been pouring profound qi into their wooden boats with all of their might from the very beginning, bringing the wooden boats to their peak speed. These people had all prepared medicinal pills in advance. They had loaded them into bottles which they carried on their person so they could restore their profound qi at any time. The third group was the ordinary disciples who were lacking in medicinal pills. In order to conserve their profound qi, they would reduce their speed from time to time, recovering their profound qi while they moved forward. Once they had more or less recovered, they would go full speed again, repeating this process ad infinitum. Then, there was the last group, which was a diverse clutter of chaos. There were some disciples who came into this tournament match looking to rob other people. They would directly go up to people and block their path, demanding them to hand over storage pouches. Even if the other party stopped to fight, regardless of their victory or defeat, they would still lose a lot of time. In previous tournaments, there were quite a few people with vicious temperaments who would take advantage of the opportunity to straight up kill and loot other disciples. However, in more recent years, the sect rules had become even more strict, so there would be less people coming to find trouble with you afterwards. The main goal of these people who came in just to cause a disturbance wasn¡¯t the tournament itself, but to make a profit in resources. Every time the tournament came around, there would be quite a few people who were like this. All of the disciples would detest these kinds of people. Excluding the first two groups in the lead, the latter two groups would often run into trouble with them. ¡°Each one of you, hand over one storage pouch and I¡¯ll let you all go!¡± a peak Sea of Qi stage disciple said with a sneer on his face as he stood in the way of Xu Disheng and the group of people near him. There were three disciples with arrogant expressions standing behind this guy, all of them at the peak Sea of Qi stage. One of them had over 10 storage pouches hanging at his waist. It seemed that he had already looted quite a few disciples. After all, most disciples didn¡¯t want to mess with them. In the time that they were to waste on them, they could go another dozen or so li. Many disciples usually had two or three storage pouches, if not more. There were even some clever disciples who had heard about this beforehand and had prepared a few empty storage pouches in advance just to deal with these situations. Most of the people in the group around Xu Disheng were at the early Sea of Qi stage, and they had clearly anticipated this kind of situation, so many of them each tossed out a storage pouch and sped off past them on their wooden boats. Those few peak Sea of Qi stage disciples didn¡¯t prevent them from leaving. After all, their objective wasn¡¯t necessarily to harm others, but to gain resources. Even if many of the storage pouches were empty, it wasn¡¯t a big problem. After all, just one storage pouch itself was worth around a dozen spirit stones. ¡°What about you two?¡± The disciple who seemed to be the boss of them asked Xu Disheng and one other disciple who was at the peak Sea of Qi stage, seeing that they were slow to react. The other peak Sea of Qi stage disciple revealed a pained expression, then tossed out a storage pouch before hurriedly continuing on his way. It was clear that this person hadn¡¯t made any preparations in advance, so there were probably still Spirit Tools inside. However, he was badly outnumbered. If he didn¡¯t want to hand it over, he would have to face several peak Sea of Qi stage disciples alone, and there was still the possibility that they would kill him on the spot. Their boss grabbed the storage pouch, revealing a hint of a smile. He tossed the bag right over to the disciple who had many storage pouches lined up at his waist. When Xu Disheng looked at the fat load of storage pouches lined up at that disciples waist, his eyes twitched slightly. Xu Disheng was standing there on the wooden boat, one hand leaning on the boat to support him. He smiled and replied, ¡°Senior Martial Brothers, I don¡¯t have a storage pouch. I only have a Magic Treasure. I¡¯ll give it to you, so will you let me pass?¡± As if he didn¡¯t expect Xu Disheng to utter these words, their boss stared blankly at Xu Disheng like he was an idiot. ¡°A Magic Treasure? The ones with Magic Treasures have already almost reached the other side of the shore by now. Could this guy have gotten scared shitless and turned into an idiot? He¡¯s just sitting here daydreaming! Haha!¡± The other disciples by his side began to laugh with him while pointing at Xu Disheng. That disciple with the loaded belt full of storage pouches guffawed and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhang, this guy is probably an idiot. It doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯ll be able to squeeze much juice out of this guy. Poor guy, let¡¯s just let him go past.¡± Xu Disheng waved his sleeve, causing golden motes of light to condense before him. A brilliant golden longbow took shape, floating by his side. ¡°Senior Martial Brothers, I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± The expression of that Senior Martial Brother Zhang changed greatly. ¡°A Magic Treasure?!¡± he exclaimed. The laughing expressions of those disciples by his side were wiped off of their faces as soon as they laid eyes upon the Glorious Sun Bow. ¡°This¡­ Junior Martial Brother, Zhang Qiu had eyes but failed to recognize Mt. Tai. Please, it would be better for you to quickly proceed on ahead to the other side of the shore,¡± their boss, who was called Zhang Qiu, said as he cupped his hands with an ugly expression on his face. Then, he signaled to the people beside him to step aside and make way for him. (TL: ¡®Had eyes but failed to recognize Mt. Tai¡¯ ¨C an idiom that refers to an arrogant yet ignorant person; to fail to recognize someone of great status.) If these peak Sea of Qi stage disciples could open their storage pouches, they would have been able to access their Spirit Tools and wouldn¡¯t have had to be scared of Xu Disheng in the first place. And if that were the case, they would have coveted that precious Magic Treasure and struck him a ruthless blow. However¡­ in the Mirror Ocean, Spirit Tools couldn¡¯t be used, and storage pouches were completely sealed off. Only cultivation methods and incantations could be used, so there was almost no way to put up a fight against someone who had a Magic Treasure. Without attack-type or defense-type Spirit Tools on hand, most people would lose around 60-70% of their total strength. Of course, if many of them worked together using their cultivation methods, it wasn¡¯t completely impossible to restrain Xu Disheng. But against a person with a Magic Treasure, there would certainly be casualties. Who could directly go up against a Magic Treasure? Moreover, who among these disciples would sacrifice themselves so someone else could have the Magic Treasure? In the end, these robbers were only a temporary team, and they each had their own thoughts and motives. Each and every one of them was selfish beyond comparison. Xu Disheng unhurriedly sailed his wooden boat past them. There were two disciples among the group who wanted to strike out. But seeing that Zhang Qiu didn¡¯t have any reaction, they had no choice but to swallow their desires as they coldly watched Xu Disheng move past them. ¡°But Senior Martial Brothers, I seem to have lost some things,¡± Xu Disheng said, suddenly stopping the boat. He lifted his hand and used a finger to pull the bowstring taut. A straight golden arrow of light slowly condensed into being, emitting a terrible aura of destruction. ¡°Ahhh! Junior Martial Brother, please speak! What did you lose?!¡± Zhang Qiu cried out, his scalp tingling with fear upon seeing the golden arrow of light pointing towards him. When he felt the sensation that he was being locked onto, his expression changed wildly. CH 88 Chapter 88 ¨C Ranking As Zhang Qiu hastily spoke, he began laying out several profound qi barriers in front of him in an effort to try and gain some sense of security. Xu Disheng slightly raised his chin, gesturing towards the disciple who was holding all of the storage pouches. ¡°This¡­¡± Zhang Qiu saw Xu Disheng¡¯s finger on the bowstring loosen slightly, causing his expression to become even more ugly. ¡°Liu Chong, give this Junior Martial Brother¡¯s storage pouch back to him!¡± Liu Chong momentarily hesitated. But the other disciple next to him snorted coldly, taking advantage of this moment that he was off guard to fly over and snatch a large handful of storage pouches from him before dashing back to his own boat and starting to flee. Xu Disheng shook his head, changing the direction of the Glorious Sun Bow. He aimed it at the wooden boat that was already nearly a hundred meters out and unhurriedly released the bowstring. A bright golden trail of light streaked out from the back of the profound qi arrow as it shot forward over the surface of the Mirror Ocean, piercing straight through that disciple¡¯s body. The remaining momentum continued onward, causing the entire wooden boat to crash into the Mirror Ocean and dissipate into golden motes of light. Xu Disheng urged his wooden boat forward and grabbed that large handful of storage pouches that that disciple took, casually tossing it into his own wooden boat. Liu Chong quickly removed all of the remaining storage pouches hanging from his waist and said stutteringly, ¡°J-Junior Martial Brother¡­ H-Here are the storage pouches you dropped, p-please don¡¯t forget them.¡± Xu Disheng tossed all of the storage pouches into his boat, but he didn¡¯t immediately leave. He put his finger on the bowstring once more and formed two more golden arrows of light. ¡°Junior Martial Brother? What is the meaning of this?¡± Zhang Qiu¡¯s expression was extremely unsightly. ¡°We returned all of your storage pouches to you, why are you still sticking around?¡± ¡°There are still some storage pouches that still haven¡¯t been returned to me. Senior Martial Brother, why are you acting as if you haven¡¯t seen them?¡± Xu Disheng said, holding the Glorious Sun Bow horizontally in his hand. The two arrows of light on it were slightly spread apart, one pointing at Zhang Qiu and the other pointing at the other peak Sea of Qi stage disciple. "" The two of them had bitter expressions on their faces as they reached down and removed their own storage pouches, tossing them into Xu Disheng¡¯s boat as well. These storage pouches weren¡¯t looted from other disciples, but were their own personal storage pouches! In Liu Chong¡¯s panic earlier, he had already accidentally handed over his own storage pouch to Xu Disheng. But Xu Disheng¡¯s finger still didn¡¯t let go of the bowstring. A hidden vortex swirled in his eyes as if his mood was fluctuating. Zhang Qiu and that disciple didn¡¯t dare to move with the golden arrows of light pointed at them, but inwardly, they were cussing up a storm at Xu Disheng. He had already taken their storage pouches, but why was he still not leaving? Liu Chong was a bit of a coward. Seeing that Xu Disheng still had his hand on the Glorious Sun Bow, he took advantage of his momentary safety to hop onto his wooden boat, immediately starting to pour in profound qi with all of his might. In just a few moments, he had already sped off into the distance. There was no way that he wasn¡¯t aware that this move would be horrible for Zhang Qiu and the other disciple. The vortexes in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes disappeared, his gaze clearing up. The bright gaze in his eyes was filled with a cold indifference. He released his finger and two golden beams of light shot out like lightning and smashed through their profound qi barriers, directly piercing through the bodies of Zhang Qiu and the other disciple. Blood mist scattered and filled the air along with the golden motes of light. The wind lightly blew, and before long, there were no remaining traces of their existence. The youth narrowed his eyes and looked at Liu Chong¡¯s figure off in the distance as he drew another arrow. ¡­ ¡­ Fortunately, Xu Disheng had already heard about the restriction from Bai Zhehua before coming to the Green Lotus Domain, so he had taken a portion of his medicinal pills and put them into a bottle which he carried on him. Otherwise by now, he would have already ran out of profound qi and wouldn¡¯t have had any chance at reaching the top 10,000. He had just eaten two Spirit Gathering Pills in a row to quickly restore his profound qi. The Mirror Ocean was 10,000 li long. The speed of the wooden boats was also limited, so many disciples got halfway through before completely running out of profound qi. The only other way aside from taking medicinal pills was to recover profound qi while slowly proceeding along. There were still over a dozen Spirit Gathering Pills in Xu Disheng¡¯s bottle. He wasn¡¯t worried about running out of profound qi in the slightest. He pushed forward at full speed, passing by many disciples. Off to one side of the giant azure gate of light, the ranking list of the Sea of Qi division¡¯s first match was shimmering. ¡°Look! The first place ranking of the Sea of Qi division has shown up!¡± ¡°As expected, it¡¯s Yu Yangyao!¡± ¡°The second place and third place are there too!¡± ¡°Of the top three of the Sea of Qi division, Yu Yangyao and Jian Liangbi come as no surprise, but the third place, Ke Yue, is rather unexpected.¡± ¡°Bo Zhaoyun has the top-grade Magic Treasure, the Jade Feather, so he shouldn¡¯t have been passed by Ke Yue.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying Ke Yue¡¯s Misty Lightwood is just inferior? Don¡¯t look down on the people from the Mortal Secret Realms!¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Morning Dew Peak¡¯s Xu Disheng, 5,675th place of the Sea of Qi division.¡± After passing through the blue gate of light on the other side of the shore, Xu Disheng appeared in the Green Lotus Domain. His jade identity tablet vibrated and a cold, indifferent voice resounded in his ears. Up above, the three enormous silver-white moons illuminated the world as they had for time immemorial. When Xu Disheng raised his head, he looked up and saw the sky full of stars. ¡°A detailed information jade slip with the details of the geniuses of the Sea of Qi division recorded within! Only 6 spirit stones!¡± ¡°All Junior Martial Brothers, come and take a look! My jade slips are the most complete, and I guarantee the information is the most up to date!¡± On his way back to Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light, there were quite a few disciples selling jade slips. There were even more people stopping to haggle and spend a few spirit stones to purchase them. ¡°Junior Martial Brother, did you just pass the first match? I¡¯m selling information about the top ranking geniuses of the Sea of Qi division. I guarantee that the information is detailed. Only 8 spirit stones!¡± A crafty-looking disciple called out. He had taken notice of Xu Disheng from the moment he came out of the blue gate of light. He immediately came forward and approached him to sell his jade slips. A while later, that crafty-looking disciple came away with 8 spirit stones. He watched Xu Disheng¡¯s back as he walked away, a bit flabbergasted. He didn¡¯t think that he would actually be able to sell a jade slip for 8 spirit stones. After all, it was possible to find all of this information by asking around in detail. He only said 8 spirit stones to initially give the other party room to make a counteroffer. He didn¡¯t expect that youth to say nothing and directly hand him 8 spirit stones, taking one of the jade slips in his hand from him in an extremely straightforward manner. Xu Disheng returned to Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light, his expression somewhat heavy. To someone like him who wasn¡¯t that well-informed, the information recorded in this jade slip was extremely important! ¡°Yu Yangyao, half a step to the Dao Foundation stage, and a Rank 4 Spiritual Root genius! He is also one of the two people with a Rank 4 Spiritual Root under the Divine Core stage in the Mingxin Mountain Range. The other person with a Rank 4 Spiritual Root has already broken through to the Dao Foundation stage a long time ago. He is the great-great-grandson of the Killing Heart Spirit Master, Yu Xingchao. When it comes to top-grade Magic Treasures, he even has several of them! The most famous of them is his pike, the Coiled Snake. Of the known top-grade Magic Treasures he owns, there is also the Burning Sea Ruler, the Essence Tassel Armor, and so on. He is widely known as the number one genius at the Sea of Qi stage in the Mingxin Mountain Range. The reason he has not yet broken through to the Dao Foundation stage is to compete for a ranking on behalf of the Mingxin Mountain Range in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament.¡± ¡°Jian Liangbi, half a step to the Dao Foundation stage! A Rank 5 Spiritual Root disciple studying under the Severing Meridian Spirit Master, Feng Simiao. The most noteworthy Magic Treasure that he is known for is the Ancient Dragon Abyss Sword. He also has a top-grade defensive Magic Treasure, the Crimson Sunset Cloud. Its strength in combat is extraordinary!¡± ¡­ ¡­ There were over 10 of the geniuses from the Mingxin Mountain Range recorded in the jade slip. Aside from Yu Yangyao, who had a Rank 4 Spiritual Root, the others all had Rank 5 Spiritual Roots! The several people at the top of the ranking were all half a step to the Dao Foundation stage. Taking into account the Magic Treasures and cultivation methods passed down from Divine Core stage Spirit Masters that they had, they could even fight against ordinary Dao Foundation stage cultivators! Fighting against those at a higher cultivation realm was extremely difficult! Even though they were ordinary Dao Foundation stage cultivators, they were still at the Dao Foundation stage nonetheless. After successfully establishing a foundation from profound laws, one¡¯s strength would increase by at least 10 times. Once one reached the Dao Foundation stage, they could even mobilize a bit of the power of heaven and earth. Sea of Qi stage cultivators were like mere ants in front of such a power. And yet, those half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses at the top of the ranking could actually go up against ordinary Dao Foundation stage cultivators! Even though these ordinary Dao Foundation stage cultivators considered here were those that didn¡¯t have Magic Treasures, the strength of these several geniuses was still frighteningly apparent! CH 89 Chapter 59 ¨C Marketplace ¡°Xu Disheng!¡± Bai Zhehua welcomed him back with a smile. ¡°5,675th place! Congratulations!¡± Bai Zhehua had long expected Xu Disheng¡¯s placement. After all, he knew that Xu Disheng had some Spirit Gathering Pills on hand. The first match of the Internal Disciple Tournament was extremely simple and crude. As long as you had enough medicinal pills, it was easy to enter the top 10,000. Xu Disheng was holding the jade bottle in his hand. From beginning to end, he had been moving the wooden boat forward at top speed, periodically tossing Spirit Gathering Pills, which cost 20 spirit stones a piece, into his mouth. However, at the beginning, he had wasted a bit too much time. But this placement was still within his expectations. ¡°Many thanks, Senior Martial Brother,¡± Xu Disheng responded. He was only looking at the two shimmering ranking lists on high. ¡°Sea of Qi division, First Match Ranking. First place, Yu Yangyao.¡± ¡°Dao Foundation division, First Match Ranking, Mu Rongsi.¡± The first place genius in the Dao Foundation division was actually female! The top 100 of the Dao Foundation division had long finished the first match, but the Sea of Qi division was still flashing as it updated past the rankings of the top 7,000 or so. ¡°Not bad!¡± Lu Changge, seated on high, said with a smile as he glanced over. Bai Honghua, who was seated next to him, also smiled faintly as he looked at Xu Disheng, giving him a slight nod. After a while, a peak Sea of Qi stage disciple standing by Lu Changge¡¯s side came up to Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, take out your storage pouch. The Peak Master has spirit stones to reward you.¡± Xu Disheng looked into his own storage pouch at the big pile of storage pouches. He randomly took out one of them. That disciple portioned out 100 spirit stones and put them into Xu Disheng¡¯s storage pouch. Then, he smiled and said, ¡°Congratulations, Junior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Nearby, Bai Zhehua spoke up. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu, why did you not participate in the tournament this time?¡± he asked. Lu Zimo was a direct descendent of the Peak Master, Lu Changge. With a wry smile, he responded, ¡°You might not be aware, but the Peak Master doesn¡¯t allow any of us direct descendents to participate in the tournaments. The reasons are a bit difficult to speak about, so let¡¯s just not talk about it.¡± When he finished speaking, he turned around and went over to another disciple who had just returned, similarly handing him his spirit stones. That disciple was called Ge Sheng, and he had earned 7,820th place. While receiving the spirit stones from Lu Zimo, he glanced at Xu Disheng out of the corner of his eye and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu, this early Sea of Qi stage guy got 5,000th or so? Are you sure there¡¯s no mistake?¡± Lu Zimo nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. What¡¯s the matter, Junior Martial Brother?¡± In a somewhat passive-aggressive manner, Ge Sheng said, ¡°The Peak Master said that the top 5,000 would be rewarded 100 spirit stones. How come he didn¡¯t place in the top 5,000 and still got 100 spirit stones? We¡¯re missing 50 spirit stones here, aren¡¯t we? Then as someone who placed 7,000th or so, shouldn¡¯t I also get 100 spirit stones?¡± Of course, this disciple wouldn¡¯t have dared to say this directly to the Peak Master. Lu Zimo normally helped Lu Changge carry out various tasks in the Peak, so he still had some degree of prestige. But at the moment, there were a lot of disciples nearby watching, so Ge Sheng summoned the confidence to stand his ground and speak up. Lu Zimo¡¯s expression turned cold as he looked at Ge Sheng. ¡°What? Junior Martial Brother Ge, could it be that you aren¡¯t satisfied with the Peak Master¡¯s decisions?¡± Ge Sheng cupped his fist and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to say that. It¡¯s just that according to what the respected Peak Master had said, only those in the top 5,000 would receive 100 spirit stones. I was just a little bit unconvinced, that¡¯s all.¡± As he spoke, he intentionally raised his voice a little so that all of the disciples of Morning Dew Peak could hear. There were also some people who had placed after 5,000th who had similarly received 50 spirit stones. Seeing that there was someone taking the initiative, they began to agree repeatedly, taking a united stand in criticizing Xu Disheng and Lu Zimo. "" Bai Zhehua stood to the side, his complexion ugly. He wanted to speak up, but he didn¡¯t quite know what to say. These spirit stones were indeed added on as a bonus, but it was only because of Xu Disheng¡¯s early Sea of Qi stage cultivation. They originally thought that Xu Disheng would only manage to barely enter the top 10,000, but they didn¡¯t imagine that he would actually be able to place somewhere in the middle ranks. Lu Changge managed to earn back the face that he lost in his banter with the Peak Master of the neighboring Falling Snow Peak, Shi Jiayu, so in a moment of excitement, he instructed Lu Zimo to give him an additional 50 spirit stones as bonus. However, as the Peak Master and a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse, how could he be allowed to easily go back on his word? Lu Zimo pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°The Peak Master only rewarded him 50 spirit stones, no more, no less. The other 50 spirit stones were given to him because he personally favored Junior Martial Brother Xu. What¡¯s wrong with that? Does that inconvenience you all in any way?¡± The several disciples looked angry, as if they didn¡¯t expect Lu Zimo to say this. However, he didn¡¯t even know Xu Disheng beforehand, so who would believe that he would give him an extra 50 spirit stones out of nowhere? No one said anything. But in the face of a justifiable pretense, the momentum behind these several disciples disappeared. ¡°You still won¡¯t stand down? What are you all surrounding us for? Are you trying to make a joke of us for no reason?¡± Lu Zimo reprimanded, his tone cold and strict. The disciples all retreated, embarrassed. But among the crowd, there were many people silently sizing up Xu Disheng. ¡°Thank you, Senior Martial Brother Lu,¡± Xu Disheng said. Just now, he only played the role of a bystander and hadn¡¯t said anything. After all, just now Lu Zimo was speaking on behalf of the Peak Master. As the one standing to benefit from all of this, it wouldn¡¯t be good if he were to hastily butt in. It was better for him to stand silently off to the side and leave it to Lu Zimo to handle it. Lu Zimo nodded and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, in the main tournament, you¡¯ll be fine as long as you weigh your abilities and act accordingly. Just remember, you¡¯re still at the early Sea of Qi stage right now, so there¡¯s no need to rush.¡± With that, he returned back to the seats of honor in the circle of light and went to stand by Peak Master Lu Changge¡¯s side once more. These words of caution were spoken out of good intention. Bai Zhehua looked at Ge Sheng and the other disciples who had spoken up just now and snorted coldly. Then, he brought Xu Disheng along with him out of the Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, there are still 3 days until the main tournament. Is there anything you still need to prepare? If you don¡¯t have enough spirit stones, just let me know,¡± Bai Zhehua said after the two of them walked to the lakeside of Lotus Lake. Xu Disheng nodded and replied, ¡°Are there any marketplaces near here? I accidentally came across some possessions while I was in the Mirror Ocean. I want to get rid of those things and exchange them for spirit stones as soon as possible.¡± Astounded, Bai Zhehua said, ¡°You obtained some things while in the Mirror Ocean? It couldn¡¯t be that you picked up some disciple¡¯s storage pouch or something like that, did you? If you have more than enough spirit stones, you can buy some puppets. They can raise your combat power by a lot in a short time. Or you can purchase some talismans, which can also help you achieve the same effect. Although they can only erupt with instantaneous power, they¡¯re extremely effective.¡± Bai Zhehua thought for a while before continuing, ¡°The biggest marketplace in the Mingxin Mountain Range is nearby. It¡¯s on Passing Sin Peak, on one side of Mingxin Peak. If you want to go, I can bring you there.¡± Xu Disheng nodded curtly and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Senior Martial Brother Bai.¡± He took out his own black Spirit Cloud from his storage pouch, and was about to hop on. Bai Zhehua shook his head, taking out his own purple flying sword. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, now that you have some wealth on hand, it¡¯s really about time you get a new flying-type Spirit Tool.¡± His black Spirit Cloud had mysteriously disappeared when he entered the Mirror Ocean, but when he exited the Mirror Ocean from the blue gate of light, it once again appeared by his side. The Mirror Ocean was extremely profound and mysterious. Although flying-type Spirit Tools couldn¡¯t be brought in, it could conveniently return them to their appropriate owners based on their jade identity tablets. "" Passing Sin Peak was ranked 58th in the Mingxin Mountain Range, but because of its marketplace, it was extremely famous. The Peak Master, Yi Yuanming, was at the half-step Divine Core stage, and he was just a little bit away from being conferred a title as Spirit Master. CH 90 Chapter 90 ¨C Spirit Karma House As a Peak that bordered Mingxin Peak, Passing Sin Peak occupied a beneficial location. Granted that there were several Spirit Masters who quietly cultivated on Mingxin Peak all year round, the people of Passing Sin Peak could occasionally purchase the Magic Treasures that these Spirit Masters would occasionally refine in their leisure time. Xu Disheng and Bai Zhehua passed below the massive arch and entered the marketplace on Passing Sin Peak. Several disciples in black clothes came forward and cupped their hands in greeting. ¡°To enter the market, each person must pay the fee of 3 spirit stones.¡± Compared to the marketplace on Canxia Peak, the rules on Passing Sin Peak were more strict. Whether they were coming in to buy items or rent a vendor¡¯s booth to sell items, they all had to pay a certain amount of taxes in spirit stones. Also, all transactions that took place in the marketplace were under the protection of Passing Sin Peak. In the shop area, there were tall rows of luxurious stores. There was another separate area especially for vendor booths where all the disciples set up their stands. Even though it was lively, it wasn¡¯t messy. Everything was neat and in good order. Bai Zhehua first handed over 6 spirit stones, then turned to Xu Disheng. ¡°If the items you need to sell aren¡¯t too precious, you can just choose any store at random. The prices that the stores offer when purchasing items are all more or less the same.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and replied, ¡°I got most of these things in the Mirror Ocean. Practically all of these items are from other disciples.¡± Hearing him say that these items were from other disciples, Bai Zhehua stared blankly for a second. After a moment, he regained his senses and said with a smile, ¡°Then this Spirit Karma House over here will be fine.¡± He pointed at a store that had a signboard with the words ¡®Spirit Karma House¡¯ inscribed on it. There had long since been a clever disciple waiting by the entrance. Seeing the two of them stop in front of the store, a smile blossomed on his face as he greeted them, ¡°Please come in, young sirs.¡± He extended a hand, inviting them in with a cordial bow. Bai Zhehua nodded and led the way into the Spirit Karma House. Only after entering did he realize that the interior was like a completely different world. From the outside, the store didn¡¯t look all that big. But upon entering, they were met with a breathtaking interior filled with elegant furnishings. There was a middle-aged man seated behind a table, sipping on tea. ¡°Are you two purchasing or selling?¡± the middle-aged man asked in a calm and unhurried manner, putting down his teacup. ¡°There are some storage pouches I would like to sell. Do you take those here?¡± Xu Disheng asked, looking at the middle-aged man. ¡°Oh? There were already many people who came before you to sell storage pouches right after the end of the first match,¡± the middle-aged man said nonchalantly. ¡°Ordinary storage pouches, 8 spirit stones. Better ones can go for 12 spirit stones. Ordinary Spirit Tools, 30 spirit stones. Spirit Tools with seals, 70 spirit stones.¡± Xu Disheng pondered for a moment, then tossed over a storage pouch. Up until now, the middle-aged man¡¯s expression had been calm and somewhat indifferent. But after receiving the storage pouch, his expression changed slightly. He looked up and met Xu Disheng¡¯s gaze for the first time. ¡°These are all¡­?¡± He wasn¡¯t making a fuss over nothing. After all, with just a rough sweep through it, he found that there were 50 to 60 storage pouches lined up densely within! Xu Disheng slightly nodded and asked, ¡°Will you be able to manage, owner?¡± The middle-aged man shook his head and responded, ¡°Young sir, you¡¯re looking down too much on my Spirit Karma House. These things aren¡¯t worth a whole lot. I was just surprised that despite being at the early Sea of Qi stage in the first match, you could actually¡­¡± He stopped there and tossed the storage pouch over to a nearby disciple. ¡°Inspect the contents and report back to me.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Deacon.¡± The disciple said, bringing the storage pouch back with him into the rear hall. ¡°Please sit, you two,¡± the middle-aged man said, taking a smooth sip of his spirit tea. ¡°Zhou Chaoxian, bring these two sirs some tea.¡± Earlier, people had come to sell storage pouches and their contents, but there were only around 10 to 20 people at most. Xu Disheng was only a trifling early Sea of Qi stage disciple. For him to be able to bring 50-60 storage pouches all at once, he had to be either selling them on behalf of someone else or had to have some backer supporting him. Either way, it was surprising to other people. Bai Zhehua sat contentedly as he drank the spirit tea, which cost several spirit stones per cup. Xu Disheng took out two spirit stones, and in a moment¡¯s notice, he had already closed his eyes and entered a state of cultivation. The middle-aged man had an indescribable look on his face upon seeing this. ¡°Even though your items are really mixed, it should only take two incense sticks of time to finish making inventory of all of them. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone take advantage of this short of a time to cultivate,¡± he mused. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyelashes twitched slightly, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Bai Zhehua laughed and said, ¡°This Junior Martial Brother of mine is quite fond of cultivating. Last time we passed by the Ning¡¯an Province, I wanted to bring him to go to a nice spot for a round of fun, but he was actually able to restrain himself.¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes lit up as he replied, ¡°The Ning¡¯an Province¡­ I know that Xiao Weiyan of Falling Feather Peak had taken up post there as an Envoy, and I¡¯ve heard a lot about the nice spot he has there. But this year I¡¯m watching the shop on behalf of the House Master, so I haven¡¯t had any opportunity to get away and make a visit.¡± These two actually managed to strike up a conversation somehow. After a while, a disciple came out from the rear hall. He approached respectfully and said, ¡°Lord Deacon, there are 45 ordinary storage pouches and 9 storage pouches with slightly larger interspatial dimensions. There are also 17 ordinary Spirit Tools, 4 Spirit Tools with seals and 1 high-grade Spirit Tool.¡± He glanced hesitantly over at Xu Disheng, who still had his eyes closed, cultivating. The middle-aged man seemed to know what he wanted to say. He smiled and said, ¡°No problem, just keep speaking.¡± The disciple continued, ¡°In the 9 slightly larger storage pouches, there were a total of 432 spirit stones.¡± Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t gone through the storage pouches one by one since it was too much of a hassle. He figured that with Passing Sin Peak¡¯s marketplace¡¯s reputation as the number 1 marketplace in Mingxin Mountain Range, they wouldn¡¯t break anyone¡¯s trust over a few spirit stones. The middle-aged man nodded and asked, ¡°According to our usual practices, how many spirit stones does it come out to in total?¡± "" The disciple replied, ¡°Excluding that high-grade Spirit Tool which doesn¡¯t have any seals, it comes out to 1,690 spirit stones in total.¡± ¡°Young sirs, did you want to sell that high-grade Spirit Tool? If you want to sell it, we¡¯ll count it as 200 spirit stones,¡± the middle-aged man asked, turning towards them. Bai Zhehua was holding onto his teacup, dumbstruck. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu¡­¡± Bai Zhehua started, turning to look at Xu Disheng with a wry smile. Clearly, he had thought that Xu Disheng only managed to steal a few storage pouches, and that was it. After all, Xu Disheng had only tossed a single storage pouch over to the middle-aged man earlier, and that middle-aged man hadn¡¯t mentioned any specific numbers before handing it over to the disciple for inspection. Xu Disheng nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll sell it off along with the rest. There¡¯s no need to make inventory of the spirit stones for now. Do you have any Magic Treasures here at the Spirit Karma House?¡± The smile on the middle-aged man¡¯s face widened. He tossed over a fancy record jade slip, then turned to a disciple and said strictly, ¡°Bring out the good tea for this valued customer of ours.¡± With a strained smile on his face, Bai Zhehua said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, you even want to buy a Magic Treasure? From the time that I entered the Peak until now¡­ My father only agreed to give me an ordinary Magic Treasure after I entered the Dao Foundation stage¡­¡± ¡°In the main tournament, if I don¡¯t have a Magic Treasure in hand, it¡¯ll be difficult to reach the top 100, ¡± the youth replied with a sideways glance at Bai Zhehua, laying bare his goal in entering the tournament for the first time. ¡°The top 100?!¡± ¡°Top 100 in the tournament? At the early Sea of Qi stage?¡± Bai Zhehua and the middle-aged man shouted out at the same time, completely astounded! In this short period of half a day, Xu Disheng had given him one surprise after another. By this point, as the only son of a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse, even Bai Zhehua was only just starting to get used to it. CH 91 Chapter 91 ¨C Three Approaching Divinity Stages The gleam in the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes grew brighter. ¡°I was just joking earlier, but if these storage pouches were all collected by you alone in the Mirror Ocean, the top 100 shouldn¡¯t be hard for you!¡± he said. Xu DIsheng just tossed the record jade slip back to him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take that Magic Treasure, the Yin Yang Diagram.¡± The middle-aged man nodded and said, ¡°You have good eyes! The offensive power of this Yin Yang Diagram is only slightly lower than that of top-grade Magic Treasures. It costs 2,000 spirit stones. You¡¯ll still need to pay 310 spirit stones in taxes, but¡­¡± He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Since you¡¯re being this magnanimous, it would be too stingy of my Spirit Karma House to fuss over every inch. We can do away with 100 spirit stones, so you¡¯ll only need to pay 210 spirit stones in taxes.¡± Xu Disheng turned and said to Bai Zhehua, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Bai, could I borrow 100 spirit stones for now? I only have a little over 100 spirit stones on me right now.¡± The moment Bai Zhehua heard that Xu Disheng wanted to buy a Magic Treasure worth 2,000 spirit stones, he was even more stunned. The teacup in his hand had been frozen in place for a while now. After a moment, he came back to his senses and replied hurriedly, ¡°Ah, what? You¡¯re short on spirit stones? How much do you need?¡± ¡°100 spirit stones,¡± the middle-aged man replied with a smile. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, don¡¯t worry about borrowing it. Just take them,¡± Bai Zhehua said. ¡°Thanks, Senior Martial Brother Bai,¡± Xu Disheng said lightly, taking the spirit stones that Bai Zhehua handed over to him and placed them into the storage pouch, where there were already over 100 spirit stones. He tossed the storage pouch over to the middle-aged man, who received it and walked down from his seat of honor, going back to the rear hall personally. The Yin Yang Diagram! It was worth 2,000 spirit stones, and was even more expensive than the Chunjun Sword, which had been on display in the Yunxia Pavilion on Canxia Peak. After a while, the middle-aged man came back out of the rear hall with a black and white orb of light floating above his palm. He tossed it over to Xu Disheng and said, ¡°If it¡¯s for your own use, you can refine it right now and imprint yourself as its master. This Magic Treasure has many wonderful functions, so you can take your time to explore its uses.¡± After refining the Magic Treasure and imprinting oneself as its master, it could be taken back into the sea of consciousness at any time. Unless the master died and the bond was released, it would be impossible for anyone to steal the Magic Treasure. Magic Treasures were a type of Magic Tool that only Divine Core stage Spirit Masters could refine. Most of them had many wonderful uses related to offense, defense, storage, flying, suppression, and so on. Less common were Magic Treasures that were primarily focused on one function, much like the Glorious Sun Bow that Xu Disheng had. Aside from offensive power, it had no other functions. Of course, that was also because the Glorious Sun Bow was just an ordinary Magic Treasure. The Yin Yang Diagram could be called an offensive-type, and it was just a smidgeon away from being a top-grade Magic Treasure, making it stronger than the Glorious Sun Bow by quite a bit. On the other hand, top-grade Magic Treasures were easily over 3,000 spirit stones. They also had no set market price, since there weren¡¯t multiple stocks of it in each marketplace like there were for ordinary Magic Treasures. Also, Divine Core stage Spirit Masters had no way of refining top-grade Magic Treasures. Only the almighty divine powers that could cross the three realms could refine them. The interdimensional space inside of the Yin Yang Diagram was extremely large. After Xu Disheng refined the Yin Yang Diagram, he took out all of the remaining contents of his storage pouches and dumped them into the interdimensional space. When the two of them left the Spirit Karma House, Bai Zhehua turned around. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu¡­¡± The moment he said that, the sound of a massive drum rang out from the skies! Gong! The people of the marketplace all looked up at the sky, looking for the source of the sound. Gong!! The second strike! It wasn¡¯t just in Passing Sin Peak. The entire Mingxin Mountain Range, and even the whole Shangqing Sacred Sect. The entirety of the Shan Mountain in the Dong Territory of the Human Realm and all of the people in the vast infinitude of the Human Realm heard the sounds of those two drum sounds coming from the heavens! Gong!!! The third strike! The sounds of heaven rang out, causing all living things to kneel. In the Mingxin Mountain Range, the Spirit Masters, who were still on top of the giant turtle on their chariots, raised their heads and looked towards the skies. Above the skies of Mingxin Peak, the floating palace of the two Mountain Masters began to emit terrifying fluctuations of aura. ¡°Heed the decree of the House of the Earth God from the Heavenly Court! All beings of the Human Realm at the Divine Sea stage, thou shalt immediately proceed towards the peak of Buzhou Mountain for ordination and the conferral of thy Divine Rank!¡± The big, imposing voice spread widely throughout the entire Human Realm. As long as they had even a shred of profound qi cultivation on their body, no matter if they were human, demons, ghosts, devils, or monsters, they all heard the words loud and clear! ¡°The House of the Earth God¡­¡± Feng Simiao, the Severing Meridian Spirit Master muttered, his expression complex as he gazed towards skies in the horizon. ¡°Severing Meridian Spirit Master, the Sacred Sect¡­ doesn¡¯t have any existences at the Divine Sea Realm, right?¡± Yu Xingchao, the Killing Heart Master asked, his expression calm as he stood at Feng Simiao¡¯s side. ¡°Right, in the last several tens of thousands of years, the House of the Earth God has only held one ordination. The only Divine Sea stage elder in the Sacred Sect at the time was appointed as a Rank 5 Divine General and left for the Heavenly Court.¡± When the heavenly sounds gradually faded, the Human Realm was in an uproar. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Bai¡­¡± Xu Disheng started, his gaze calm. "" ¡°Don¡¯t bother asking. Even I don¡¯t know what that was. I¡¯ve never heard of the ¡®Divine Sea stage¡¯ or the ¡®House of the Earth God¡¯,¡± Bai Zhehua said with a bitter smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go back now. This matter shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with us.¡± ¡°No, I was just going to say that you spilled your tea on your clothes,¡± Xu Disheng said, his voice just as calm as before. ¡°Ah, what?¡± Bai Zhehua hurriedly looked down. Someone like him who normally maintained such an elegant demeanor couldn¡¯t let something like that happen. He looked down and saw his clothes, still clean and unsoiled. Only then did Bai Zhehua remember that his Daoist Robe was imbued with the effect of the Clothes Cleansing Technique. How could he have gotten tea on it? In the last half a day, he had gone through so many surprises that he even forgot about that somehow. ¡°You!¡± Xu Disheng walked on ahead, a hint of a smile flashing across his face. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Severing Meridian Spirit Master, may I ask what the Divine Sea stage is exactly? Why do we not know about it, and have never even heard of it?¡± the Tranquil White Spirit Master asked after respectfully saluting to him. The Spirit Masters were still on their chariots atop the giant floating turtle. She had only ascended to the Divine Core stage in the last 1,000 years. Hearing her question, the other Spirit Masters all looked towards the Severing Meridian Spirit Master. Feng Simiao flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°Have you heard of the three Approaching Divinity stages?¡± ¡°I have only heard of the Primordial Spirit stage and the Spirit Avatar stage. Could it be that the three Approaching Divinity stages are what make up the Divine Sea stage?¡± the Tranquil White Spirit Master responded. ¡°Not bad, that¡¯s right. The first of the three Approaching Divinity stages is the Primordial Spirit stage, which I don¡¯t need to explain further about. The second stage is the Spirit Avatar stage, which you all might know of to some extent. In this stage, one can command the power of creation of heaven and earth to split the primordial spirit and make clones from each strand, increasing one¡¯s power by many times. At the peak of the Spirit Avatar stage, it is possible to split the Primordial Spirit into 9 clones, allowing one to destroy the mountains with the snap of one¡¯s fingers,¡± Feng Simiao explained. There was a hint of longing in Feng Simiao¡¯s tone as he spoke, ¡°Then at the Divine Sea stage¡­¡± He waved his sleeves, causing countless motes of light to appear in front of the Spirit Masters¡¯ eyes before continuing, ¡°Every single one of these motes of light is an avatar. The Primordial Spirit becomes like the sea as the avatars proliferate widely amongst the world, turning one into an eternal existence that knows all under heaven.¡± ¡°Every several tens of thousands of years, the House of the Earth God in the Heavenly Court will hold an ordination for the beings of the Human Realm to record their Divine Rank, after which they will never return to this realm,¡± Feng Simiao said, finishing his explanation. ¡°Thank you for clearing things up, Severing Meridian Spirit Master,¡± Tranquil White Spirit Master said, bowing again. ¡°No problem. In the tournament in the next few days, I¡¯ll have to leave it to you all. The Mountain Master just passed down an order, so I need to head for the Mountain Master¡¯s Domain,¡± Feng Simiao said. ¡°Please go on ahead then,¡± the Spirit Masters said in succession. With a light wave of his sleeves, a six-petaled lotus appeared underneath Feng Simiao¡¯s feet. He flew away from the chariots atop the giant turtle, heading for the floating palace atop the skies above Mingxin Peak. CH 92 Chapter 92 ¨C Misty Lightwood ¡°Is Xu Disheng here?¡± A white-clothed youth asked, standing outside Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light at the Green Lotus Domain. He was only at the peak Sea of Qi stage, but he had an indescribable air of dignity and pride flowing about him. ¡°Good to see that you¡¯re doing well, Senior Martial Brother He,¡± Lu Zimo greeted, stepping forward with a smile. ¡°Did you and Xu¡­.Junior Martial Brother Xu know each other?¡± ¡°He Junyu? What is he doing over at Morning Dew Peak¡¯s place?¡± ¡°In this tournament, He Junyu is second only to those several geniuses who are at the half-step Dao Foundation stage. Maybe he has a problem with that disciple who ranked a little past 5,000th and still got 100 spirit stones?¡± The disciples of Morning Dew Peak whispered among themselves as they looked over in their direction. He Junyu swept a rough glance over the crowd. Not seeing Xu Disheng, his brows unconsciously furrowed. Lu Zimo stood there awkwardly, a somewhat stiff expression on his face. ¡°He Junyu, what¡¯s the matter?¡± There was only one Dao Foundation stage Deacon from Morning Dew Peak present at the moment, by the name of Tan Min. Seeing Lu Zimo in a tough spot, he had no choice but to speak up. He Junyu glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Only after seeing that it was someone at the Dao Foundation stage who addressed him did he open his mouth to reply. ¡°What, I have a personal matter to attend to,¡± he said in an aloof manner. Tan Min smiled and replied, ¡°No problem, you can go ahead with that.¡± But inwardly, he had already cursed He Junyu a thousand times over. Who said he could be this arrogant just because his father is a Divine Core stage Spirit Master? Tan Min thought to himself, silently venting his anger. However, he would definitely never dare to say that out loud. Just what kind of person was the Celestial Tide Spirit Master, He Wenshu? Tan Min was just an insignificant Dao Foundation stage cultivator. The Celestial Tide Spirit Master could crush him with a single finger if he wanted to. He Junyu shook his head. Just as he was about to leave, he looked up and saw two people land in the Green Lotus Domain off in the distance and were currently in the process of having their jade identity tablets checked. One of them was none other than Xu Disheng, the person that he had met at Spiritual Medicine Pavilion who also cultivated the Azure Ocean cultivation method. He Junyu hopped on a Magic Treasure sword of light and flew directly over to the edge of the domain. In the Green Lotus Domain, flying was forbidden. However¡­ Because of his identity as the son of a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, the Disciplinary Hall disciples would turn a blind eye to him flying a little bit, especially since it wasn¡¯t time for the main tournament yet. ¡°Xu Disheng?¡± He Junyu asked in a confident tone. His sword of light was extremely fast, so he arrived in front of Xu Disheng in no time at all. ¡°Senior Martial Brother He?¡± Bai Zhehua said, astonished. He Junyu was one of the top ranking geniuses in the Mingxin Mountain Range, so Bai Zhehua definitely knew of him. He Junyu didn¡¯t even spare him a glance, only directing his gaze at Xu Disheng as he spoke, ¡°I saw you once at the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion a while ago. Afterwards, I had people investigate the matter and found that Qingxin had been banished to the Secret Realms. That Azure Ocean cultivation method, was it given to you by him?¡± Xu Disheng had previously purchased a jade slip that recorded the portraits and introductions of the Sea of Qi stage geniuses of the Mingxin Mountain Range, so he knew that this person was the son of the Celestial Tide Spirit Master, He Wenshu. After thinking for a moment, he replied, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He Junyu nodded slowly as if he was sizing up Xu Disheng. ¡°Demonstrate it for me.¡± Xu Disheng raised his gaze slightly to look at him and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve only cultivated it up to the Summon Rain form.¡± He nonchalantly made a hand symbol in his left hand, causing a cyan droplet of water to appear in midair, emitting a strong aura of corrosion. ¡°The Corrosion Incantation? The Summon Rain form can be used like this?¡± He Junyu muttered in surprise. He also condensed a raindrop, but as it revolved in midair with a pure aura of profound qi, it appeared entirely different. It was clear and transparent and clad in a concentrated water elemental energy. ¡°You were once the disciple of Qingxin, so you can be considered to have some karmic ties with my father. If you ever need something in the future, you can come find me,¡± He Junyu said curtly. He didn¡¯t speak further, simply tossing over a message jade slip before riding his Magic Treasure sword of light off into the distance. Bai Zhehua watched the sword of light as it disappeared off into the distance, his tone filled with envy and admiration. ¡°That¡¯s Senior Martial Brother He¡¯s top-grade Magic Treasure, the Light Cloud Sword. Earlier, when I saw you use the Azure Ocean cultivation method, I guessed that you might have history with the Celestial Tide Spirit Master, but I didn¡¯t think it was really true. Junior Martial Brother Xu, you¡¯ve really been giving me one surprise after another,¡± Bai Zhehua said. Xu Disheng grabbed hold of the jade slip, seeming to recall the past events that occurred in the Chu Territory. After a moment, he came back to his senses and replied indifferently, ¡°The Azure Ocean cultivation method¡­ was just something given to me by someone else. It¡¯s nothing to boast about.¡± The image of Daoist Lord Qingxin flashed through his mind as he thought back to Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s mood at the time. He could tell from this that perhaps he wasn¡¯t as indifferent as he always appeared to be. Xu Disheng had been in his pagoda at the time, and was about to step down the stairs. ¡°Hold on, take this cultivation method to protect yourself.¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin seemed to have pondered for a long time before tossing over that jade slip. Perhaps he had been hesitant. But he was someone who was a banished disciple, a Sea of Qi stage cultivator, and an outer disciple who hadn¡¯t even passed the Mountain Entry Examination. As someone who even had to pay 1 spirit stone to ride on Daoist Lord Shangyuan¡¯s Spirit Cloud to get to the Central Imperial Province¡­ What could he pass down? What could he even offer to his disciple? Even Daoist Lord Qingyu had given Xu Disheng his Muddy Heart Jade, which he had received from the sect, as a gift. Daoist Lord Qingxin had been framed by someone else and trapped inside this cage, and was now all alone in this world. All he had on him that he could offer was the complete Azure Ocean cultivation method. ¡­ ¡­ Two days passed by in the blink of an eye. In the center of the Green Lotus Domain, 10 giant arenas had already been set up. Each of the arenas was around 100 meters in diameter and was covered in a barrier of light. The three great suns rose up into the morning sky, casting golden sunlight off the surface of Lotus Lake. The brilliant sunlight shone upon the seemingly bottomless water of the lake, causing scintillating waves of light to reflect forth. Rippling halos of light gleamed off the surface of the water, bathing the Green Lotus Domain in a beautiful shade of gold. The massive spirit beast turtle, covered in clouds and mist, was still floating over the nearby adjacent Mingxin Peak, high above the Green Lotus Domain. Upon the chariots, the Killing Heart Spirit Master, Yu Xingchao, said, ¡°At 10 AM, the Sea of Qi stage main tournament will begin. Peak Master Tao, you will be the host.¡± Although his voice wasn¡¯t loud, it resonated throughout the entire Green Lotus Domain, causing all of the whispering disciples to immediately quiet down. Next to him, there was a middle-aged man standing respectfully in attendance. He bowed and said, ¡°As you command, Killing Heart Spirit Master.¡± He was none other than the Peak Master of the 29th ranked Piling Peak, Tao Yuanbai. Tao Yuanbai went forward and stood on the shoulder of the giant spirit beast turtle. He looked down at the entire Green Lotus Domain below and announced in a clear voice, ¡°Ten opponents will be randomly selected each time to come forward and take on their opponent from the top 10 rankers.¡± He gazed at the several hundred circles of light containing several tens of thousands of disciples and continued, ¡°Ranks 1 to 10 in the first match of the Sea of Qi division, please proceed to the arenas.¡± When he finished speaking, several brilliant rays flew out from the circles of light and went to each of the ten arenas. The person who placed 5th in the first match was none other than He Junyu, the son of the Celestial Tide Spirit Master. Tao Yuanbai swept his left hand through the void, causing a light screen to appear next to the giant turtle. On the screen, there were 10 numbers. Tao Yuanbai glanced over at those numbers and said, ¡°8,650th place, 9,700th place, 6.400th place, 3.536th place¡­ These 10 people, please proceed to the arenas and challenge your respective opponents.¡± The 10 disciples that had their names selected slowly flew up to the arenas with grim expressions on their faces. Everyone knew that the probability of being picked first out of the 10,000 people to go against the top ranked geniuses was incredibly small. However, as soon as they were selected, they had no choice but to accept that this was the end of the road for their run in this tournament. Next to each of the 10 arenas, there was a Dao Foundation stage Deacon standing guard. On the first place arena¡­. Yu Yangyao stood with his hands behind his back, indifferently watching the disciple fly over on his Spirit Cloud. Just as the Dao Foundation stage Deacon in charge of the arena was about to announce the start of the match¡­ ¡°Wait a moment! Senior Martial Brother Yu, Lord Deacon, I concede!¡± the disciple exclaimed, not even getting off his Spirit Cloud. After cupping his hands in salute towards the Dao Foundation stage Deacon, he immediately flew off on his Spirit Cloud. The disciples in the audience all hissed and booed. ¡°Rank 1 vs. Rank 8,500, match set. Rank 1 victory,¡± the Deacon announced as he recorded it down in the record jade slip. The same thing happened in the other arenas. It was only in the third place arena that the rank 640 disciple sent out a move to try and test the strength of Ke Yue, who had placed 3rd in the first match. Ke Yue was at the half-step Dao Foundation stage, and he was also a disciple of the Celestial Tide Spirit Master. He was considered among the top 4 geniuses in the Mingxin Mountain Range. He was about on par with Bai Zhaoyun and second only to Yu Yangyao and Jian Liangbi. However, he would occasionally receive veiled criticism simply because he originally came from the Secret Realms. Now that there was actually someone openly looking down on him, Ke Yue couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit of anger rising within him. With a casual wave of his hand, a mundane-looking withered branch flew out and crashed into the disciple, sending him flying several hundred meters out. The disciple landed in Lotus Lake, his life or death uncertain. CH 93 Chapter 93 ¨C First Battle! ¡°That¡¯s the top-grade Magic Treasure, Misty Lightwood!¡± ¡°Ke Yue really deserves his name, being able to suppress Bai Zhaoyun.¡± ¡°Hah, he¡¯s just relying on the power of his Magic Treasure.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Ke Yue turned around and stepped on his withered branch, ignoring the gazes of the disciples in the audience as he flew back to Star Talisman Peak¡¯s circle of light. With a casual point of Tao Yuanbai¡¯s finger, the screen of light next to the giant turtle changed, showing 10 more new numbers. ¡°Ranks 11 to 20 in the first match of the Sea of Qi division, please come up to the arenas,¡± Tao Yuanbai said, pointing at the 10 numbers on the light screen. ¡°6,545th place, 1,360th place¡­ These 10 people, please proceed to the arenas and challenge your respective opponents.¡± Because of the large disparity in strength early on in the competition, no casualties had occurred so far. Most of the disciples that went up to the stage immediately surrendered. There would occasionally be a few people who wanted to feel out the skills of the people in the top part of the ranking, but all of them would be easily defeated without exception. Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light was closest to the 4th arena. Xu Disheng had already seen 10 battles so far, and in practically all of the fights at the top of the ranking, there were high-grade Spirit Tools appearing left and right. There were also people who directly took out Magic Treasures and crushed their opponents with a single move in a dull and tasteless fashion. ¡°Ranks 121 to 130, please come up to the arenas,¡± Tao Yuanbai said as he waved his hand, causing new numbers to appear on the light screen. ¡°1,456th place, 5,765th place¡­ These 10 people, please proceed to the arenas and challenge your respective opponents.¡± ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu,¡± Bai Zhehua said, turning his head. Xu Disheng nodded slightly. Under the gazes of everyone from Morning Dew Peak, he rode on his black Spirit Cloud and flew over to the 2nd arena. "" On the 10 arenas, 120 battles had already taken place in total. Without exception, every single winner so far had been those 120 people who had first gotten on stage. Xu Disheng¡¯s opponent was ranked 122nd and was a frivolous-looking man dressed in black robes. After he flew onto the stage in a scarlet beam of light and saw Xu Disheng putting his black Spirit Cloud away, he laughed and said, ¡°What are you doing putting your little black cloud away? You¡¯re not gonna surrender and fly away?¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t even look at him. He simply turned his head to the Deacon next to the stage and asked, ¡°Deacon, can we start?¡± The Dao Foundation stage Deacon glanced at him and said, ¡°You may start.¡± Seeing Xu Disheng ignoring him, a sullen look appeared in the black-robed disciple¡¯s eyes. But just as he was about to speak, Xu Disheng pulled the Frozen Spirit Sword out from the Yin Yang Diagram, causing it to appear in his hand. With a casual swing, a bone-chillingly cold sword light flew out and slashed towards the black-robed disciple . A glimmering black chest armor appeared on the black-robed disciple¡¯s body, which was clearly a high-grade Spirit Tool. A barrier of light appeared over the armor, blocking the blue sword light. ¡°A sneak attack? Unfortunately, the attack power was a bit too weak,¡± he said coldly. Just as the black-robed disciple finished speaking, he suddenly heard a ¡®zizi¡¯ sound in his ears. When he turned to look, he found that when the blue sword light faded away, it didn¡¯t actually disappear completely. Instead, it turned into blue motes of light that attached to the armor¡¯s barrier of light, emitting an aura of corrosion as it slowly wore away at it. ¡°The Corrosion Incantation? Just a trifling technique,¡± the black-robed disciple scoffed, not paying it any mind. When he poured more profound qi into the barrier, the armor glowed with a radiant light and dispelled the aura of the Corrosion Incantation. A red battle saber appeared in the black-robed disciples¡¯ hands, then quickly cast a footwork technique and charged towards Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng activated the Soul Suppressing Vestment, causing a black barrier of light to appear around his body. He swept his sword out horizontally and muttered, ¡°Amassing Water.¡± The two blades crossed! The icy blue sword light collided with the red radiance, but the red side appeared to be superior by a notch. However, the black-robed disciple didn¡¯t show any signs of celebrating. He was originally a disciple who mainly focused on body refining cultivation methods. In that clash just now with the icy blue sword light, he had imagined that he would cut right through and leave Xu Disheng either dead or seriously wounded. But at this moment, even though Xu Disheng was forced back several steps, there wasn¡¯t much leftover momentum in the black-robed disciple¡¯s attack. The blade landed on the black barrier of light surrounding Xu Disheng¡¯s body, but it only caused a few ripples to appear on its surface. An early Sea of Qi stage disciple can have this much protective power? The black-robed disciple thought to himself, doubtful. But he didn¡¯t think too much about it and activated his footwork technique again, wanting to get in an attack to make up for the last trade of blows. However, he suddenly found that his body felt unusually slow, as if he was moving in molasses. When he looked down, he found that his feet were already submerged in a puddle of water. There was a strong attraction force coming from the puddle, cutting his speed down significantly. Xu Disheng put away the Frozen Spirit Sword. A small imperial seal appeared in his hands a moment later, which he immediately tossed towards the black-robed disciple. The small imperial seal grew in size as it flew through the air. Before long, it had already grown to the size of a house, smashing down directly over the head of the black-robed disciple, who was still stuck in the puddle! It was the high-grade Spirit Tool, the Severing Spirit Seal! The black-robed disciple had to spend two breaths of time before he could struggle free of the binding puddle of water. By that point, the Severing Spirit Seal had already arrived above his head, leaving him no time to avoid it. He clenched his teeth and poured in as much profound qi as he could into the armor on his body. The barrier around his body became even more corporeal as he prepared to take the attack head-on. Boom! The Severing Spirit Seal crashed ruthlessly into the arena. Soon after, it shrunk back to its original size and flew back to Xu Disheng¡¯s hand. The black-robed disciple was left in a somewhat disheveled state. As he stood there in the middle of the arena, it was clear that the barrier from the armor on his body had dimmed by a lot. ¡°Brat, I¡¯ll have you know¡ª¡± However, as soon as he lost the decisive moment of the battle, he could only continue to be pushed around at every step. Before he could finish speaking, three cyan droplets of water emitting a concentrated aura of corrosion fell over his head! This time, the strength of the Corrosion Incantation was several times greater than it had been on the first sword light! The expression of the black-robed disciple changed greatly. He immediately took a round drum out from his storage pouch and hurriedly activated it, using it to protect the area above his head. The three droplets of water immediately pierced through the thinned barrier from the armor and came into contact with the round drum! ¡°Amassing Water, Arrow Form.¡± The sound of the youth¡¯s indifferent voice was no different from a death sentence in the black-robed disciple¡¯s ears! He was still busy dealing with the water droplets above his head when ten water arrows condensed in the air along with Xu Disheng¡¯s utterance. In the next moment, the arrows all rushed towards him! ¡°I admit d¡ª¡± the black-robed disciple started, unable to finish his words for the nth time. But before he could even spit out the three words to admit his defeat, the ten water arrows smashed ruthlessly into his body! Even though the protective power of that round drum wasn¡¯t bad, after dealing with the three cyan droplets of water, it didn¡¯t have any power left to block the water arrows. The black-robed disciple spat up blood as he flew out of the arena, landing unconscious amidst the crowd in the Green Lotus Domain. Thanks to the defensive high-grade armor Spirit Tool that the black-robed disciple was wearing on his body, most of the power from the water arrows was mitigated, narrowly saving him from death. However, the powerful force of impact still sent him flying out of the arena. The protective barrier around the arena was under the control of each Deacon standing by the arena. However, its function wasn¡¯t to protect the people inside the arena, but rather to prevent any collateral damage between the contestants from leaking out and affecting the audience outside. If a contestant was about to be flung out of the arena, the protective barrier surrounding the arena would dim and let them fly out, and their defeat would be decided soon after. ¡°Err¡­ Rank 122 vs. Rank 5,675, match set. Rank 5,675 victory!¡± the Deacon in charge of the arena announced, his expression colored with shock. This was the first time that a disciple near the top of the rankings had suffered a defeat in this arena! And he had lost to an early Sea of Qi stage disciple who had only gotten 5,765th place in the first match? ¡°What? Zhong Kang was defeated by an early Sea of Qi stage disciple?¡± The moment the Deacon announced the result of the match, all of the disciples standing by the nearby arenas all crowded around and asked the nearby disciples who had watched the match. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Zhong Kang placed 122nd in the first match, and he was an elite disciple! He even had several high-grade Spirit Tools! How could he lose to an early Sea of Qi stage disciple?¡± ¡°That early Sea of Qi stage disciple¡­¡± The disciples who had been watching the 2nd arena from the sidelines had complex expressions on their faces. Next to him, another disciple continued where that other person left off. ¡°That early Sea of Qi stage disciple¡¯s battle sense was amazing! He first took advantage of the fact that Zhong Kang was underestimating him to make him get closer. After blocking Zhong Kang¡¯s first attack, he immediately used an incantation to bind him where he stood. Then, he took out a high-grade Spirit Tool to attack him and followed up with two techniques after that, gaining the upper hand! At the beginning, Zhong Kang underestimated him too much. Once he was behind one step, he continued to fall further and further behind. In the end, he could only suffer a frustrating defeat!¡± ¡°In my opinion, it¡¯s also because Zhong Kang was a body refinement expert, so he¡¯s better at close quarter combat. If it was a disciple who excelled in casting techniques, it definitely wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this!¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t forget that this disciple was only at the early Sea of Qi stage!¡± ¡°Those techniques he used¡­ weren¡¯t they from the He Clan¡¯s Azure Ocean?¡± ¡°It was similar, but there were some differing points.¡± ¡°This was also the first time a disciple in the top rankings suffered a defeat! What is this disciple¡¯s name? Which Peak does he belong to?¡± ¡­ ¡­ From his perch atop the giant turtle, Tao Yuanbai watched as Xu Disheng rode his black Spirit Cloud back towards Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light, then looked towards the Spirit Masters atop their respective chariots. Seeing that the Celestial Tide Spirit Master, He Wenshu, still had his eyes closed in cultivation, seemingly oblivious of the events taking place below, Tao Yuanbai kept quiet. He only silently remembered Xu Disheng¡¯s appearance before continuing to host the event and announce the following matchups. CH 94 Chapter 94 ¨C Wager The time it took for Xu Disheng to finish the fight wasn¡¯t long; it was only about 10 breaths of time. When he landed in Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light and put away his black Spirit Cloud, he looked straight ahead, causing his expression to turn somewhat strange. The Peak Master, Lu Changge, was looking at him with a wide smile on his face. Bai Honghua and the other Dao Foundation stage disciples were also looking at him with burning gazes. ¡°What is this child¡¯s name?¡± Lu Changge asked, turning his head to address Bai Honghua at his side. Even though he had given him spirit stones earlier, he hadn¡¯t asked for Xu Disheng¡¯s name. With this inquiry, it was clear that Xu Disheng had thoroughly piqued his interest with this battle. ¡°His name is Xu Disheng,¡± Bai Honghua answered respectfully, slightly bowing his head. Lu Changge nodded slightly, turning back to face him. ¡°Xu Disheng, not bad! After winning that fight, you can already be considered to be in the top 5,000 in the main tournament! And you¡¯re only at the early Sea of Qi stage too!¡± ¡°Thank you, Peak Master,¡± Xu Disheng replied with a bow. But on his face, there was no sign that he was pleased with himself. After thinking for a moment, Lu Changge continued, ¡°I estimate that with the battle prowess you showed just now¡­ if you manage to not run into any of the top 100 disciples, it won¡¯t be hard for you to reach the top 500 in the end. If you need any cultivation resources, feel free to let me know! I¡¯m willing to give a high-grade Spirit Tool or something of equivalent value.¡± Xu Disheng raised his gaze and asked, ¡°Peak Master, I need some Qi Boosting Pills. Would it be possible to¡­?¡± "" Lu Changge nodded and addressed to his side, ¡°Lu Zimo, go get 5 Qi Boosting Pills for him,¡± Then, he turned back to Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Go on and get a good rest before the next round then.¡± ¡°Thank you, Peak Master,¡± Xu Disheng responded. Once he entered the crowd of Morning Dew Peak disciples once more, Bai Zhehua immediately came up to him and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu! I thought you were going to use¡­that diagram, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be able to win even without it!¡± Seeing that there were other disciples coming closer, he swallowed the words ¡®Yin Yang Diagram¡¯. Even though he wasn¡¯t trying to deliberately hide his possession of this Magic Treasure, there was no benefit to revealing it early. ¡°Congratulations, Senior Martial Brother Xu,¡± a voice called out. Xu Disheng looked to the side. The person who spoke was none other than Li Dan. He was standing amidst the other disciples with a complicated expression on his face. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, congratulations!¡± a purple-robed man said, stepping out from the crowd of disciples with a cordial smile. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, this is Zhang Haobo. He placed 700th or so in the first match of the tournament,¡± Bai Zhehua said, introducing him. ¡°Many thanks, Senior Martial Brother Zhang,¡± Xu Disheng replied, not even acknowledging Li Dan¡¯s greeting. Instead, he got acquainted with the peak Sea of Qi stage disciples from Morning Dew Peak through Bai Zhehua¡¯s enthusiastic introductions. Regardless of whether they were being genuine or not, they all spoke up and congratulated him with smiles on their faces. Even Ge Sheng, who had once been at odds with Xu Disheng because of some spirit stones, congratulated him along with everyone else. Li Dan stood there all by himself, feeling somewhat lonely. Even though that small circle was just a few steps in front of him, it felt as if they were an entire world away. Next to him, a tender voice could be heard. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Li, Xu Disheng just had good luck. Just now, I heard from a senior martial sister from Falling Snow Peak that his opponent¡¯s name was Zhong Kang. Even though he was placed in the 100s or so, he was only focused on body refining. Next time, his luck won¡¯t be so good.¡± Li Dan turned to look at Lu Siwan, who was dressed in white robes and happened to be looking at him with a concerned look on her face. He calmly took a step away from her and said, ¡°Junior Martial Sister, behave yourself.¡± The tiniest hint of anger flashed through Lu Siwan¡¯s eyes, but she didn¡¯t lash out. Continuing with her gentle tone, she said, ¡°How about we get away from this lively place and go walk by the lakeside?¡± Li Dan didn¡¯t reply, instead turning around and directly walking away. Lu Siwan looked at Li Dan¡¯s retreating figure and secretly clenched her teeth. Li Dan suddenly came to an understanding. He finally realized that Lu Siwan was only leading him on by clinging to him every day. He didn¡¯t receive any benefits from her, and yet he¡¯d been acting in a muddle-headed fashion, slowly squandering the several dozen spirit stones he had in his possession on her. Not to mention, just a few days ago, he had even paid her an advance of 20 spirit stones just because she said that she wanted to buy a Spirit Gathering Pill. But today, after seeing Xu Disheng making broad strides forward and conversing with those peak Sea of Qi stage disciples, he realized that in comparison, he was just like an ant who could only look up at him from the dirt. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t be brought to his senses by this! Li Dan¡¯s departure didn¡¯t arouse anyone¡¯s attention. Only Xu Disheng glanced at Lu Siwan, who was standing there, out of the corner of his eye. The atmosphere among the disciples of Morning Dew Peak was extremely harmonious. It was especially so among the small circle at the top of the social ladder. Zhang Haobo and several other peak Sea of Qi stage disciples were watching the matches going on in the nearby arenas with Xu Disheng and Bai Zhehua. From time to time, they would talk and converse amongst themselves. Atop the arenas, the battles were becoming more and more entertaining. As the rankings of the contestants on stage became lower, the contestants were more and more evenly matched. It even reached the point that some of the more clever disciples set up tables and started to call out and encourage people to place their bets. The rules of betting were very simple. They just had to bet on who would be the winner out of the two contestants! The atmosphere became even more festive. Around half of the several tens of thousands of disciples standing around watching the matches started to move around between the 10 arenas. If there were any competing disciples that looked promising, they would cast courageous bets! From time to time, there would be ecstatic disciples beaming with happiness as they raked piles of spirit stones into their storage pouches. There would be even more disciples who looked deathly pale. They had clearly gotten ahead of themselves after winning too much and bet a lot of spirit stones, but ended up losing all of it in one go. On the other hand, those who weren¡¯t interested in betting whatsoever would silently leave the Green Lotus Domain, riding away on their beams of light. Although Xu Disheng was chatting with several people, most of his attention was still focused on the arenas. There would be people who would take out giant puppets and crush their opponents. There were also other disciples who would throw out a handful of talismans, blasting their opponents off the stage before they could even react and protect themselves. There were even beast tamers who would blow on their flutes with cold expressions on their faces, summoning their spirit beasts to rush out and swarm their opponents. Bai Zhehua was also carried along by the mood and cast several bets, but in the end, he lost several dozen spirit stones and stopped betting with a bitter smile on his face. After no less than three full days, all 10,000 disciples had their respective turns and finished competing. Tao Yuanbai looked down at the complete record in the jade slip in his hand before stepping onto the shoulder of the giant turtle and announcing to the crowd below, ¡°This marks the start of the second round of the main competition of the Mingxin Mountain Internal Disciple Tournament. The 5,000 remaining contestants will be assigned to their respective arenas from before. Those at the lower end of the ranking will go up first and select their own opponents.¡± When he finished speaking, ten radiant beams of light spilled forth from his hand, landing in the hands of the Dao Foundation stage Deacons standing by each of the 10 arenas. The Deacon standing by the 2nd arena caught the jade slip and glanced at the contents within. The names of all the disciples who had emerged victorious on the 2nd arena in the last round were recorded within, still arranged according to their placement in the first match of the tournament, from the bottom to the top. Putting away the jade slip, the Deacon announced, ¡°8,675th place.¡± An early Sea of Qi stage disciple rode a white Spirit Cloud up to the arena and looked at the Deacon. ¡°What are you looking at me for? Select your opponent!¡± the Deacon said, sounding somewhat irate as he pointed over at the several hundred people standing to one side of the 2nd arena. These people had emerged victorious in the first round on the 2nd arena. The disciple had an ugly expression on his face. In the first round, he only managed to win because he was lucky enough to run into another early Sea of Qi stage disciple who had been ranked 9,000th or so. At the moment, most of the several hundred people standing off to one side of the 2nd arena were at the peak Sea of Qi stage. Only a scant few were at the early Sea of Qi stage. Finger trembling slightly, the early Sea of Qi stage disciple pointed at one person and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll choose you.¡± The disciple who had been chosen scoffed once, but he didn¡¯t say anything extra before hopping onto the arena. ¡°Start,¡± the Deacon said after seeing the two contestants squaring off against each other. The disciple who had been selected waved his hand, summoning two spirit beasts, which rapidly dashed forward. Both of them appeared to be at the peak Sea of Qi stage, causing the early Sea of Qi stage disciple¡¯s face immediately turned ashen. He called out, ¡°I admit defeat!¡± The beast tamer disciple lightly whistled and the two spirit beasts stopped their forward charge. When he turned around, the spirit beasts were sucked back into a gourd Spirit Tool. Then, he put the gourd Spirit Tool away and jumped nonchalantly back off the arena. The next several battles were all early Sea of Qi stage disciples who had placed near the bottom of the ranking in the first match. After they went up and selected their opponents, they all suffered defeat one after the other. ¡°5,675th place, come up to the arena.¡± Xu Disheng walked out from the crowd. He hadn¡¯t cultivated any body refining cultivation methods, so he summoned his black Spirit Cloud and flew onto the tall arena. ¡°Come on, place your bets! Place your bets here! This is the disciple who won against Zhong Kang in the first round!¡± The several hundred disciples who were waiting for their match were standing off to one side of the arena, while the other majority of the disciples were surrounding the arena in a tight circle. Seeing Xu Disheng go up to the arena, many people immediately set up tables and prepared to place bets. Most people decided to wait until Xu Disheng made his choice before placing their bets. CH 95 Chapter 95 ¨C Battling Jie Zizhuo TL: Sponsored chapter (1/4). Thanks for your support! Xu Disheng glanced at the crowd and casually chose a peak Sea of Qi stage disciple in the front row. ¡°What?! 32nd place in the first match, Jie Zizhuo!¡± ¡°Did he just randomly choose someone, or?¡± ¡°In the 2nd arena, not to mention the number 2 genius, Jian Liangbi, aside from the 12th place Liao Yuhe and the 22nd place, Cen Tianrui, the next strongest would be Jie Zizhuo!¡± ¡°Jie Zizhuo was born in Profound Heart Peak and is the junior disciple of Yu Yangyao, the number 1 genius in Mingxin Mountain at the Sea of Qi stage. Jie Zizhuo has been stationary at the peak Sea of Qi stage for many years now, but I heard that he could have broken through to the half-step Dao Foundation stage a long time ago if he wanted to!¡± ¡°He¡¯s clearly overestimating himself! I bet 30 spirit stones on Jie Zizhuo!¡± ¡°I bet 50 spirit stones on Jie Zizhuo!¡± The complexions of the several disciples hosting the betting market turned pale as they hurriedly called out, ¡°Stop, stop! We¡¯re not taking any more bets!¡± ¡°I bet 500 spirit stones on the early Sea of Qi stage disciple,¡± a light, breezy voice called out, prompting everyone to look over. A proud, white-robed disciple with a folding fan in hand waved his hand, and a large pile of spirit stones appeared on the desk of one of the disciples who was hosting the betting market. For a moment, that disciple stared blankly in shock, but that white-robed disciple raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°What is it? You won¡¯t accept my bet?¡± ¡°Huh? We¡¯ll take it, we¡¯ll take it!¡± that disciple said hurriedly, not even bothering to look carefully at that white-robed disciple¡¯s face. He just saw the big pile of spirit stones in front of him, and only thought to himself that he had met a complete idiot. ¡°He Junyu? What are you doing over here, not waiting over at the 5th arena for your challenge?¡± another disciple who was also wearing white asked, standing at the front of the nearby disciples. ¡°I figured there was no way anyone would challenge me this early in the tournament, so I decided to go and have a look around. It¡¯s just a few hundred spirit stones,¡± He Junyu said, walking forward and taking a spot next to Jian Liangbi. He smiled and continued, ¡°Anyway, did you place down a bet for good sport?¡± Jian Liangbi shook his head lightly. He didn¡¯t say anything and watched the two people in the arena. Jie Zizhuo flipped onto the arena. He looked at Xu Disheng without much regard and said, ¡°Do you really not know who I am? Who cares if you managed to get lucky and defeat Zhong Kang. By daring to pick me as your opponent, your run in this tournament is finished.¡± As someone who placed 32nd in the first match of the tournament, Jie Zizhuo was second only to the small group of geniuses at the apex of Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Sea of Qi stage disciples. Jie Zizhuo certainly had the right to be arrogant. Xu Disheng glanced at him and remained silent, waiting for the Deacon off to the side to open his mouth. ¡°You can start,¡± the Deacon said, giving Xu Disheng a long look as if he was pitying him. Jie Zizhuo just stood there as nonchalant as before. ¡°You¡¯re only at the early Sea of Qi stage, so I¡¯ll let you make the first move,¡± he said. Xu Disheng took out the Severing Spirit Tool and immediately sent it hurtling down at him! Jie Zizhuo just gave a slight smile and extended his palm. Profound qi spun in his palm and expanded outwards, transforming into a white disc of light above his head which easily blocked the Severing Spirit Seal. ¡°You dare to challenge me with only this high-grade Spirit Tool to rely on?¡± he scoffed. Even though he didn¡¯t say it, Ji Zizhuo was clearly angry about being challenged by Xu Disheng, a disciple who had only placed 5,000th or so in the first match. Xu Disheng remained as taciturn as before. He put away the Severing Spirit Seal and gazed pensively at the white disc of light above Jie Zizhuo¡¯s head. The defensive power of this high-grade Spirit Tool was extremely strong. It was even several times better than Zhong Kang¡¯s round drum Spirit Tool! ¡°If you won¡¯t make a move, then I will,¡± Jie Zizhuo said. He seemed to be in the mood to play around as he made a hand seal and sent a Shangqing Fierce Incantation at Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng activated the Soul Suppressing Vestment and a black barrier of light appeared around his body, effortlessly blocking the Fierce Incantation. After making a series of hand seals, more than 10 cyan droplets of water condensed above Jie Zizhuo¡¯s head! Jie Zizhuo seemed to be a bit surprised. ¡°Now this is a bit more interesting,¡± he said. The dozen or so cyan droplets of water fell down at a blinding speed, making a high-pitched whistling sound as they hurtled towards him. In practically the blink of an eye, they were already right above Jie Zizhuo¡¯s head. Jie Zizhuo raised his head to glance at the cyan droplets of water, then stuck out his right hand. With a single finger outstretched, the cyan droplets of water were suddenly suspended there, frozen in midair. The closest of the droplets of water was already trembling on the tip of Jie Zizhuo¡¯s finger. Jie Zizhuo suddenly pointed his right finger directly at Xu Disheng! The 10 or so droplets of water, clad in the aura of corrosion, flew straight towards Xu Disheng! Xu Disheng¡¯s expression turned grave. As he jumped backwards, the Frozen Spirit Sword appeared in his hand. He immediately unleashed a merciless slash at the water droplets that were whistling towards him! After a jarring series of ¡®zizi¡® noises, several droplets of water could be seen adhering to the Frozen Spirit Sword. The rest of the droplets of water had been sliced in half. But¡­ the aura of the sword had dropped by half, and it could no longer be used in this fight. Jie Zizhuo didn¡¯t give him time to breathe. A long saber instantly appeared in his hands, which he used to slash ruthlessly at Xu Disheng! It was the Magic Treasure, the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s Saber! A black saber light nearly 10 meters long, clad in an aura of destruction, swept towards Xu Disheng! ¡°It¡¯s over for this disciple. If he doesn¡¯t have a high-grade Spirit Tool to protect himself, he¡¯s going to die here for sure.¡± ¡°Did this early Sea of Qi stage disciple really not know who Jie Zizhuo is?¡± ¡°Jie Zizhuo must have really gotten angry, pulling out a Magic Treasure against an early Sea of Qi stage disciple.¡± All the disciples began to discuss spiritedly amongst themselves, and there were even people who looked over at the betting tables and started to calculate how many spirit stones they would be able to win. Even though the betting odds heavily favored Jie Zizhuo, some small earnings were better than nothing. At He Junyu¡¯s side, Jian Liangbi¡¯s voice drifted over, carrying a hint of playfulness. ¡°Junior Martial Brother He, looks like your 500 spirit stones are about to go to waste.¡± He Junyu¡¯s complexion didn¡¯t change, as if he had something up his sleeve. Faced with the rapidly approaching black saber light, Xu Disheng felt his scalp tingle. But even in the face of death, he didn¡¯t panic. He extended both hands, causing golden motes of light to appear and coalesce into a glorious golden longbow. The edge of the saber light was already inches away from Xu Disheng¡¯s body. He activated the Soul Suppressing Vestment, which let out an audible ghostly roar! A hazy shadow of a ghost rushed out from the Soul Suppressing Vestment and transformed into a pure black shield, colliding ferociously with the saber light! Boom! The saber light died out, but the pure black shield also shattered and transformed back into loosely scattered ghostly qi before returning to the Soul Suppressing Vestment. Jie Zizhuo had a look of surprise on his face, and felt a faint, sharp pain between his eyebrows. When he looked up, he saw the youth already letting go of the bowstring of a glorious golden longbow. An arrow, clad in the aura of destruction, streaked across the sky with a golden beam of light, striking the area right between Jie Zizhuo¡¯s brows! Xu Disheng only had three Destruction Arrows in total! Bang! A deafening metallic clang rang out. A stream of green light flashed between Jie Zizhuo¡¯s eyebrows, and in the next moment, a round-shaped jade slowly shattered into pieces and landed at his feet. Jie ZIzhuo had a furious scowl on his face. Clearly, that jade treasure had been extremely precious, but it shattered after blocking the full force of an attack from a Magic Treasure. When Jie ZIzhuo looked up again, he saw the youth nocking another arrow. A look of alarm surfaced in his eyes as he urged his white disc of light to envelop his entire body. Jie Zizhuo took out another defensive-type Spirit Tool as if he was aware that his current Spirit Tool wouldn¡¯t be able to fully block the power of the Glorious Sun Bow with the added might of the Destruction Arrows. It was a lotus platform that floated over his head, spilling forth light. After mulling over the situation momentarily, Jie Zizhuo unleashed another slash with the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s Saber. An even brighter black saber light, nearly 30 meters long and taking up almost half the length of the entire arena, swept towards Xu Disheng! Another arrow shot out from the youth¡¯s hands, leaving a stream of golden radiance behind as it pierced right through the white disc of light and collided with the lotus platform¡¯s barrier. The attack smashed the lotus platform into pieces along with its barrier, but the arrow was left with no further power at that point, dropping to the floor of the arena. Jie Zizhuo put away his broken lotus platform and lightly breathed out a sigh of relief. Seemingly confident in his own victory, Jie Zizhuo smiled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have a Magic Treasure¡­¡± Before he could even finish speaking, the black saber light that was approaching Xu Disheng suddenly vanished without a trace. Xu Disheng was completely unharmed as he uttered his first words since coming up to the stage. ¡°Did anyone ever tell you¡ª¡± After one black and one white halo of light appeared in the hollow of his palms, he clenched his fists tightly. The phantom image of a painting emerged above his head. The picture was entirely black and white, filled with the scenery of mountains and flowing rivers. ¡°¡ªthat you talk way too much?¡± Xu Disheng finished, uttering his second line. With a gentle swipe of his finger, the Yin Yang Diagram above his head let out a swipe of black. A black saber light flew out from the Yin Yang Diagram and zoomed towards Jie Zizhuo! It was none other than the saber light from earlier, which Xu Disheng had absorbed into the Yin Yang Diagram! It was a similar reversal of attacks like before, but instead of being cyan droplets of water, it was a saber light from the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s Saber being sent right back at him. Jie Zizhuo¡¯s expression changed greatly. He only had one offensive-type Magic Treasure, and the defensive-type Spirit Tools that were in his possession had already been exhausted. There was no way he could take this saber light head-on! Jie Zizhuo hurriedly backed up and swept out the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s Saber, sending out another saber light. But this time, it was smaller by a lot. That 30 meter saber light from earlier had been a sword technique, and was clearly something that couldn¡¯t be used readily. Boom! The saber light exploded and disappeared. Jie Zizhuo was left in a somewhat sorry state. His Daoist robe was in tatters, and he had an extremely guarded expression as he held onto his Heavenly Emperor¡¯s Saber. Xu Disheng laughed as the Yin Yang Diagram above his head let out another brushstroke! A massive black and white hand condensed into existence and grabbed at Jie Zizhuo. A bitter smile surfaced on Jie Zizhuo¡¯s face. He had no more strength to resist. He had no choice but to allow the gigantic black and white snatch him up and toss him out of the arena. ¡°Jie Zizhuo lost!!!¡± ¡°How could this be?!¡± ¡°Two Magic Treasures! That¡¯s gotta be worth at least 3,000 spirit stones!¡± ¡°What is this person¡¯s name?? Why have I never heard of him before?!¡± ¡°An early Sea of Qi stage disciple fought against 32nd place Jie Zizhuo and won! How is that even possible?¡± ¡°That Yin Yang Diagram¡­ It seems to be almost as good as a top-grade Magic Treasure! Jie Zizhuo¡¯s defeat wasn¡¯t unwarranted!¡± ¡°This youth is going to make it big! A new genius of the Sea of Qi division!¡± The Deacon standing by the arena was dumbstruck. The battle between the two hadn¡¯t taken longer than the time it takes one incense stick to burn, but it left him shocked beyond comparison. Even though he was at the Dao Foundation stage, he never would have guessed that Xu Disheng had two Magic Treasures on him! The Deacon looked down at the jade slip to confirm it once again before slowly opening his mouth. ¡°Rank 5,675 vs. Rank 32, match set. Rank 5,675 victory!¡± he finally announced. The several thousand disciples spectating from the sidelines went into an uproar once again. There had also been a huge number of people from the surrounding arenas who flocked over to watch after seeing Xu Disheng take out the Glorious Sun Bow. Countless gazes with varying expressions behind them fell upon the youth in the arena. ¡°These spirit stones¡ª¡± He Junyu said, walking up to the betting table and scooping up the 4,000 spirit stones on it. ¡°¡ªbelong to me.¡± The disciple hosting the betting table had an ugly expression on his face, and for a moment, he wanted to go back on his word. But then, he suddenly recognized who He Junyu was. His face turned deathly pale and he retreated back into the crowd without a word. CH 96 Chapter 96 ¨C Change TL: Sponsored chapter (2/4) Xu Disheng put away the Yin Yang Diagram. Relying on the faint connection remaining between the Glorious Sun Bow and the two Destruction Arrows lying on the ground of the arena, Xu Disheng extended his palm, causing the two arrows to fly back to his hand. One of the Destruction Arrows, which had collided with Jie Zizhuo¡¯s round jade treasure, had cracks spreading down its length from the tip. The entire arrow was on the verge of breaking, so there was no way it could be reused. Only the second Destruction Arrow that he shot out was still in good condition. Just as he put it away, he heard a clear voice in his ears. ¡°Looks like I was right to bet on your good fortune, Junior Martial Brother Xu. You really earned me quite a few spirit stones.¡± When he turned around to look, he saw He Junyu standing next to Jian Liangbi, his figure standing tall and slim below the arena. He happened to be looking over in Xu Disheng¡¯s direction with a smile on his face, fiddling with an interspatial ring on his finger. Xu Disheng came down from the arena and walked over to He Junyu. ¡°Senior Martial Brother He, don¡¯t you need to go compete?¡± Xu Disheng asked. ¡°It¡¯s fine. In the end, I¡¯m the strongest person in the 5th arena, so there won¡¯t be anyone challenging me for the moment,¡± He Junyu handed over the interspatial ring that he was fiddling with earlier and said, ¡°I was feeling the mood just now so I decided to make a little bet. I ended up winning a little over 4,700 spirit stones, so I decided to give you a little over 2,000 spirit stones out of it.¡± Xu Disheng knit his brows, not reaching out to accept the ring. ¡°Senior Martial Brother He¡­¡± he started. ¡°This amount of spirit stones is nothing to me. You¡¯ll be needing the spirit stones, so just take it,¡± He Junyu said. Xu Disheng took the ring and looked inside. He Junyu said ¡®a little over 2,000 spirit stones¡¯, but it definitely wasn¡¯t ¡®a little over 2,000¡ä. There were more than 2,700 spirit stones inside! Moreover, the interspatial ring itself was worth over 200 spirit stones! In the end, this was an investment of sorts. It was along the same lines as Bai Zhehua and his father investing in Xu Disheng. With his identity as the first son of a Divine Core stage Spirit Master and one of the top geniuses in the entire Mingxin Mountain Range, He Junyu would eventually come to rule a Peak at the very least. It was only proper for him to raise a group of people that could support him in the future. However, his standards were unusually high. In this time, he had only fostered 4 or 5 such people. And these 4 or 5 people that had caught his eye were all just like Xu Disheng, coming from humble beginnings but possessing incredible potential! In the records, Xu Disheng only had a Rank 6 Spiritual Root. It wasn¡¯t bad, but it wasn¡¯t great either. So why did he catch his eye? When He Junyu looked into the matter regarding Qingxin, he looked up Xu Disheng while he was at it and found that he had slain a half-transformed wolf demon while he was still at the Cleansed Meridians stage! Right after that, he went with Chen Xingzhou and ten other people on a mission and somehow emerged as the sole beneficiary. Once He Junyu looked closely at the implications of these events, he could easily determine that Xu Disheng had to have secrets on his body! What He Junyu wanted were exactly these kinds of people who had secrets and trump cards on them! After all, who didn¡¯t have their own destiny? Who didn¡¯t have secrets? The nearby disciples cast envious glances in Xu Disheng¡¯s direction. There were also many jealous stares, most of which came from people who didn¡¯t even have the qualifications to speak to He Junyu on equal terms. For example, before He Junyu came over earlier, Jian Liangbi had been standing alone. No one dared to come over and chat with him! Those who weren¡¯t in the same social circles couldn¡¯t interact easily. Even the disciples who were slightly lower in rank than that small group of geniuses at the apex of the social ladder still felt an indescribable distance from them. Xu Disheng stood with He Junyu for a while and watched several matches with him before taking his leave, returning directly to Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light. Just as he stepped away from the crowd, he heard a voice behind him. ¡°Wait up, Junior Martial Brother Xu.¡± It was Zhang Haobo, Bai Zhehua, and the several other peak Sea of Qi stage disciples from Morning Dew Peak. They had been spectating the battles from within the crowd, but Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t spotted them because there were simply far too many disciples. ¡°You actually managed to defeat Jie Zizhuo! You really deserve to be called the number 1 Sea of Qi stage disciple on Morning Dew Peak!¡± The one who spoke was Zhang Haobo, who was dressed in purple robes. His expression didn¡¯t waver as he layered on the flattery. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, we saw you talking with Lord He so we didn¡¯t dare to approach carelessly,¡± Bai Zhehua said, sounding excited. ¡°Anyway, we seriously didn¡¯t expect you to be able to win against Jie Zizhuo.¡± There was an implicit, unspoken meaning behind this sentence, which was ¡®I didn¡¯t think that you would actually have two Magic Treasures¡¯. But Xu Disheng himself knew that he had truly relied a lot on the power of the two Magic Treasures in that battle. If he didn¡¯t have them, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand even three moves from Jie Zizhuo. Of course, that was only if he didn¡¯t use Soul Song. However, the increase in combat power that a Magic Treasure brought to a Sea of Qi stage disciple was too immense, allowing one to ignore the gap in profound qi cultivation to a certain extent. If the usage of Magic Treasures wasn¡¯t allowed, how could he have won? The number 1 genius of the Mingxin Mountain Range, Yu Yangyao, had three Magic Treasures that were widely known, which were the Coiling Serpent, the Essence Tassel Armor, and the Burning Sea Ruler, not to mention all the other hidden cards he had. He was the great-great-grandson of the Killing Heart Spirit Master, Yu Xingchao, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange even if he had 10 top-grade Magic Treasures. However, it wasn¡¯t possible to hold that many Magic Treasures in one¡¯s sea of consciousness with a Sea of Qi stage cultivation. Even at the half-step Dao Foundation stage, it was only possible to contain 5 Magic Treasures in the sea of consciousness. When they all returned together to Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light, the Peak Master, Lu Changge, rose from his seat and smiled widely. ¡°Xu Disheng, I didn¡¯t expect you to be able to fight against the 32nd place and actually win! Reward him with 500 spirit stones!¡± Next to him, Lu Zimo respectfully complied. Xu Disheng walked up to the Dao Foundation stage disciples and bowed slightly. Bai Honghua¡¯s complexion was somewhat complicated. Clearly, at the time when he gave Xu Disheng the Frozen Spirit Sword, he didn¡¯t imagine that he actually had two Magic Treasures in his possession! Even though there was a smile on his face, he felt a bit strange at heart. Xu Disheng could understand this though. At the time, he was just an ordinary early Sea of Qi stage disciple after all. It was already good enough for Bai Honghua to be willing to give him a common Spirit Tool with seals, which was worth over 100 spirit stones. In the Shangqing Sacred Sect, the rules were strict. Although Xu Disheng had two Magic Treasures in his possession, no one would dare to think twice about it. Even if there were people who were suspicious about where his Magic Treasures came from, there was nothing they could do. In the end, the Sacred Sect¡¯s perspective on the matter was exceedingly practical. The Magic Treasure belonged to whoever had it in their possession. Unless there was evidence that could clearly prove that the Magic Treasure was obtained through scheming or a violation of sect rules, the owners of their respective Magic Treasures would receive the protection of the sect. Xu Disheng returned to the crowd of disciples, but it felt entirely different from last time. Even Zhang Haobo and the dozen or so peak Sea of Qi stage disciples seemed to be a bit more careful when they spoke to Xu Disheng. The gazes from the other ordinary disciples were completely different from when he had just gotten 5,675th place in the first match. At the time, he had received questioning looks, disdainful stares, and disparaging gazes, but now, their looks were filled with envy, esteem, and even a hint of¡­ reverence. Having two Magic Treasures was one thing, but these ordinary Sea of Qi stage disciples might not even have a single high-grade Spirit Tool that was worth only several hundred spirit stones in their possession. If Xu Disheng wielded the Yin Yang Diagram and let out a casual brushstroke with it, he would be able to easily defeat 10 of these ordinary Sea of Qi stage disciples. But if there were people slightly superior to oneself, it could always breed jealousy and even resentment. Only Bai Zhehua treated him the same as ever. He patted Xu Disheng on the back and said smilingly, ¡°When you picked Jie Zizhuo, all of us thought you chose the wrong person. But we didn¡¯t expect that you really just didn¡¯t know who he was.¡± Another peak Sea of Qi stage disciple called Shao Liang spoke next. ¡°Yeah, your performance was really amazing. Jie Zizhuo¡¯s Heavenly Emperor¡¯s Saber is a pretty famous Magic Treasure among Sea of Qi stage disciples. The person himself also cultivates some unconventional cultivation methods. He stopped your Azure Ocean Summon Rain form with one of those unconventional cultivation methods.¡± He was referring to the time when Xu Disheng used the Summon Rain form to send over 10 cyan droplets of water at Jie Zizhuo, and he exerted control over them and sent them right back at Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng of Morning Dew Peak, early Sea of Qi stage. The cultivation methods in his possession include Celestial Tide Spirit Master He Wenshu¡¯s Azure Ocean cultivation method and the Corrosion Incantation. As for Magic Treasures, thus far it is only known that he has the Glorious Sun Bow and the Yin Yang Diagram. In terms of combat power, he is estimated to be at around 30th place in the Sea of Qi division. In the span of just one hour, Xu Disheng¡¯s basic information had already been recorded into the jade slips. With this, he was now truly standing on even ground with those other dozen or so Sea of Qi stage geniuses. However, he was only occupying one of the last few spots on the list. After all, aside from the smallest circle at the top, the second social circle below approximately included the 6th to 17th places in them, which was only about 10 people. All of those people had at least one top-grade Magic Treasure, in addition to one, if not two, common Magic Treasures. There wasn¡¯t much that could be done about this. The Sea of Qi stage was different from the Dao Foundation stage in that the quality of one¡¯s profound qi had a limited effect. At the Sea of Qi stage, almost all of one¡¯s combat power came from Magic Treasures and Spirit Tools. Even the importance of cultivation methods was slightly lower in comparison. But the Dao Foundation stage was different, where profound laws were the foundation. Most cultivation methods would only be considered to have reached a preliminary level once they had been cultivated to the equivalent of the Dao Foundation stage, upon which they would experience an explosive increase in might. Moreover, it was possible to utilize some of the power of heaven and earth at the Dao Foundation stage, which was why profound qi cultivation was especially important at this stage. After all, the higher one¡¯s cultivation of profound qi, the more power of heaven and earth they would be able to move. If the disparity between two opponents on this aspect was great enough, it was possible for one person to steamroll the other just based on this alone. Even though it was possible to make use of the full might of a Magic Treasure at the Dao Foundation stage, a Magic Treasure was nothing more than a means of support by that point. As a result, things were entirely different in competitions between the Sea of Qi stage and Dao Foundation stage, especially with regard to Magic Treasures. Although it was a bit imbalanced, it couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, the overwhelming majority of people didn¡¯t own a Magic Treasure. To top things off, the Sea of Qi stage was just a starting point. Anyone who could be called a genius definitely wouldn¡¯t stay at this stage for long. CH 97 Chapter 97 ¨C Thunderflame Pagoda? Nevermind! TL: Sponsored chapter (3/4). Last one for today, next sponsored chapter will come out with the regular chapter on Sunday. Enjoy! ¡ªCrescent Every person who went up to the arena would select an opponent who was slightly higher than them in ranking. The number of people slowly dwindled until there were only several people remaining who were still waiting by the arena for their matches. The disciple currently on stage already had no more options, and could only pick the disciples who were at the very top of the ranking. Zhuang Haoxuan went up to the arena, turning around with a bitter smile. ¡°Come on up then, Senior Martial Brother He. In this arena, there are only the two of us left.¡± There were several thousands of spectating disciples surrounding the 5th arena. Standing off to one side of the arena, there was a handsome youth, which was none other than He Junyu. ¡°Place your bets, place your bets!¡± ¡°Hurry and place your bets, He Junyu is going to take on the 15th place Zhuang Haoxuan!¡± There were several people calling out in lively tones for people to place their bets, but almost no one nearby was doing so. The surrounding disciples were all looking at the disciples who were hosting the betting tables with dissatisfied sneers on their faces. One person jeered out loud, ¡°You filthy bastard, placing a wager of 100 spirit stones on He Junyu will only win us 2 spirit stones? What the hell is up with these bettings odds?¡± The disciples who were hosting the betting tables had already made loads and loads of profit. Meeting the cold stares of all the other disciples, their faces became somewhat stiff. But there wasn¡¯t anything that could be done about these betting odds. He Junyu was the 5th place genius who was second only to those top 4 half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses, so he simply couldn¡¯t lose. He Junyu went up to the stage and said with a smile, ¡°We haven¡¯t had a go in a long time, Junior Martial Brother Zhuang.¡± The flames of Zhuang Haoxuan¡¯s fighting spirit were fanned by this remark. He responded in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t hold back, Senior Martial Brother He. Let¡¯s have a good fight.¡± After looking outside the arena and seeing the Deacon nod his head, a 1-meter longsword appeared in Zhuang Haoxuan¡¯s hand. The entire blade was a brilliant blood red and had a single crimson feather hanging from the pommel of the sword. It was the top-grade Magic Treasure, Phoenix Plume! He Junyu retracted his playful expression. He grabbed the void with his right hand and the Light Cloud Sword appeared in his palm with a burst of countless sky blue motes of light. The two of them were both sword users. The fighting spirit in Zhuang Haoxuan¡¯s eyes surged as he brandished his sword flashily. He flew forward with his sword and sent out a ray of brilliant crimson sword light while midair. ¡°Watch out, Senior Martial Brother He!¡± Several pretty female disciples below the arena squealed. They were screaming fanatically, and were clearly He Junyu¡¯s admirers. He Junyu¡¯s vision was filled with crimson radiance, so he couldn¡¯t tell where Zhuang Haoxuan was at all. HIs expression as unmoved as ever, the Light Cloud Sword danced lightly, leaving behind countless streaking phantom mirages. Within a short moment, an azure sword light fluttered out in front of him, separating the blood-colored light in two. Clang! Zhuang Haoxuan¡¯s figure, holding the Phoenix Plume Sword, reappeared before his eyes. When He Junyu¡¯s azure sword light clashed with the blood-colored sword light of the Phoenix Plume Sword, an ear-splitting metallic screech rang out. Every swing of their swords was marked by the collision of huge, sweeping sword lights, causing ripples to appear on the barrier surrounding the arena. As the blood red sword light and azure sword lights filled the entire arena, there would occasionally be sword lights several meters long flying wide and smashing into the barrier, making the disciples who were standing somewhat closer to the edge of the arena break out into cold sweat. These were sword lights from top-grade Magic Treasures! If one of the sword lights accidentally flew towards one of the disciples, even a high-grade Spirit Tool wouldn¡¯t be able to block it. They would only be able to take the slash and meet a gruesome death. ¡°Refreshing!¡± Zhuang Haoxuan exclaimed, quickly taking a step back. He took a Qi Boosting Pill, causing the blood red color of the Phoenix Plume Sword to turn even deeper. ¡°Senior Martial Brother He, if you can block this one last sword attack of mine, I¡¯ll admit defeat.¡± He Junyu also casually tossed a Qi Boosting Pill into his mouth. After that series of over a dozen sword lights, his profound qi was a bit depleted, even if he was approaching the half-step Dao Foundation stage. ¡°Fine,¡± he responded. The Phoenix Plume Sword in Zhuang Haoxuan¡¯s hand became even more dazzling as the phoenix feather tassel hanging from the pommel of the sword began to emit a faint glow. ¡°Phoenix Feather, Third Sword Form: Falling Feather.¡± The tip of Zhuang Haoxuan¡¯s feet left the ground as he levitated slightly into the air and held the Phoenix Plume Sword up high above his head. Suddenly, the magnificence of the blood red light rose sharply! ¡°Hm? You managed to comprehend the third sword form?¡± He Junyu said, sounding somewhat surprised. Every top-grade Magic Treasure was unique, and only almighty existences at the Primordial Spirit stage could refine them. Not only were the Magic Treasures themselves unparalleled in might, but they also came with extremely powerful cultivation methods which could be used with the Magic Treasure. The Seven Phoenix Feather Sword Forms was the cultivation method that came with the Phoenix Plume Sword. The highest level that could be comprehended at the Sea of Qi stage was the Phoenix Feather Third Sword Form. He Junyu¡¯s expression became more serious. A small pagoda appeared above his head, clad in scarlet flame, from which the occasional rumbling of thunder could be heard. ¡°That¡¯s the Psychic Magic Treasure, the Thunderflame Pagoda! Not only is it unmatched in defense, but its attack power is also unrivaled!¡± A nearby disciple exclaimed. ¡°He Junyu doesn¡¯t even care about face anymore! Once he brings this out, who could even break its defenses aside from those several half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses?!¡± Someone who was rooting for Zhuang Haoxuan cried out resentfully. ¡°Senior Martial Brother He really is a big shot!¡± There were even more disciples whose gazes were dyed green with envy. The Thunderflame Pagoda was capable of offense and defense and had the convenient ability to suppress and absorb. Those at the Sea of Qi stage couldn¡¯t even display 10-20% of its full might. Zhuang Haoxuan, who was still channeling power, happened to spot the Thunderflame Pagoda above He Junyu¡¯s head. His complexion changed quickly as he said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother He, this is going a bit too far with the bullying.¡± Looking a bit awkward, He Junyu put the Thunderflame Pagoda away under the gazes of several thousand disciples and took out a silk cloth defensive-type common Magic Treasure. He smiled again and said, ¡°Go ahead then.¡± This Third Sword Form really did give him a bit of pressure, which was why he took out his strongest weapon, the Thunderflame Pagoda, before he even noticed it. By this point, the entire arena was shrouded in blood red splendor. Above He Junyu¡¯s head, there was a silk cloth Magic Treasure, spilling forth profound qi. ¡°Falling Feather, slaughter!¡± The crimson light that was filling the area condensed into a long, slender sword light that strongly resembled a feather. Once the blood colored light finished taking shape, a sonic boom resounded out. The sword light instantly appeared above He Junyu¡¯s head in the next moment, hacking down at his body! Boom! The silk cloth Magic Treasure¡¯s profound qi barrier was split open, filling the surroundings with a bright radiance. Residual waves of power continued to surge out from the impact, shaking the protective barrier surrounding the outside of the arena. The long, slender blood red sword light had only lost about half of its power. The remaining strength of the sword light was stopped right before He Junyu¡¯s body, unable to proceed any further. The disciples below all wore expressions of shock, clearly astonished by the power of the Falling Feather technique. After cutting right through a defensive-type Magic Treasure¡¯s barrier, it still had half of its power remaining! ¡°Look in front of Senior Martial Brother He¡¯s body!¡± a sharp-eyed disciple called out. In front of He Junyu¡¯s body, there were screens of water constantly taking shape in layers, emitting a pure water element aura. ¡°It¡¯s the Amassing Water form of Azure Ocean! Look at how quickly he could deploy that technique! Senior Martial Brother He¡¯s profound qi cultivation really is incredibly deep!¡± Another disciple said, noticing that He Junyu¡¯s hand was continuously forming hand seals, practically leaving behind afterimages. ¡°Senior Martial Brother He! Let! Me! Have! Your! Babies!!¡± Several female disciples cried out amorously, seeing He Junyu¡¯s calm and composed demeanor as he averted the crisis. They couldn¡¯t help squealing out affectionately as a hot and heavy desire for him gushed forth inside of them. The blood red sword light was blocked by the countless water screens. Each time it cut through a water screen, the power of the sword light would diminish by a bit. As He Junyu continued to form hand seals, the layers of water screens in front of him continued to grow in number until the blood red sword light was completely exhausted. By that point, there were still over 10 water screens remaining. ¡°Impressive, Senior Martial Brother He! What a tremendous display of profound qi control and cultivation base. I will wholeheartedly accept my defeat,¡± Zhuang Haoxuan said, panting as he kneeled on the ground with the Phoenix Plume Sword supporting him. Xu Disheng was also among those several thousand spectators watching the battle. He was extremely moved by the sight of He Junyu using only the Amassing Water form to resolve the Third Sword Form of Zhuang Haoxuan¡¯s Phoenix Plume Sword. How long hadn¡¯t he used the Amassing Water form? It could actually be used in this manner? Even after cultivating the Azure Ocean for over 10 years, it suddenly felt as unfamiliar to him as it did when he had first entered the sect! How could the renowned cultivation method of the Celestial Tide Spirit Master be simple? In his own hands, the first form of the Azure Ocean, the Amassing Water form, seemed pathetically weak. After coming to Morning Dew Peak, he hardly used it. Even though he had been using the full might of the second form, the Summon Rain form, it could only be used to break open the barrier of a high-grade Spirit Tool. In He Junyu¡¯s hands, even the most fundamental form could be used to block the killing move of a top-grade Magic Treasure! Although there was a disparity between the two in profound qi cultivation, the difficulty of this feat couldn¡¯t be denied! Experience with the cultivation method! Control over casting technique! And the comprehension of the form! Xu Disheng wordlessly retreated into the crowd, walking below the massive arch to the edge of Lotus Lake. He flew off on his black Spirit Cloud and left the Green Lotus Domain. There were now only 2,500 people left in the Sea of Qi division of the tournament. A little over ten days remained until the next round of the tournament, and it was about time he upgraded himself a little bit. CH 98 Chapter 98 ¨C Guangxi Province Although there were only 10,000 disciples participating in the tournament, almost all of the disciples had gone to the Green Lotus Domain to watch. On Mountain Affairs Peak, the usual bustling liveliness was nowhere to be seen. In Sect Affairs Hall, there were around a dozen disciples standing dispersed around the massive desk, occasionally picking up mission jade slips as they made their selections. Xu Disheng put down a jade slip, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. These basic mission rewards weren¡¯t very consequential to him anymore, and were pretty much just a complete waste of time for him. Whether it was picking spirit grass or delivering spiritual medicine, the rewards for these basic missions would only amount to around a dozen or so spirit stones, and required a lot of effort. These rewards that only gave him a trifling few dozen spirit stones weren¡¯t worth his precious 10 or so days before the next round of the main tournament. He went further along the massive desk in search for a mission with a more generous reward. ¡°You joined a Peak?¡± A surprised voice resounded out. Xu Disheng turned his head and saw that among the several sect affairs disciples behind the massive desk, there was an elegant white-robed youth looking at him with an astounded expression. It wasn¡¯t that his memory was that good. It was just that the last time he saw Xu Disheng here, he was only at the Cleansed Meridians stage outer disciple and was still unfamiliar with selecting missions, so he had a pretty strong impression of him. At the time, he had given him a few pointers and suggested he do some spirit grass picking missions. But in just a mere two years, that Cleansed Meridian stage outer disciple had already made it to the Sea of Qi stage and became a disciple of a Peak. Compared to ordinary disciples, this speed really was rather astonishing. Xu Disheng recalled that when he took the mission to go to Floating Moon Valley alone, this youth had spoken to him and given him some pointers. He nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I joined Morning Dew Peak.¡± The aura coming from the white-robed youth¡¯s body was clearly at the peak Sea of Qi stage. For him to be able to take up a post at Sect Affairs Hall, his background probably wasn¡¯t simple. By this point, most of the Sea of Qi stage disciples already recognized Xu Disheng. Even if they had never seen him before, they would have seen his phantom image in those newly recorded jade slips. But here, it was different. The disciples here weren¡¯t interested in the tournament in the slightest, and were only focused on silently cultivating. Even though these people were relatively few, almost all of them were the solitary type who practically never paid attention to the major events and happenings in the sect. Moreover, the tournament was only halfway through, so news about it hadn¡¯t completely spread around yet. It was pretty normal that the disciples here didn¡¯t recognize Xu Disheng. The white-robed youth¡¯s name was Luo Zheng. He nodded his head and asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t go to watch the Inner Disciple Tournament? If I didn¡¯t have this post to take care of, I would have gone myself to join in a bit on the fun. What mission are you thinking of taking this time? I can help you look for what you need.¡± On the massive table, there were many jade slips lined up in rows, twinkling with light. Every jade slip had over a dozen mission descriptions recorded within. The ones with more had over a hundred missions recorded within. If he were to slowly go through them by himself, it would take a lot of time. But if a sect affairs disciple helped with making a selection, it would be far quicker and more convenient, but their services would cost 1 spirit stone. Luo Zheng didn¡¯t know why, but he found himself offering to help Xu Disheng search for a mission without minding about the 1 spirit stone cost. After pondering for a moment, Xu Disheng said, ¡°A mission for slaying a Malicious Spirit stage ghost, or a mission related to water, either one is fine.¡± The last several times he came, he picked his mission from the jade slips by himself, so he didn¡¯t know that having a sect affairs disciple help you pick a mission normally cost spirit stones. ¡°Related to water? Looks like you must cultivate a water-related cultivation method,¡± Luo Zheng said insightfully. Slightly knitting his brows, he continued, ¡°Malicious Spirit? Malicious Spirit ghosts are equivalent to us Sea of Qi stage cultivators. It¡¯s really dangerous! You just entered the early Sea of Qi stage. What do you need to take such a big risk for?¡± But he didn¡¯t say more after that, taking out a dark green jade slip and beginning his search. Every single mission from Sect Affairs Hall was recorded within, and they were organized neatly into categories. Only sect affairs disciples had access to this searching method. This was yet another way for the Sect Affairs Hall to make some extra profit. After a while, Luo Zheng said, ¡°There are two water-related missions. One of them is a long term mission that can only be taken by someone at the Dao Foundation stage, and requires you to clean up monsters in the Zhaojiang River System. The other one can be taken by Sea of Qi stage disciples and requires you to gather spiritual medicine at the Zhaojiang River System. But I don¡¯t recommend you to take either of these. There are a lot of demons in Zhaojiang, and very few people go before the Dao Foundation stage.¡± ¡°Senior Martial Brother, what about any missions related to Malicious Spirit ghosts?¡± Xu Disheng asked. His objective in searching for missions in locations with water was so he could refine the Azure Ocean cultivation method. Clearly, the mission to gather spiritual medicine in the Zhaojiang River System was extremely dangerous, and there simply wouldn¡¯t be any opportunity to safely cultivate. Luo Zheng glanced at him as if he didn¡¯t expect that Xu Disheng really wanted to slay ghosts. He put down the dark green jade slip in his hands and said, ¡°There are ghosts running rampant on the outskirts of the Shan Mountain in the Guangxi Province. However, this is a medium-scale mission, and there are already around 10 disciples who have taken on this mission. If you want to go, you can contact them via your jade identity tablet in the morning two days from now and depart with the other disciples.¡± Since it was a medium-scale mission and there were this many disciples, there would surely be a lot of ghosts running rampant. Xu Disheng was trying to get the consciousness residing within the Soul Suppressing Vestment to grow and mature, which would require a large number of souls or ghosts, so this mission in the Guangxi Province was a good opportunity for him. ¡°Then I will take this mission,¡± Xu Disheng declared. Luo Zheng was a bit shocked, but he only opened his mouth and said, ¡°Pass me your jade identity tablet then. I¡¯ll assign the mission to you and provide you with the basic information about it. There¡¯s only one detailed mission jade slip, which is already in the possession of the two Dao Foundation stage disciples who took the initiative to spearhead this mission. In the morning two days from now, you should activate your jade identity tablet and rendezvous with the other disciples who took the mission.¡± Luo Zheng had already offered his suggestions, but if the other party wouldn¡¯t listen, then he wouldn¡¯t bother to needlessly try and persuade him further. After all, the two were just strangers who met by chance. But if he knew that Xu Disheng was a newly recognized Sea of Qi stage genius with two Magic Treasures on him, he wouldn¡¯t have spoken like this. Xu Disheng thanked him, then left Sect Affairs Hall while looking at the mission details. "" The Shan Mountains were located in the Dong Territory of the Human Realm, and were extremely vast. Although the name itself only referred to one region, there were several thousand sects of varying sizes in this area, of both human and demon varieties. The strongest two forces of these were the Shangqing Sacred Sect and the Ancient Nuwa Sect, both of which had countless years of inheritance behind them. Unknown ages ago, the two sects respectively birthed around a dozen Divine Sea stage beings, which maintained a delicate balance between the sects. Furthermore, each of the sects also had several hundred branch sects. Guangxi Province was located on the outskirts of the Shan Mountains. Within, there was an extremely small sect called the Miaohua Sect, which was made up of one Dao Foundation stage cultivator and several Sea of Qi stage existences. But in one night, the entire sect, several hundred strong, were massacred by ghosts. After it was discovered by a disciple from the Patrol Enforcement Hall, it was reported to Affairs Hall and classified as a medium-scale mission, requiring at least two Dao Foundation stage disciples to take the lead. Even though the Miaohua Sect was extremely small, it was still a branch sect of the Shangqing Sacred Sect which paid taxes to them every ten years. The branch sects helped to manage the land of mortals on behalf of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. But even though one of these branch sects had been almost completely wiped out by some unnamed ghosts, the chief branch of the Affairs Hall of Wenyuan Mountain wasn¡¯t all that concerned about the matter. He just raised the reward for this medium-scale mission and issued the mission to the Mingxin branch. The reason why the mission was allocated to Mingxin Mountain was simple. It was just because the Mingxin Mountain Range was relatively close to the Guangxi Province. CH 99 Chapter 99 ¨C Departure TL: Sponsored chapter (4/4) A young boy in plain cotton clothes raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his face. Seeing how dirty his sleeve was, he hesitated for a moment, but still decided to do so anyway. ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s so hot. How much longer until we can arrive at Miaohua Mountain?¡± A black-faced man sat at the reins, urging the horses on as he turned his head back to reply. ¡°Now you¡¯re complaining about the heat? Weren¡¯t you the one who insisted on coming in the first place?¡± The plain-clothed boy held tightly onto the wooden frame of the horse-drawn carriage, rocking and jolting with every bump on the road. ¡°How was I supposed to know that being on the road would be this difficult?!¡± he complained. Looking up at the sun¡¯s position in the sky, the black-faced man replied, ¡°Just hang in there a little bit longer. It¡¯ll be a lot cooler at night! Tomorrow, we¡¯ll just have to ride for another half a day and we¡¯ll be there.¡± He turned back around to look at the carriage full of wooden crates and said, ¡°The past few years, the harvests of Green Spirit Grass have really been plentiful. Even after taking out the 80% tax that we have to pay, our village is still left with quite a lot!¡± As the village chief, the black-faced man was evidently quite proud of the harvests of Green Spirit Grass in the past few years. The radiant sunshine of the three brilliant golden suns gradually disappeared. The black-faced man stood on top of the horse carriage to survey the area, finding that he could already make out the outline of the Miaohua Mountains off in the distance. However, he was also surprised to discover a black air shrouding the Miaohua Mountains. Compared to when he came here 10 years ago to turn in the taxes, the clouds and mist were completely different. But that was 10 years ago, so his memories of that time were already a bit hazy. The black-faced man didn¡¯t think too much about it. He picked up the reins once more, patting the head of the cloth-robed youth with his coarse, weathered hands. Like that, the father and son duo continued with their journey, laughing and chatting as they rode on. ¡­ ¡­ On a giant terrace in Mountain Affairs Peak, Luo Chengyi was surveying the surroundings. There were around 30 disciples gathered nearby. ¡°Brother Ying, there were around 40 disciples who signed up for the mission. There should still be around 10 who haven¡¯t arrived.¡± An elderly man with an amiable complexion smiled and replied, ¡°Brother Luo, it just passed 9 o¡¯ clock. Let¡¯s wait a bit longer.¡± Just as he finished speaking, several streaks of light landed on the terrace, and the people joined the crowd. One of them was a youth in a black Daoist robe with gilded sleeves who was riding on a black Spirit Cloud, attracting the gazes of the other disciples. After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, no further people showed up, causing the good-natured old man, Ying Wei, to furrow his brows. ¡°Brother Ying, there are still 5 people who haven¡¯t come. Let¡¯s not wait any further and depart then,¡± Luo Chengyi said, eyeing the jade slip. ¡°Fine,¡± he responded. ¡°You Sea of Qi disciples should all get into groups of three and ride together on one flying-type Spirit Tool per group so we avoid being too scattered. Follow closely behind us two so you don¡¯t get lost.¡± The Sea of Qi disciples all did as instructed, looking around at the disciples nearby them and forming groups to ride together. Xu Disheng took back out the black Spirit Cloud which he just put away when he heard a voice beside him say, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, can the two of us ride with you?¡± The one who spoke was a peak Sea of Qi stage disciple with a gentle tone of voice, his eyes lighting up when he saw Xu Disheng. The other person by his side was also a peak Sea of Qi disciple. He smiled and said, ¡°For the trip to and back, we can pay you 4 spirit stones each to make up for the transportation cost.¡± Xu Disheng lightly flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°No problem, come on up.¡± He turned his body slightly, gesturing to Zhong Zhengqing and Wei Tianhe to get on his black Spirit Cloud. When Wei Tianhe sized up Xu Disheng, the look in his eyes grew brighter. It looked like he wanted to say something, but held himself back. ¡°Junior Martial Brother, did you also not go to watch the Inner Disciple Tournament?¡± Zhong Zhengqing said, not recognizing Xu Disheng. He just thought of him as any ordinary early Sea of Qi stage disciple. ¡°Well, the Inner Disciple Tournament has a period of break before the next round, and there¡¯s still over 10 days until the next round,¡± Xu Disheng said flatly. Hearing these words, Wei Tianhe became even more certain of Xu Disheng¡¯s identity. Yesterday, a good friend of his who went to the Green Lotus Domain had sent him an information jade slip, telling him that an early Sea of Qi stage disciple had defeated the rank 32 Jie Zizhuo, and even had two Magic Treasures on him! That disciple¡¯s phantom image was also included, and it looked just like Xu Disheng! That was why Wei Tianhe pulled Zhong Zhengqing along with him and approached Xu Disheng so they could travel together. Zhong Zhengqing was someone who actually didn¡¯t care too much about the matters related to the tournament. He belonged to the kind of people who were always taking sect missions, so he was pretty much a solitary type. He and Wei Tianhe both belonged to Cening Peak. A few days ago, he found this medium-scale mission and saw that there were two Dao Foundation stage disciples taking the lead. Based on his intuition as a disciple who had been doing sect missions for many years, he sensed that this mission had a relatively lower risk and a fairly higher return than most, so he immediately chose to participate. After a short while, the 30 or so disciples formed around 10 groups, each with 3 people on a flying-type Spirit Tool. It worked better this way because the disciples on the mission wouldn¡¯t be as scattered, and the two Dao Foundation stage disciples wouldn¡¯t have to be responsible for the costs of over 30 peoples¡¯ flying-type Spirit Tools. Although people who owned flying-type Spirit Tools would go through more spirit stones, those who dared to undertake a medium-scale mission wouldn¡¯t be hurting over the 1 or 2 spirit stones required to fly them either way. Luo Chengyi looked at all of the Sea of Qi disciples and said, ¡°We will now depart. Erase the mission qualifications for the 5 remaining disciples who didn¡¯t show up.¡± After that, he got on a different flying-type Spirit Tool from the old man and lifted off first from the terrace, leading the way at a pace that wasn¡¯t too fast or too slow so that the Sea of Qi stage disciples could keep up. Xu Disheng moved his black Spirit Cloud forward alongside the other 10 or so flying-type Spirit Tools, shooting off into the sky after the two Dao Foundation stage disciples¡¯ trails of light. ¡°Junior Martial Brother, could it be that you¡¯re from one of the upper ranking Mountain Peaks? Seeing as you actually dare to go on a ghost extermination mission at the early Sea of Qi stage, where there might even be Evil Spirit stage ghosts and all,¡± Zhong Zhengqing asked. At a glance, there were 4-5 early Sea of Qi stage disciples among the 30 or so Sea of QI stage disciples here. All of those early Sea of Qi stage disciples had either arrogant or indifferent expressions and clearly had hidden trump cards of their own. Xu Disheng declined to comment, only nodding his head. Wei Tianhe, who knew who Xu Disheng was, smiled and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhong, cultivation stage doesn¡¯t always mean everything. Anyway, I do have some insider info about this mission,¡± he said, looking around at the dozen or so trails of light, glowing in various colors. ¡°The sect master of the Huamiao Sect in the Guangxi Province was a bona fide early Dao Foundation stage cultivator, but he somehow died mysteriously without a word against some ghost. It¡¯s extremely unnerving!¡± Zhong Zhengqing shook his head and said, ¡°These kind of medium-scale missions where they say there might be an Evil Spirit stage existence seem extremely dangerous, but relatively speaking, they¡¯re actually the safest missions to take.¡± As if he was saying this for Xu Disheng to hear, Wei Tianhe interjected, ¡°Most disciples see that it¡¯s a ghost extermination-type mission and avoid it like the plague, not even knowing that there have to be two Dao Foundation stage disciples leading the team. Even if there really were an Evil Spirit stage ghost, it¡¯s just destined to be turned into ashes by them. In the end, these missions are the best to join up with for a free mission reward.¡± Clearly, Wei Tianhe was just like Zhong Zhengqing in their broad experience with undertaking sect missions, and were already well-versed in the crafty tricks to get the most out of it. ¡°Deacon Ying Wei loves to take care of junior disciples, so coming out with him is almost like a guarantee of your safety,¡± Wei Tianhe said, standing at Xu Disheng¡¯s side as he pointed at the old man who was at the Dao Foundation stage and was riding at the front of the group. Many people seemed to know this Dao Foundation stage elderly man, who was a Deacon in the rank 109 Gutai Peak. Over 700 years had flown past for him, but he had been stuck at the peak Dao Foundation stage the entire time, so he had no hopes of breaking through whatsoever. Seeing that he only had a decade or so left, Ying Wei accepted his situation and decided to go on small-scale missions and even medium-scale missions often to help out Sea of Qi stage disciples as much as he could. Because of this, many disciples held a lot of respect for him. CH 100 Chapter 100 ¨C Absorb ¡°Still sleeping?¡± the black-faced man said, pulling aside the curtain of the horse-drawn carriage, letting a ray of sunlight peek in. The cotton-clothed youth rubbed his eyes, unable to open his eyes from the glare of the sun. ¡°Ahhh¡­ Daddy, why are you up so early?¡± When the too-bright scenery gradually became clear to him, he saw the black-faced man carrying a large chunk of freshly roasted meat, wrapped in a large lotus leaf. The outer skin was roasted to a golden crisp, glistening with delicious fat as it emitted a delectable fragrance. ¡°Oh?! Roast meat!¡± the boy exclaimed, the tiredness immediately leaving his body. He hurriedly picked up the piece of meat and began to stuff it in his mouth, not caring one bit about his hands getting covered in oil. ¡°It¡¯s hot, don¡¯t burn your mouth!¡± the black-faced man warned, shaking his head with a smile. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like the dry rations we brought from home, so I went to hunt a deer. I cut off some of the leg meat and roasted it nicely, then wrapped it in a lotus leaf to bring to you.¡± ¡°But daddy, why does it seem like there are even less signs of people the further we go up the mountain?¡± the youth asked carelessly between large bites of piping hot meat, his mouth smeared with oil and meat juices. Last night when the father and son pair were looking for a place to rest for the night, they passed by several villages, but there was no hint of liveliness to them. The doors and windows were all sealed shut, and they couldn¡¯t find any place to rest, so they had no option but to spend the night in the horse carriage. The cotton-clothed youth didn¡¯t think much of it, only supposing that perhaps the people here just liked to sleep early, given that it was already evening when they passed through. The black-faced man¡¯s smile became a thin, straight line as he looked towards the top of Miaohua Mountain, which was shrouded in a heavy black mist, making it difficult to make anything out. He put down the well-roasted lotus-wrapped golden meat, a hint of uncertainty appearing in his heart. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Brother Ying, this is the place. But with how thick this ghost fog is, could there actually be more than one Evil Spirit?¡± Luo Chengyi said with a solemn expression as he looked towards the ghostly haze enveloping Miaohua Mountain. Ying Wei¡¯s expression was also a bit affected. He took out a copper mirror from his interspatial ring and activated it. A pale yellow ray of light shot out from the copper mirror. After several breaths of time, it swept through the entirety of Miaohua Mountain, hinting that this copper mirror was most likely a probing Spirit Tool. ¡°There are at least two Evil Spirits here!¡± Ying Wei said, putting away the copper mirror, his expression turning ugly. ¡°These affairs hall disciples are becoming more and more careless! How could they get the mission information wrong?!¡± Luo Chengxi said, snorting coldly. ¡°Then what should we do, Brother Ying? If we turn back now, there won¡¯t be any reward for this medium-scale mission, even if the mission information they gave was incorrect.¡± The ten or so streaks of light gradually caught up with them from behind, stopping in the air near them. Some of the disciples saw that their complexions were somewhat ugly and spoke up respectfully to inquire about the situation. Ying Wei glanced at the disciples behind them but didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he turned to Luo Chengyi and said, ¡°If my conjecture isn¡¯t mistaken, then when the affairs hall disciple first recorded this mission, it was most likely only one suspected Evil Spirit. This second Evil Spirit is probably still only at a newborn stage. Its identity could even be Miaohua Sect¡¯s only Dao Foundation stage cultivator, Tan Lu, after dying and being infected by the ghostly fog.¡± Luo Chengyi hesitated. After all, he was only at the early Dao Foundation stage. Even if he could crush an Evil Spirit with the same equivalent cultivation as him in battle, this place was already a hive of ghosts, so the risk was still there. But when he thought of the huge reward that could be earned from a medium-scale mission, he gritted his teeth and replied, ¡°We¡¯ll go with what you decide, Brother Ying!¡± Ying Wei nodded and instructed, ¡°Sea of Qi stage disciples, begin clearing the Malicious Spirit stage ghosts starting from the bottom of the mountain! Brother Luo, you and I will cast a technique to dispel the ghost fog and slay the Evil Spirits!¡± ¡°Yes, Deacon,¡± the disciples agreed in succession. Still in groups of three, they landed at various places throughout the foot of the mountain and started to advance onward. ¡°Having two disciples at the Dao Foundation stage here, with Martial Uncle Ying being at the peak Dao Foundation stage, we only need to be a little careful on this mission and we¡¯ll be able to get by easily,¡± Wei Tianhe said while watching the surroundings for any hint of movement. ¡°Although Malicious Spirit ghosts won¡¯t cause any threat to us, if they show up in great numbers, it could become dangerous,¡± Zhong Zhengqing said, furrowing his brows. He wasn¡¯t overly optimistic as he stared at the thick, concentrated ghost fog surrounding Miaohua Mountain. ¡°Hm?¡± Xu Disheng suddenly stopped in his tracks, holding out a hand to stop the other two. On the mountain road in front of them, a paper doll had appeared before them at some unknown point in time. Its face was a pale, chalky white, its lips a blood red. It was extremely frightening as it swayed and tottered towards the three of them. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, it¡¯s just a Malicious Spirit. Why are you holding me back¡­Ah?! Zhong Zhengqing, you jinxed it!¡± Wei Tianhe¡¯s expression was initially laid back, but his expression changed as soon as he looked behind that paper doll. More than a dozen paper dolls appeared in a dense pack, each with an expression of bitter resentment on their scarlet-lipped faces, waving around and fluttering ominously as they approached. ¡°There are actually over 10 Malicious Spirits here!¡± Zhong Zhengqing said, trembling. He hastily took out his flying-type Spirit Tool and was already looking to flee. The paper doll at the front suddenly put on a burst of speed, arriving next to Zhong Zhengqing in a flash. Its bright red maw was already bent open at an inconceivable angle as it bit towards him! A protective barrier appeared around Zhong Zhengqing¡¯s body, but it quickly became extremely thin. The barrier was clearly only from a common defensive-type Spirit Tool. If he stopped to cast a technique, this paper doll would soon interrupt him, and there were over 10 Malicious Spirit stage paper dolls teetering as they made their way in his direction. At this point, Zhong Zhengqing had no intention to fight, and was only thinking of getting away as quickly as possible. Wei Tianhe¡¯s expression was just as ugly. Trembling, he glanced towards Xu Disheng and said, ¡°J-Junior Martial Brother Xu¡­ S-should we run?¡± He knew Xu Disheng had two Martial Treasures, so he wasn¡¯t nearly as scared as Zhong Zhengqing was. Xu Disheng glanced at him out of the corner of his eye but didn¡¯t respond. The phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram appeared above his head, and he lightly swept out a stroke towards the paper dolls. The dozen or so Malicious Spirit stage paper dolls, swaying from left to right, were unable to resist whatsoever. They were sucked into the Yin Yang Diagram and suppressed into oblivion. These paper dolls were no different from Sea of Qi stage cultivators who didn¡¯t even have defensive-type Spirit Tools. A simple brandish of the Yin Yang Diagram was more than enough to make short work of them. Wei Tianhe was stunned. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, y-you¡­¡± Zhong Zhengqing was still in a struggle with the first paper doll when he suddenly felt the pressure on him lighten significantly. The paper doll in front of him let go of him and emitted a shrill shriek, turning into a stream of black wind as it attempted to flee into the depths of the nearby mountainous forest. With a single thought, Xu Disheng activated the Yin Yang Diagram, dragging in the last straggler. It screeched the entire way, unable to put up any resistance whatsoever. ¡°Huh? A Magic Treasure?!¡± Zhong Zhengqing exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at Xu Disheng, dumbstruck at his sudden extrication from the jaws of crisis. Wei Tianhe was already prepared for such an outcome in his heart. He came back to his senses faster than Zhong Zhengqing and spoke in an ingratiating tone, which was laden with a newfound hint of intent to curry favor. ¡°Xu Disheng is a genius of the Sea of Qi division. Just the other day, he won against the rank 32 genius, Jie Zizhuo! Dealing with a few trifling Malicious Spirits is nothing for him!¡± Xu Disheng gave him a sidelong glance and said, ¡°We¡¯ll continue onwards.¡± With that, he immediately began to head up the mountain once more. Zhong Zhengqing still hadn¡¯t fully recovered his composure. Only after Wei Tianhe pulled on him hard did he finally come back to his senses and follow after them with a complicated expression on his face. Before they knew it, Xu Disheng had already unwittingly become the center of this small temporary group. CH 101 Chapter 101 ¨C Summit What was surprising to Ying Wei was that the ghostly fog surrounding the mountain peak was actually extremely weak. With just a few incantations from the two, a massive hole was blasted into the ghost fog. ¡°Brother Ying, do you think the Evil Spirit intentionally did this to lure us inside?¡± Luo Chengyi said doubtfully as he stared at the pitch dark gaping hole. He valued his life very much, and couldn¡¯t help being overly cautious. Ying Wei nodded and said, ¡°Most of the Malicious Spirits only have very preliminary spiritual awareness. Evil Spirits are just like normal people, and can even transform completely into human form. However, this obvious of a trap would be too clumsy for it.¡± With a throw of his hand, he tossed out a wolf-shaped puppet. It appeared before them and charged directly into the hole that was blasted into the ghost fog. ¡°Awoooooo!¡± the wolf puppet howled viciously from within. As the sound reverberated outward, the surrounding ghost mist became thinner by a good amount. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s actually not a trap set up by the Evil Spirit?¡± Ying Wei said, sounding doubtful. He casually cast a barrier around himself before walking in after the wolf puppet. Luo Chengyi was still a bit hesitant. But seeing that Ying Wei had already entered the ghost fog, he gritted his teeth and followed. ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng¡¯s group of three eventually arrived inside the Miaohua Sect. A scene of utter destruction lay before them, never again to be restored to its former liveliness. The Miaohua Sect was the only sect in the Guangxi Province. There were over a dozen Sea of Qi stage disciples and several hundred Cleansed Meridian stage disciples here, but they were all massacred in a single night! There were already over 70 Malicious Spirits suppressed inside of the Yin Yang Diagram. Every time he suppressed a ghost, he would put it in the Soul Suppressing Vestment to transform them into pure Soul Force, which would nourish the blurry, nascent consciousness within. The number of ghosts in the Miaohua Sect was far beyond everyone¡¯s expectations. In all likelihood, most of them were once the disciples of the Miaohua Sect. After they died, their resentment didn¡¯t scatter, so they weren¡¯t able to pass on to the next life and turned into Malicious Spirits. ¡°The other disciples who were heading for the top of the mountain probably already encountered unexpected circumstances,¡± Zhong Zhengqing said, his face twinged with sorrow. ¡°There are simply way too many ghosts here. It¡¯s way beyond expectation. If Junior Brother Xu wasn¡¯t here, it would have been dangerous for us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about other people. We should worry about ourselves first,¡± Wei Tianhe said without even turning around, his tone hinting at his low spirits as he followed closely behind Xu Disheng. Zhong Zhengqing shook his head. He gazed at the backs of the two people in front of him and went forward to catch up with them. Boom! Xu Disheng stopped in his tracks, looking towards the top of Miaohua Mountain. There were radiant lights of all kinds bursting out, along with the occasional cacophonous noise. The expanse of ghost fog eventually faded, which was presumably due to the two Dao Foundation stage disciples taking action against the Evil Spirits. After pondering for a moment, Xu Disheng started walking off to the right. ¡°We won¡¯t go up the mountain anymore. We¡¯ll go somewhere else and keep catching the ghosts.¡± The other two didn¡¯t have any objections. After all, it was extremely common for disciples of the sect to use ghosts and demons to practice their abilities, so it was nothing new to them. However, Xu Disheng was pretty ruthless about it. Any time they ran into groups of three to five Malicious Spirits, he would unleash a swipe with the Yin Yang Diagram and suppress them, leaving the other two no opportunities to act. They really were able to go with what they said back at Mountain Affairs Peak about being able to take it easy and get through the mission. Right now, there was no danger present to them, so the atmosphere between the three relaxed a lot, enough for them to laugh and chat a bit. But most of the time, it was Wei Tianhe speaking. ¡°After this mission is over, I¡¯ll have saved enough spirit stones to enter the Cultivation Hall on Second Mountain for one whole day!¡± Wei Tianhe exclaimed with an expression of excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve been stuck at the peak Sea of Qi stage for the last several decades, but this time, I¡¯m going to try to see if I can really break through to the Dao Foundation stage.¡± ¡°Cultivation Hall?¡± Xu Disheng repeated, creasing his brows. Wei Tianhe was astonished. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, you haven¡¯t heard of Heart Refining Mountain¡¯s Cultivation Hall?¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t respond, just glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. Receiving his look, Wei Tianhe flushed a bit in embarrassment. ¡°Cultivation Hall is the most famous place in the Heart Refining Mountain Range. You can enter by paying spirit stones. There are all kinds of ways to cultivate there and gain a massive increase in strength! But it simply costs way too many spirit stones, so only those wealthy disciples can afford to go.¡± A bunch of things suddenly became clear to Xu Disheng. He Junyu couldn¡¯t have been older than him by more than 10 or so years, so how could his Amassing Water form have reached such a high level of attainment? Jie Zizhuo only had one offense-type Magic Treasure, but he could force Xu Disheng to use his hidden cards by using one black saber light after another. Could all of this have been related to the effect of this Cultivation Hall? He had entered the Sacred Sect alone, so there were too many things he didn¡¯t know about the Sacred Sect. There were many methods to raise one¡¯s strength in the Sacred Sect, but he just hadn¡¯t discovered them yet. While he was contemplating these things, his feet didn¡¯t stop moving. In the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he had already absorbed several scattered Malicious Spirits. In this time, they hadn¡¯t run into any other disciples heading up the mountain, probably because they had stopped proceeding forward after seeing that there were simply too many ghosts. They had most likely already fled the mountain. While they were moving forward, their jade identity tablets suddenly vibrated, emitting a pale red glow. ¡°An urgent message?¡± Wei Tianhe muttered. After he took out his jade identity tablet, his expression changed slightly. ¡°Martial Uncle Ying has called the disciples to the summit for assistance. Should we go?¡± ¡°Against an Evil Spirit that even two Dao Foundation stage disciples couldn¡¯t deal with? Wouldn¡¯t that just be sending ourselves to our deaths?¡± Zhong Zhengqing said, his expression ugly. ¡°Why does he want us Sea of Qi stage disciples to go help? Dealing with Evil Spirits shouldn¡¯t have been our duty in the first place!¡± After the two of them stopped speaking, they turned to look at Xu Disheng. Zhong Zhengqing clearly didn¡¯t want to go, but Wei Tianhe was planning to blindly follow Xu Disheng. ¡°Since the two Dao Foundation stage disciples can still send out an urgent message, that means the situation might not be that bad,¡± Xu Disheng said, casually swiping out with the Yin Yang Diagram and catching a Malicious Spirit. Throwing it into the Soul Suppressing Vestment, he continued, ¡°We¡¯ll go take a look.¡± ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, is that one of those extremely rare ghost controlling techniques?¡± Wei Tianhe asked, looking at Xu Disheng¡¯s Soul Suppressing Vestment with a hint of envy. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t respond or explain, but something did occur to him. Perhaps, if he wanted to openly use Soul Song, he could play it off as a ghost controlling technique when forced to explain to others. ¡°This¡­ Junior Martial Brother Xu, Junior Martial Brother Wei, I¡¯m going to go down the mountain,¡± Zhong Zhengqing finally decided to say after several moments of hesitation, a little ashamed. He glanced at Xu Disheng, but he didn¡¯t say anything in response before starting to walk towards the top of the mountain. As Wei Tianhe looked at Zhong Zhengqing, the look in his eyes seemed to harden, becoming more certain of his choice to believe in the might of Xu Disheng¡¯s Magic Treasures. He followed closely after Xu Disheng, who was already several dozen meters away in the span of just a few breaths of time. Zhong Zhengqing watched the two figures as they grew further and further away. ¡°Look at you, relying on a Magic Treasure and letting it get to your head! There¡¯s at least two Evil Spirits up on the summit. Go ahead and rush to your deaths then!¡± With that, he took out a flying spirit sword and tried to leave Miaohua Mountain. But¡­ Why couldn¡¯t he take flight? When Zhong Zhengqing looked down, his pupils contracted wildly, and he almost shouted out loud! There were four to five paper dolls with bizarre, freakish smiles hanging from his flying spirit sword. They were dangling in midair, dragging him down and making him unable to take flight. Zhong Zhengqing desperately activated his flying spirit sword with all his might. He was soon on the verge of shaking them off. ¡°Ah!¡± Suddenly, a particularly strong Malicious Spirit appeared in midair right next to him with a twisted grin on its face. It swiped at Zhong Zhengqing, tearing off his left arm completely! Fresh blood spurted out! Zhong Zhengqing¡¯s face turned deathly pale. He couldn¡¯t afford to save spirit stones at this moment. He immediately took a Spirit Gathering Pill and began to frantically revolve profound qi to stem the bleeding. That Malicious Spirit, which was on the verge of the Evil Spirit stage, tossed his decapitated left arm into its mouth and began to chew on it with a sickening grin on its face. ¡°If you stayed with that person with the Magic Treasure, we wouldn¡¯t have dared to show up. Now, you brought about your own downfall. You can¡¯t blame anyone else for this.¡± Just as it finished speaking, several equally strong Malicious Spirits appeared beside it. Zhong Zhengqing slowly shut his eyes, a hint of remorse appearing in his heart. These Malicious Spirits cannibalized off of their kind and had managed to reach a considerably high level of spiritual awareness. Xu Disheng had cleaned up nearly half of Miaohua Mountain by himself, absorbing many ghosts in the process. The remaining Malicious Spirits were secretly watching them from their hiding spots, not daring to appear before them. Zhong Zhengqing thought that the safe choice was to not go to the summit to confront the Evil Spirits. He never would have thought that his decision would bring about this result. The Malicious Ghosts turned into a ravaging black wind, swarming over him. Several moments later, all that remained lying on the cold, mountainous rock were a longsword Spirit Tool, contaminated with ghostly qi, and a damaged storage-type Spirit Tool. After cultivating for a hundred years, a life came to its untimely conclusion. In the end, not even a single bone of Zhong Zhengqing¡¯s corpse remained. CH 102 Chapter 102 ¨C Saving People? ¡±After being trapped in this spell, our profound qi is already more than half spent, Brother Ying. If we continue to waste away like this, we¡¯ll have no choice but to ask the patrol disciples for help,¡± Luo Chengyi said to Ying Wei with a bitter smile as he sat there cross-legged on the floor. Ying Wei looked at the imprisoning ghost array surrounding the two of them and lightly shook his head. ¡°The spiritual awareness of these two ghosts are at an extremely high level. This ghost array that they laid down may very likely be an evolved, stronger version of an array technique from the Miaohua Sect. Just now, I could still just barely manage to send out a message, but now I might not even be able to transmit something through the sect¡¯s jade slip.¡± He stood up and once again tried several spells to try to break through the restrictions of the ghost array, but it was just as futile as before. ¡°Those two Evil Spirits have no way of fighting the two of us head on, so they can only use this array to slowly wear away at us,¡± Ying Wei said. He pondered for a moment before taking out a gray banner-type Magic Treasure. ¡°I¡¯ll give this Evil Dispelling Banner a try to see if we can forcefully break through this array. Luo Chengyi, lend me a hand.¡± By this point, he even stopped addressing him as ¡®Brother Luo¡¯, calling him directly by name, which hinted at the urgency of the situation. (TL: In Chinese, using an honorific title like ¡®brother¡¯, ¡®senior martial brother¡¯, ¡®teacher¡¯, etc. in combination with their surname implies more formality than calling someone directly by their name, exactly like in this case.) Ying Wei activated the Evil Dispelling Banner, and multiple streams of gray light shot out from it and wrapped around the ghost array. Numerous Malicious Spirits rushed out from the array, using their bodies as sacrifice to obstruct the gray streams of light. Ying Wei furrowed his eyebrows and took an extremely precious Yuan Cultivating Pill, revolving the Evil Dispelling Banner to its utmost strength. Gray radiance brimmed forth from the Evil Dispelling Banner, making over a dozen gray streams of light shoot out and wrap around the ghost array! The Malicious Spirits were unable to block it, and the gray streams of light smashed ruthlessly into the restrictive array! The ghost fog finally retreated a bit, and a small seam appeared in the array, but the power of the gray streams of light had already been spent. Ying Wei¡¯s face was pale, but he brandished the Evil Dispelling Banner with all his might once more, and several thick streams of gray light flew out once more. As they swept towards the ghost mist, Ying Wei shouted out, ¡°Luo Chengyi, now!¡± A sword-shaped Magic Treasure appeared in Luo Chengyi¡¯s hand, and he began to charge it with power. When the streams of gray light collided with the restrictive array once more, a light flashed through Luo Chengyi¡¯s eyes, and he let his Dao Foundation stage cultivation erupt forth. He raised the sword-shaped Magic Treasure in his hand and unleashed a ferocious strike! A resplendently brilliant white sword light followed like lightning after the gray streams of light, slashing against the restrictive array in the blink of an eye! Boom! A small crack finally appeared in the restrictions of the array. In the instant that the crack appeared, a flaw emerged in the thick and dense ghost fog of the array, hinting that it was on the verge of breaking down. Luo Chengyi and Ying Wei shared a look, then each rapidly rushed out in two completely different directions! A sinister, mournful ghost howl echoed out from the way that Ying Wei went in. A hint of hesitation appeared in Luo Chengyi¡¯s eyes. But in the end, he didn¡¯t turn his head. He used the last drops of his strength to hack open the ghost fog and rush out. When he turned around to look, the thick ghost fog had completely enveloped Ying Wei. The frightening sound of his shouts and cries could be heard from within. The direction that Ying Wei went was the location where the Evil Spirits were. They had rushed out from the array and launched a surprise on Ying Wei when he was least expecting it. It would probably be difficult for him to survive at this rate. Even if the Evil Spirits launched a surprise attack, only one wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill off Ying Wei, who was at the peak Dao Foundation stage. Therefore, the ghosts let Luo Chengyi go and both went for Ying Wei at the same time to ensure his downfall. Hearing the cries from within the ghost fog subside, Luo Chengyi started quivering where he stood. When he turned to look, he saw two thick, black clouds rushing rapidly towards him. Ying Wei was dead! And the two Evil Spirits didn¡¯t seem to want to let him go either! The ghost array just now had been set up inside the main hall of the Miaohua Sect. There were many massive pillars within, so even if Luo Chengyi was out of the ghost array now, he had no way to fly away. As soon as Luo Chengyi managed to leave the main hall, he activated his Magic Treasure, wanting to ride on his sword and flee. Just as he ascended to a height of about 7 meters, he suddenly felt everything become heavy. When he looked down, he saw that one of the ghosts was already weighing down on his sword Magic Treasure, laughing evilly at him with a bizarre, frightening smirk on its face. ¡°Just by yourself?¡± Luo Chengyi sneered, anger flaring up in his heart. Seeing that the other ghost was several dozen meters away, he stopped trying to flee. He halted his sword and used his last bits of remaining profound qi to cast an incantation. He wanted to take advantage of the moment when the other Evil Spirit hadn¡¯t yet made it over to him to eliminate this Evil Spirit. A brilliant white radiance appeared in his palm. It was no unconventional cultivation method of any sort. It was none other than the Green Heavenly Thunder Incantation from the Sacred Sect¡¯s Shangqing Profound Laws, which could only be cultivated at the Dao Foundation stage, and was specifically for restraining ghosts. The Thunder Incantation formed in his hand, emitting a green-white glow. The rumbling and crackling of thunder and lightning exploded out, and within moments, the incantation was about to smash into the Evil Spirit¡¯s head. Suddenly, the ghost qi surrounding the Evil Spirit dissipated, and it transformed into a tender, young boy, hanging from the sword by one hand. The boy received the attack, sending fresh blood spurting through the air, wailing out, ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t leave me!¡± Luo Chengyi was dazed for a moment, but he regained his senses shortly after. Hot anger burned in his eyes, enough to melt the skies! ¡°You filthy ghost, how dare you change your appearance to that of my son! Damn you!¡± he shouted with pure, unadulterated rage. The Green Heavenly Thunder Incantation brought blindly bright white lightning streaking downwards. The Evil Spirit¡¯s body became extremely faint, clearly having suffered a heavy injury. It transformed from a wailing young boy back into its original ghostly appearance. Luo Chengyi was just about to use another incantation to extinguish its existence, but he suddenly froze, as if something suddenly occurred to him. At that moment, his mind felt clear, like a bucket of cold water had been doused over him. ¡°This piece of shit was just stalling for time. To think that I had fallen for such a laughable scheme¡­¡± he muttered. Sure enough, in the few breaths of time he spent dealing with this Evil Spirit, the other stronger Evil Spirit had already caught up to him. A hideous, malevolent laugh came from its mouth as the two Evil Spirits surrounded him at the same time. Luo Chengyi looked around him, but there was no way to escape. ¡°You¡¯re coming at me? Come then! Even if I die, I¡¯ll take at least one of you down with me! If you didn¡¯t use that ghost array to exhaust most of my strength, neither of you would count for anything! Filthy, cunning pieces of shit!¡± Luo Chengyi tried to revolve the Green Heavenly Thunder Incantation, but he already had no profound qi left to produce a half-decent brilliant white orb like earlier. Just now, that Thunder Incantation was already at only 50% of its usual might. ¡°That¡¯s right. If we didn¡¯t have that Miaohua Sky Array to weaken you two, how could we have fought on even terms with Dao Foundation stage cultivators like you? We wouldn¡¯t even be able to hide,¡± the stronger of the two Evil Spirits said with a laugh, transforming into the form of a human man. ¡°What are you intending to do to me?¡± Luo Chengyi asked. He wasn¡¯t dumb. He knew that right now, he was just a candle on the verge of flickering out. If the two Evil Spirits rushed him right this moment, he wouldn¡¯t meet a happy end. ¡°If you take everything out of your interspatial ring and erase the mark on your sword Magic Treasure, I¡¯m willing to spare your life,¡± the man-shaped Evil Spirit said. Luo Chengyi gazed into the eyes of that man and saw a boundless cruelty and coldness within. Deep inside, he already knew this Evil Spirit wouldn¡¯t let him go in the end. But he still held onto a sliver of hope. ¡°As a ghost, you can¡¯t even use this human Magic Treasure. What do you want these things for?¡± A cold light flashed through the man¡¯s eyes, clearly lacking the intention to explain these things to him. He only replied in a frigid tone, ¡°Will you do it or not? If you won¡¯t, then die.¡± A bitter, forced smile rose on Luo Chengyi¡¯s face. Gambling on a ghost¡¯s word? But then again, what else could he do in the current situation? He slowly rubbed the interspatial ring on his finger. ¡°Martial Uncle, we¡¯ve come to save you!¡± Luo Chengyi and the man-shaped Evil Spirit both simultaneously turned their heads. A youth wearing a black robe with gilded sleeves was flying up Miaohua Mountain on his black Spirit Cloud. There was another disciple on it, wearing a distraught expression. ¡°Just mere trifling Sea of Qi stage cultivators?¡± the man sneered. Xu Disheng¡¯s expression was as unchanged as ever. He had been secretly watching what was happening for a while now. Since he actually dared to come over, that meant he was out for blood! CH 103 Chapter 103 ¨C ¡°Tan Lu¡± ¡°Swallowing Soul!¡± Black winds abruptly swept up, and an Evil Spirit skull, with both of its eyes closed, appeared out of thin air. It turned to the extremely faint Evil Spirit who had already suffered a blow of the Green Heavenly Thunder Incantation and opened its maw wide, sucking in! This sucking breath didn¡¯t swallow it completely. After all, even though it was injured, it was still an Evil Spirit stage ghost. It wasn¡¯t an opponent that Xu Disheng could normally deal with in a single Swallowing Soul Mantra. The concentrated Soul Force essence from the ghost floated out above its head and was sucked into the Swallowing Soul Mantra¡¯s Evil Spirit skull. Moments later, the skull transformed into black motes of light, which returned to Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness. That Evil Spirit¡¯s body was already practically transparent by this point as it wailed and screeched endlessly. Before it could even think of escaping, a black and white painting with flowing mountains and rivers appeared, enveloping it completely and muting any further sounds. A shred of hope appeared in Luo Chengyi¡¯s eyes. He shouted, ¡°You two, attack this remaining Evil Spirit with me!¡± Xu Disheng looked over at the man-shaped Evil Spirit. He stood there stock still as if he hadn¡¯t gotten around to reacting yet and looked over. ¡°Hang in there for a little bit longer, Martial Uncle! We¡¯ll come right away to help you slay this fiend!¡± he said. But¡­ Why was his Spirit Cloud moving in a direction heading away from Miaohua Mountain? And¡­ Why was he speeding up? Luo Chengyi was suddenly overcome with anger. He spat up a mouthful of blood as he pointed at Xu Disheng and shook his finger in rage, seemingly wanting to say something. Xu Disheng and Wei Tianhe looked back at Miaohua Mountain momentarily, then quickly turned their heads back around. Xu Disheng pushed his Spirit Cloud to max speed, making for an even speedier escape. After a few breaths of time, they flew off and disappeared into the clouds and mist. ¡°Hehe, there¡¯s no one left to save you now,¡± the man-shaped Evil Spirit said with a sinister laugh. He looked over at the spot where Xu Disheng had absorbed the other Evil Spirit, seeming to feel a pang of pity before turning back to look at Luo Chengyi. What a joke! How could Xu Disheng ever be able to face off against a normal, completely unharmed Evil Spirit? Plus, Luo Chengyi was already like a candle in the wind, about to sputter out at any moment. He didn¡¯t have the least bit of fighting power left. On the surface, he was asking for Xu Disheng and Wei Tianhe to help him launch an attack on the Evil Spirit, but in reality, he was just looking for them to join him in the grave! How absolutely deplorable! ¡°That was really wise of you, Junior Martial Brother Xu. If we stayed there, we definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to make it out,¡± Wei Tianhe said with an ingratiating smile. However, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t have the leeway to pay him any mind. Within the Yin Yang Diagram, the Evil Spirit was still struggling agitatedly from time to time. Although the Evil Spirit in there had suffered injury upon injury and was far past spent, it still had the cultivation of an Evil Spirit stage ghost. It wouldn¡¯t be extinguished so easily. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything else, or I¡¯ll immediately use the Yin Yang Diagram to obliterate you!¡± Xu Disheng said, transmitting his cold voice into the Yin Yang Diagram. He had long since cast aside his exaggerated performance from earlier, returning to his usual indifferent expression. Sure enough, the ghost stopped moving. Then, a thought was transmitted to him from within. ¡°I am Tan Lu, a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse from the Miaohua Sect. I was under the control of this Evil Spirit, so I was forced to kill that Dao Foundation stage disciple from the Sacred Sect. Let me out! I promise I¡¯ll never appear in the territory of the Sacred Sect ever again!¡± ¡°Perhaps you were once Tan Lu, but now that you¡¯ve transformed into a ghost, your heart has undergone a huge change. Who would believe that nonsense you¡¯re spouting?¡± Xu Disheng replied. The ghost continued persistently, ¡°I was once the sect master of the Miaohua Sect! I know many secret matters and powerful cultivation methods, and I can tell you about them! I even have a considerable level of mastery in sealing arrays. I can teach everything I know to you, as long as you let me out!¡± Xu Disheng let out a scoff, his voice transmitting into the Yin Yang Diagram once more. ¡°Do you take me for an idiot? I can see how weak you look on the surface. But even though I landed a surprise attack on you while you were heavily injured and managed to suppress you in the Yin Yang Diagram, you still have a final Evil Spirit-level attack saved up. I definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to block it. If you were in my shoes, would you take such a risk?¡± The ghost ¡®Tan Lu¡¯ was silent for a moment. He got rid of the fake urgency in his voice and said flatly, ¡°If you really insisted on making me spend several days wasting away in this picture Magic Treasure, there really isn¡¯t anything I would be able to do. You tell me then. How can I get you to let me go?¡± Unexpectedly, Xu Disheng hesitated. Right now, he really did need those secrets and powerful cultivations that Tan Lu had spoken of. On top of that, he even claimed to have a certain level of mastery in sealing arrays¡­ There was only one possibility for the two Dao Foundation stage disciples to actually end up losing against these two Evil Spirits, and that was generally if they ended up trapped in a sealing array and had most of their strength consumed. Thus, Tan Lu¡¯s Dao of sealing arrays had to have some redeeming qualities at the very least. Wei Tianhe sat there on the Spirit Cloud, his mood extremely complex. He suddenly seemed to think of something and said hurriedly, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu! Where is Senior Martial Brother Zhong? He still hasn¡¯t contacted us even now. And our other martial brothers who went up the mountain in a different direction from us, too. They also haven¡¯t gotten in touch with us at all. Should we wait for them?¡± Xu Disheng opened his eyes, temporarily halting his exchange with the ghost inside of the Yin Yang Diagram. ¡°Think back to that time the three of us ran into over 10 Malicious Spirits. If I didn¡¯t have a Magical Treasure, would we have been able to escape?¡± Wei Tianhe¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°Could it be, they already¡­¡± It didn¡¯t occur to him earlier because Xu Disheng¡¯s display with the Yin Yang Diagram was too dazzling. With a mere swipe, he had suppressed all of the Malicious Spirit stage ghosts, leaving them no opportunity to even resist. But by no means did that mean that Malicious Spirit stage ghosts were weak. Against a swarm of three Malicious Spirit stage ghosts, an ordinary Sea of Qi stage disciple without a Magic Treasure would have no way of surviving. Among over 30 Sea of Qi stage disciples and 2 Dao Foundation stage disciples, only two people ended up returning in the end? No, there surely had to be disciples who fled as soon as they started going up the mountain and returned to the Sacred Sect. But by this point, Miaohua Mountain was no different from a ghostly paradise. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°We finally made it, Daddy,¡± the cotton-clothed boy exclaimed as he looked around at the peak of Miaohua Mountain, his eyes full of excitement. The uncertainty in the black-faced man¡¯s heart had become thicker and thicker, nearly pressing down on him by this point. When he raised his head to look at Miaohua Mountain, he saw a faint, massive ghost face twisting and warping about. But¡­ the black-faced man looked back at the stacked wooden crates in the horse-drawn carriage and let out a sigh. These taxes had to be paid every 10 years, and there couldn¡¯t be any mistakes. If he didn¡¯t go, it might be hard for all of the villagers to avoid an unpleasant fate. After all, the Miaohua Sect was never an existence to be reasoned with. The black-faced man carefully took out a jade pendant from his chest pocket. It had a Bodhisattva with closed eyes engraved on it. Although its eyes were closed, it still had a dignified appearance. ¡°Come here, let me put this on you,¡± the black-faced man said, pulling the boy over with his thick, coarse hands and placing the precious, heavy pendant around his neck. ¡°No matter what happens, don¡¯t take this off. You understand?¡± The cotton-clothed boy frowned, but didn¡¯t mind it. He turned to look at the tall peak of Miaohua Mountain, his eyes full of admiration. He muttered, ¡°I also want to join the Miaohua Sect. That way, our entire village won¡¯t have to pay these taxes anymore.¡± The black-faced man forced a smile, then took out an ancient bugle horn. He put it to his mouth and gently blew. Several hundred years ago when the Miaohua Sect was formed, this kind of bugle horn was given to every village, city, and regional city of the Guangxi Province. Whenever it was time to pay their taxes, they could come to the base of Miaohua Mountain and blow on this bugle horn. Then, people would come down to meet them. A figure flew out from the mountain. As the black-faced man blew on the horn, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, as if there was a cold energy affecting his entire body. When he saw the approaching figure, the black-faced man became even more nervous. He even inadvertently stopped blowing the horn. He just stood there, tightly holding onto the boy¡¯s hand. When the figure finally got close enough for one to make out an appearance, it turned out to be a youth wearing the apparel of the Miaohua Sect. The youth glanced at the two and said, ¡°Coming to pay taxes? Come in then.¡± He gently flicked his sleeves and the mountainous forest turned into a wide mountain road, more than sufficient for a horse-drawn carriage. When the black-faced man saw the youth¡¯s apparel, he felt a bit more at ease, but he was still a bit hesitant. He vaguely remembered that ten years ago when he came here, the disciple who greeted them told him that he could leave the horse-drawn carriage here and immediately return. In the span of that moment of hesitation, the youth¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re not going to pay the tax?¡± The black-faced man hurriedly replied, ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± His mind running amok with all kinds of thoughts, he got back on the horse-drawn carriage, bringing the cotton-clothed youth with him into Miaohua Mountain. CH 104 Chapter 104 ¨C Heart Refining Mountain Back at Sect Affairs Hall, Luo Zheng furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Xu Disheng and Wei Tianhe. ¡°Wait here just a moment, you two. I need to first pass this on to the Deacon of Sect Affairs Hall, then we will discuss this matter in more detail.¡± After all, the death of two Dao Foundation stage disciples was no small matter. If a Sea of Qi stage disciple died while carrying out a sect mission, the sect would just erase their record and confiscate their personal property. They wouldn¡¯t care too much about it. But Dao Foundation stage disciples could already be considered to be an important foundation of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Losing any one of them was the sect¡¯s direct loss. After a while, Luo Zheng came back from the rear hall and glanced at Xu Disheng. ¡°Come on in,¡± he said. Xu Disheng nodded, entering the hall with Wei Tianhe. A young black-robed man was sitting in the hall with a record jade slip in hand, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Luo Zheng brought the two in, then respectfully stood off to the side. The black-robed man continued to look at the jade slip, not lifting his gaze to look at them before speaking. ¡°So you two said there were two Evil Spirits at Miaohua Mountain. And Dao Foundation stage disciples Ying Wei and Luo Chengyi both died on Miaohua Mountain?¡± Xu Disheng nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± The black-robed man¡¯s aura became turbulent. He lifted his gaze, a cold light flashing within. ¡°Setting aside the fact that two Evil Spirits shouldn¡¯t have stood a chance against two Dao Foundation stage disciples in the first place¡­ Why were the two of you able to escape while those two Dao Foundation stage disciples died?¡± "" He put down the record jade slip in his hand and continued, ¡°In the image jade slip submitted by some of the other disciples who undertook this mission with you and returned yesterday, there were over a dozen Malicious Spirits. They were only able to escape by relying on the power of a Magic Treasure. How did the two of you manage to escape?¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he stepped forward and responded, ¡°Lord Deacon, I also have an image jade slip to verify my word.¡± The black-robed man paused, then glanced at Xu Disheng and nodded. He handed the image jade slip to Luo Zheng, who had been standing to one side in attendance. He respectfully passed it to the black-robed man. The black-robed man received the jade slip and examined it carefully. Recorded within was the moment when Xu Disheng and Wei Tianhe flew up the mountain, and Xu Disheng shouted, ¡®Martial Uncle, we¡¯ve come to save you!¡¯. It captured the moment when Xu Disheng suppressed one of the Evil Spirits, and lasted until the moment right before Luo Chengyi was about to speak. The black-robed man took a good look at Xu Disheng, his eyebrows furrowing. In his mind, he had some recollection of hearing about this Yin Yang Diagram in the past few days. He put down the jade slip and said, ¡°Are you Xu Disheng? If you are, then that Yin Yang Diagram must be your Magic Treasure. I can accept the fact that the two of you managed to make it out of there.¡± Wei Tianhe let out a sigh of relief. But before he could secretly celebrate, the man¡¯s cold voice reached his ears once more. ¡°Seeing that the image jade slip stops here, you two clearly abandoned Luo Chengyi and escaped. Am I right?¡± Wei Tianhe¡¯s heart tightened once more. He didn¡¯t dare to respond in the slightest. He simply lowered his head and cast a fleeting glance over at Xu Disheng from time to time. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Xu Disheng said, raising his head. He continued in a flat tone, ¡°Under the circumstances at the time, Martial Uncle Luo was already an arrow at the end of its flight, without the least bit of combat power remaining. The two of us didn¡¯t stand a chance against that Evil Spirit. Staying there would have been no different from sending ourselves to our deaths.¡± ¡°And besides,¡± Xu Disheng said, ripples appearing in his bright, radiant eyes, ¡°I took down an Evil Spirit myself, so the medium-scale mission should already be considered complete! Therefore, I believe the two of us should be cleared of any misgivings, and instead be rewarded for this achievement! I would still ask Lord Deacon to give us this time¡¯s mission reward!¡± The black-robed man¡¯s complexion turned even colder as the aura around him became even heavier. He glared directly at Xu Disheng as if he wanted to make Xu Disheng bow to him. However, Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes were unclouded as he met the black-robed man¡¯s gaze in a neither overbearing nor servile manner. Just as Wei Tianhe thought the black-robed man was going to explode with anger¡­ His face spread into a smile, like the melting of snow and ice. The black-robed man waved his hand with an amused look and said, ¡°Not bad. Luo Zheng, they passed the mission investigation. Go ahead and give them their reward.¡± Wei Tianhe¡¯s face was full of disbelief. He never could have imagined that the two of them would not only be cleared of suspicion, but also given the reward for completing the mission! Xu Disheng gave a polite bow, as if he had already anticipated this to happen. Then, he turned and left the rear hall of Sect Affairs Hall. Wei Tianhe didn¡¯t dare to stay any longer, hurriedly following after him. After a while, Luo Zheng came out with a storage pouch and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, since this time¡¯s mission wasn¡¯t considered fully complete, the reward is only about half the amount. You two can split it amongst yourselves.¡± Xu Disheng received the storage pouch and said lightly, ¡°Thank you, Senior Martial Brother Luo.¡± His expression becoming even more amicable, Luo Zheng said, ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to keep an eye on you in the next round of the main tournament in a few days, Junior Martial Brother Xu.¡± After that, he patted Xu Disheng on the shoulder and returned to his position behind the massive desk. As it turned out, Xu Disheng¡¯s phantom image portrait had already become widespread among the Sea of Qi stage disciples in the last few days. They even knew of the cultivation methods he practiced and the two Magic Treasures he had. "" When Xu Disheng looked inside the storage pouch, his pupils contracted in surprise. There was a grand total of 1,100 spirit stones within! Wouldn¡¯t that mean that the total mission reward for this medium-scale mission should have been over 2,000 spirit stones? Next to him, Wei Tianhe was bashful as he looked at the storage pouch in Xu Disheng¡¯s hand. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, about that¡­¡± he started with a smile. Xu Disheng gave him a sidelong glance and took out 100 spirit stones, placing them next to him. ¡°Is that enough?¡± he asked. ¡°That¡¯s enough, more than enough¡­¡± Wei Tianhe said. He couldn¡¯t have any complaints at this point. He put away the spirit stones and said, ¡°With these spirit stones, I can make a trip to Heart Refining Mountain. Junior Martial Brother Xu, it seemed like you had some interest in Cultivation Hall when I last mentioned it. Do you want to go in a few days?¡± Xu Disheng just happened to be looking for a place to refine all of the remaining souls in the Yin Yang Diagram, so he could raise his fighting strength as much as possible before the next round of the tournament. Hearing what Wei Tianhe said, Xu Disheng nodded and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, but let¡¯s go right now.¡± Wei Tianhe was originally planning to go back to his own courtyard and have a good, thorough round with his concubines. That was why there seemed to be a look of hesitation on his face. But after a moment¡¯s thought, he seemed to make up his mind. Readily agreeing, he said, ¡°Since this is your first time going, you probably don¡¯t know where Cultivation Hall is. I¡¯ll be your guide this time, Junior Martial Brother Xu!¡± The two of them left Sect Affairs Hall and took out a flying-type Spirit Tool, then started flying in the direction of the Second Mountain, Heart Refining Mountain. Heart Refining Mountain was ranked second among the Sacred Sect¡¯s mountain ranges, and there was only one hall that belonged to it, which was Cultivation Hall. Cultivation Hall was extremely famous, and there were several thousand different practice rooms. The most well-known among them were ¡®Heart Seeking Road¡¯, ¡®Heart Refining Road¡¯, and ¡®Severing Heart Road¡¯. It was rumored that regardless of their current cultivation, those who could make it through the Heart Seeking Road would definitely be able to make it to the almighty Primordial Spirit stage one day. As for Heart Refining Road, there were only around a dozen people who had completed it in the Shangqing Sacred Sect, in all the years it existed. But all of these people were at the very least Saint Lords by now, able to split their primordial spirit and form clones, controlling the power of creation. Naturally, regardless of the distance walked along these two Roads, there would be a massive benefit to the cultivation of one¡¯s mind. That was why the price was extremely expensive, and also the reason why Dao Foundation stage disciples and Divine Core stage Spirit Masters flocked to this place so readily. The other practice rooms below those most famous ones had a huge, all-encompassing amount of variety. There were places specially set up for body refining, places for practicing puppet control, and there were even places for practicing cultivation methods related to elements such as fire, water, wind, lightning, yin yang, and so on. There were even practice rooms that would increase the odds of breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage. This was the place that Wei Tianhe wanted to go. Although cultivating within that practice room would be twice the result with half the effort, the price wasn¡¯t something that ordinary disciples could afford. Practicing in a typical elemental cultivation method practice room cost 200 spirit stones for a single day! As for the practice room for breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage, one day cost an entire 600 spirit stones! It was no wonder that Wei Tianhe had saved up so long just so he could go to that practice room and seek out his foundation in the illusory profound laws. As they got closer to Heart Refining Mountain, Xu Disheng could see more and more disciples who weren¡¯t from the Mingxin Mountain Range. Although Mingxin Mountain had several tens of thousands of disciples, and was a flourishing, busy place, the disciples were always rushing about, as if they were pressed for time. But the disciples in these parts were different. Their cultivation bases seemed more profound, and even the trails of their flying-type Spirit Tools were neat and tidy, without any sense of being in a rush. There seemed to be an indescribable sense of confidence about each person, and many people were riding on high-grade flying-type Spirit Tools. Even the white Spirit Clouds that were so widespread in the Mingxin Mountain Range were rarely seen here. Wei Tianhe brought Xu Disheng along with him on a path weaving through the various Peaks of the Heart Refining Mountain Range. On the way, they spotted at least twenty Dao Foundation stage disciples. If this were the Mingxin Mountain Range, such a sight simply wouldn¡¯t have been possible! Moreover, the Dao Foundation stage disciples here were all very young. Their odds of breaking through to the Divine Core stage were clearly far higher than those of the Dao Foundation stage Deacons in Mingxin Mountain who were simply biding their time, waiting for death. CH 105 Chapter 105 ¨C River In the Sky, to Whence It Came ¡°This place is Cultivation Hall,¡± Wei Tianhe said as they slowly descended, looking over the massive, sprawling building complex below them. There were several thousand massive palace rooms, packed tightly together in a close network. In the air, there were many disciples coming and going in an unending stream. A broad survey of the wayfaring disciples revealed that most of them were at the Dao Foundation stage. There were very few Sea of Qi stage disciples here. As soon as they landed, an extremely young white-robed disciple came forward, and he was actually at the Dao Foundation stage! ¡°Did you make a reservation? If not, hand me your jade identity tablet and let me know which practice room you want to choose,¡± the white-robed disciple said with a cold look at the two. With a single glance, he could tell that the two of them were bumpkins from the lower ranked Mountain Ranges, so he didn¡¯t treat them that nicely. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t really mind the white-robed disciple¡¯s attitude. He was at the Dao Foundation stage after all, and judging by his proud attitude, he was most likely a direct disciple of Heart Refining Mountain. It would make sense for him to look down on disciples from other Mountains. ¡°I would like to choose a practice room for water element cultivation methods,¡± Xu Disheng said. The white-robed disciple had already looked over their jade identity tablets. Seeing that they were from the Sixth Mountain, Mingxin Mountain, his attitude became even more irritable. He returned their jade identity tablets, then gave a look over the two of them before replying, ¡°Surgetide Hall. 220 spirit stones for one day.¡± Wei Tianhe spoke up carefully, ¡°Martial Uncle, I¡­¡± ¡°Who are you calling your Martial Uncle? I¡¯m only 39 years old this year, and I already broke through to the Dao Foundation stage. My outer appearance still looks this young, so why in the world are you calling me Martial Uncle?¡± the white-robed disciple shouted reprovingly, clearly very sensitive about the age topic. Wei Tianhe was even more terrified. Normally, he would call people at the Dao Foundation stage ¡®Martial Uncle¡¯, but why did this person from the Heart Refining Mountain have to be like this¡­? This was also his first time coming here, but at least he had a map jade slip of Cultivation Hall. ¡°Senior Martial Brother, here are 660 spirit stones. I want to cultivate there for three days,¡± Xu Disheng said. He separated out the appropriate number of spirit stones and put them into a storage pouch, then handed them over to the white-robed disciple. The white-robed disciple¡¯s expression cleared up a bit. He took the storage pouch and looked inside, then handed Xu Disheng a jade tablet. His tone became a bit more mild as he said, ¡°Activate the jade slip, follow the signal from it, and go to the 35th room of Surgetide Hall. You have a time limit of 3 days.¡± Xu Disheng took the jade tablet and thanked him, then walked into the endless complex of palace rooms. Embarrassed, Wei Tianhe came forward and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, I want to try breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage.¡± ¡°Profound Foundation Hall. 700 spirit stones for one day,¡± the white-robed disciple said coldly. ¡°700 spirit stones? It¡¯s not 600¡­?¡± Wei Tianhe muttered, his complexion changing. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s 700 spirit stones, take it or leave it.¡± With a disheartened expression, Wei Tianhe gathered up every single spirit stone scattered throughout his storage-type Spirit Tool, and somehow just barely managed to scrounge up 700. Only then could Wei Tianhe hobble into the complex of palace halls. ¡­ ¡­ In the 35th room of Surgetide Hall¡­ Xu Disheng walked into the hall and activated the jade tablet, then closed the light barrier that surrounded the outside of the hall. Then, he looked around doubtfully at the vast, spacious hall. A white-haired old man slowly appeared before his eyes. His expression was indifferent as he gazed at Xu Disheng. ¡°Show me the water-type cultivation method you plan to focus on cultivating,¡± the white-haired old man drawled lazily. He waved his hand, making a reclining chair appear behind him, then immediately sat into it. As if he detected the hint of doubt in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes, the old man smiled and said, ¡°Is this your first time coming to Surgetide Hall? You must be. All of the disciples who frequently come here know me. For those who don¡¯t, well, it¡¯s gotta be their first time then.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and said, ¡°Then senior, you are¡­?¡± The white-haired old man shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not a human. I¡¯m a demon, but I have a certain level of mastery in water-type cultivation methods, that¡¯s all. After being captured, I¡¯ve been stuck with the repetitive work of instructing other people for several thousand years now. What you¡¯re looking at now is just my clone. There¡¯s one of my clones in each of the 72 rooms of Surgetide Hall.¡± Xu Disheng was silent. There was clearly a story behind it. But he didn¡¯t open his mouth and waste any more time. He did as he was told and demonstrated the Amassing Water form and the Summon Rain form of Azure Ocean, once each. ¡°The Azure Ocean cultivation method? Among water element cultivation methods, it can only be considered medium grade,¡± the white-haired old man said, reclining deeper into the chair with a yawn. ¡°But those two forms you showed me can¡¯t even be considered to be at the most basic level. This cultivation method is a waste in your hands.¡± Xu Disheng furrowed his brows slightly, but he didn¡¯t retort. He bowed and said, ¡°Please instruct me, senior.¡± ¡°I vaguely remember that the last time someone came here to ask me for my guidance on the Azure Ocean cultivation method was about 10 years ago,¡± the white-haired old man said, seeming to dig through his memories. ¡°Let me ask you. What is water?¡± "" ¡°What is water?¡± Xu Disheng echoed, pondering for a moment before lifting his head and replying, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Good!¡± the white-haired old man praised, ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then you don¡¯t know. There¡¯s no need to force yourself to come up with a response.¡± Still sprawled in the chair as before, he reached out a hand, causing a ripple to appear in the void before him. A mass of water droplets appeared in the air. Each and every droplet was clear and colorless, emitting a pure water elemental qi. He moved his finger, and the water droplets instantly shot out in all directions like a torrent. Some of the water droplets whizzed right past Xu Disheng¡¯s ears, each one cutting through the air with a sharp sound. If these water droplets were an attack aimed at him¡­ he simply wouldn¡¯t have been able to block it! The entire hall was instantly destroyed, leaving no sound. All that remained was a pond of clear water, with the light barrier from before still surrounding the outside. After a while, the room and its walls returned to how they were before. The white-haired old man squinted his eyes and said, ¡°This is the real might of the Summon Rain form of the Azure Ocean cultivation method. Do you understand now? You probably won¡¯t be able to learn this in just three days. Ten years ago, there was a brat who was learning a water screen incantation. It took him two whole months, and he ended up spending 13,000 spirit stones here before he could thoroughly master it.¡± This white-haired old man was proficient in countless water-type cultivation methods. In his eyes, the Azure Ocean cultivation method was just a medium grade cultivation method. With some casual hand seals and a bit of modification, he could increase its might by over ten times. He Junyu¡¯s water screen technique from the Amassing Water form may very likely have been learned here. Xu Disheng tried his hardest to think back on the subtle changes in the heaven and earth spiritual energy when the old man used the Summon Rain form, and tried to carefully comprehend it. He reached out a hand in the same way, then made a light gesture. A transparent droplet of water appeared before his eyes, clear and colorless. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t use the Corrosion Incantation here, only using the purest version of the Summon Rain form. ¡°You have three days remaining. I can demonstrate it for you three times. Just now, that counted as one time. When you need me, just call for me,¡± the white-haired old man said. He looked at the water droplet that Xu Disheng condensed and shook his head lightly. Then, he closed his eyes and laid back into the reclining chair, as if he was about to take a nap. ¡­ ¡­ Three days passed by in the blink of an eye. Xu Disheng was still continuously condensing water droplets and letting them dissipate in an endless cycle. In the end, he could only bring the number of water droplets up to 20. ¡°There are still six hours remaining,¡± the white-haired old man said, sitting up. His expression turned cold as he said, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to cultivate it to mastery in such a short time. If you don¡¯t have any more spirit stones, you best prepare to head back.¡± Xu Disheng gave a sidelong glance, but didn¡¯t reply, continuing to continuously condense water droplets. The old man didn¡¯t mind. He summoned a water orb, fiddling and tossing it around in his hand as he minded his own business. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°You asked me a few days ago what water was, right?¡± Xu Disheng asked in an indifferent tone. The old man turned his head and replied, ¡°And? Do you know?¡± ¡°This is my answer,¡± Xu Disheng said as he lowered his head to look at his palm, his bangs covering his bright eyes. A black water droplet appeared in his palm, slowly revolving in midair. ¡°Summon Rain.¡± The black droplet suddenly vanished. It appeared above the white-haired old man¡¯s head a moment later and fell down towards him! A look of astonishment appeared in the eyes of the old man. He casually erased the black droplet of water and stood up for the first time. ¡°You actually managed to comprehend a hint of the aura of Pure Oblivion Water!¡± Xu Disheng gazed at the old man, but inwardly, he was recalling the memories residing deep within his sea of consciousness. He could vaguely recall the white jade tiles of that palace hall, and the purple and gold hem of a robe. But it was improving with each passing day as his Soul Force also grew. He could already recall more and more of that image. In that memory, a faint, hazy piece of a black heavenly river above his head was becoming visible to him. The waters of this black river surged and roiled furiously as they raced along unendingly into the limits of the heavens, flowing off to an unknown destination. He thought back to the moment that image of the black river above his head appeared, and remembered the voice that appeared in his heart. ¡°Every drop of Pure Oblivion Water in the Oblivion Sky River possesses the power of creation, and has the ability to bring about annihilation.¡± Xu Disheng looked at the old man and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± He used his jade identity tablet to open up the exterior light barrier and left without even looking back. The white-haired old man extended his palm. The black droplet of water within gradually disappeared, leaving behind a faint red mark on his palm. ¡°That child¡¯s power of comprehension¡­ He could actually perceive a hint of Pure Oblivion Water out of nowhere?¡± the old man muttered to himself, no longer appearing as indifferent as before. CH 106 Chapter 106 ¨C Clam Sea Realm As soon as Xu Disheng landed his Spirit Cloud at Lotus Lake in the Green Lotus Domain, a disciple¡¯s eyes lit up, and he approached respectfully. ¡°Please come this way, Senior Martial Brother Xu,¡± he said. Xu Disheng raised an eyebrow and replied, ¡°You don¡¯t need to check my jade identity tablet?¡± The disciple laughed and said, ¡°Your appearance is proof enough, Senior Martial Brother Xu. No need, no need.¡± He gave a slight bow and stepped aside to make way for him. In the area around the giant arch, there were many Sea of Qi stage disciples, many of which were directing envious gazes at Xu Disheng as they gossiped among themselves. ¡°Is that Xu Disheng, the disciple who defeated Jie Zizhuo?¡± ¡°Not bad, he really is only at the early Sea of Qi stage¡­¡± ¡°I wonder what Spirit Master is backing him so much for him to have as many as two Magic Treasures at the early Sea of Qi stage. How envious.¡± ¡°You know, they say it¡¯s Celestial Tide Spirit Master He who¡¯s supporting him.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng heard all of these voices, but he didn¡¯t react to any of them. He passed through the giant archway and made his way over to the brilliant white circle of light belonging to Morning Dew Peak. As he passed by the circles of various Peaks, there were quite a few people coming over to express their goodwill and chat with him. Among them, many were geniuses ranked in the top 100 of the Sea of Qi division. Xu Disheng responded to all of them in turn, ending up with an extra dozen or so message jade slips in his interspatial ring by the time he reached Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light. In the seats of honor on high, the only person at the Dao Foundation stage that was present was Bai Honghua. Seeing Xu Disheng return, he smiled and said, ¡°The next round of the tournament is tomorrow, and Zhehua said that you still didn¡¯t reply to the message jade slip he sent you. I was a bit worried, even. If you didn¡¯t show up soon I was going to send some people to search for you.¡± Xu Disheng bowed and said, ¡°Lord Deacon, I was in Heart Refining Mountain¡¯s Cultivation Hall, so I didn¡¯t receive any message jade slips.¡± Bai Honghua nodded, then looked around at the surroundings. Seeing that there weren¡¯t any other Dao Foundation stage disciples around him, he used a sound transmission technique and said quietly, ¡°There are a lot of powers paying attention to you right now. After you finish the Internal Disciple Tournament, you¡¯ll definitely receive a lot of invitations. What are your plans at the moment?¡± Xu Disheng pondered for a moment before responding, ¡°I still don¡¯t understand much about the influences in the Eight Mountains. Could you please tell me about them, Martial Uncle?¡± Bai Honghua¡¯s reason for asking this was quite clear. He surely had some influences behind him who had revealed their intentions in wanting to support Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng still didn¡¯t have a good understanding of the powers in the sect, so he decided to take advantage of the situation and see what he had to say for now. ¡°You must have heard of Affairs Hall, right? The main branch is located in the Third Mountain Range, Wenyuan Mountain. They possess an incredible level of authority, controlling the distribution of resources to the disciples of the Eight Mountains, performing rank examinations, and evaluating the share of resources that go to each Mountain Peak,¡± Bai Honghua said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a thing or two about them,¡± Xu Disheng replied. Affairs Hall was a colossal entity, and it could be considered an integral part of the sect¡¯s daily operations. Bai Honghua nodded and continued, ¡°The main branch of Secret Realms Hall has three external elders, each of which are pinnacle Spirit Masters at the half-step Primordial Spirit stage. One of them, Elder Li, has full control over the 36 Secret Realms, consisting of the 27 Mortal Realms and the 9 Large Sect Realms. He possesses a truly overwhelming degree of power and authority in the sect.¡± Xu Disheng thought back to the time when he left the Chu Territory, recalling Li Daoming from Cangming Peak. He had so many lackeys at his side, and despite only being at the Sea of Qi stage, he could rule over an entire Peak simply because he was the nephew of this Elder Li. As it turned out, Li Daoming¡¯s uncle was actually this almighty existence at the half-step Primordial Spirit stage? It was no wonder that even that Secret Realm Envoy, who was at the Dao Foundation stage, could only tolerate him and restrain himself in front of him. Seeing Xu Disheng not saying anything, Bai Honghua continued, ¡°Due to his lofty position, Elder Li doesn¡¯t pay attention to these small, miscellaneous chores. He has several Deacons under him, one of which is a Divine Core stage Grand Deacon, who is good friends with my master. My master¡¯s friend is specifically responsible for matters regarding the 27 Mortal Secret Realms. He sent me a jade slip the other day saying that after the tournament, he wanted to offer you a post under him at the main branch of Affairs Hall, where you could assist him with handling affairs regarding the 27 Mortal Secret Realms.¡± Xu Disheng said gratefully, ¡°For one only at the early Sea of Qi stage, receiving the favoring eye of a Grand Deacon of Affairs Hall is quite a terrifying prospect.¡± However, he didn¡¯t explicitly state whether he would actually answer to this or not. The title of Grand Deacon didn¡¯t say anything about the rank of the Deacon. It was only a way of distinguishing between Divine Core stage Deacons and Dao Foundation stage Deacons. In other words, every Divine Core stage Deacon was called a Grand Deacon. Bai Honghua didn¡¯t go on to explain any further, tying things up. ¡°You might not understand much about the complex factions in the Eight Mountains, but as a disciple from Morning Dew Peak who cultivates under our banner, you will always bear the mark of me and Peak Master Lu. The various powers and influences in Affairs Hall are even more numerous and convoluted. I heard that the reason this Grand Deacon was willing to support you was because he admired your temperament. This is an opportunity that you shouldn¡¯t easily pass up.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and expressed his gratitude before retreating deep into the crowd of disciples in the circle of light. ¡°Best of luck in securing a good ranking in tomorrow¡¯s tournament, Senior Martial Brother Xu!¡± ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, we¡¯re all watching you.¡± Several early Sea of Qi stage disciples came forward to cheer him on excitedly. Morning Dew Peak ranking wasn¡¯t all that high, and they were constantly being suppressed by the adjacent Falling Snow Peak. But in the last few days, the disciples of Morning Dew Peak felt empowered, as if a weight had been taken off their shoulders, all because Xu Disheng had defeated the rank 32 genius, Jie Zizhuo. After all, a genius had emerged from their midst, sweeping his opposition and forcefully entering the eyes of all. Even if they could only cheer on excitedly from their position as spectators, they could still savor a vicarious glory as they felt the envious and respectful gazes of disciples from other Peaks upon them. ¡°I just knew you went to cultivate again, Junior Martial Brother Xu! If it wasn¡¯t sect missions, it would be some other form of practice or method of strengthening yourself. I figured that would be the case and was afraid you would miss the next round of the tournament tomorrow, so I went out of my way to send you a jade slip!¡± Bai Zhehua said, coming forward and reaching out a hand to pat Xu Disheng on the shoulder. But at that moment, his expression turned a bit stiff as if he suddenly thought of something. His hand hovered in the air briefly, and he eventually retracted it without thinking. Zhang Haobo came over with a smile and said, ¡°You¡¯re back, Junior Martial Brother Xu. This is the detailed information about tomorrow¡¯s tournament that just came out. From Morning Dew Peak, there¡¯s only you and Senior Martial Brother Chu who entered the top 2,500. He was the one who told me to give you this jade slip.¡± He handed over a polished dark green jade slip. Xu Disheng took the jade slip. ¡°Thank you, Senior Martial Brother Zhang. And please extend my gratitude to the other Senior Martial Brothers of the Peak.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t bother to look at the jade slip, first turning to look at Bai Zhehua. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Our grand Lord Bai is suddenly acting like a stranger? I was at Heart Refining Mountain¡¯s Cultivation Hall the past few days, so I wasn¡¯t paying attention to any jade slips. But thank you, Senior Martial Brother Bai.¡± This was Bai Zhehua¡¯s first time hearing a hint of lighthearted teasing in Xu Disheng¡¯s voice. He looked at him with shock and said, ¡°After your stay at Cultivation Hall, did you somehow emerge as a different person?¡± Xu Disheng laughed lightly, not saying more as he lowered his head to carefully examine the polished jade slip. In the third round of the Sea of Qi division of the tournament tomorrow, the 2,500 remaining disciples would enter one of the sect¡¯s 9 Large Secret Realms, the Clam Sea Realm. An untold number of years ago, a Divine Sea stage disciple of the Shangqing Sacred Sect slayed a Nine Rainbows Heavenly Clam in the Guixue Area, and spent countless rare treasures and resources to refine his own body into a complete, intact realm. This realm became known as the Clam Sea Realm, and was meant to be used by disciples under the Primordial Spirit stage. The day before yesterday, the two Mountain Masters of Mingxin Mountain Range issued an order to open an extremely small portion of the Clam Sea Realm for the Sea of Qi division of the tournament. The other seven Mountains were also holding their own internal disciple tournaments, but each differed in form and time. It was fine as long as they selected the top 100 Sea of Qi disciples and top 10 Dao Foundation stage disciples from their respective Mountain Ranges within one year. This small portion of the Giant Clam Realm that was set aside was a world in and of itself. There were giant clam demons of various ranks within. Slaying these demons would earn each competitor points in the tournament! There was a time limit of 7 days. Afterwards, based on the number of points accumulated, 2,400 people would be eliminated, leaving only the top 100! CH 107 Chapter 107 ¨C All Living Beings Across the Three Heavens, Nine Realms Through the ranking of the accumulated points each contestant earned, 2,400 people would be eliminated. However, the top 10 people would have a separate competition. Every disciple that went in would receive two tokens. One of them allowed surrender, and thus survival. Crushing this token would immediately send you out of the realm, but it would also erase all of your points. Since the disciples who crushed the token would have their points reset to zero, their ranking would be decided based on the order in which each person crushed their token. Whoever crushed their token first would have the lower ranking! The other token was for keeping track of one¡¯s accumulated points. It could be checked at any time to see how many points one had. To make matters more interesting, this point token couldn¡¯t afford to see harm. If it was obtained by another disciple, they could take the points within and add it to their own point token! Clearly, the tournament in the Clam Sea Realm wasn¡¯t as simple as killing as many clam demons as possible. It was just as much about pillaging point tokens from others! Since those disciples who had their point token taken would have no points, the only option left to them would be to last as long as they can. The longer they could stay in there without crushing their surrender token, the better. The sect had countless tournament modes and locations, and this Clam Sea Realm was just one of them. Even though the modes would be different every time, after so many years had gone by, countless disciples had been to the Clam Sea Realm before. As a result, there was already an existing set of compiled strategies for it. The jade slip that Senior Martial Brother Chu had Zhang Haobo give Xu Disheng had the detailed notes of other disciples who had been there in the past. The time limit was 7 days, but the disciples in the Clam Sea Realm would typically see a split into two rough categories after just 2 days. One category belonged to those disciples who had lost their points, but in that category, there were two types. One were the disciples who had encountered danger or had their point tokens plundered by others, and were forced to crush their surrender token and be sent out. They would not only have their points wiped, but they would also be eliminated from the Clam Sea Realm first, meaning their ranking would be the lowest. The other type in this category were those who had their point tokens taken from them, but managed to either escape or hide. Although they wouldn¡¯t have any points, they could still hide. If they weren¡¯t discovered, they could receive a higher ranking the longer they didn¡¯t crush their surrender token. The other category was made up of geniuses and elite disciples. They were the pillagers. They all had a tacit agreement to avoid one another for the first few days and go all-out on pillaging the points of the other disciples. Only in the last two days, after most of the other disciples had been eliminated, would they finally begin to wrest over the top 10 places. Although there weren¡¯t many words within, Xu Disheng examined it for a long time. The rules were extremely simple, and they could frankly be boiled down to a few words: kill clam demons, steal points. However, the intense, brutal competition that would result was blatantly obvious just from the information in the jade slip. Xu Disheng put away the jade slip, then calmed himself, perceiving the strand of consciousness in the Soul Suppressing Vestment. In the end, Xu Disheng decided to erase Tan Lu¡¯s consciousness and transform it into an extremely pure source of Soul Force, which he sent into the Soul Suppressing Vestment. Although, the secrets and cultivation methods Tan Lu had spoken of really had piqued Xu Disheng¡¯s interest. However, it was an Evil Spirit stage ghost, which was equivalent to a human Dao Foundation stage cultivator. If he didn¡¯t exercise utmost caution, he could end up meeting life-threatening danger. If he really tried cooperating with that ghost, it would be no different from playing with fire. It was better to just extinguish its soul and convert it into Soul Force, which could offer him a visible increase to his own strength. While he was at Miaohua Mountain, the consciousness in the Soul Suppressing Vestment had already absorbed over a hundred Malicious Spirit souls. Today, after it had finished fully absorbing the pure Soul Force from the Evil Spirit, it had undergone a mysterious fundamental change. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes suddenly shot open, and he attentively turned his focus towards the calling. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± A consciousness had finally been born inside the Soul Suppressing Vestment! However¡­ this consciousness didn¡¯t seem to be capable of speech? Xu Disheng activated the vestment, speaking to it. ¡°Soul Suppressing Vestment?¡± An answer came back, ¡°¡­Soul¡­ Suppressing Vestment¡­¡± Xu Disheng pondered momentarily, suddenly seeming to come to an understanding. He poured the entirety of his knowledge of the human language into it. ¡°Master? My name isn¡¯t Soul Suppressing Vestment, but you are indeed my Master,¡± the deep voice of a male youth said, resounding in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. Xu Disheng nodded in response, then said in a somewhat doubtful tone, ¡°How do you have such a high level of spiritual awareness despite just being born?¡± The Soul Suppressing Vestment was quiet for a while before speaking again directly into his mind. ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily the case. What little memories I have tell me that I was once the artifact spirit of a certain pagoda that had existed for countless years.¡± It paused momentarily, as if it was searching its memories, and continued. ¡°That pagoda eventually turned into a cyan jade flute, and I had been slumbering inside of it all this time. You were able to awaken me after refining a Soul Vessel and cultivating the third of the seven mantras of Soul Song, the Sealing Soul Mantra, to a certain degree.¡± An uncharacteristically urgent tone appeared in Xu Disheng¡¯s voice as he asked, ¡°A pagoda? What kind of pagoda? Where exactly did the Soul Song cultivation method come from?¡± Only after Xu Disheng finished speaking did the male youth¡¯s low voice ring out. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There are only a few memories remaining in my mind. I¡¯m completely unable to glimpse into the matters that Master speaks of, which have been sealed away by the unknown power inside Master.¡± ¡°But I know that you are my Master, and have always been since time immemorial,¡± the youth said with a hint of respect and unjaded reverence in his voice. ¡°As an artifact spirit, Master is everything to me. My name isn¡¯t Soul Suppressing Vestment, but in ancient times, I was the ¡ª¡ª Pagoda. Master always called me Little Sky.¡± (TL: In Chinese, nicknames are often С + the first Chinese character in the person¡¯s first name, ¡®Ð¡¡¯ meaning little or small. To make the name speculation that goes on here make sense, I translated the name literally as Little Sky instead of СÌì, or ¡®Xiao Tian¡¯.) ¡°What Pagoda?¡± Xu Disheng asked, his brows furrowing. ¡°¡ª¡ª Pagoda. What, Master can¡¯t hear it?¡± Little Sky responded, a shadow of doubt appearing in his tone. Xu Disheng¡¯s brows furrowed even deeper. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Junior Martial Brother Xu?¡± Bai Zhehua¡¯s handsome face suddenly made an appearance before his eyes, interrupting the conversation between Xu Disheng and Little Sky. Before this, Xu Disheng was examining the jade slip while sitting cross-legged on a mat at a very remote edge of Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light. There were only a few disciples scattered about here and there, making for a rather quiet environment. He looked up and said, ¡°Huh? It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Your brows were creased so tightly, and your face was all scrunched up like you were having the fight of your life. How could that be nothing?¡± Bai Zhehua said, deliberately making an exaggerated expression to imitate him. However, the concern in his eyes was real. Xu Disheng lifted his gaze, his long eyelashes moving along with it. Something suddenly seemed to come to his mind and he asked, ¡°Let me ask you a question, Senior Martial Brother Bai.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Bai Zhehua replied, all ears. ¡°Say you had a spiritual pet that was a white wolf and another one that was a black dog. If you were to subconsciously name them, what would you call them?¡± Xu Disheng inquired, the brightness in his eyes gleaming even deeper, as if he had an idea in mind. ¡°Whitey and Blackie, I guess?¡± Bai Zhehua responded, reaching out a hand to pretend to check Xu Disheng¡¯s forehead. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re feeling alright, Junior Martial Brother Xu?¡± ¡°Little Sky, Sky ¡ª Pagoda?¡± Xu Disheng muttered to himself. He suddenly had an idea, speaking into the Soul Suppressing Vestment. ¡°Little Sky, you said you were called Sky ¡ª Pagoda?¡± ¡°Yes, I definitely already told you my full name. Why can Master not hear it?¡± he responded. ¡°Alright. If I were to call you Little ¡®something¡¯ using the next word in your name, what word would this Little ¡®something¡¯ be?¡± Xu Disheng asked. ¡°Little ¡ª.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still not working,¡± Xu Disheng lamented. Xu Disheng knitted his brows. For the first time, a certain premonition appeared in his mind. He had a strong hunch that if he could figure out Little Sky¡¯s full name, he would be able to uncover even more of that important frame in his memories! Bai Zhehua watched with a strange look as Xu Disheng continued to ponder to himself, occasionally creasing his brows in the process. After a while, he couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and took a step forward. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu?¡± Xu Disheng still didn¡¯t react. A lightbulb seemed to go off in Bai Zhehua¡¯s head, and he reached into his interspatial ring and pulled out a Cinematic Treasure Mirror. He smiled and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, this Cinematic Treasure Mirror is really interesting. There are some interesting stories about the realities of mortals in it. Every day, Record Hall will distribute some new releases. Any time I¡¯m not in the best of moods, I¡¯ll look at it.¡± He activated the Cinematic Treasure Mirror, and a thin light screen projected out from it. There were battle scenes abound, the sound of clashing spells and Spirit Tools ringing out, as if the scenes were happening right before them. There were even interesting, comedic scenes of mortals joking around, people playing with crickets, so on and so forth. Seeing Xu Disheng still not saying anything, Bai Zhehua¡¯s expression turned a bit stiff. He continued to show him the Cinematic Treasure Mirror, switching through the different scenes quicker. ¡°What the hell is this?! These recordings are getting crappier by the day, and it even costs 1 spirit stone a day. This is a joke!¡± Suddenly, a scene showing a school classroom appeared, where there were 10 children standing and reciting a book passage in unison. ¡°The sky was black and earth yellow; space and time vast, limitless¡­¡± (TL: This is the first line of the Thousand Character Classic, an ancient poem by Qianzi Wen. English translated version of the work here, if you¡¯re interested.) Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes shot open, his heart pounding violently. However, his voice sounded extremely level when he spoke. ¡°Senior Martial Bai, go back and play the section where they were reciting that book,¡± he said. Bai Zhehua was just about to change the scene. Seeing Xu Disheng finally react, he smiled and said, ¡°Sure, as long as you stop making that face.¡± ¡°The sky was black and earth yellow; space and time vast, limitless¡­¡± Xu Disheng felt as if his own soul had managed to break free from some kind of restraint. A massive, irresistible force pressed down on his entire mind. Countless Sanskrit sounds resounded in his ears, and the shackles on his soul shattered. Five words were imprinted into his heart, unable to be erased forevermore. Black! Sky! Yellow! Earth! Pagoda! (TL: The order of the words in Chinese is actually sky, earth, black, yellow, pagoda. So the first character is actually ¡®sky¡¯, but in order to make the name translate properly to English, I had to move the order of the words around. This is also why the artifact spirit¡¯s name is still Little Sky.) In the boundless, vast palace hall, white jade brick lined the floor as far as the eye could see. The black waters of the Oblivion Sky River crashed and surged as it flowed on far overhead. An unclear voice resounded in his ears. ¡°That path is destined to be antithetical to all living beings of the three heavens and nine realms. If you insist on this, even I will have no choice but to be your enemy.¡± A man wearing a lavish golden and purple emperor¡¯s robe with intricate embroidered designs had his back towards him. The man was also wearing a tall gold and purple imperial crown, and was staring off at the distant Oblivion Sky River, which stretched on unendingly. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda.¡± ¡°Master, you can hear it now?¡± Little Sky said. He nodded and said, ¡°Another blocked portion of my memories was opened up to me just now.¡± There was a rare look of bewilderment in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes. ¡°Then tell me.¡± ¡°Immortal.¡± ¡°Immortal?¡± Xu Disheng asked, savoring the taste of the unfamiliar word in his mouth. ¡°What is an Immortal?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure. I only know that they have abandoned the living beings of the three heavens and nine realms. The endless myriad of living beings are all opposed to the existence of these Immortals,¡± Little Sky said. ¡°But an Immortal is also a living being, no?¡± ¡°They can be considered so, but they are aloof and paramount, depriving all living beings of any hopes of achieving immortality.¡± Xu Disheng was silent. As far as he knew, immortality seemed extremely common. At the Spirit Avatar stage, as long as even one Primordial Spirit clone still remained, it was possible to exist for eternity. This was even more so at the Divine Sea stage, where one possessed countless Primordial Spirit clones, proliferating widely amongst the world and becoming inextinguishable for all time. No matter whether it was several hundred thousand years or several million years, those years were merely a number. Nearly every person in the illustrious and aloof Heavenly Court could achieve immortality, after all. Xu Disheng was still unable to fully grasp the meaning. ¡°Immortality? I¡¯ve heard that the Three Approaching Divinity stages were no different from immortality. But as far as I can see, very, very few people can reach the Divine Core stage, much less the far-off three Approaching Divinity stages. It¡¯s simply too far off for ordinary disciples to reach.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, Master,¡± Little Sky said, his low voice reaching Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. ¡°The living beings in the Nine Realms are as numerous as grains of sand in the desert. Just the Three Realms of the Golden Crow in the Great Buddhist Sun World has several billions Buddhist domains. Not to mention the Three Realms of the Yin Wheel, the Human Realm, and the other Lower Realms, which are even more immeasurably vast. Through the passing of untold years, the number of immortal beings are as countless as the fish in the sea, or the drops of water in the ocean.¡± ¡­ ¡­ A line in a certain poem once went like this: ¡°An Immortal considers all living beings as nothing more than dogs, exchanging emotion for apathy!¡± CH 108 Chapter 108 ¨C Third Round of the Tournament ¡°Little Sky, you said your body was residing in that jade flute, right? Then do you know how to activate it?¡± Xu Disheng asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. After Master refined a Soul Vessel, I was sent by the jade flute into the Soul Suppressing Vestment. Only after receiving this much pure Soul Force over this time did I finally manage to awaken.¡± Xu Disheng nodded, but didn¡¯t inquire further. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, the Peak Master has arrived. Lu Zimo is calling for you,¡± Bai Zhehua said, looking up from the vibrating message jade slip in his hands. ¡°Okay.¡± Xu Disheng restored his mind to its usual calm state, then went with Bai Zhehua to the place where the Peak Master was, along with the other Dao Foundation stage disciples. ¡°Will you be able to secure a spot in the top 50 tomorrow in the Clam Sea Realm?¡± Lu Changge asked, smiling at Xu Disheng, his good mood apparent. Xu Disheng paused for thought, then said, ¡°I will do my best.¡± No one even bothered to bring up the top 10. The top few geniuses were simply too formidable. Even though Xu Disheng was able to beat the rank 32 Jie Zizhuo, there was still a large gap between Jie Zizhuo and those half-step Dao Foundation stage disciples. Lu Changge nodded and said, ¡°The rules in the Clam Sea Realm are exceedingly simple. Aside from killing clam demons to obtain points, you can also steal points from other disciples. I know you have two Magic Treasures. But each Magic Treasure can provide you a considerable boost to your fighting strength. If you¡¯re interested, I can lend one to you.¡± When he said this, the expressions of the several Dao Foundation stage disciples around him changed slightly. The fact that Lu Changge was willing to lend Xu Disheng a Magic Treasure meant that he really regarded him highly. Xu Disheng bowed and said, ¡°For Peak Master¡¯s generosity, this disciple offers his utmost gratitude.¡± Lu Changge waved his hand, and two Magic Treasures appeared. One was a white calligraphy brush, and the other was an ancient sword. ¡°There¡¯s also the Zhenhai Treasure Tome, which is my strongest Magic Treasure, but I already lent that to Chu Xiuyuan,¡± Lu Changge said with a chuckle. ¡°You can pick whichever of these two Magic Treasures suits your fancy and use it for the remainder of the tournament.¡± Xu Disheng looked at the calligraphy brush and said, ¡°Thank you, Peak Master. Then I¡¯ll borrow this brush. What is the name of this Magic Treasure?¡± Lu Changge removed his mark that bound the calligraphy brush-type Magic Treasure to him and handed it over to Xu Disheng. ¡°The Imperial Demon Brush. It has the ability to completely suppress demons, but in battles against other humans, it suffers a bit.¡± Xu Disheng took the Imperial Demon Brush and bowed again in gratitude. Then, he retreated into the crowd, under a variety of looks from the other disciples. That ancient sword Magic Treasure was clearly the stronger of the two, but Little Sky, from inside the Soul Suppressing Vestment, told him to choose the brush. ¡°Little Sky, is there something special about this calligraphy brush?¡± Xu Disheng asked Little Sky as he moved towards a quieter location, pulling out a mat and taking a seat. ¡°After I awakened, the Soul Suppressing Vestment advanced to Magic Treasure grade, so its defensive power is extremely strong now, and there are even Imperial Suppressing Spells you could use,¡± Little Sky said. ¡°However, we still lacked a medium to use them properly, so the might of the spells would have been reduced by about half. But with this Imperial Demon Brush, we can exert the full might of the spells.¡± ¡°What kind of spells? Why have I been unable to perceive them?¡± Xu Disheng asked, brows creasing slightly. He examined the cyan jade flute in his sea of consciousness and the Soul Suppressing Vestment on his body, but he came up empty-handed. ¡°It¡¯s in my memories. I¡¯ll transmit them to Master.¡± Soon after, detailed information regarding three spells appeared in his mind. Technically, these spells belonged to the Sealing Soul Mantra, and were brought about by it. First Spell, Sealing Soul Spell. This spell was an advanced version of the Sealing Soul Mantra. Once used, this spell could seal a living being¡¯s soul into the Soul Suppressing Vestment, siphoning even more Soul Force than before. It was somewhat similar to trying to dig a hole in the earth with only one¡¯s bare hands. With this spell, however, it was like suddenly receiving a sharp-bladed shovel that could pierce into the ground with ease, allowing soil to be excavated several times more efficiently. Second Spell, Commanding Soul Spell. This spell was somewhat useless, but it allowed him to use the souls who were less powerful than his, commanding them as ghost soldiers to do his bidding. The Third Spell was called the God-Binding Spell, and was also the spell that could serve the most practical use to Xu Disheng at this time. It used Soul Force as base to create a binding spell that could trap the target to one spot, rendering them unable to break free. The might of this spell was entirely dependent on the level of the spell caster¡¯s Soul Force cultivation. Clearly, the power of these spells was in part largely dependent on the medium used to cast them. For example, the difference between casting one of the spells empty-handed compared to casting it with a Magic Treasure was quite considerable. There was only a day left until it was time to go into the Clam Sea Realm, leaving him not enough time to practice these spells to perfection. Little Sky¡¯s suggestion was to first practice the God-Binding Spell. After all, when cast with the Imperial Demon Brush, the spell would display twice the results with half the effort. Even a half-step Dao Foundation stage opponent could end up trapped by the God-Binding Spell if they had even a momentary lapse in focus. Xu Disheng took out several spirit stones and closed his eyes as he sat there cross-legged on the mat. He wasn¡¯t willing to waste any time, immediately starting to comprehend and practice the God-Binding Spell. ¡­ ¡­ The next morning arrived. The giant turtle was still hovering above the Green Lotus Domain, shrouded in mystical multi-colored clouds and fog. ¡°Killing Heart Spirit Master, morning has already arrived. You¡¯ll be the one to open the Clam Sea Realm this time,¡± Feng Simiao, the Severing Meridian Spirit Master said from his perch atop one of the chariots. ¡°Understood, Severing Meridian Spirit Master,¡± Yu Xingchao replied, clearly having already made preparations for this. He lightly flicked his sleeves and a transfer stele with intricate designs on it appeared before them. Yu Xingchao looked to the side at the several Spirit Masters on their chariots and said flatly, ¡°Lend me your power, everyone.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± The Spirit Masters simultaneously began to emit radiance as they channeled their power into the stele. The intricate carvings on the surface gradually began to glow, spilling forth a brilliant light that shone on the direct center of the Green Lotus Domain, which turned into a massive, intricate transfer array. Now that the stele was already activated, Yu Xingchao moved it to the side of the giant turtle, where it hovered in midair. ¡°All 2,500 disciples participating in the third round of the tournament, please step into the transfer array so you can enter the Clam Sea Realm,¡± he announced. Below, many Dao Foundation stage disciples began to whisper amongst themselves as they looked admiringly at the stele. ¡°I heard that this Secret Realm transfer stele costs over 10,000 spirit stones to recharge after being used once.¡± ¡°If you kill enough clam demons in the Clam Sea Realm, you can obtain insight and even raise the cultivation of your mind and receive some resistance against illusion techniques. The benefits are really amazing, apparently.¡± ¡°I went in one time during a tournament, but I only managed to kill several hundred.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Over 2,000 Sea of Qi stage disciples stepped into the glowing transfer array, one after another. After a while, Yu Xingchao glanced down and saw that no more disciples were stepping into the array, so he lightly waved his hand. In the area directly above the Green Lotus Domain, a huge screen appeared in the air. All 2,500 of the disciples¡¯ names were listed on it. 1st place, Yu Yangyao! 0 points! 2nd place, Jian Liangbi! 0 points! ¡­ ¡­ The names on the screen were still in the order from the first round¡¯s ranking. But since there were only 2,500 people now, the ranking looked different. Only after the disciples entered the Clam Sea Realm would the points start to move. On the huge screen, everyone in the Mingxin Mountain range would be able to see who the real geniuses of the Sea of Qi division were! ¡°Enter the Clam Sea Realm!¡± Yu Xingchao¡¯s voice boomed as he cast several hand seals, which flew towards the seal. The other Spirit Masters nearby did the same. The glow of the massive transfer array below grew brighter and brighter until an invisible ripple swept through the air with a loud rumbling sound. In the next moment, the disciples in the transfer array, 2,500 strong, all disappeared without a trace. CH 109 Chapter 109 ¨C Lightning Cloud Stone Island The Clam Sea Realm! The light from the transfer array faded, and Xu Disheng opened his eyes, finding that he was standing upon some shoal rock of some sort. Before him was the vast, limitless ocean. Waves crashed periodically, releasing an ocean spray that lapped at his feet. Xu Disheng¡¯s brows furrowed slightly as he reached out a hand and felt around in the air. Sure enough, an almost undetectable ripple appeared before him, making him unable to proceed any further towards the ocean. Behind the shoal rock he was standing on was a lonely, uninhabited small island. It was only several dozen meters wide, meaning he could easily walk to the other side of the shore if he so wished. Xu Disheng turned around and stepped down from the shoal rock, both of his feet coming into contact with the sandy beach of the small island. Xu Disheng only walked a few steps before suddenly hearing a voice behind him. ¡°Brother, brother.¡± When he turned around, he saw a delicate, cute girl standing there as elegant as jade, on the shoal rock where he was just standing moments ago. Her features were refined, and her big eyes were misty, as if she was about to cry. Xu Yan, his little sister¡­? What was strange was that no matter how he probed the area with profound qi or Soul Force, he couldn¡¯t actually perceive the existence of this ¡®Xu Yan¡¯ that stood before him. It was as if there was absolutely nothing on top of the shoal rock. Then what could explain this phenomenon happening before his eyes? ¡°I¡¯ve already left the Chu Territory for several years now. Wouldn¡¯t my little sister have grown up a bit? Clam demon, you¡¯re being a bit too obvious here,¡± Xu Disheng said casually. As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately conjured an orb of water in his palm, which he unleashed directly at the lifelike girl before him. The girl¡¯s expression remained the same as before. As the orb of water exploded on her body, it suddenly warped and dissipated. ¡°Low-rank Clam Demon slain. +10 points.¡± From one of the two tokens that had appeared at his waist before he knew it, a cold, mechanical voice sounded out, presumably originating from the point token. The view before him warped and distorted, and in the next moment he found himself not on that small island, but in an extravagant palace hall. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, we¡¯re going to the Central Imperial Province tomorrow. Have you finished making preparations?¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s characteristically flat voice reached his ears, sounding exactly as it did in his memories. In the seats of honor, the two Daoist Lords were sitting cross-legged, conversing lightheartedly over some tea as they looked over at Xu Disheng. This place was none other than Daoist Lord Shangyuan¡¯s Dao Palace. As Xu Disheng examined the lack of expression on Daoist Lord Qingxin¡¯s face, he suddenly felt a sense of familiarity appear in his heart. The sensation was extremely strange, as if he felt like he was about to fall into an all-encompassing immersion with the scene before him. But once he examined closely, he found that the cups in the Daoist Lords¡¯ hands were completely empty. The smiles on their faces seemed to be frozen, and their movements were stuck somewhere in the middle of raising their teacups to take a sip of tea. The outside of the hall was an expanse of white, where there was clearly nothing there. "" Although it looked like the palace hall from his memories, the details had many flaws. Even the intricate carvings on the pillars just looked like an approximate, rough outline. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes lingered on Daoist Lord Qingxin for a moment before tossing out several orbs of water, scattering the Clam Demons. ¡°Low-rank Clam Demon slain. +10 points.¡± ¡°Low-rank Clam Demon slain. +10 points.¡± ¡°Low-rank Clam Demon slain. +10 points.¡± After the three notifications rang out, the scene before his eyes changed once more, seeming somewhat more realistic than before. There was a gigantic circular wrestling ring, and he seemed to be standing in the middle of it. The spectator stands were vague and blurred out, but there were easily several hundred thousand people in the audience, all cheering wildly. Those first two illusions were most likely just to allow the disciples to gain a preliminary understanding of the clam demons. The contents of the illusions seemed to have been taken from his memories, and there were intentionally a large number of flaws to make it easy for disciples to pass. The space several dozen meters in front of him suddenly warped, and three white monsters made of mist appeared. As soon as they finished materializing, they launched themselves at Xu Disheng. At that moment, a voice came from the survival token. ¡°Defeat these three middle-rank Clam Demons to enter the third round of the tournament and be brought to the main setting.¡± These three clam demons were at the equivalent of the Sea of Qi stage! Xu Disheng simply narrowed his eyes and cast a spell. A rope formed of black Soul Force shot out from the void, binding the three clam demons together and rendering them unable to move another step. Xu Disheng was simply trying out the effects of the God-Binding Spell, but he ended up being quite satisfied with its might. He casually summoned a few water arrows and made short work of these clam demons. ¡°Mid-rank Clam Demon slain. +20 points.¡± ¡°Mid-rank Clam Demon slain. +20 points.¡± ¡°Mid-rank Clam Demon slain. +20 points.¡± ¡°You are now entering the main setting of the tournament.¡± In the vast distance between the sky and the earth, tempestuous gales howled, and thick, black clouds covered the sky. Lightning occasionally flashed, originating from a point high up in the sky, seeming to tear the heavens asunder. The soil beneath his feet was an earthy brown. In front of his eyes, there was a seemingly endless complex of stone rooms filling up that expanse of blackish-brown earth as far as his eyes could see. ¡°Lightning Cloud Stone Island, 9,000 meters in diameter. There are 20,000 stone rooms here, and 20,000 high-rank Clam Demons, each valued unequally somewhere between 10 and several hundred points.¡± As all of the disciples began entering the Lightning Cloud Stone Island one after the other, the cold, mechanical voice continued to ring out from the tokens at their waist. The tournament commenced. The scenario for the Clam Sea Realm was different each time the tournament was held. Clearly, the randomly generated setting this time was Lightning Cloud Stone Island. The rules were extremely simple. Kill clam demons or steal points. But at that moment, Xu Disheng saw several disciples¡¯ figures warp in as they appeared in the setting. There were two disciples who warped in earlier not far away from them, and immediately began to attack as soon as they appeared. After a mere two moves, one of the disciples gritted his teeth and crushed his survival token, turning into a beam of light and disappearing. However, this disciple who was eliminated just now wasn¡¯t able to earn many points at all. By killing those several small-fry clam demons at the beginning which simply served as a tutorial, he managed to net himself a few points, but it was still better than nothing. ¡°Early Sea of Qi stage? Your luck isn¡¯t bad,¡± a tender and beautiful woman commented as she appeared several meters away from Xu Disheng. She was giving him an appraising glance, and was about to attack. ¡°Hmm?¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s brows creased in displeasure. The Yin Yang Diagram appeared from the void, and he unleashed a brushstroke with it. The barrier of light from the defensive-type Spirit Tool flashed around the beautiful woman, but broke almost instantly with a shattering sound. It was clearly only a common defensive-type Spirit Tool, as it utterly shattered with a casual move from Xu Disheng. The expression on the charming face of the woman changed greatly as a realization dawned upon her. She stared at the Yin Yang Diagram floating in the air and exclaimed, ¡°That¡¯s the Yin Yang Diagram! You must be Xu Disheng¡­! Junior Martial Brother Xu, I¡¯ll give you my point token, and you just let your martial sister go, okay?¡± She clearly didn¡¯t want to be sent out immediately after entering the setting. Xu Disheng suddenly had an amusing thought and smiled. ¡°Actually, when I was looking at the rules for the Clam Sea Realm the other day, I had a certain question regarding them,¡± he said. The woman¡¯s expression eased up a bit. The fact that Xu Disheng was willing to speak was a good sign for her. She said in a soft tone, ¡°Junior Martial Brother¡­ No, Senior Martial Brother Xu, what question do you have about the rules regarding this realm? Your Junior Martial Sister here will definitely help you clear things up.¡± With these words, she seemed to recover some of her usual charms. Her fair complexion flushed slightly in a tasteful manner. Eyes gleaming brightly, the youth said, ¡°My question is¡­ Say that some disciples encounter fatal danger and aren¡¯t able to crush their survival tokens in time. What would happen to them then?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The woman suddenly had a hint of a bad premonition. She reached a slender hand to her waist in an attempt to crush her survival token. However, her reaction was a bit late. A pure black droplet of water appeared above her head and fell down. A few moments later, the appealing woman was nothing more than ashes, floating on the wind. Even her storage pouch and survival token were completely annihilated. Although Xu Disheng¡¯s Summon Rain form only possessed a slight hint of the aura of Pure Oblivion Water, it already had the ability to completely annihilate its target! The point token, unable to be destroyed, lay there on the ground. It automatically flew towards the point token at Xu Disheng¡¯s waist, melding into it. ¡°100 points obtained.¡± At the same time, in the Green Lotus Domain, a name on the huge screen in the sky darkened, then disappeared altogether shortly after. But if one looked closely at the huge screen, they would find that there were already quite a few names that had disappeared altogether. Clearly, there were actually quite a few people who hadn¡¯t managed to crush their survival tokens before dying. The answer to Xu Disheng¡¯s question was exceedingly simple. If someone encountered fatal danger and wasn¡¯t able to crush their survival token in time, they would simply meet death. The sect wouldn¡¯t try to investigate nor pin responsibility on the killer, as the cause for their death was quite obvious. Crushing your survival token only took two breaths of time. Why would the Sacred Sect want a disciple who couldn¡¯t even manage to make two breaths of time to crush their token upon encountering danger? They would be better off just heading onto the next life, and be reincarnated anew. CH 110 Chapter 110 ¨C Points TL: Sponsored chapter (1/1). Lightning Cloud Stone Island wasn¡¯t all that big, but it couldn¡¯t be considered small either. However, there was a hidden rule that Xu Disheng had already become aware of by this point. There was an array on this island that restricted flight, so Spirit Clouds or flying swords and other flying-type Spirit Tools simply couldn¡¯t lift off the ground. As a result, the disciples scattered throughout the island could only venture into the unending series of stone rooms to obtain more points, by either killing clam demons or stealing tokens from other disciples. At a space not far away, the air distorted once more. Several disciples appeared and immediately dashed into the stone rooms. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t hesitate and randomly chose a tunnel farther away from the rest, entering the endless, sprawling complex of stone rooms. When he entered, it felt like he was stepping through a screen of heavy water. The view in front of him twisted in a kaleidoscope of light and darkness before returning back to normal clarity. The walls on both sides of him suddenly became extremely tall, as if they had been built up by another dozen or so meters! When Xu Disheng surveyed the area again, he found that even the path beneath his feet had widened significantly. However, it wasn¡¯t his surroundings getting bigger. Rather, he had been miniaturized by the power of the array encompassing these stone rooms. A melodious chirp suddenly rang out to his side, and a small, white sparrow flew out. Xu Disheng turned his head slightly to the side, watching as the sparrow flew closer. He reached his hand out and swiped through the void. A large hand made of profound qi materialized in midair, catching the white sparrow in its palm. The sparrow suddenly let out a shrill chirp and it opened its mouth, emitting a spiraling blast of demonic energy that instantly broke through the restraints of the hand made from profound qi. The white demonic qi around the bird¡¯s body transformed, and in the next moment, it appeared as a viper. It flicked its forked tongue and bit towards Xu Disheng. ¡°So it seems that the clam demons¡¯ forms continue to undergo change, and don¡¯t stay fixed,¡± Xu Disheng murmured to himself. The Imperial Demon Brush appeared in his hand, and he drew in the air with it. ¡°Sealing Soul.¡± A stream of pure, black Soul Force shot out of the tip of the Imperial Demon Brush, forming into a black claw which swiped at the viper. It snatched up the viper, dragging it into the Soul Suppressing Vestment. ¡°High-rank Clam Demon slain. +43 points.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. The Sealing Soul Spell was extremely easy to use, but even though the clam demon had been pulled into the Soul Suppressing Vestment, it simply turned into qi and dissipated, not increasing the Soul Force in the Soul Vessel in the slightest. With this, Xu Disheng arrived at the conclusion that these clam demons didn¡¯t have souls. They were simply beings formed from the qi of the Clam Sea Realm. The strength of the high-rank clam demons wasn¡¯t poor, being about on par with a peak Sea of Qi stage disciple. But to the elite disciples, securing victory against these clam demons wasn¡¯t a difficult task. After all, the spirit of competition between disciples was still at the core of the tournament. In fact, these clam demons could be considered a hidden benefit that the Sacred Sect was granting to the disciples. Xu Disheng had only killed several clam demons, but he could already perceive that his mind had become calmer than before as a result. The recent days of always being on the move had unknowingly accumulated a hint of unrest in his heart, but he felt this slowly being alleviated. Last time they met, Bai Zhehua told him that the more clam demons he killed, the more obvious the effect would be. Once he reached a certain threshold, there would be a qualitative change in the cultivation of his mind. In the first place, the Clam Sea Realm had been specially refined by that Divine Sea stage powerhouse to help the disciples of the Sacred Sect raise the cultivation of their minds. Xu Disheng continued on, going through more than 10 stone rooms. Every time he went into a stone room, a clam demon would come rushing out, appearing in all manners of different forms. Xu Disheng would deal with all of them in a simple manner, accumulating several hundred points in the process. Xu Disheng noticed that the cultivation of the clam demons was slowly increasing the further he went in. He withdrew the Severing Spirit Seal and examined the squashed, dissipating form of the clam demon before him, his brows creasing slightly. This clam demon that had just turned into demonic energy and disappeared was already at a cultivation equivalent to the half-step Dao Foundation stage. Although these clam demons didn¡¯t make use of any Spirit Tools or cultivation methods and would merely charge forward blindly, he had only gone through a little over 10 stone rooms by this point. It was only around 100 meters from the place he entered the stone rooms to the place he was now. Did this mean that there were Dao Foundation stage clam demons even further in? Or clam demons with higher spiritual awareness, or perhaps even clam demons that had the ability to use Demonic Spells? In the Green Lotus Domain, on the huge screen up in the sky¡­ ¡°Look, Yu Yangyao already has 2,300 points!¡± a disciple exclaimed, pointing at the name in first place on the screen. ¡°1st place, Yu Yangyao. 2,300 points.¡± ¡°2nd place, Jian Liangbi. 860 points.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Why is the gap between them so large?¡± A disciple curiously inquired of one of the older disciples at his side who had been at the Sea of Qi stage for a long time. There were some older disciples who had let several hundred years slip them by, meaning they at least had quite a bit of experience to draw from. Seeing a lot of nearby disciples also looking towards him, waiting for his answer, he put on an enigmatic facade and said, ¡°You might not know, but I¡¯ve actually been into the Clam Sea Realm twice. The high-rank clam demons in there are at the peak Sea of Qi stage at the weakest, and at the deepest parts, there are even ones at the peak Dao Foundation stage!¡± He pointed up at the light screen floating in the sky and continued, ¡°The reason Yu Yangyao has such a lead over the others must be because he rode on one of his Magic Treasures into the deeper parts and started to slay Dao Foundation stage clam demons.¡± The other disciples became even more puzzled. One of them asked, ¡°I heard that clam demons are extremely weak. Why didn¡¯t any other people immediately fly in deeper and start killing Dao Foundation stage clam demons too?¡± That old disciple realized that his words were facing some skepticism, and he immediately felt a hint of discontent rise up in him. He snorted coldly and said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what setting of the Clam Sea Realm they¡¯re in, flying is always prohibited, no matter what setting they end up in! Only those with Magic Treasures can proceed quickly into the deeper parts. The other disciples can only slowly slaughter through the clam demons to make their way in.¡± As they were speaking, some of the names on the light screen suddenly shot upwards. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen disciples had over 2,000 points as well! Seeing the stunned looks on the faces of the other disciples as they stared up at the light screen, he commented smugly, ¡°You all see that? Those people are all geniuses with Magic Treasures. As I said, they all must have flown in deeper on their Magic Treasures and started slaughtering Dao Foundation stage clam demons!¡± In the end, the points of those in the top 10 hovered momentarily at about 2,000 points. However, Yu Yangyao, in his position as first place, already had well over 6,000 points! Although Xu Disheng had the Yin Yang Diagram, which was capable of flight, he didn¡¯t know about this way of doing things. At this moment, with the more than 10 clam demons he had fought through, in addition to the other points he had, Xu Disheng had more than 1,000 points. On the light screen, that placed him at rank 300 or so. However, the others who had been killing Dao Foundation stage clam demons all this time had already obtained over 2,000 points. The speed at which they were accumulating points far outstripped Xu Disheng¡¯s own rate. Another half-step Dao Foundation stage clam demon appeared before him once more, in the shape of a target. Xu Disheng immediately swiped it away and destroyed it, but his brows furrowed once more. Was the route that he chose too far-flung? Ever since he entered the complex of stone rooms, he hadn¡¯t run into any other disciples. But there were all kinds of entrances and doors on the four sides of the stone rooms, and the array encompassing the place had even shrunk his body down. Could it be that the design of this place was to intentionally make it so disciples didn¡¯t run into each other in the beginning? Xu Disheng continued to fight forward, slaughtering several more clam demons before the path suddenly gave way to a wide clearing. There was a pause in the seemingly unending complex of stone rooms, resulting in an empty zone nearly 100 meters across. As he crossed the blank space, he looked to both sides of him and could see the situation on some of the other paths. In the span of a few breaths, Xu Disheng saw several disciples on their own paths, charging past the empty gap without stopping as they pressed on to their next passages. Xu Disheng pondered momentarily, but he didn¡¯t go to the other passages that the disciples passed through. After traversing the empty space, he simply continued on to the next stone room in his path. CH 111 Chapter 111 ¨C Circle, Rules ¡°Awooooo!¡± A vicious wolf charged straight at Xu Disheng. Although its movements appeared just as rigid as before, Xu Disheng could perceive a slight difference in the aura of the clam demon. He threw out the Severing Spirit Seal, which stamped down ruthlessly. Boom! However, this wolf didn¡¯t dissipate like the other clam demons before it who suffered identical treatment. The Severing Spirit Seal collided with its head, but only made it totter dizzily on its feet. It shook its head from side to side to clear its head before howling and resuming its charge once more. ¡°Sealing Soul.¡± The Imperial Demon Brushed appeared in his hand and black Soul Force streamed out of it, forming into a large hand. The phantom image of the hand swiped at the vicious wolf, snatching it up and stuffing it into the Soul Suppressing Vestment. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes lit up slightly. ¡°This wolf must have been at the Dao Foundation stage. It had a hint of a soul, so my Soul Force increased a bit.¡± These Dao Foundation stage clam demons weren¡¯t actually that strong, and their strengths had also been intentionally tuned down by the realm. As long as someone had a high-grade offensive-type Spirit Tool, it was possible to destroy them with relative ease. Xu Disheng suddenly heard an explosion to his side. He hadn¡¯t completely entered the stone passage that led to the next room yet. When he turned to look, he saw a disciple riding on a white spirit crane, rapidly taking flight. Large sonic booms rippled out, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone without a trace. Xu Disheng suddenly had a thought, opting not to go into the next passage. The Yin Yang Diagram appeared beneath his feet, which slowly lifted him up into the air. Much to his surprise, Magic Treasures weren¡¯t subject to the flight restriction! That white spirit crane just now was a transformed version of a Magic Treasure, but Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t in the mood for such stylistic choices. As long as he willed it, the Yin Yang Diagram could also transform into a winged zebra or a yin yang immortal bird. These kinds of superficial transformations were a simple matter for a Magic Treasure. The phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram below his feet continued to ascend slowly. Seeing the dense complex of stone rooms, Xu Disheng gazed on pensively. In front of him, there were vague, bright lights streaking off in the distance. They most likely belonged to the strongest radiances emitted by Magic Treasures on their flight paths. Clearly, there were many disciples with Magic Treasures over there, which was also presumably the reason why that disciple on that white spirit crane was hurrying in that direction. Xu Disheng paused momentarily for thought, then urged the Yin Yang Diagram forward. He flew forward quickly, maintaining an altitude of around 30 meters over the top of the stone rooms. In the very center of the complex of stone rooms, there was a massive empty plaza. Above that space, there were ten enormous stone rooms, a Divine Core stage aura blasting out from each. There were several dozen somewhat smaller stone rooms surrounding them, each of them emitting a peak Dao Foundation stage aura. There were more than twenty people already gathered, floating above the area, and other disciples were constantly hurrying over from all directions. At the very heart of this gathering of people, there were four people who were eyeing the ten stone rooms at the center. Yu Yangyao was among them, an extremely handsome youth garbed in a white Daoist robe. Gazing at the three half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses around him, he spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll take the east side of the stone island. Older Brother Jian will take the west side, and the south¡­¡± He looked at Ke Yue and Bai Zhaoyun. ¡°You two. Ke Yue, take the south. Bai Zhaoyun, take the north.¡± Jian Liangbi¡¯s expression was indifferent as he remained silent. Ke Yue nodded slightly, turning to look at the disciples who were rushing over from all sides. After doing a rough count, he found that there were about 40 people. He declared in a loud voice so the people in the surroundings could hear, ¡°You all go and gather points on your own for now. We won¡¯t act against you for the time being. When there are only six people remaining, you can come to us, and we will split the ten Divine Core stage clam demons with you.¡± ¡°Yes, Senior Martial Brother,¡± the several dozen disciples parroted in succession. They all scattered, multi-colored streaks of light flashing out as they went in their separate directions to go gather points. Although there were some disciples who held veiled criticisms toward Ke Yue, he was still a half-step Dao Foundation stage genius with terrifying combat prowess. In this Secret Realm, he was an overwhelming presence that could crush them all underfoot, so these disciples all acted like dogs with their tails between their legs when in his presence. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu?¡± He Junyu muttered. He was also among the handful of people standing at the very center. He had only flown several meters out before noticing Xu Disheng flying over on his Yin Yang Diagram as the rest of the group flew away. Xu Disheng had a lot of hidden trump cards on his body at the moment, so his fighting strength was quite impressive at the moment. Aside from the top 10 or so disciples, he pretty much didn¡¯t need to worry, which was why he flew straight over. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly in suspicion. He didn¡¯t think that all of the top ranking disciples would be gathered here in one spot, and to top things off, there wasn¡¯t any kind of fighting going on between them. They seemed to simply gather for a moment before dispersing once more, which certainly did seem quite suspicious. He Junyu came over and patted Xu Disheng on the shoulder. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since you entered a Peak, Junior Martial Brother Xu. You don¡¯t have your own social circle yet, so it can be considered fairly normal for you to not know anything.¡± As it turned out, these genius disciples had already gotten in contact with each other in advance. Yu Yangyao and the others were even more cognizant of the detailed circumstances in Lightning Cloud Stone Island, so they had all agreed to convene at the center of the island. The four half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses had all gone in their respective cardinal directions to collect points. They wouldn¡¯t fight with the disciples who had one or two Magic Treasures for the time being, instead moving to clear out the ordinary disciples. Only after they had all been eliminated from the realm would they start to fight amongst each other. The last six remaining disciples among them would be permitted by the four genius disciples to take on one of the Divine Core stage clam demons at the very center of the island, making them one of the top 10 in the Sea of Qi division of the tournament! These 10 clam demons were a hidden reward given by the Sacred Sect, given they had no spiritual awareness whatsoever. To be exact, they were no different from 10 clusters of pure qi of the realm waiting to be absorbed. However, this qi had a Divine Core stage quality to it, and could provide countless wondrous benefits. Of course, it was the four half-step Dao Foundation stage disciples who made the rules for allocating the other six, not the sect. The sect¡¯s rules were as simple as ever. Only those who had the top 10 most points could extract the qi from those Divine Core stage clam demons. However, as far as the ordinary disciples were concerned, these geniuses already had the basic power to make the rules. After He Junyu finished explaining this to Xu Disheng, he asked, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, are you going to compete for a place in the top 10 spots?¡± Xu Disheng nodded and replied, ¡°I plan to try my best.¡± He Junyu lightly furrowed his brow and said, ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as you think to make it into the top 10. Those four take up the top 4 spots, and I also take up one spot. There are several dozen people who are qualified to fight for those remaining 5 spots. The competition over these remaining 5 spots is going to be a lot tougher than you think.¡± Xu Disheng knew that even though he had a lot of hidden trump cards and was stronger than before, he still couldn¡¯t be counted as a true genius among the Sea of Qi stage disciples of the Mingxin Mountain Range. To say nothing of the top 4 half-step Dao Foundation stage disciples, there were seven or eight geniuses just like He Junyu who were only inferior to them by one step. Even still, none of them were opponents that Xu Disheng could match up to. His only remaining hope was that the rules of the Lightning Cloud Stone Island calculated the top 10 based on the number of points at the end, not the outcome of face-to-face battles. If this wasn¡¯t the case, Xu Disheng wouldn¡¯t have any shot at the top 10 spots whatsoever. He Junyu didn¡¯t speak with him much further, simply leaving him with a few encouraging words telling him to do what he could, before leaving to gather points himself. Xu Disheng watched the numerous streaks of light as people on Magic Treasures dispersed from the spot one after the other. All of them belonged to the top 40-50 at the very apex of the 2,500 participants in this realm. At this moment, he could be considered a part of them. However, his clash with them might only take place several days later. On the sides of the clearing at the center of Lightning Cloud Stone Island, there were several dozen stone rooms containing peak Dao Foundation stage clam demons. However, all of these clam demons had extremely high spiritual awareness, and there were even some that could use Demonic Spells. They were difficult to slay, posing a considerable level of danger. As a result, there were no disciples bothering to go for them right now. Most of the genius disciples were heading off in the directions they originally came from, slaying normal Dao Foundation stage clam demons while starting to slowly clear out the ordinary disciples in their respective areas. Xu Disheng was flying high up in the sky, surveying the situation below. He lowered his flight speed, looking at several passages below him. These kinds of passages snaked between the stone rooms, but it wasn¡¯t possible to see out of them from the inside. But from his position on high, he could examine the farthest reaches of each path. Suddenly, at a distance not far below him, he spotted a disciple flying on at a nimble speed, several Spirit Tools apparent on his body. Seeing the path he came from, Xu Disheng could guess that he had already killed quite a few Dao Foundation stage clam demons. Xu Disheng slowly landed next to him and said callously, ¡°Hand me your point token. If you do, I won¡¯t eliminate you from the realm, and I¡¯ll let you find an empty stone room to hide yourself.¡± That disciple, who had a square face, had just finished slaying a clam demon and was now sitting cross-legged on the ground to recover his profound qi. Seeing Xu Disheng step off of the Yin Yang Diagram, appearing from the sky out of nowhere, he stared at him wide-eyed. But he did hear what he said, and his expression turned ugly as he seemed to hesitate momentarily. With how easily recognizable the Yin Yang Diagram was, the square-faced disciple had already recognized him as Xu Disheng from Morning Dew Peak. If it was any other genius disciple, the square-faced disciple would have given up immediately and surrendered his point token. But he heard that Xu Disheng was only at the early Sea of Qi stage, so maybe¡­ ¡°So it¡¯s you, Senior Martial Brother Xu. Sure, I¡¯ll hand over my point token,¡± he said. Xu Disheng reached out his hand, and was just about to grasp the token in his hand when the square-faced disciple suddenly broke out into a nasty smirk. ¡°Hah, you¡¯re only at the early Sea of Qi stage! Your reputation must have gotten blown way out of proportion. Today, let me teach you a lesson!¡± A gray cloud of insects flew out from the square-faced disciple¡¯s sleeve with a cacophony of angry buzzing and charged at Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng had long since seen through his ever-changing expressions and anticipated that he wouldn¡¯t be willing to hand over his point token, so he had been prepared to deal with his attack. ¡°God-Binding Spell.¡± The Imperial Demon Brush danced lightly, causing a black rope made of Soul Force to appear. It wrapped around the square-faced disciple and rooted him to the spot, rendering him unable to move an inch. The gray cloud of insects was already right in front of Xu Disheng by this point. The sleeve of the Soul Suppressing Vestment suddenly transformed into a large maw, which opened wide and swallowed the insect cloud before reverting back to normal. ¡°Just now, Senior Martial Brother He told me not to casually slaughter the ordinary disciples for the sake of the sect,¡± Xu Disheng said coldly, a droplet of black water spinning ominously at the tip of his finger. ¡°I didn¡¯t even force you to crush your survival token. I allowed you to hide so you could raise your own ranking, and you actually dared to try and launch a sneak attack on me?¡± The square-faced disciple had a terrible premonition. Face warped with terror, he lowered his head and locked his gaze on the survival token at his waist. But both of hands were bound tight by black rope conjured by the God-Binding Spell, and he couldn¡¯t move at all. A moment later, he stopped struggling, and a gleam appeared in his gaze as an idea formed in his mind. Obviously, he was thinking of using some cultivation method to crush his survival token so he could return to the Green Lotus Domain. But just as the square-faced disciple started to channel profound qi into his eyes to shoot a beam, that droplet of black water fell on his head. His body distorted, and in the next moment, his entire being was annihilated into a mere cloud of mist, drifting away slowly on the wind. A few moments later, his survival token was broken by a profound light and dissipated into motes of light. However, that square-faced disciple didn¡¯t go along with the survival token, made to rest for eternity in the Clam Sea Realm. CH 112 Chapter 112 ¨C Playing with the Soul? TL: Sponsored chapter (1/3). Thanks for your support, Tony! ¡°You have obtained 12,560 points.¡± Xu Disheng put away the point token with a flat expression. He stepped on the Yin Yang Diagram and ascended into the air, in search of his next target. ¡­ ¡­ Three days passed. Xu Disheng went around plundering point tokens from ordinary disciples, killing clam demons here and there. He had over 400,000 points in his token by now. Most of the disciples he ran into in the last few days were quite discreet. As soon as they were found by Xu Disheng, they would hand over their point tokens and leave the realm by themselves. These disciples had a clear view of things, so Xu Disheng just let them return to the sect. He didn¡¯t kill them in cold blood, since He Junyu specifically told him to refrain from killing other disciples where he could. It wasn¡¯t for any reason other than the fact that mindless killing could negatively impact how the higher-ups of the sect viewed him, and even affect future promotions or the distribution of cultivation resources to him. If not for anything else, he had to be mindful of that. On the huge screen back in the Green Lotus Domain, Xu Disheng¡¯s name was listed as 23rd place, prominent under the gaze of tens of thousands of people. The disciples who had Magic Treasures capable of flight had deliberately avoided each other for the past few days. Hence, even though Xu Disheng had encountered some of the top ranked disciples, no battles had broken out between them. After a subtle hint to each other, they would go their separate ways. But right now, there were only 3 days remaining out of the 7 days allotted for the round. Aside from a scant few ordinary disciples who were hidden especially well, the only people that remained on Lightning Cloud Stone Island were the several dozen top ranking disciples. The few thousand participating disciples had pretty much all been expelled from the stage, aside from those that had met an unexpected death. The rankings for these people were now fixed, unable to be changed anymore at this point. ¡°Xu Disheng?¡± a girl in a red dress called from her perch atop a white array flag, blocking Xu Disheng¡¯s path. ¡°Hm?¡± Xu Disheng lightly knit his brows as he stood there floating in midair on the Yin Yang Diagram. ¡°Do you have some business with me, Senior Martial Sister?¡± This girl in a red dress was one of the geniuses whose details were recorded in the information jade slip. Her name was Zuo Yanran, and possessed a cultivation at the peak Sea of Qi stage. She owned two top-grade Magic Treasures, and had placed 11th in the first round of the tournament. Zuo Yanran sized up Xu Disheng and the charming cherry lips on her small, pretty face curled into a smile. ¡°You¡¯re actually pretty cute, Junior Martial Brother Xu. It¡¯s just a shame your strength is a bit lacking.¡± With a dainty flick of her red muslin sleeves, she pointed a delicate finger at the point token at Xu Disheng¡¯s waist. ¡°What I want is that. Then, you can crush your survival token and go back, okay? After all, your ranking shouldn¡¯t be that low by this point. You should have at least reached the top 30 by now.¡± The youth laughed and fired back, ¡°You¡¯re quite beautiful yourself, Senior Martial Sister. It¡¯s just a shame your brains are a bit lacking.¡± ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± Zuo Yanran shouted, her face flush with humiliation and rage. ¡°Previously, Senior Martial Brother He told all the other fellow disciples to treat you a bit nicely and look after you. It was only to give Senior Martial Brother He face that I even bothered to speak with you first. Now you seriously have the nerve to think you¡¯re something special now? You¡¯re just crutching on the two Magic Treasures that the Celestial Tide Spirit Master gave you. Your ego is inflated to the roof!¡± Clearly, Zuo Yanran had a misunderstanding that Celestial Tide Spirit Master was backing Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng simply made a silent note of He Junyu¡¯s favor, then lifted his gaze, his eyes filled with an indomitable battle intent. ¡°Then fight me,¡± he declared. 11th place in the first round of the tournament, and a genius with two Magic Treasures. But so what? Just fight. Zuo Yanran didn¡¯t bother to squabble further. A large array flag appeared in her hands, which she immediately activated. An intense gale swept up! Light and shadow warped before Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes, and the stone rooms around him were suddenly no longer there. His surroundings were a desolate, barren wasteland, filled with flurrying yellow dust. An illusion array? The illusion array didn¡¯t seem that realistic, but the feeling that this heaven and earth gave him was extremely familiar. The somewhat damaged rules of the realm were just like¡­ the Chu Territory! However, the area was countless times smaller. So this was the world brought about by that top-grade array flag Magic Treasure? While he was in the middle of his thoughts, Zuo Yanran¡¯s melodious voice rang out from somewhere in the sky. ¡°You don¡¯t have a top-grade Magic Treasure, so you definitely won¡¯t be able to block the suppression of my White Lotus Array Flag, Junior Martial Brother Xu. Now that you¡¯ve been taken into my array flag, I¡¯m going to run all over you, you know?¡± Xu Disheng ignored her, silently perceiving the world inside the array flag. The world inside his Yin Yang Diagram could also take in all kinds of things, but it was limited to inanimate objects. The only animate entities it could take in were ghosts and souls. This array flag was a top-grade Magic Treasure. As long as the owner had sufficient strength, any living being could be taken in and suppressed by it. Before they could react, the enemy would already find themselves taken into the White Lotus Array Flag. Petals of white lotus appeared, drifting towards him along the wind. There was a tremendous pressure pressing down on the space between heaven and earth. Xu Disheng could also feel that the flurrying yellow dust wasn¡¯t simply flying past him. Rather, every fleck of dust was slowly tearing away his profound qi, eroding it away little by little. There was simply too much yellow dust filling the air. In just a few breaths of time, the profound qi in Xu Disheng¡¯s body had already diminished by 10-20%. Xu Disheng took out a Qi Boosting Pill and ingested it, temporarily alleviating his worries about his profound qi. But right now, his enemy was hidden, so it was difficult to find a way to free himself. How could he escape from the White Lotus Array Flag? Several white petals slipped through the protective barrier of the Soul Suppressing Vestment. They floated and whirled along, disappearing into his sea of consciousness. Zuo Yanran sounded pleased as her voice resounded from the sky once more. ¡°This trusty Soul-Devouring White Lotus Spell in my array flag is one of those rare soul attacking techniques. It can slowly erode away at your mind, and at the end, you¡¯ll be left a complete idiot! What will you do, Junior Martial Brother Xu? Will you hand over your point token? Right now, you¡¯re just a piece of meat on a butchering block. What, you¡¯re actually still thinking of trying to escape?¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s expression was indeed a bit strange. When those petals of white lotus slipped through his defenses and entered his sea of consciousness, they didn¡¯t erode away at his mind at all. On the contrary, they ended up being suppressed and absorbed by the cyan jade flute in his sea of consciousness, increasing his overall Soul Force by a certain amount. However¡­ ¡°Ahh! What are these white lotus petals? How come I feel myself getting weaker for some reason?!¡± Xu Disheng exclaimed in anguish, buckling to the ground with a painful expression on his face as he let even more white lotus petals flood into his sea of consciousness. ¡°As I just said, these Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals are part of one of those extremely rare soul attacking techniques. It¡¯s a remarkable ability that comes from my White Lotus Array Flag! If an ordinary Dao Foundation stage cultivator was taken into my array flag, even they would have their mind eroded away and eventually meet death!¡± Zuo Yanran gloated, sounding inwardly elated. This attack move was the one that she was the most proud of. Seeing Xu Disheng¡¯s face wracked with pain, her petite, attractive face curled into a smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to fight just now? Look at you, you can¡¯t even touch the hem of my dress. Just who did you think you were up against?¡± Zuo Yanran jeered. Xu Disheng¡¯s expression became even more pained. He was half-kneeling on the ground, his head deeply lowered. The jade band binding his hair had also come loose at some point, letting his long, inky black hair flow down freely. As Zuo Yanran looked at Xu Disheng inside of the array flag, she suddenly felt something seemed a bit off. Normally, when a living being was being suppressed, the white lotus petals would enter their body and erode a portion of their mind. But at the same time, there would also be another portion of Soul Force extracted from the target which would usually cycle back to power the White Lotus Array Flag so it would become stronger over time and release even more Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals, to be repeated ad infinitum. Several dozens of Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals had already entered his sea of consciousness, but the array flag hadn¡¯t received any Soul Force back whatsoever. The white lotus petals were disappearing, like rocks being thrown into the ocean! Zuo Yanran suddenly guessed that Xu Disheng had some sort of Magic Treasure that could protect his mind. She gave a cold snort and said, ¡°Looks like you were hiding yourself quite deeply, Junior Martial Brother Xu. Who would have thought that you actually have a Magic Treasure that is capable of protecting your mind? But my White Lotus Array Flag isn¡¯t something that some shoddy second-rate Magic Treasure can resist!¡± With that, she took two Qi Boosting Pills and poured even greater power into the Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals in an attempt to break through the defenses of the ¡®mind-protecting Magic Treasure¡¯ that he supposedly had. Countless white lotuses appeared in the air above the barren wasteland setting of the array flag, rushing crazily towards Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. CH 113 Chapter 113 ¨C Temporarily 19th Place! TL: Sponsored chapter (2/3). Last sponsored chapter will come out on the next release on Sunday. In the highest reaches of Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness, the cyan jade flute was suppressing all of the white lotus petals and converting them into Soul Force, which then poured into the black Soul Force flute below. The black Soul Force flute was becoming even brighter and more resplendent as it started to undergo a transformation. The originally seemingly illusory body of the flute was somehow becoming more and more real. The entire flute eventually made a full-bodied transition from illusion to reality, transforming into a long black and gold flute, which floated quietly beneath the cyan jade flute. Xu Disheng suddenly heard a loud rumbling sound surge from within him. He instantly sensed that his soul had ascended to a higher level, like he had entered a higher state of being. His five senses felt more clear and lucid than ever, and even the range of his Soul Force and profound qi senses had expanded by several times. The fifth scripture of Soul Song, the Extinguishing Soul Mantra, slowly unraveled itself, emitting a faint glow. With the clear improvement in his Soul Force, he could now cultivate the Extinguishing Soul Mantra. As Zuo Yanran looked at Xu Disheng¡¯s kneeling figure, her brows furrowed. He had been in that position for a long time now. Could it be that the defenses of his mind-protecting Magic Treasure were already spent, and he had already been turned into an idiot? The girl couldn¡¯t help feeling some regret in her heart. Just now, she had been so caught up with breaking through the defenses of his so-called ¡®Magic Treasure¡¯ that she ended up exerting the full force of her Soul-Devouring White Lotus Spell. If she really ended up crippling Xu Disheng, it wouldn¡¯t be that big of a deal, but she would definitely incur the ill will of He Junyu and the Celestial Tide Spirit Master, which simply wasn¡¯t worth it. Zuo Yanran shook the White Lotus Array Flag, throwing Xu Disheng out of it. Her brows creased as she looked down at Xu Disheng, who had landed on the roof of a stone room. His aura didn¡¯t have that big of a change, and his eyes were closed. He wasn¡¯t giving off a single reaction. It was as if his mind had been erased and he had really been turned into an idiot. "" ¡°Senior Martial Sister, are you perhaps disappointed that you didn¡¯t manage to erase my mind?¡± Xu Disheng said coldly. The youth¡¯s eyes suddenly opened, a brilliant gleam shining in his profoundly serene black pupils. Zuo Yanran was shocked. She gripped her White Lotus Array Flag tighter, unexpectedly at a loss. Her White Lotus Array Flag had never failed her before. It even came with a mind-attacking technique, which was extremely rare even in the entirety of the Mingxin Mountain Range. As one of the several dozen geniuses at the very top, she had once gone out with several other martial brothers and sisters to suppress a Dao Foundation stage demon. The geniuses weren¡¯t able to completely kill it, and in the end, they had to rely on her to take it into her White Lotus Array Flag. Only by erasing its mind could they finally put that Dao Foundation stage demon to its death. Xu Disheng was only a trifling early Sea of Qi stage disciple. So how was he able to block the full might of the Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals? She had quite broad experiences when it came to different kinds of people, but she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes when she saw Xu Disheng standing there without a single sign of injury on him. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t waste his time speaking nonsense to her any further. He reached both hands into the void and clenched them, causing a brilliant golden longbow to appear in his grasp. A Destruction Arrow, clad with the deadly aura of destruction, materialized into being. He released the bowstring, letting it fly. It streaked across the sky, leaving behind a brilliant golden beam-like trail in its wake! Even though Zuo Yanran was momentarily distracted, she was still a top-ranking genius in the Mingxin Mountain Range. She immediately responded, manifesting a silver fishnet in front of her to block it. The golden beam of light approached with a shrill, ear-piercing shriek, colliding savagely with the fishnet! The radiance from the arrow faded and it shattered into countless fragments, releasing a myriad of golden motes of light that filled the sky. Zuo Yanran scoffed and said, ¡°You really think that bow and arrow of yours will be able to break through the defenses of this top-grade Magic Treasure of mine?¡± "" The silver fishnet in front of her was still continuously rippling as it floated there in the air. After receiving the full brunt of the attack from the Glorious Sun Bow, its silver glow had faded by a bit, but it completely restored back to normal in a few breaths of time. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t speak. A black droplet of water appeared in the palm of his hand, and he lightly pointed his finger at Zuo Yanran. Then, the black droplet of water disappeared from his palm. Zuo Yanran¡¯s cute little face turned grave, and she began to continuously weave hand seals, urging forth the full might of the silver fishnet. It began to radiate a silver halo, which enveloped her entire body within. The small black droplet of water, clad in the aura of annihilation, suddenly appeared above her head and fell down. The Summon Rain form with the hint of the aura of Pure Oblivion Water was one of Xu Disheng¡¯s most reliable moves at the moment. Its ability to annihilate things in its path had yet to meet a worthy opponent so far. The silver fishnet continuously rippled and fluctuated as a sharp ¡®zizi¡¯ sound resounded out. The black droplet of water originated from that floating river in the sky, after all. Its might caused the silver glow of the fishnet to weaken a good amount before dissipating. Zuo Yanran¡¯s face was pale. ¡°What kind of cultivation method is that? How is that attack¡¯s power comparable to a top-grade offensive-type Magic Treasure?¡± This black droplet of water was far too different from the Summon Rain form that everyone was familiar with, to the point that she didn¡¯t even recognize it as the Azure Ocean cultivation method. Xu Disheng¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. This was his first time encountering a defensive top-grade Magic Treasure. The strongest of his attack powers were the Summon Rain form with the aura of Pure Oblivion Water, and the absorbing and suppressing power of the Yin Yang Diagram. But now that he was up against this silver fishnet, which was top-grade defensive Magic Treasure, it was a bit beyond his caliber. The foundations of these geniuses were far too deep. Unless it was genius who had started their cultivation journey at the same starting line, it would be tough to fight against them and win. Or unless¡­ he used the Passing Soul Mantra or the Swallowing Soul Mantra, which directly attacked the soul. Even a top-grade defensive Magic Treasure wouldn¡¯t be able to block these moves. Only a specialized mind-protecting Magic Treasure might be able to block it. However, Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t sure if the Divine Core stage Spirit Masters back in the Green Lotus Domain or the lofty Mountain Masters had the ability to see the events happening in the Clam Sea Realm. If he rashly made use of Soul Song and ended up receiving the pointed interrogation of the sect as a result, it really wouldn¡¯t be a desirable outcome. Seeing Xu Disheng not saying anything, Zuo Yanran hesitated a bit. At the moment, she didn¡¯t know how he managed to survive the attack from the Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals. She had several other methods of attack, although the White Lotus Array Flag was indeed her strongest. After a while, she waved her red muslin sleeve, putting away the array flag. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, I won¡¯t trouble you anymore for today. There¡¯ll always be another time.¡± With that, she stepped on the air, causing a phantom image of the White Lotus Array Flag to appear, seemingly about to fly away. Xu Disheng narrowed his eyes, watching the fluttering silhouette of the girl in the red dress as she flew away. A black gleam was revolving in the pupils of his eyes, which was none other than the Swallowing Soul Mantra, already primed and ready to be unleashed. As the girl disappeared off into the distance, the black gleam in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes faded away. In the end, he decided not to use it. After all, the Clam Sea Realm must have some Divine Core stage Spirit Master closely monitoring it. If the secret of the Soul Song cultivation method was exposed, he wouldn¡¯t be able to control the course of events that would surely follow. The clam demons in the various passages had been nearly wiped clean by now. The few clam demons that remained were the Dao Foundation stage ones at the very central plaza. The remaining disciples had practically all started moving towards the plaza at the very center of Lightning Cloud Stone Island. On the way, battles started to erupt between the geniuses. Several people had been eliminated, making it so Xu Disheng was currently sitting at 19th place. Back at the Green Lotus Domain, on the huge screen of light¡­ ¡°1st place, Yu Yangyao. 4,300,000 points.¡± ¡°2nd place, Jian Liangbi. 4,090,000 points.¡± ¡°3rd place, Bai Zhaoyun. 3,700,000 points.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°19th place, Xu Disheng. 470,000 points.¡± ¡°Li Dan, where¡¯s Senior Martial Brother Xu? Did he already go into that¡­ Clam Sea Secret Realm or something?¡± Yuan Qi asked after entering Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light and seeing Li Dan at the very back of all of the disciples. He had been alone, sitting cross-legged on a mat, his eyes closed in a state of cultivation. Hearing Yuan Qi¡¯s pressing tone, Li Dan opened his eyes and looked at him, then pointed at the list of names on the huge screen floating in the sky before submerging himself into cultivating once more. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu is 19th place?! Am I seeing this correctly?!¡± Yuan Qi exclaimed in an overly loud tone, his expression full of surprise and admiration as he shook Li Dan¡¯s shoulder as hard as he could. He couldn¡¯t help rubbing salt in Li Dan¡¯s wound over their previous frictions. After making it back from Jade Water Lake, Yuan Qi hadn¡¯t so much as stepped out of his courtyard all this time. With the spirit stones from Xu Disheng in hand, he bought a beautiful mortal concubine and wasted his life away in hedonistic fashion, banishing cultivation and sect missions to the back of his mind. Today, he happened to finally leave his courtyard for once, and heard all of the disciples of Morning Dew Peak talking about Xu Disheng. He even heard that he had defeated Jie Zizhuo, who had been 32nd place. Hardly able to separate himself from his concubine, he hurried over to the Green Lotus Domain, wanting to express his loyalty to Xu Disheng. But now, he was suddenly made aware of the fact that Xu Disheng had reached the lofty heights of 19th place in the third round of the tournament! There were over 2,000 names on the light screen, but most of them were dimmed out, signifying that they had been eliminated from the tournament. There were some names that had disappeared altogether without a trace, which meant that they were already dead. There were only 27 names remaining, all of them ranking at the top. With over 400,000 points in hand, Xu Disheng was ranked at 19th place for the time being! Now, no one dared to say any longer that Xu Disheng had relied on luck and his Magic Treasures to defeat Jie Zizhuo. Similarly, there wasn¡¯t anyone out there anymore who dared to say that Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t a Sea of Qi stage genius! After he calmed himself down a bit, Yuan Qi found that there were a lot of things different about Li Dan compared to before. He couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Where¡¯s your little hussy, Lu Siwan?¡± Li Dan¡¯s eyes shot open and he cast a piercing sideways glance at Yuan Qi. A powerful aura suddenly erupted from him, suppressing Yuan Qi to the point that he could hardly lift his head! Yuan Qi¡¯s expression changed wildly. Back at Jade Water Lake, Li Dan was still just a cannon fodder of a disciple that he could suppress easily. But now, Li Dan had already surpassed him. Yuan Qi could tell that from his profound qi cultivation that he was almost at the peak Sea of Qi stage! ¡°I misspoke, Senior Martial Brother Li,¡± Yuan Qi said, forcing an awkward hint of a smile to his face. He had already guessed that there had been some kind of dispute between Li Dan and Lu Siwan, so he very tactfully refrained from bringing it up further. Li Dan retracted his aura and snorted coldly, then stood up and left Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light. Yuan Qi silently clenched his teeth, feeling an intense hatred towards Li Dan rise up in him as he grumbled to himself. ¡°Just wait until Senior Martial Brother Xu comes out. I¡¯ll definitely make you beg and kneel for forgiveness in front of me, you bastard!¡± CH 114 Chapter 114 ¨C The Real Trap TL: Clam demon ¡ú Mirage demon, Clam Sea Realm ¡ú Mirage Sea Realm. I originally thought the Chinese character the author used could only mean clam, but I learned today there was a definition not originally listed that could also mean ¡®mirage¡¯. I figured this made a lot more sense, so I decided to go back and change it. Apologies for any inconvenience this might bring to the reading experience. The sixth day. The clouds of thunder and lightning above Lightning Cloud Stone Island became even more violent. Deafening peals of thunder were interrupted by occasional flashes of lightning that briefly illuminated the sky. In the last few days, Xu Disheng had been moving along very slowly. On his way to the central plaza of the island, he killed over a hundred ordinary Dao Foundation stage mirage demons. By now, almost all of the mirage demons in the stone rooms had been wiped out. At this point, he had over 700,000 points in his point token, putting him at 17th place. Although Xu Disheng didn¡¯t know what his rank was, his rough assessment of the situation made him aware that even if he spent the last two days killing mirage demons, he wouldn¡¯t be able to accumulate enough points to make it to the top 10. If he went to the central plaza of the island and defeated a disciple that was ranked somewhere between 11th and 20th, he would be able to obtain at least enough points to go up a few places in the ranking. However, pretty much all of those disciples had some form of top-grade defensive-type Magic Treasure in their possession, with various other moves up their sleeves. If he went to face them directly, not only was there the possibility of being unable to secure a win against them, but he might even suffer defeat, feeding them all of the points he had worked so hard to obtain. Black vortexes revolved in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes, and he pointed out a finger, an extremely small Evil Spirit skull slowly forming from the tip. It was the fourth scripture of Soul Song, the Swallowing Soul Mantra. The eyes on the sinister-looking Evil Spirit skull were open a slit, exposing a limitless bloodlust and killing intent deeper within. He was thinking that maybe he could move the Evil Spirit skull conjured from the Swallowing Soul Mantra out from his sea of consciousness, and have it stay by his side. That way, he could mask the move as some sort of technique to control ghosts. At this moment, he reduced its size by a hundred times until it was the size of a fingernail, and had it hover on his shoulder. Even though it would constantly consume Soul Force, it was an acceptable level of consumption that could be quickly recovered by the newly-advanced black Soul Force flute, which had undergone a transformation from illusory to reality. Up ahead, Xu Disheng could faintly see the silhouettes of the 10 massive stone rooms in the distance. Although he was still a considerable distance away, he could perceive the consistent pressure exerted by the Divine Core stage qi coming from within. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Xu Disheng stopped in his tracks and turned to look. In the somewhat larger stone room on the other side of the passage, a woman in white robes materialized, clad in mirage qi. She was looking right at Xu Disheng. ¡°There¡¯s actually still a mirage demon here?¡± Xu Disheng muttered, creasing his brows. He had already combed back and forth through these passages several times. All of the mirage demons that could possibly still be here should have already been completely wiped clean by now. But at this moment, he encountered another mirage demon, which above all else, seemed to have somehow generated a soul. After disposing of mirage demons in the last several days, Xu Disheng knew that the mirage demons on the island could be categorized into roughly three types. The first type were the ordinary mirage demons who were born from mirage qi, without any spiritual awareness whatsoever. Another type were the mirage demons that had an instinctual level of spiritual awareness and managed to generate a fragment of a soul, allowing them to use some simple Demonic Spells. The final type was just like this white-robed woman before him, with a level of spiritual awareness not very different from that of a regular human. They had varying levels of strength, but the one before him was just an ordinary Dao Foundation stage mirage demon that he could suppress using the Yin Yang Diagram with a mere flip of his palm. ¡°Don¡¯t attack,¡± the white-robed woman said, her expression anxious. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a secret regarding the Lightning Cloud Stone Island, and we can make a deal, alright?¡± "" The phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram hovered ominously in the sky. Xu Disheng shot her a glance and said, ¡°Speak.¡± This white-robed woman clearly had no qualifications to be making a deal with Xu Disheng. She let out a light sigh, then lifted a finger to twirl the long, silky hair curled behind her ear. ¡°I used to be a disciple of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, belonging to the Fourth Mountain, the Mountain of Law. It¡¯s already been around 3,000 years since I was trapped on this island,¡± she narrated. Xu Disheng knit his brow slightly, waiting for her to continue. ¡°Back then, I didn¡¯t crush my survival token in time, so I died here on the Lightning Cloud Stone Island,¡± the white-robed woman said, her expression revealing a hint of alarm. ¡°But the souls belonging to those who die here can¡¯t be reborn! The souls of all the disciples who died here become trapped inside Lightning Cloud Stone Island to be absorbed by the mirage qi in the Mirage Sea Realm and be made into mirage demons!¡± ¡°The spiritual awarenesses of the souls belonging to the dead disciples are erased, then crushed together to form mirage demons. But I¡¯ve been lucky enough to preserve my fully intact spiritual awareness and survive on this island for 3,000 years,¡± the white-robed woman explained with buried resentment apparent in her voice. ¡°This island was opened quite a few times in recent years, and I begged a disciple to return me to the sect and help me restore my body, but I almost got killed. I barely managed to escape, but since then, I had always been stuck with the mirage demons in here, neither fully human nor fully demon! I¡¯ve had more than enough of this!¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t reply, not fully believing this woman¡¯s words. He already knew from using the Sealing Soul Spell that there certainly were traces of damaged souls in these mirage demons. If these souls really belonged to the disciples who had perished, then they had been robbed of their qualification to be reincarnated. They could only remain as a damaged soul all this time, wandering around aimlessly on Lightning Cloud Stone Island as a mirage demon. ¡°What kind of deal were you aiming for?¡± Xu Disheng asked. The white-robed woman came a bit closer and said, ¡°Take me into your Magic Treasure for now. When you leave the Mirage Sea Realm, let me leave with you.¡± Xu Disheng raised an eyebrow, simply leveling a gaze at her. A hint of a smile appeared on the white-robed woman¡¯s face. ¡°Back when I died, I had a top-grade Magic Treasure in my possession. All these years, I¡¯ve been hiding it. If you agree to take me out of here, then I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and said, ¡°Then first show me that Magic Treasure you speak of.¡± The white-robed woman floated along ahead, her back to Xu Disheng as she led the way. Suddenly, her originally quite attractive face warped into a sinister ghostly visage that resembled a goat. Her blood-red pupils were filled with an inexhaustible resentment. There had been numerous flaws in the woman¡¯s words. A Magic Treasure had an astonishing level of spirituality that simply couldn¡¯t be concealed, except for in the sea of consciousness. This woman¡¯s words and speech indicated a hint of urgency, as if she was itching to bring Xu Disheng to a certain location. After Xu Disheng¡¯s Soul Force flute underwent a transformation from illusory to reality, his senses became extremely acute. He had long since perceived a hint of ghostly qi on this woman¡¯s body. Moreover, the Evil Spirit skull hovering on his shoulder had been transmitting an instinctual thirst to him, as if it couldn¡¯t wait to swallow the white-robed woman. But if you wanted to fish, it was necessary to first cast the bait. If the bait was precious enough, a bit of acting the part of the fish was nothing to Xu Disheng. Coincidentally enough, the direction the white-robed woman was leading him was the same direction as the center of the island. When they were five passages away from the plaza at the center of the island, the white-robed woman stopped. Then, she floated into one of the stone rooms alone before turning around with a charming, flowery smile. ¡°We¡¯re here. This is the place I hid the Magic Treasure,¡± she said. Taking note of the location of this stone room, Xu Disheng knew exactly where this was. It was none other than one of the stone rooms that contained the strongest mirage demons, which were at the peak Dao Foundation stage. These peak Dao Foundation stage mirage demons were different from ordinary mirage demons in that they wouldn¡¯t emerge and leave their stone rooms unless you first entered yourself. Xu Disheng¡¯s voice was laden with suspicion as he spoke in a straightforward manner. ¡°I must say, this trap is a bit too obvious. Were you perhaps planning to lure me into this stone room and launch a sneak attack on me?¡± CH 115 Chapter 115 ¨C Second Form of Swallowing Soul, Ghost Devourer! TL: Sponsored chapter (3/3). Thanks again for your support! The white-robed woman¡¯s smile widened. She no longer concealed her appearance, and her facial features warped into that of a ghost with a demonic goat head. Then, she respectfully stood to one side. ¡°Little Lamb didn¡¯t trick you. It¡¯s true that the mirage demons here are formed from the souls of the disciples who died here,¡± Zuo Yanran¡¯s crisp voice resounded out. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao, this is that Xu Disheng person that I was telling you about. Last time, he kept on humiliating me, and in his depraved rambling¡­ he even said he wanted me to become his concubine!¡± A man and a woman walked out from the passage behind Xu Disheng, shoulder to shoulder. The woman in the red dress was none other than Zuo Yanran. The girl had a pout on her face, and her eyes were moist with tears as she gazed at the handsome man by her side. Zhao Yueban¡¯s gaze became chilly. He reached out to stroke the head of the goat-headed ghost and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think that you can act so brazenly just because you have the Celestial Tide Spirit Master at your back. I¡¯ll teach you a lesson today, that there are people in the Mingxin Mountain Range that you can¡¯t afford to provoke.¡± Xu Disheng was completely expressionless. He said flatly, ¡°I didn¡¯t even bother to conceal my whereabouts. If you two really wanted to find me and give me a hard time, what was the point of going through the effort to lure me here?¡± Zuo Yanran scoffed coldly and pointed in the direction of the central plaza. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yu and the others forbid us from taking others¡¯ lives, especially those of the top ranking disciples. No matter who loses or who wins in a battle, they said that we have to let the other live,¡± she said, twirling her hair around her pale, slender finger. ¡°If we didn¡¯t spend a bit more effort to lure you into the Hidden Dragon Sealing Array that Senior Martial Brother Zhao laid down beforehand, how else would we hide the fact that we took your worthless life here?¡± A little hesitant, Zhao Yueban said, ¡°Junior Martial Sister Yanran, didn¡¯t we agree earlier that we would only cripple his legs? If Senior Martial Brother Yu and Senior Martial Brother He hold us accountable, it¡¯d be a bit problematic.¡± Zuo Yanran was beautiful, but the words she spat out of her mouth only became more malicious. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao, your Hidden Dragon Sealing Array can conceal all power fluctuations at the Dao Foundation stage and under. If you and I don¡¯t say anything, who would know how he died? The only conclusion they could arrive at is that his cultivation methods weren¡¯t good enough, and he died while trying to kill a peak Dao Foundation stage mirage demon. It would be a perfectly logical conclusion to arrive at, too.¡± Then, she reached out a soft, warm hand and grasped Zhao Yueban¡¯s hand, gently intertwining her fingers with his. Feeling Zuo Yanran¡¯s tender hand in his grasp, Zhao Yueban¡¯s heart throbbed with hot and heavy desire. He turned to look at the dainty girl in the red dress at his side, hating that he couldn¡¯t pick her up by the waist and ravage her right here and now. Forcing himself to hold back his urges, Zhao Yueban said to Xu Disheng, ¡°A newly risen Sea of Qi stage genius like you, soaring up to these heights, only to fall to the depths right here¡­ If you want to find someone to blame, you can only blame yourself for provoking Junior Martial Sister Yanran.¡± The two of them were treating Xu Disheng as if he was a slab of meat on a chopping block, unilaterally deciding his death. Zhao Yueban had placed 8th in the first round of the Sea of Qi division of the tournament. He had several Magic Treasures in his possession, and he was only inferior to He Junyu in strength by a smidgen, so he naturally had the qualifications to be speaking in this manner. However, that smidgen was like an insurmountable gap. After all, He Junyu¡¯s special Magic Treasure, the Thunderflame Pagoda, was a Psychic Magic Treasure. Just this one Psychic Magic Treasure was strong enough to measure up to the entire arsenal of an ordinary Dao Foundation stage Deacon, and even surpass it by a bit. If He Junyu were to take out the Thunderflame Pagoda, suppressing the 8th or 9th place genius would be as simple as snapping his fingers. Among the disciples at the Sea of Qi stage in the Mingxin Mountain Range, no one dared to challenge the might of the four half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses at the very top. On the Lightning Cloud Stone Island, they had the power to make the rules, and no disciple would dare to openly defy them. The reason for that was that each of them had a Psychic Magic Treasure. Although there was still a bit of a gap between He Junyu and these four half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses, he similarly had a Psychic Magic Treasure, which placed him at a similar level of prestige as them in the eyes of the Sea of Qi stage disciples in the Mingxin Mountain Range. Not feeling at all like a slab of meat on a chopping block, Xu Disheng looked around at the Hidden Dragon Sealing Array already set up around him. ¡°You said that this sealing array can conceal the power fluctuations of techniques at the Dao Foundation stage and under?¡± While Zhao Yueban was still waiting to speak, Zuo Yanran was looking at Xu Disheng¡¯s pretty yet indifferent face, and suddenly felt a bit nervous in her heart. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao, hurry up and kill him. I don¡¯t need his points. You can have all of them,¡± she said. Zhao Yueban¡¯s eyes lit up. Zuo Yanran hadn¡¯t mentioned this matter regarding the points earlier. He cast a pitiful gaze at Xu Disheng and conjured a scarlet longsword in his hand. His figure flashed, and in the next moment, he arrived in front of Xu Disheng. The scarlet longsword Magic Treasure in his hand carved down ruthlessly towards him, leaving behind a phantom afterimage! Clearly, Zhao Yueban was similar to Jie Zizhuo, who Xu Disheng had fought before, since they both specialized in body refinement and close quarters combat. However, the Remnant Rainbow Sword in his hand was a top-grade Magic Treasure, and was stronger than Jie Zizhuo¡¯s Heavenly Emperor Saber by far more than ten times. Xu Disheng couldn¡¯t block it in time! Zhao Yueban was too fast. Although Xu Disheng managed to push the might of the Soul Suppressing Vestment to its fullest in that time, throwing up a concentrated black protective barrier in front of him, it was still cleaved apart by the scarlet sword light. The scarlet sword light didn¡¯t stop there, however, the remaining force cutting into Xu Disheng¡¯s body. The Soul Suppressing Vestment¡¯s inherent defenses managed to block a good portion of the impact, but Xu Disheng was blasted into the roof of the stone room behind him. Stone and rocky debris were sent flying, and a small stream of blood trickled from his mouth. Zhao Yueban lifted the scarlet Remnant Rainbow Sword and shook his head. ¡°Junior Martial Sister Yanran, he wasn¡¯t even able to block a casual sword strike from me. How did he even manage to stand up against you before?¡± Zuo Yanran¡¯s face turned stiff. She definitely wouldn¡¯t reveal the fact that her White Lotus Array Flag had suffered a loss. The White Lotus Array Flag was her strongest Magic Treasure. As long as a target was suppressed within, practically no living being would be able to resist the attacks of the Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals. Xu Disheng¡¯s immunity to the Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals made her feel a hint of fear. Fear gave rise to displeasure, and displeasure gave rise to anger. Hatred gave rise to courage, and one thing led to another as she decided to pull Zhao Yueban into it. She had him lay down his Hidden Dragon Sealing Array to hide their traces. She wanted to thoroughly put Xu Disheng down here and have his soul wander the Lightning Cloud Stone Island for eternity. Xu Disheng got back to his feet, not even wiping the blood from his mouth. His inky black hair began to flutter and drift ominously as black vortexes formed in the deepest depths of his resplendent eyes. Zhao Yueban placed 8th in the first round of the Sea of Qi division of the tournament, and had several top-grade Magic Treasures on him. Xu Disheng couldn¡¯t even block a casual strike of his Remnant Rainbow Sword. At the moment, the Soul Suppressing Vestment had only just reached the rank of a Magic Treasure. Its protective strength was easily outmatched by the strength of the Remnant Rainbow Sword, which was a top-grade Magic Treasure. If it wasn¡¯t for Soul Song, he would have already lost a long time ago, even in that fight against Zuo Yanran. But in reality, there were no ¡®what ifs¡¯. The hem of Xu Disheng¡¯s Daoist robe fluttered in the wind that picked up and swelled into a gale. Standing there on the roof of a stone room, Xu Disheng looked down at the goat-headed ghost and said, ¡°A ghost-controlling technique? I can do that too.¡± These words were quite deliberate. Even though there was supposedly that Hidden Dragon Sealing Array in place to block others¡¯ perception of what was happening here, there was bound to be some kind of powerful existence backing Zhao Yueban. It was always possible that they might be able to play back the events in the Mirage Sea Realm, so he still had to put on this farce. Zhao Yueban sneered derisively and said, ¡°You know the patriarch of my Zhao Clan is the ancestor of ghost cultivation in the Mingxin Mountain Range?¡± Xu Disheng simply shook his head and demonstrated the might of the second form of the Swallowing Soul Mantra. Ferocious black winds whistled as they swept up, and the Evil Spirit skull on his shoulder grew with the wind, burgeoning to a height of over 3 meters in an instant. Seeing the endless bloodlust and killing intent peeking through the slightly closed eyes of that Evil Spirit skull, a light gleamed in Zhao Yueban¡¯s eyes. Up to this point, Zhao Yueban hadn¡¯t been serious. After Xu Disheng ate that casual strike of his earlier, he figured Xu Disheng was just a small fry with only two Magic Treasures on him. But seeing this Evil Spirit skull, an interest was piqued within him. The Zhao Clan of Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Ghost Controlling Peak was widely renowned for the last several thousand years for cultivating and using ghosts. There was an extremely unfamiliar aura to this Evil Spirit skull that Xu Disheng conjured, which inspired an enthusiasm in him, similar to that of a kindred spirit. "" The anxious, hurried feeling in Zuo Yanran¡¯s chest became even heavier. As she gazed at that Evil Spirit skull, she felt an ominous, foreboding premonition. ¡°Swallowing Soul, Ghost Devourer.¡± It was the advanced spell of the Swallowing Soul Mantra, Ghost Devourer! After the black Soul Force flute had undergone a transition from illusory to reality, he was able to use this move. It wasn¡¯t like the first form of the Swallowing Soul Mantra, where the Evil Spirit skull would immediately open its mouth. Instead, it charged at Zhao Yueban, stirring up whistling black winds as it shot forward! ¡°Good!¡± Zhao Yueban shouted, a small black net appeared from his hand, which increased in size and wrapped itself around the approaching Evil Spirit skull. In his enthusiasm, he actually wanted to try capturing this Evil Spirit skull! However, his complexion changed slightly as the Evil Spirit skull ripped a hole through the black net. It seemed to become illusory for a moment and passed right through the net, arriving above his head in the blink of an eye! ¡°No way¡­! This Ghost Refining Net that brother-in-law gave me is a Magic Treasure specifically for restraining ghosts. Why did it not work at all?¡± Zhao Yueban exclaimed doubtfully. However, he didn¡¯t pay the approaching Evil Spirit skull any particular mind. After all, Xu Disheng¡¯s performance earlier was simply too weak. Plus, everyone knew that he had the Yin Yang Diagram and the Glorious Sun Bow. No one had even heard of this Evil Spirit skull, so how could it be strong at all? A cloud of white smoke appeared in front of Zhao Yueban. With the splendor it emitted, it was clearly a top-grade defensive-type Magic Treasure. Zuo Yanran¡¯s heart suddenly fluctuated wildly. She retreated in a panic and screamed, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao, watch out!!¡± Zhao Yueban chuckled and said, ¡°My Smoky Cloud Screen can even block several hits from our Senior Martial Brothers¡¯ Psychic Magic Treasures before breaking. How could¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, the Evil Spirit skull became completely illusory and passed right through the Smoky Cloud Screen¡¯s barrier as if it didn¡¯t exist. The sinister maw of the skull opened wide and pierced right through the top of Zhao Yueban¡¯s skull, tearing out an extremely rich and concentrated portion of his soul. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao?!¡± Zuo Yanran shrieked, her expression changing wildly. Zhao Yueban¡¯s head turned around, but his eyes were blank and vacant. ¡°Ahh¡­ I was¡­?¡± The Evil Spirit skull turned itself around and transformed from reality to illusory again, piercing through the Smoky Cloud Screen around his body. The Evil Spirit skull penetrated his skull again, taking the remaining entirety of his soul with it. The light faded from Zhao Yueban¡¯s eyes, and he slowly sank to the ground. The Evil Spirit skull flew back to Xu Disheng¡¯s side and turned into countless motes of black light, which merged into his sea of consciousness. Ghost Devourer, the second form of the Swallowing Soul Mantra, wasn¡¯t simply its advanced form. It also had some similarities to the second scripture of Soul Song, the Passing Soul Mantra. However, the people who were killed by the Passing Soul Mantra would have their souls completely erased without a trace. On the other hand, the souls swallowed by the Ghost Devourer could be turned into Soul Force for his own use. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao? How¡­ could you¡­?¡± Zuo Yanran muttered, seeming like she would fall apart at any moment. ¡°How could this be¡­? How could your Smoky Cloud Screen not be able to block it? What kind of cultivation method was that?!¡± It wasn¡¯t just this that led Zuo Yanran¡¯s mental state to deteriorate to this point. Xu Disheng was also strangely immune to her White Lotus Array Flag¡¯s soul devouring spell, and now he even unleashed this bizarre spell that somehow managed to kill Zhao Yueban. Zhao Yueban was the 8th place genius in the entire Mingxin Mountain Range! On top of all the Magic Treasures on him, he was a direct descendant of the main branch of the Ghost Controlling Peak¡¯s Zhao Clan. He was the blood relative of a Divine Core stage Spirit Master! CH 116 Chapter 116 ¨C Rise to Fame Zhao Yueban¡¯s point token flew from his body, turning ethereal, and funneled into the point token at Xu Disheng¡¯s waist. ¡°You have obtained 2,090,000 points.¡± Back in the Green Lotus Domain, on the huge screen up in the sky, Zhao Yueban had actually been 7th place on the ranking, even though he had gotten 8th place in the first round of the tournament. But at that moment, the three characters of his name flickered and dimmed before disappearing altogether! ¡°Zhao Yueban, dead?!¡± an observant disciple exclaimed in utter shock, immediately noticing the change on the screen. ¡°Zhao Yueban straight up died, and wasn¡¯t even able to crush his survival token? How is that even possible?!¡± ¡°Look, there¡¯s a disciple whose name shot up the rankings, right below the 6th place Li Cangyun!¡± ¡°Xu Disheng, that early Sea of Qi stage disciple? How was he able to kill Zhao Yueban?!¡± In the Green Lotus Domain, the tens of thousands of disciples present were thrown into an uproar. Many gazes turned towards the circle of light belonging to Ghost Controlling Peak. The Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak was the Ghost Dominion Spirit Master, Zhao Leshan. He wasn¡¯t at the Green Lotus Domain at the moment. The one sitting on the seat of honor in the circle of light was an elder, whose expression changed dramatically. ¡°Immediately send a message to Patriarch Ghost Dominion and tell him¡­ that Zhao Yueban died in the Mirage Sea Realm.¡± ¡°Understood, Vice Peak Master.¡± Clan-type Peaks were different from ordinary Peaks in that most of the core disciples were direct descendents of the clan. The expressions of all the Dao Foundation stage disciples of the Zhao Clan were unsightly, but their hands didn¡¯t stop moving as they sent out one message jade slip after another. ¡°Vice Peak Master, Zhao Yueban died without even being able to crush his survival token. How was an early Sea of Qi stage disciple like Xu Disheng able to accomplish this? Did one of the top few disciples attack him with a Psychic Magic Treasure first?¡± a Dao Foundation stage disciple at the elder¡¯s side asked, cutting straight to the most doubtful point of it all. His expression was slightly better than the rest, as he was able to keep his calm. The Vice Peak Master shook his head and replied, ¡°We don¡¯t want to jump to any absurd conclusions. We will wait until Patriarch Ghost Dominion returns our message. But in the tournament, the genius disciples will all let each other live, so Zhao Yueban¡¯s death is indeed exceedingly strange.¡± Xu Disheng, 7th place, with over 2,800,000 points! Back at Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light, Lu Changge and Bai Honghua and the others had complicated expressions as they looked at the huge screen of light, since they had just received a message jade slip from Ghost Controlling Peak. Using the influence of Ghost Dominion Spirit Master¡¯s name, they were insisting that they disclose all of the detailed information they had on Xu Disheng to them. Ghost Controlling Peak was ranked 9th in the Mingxin Mountain Range. Their Peak Master, the Ghost Dominion Spirit Master, Zhao Leshan, was at the Divine Core stage. His influence wasn¡¯t something that the 45th ranked Morning Dew Peak could resist. All they were asking for was detailed information, so Lu Changge didn¡¯t hesitate. He instructed Bai Honghua to gather up the information they had on him, record it on a jade slip, and send it to Ghost Controlling Peak. ¡°How is this possible?!!¡± a disciple shrieked. He was staring at the huge screen and pointing at the name that suddenly shot up once more. ¡°Xu Disheng, 4th place! 4,800,000 points!!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Zuo Yanran¡¯s name is completely gone from the ranking!¡± ¡°Somehow, two geniuses died in the third round of this tournament!¡± ¡°Ke Yue was pushed down to 5th place, too!¡± Countless people looked up at the huge screen in the sky above Green Lotus Domain. ¡°1st place, Yu Yangyao. 8,400,000 points.¡± ¡°2nd place, Jian Liangbi, 7,900,000 points.¡± ¡°3rd place, Bai Zhaoyun, 5,300,000 points.¡± ¡°4th place, Xu Disheng, 4,800,000 points.¡± ¡°5th place, Ke Yue. 4,700,000 points.¡± ¡°6th place, He Junyu, 4,500,000 points.¡± ¡°7th place, Li Cangyun, 3,800,000 points.¡± There were only 16 names remaining on the huge screen, shimmering in golden text. The other names already had their rankings decided and were dimmed out, or were gone all together, having lost their lives on Lightning Cloud Stone Island. With the points Xu Disheng had accumulated, he had unexpectedly jumped three ranks, surpassing He Junyu and even the half-step Dao Foundation genius, Ke Yue! The half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses ranked at the very top wouldn¡¯t plunder points from other geniuses because their rankings from the first round of the tournament were more or less reflective of their real hierarchy in terms of strength. As a result, they would spare each other the face of fighting it out again. But after Xu Disheng killed Zhao Yueban and Zuo Yanran in succession, he obtained more than 4 million points, immediately jumping to 4th place! ¡°Severing Meridian Spirit Master, this disciple is rising as a new force to be reckoned with. With this ghost Dao technique, do you think he¡¯ll be able to stand his ground in the Eight Mountain Grand Tournament?¡± Yu Xingchao, the Killing Heart Spirit Master, asked. Hovering above his hand was a smaller screen, where he had clearly watched the entire process of Xu Disheng taking out Zhao Yueban. Feng Simiao was cross-legged sitting atop the highest seat of honor, his eyes closed peacefully. Noticing the Spirit Masters all looking in his direction, he simply shook his head and responded, ¡°His cultivation base is too lacking. That cultivation method does seem to have some redeeming qualities to it, however, seeing as it could actually break through the defenses of the Smoky Cloud Screen.¡± The Killing Heart Spirit Master cupped his hands in understanding and put away the screen, retreating respectfully to the side. The Spirit Masters of Mingxin Mountain Range on the imperial chariots atop the giant turtle were almost all mighty existences at the Divine Core stage. Feng Simiao, the Severing Meridian Spirit Master, was already at the half-step Primordial Spirit stage. If the two Mountain Masters weren¡¯t present, he had full acting authority over Mingxin Mountain, able to decide any matter with a single word. These peak Divine Core stage Spirit Masters didn¡¯t have any idea about Xu Disheng¡¯s Soul Song. At most, they only thought of the technique he used as somewhat commendable. After all, every disciples had to have their own fortuitous encounters and secrets. If the Shangqing Sacred Sect wasn¡¯t even tolerant of this much, how could they continue to be the dominant sect of the Shan Mountains in the Dong Territory throughout these countless years? Even these peak Spirit Masters were unable to see that the technique Xu Disheng used wasn¡¯t a secret technique from the ghost Dao, but a cultivation method that directly utilized his soul. A black jade slip streaked across the sky from the horizon like a shooting star. Killing Heart Spirit Master waved his hand and the jade slip flew right into his grasp. After a while Yu Xingchao looked up and spoke up once more. ¡°Severing Meridian Spirit Master, that male disciple who died just now was the descendant of the great-great-grandson of Ghost Dominion Spirit Master. He wants an explanation from the Mountain Range.¡± Yu Xingchao was usually regarded as having a monumental level of prestige, but he still had to defer to the Severing Meridian Spirit Master, Feng Simiao. Ghost Dominion Spirit Master had been bestowed the title of Spirit Master, but he was just an ordinary Divine Core stage cultivator. As a result, he would at most venture to send Yu Xingchao a jade slip, but would never dare to directly come up to Feng Simiao to reason with him. Severing Meridian Spirit Master slowly closed his eyes and said, ¡°Ghost Dominion¡¯s temperament has really been advancing in reverse. His descendant¡¯s level of skill wasn¡¯t sufficient and he met his death. How is it logical to try and get an explanation from the Mountain Range for this? But given he already sent you a jade slip, it wouldn¡¯t be good to ignore it. Just have that disciple return their Zhao clan Magic Treasures back to them.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng¡¯s face was pale. After using Ghost Devourer four times in rapid succession, his Soul Force was practically exhausted, regardless of the fact that the black Soul Force flute had condensed into a corporeal state. He put away the several Magic Treasures around him. But just when he was about to step out of the Hidden Dragon Sealing Array, he heard an explosion above him. The Hidden Dragon Sealing Array had been split open by someone else from the outside, and the sounds of roaring thunder from the lightning clouds in the sky outside reached his ears. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, why are you here?¡± He Junyu asked, surprised to see Xu Disheng in the Hidden Dragon Sealing Array. Next to him was a man in white clothes, his face resembling an artwork gently sculpted from jade. However, his brows were deeply furrowed as he looked at the corpses of Zhao Yueban and Zuo Yanran. He Junyu also noticed the two corpses at this moment, his expression shifting. ¡°Zhao Yueban and Zuo Yanran¡­ you killed them?¡± Xu Disheng swallowed two Qi Boosting Pills and extracted some Soul Force from the Soul Suppressing Vestment to supplement the black Soul Force flute in his sea of consciousness before responding. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± The white-clothed man was none other than Jian Liangbi. He managed to pick up on the traces of an array placed here, so he came over with He Junyu. Sure enough, they found this sealing array, which was meant to cover the traces of any power fluctuations. Immediately after splitting open the array, they found Xu Disheng and these two corpses within. Jian Liangbi said coldly, ¡°Weren¡¯t you already told that you were not to take the lives of other geniuses?¡± Xu Disheng looked over at Jian Liangbi. Even though Xu Disheng didn¡¯t know about Psychic Magic Treasures, he could faintly perceive that even if he played all of his hidden trump cards against this white-clothed man, he still might not be his match. ¡°These two were scheming to ambush me. Am I not even allowed to resist if someone else wants to kill me?¡± Xu Disheng said, then gestured at the destroyed Hidden Dragon Sealing Array. ¡°This array was their doing. They laid this array down and then lured me to this location. They said that its purpose was to hide any traces of power fluctuations.¡± At this point when there were only a bit over a dozen people remaining, it was easy to tell from the change in points on the screen in the Green Lotus Domain who eliminated whom, or who killed whom. But the disciples on Lightning Cloud Stone Island wouldn¡¯t know who attacked whom. Even supposing that Xu Disheng really killed these two, the momentary concealment of the Hidden Dragon Sealing Array was enough to obscure the events that happened within. After leaving the Mirage Sea Realm, the rules set by Yu Yangyao and the other half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses would no longer be in place. They would go back to being restricted by the rules of the sect. Even if others learned that Zuo Yanran and Zhao Yueban had set up this array, they likely wouldn¡¯t care enough to do anything about it. As if he hadn¡¯t heard what Xu Disheng said, a multicolored radiance began to glow in Jian Liangbi¡¯s eyes. The aura surrounding him became oppressive, as if he was about to attack. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Jian, those two were the ones who didn¡¯t abide by the rules. They can only blame themselves for what happened. Let¡¯s just let this matter go,¡± He Junyu said, standing at his side. The multicolored light in Jian Liangbi¡¯s eyes gradually faded away. Then, he turned around and flew away without another word. He could have turned a deaf ear to Xu Disheng¡¯s explanation, but he still had to give He Junyu some face. Normally, the geniuses wouldn¡¯t care who attacked first, and they would care even less about the reasoning behind it. They would only look at who was the one to violate their rules in the end. If He Junyu didn¡¯t speak up there to save him, although Xu Disheng wouldn¡¯t have been killed, he would surely have been eliminated from the stage, inevitably losing his points. Losing his points meant that his ranking would be fixed at 16th place, and his run in the tournament would reach its end. Only the top 10 would enter the last round of the Internal Disciple Tournament. ¡°Thanks for your help, Senior Martial Brother He,¡± Xu Disheng said. He Junyu casually waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Come along with me then. We¡¯ll go right to the central plaza and decide on the top 10 now.¡± This was also part of the rules they had set. Now that there were only around a dozen people left, Yu Yangyao gathered all of the remaining disciples in the central plaza. The ten disciples with the most points would remain. The others, based on the number of points they had, would have to crush their survival tokens corresponding to that order and return to the Green Lotus Domain. To those four half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses, there wasn¡¯t much left to do on Lightning Cloud Stone Island. They were just itching to absorb their Divine Core stage mirage demon and get out of the Mirage Sea Realm. What? Not satisfied with the rules set by the half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses? Then perhaps the taste of a Psychic Magic Treasure will teach you a lesson. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 117 Chapter 117 ¨C Old Man TL: Sponsored chapter (1/4). Thanks for your support, Exalted! At the plaza in the very center of Lightning Cloud Stone Island, there were ten gigantic stone rooms, towering at a majestic height. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yu, Junior Martial Brother Yan and I just did another clean sweep of the island. Aside from the people here, there are no other disciples,¡± Li Cangyun said respectfully, cupping his hands in salute. Yu Yangyao, the handsome youth standing before the stone rooms, nodded his head and gazed towards the eastern horizon. Jian Liangbi flew over first and landed among the group, followed shortly after by He Junyu and Xu Disheng. ¡°Now that all 16 of us are here, we will all show how many points we have,¡± Yu Yangyao said in an indifferent tone. The disciples didn¡¯t really have much hesitation about it and each activated their point tokens, showing how many points they had. As soon as Xu Disheng showed his points, revealing a grand total of over 4.8 million points, many of the geniuses¡¯ gazes were drawn to him. ¡°Huh? This disciple somehow has more points than Ke Yue?¡± Yu Yangyao said quietly, glancing at Xu Disheng. Ke Yue¡¯s expression, however, was indifferent as he remained silent. ¡°Zuo Yanran and Zhao Yueban made an unwise move and were killed by this junior martial brother of mine,¡± He Junyu said briefly, shaking his head. Yu Yangyao had a perceptive mind. Seeing He Junyu speak for him, he simply nodded and didn¡¯t pursue it any further. He pointed at several people and said, ¡°Li Cangyun, Yan Cheng, and you three, stay. The rest of you, starting from the one with the lowest points, go in order and crush your survival tokens.¡± Yu Yangyao didn¡¯t care as much about the order of the top 10 places. After all, this wasn¡¯t the final ranking for the Sea of Qi division of the tournament. Once all of this was finished, there was still one more round for the top 10 to contend for their final spots. The disciples who didn¡¯t have enough points to make the top 10 and received the directive to leave the stage had expressions full of reluctance and unwillingness. However, none of them spoke up in opposition, and they silently crushed their point tokens in order, returning to the Green Lotus Domain. Yu Yangyao took the lead and walked into one of the massive stone rooms, his voice left floating on the wind. ¡°One person to each room,¡± he said. Ke Yue and Jian Liangbi also picked their respective stone rooms and walked in. He Junyu patted Xu Disheng on the back and said, ¡°These mirage demons are the good stuff. Take your time to absorb it; there¡¯s no need to rush.¡± After that, he turned and also similarly went into one of the stone rooms. After those disciples who were eliminated returned to the Green Lotus Domain, their rankings on the huge screen of light in the sky became set in stone! The top 10 had now been thoroughly decided. These 10 disciples would be contending against each other in the final round of the Sea of Qi division of the tournament! In the third round of the tournament, Xu Disheng earned 4th place! Yuan Qi and the other ordinary disciples of Morning Dew Peak had long since been overwhelmed with shock. They were all staring up at the ranking on the screen of light, struck speechless. Li Dan had returned to the Green Lotus Domain at some unknown point in time. Right now, he was standing among all the other disciples of Morning Dew Peak. As he looked up at the ranking on the huge screen of light, an indescribable light flickered in his eyes. It wasn¡¯t clear what he was thinking about. Back in the massive stone room, Xu Disheng was examining the pure cluster of mirage qi, emitting a Divine Core stage aura. It was in a constant state of flux, changing nonstop between some humanoid form, to some birds or flowers made of stone. ¡°Those who earn a spot in the top 10 may each completely absorb the mirage qi of a Divine Core stage mirage demon to raise their cultivation of the mind and their resistance against illusions,¡± the cold mechanical voice from the point token at Xu Disheng¡¯s waist declared. These ten Divine Core stage mirage demons were completely devoid of any spiritual awareness, and they were placed here to serve as an added bonus to reward the top 10 disciples. The aura coming from the mirage demons was undoubtedly at the Divine Core stage, but a clone of the realm spirit of the Mirage Sea Realm had already wiped these 10 mirage demons of any will to attack or resist. Xu Disheng placed his hand on the mirage demon and started trying to absorb it. A strand of pure mirage qi began to flow in through his palm, circulating through the 36 meridians and acupoints throughout his body. At that very moment, a light, euphoric sensation flooded his body. After a while, when Xu Disheng opened his eyes once more, the glow of the cluster of mirage qi in front of him had already receded by half. A dazzling multi-colored light scintillated in his eyes in a captivating manner. He extended a palm and a multi-colored orb of light condensed into being above it. It was the formation of a simple illusion technique. Xu Disheng could now use these kinds of simple illusion techniques. It was just like intuition to him, and he could casually summon them like it was second nature. Xu Disheng stored the remaining half of the cluster of mirage qi into the Yin Yang Diagram, then stood up and left the stone room. A multi-colored Mirage Qi Spell Orb had coalesced in his sea of consciousness. At the moment, it was already almost completely saturated with mirage qi. There wouldn¡¯t be any benefit to continuing to absorb any further, so he stored the remaining portion for now. On the ground in the very center of the central plaza, the array lines of a small-scale transfer array had appeared, emanating a dull glow. There were several people already standing on it. This transfer array was very clearly their means to return to the Green Lotus Domain. The top 10 didn¡¯t need to crush their survival tokens. After they finished absorbing their mirage qi, they could return to the Domain with the other members of the top 10 via this small-scale transfer array. Seeing Xu Disheng approach the transfer array, the people already standing on it each turned to look at him. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, now that you finished absorbing the mirage qi, can you tell that this place was actually an illusion array?¡± Li Cangyun stepped forward and asked with a smile. Xu Disheng lightly cupped his hands in salute and replied, ¡°I couldn¡¯t see through it. This island is an illusion array?¡± Li Cangyun nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. The entire Lightning Cloud Stone Island, from every blade of grass to every tree is all illusory. Only the mirage qi here is real.¡± Yan Cheng also joined in the conversation. Xu Disheng had no reason to deliberately refrain from a friendly conversation with them, so he chatted with the two of them for a while, and they all traded message jade slips. However, Xu Disheng could acutely sense that after the other people had absorbed their mirage qi, only their ability to resist illusion techniques and break illusions had improved. None of them became able to use illusion techniques like him. Then what explanation was there for his sudden, newfound ability to casually use illusion techniques based on pure instinct? As for the improvement in the cultivation of the mind, its effect was far too subtle to be noticed at the Sea of Qi stage. It could hardly be perceived at this point. At most, one would find their thoughts clearer than before, and perhaps they would be a bit more quick-witted. Absorbing Divine Core stage mirage qi was normally considered by disciples as something that would increase one¡¯s cultivation base. Cultivation base wasn¡¯t something that could be built overnight; it had to be slowly accumulated. There were many aspects that formed the idea of cultivation base as a whole, and improving those individual aspects would yield a comprehensive result. For example, your background, who your master was, the inheritances you might have, the quality of your meridians, your cultivation methods, Spirit Tools, spiritual pets, Magic Treasures, and so on. Why could Yu Yangyao order around the Sea of Qi stage disciples, and even command such strict obedience from them? First and foremost was the highborn quality of his meridians. In addition to his identity as the great-great-grandson of Yu Xingchao, the Killing Heart Spirit Master, he had the bloodline of the Primordial Spirit stage powerhouse, Primordial Lord Qiye. Although it was unclear how many generations there were between them, Yu Yangyao still had a trace of a Primordial Lord¡¯s bloodline in his meridians. No one dared to look down upon this! With his Rank 4 Spiritual Root and the bloodline of a Primordial Lord, he was truly a rare talent. If he didn¡¯t meet an unfortunate early end, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising in the least for him to reach the Primordial Spirit stage. Yu Yangyao¡¯s cultivation base was deep, and with the complex network of connections supporting him, he was an overwhelming presence to be reckoned with. Why was Yu Xingchao, the Killing Heart Spirit Master, able to wield a colossal amount of power in the vast Mingxin Mountain Range that was only second to the Severing Meridian Spirit Master? It was simply because back in the day, Primordial Lord Qiye, who was assiduously cultivating in the Shangqing Sect, uttered a casual remark about him, saying, ¡®this brat from my family is quite good; he has a great eye for things¡¯. The First Mountain Range of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, the Shangqing Mountain Range, was extremely mysterious. It was just as vast as the other seven Mountain Ranges, and had the fanciful moniker ¡®the number 1 land of paradise in the Shan Mountains¡¯. With the passing of countless years, it was unknown how many Primordial Lords were in there, assiduously cultivating away. In fact, the Mountain Masters of the other seven Mountain Ranges would rotate out every 10,000 years and return to the Shangqing Mountain. A dozen or so Primordial Lords would then come out from Shangqing Mountain and take their places, serving as the new Mountain Masters of the other seven Mountain Ranges. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yu is out.¡± ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yu.¡± ¡°Respectful greetings to Senior Martial Brother Yu.¡± Yu Yangyao came out from his stone room and made his way directly towards the transfer array. Seeing that all ten people were present now, he looked at Jian Liangbi and gave him a nod. Jian Liangbi took out a special dark green jade slip. He activated it and spoke into it in a respectful tone. ¡°Reporting to Killing Heart Spirit Master. Our work here is done, and the top 10 disciples are all standing on the transfer array.¡± ¡°Noted,¡± Killing Heart Spirit Master¡¯s flat but dignified voice came through the jade slip. Moments later, the transfer array was initiated. An invisible ripple swept through the air with a loud rumbling sound as the array lines began to trace with light. A short moment later, the ten people vanished from Lightning Cloud Stone Island. Strangely enough, the entire scene from the heavens to the earth suddenly went still in the instant they left. Even the rumbling of thunder from the lightning clouds in the sky stopped, falling completely silent. Everything came to a halt. An enormous hand that spanned the sky appeared from the void and grabbed at Lightning Cloud Stone Island, causing the entire island to transform into a boundlessly vast mass of mirage qi. Everything, from the stone rooms and the central plaza down to every tree and blade of grass transformed into pure mirage qi, returning to the Mirage Sea Realm. The realm spirit of the Mirage Sea Realm summoned several enormous hands, which began to carefully tidy up this corner of the Mirage Sea Realm. As it straightened out the chaotic mass of mirage qi, it let out a sigh and said, ¡°Master, this trip of yours to the Heavenly Court took over 100,000 years, and you didn¡¯t even get in touch. What would I be able to do even if I did find that Sah¨¡ Bodhisattva you wanted me to look for?¡± (TL: Brahmic Heaven ¡ú Sah¨¡ Heaven. This is quite important to the plot/foreshadowing, but I can¡¯t say further due to spoilers. This term appeared several times in Chapter 65, where it was mentioned that it¡¯s one of the Three Heavens: Brahmic Heaven¡úSah¨¡ Heaven, the Heavenly Court, and the Three Realms of the Golden Crow. If you don¡¯t remember, it might be worth going back to read it, since that chapter gives insight into the wider world of Floating Immortal Order.) If there was anyone here, they would have cried out in shock. That was because while this realm spirit had the appearance of a white-robed elder, there were seven primordial spirit avatars floating above his head! This signified his identity as an almighty being at the Clone Avatar stage with the ability to move the power of creation. The fact that he had as many as seven avatars meant that he was no more than three steps away from the Divine Sea stage, where his clones would become like the stars in the sky, proliferating throughout the world and bringing him omnisciency. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 118 Chapter 118 ¨C Intermediary Disciple TL: Sponsored chapter (2/4). Last two sponsored chapters will come on Sunday¡¯s release. Outside of Dawn Creek City, the all-encompassing white and black Human Path of Reincarnation spun like a vortex, towering over the bank of the Forgotten River as it had since times immemorial. The waters of the Forgotten River flowed and roiled endlessly. On the banks of the river, there were ghost citizens picking Mandala Flowers. ¡°Sis, what kind of place is the Human Realm?¡± a boy of 7-8 years with large, beady black eyes asked as he looked at the older girl next to him, who was stooping to pick a flower. The girl smiled lightly and said, ¡°The Human Realm, huh? It¡¯s said that it¡¯s similar to our Nine Serenities Realm, but apparently, not only can they see the moons, but there are also three large suns in their skies. We can only see the three moons here, though.¡± The boy pointed at the black and white vortex off in the distance and asked in a loud and clear voice, ¡°If I go into that vortex, can I go to the Human Realm?¡± The girl quickly grabbed his finger, then furtively glanced around them. Seeing that no one saw him, she exhaled in relief and said, ¡°From now on, you shouldn¡¯t speak like that in front of anyone else. That is the Human Path of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. There are countless ghosts and ghost soldiers protecting it, and ghost citizens like us have always been forbidden from approaching it. She placed a handful of Mandala Flowers into her bamboo basket, then lowered her head slightly and whispered in his ear, ¡°But when ghost citizens like us are still alive, there¡¯s no way for us to enter the Path of Reincarnation. Only when we die or exhaust our lifespan will we turn into a true soul, and the Path of Reincarnation will erase our memories as we head into the Ghost Path of Reincarnation to be reborn.¡± The boy nodded, not completely understanding, but he cleverly didn¡¯t inquire any further. He took the bamboo basket from his older sister¡¯s hands, then trailed behind her. As the girl continued to pick Mandala Flowers, she said, ¡°After another four hours, our Xiangmi Village will be having a ceremony for testing bloodline concentration. Little Yu, you can head back and get ready. You don¡¯t need to help me anymore. I can use ghost power to pick flowers very quickly by myself.¡± Little Yu shook his head and said, ¡°There isn¡¯t really anything to prepare. There are several hundred thousand ghost citizens with the Grandmaster of Moonphase¡¯s bloodline. I doubt that there¡¯ll be even one person with a bloodline concentration of 10% in our Xiangmi Village.¡± Tickling the boy¡¯s nose, the girl said with a hint of surprise, ¡°Who told you that?¡± ¡°Big Brother Xia told me. He also said that if you share a bloodline with the Grandmaster of Moonphase and have a concentration that exceeds 10%, you can report directly to the Domain of the Grandmaster of Moonphase and request the Grandmaster to issue an edict to bestow you a position as a Rank 6 Divine General,¡± Little Yu said, a hint of longing flashing in his eyes as he stooped over to pick up a fallen Mandala Flower that his sister had tried to toss into the basket but missed. ¡°Let¡¯s take these Mandala Flowers back first. With this, we¡¯ve picked enough to reach this month¡¯s quota. If we go back too late, Lord Qiuyue will punish me again,¡± the girl said, weighing the bamboo basket in her hand. She looked around at the sparse Mandala Flowers lining the riverbank, a trace of deep worry appeared in her eyes. ¡°But the regeneration of the Mandala Flowers on the bank of Xiangmi Village has been getting slower and slower. If it continues like this, the whole village might starve next year.¡± Little Yu didn¡¯t really understand this stuff. He was only excited to hear that they could finally go back. He grabbed his sister¡¯s hand and started skipping off to Xiangmi Village. ¡­ ¡­ When Xu Disheng opened his eyes, he was back in the Green Lotus Domain. However, he didn¡¯t find himself on the transfer array, but on a chariot atop the giant turtle that was floating in the air off to the side above Mingxin Peak. ¡°Respectful greetings to Severing Meridian Spirit Master, respectful greetings to all Spirit Masters.¡± Yu Yangyao was the first to step forward and bow in a deferential manner. Xu Disheng followed suit, along with the other disciples, who bowed their heads in succession. ¡°You may be at ease,¡± Feng Simiao said, lightly flicking his sleeves, causing a gentle breeze to blow that refreshed the minds of Xu Disheng and the other disciples. ¡°There is still another round of competition between you all, but that¡¯s not that important. What is really important is the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, one year from now. Each of you are the peak geniuses of the Sea of Qi division in the Mingxin Mountain Range. In this one year¡¯s time, if you require anything to further your cultivation, you can directly inform Killing Heart Spirit Master, and our Mountain will do its best to satisfy your needs.¡± Yu Xingchao came forward and cupped his hands in salute to Feng Simiao, then turned and flicked his sleeves. Ten jade slips flew out and stopped midair in front of Xu Disheng and the other top 10 disciples. Severing Meridian Spirit Master nodded and said, ¡°You all can go now. The last bout between you all will take place 3 days from now, where you will decide your final ranks. Then, you are to do everything in your power to prepare yourselves for the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament.¡± ¡°Severing Meridian Spirit Master and all respected Spirit Masters, we disciples will now withdraw.¡± The disciples took the jade slips in front of them and cupped their hands in salute before withdrawing. Then, they all rode on their Magic Treasures, flying off in beams of light as they departed from the chariot atop the giant turtle. Xu Disheng put away the jade slip, but just as he was about to step on the Yin Yang Diagram, a Spirit Master called out to him. ¡°Xu Disheng.¡± ¡°Yes, present,¡± Xu Disheng said, cupping his hands in salute once more. He didn¡¯t know which Spirit Master it was, but he knew that it certainly wasn¡¯t the Severing Meridian Spirit Master or the Killing Heart Spirit Master. ¡°After the tournament, go to the Chu Territory and bring Qingxin back to the Mingxin Mountain Range,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said. He waved his hand, and a token landed in front of Xu Disheng. ¡°I already sent a jade slip to the Peak Master of Morning Dew Peak, Lu Changge. From now on, your internal duties will be as part of Wenyuan Mountain¡¯s Affairs Hall, serving as an intermediary disciple for the Secret Realms. You will be able to act at your own discretion within the Mortal Secret Realms.¡± Xu Disheng looked at the token in front of him. The word ¡®Affairs¡¯ was written on it, and a dignified aura emanated from it. On the back were the words ¡®Intermediary Disciple¡¯. Xu Disheng took the token, aware that doing so would make him a disciple tied to Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s influence. As long as he was a part of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, it would be difficult to get rid of that mark. ¡°Understood, Spirit Master.¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master didn¡¯t say much else to him, simply waving his hand to signal that he could leave. ¡°This disciple will withdraw then,¡± Xu Disheng said in farewell before stepping on the phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram and flying off of the chariot atop the giant turtle, heading in the direction of Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light. As soon as he stepped out from the light barrier around the chariot atop the giant turtle, several jade slips came flying towards him. Xu Disheng grabbed all of them in his hand and roughly checked each one, his brows creasing slightly in the process. ¡°It¡¯s Senior Martial Brother Xu!¡± Yuan Qi shouted. Seeing Xu Disheng flying over on his Yin Yang Diagram, he couldn¡¯t hide an expression of happiness from appearing on his face. The expressions of most of the Morning Dew Peak¡¯s Sea of Qi stage disciples changed as they saw Xu Disheng, their eyes filling with reverence and respect. As soon as Xu Disheng landed, several disciples surged forward emotionally, talking all at once as they praised and congratulated him. ¡°4th place, Senior Martial Brother Xu! Right now, your name is shaking the entire Mingxin Mountain Range!¡± ¡°To think that our Morning Dew Peak could produce an early Sea of Qi stage top 10 genius!¡± Yuan Qi was at the very back, his expression jubilant. ¡°Congratulations, Senior Martial Brother Xu! From now on, you¡¯ll be considered as standing shoulder to shoulder with all those other top geniuses! What an incredible rise to prominence!¡± Xu Disheng casually returned a few sentences to each of them in turn. Suddenly, he turned his head and looked towards the horizon, the look in his eyes turning grim. A Dao Foundation stage elder appeared far off in the distance. He flew over on a flying sword Magic Treasure, stopping above Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light. In a glacial tone, he said, ¡°Has Xu Disheng returned?¡± There were no Dao Foundation stage disciples in Morning Dew Peak¡¯s circle of light at the moment. After all, the internal affairs of the Peak still needed to be attended to. Now that the top 10 had already been decided, there were far fewer disciples spectating in the Green Lotus Domain by now, and the Peak Master, Lu Changge, and the several Deacons with him had already returned to Morning Dew Peak. Xu Disheng, however, had long since predicted the arrival of this elder. Those several message jade slips he received earlier were very deliberately sent to him by Lu Changge and Bai Zhehua and a few others. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 119 Chapter 119 ¨C Return the Magic Treasures? Xu Disheng took a step forward and said, ¡°What business do you have with me, Lord Deacon?¡± A cold light flashed through the Dao Foundation stage elder¡¯s eyes. He glanced at Xu Disheng and said in a glacial tone, ¡°Return our Ghost Controlling Peak Zhao Clan¡¯s Magic Treasures right this moment. Otherwise¡­¡± ¡°Otherwise what?¡± Xu Disheng raised his brow and fired back, not convinced. The elder choked a bit, his expression changing slightly. He initially thought that Xu Disheng would immediately hand over the Magic Treasures under the pressure of his Dao Foundation stage cultivation. Hearing him fire back a question like that left him momentarily speechless. ¡°Otherwise¡­¡± He absolutely didn¡¯t dare to attack here, so he turned toward the direction of the chariots atop the giant turtle, cupped his hands in salute, and said, ¡°Severing Meridian Spirit Master passed down an order to have you return our Magic Treasures.¡± For someone at the Dao Foundation stage like him to have to pull out the name of the Severing Meridian Spirit Master to get this Sea of Qi stage junior to do what he wanted left him feeling somewhat ashamed, even if he was ordinarily pretty thick-skinned. ¡°Where is this order? I just saw Severing Meridian Spirit Master, and he didn¡¯t mention this matter at all,¡± Xu Disheng said indifferently, his expression unchanged as he stared directly into the eyes of the elder. This Dao Foundation stage elder¡¯s name was Zhao Bin. He was a Deacon from Ghost Controlling Peak, and was dispatched by the Vice Peak Master to request Xu Disheng to return their Magic Treasures. As soon as he heard that Xu Disheng returned, he hurried over. Inwardly, he was resentful. How could there be a disciple like this? He was stubborn to the extreme, acting up in front of everyone. What an absolute bastard! Zhao Bin secretly cursed him a thousand times over in his heart. Why the hell would someone of Severing Meridian Spirit Master¡¯s status bother bringing up something like that to an early Sea of Qi stage disciple like him? To top things off, Xu Disheng was being difficult and playing word games with him. He had no way to prove that Severing Meridian Spirit Master had given him such an order. But there was no way he could just fly up to the chariots and directly ask Severing Meridian Spirit Master for a warrant. If he did that, Ghost Controlling Peak¡¯s Zhao Clan would lose all of their face. ¡°Severing Meridian Spirit Master really did issue such an order,¡± Zhao Bin said, his expression unsightly. ¡°Is this really something that I would try to deceive you over?¡± Lu Zimo, who had been standing at the side for a while now as this was happening, stepped forward and cupped his hands lightly. ¡°Lord Deacon Zhao, if Severing Meridian Spirit Master really did pass down this order, then please show proof of the order, and I will have Junior Martial Brother Xu hand over the Magic Treasures to you. If you cannot produce proof, then I can only take this to mean¡­¡± he lifted his gaze as his voice gradually grew louder, a cold look flashing through his eyes, ¡°That you think you can use your Dao Foundation stage cultivation to take advantage of the moment when our Morning Dew Peak¡¯s elders aren¡¯t here to bully us juniors?¡± Zhao Bin¡¯s expression became even more ugly as he gave Lu Zimo and Xu Disheng a long, hard look. Without saying another word, he turned around and flew away on his flying sword Magic Treasure, disappearing in a beam of light. ¡°Thanks for your help, Senior Martial Brother Lu,¡± Xu Disheng said. He didn¡¯t expect Lu Zimo to speak up for him, so he was a bit surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It wasn¡¯t like I was speaking up for you. That guy was being way too savage. Wasn¡¯t he looking down on us a bit too much, trying to take advantage of the fact that our Peak Master and Deacons weren¡¯t here to fly directly above our circle of light on his flying sword?¡± Lu Zimo said, a hint of anger apparent in his voice. Xu Disheng nodded, but inwardly he was thinking about the 7 Magic Treasures that he acquired from Zhao Yueban and Zuo Yanran, which were currently stored in his Yin Yang Diagram. He definitely wouldn¡¯t have been willing to return all of the Magic Treasures. But after seeing Zhao Bin speak with such certainty, it seemed that Severing Meridian Spirit Master really did say something like that. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, are you worried about that order from Severing Meridian Spirit Master?¡± Zhang Haobo said, attracting the gazes of many disciples. He had been standing among the other disciples earlier, but hadn¡¯t come forward. Xu Disheng turned to look at Zhang Haobo, waiting for his next words. A smile crossed Zhang Haobo¡¯s face. ¡°When we saw the points change earlier, we could roughly guess some things. After killing Zhao Yueban, you were able to obtain his Magic Treasures, right Junior Martial Brother Xu?¡± Xu Disheng nodded and said, ¡°That person schemed to set up a sneak attack on me in the Mirage Sea Realm, but I ended up killing him instead. It¡¯s far too tyrannical of the Zhao Clan to come and demand their Magic Treasures be returned to them after something like that.¡± ¡°Zhao Yueban definitely wouldn¡¯t only have only one Magic Treasure on him, right? Couldn¡¯t you just give them the worst Magic Treasure out of them?¡± Zhang Haobo said, the smile on his face taking on a devious nuance. ¡°This way, you wouldn¡¯t be going against the Spirit Master¡¯s order, since you technically did return their Magic Treasure.¡± ¡°A brilliant scheme, Senior Martial Brother Zhang,¡± a disciple at his side agreed. He and many others looked pleased, since Lu Zimo had just sent that Ghost Controlling Peak elder packing, bolstering the spirits of everyone who witnessed it. Having the opportunity to mess around with a person of the rank 9 Ghost Controlling Peak really let them blow off some steam. ¡°I think this plan could work, Senior Martial Brother Xu,¡± Yuan Qi said, pushing his way between two disciples to stand next to Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng looked around at all the disciples surrounding him, forming a circle with him as its core. However, there was one person standing alone behind the crowd. It was Li Dan. ¡°Li Dan, what do you think of this matter?¡± Xu Disheng asked. The disciples all turned their heads to look. Seeing that the person Xu Disheng asked was an ordinary Sea of Qi stage disciple, they couldn¡¯t help being a bit surprised. A peak Sea of Qi stage disciple spoke up, his expression scornful. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, I know this person. When he just entered Morning Dew Peak, he would often come to my courtyard to try to force his way into being friends. His strength is extremely lacking, too. He¡¯s a pest, through and through.¡± Li Dan gave this disciple a glance, but didn¡¯t try to retort. He cupped his hands and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, in my opinion, you shouldn¡¯t return any of Zhao Yueban¡¯s Magic Treasures to Ghost Controlling Peak.¡± ¡°Are you trying to harm Senior Martial Brother Xu? If Zhao Bin really brings over an order from the Spirit Master, how will Senior Martial Brother Xu be able to bear the responsibility?¡± a disciple immediately shouted reprovingly. ¡°This guy doesn¡¯t have any good intentions, Senior Martial Brother Xu. I¡¯ll teach him a lesson for you,¡± the peak Sea of Qi stage disciple who spoke poorly of Li Dan earlier said, his expression full of displeasure as he readied an attack. Zhang Haobo¡¯s expression became even more unsightly upon hearing what Li Dan said. Just now, his suggestion to Xu Disheng to return one ordinary Magic Treasure was a method that made a compromise between both sides of the matter, and given he had earned the praise and support of the other disciples for it, he couldn¡¯t help feeling rather smug. But now, Li Dan told Xu Disheng to not return a single Magic Treasure. How could that not be a slap in the face to him? Seeing the other disciples wanting to teach him a lesson, Zhang Haobo was of the mind to join in and give him a few hits himself while he was down. ¡°Hold your hands,¡± Xu Disheng said, waving his hand to stop the disciples who wanted to attack. ¡°Li Dan, continue.¡± Li Dan spoke, word for word. ¡°You killed a genius of Ghost Controlling Peak, so they definitely won¡¯t take it lying down. Even if they can¡¯t do anything inside of the sect, what about when you leave the territory of the sect? It¡¯s hard to say, they might lie in wait and ambush you, Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± He pointed to the chariots atop the giant turtle on high and continued. ¡°Even if you actually gave them back one ordinary Magic Treasure, they wouldn¡¯t just stop there. Instead, they would only continue to press harder and harder for the other more precious Magic Treasures. As for the matter of the Spirit Master¡¯s order,¡± Li Dan sneered, ¡°Even if Severing Meridian Spirit Master really did give such an order, he probably doesn¡¯t care about this matter that much. I don¡¯t believe even for a moment that Ghost Controlling Peak would dare to approach Severing Meridian Spirit Master again to bother him about this matter.¡± Li Dan¡¯s words were spot on. Even Ghost Dominion Spirit Master could only furtively send a jade slip to Killing Heart Spirit Master. It was indeed true that Ghost Dominion Spirit Master wouldn¡¯t dare to bother Severing Meridian Spirit Master over a small matter like this. These Spirit Masters who wielded so much authority wouldn¡¯t care too much no matter how many geniuses died. What were a few Magic Treasures in comparison? Xu Disheng nodded in agreement. Even though he had only met those Spirit Masters once, he got a deep impression that they viewed the disciples in a rather indifferent or even unsympathetic light. With how many disciples there were in the Shangqing Sacred Sect, what were the deaths of a few so-called ¡®geniuses¡¯? It was even to the point that when Xu Disheng killed Zhao Yueban, Killing Heart Spirit Master¡¯s only remark was, ¡®Severing Meridian Spirit Master, with this ghost Dao technique, do you think he¡¯ll be able to stand his ground in the Eight Mountain Grand Tournament?¡¯. It was clear that the lives of these ¡®geniuses¡¯ were not nearly as important as the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament was to them. Of course, Yu Yangyao and Jian Liangbi, who had Rank 4 Spiritual Roots, would receive more special consideration. After all, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that a Rank 4 Spiritual Root and a Rank 5 Spiritual Root were poles apart in terms of talent. The Spiritual Root Sequence was split into three classes, and the middle class, the Lower Third Spiritual Root, consisted of Rank 6, Rank 5, and Rank 4 Spiritual Roots. Rank 5 Spiritual Roots were already considered the top talents of a Mountain Range, but Rank 4 Spiritual Roots had promising prospects to reach the Primordial Spirit stage in the future. Rank 3 Spiritual Roots, which belonged to the Upper Third Spiritual Roots, were extremely rare in the Dong Territory of the Human Realm. Every one of them was an existence that appeared only once every several tens of thousands of years. In the countless years that the Shangqing Sacred Sect existed, all of the Rank 3 Spiritual Roots that had appeared within had reached the Clone Avatar stage at the very minimum, able to unleash incantationless spells, burn the heavens, and boil the seas. Many of them had become Saint Lords. A few Rank 2 and Rank 1 Spiritual Roots had appeared in the Shangqing Sacred Sect before, but with the passing of time, neither Divine Core stage Spirit Masters nor Primordial Lords could specifically remember their names anymore. The most recent appearance of such a figure was over 40,000 years ago. He had been the Divine Sea stage patriarch of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, and had a Rank 2 Spiritual Root. With his might, he suppressed the entire vast region Shan Mountains, and had once attained enough fame and prestige to be known throughout the entire Dong Territory of the Human Realm. However, even this inextinguishable, undying Divine Sea stage genius couldn¡¯t break free of that existence at the very peak, and was ordained to take up a divine post. In the over 40,000 years that followed, he never returned from the Heavenly Court. Li Dan knew that he made the right bet. He walked over and silently stood behind Xu Disheng, not speaking any further. That peak Sea of Qi stage disciple who said that he would teach Li Dan a lesson swallowed his rage and shamefully withdrew. ¡°Martial brothers and sisters, I will be heading back to Morning Dew Peak now to prepare for the final round of the tournament three days from now,¡± Xu Disheng said, cupping his hands in salute to Lu Zimo as he bade farewell to everyone else. The phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram appeared beneath his feet, and he rose up into the sky. The disciples all said their farewells in succession. ¡°Wait for me, Senior Martial Brother Xu,¡± Yuan Qi said, hastily taking out his own flying-type Spirit Tool and following after him. Zhang Haobo stroked the storage pouch at his waist, sharing a smile with the several disciples beside him. He had heard from Bai Zhehua about the number of Magic Treasures Xu Disheng had on him, and also heard about that ghost Dao cultivation method he had. He told several other disciples about it and they cast an all-in bet that Xu Disheng would reach the top 10. Sure enough, they wagered correctly, and Zhang Haobo and the others earned over 200 spirit stones each. It was truly a huge fortune of easy money. If anyone were to speak poorly about Xu Disheng in their presence, they would surely be the first to fight that person. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 120 Chapter 120 ¨C Causality TL: Sponsored chapter (3/4) ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu,¡± Li Dan said, standing at Xu Disheng¡¯s side as he looked back at Yuan Qi, who was chasing after them. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Yuan Qi has been calling for you this whole time.¡± The Yin Yang Diagram stopped, hovering in mid air. Xu Disheng turned his head and asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Yuan Qi initially had a cheerful expression, but after seeing the indifferent look on Xu Disheng¡¯s face, he faltered for a moment. Forcing a smile to his face, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve been in seclusion in my courtyard for a while, and haven¡¯t seen you all this time. I missed you and wanted to see you again, Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Xu Disheng raised a brow and said, ¡°Seclusion? How come I heard that you used the spirit stones I gave you for cultivation to buy a Cleansed Meridians stage concubine?¡± His expression changed slightly, and he opened his mouth to explain, but he was interrupted by Xu Disheng. ¡°It¡¯s fine, the seven emotions and six desires can¡¯t be avoided, I suppose,¡± Xu Disheng said. Before Yuan Qi could respond, Xu Disheng activated the Yin Yang Diagram and flew off. Only these indifferent words were left ringing in his ears. ¡°I gave you those spirit stones to cultivate, but seeing as you weren¡¯t capable of even that, don¡¯t let me hear you say that you and I are acquainted in the future.¡± After Xu Disheng¡¯s soul evolved in the Mirage Sea Realm, a scripture called the Theory of Causality appeared in the cyan jade flute. It wasn¡¯t a cultivation method, but an ancient scripture, which recounted the importance of cause and effect and karmic ties to profound cultivators. At that moment, as Xu Disheng flew on the Yin Yang Diagram towards Morning Dew Peak, he could sense that extremely thin link of causality between him and Yuan Qi thoroughly break. They would never meet or speak again. As for Li Dan¡­ ¡°Li Dan, what you said earlier was quite good. Take these things and go cultivate. You can leave now,¡± Xu Disheng said, taking out a storage pouch. There were 100 or so spirit stones and several Spirit Tools within, which he handed over to Li Dan. Zuo Yanran and Zhao Yueban¡¯s interspatial rings, which Xu Disheng had obtained in the Mirage Sea Realm, were now on his hand. However, he hadn¡¯t had a chance to open them yet and see what was inside. Some kind of sealing array had been applied to them, which meant they couldn¡¯t be opened without some special means. Zhao Yueban also had several other storage pouches on the side, which had some scattered spirit stones and Spirit Tools. Xu Disheng had taken one of these and handed it to Li Dan. However, Li Dan didn¡¯t take it. He gazed fixedly at Xu Disheng and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want any spirit stones or cultivation resources. It¡¯s enough if you¡¯ll just let me continue to follow you, Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Xu Disheng shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯d be no point in that.¡± After landing on Morning Dew Peak, he tossed the storage pouch at Li Dan¡¯s feet and left without even looking back. Li Dan watched Xu Disheng¡¯s back as he walked away, his expression complex. After hesitating for a long while, he still decided to pick up the storage pouch in the end. Xu Disheng once again perceived his mind clear up a bit as the cyan jade flute in his sea of consciousness grew slightly brighter with a lustrous radiance, clad with inexhaustible profound light. ¡°Could it be that every time a link of causality breaks, the cultivation of my mind increases by a bit?¡± Xu Disheng muttered contemplatively to himself. Yuan Qi and Li Dan had gone with him to Jade Water Lake before in the past, so there were indeed some karmic ties associated with them. Especially Li Dan, who had been acquainted with him since they were still in the Outer Region. Now that their link of causality had been thoroughly settled, Xu Disheng could now perceive it even clearer in his mind. As he gazed off in the direction of Cangyun Peak, Xu Disheng once again thought of the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm and the various old ties within. After returning to his courtyard and entering his room, Xu Disheng sat down on the couch, feeling an extremely rare sense of belonging and enervation in his heart. He took all of his items out of the Yin Yang Diagram and his interspatial ring. The first things that entered his vision were the several dozen glowing jade slips. These jade slips were the message jade slips that other disciples had given him to keep contact. Even the worst of them belonged to peak Sea of Qi stage elite disciples. Among the jade slips were even ones that belonged to people like He Junyu, Yan Cheng, Li Cangyun, and other Sea of Qi stage geniuses. The one at the very top, emitting the brightest glow, was the one that he had received from Killing Heart Spirit Master on the chariot atop the giant turtle, and was a special reward given only to the top 10 Sea of Qi stage disciples. The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament was in one year. The Spirit Masters in power had said that if he had any needs within the next year, to directly reach out to Killing Heart Spirit Master, and the Mountain would do its best to satisfy those needs. Of course, directly asking for something like a Psychic Magic Treasure wasn¡¯t possible. There weren¡¯t that many Magic Treasures of that rank even in the entire Mingxin Mountain Range. Even the Spirit Masters didn¡¯t have enough of them as it was. The aid only entailed things like cultivation resources or the fulfillment of daily needs. Moreover, as soon as he left the Mirage Sea Realm, Celestial Tide Spirit Master had given him that Secret Realms intermediary disciple token from Affairs Hall. It had clearly been prepared long in advance, and there even seemed to be some deeper meaning within. From He Junyu¡¯s attitude towards him, Xu Disheng could tell that they were treating him like one of their own after they found out that he was Qingxin¡¯s disciple. On Lightning Cloud Stone Island, he had helped Xu Disheng out quite a bit. And now that he had a post as a Secret Realms intermediary disciple, Ghost Controlling Peak¡¯s Zhao Clan wouldn¡¯t be able to find trouble with him as easily as before. In a way, this was Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s way of throwing him a lifeline. He could even act at his own discretion within the Secret Realms, which would allow him to bring Daoist Lord Qingxin out from the Chu Territory. Celestial Tide Spirit Master was one of the six Spirit Masters in authority in Mingxin Mountain. By just sitting there atop his chariot, he had cast a profound, far-sighted arrangement, managing to kill two birds with one stone. The way things stood, it seemed that the Zhao Clan of Ghost Controlling Peak could only temporarily swallow their pent up grievances. ¡°Little Sky, do you know where that river in the sky is, where all of the water within is made up of Pure Oblivion Water?¡± Xu Disheng asked, suddenly remembering that Little Sky had already existed for countless years, and might know from his own memories where exactly that river in the sky was located. ¡°River in the sky made up of Pure Oblivion Water?¡± Little Sky echoed, his low voice resounding from within the Soul Suppressing Vestment. ¡°The image of it is extremely clear in my memories, and there¡¯s only one place where the Oblivion Sky River could be located. But there¡¯s this indescribable power blocking me from completely recalling it, just like the one that once blocked you from hearing my name.¡± Xu Disheng nodded. This was within his expectations. The past was covered with a dense, layered fog. In the Theory of Causality scripture that had appeared in the cyan jade flute in his sea of consciousness, it seemed as if there was a person in there, pointing the way to himself. That unknown person in there, what exactly did he want him to do? Cut off all links of causality? But that was impossible to accomplish. Even something as simple as flying by a mountain peak or stepping on a blade of grass could be enough to create an infinitesimally small link of causality. Although the karmic ties from that would be extremely weak, it still wasn¡¯t realistic to think of trying to break off all links of causality. As he was distracted, wrapped up in his thoughts, he heard the voice of man in the purple and gold-hemmed robe from that important memory reverberate in his mind once more. ¡°If you insist on this, even I will have no choice but to be your enemy.¡± A loud sound rumbled out in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind, as if his soul had once again broken free of some kind of small restriction. At that moment, ancient, vague memories began to appear in his mind. In Sah¨¡ Heaven¡­ A man in a white Buddhist robe placed down an exquisite twelve-petaled lotus seat and turned around to speak. ¡°What are you trying to do? After assiduously cultivating for several million years and becoming a Bodhisattva, are you really going to just give everything up now?¡± ¡°The three heavens and nine realms aren¡¯t complete. The Six Paths of Reincarnation are missing one Path!¡± a youth said flatly, fiddling around with a profound yellow light in his hands, which seemed to flit and flutter around unceasingly. ¡°Although we are already beings that are inextinguishable even through nigh on ten thousand calamities, the rules of this heaven and earth are really far too unjust.¡± ¡°Does your idea of ¡®just¡¯ constitute all living beings returning their lives to the heavens?!¡± the man in the white Buddhist robe fumed, a rare display of anger in his tone. ¡°These rules of heaven and earth were jointly demarcated by the Great Sun Buddha and the Heavenly Court, and their purpose was to safeguard all living beings in the boundless three heavens and nine realms! How can you be deserving of the position of Bodhisattva with how radically extreme you are?!¡± The youth simply laughed. ¡°In the untold years past, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen you, the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡, second only to the Bodhisattva of Three Realms, actually be moved to anger.¡± (TL: Praj?¨¡ ¨C A Buddhist term often translated as ¡®wisdom¡¯. However, I didn¡¯t want to use the word ¡®wisdom¡¯ here, since there are more nuances to this word than can be sufficiently described as purely ¡®wisdom¡¯.) The expression of the white-robed Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡ gradually restored to its usual state of calm. ¡°Lord Buddha is dormant at the moment and we are both Bodhisattvas, so I cannot control you. But doing this is no different from becoming the enemy of every living being. You are on your own with this.¡± Radiance gleamed from his white Buddhist robe, and a golden halo of sanctity appeared behind the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡¡¯s head, causing peals of Sanskrit sounds to ring out. He closed his eyes, and his figure gradually faded away. The youth looked at the twelve-petaled lotus seat floating there, then casually picked it up. After lowering his gaze to look at the three great suns off in the far reaches of Sah¨¡ Heaven, his figure turned into golden motes of light, and he, too, disappeared. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 121 Chapter 121 ¨C Is There Still a Future? TL: Sponsored chapter (4/4) When Xu Disheng opened his eyes, there was an endless vitality erupting from within. After a while, it settled into a deathly stillness. In the midst of the fluid transition, all beings seemed to pass through the vicissitudes of life and death. ¡°Master?¡± Little Sky said, his low voice appearing in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. After lightly shaking his head, Xu Disheng closed his eyes and opened them again. This time, his gaze had returned to normal. ¡°Hm? I recalled some things earlier. There¡¯s no obstruction anymore,¡± Xu Disheng said falteringly, unsure for a moment whether this was reality or his imagination. Now that he had returned from those vague, ancient memories, he set those matters aside and started to go through the assortment of items in front of him. Of the seven brightly glowing Magic Treasures in front of him, the brightest of the two were the Smoky Cloud Screen and the White Lotus Array Flag, each of which were peak top-grade Magic Treasures! There was also Zhao Yueban¡¯s Remnant Rainbow Sword, and Zuo Yanran¡¯s silver fishnet. Although these two Magic Treasures were slightly inferior to the Smoky Cloud Screen and the White Lotus Array Flag, they were still ranked as top-grade Magic Treasures and were extremely powerful. Following their masters¡¯ deaths, these Magic Treasures were now without a master. Xu Disheng picked up the Smoky Cloud Screen and White Lotus Array Flag and refined his mark onto them, then deposited them into his sea of consciousness. Aside from those four top-grade Magic Treasures, the others were ranked as ordinary Magic Treasures. However, it was only possible to hold a maximum of five Magic Treasures in the sea of consciousness, so having more than that would be pointless. Xu Disheng rifled through the jade slips and picked out one of them, then activated it. It was the message jade slip for the Spirit Karma House on Passing Sin Peak. Last time, Xu Disheng had purchased the Yin Yang Diagram from them. After completing the business deal, he received this jade slip, which he could use to contact someone from the Spirit Karma House whenever he wanted. If he wanted to buy or trade something valuable, he could directly call one of their errand disciples over. It was extremely convenient, given he didn¡¯t even have to leave his own courtyard. After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the message jade slip vibrated, notifying him that the person from the Spirit Karma House had already arrived. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t let them enter his room, instead opening the light barrier and walking out of his courtyard. Unexpectedly, the person who came was a Dao Foundation stage Deacon. Seeing Xu Disheng come out, the Deacon didn¡¯t put on any airs and got straight to the matter at hand. ¡°I am from the Spirit Karma House. How may I help you today, esteemed customer?¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t waste any words and directly handed a storage pouch to the Deacon. Seeing Xu Disheng not say anything, he was a bit doubtful, but took the storage pouch anyway. When he subconsciously checked the contents, his expression changed slightly. His voice lowered and he asked, ¡°Would you like to sell all of these things?¡± He wasn¡¯t making a fuss over nothing. After all, laid neat and tidy within were a whole six Magic Treasures, and two of them were even top-grade Magic Treasures! Excluding the Smoky Cloud Screen, the White Lotus Array Flag, the Remnant Rainbow Sword, the silver fishnet, and his own Yin Yang Diagram, Xu Disheng had even put his Glorious Sun Bow in the storage pouch. The three Destruction Arrows were already used up, and using profound qi to make arrows would limit its power by a lot. It would be far too difficult to try and find more Destruction Arrows to purchase, so it was better to just exchange it for spirit stones. This Deacon from the Spirit Karma House never would have imagined that this early Sea of Qi stage disciple would hand him a mere storage pouch, which itself cost no more than a dozen spirit stones, and yet the contents exceeded 20,000 spirit stones in value! Xu Disheng nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, you can take all of it with you right now. You can directly acquisition it or help me sell it, but when you finish exchanging everything for spirit stones, just have someone send them to me.¡± The Deacon from the Spirit Karma House gave Xu Disheng a deep glance. ¡°Understood.¡± The Deacon hopped on his flying sword Magic Treasure and started ascending into the sky above Morning Dew Peak. The two of them didn¡¯t even bother to speak of whether or not the Spirit Karma House would send over his spirit stones in the end. Not to mention the fact that Passing Sin Peak was the most famous marketplace in the entire Mingxin Mountain Range, the strict sect rules made it so if any shop were to brazenly covet a disciples¡¯ belongings, they wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the aftermath. If Xu Disheng wanted to protect his spot in the final round of the tournament three days from now, he at least had to have a Psychic Magic Treasure. However, Psychic Magic Treasures were far too precious and rare, and couldn¡¯t simply be bought by just having enough spirit stones. There was hardly a market for them because there was no supply. Occasionally, an almighty powerhouse at the three stages of Approaching Divinity would put out one or two Psychic Magic Treasures, but they would always be snatched up instantly at exorbitant prices. Although the marketplace on Passing Sin Peak was the main marketplace of Mingxin Mountain Range, Mingxin Mountain was only the Sixth Mountain out of the eight, so the quality of the marketplace was a little lacking in comparison to some of the others. After all, the marketplace on Passing Sin Peak was pretty much the market for the entire Mountain Range, and yet there wasn¡¯t a single Psychic Magic Treasure to be seen. He Junyu¡¯s Thunderflame Pagoda, as well as Yu Yangyao¡¯s Coiling Serpent and Jian Liangbi¡¯s Dragon Abyss Ancient Sword were all Psychic Magic Treasures, but they were all bestowed to them by their elders, and hadn¡¯t been purchased. Such items could be encountered through fortuitous chance, but couldn¡¯t be easily sought out. As he sat on the couch, Xu Disheng clutched the intermediary disciple token in his hand, his face contemplative. In terms of position, an intermediary disciple was second only to a Dao Foundation stage Secret Realms Envoy. Back when he was in the Chu Territory, he had encountered Zhou Xinghe and Jiang Wu, who were intermediary disciples. They had been accompanying the Secret Realms Envoy, Liu Xiangji. Celestial Tide Spirit Master specifically said that Xu Disheng would be able to act at his own discretion. Did he want Xu Disheng to bring Daoist Lord Qingxin back himself? Or was there some deeper meaning? Xu Disheng recalled the profound, erudite gaze of Celestial Tide Spirit Master and then thought of his relation with Qingxin and Zhuri Mountain Range, and slowly came to an understanding. Qingxin was someone that Celestial Tide Spirit Master had brought back to the Shangqing Sacred Sect from outside. After that, he didn¡¯t take care of Qingxin, and simply placed him in the Outer Region of the Eighth Mountain, Zhuri Mountain. However, Qingxin encountered trouble and was banished to the Secret Realms, where he wasted 200 years of his life. If someone said that Celestial Tide Spirit Master didn¡¯t lose face over this matter, Xu Disheng wouldn¡¯t believe it even for a second. Clearly, the person who got Qingxin into that mess didn¡¯t know that he was someone that Celestial Tide Spirit Master brought back to the sect. But as a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, this matter really did damage his prestige. Although he brought back a disciple and simply left them in the Outer Region of Zhuri Mountain and didn¡¯t take care of him, Qingxin still wasn¡¯t someone that should have been easily humiliated with a Divine Core stage Spirit Master behind him. However, Xu Disheng still needed to go to the Chu Territory and find Qingxin to fully understand the truth behind all of this. Perhaps what Celestial Tide Spirit Master meant by acting at his own discretion was to return from the Chu Territory himself and go to the Outer Region of Zhuri Mountain to thoroughly put this matter to rest. There were many types of affairs disciples, and depending on their post, they would have different privileges that far exceeded those of ordinary disciples. Now that he was Secret Realms intermediary disciple, he had a portion of authority to observe, make judgments, and investigate matters at his own discretion within the Mortal Secret Realms. Of course, this authority came from the Secret Realms Envoy. If Xu Disheng wanted to reopen the investigation regarding Qingxin¡¯s punishment, he would need the permission of his direct superior, a Secret Realms Envoy who he had never met before. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Older sister, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Little Yu said, his face full of worry and anxiety as he gripped his sister¡¯s slim hand. He was at a complete loss on what to do as he watched black blood slowly seep out of her sleek arm. The girl¡¯s complexion was pale as she lay there on the sofa. She forced herself to smile as she said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Hurry up and go to the village center to get your bloodline measured. The ceremony is almost over. If you don¡¯t go soon, you won¡¯t make it.¡± Panicked sobs began to percolate Little Yu¡¯s voice. ¡°Older sister! I only went for a quick trip to Lord Qiuyue¡¯s place to turn in the Mandala Flowers. What happened? Why are you like this now?!¡± There was a hint of despair hidden in the girl¡¯s gaze. She shook her head, and her sweet, crooning tone started becoming hoarse. ¡°Hurry up and go take part in the ceremony. There¡¯s nothing wrong with your sister!¡± Tears welled up in Little Yu¡¯s eyes when he looked down and saw her arm sticky with black blood. A heartfelt pang stung in his chest, and he wrapped himself tightly around her arm, refusing to let go. ¡°Little Yu, remember this. As lowest-rung ghost citizens, we have no dignity to speak of. Even if a ghost soldier slaughters us, there¡¯s nothing we can do except quietly turn into a true soul and reincarnate,¡± the girl said, her voice gradually losing volume. ¡°Little Yu, be a good child and listen to your sister. Go take part in the ceremony. If you can awaken the bloodline of the Grandmaster of Moonphase, you¡¯ll be able to avenge your sister. Okay?¡± Little Yu wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded his head vigorously. ¡°Then Sister, wait for me here until I come back. I¡¯ll definitely awaken the bloodline of Grandmaster Moonphase!¡± The girl watched as Little Yu left the room and let out a weak chuckle. She no longer used ghostly qi to control the bleeding, and in the next moment, black blood immediately began to pour out from her body. The shroud of death fell over her originally delicate and pretty facial features. The girl looked up through a hole in the raggedy roof of the house and gazed at the gloomy sky of the Nine Serenities Realm. She quietly muttered to herself as her voice faded to nothingness, ¡°If only these heavens could treat every living being equally, how great would that be¡­¡± Black blood pooled around her body, and she gradually morphed into a drifting wisp of death energy. The girl¡¯s figure finally transformed into a mote of light signifying a true soul, which lightly fluttered off in the direction of the Paths of Reincarnation. Little Yu ran wildly as he thought of his sister¡¯s smiling face. How could he allow himself to disappoint his sister? She always loved to smile and warmly pat his head. Although the brother and sister pair didn¡¯t always get enough to eat, his sister would always look towards the future with yearning and longing. She would never complain, and her clear eyes had always been filled with hope. Someone had struck his kind-hearted sister a terrible injury and humiliated her, and yet there was nothing he could do about it! In that instant, Little Yu seemed to mature a bit. A burning flame ignited in his heart, causing a trace of power hidden deep within his meridians to show signs of awakening. A Grandmaster bloodline! ¡°I will definitely awaken the bloodline of Grandmaster Moonphase. Sister is still waiting at home for me!¡± Little Yu shouted in his heart, his eyes firm and resolute. His gaze was full of longing for the future as he stepped into the village square of Xiangmi Village. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 122 Chapter 122 ¨C Sitting in on the Proceedings Xu Disheng picked up the jade slip in front of him, and the vibrating stopped. He heard Bai Zhehua¡¯s voice transmitted from within. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu and I are outside your courtyard right now, Junior Martial Brother Xu.¡± He stood up and walked out of his courtyard, opening the barrier of light in the process. The glaring midday sunshine was beating down heavily, causing Xu Disheng to squint his eyes a bit. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, the Peak Master ordered Senior Martial Brother Lu and me to come find you,¡± Bai Zhehua said, his expression complex. In this short of a time, Xu Disheng had experienced a meteoric rise, going from an ordinary early Sea of Qi stage disciple to a widely renowned Sea of Qi stage genius in the entire Mingxin Mountain. Even Bai Zhehua had long since been left in the dust, and now he didn¡¯t even know how he should act around Xu Disheng. Lu Zimo also nodded and said, ¡°The Peak Master and the Dao Foundation stage Deacons are waiting for you in Morning Night Hall. The very last round in the Sea of Qi division of the Internal Disciple Tournament is tonight, so the Peak Master wished to summon you to speak about some matters.¡± Xu Disheng agreed, closing up the barrier of light around his courtyard. He then followed the two of them as they led the way towards Morning Night Hall, which was situated at the summit of Morning Dew Peak. The name Morning Dew Peak came about as a result of the 10,000-year-old pine tree growing at the summit of the Peak. The tree had long since cultivated a spiritual awareness and become a demon, having existed for tens of thousands of years by now. But because it was growing on Morning Dew Peak, the indigenous lower demons that resulted from its existence weren¡¯t allowed to transform and advance without the approval of a Spirit Master with authority. Every morning in the canopy of the pine tree, a single precious droplet of essence dew would coalesce from the purple qi that the tree would absorb from the heat of the three great suns warming up the brisk dawn. Every drop would be imbued with the qi from the first rays of the morning sun, fabricating clouds and mist in its presence. Ingesting a single drop of this essence dew could extend one¡¯s lifespan by several years. This was how Morning Dew Peak got its name. Right beneath this giant pine tree was Morning Night Hall, which also happened to be the palace of the Peak Master, Lu Changge. There were two elite peak Sea of Qi stage disciples standing guard by the gate. Seeing Xu Disheng accompanied by the other two, they both saluted respectfully and said, ¡°Greetings to Senior Martial Brother Lu and Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Although Bai Zhehua was the child of a Dao Foundation stage Deacon, he couldn¡¯t be called ¡®senior martial brother¡¯ because he was only at the early Sea of Qi stage. Xu Disheng was similarly at the early Sea of Qi stage, but he had many Magic Treasures in his possession, and had a tyrannical level of combat power that earned him a spot amongst the top 10 disciples at the Sea of Qi stage. He was a publicly recognized genius in the entire Mingxin Mountain Range, so these disciples from Morning Dew Peak didn¡¯t dare to show any disrespect. Lu Zimo gestured with his hand, leading the way into the hall. Xu Disheng and Bai Zhehua returned a salute to the two peak Sea of Qi stage disciples standing guard by the gate, then followed Lu Zimo into the hall. The Peak Master, Lu Changge, Deacon Bai Honghua, Deacon Tan Min, and several other Dao Foundation stage Deacons that Xu Disheng didn¡¯t recognize were all seated in the hall. It was clear to see that Lu Changge had gathered all of the Dao Foundation stage presences of Morning Dew Peak here. ¡°Xu Disheng,¡± Lu Changge greeted. He waved his hand, prompting Lu Zimo and Bai Zhehua to bow respectfully and withdraw to one side, which left Xu Disheng standing alone in the center of the hall. ¡°Celestial Tide Spirit Master conveyed to us via jade slip that after the Sea of Qi division of the tournament draws to an end, you are to officially join the Third Mountain, Wenyuan Mountain, and take up your post as a Secret Realms intermediary disciple of Affairs Hall. You are aware of this, yes?¡± ¡°Yes, this disciple is aware. Celestial Tide Spirit Master has already given me the token,¡± Xu Disheng replied. ¡°The Peak will change out your courtyard and give you one that is on the same level as the Dao Foundation stage Deacons¡¯ courtyards. But since I became Peak Master of Morning Dew Peak, we have never produced a genius disciple. Plus, in the entire Mingxin Mountain Range, we are only ranked 40th or so. Our Peak resources aren¡¯t sufficient to support a genius disciple. But you know this, right?¡± Lu Changge said. ¡°Peak Master, you already lent me the Imperial Demon Brush. This disciple is already extremely grateful for that, and wouldn¡¯t dare to make unreasonable demands of the Peak¡¯s resources,¡± Xu Disheng humbly replied. Lu Changge shook his head and said, ¡°If we were too stingy towards our genius disciple, how would other people look at our Morning Dew Peak? Just take the Imperial Demon Brush; there¡¯s no need to return it. Also, regarding your cultivation resources. Each month, you will now receive 150 spirit stones, as well as 5 Qi Boosting Pills. This amount is the same as what ordinary Dao Foundation disciples receive here.¡± Although Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t lacking for spirit stones, he knew that Lu Changge had a lot to consider as a Peak Master, and many matters required careful consideration. Giving Xu Disheng the Imperial Demon Brush, which cost several thousand spirit stones by itself, could already be considered taking care of Xu Disheng quite well. True to his word, Lu Changge indeed wasn¡¯t being stingy. ¡°Thank you, Peak Master.¡± After bowing in gratitude, he saw Lu Changge wave his hand, signaling that Xu Disheng could retreat to the side. Xu Disheng went to stand next to Lu Zimo. Lu Changge swept his gaze over the Dao Foundation stage Deacons surrounding him and said, ¡°I want to set up a marketplace on Morning Dew Peak. If we succeed, we could drastically improve our status in the Mountain Range, and we might even see our ranking increase.¡± The Deacons¡¯ expressions changed slightly. Tan Min spoke first. ¡°Peak Master, I respectfully disagree!¡± Narrowing his eyes slightly, Lu Changge replied, ¡°Why so?¡± Tan Min shook his head and said, ¡°Not to mention setting up a marketplace requires the support of a tremendous amount of resources, all of the Mountain Peaks who tried to set up a marketplace in recent years have suffered irreparable deficits without exception. The existing marketplaces in the Mountain Range are colluding to force out any new marketplaces that try to appear. It would be far too difficult to gain any influence or make significant progress with this.¡± Many of the Dao Foundation stage Deacons nodded their heads, expressing their agreement with Tan Min¡¯s words. Seeing that the other Deacons were of the mind to simply keep silent and listen respectfully, Bai Honghua lightly gestured with his chin in Xu Disheng¡¯s direction, continuing on Tan Min¡¯s point. ¡°Moreover, even though our Morning Dew Peak is only ranked 40th or so, we now have a top 10 Sea of Qi stage genius among our ranks! This can be considered to have earned a few points of fame and prestige for the name of our Peak.¡± ¡°But since Peak Master brought up this idea, you must have thought it over thoroughly. I will still give my approval if you decide to set up this marketplace,¡± Bai Honghua said, conveying his attitude on the matter. He didn¡¯t speak further, picking up his spiritual tea and taking a sip. ¡°I also support Peak Master¡¯s idea,¡± another Deacon said soon after, similarly declaring his stance. ¡°I also think it could be feasible. Those Mountain Peaks with marketplaces are all so wealthy. I always couldn¡¯t help but admire them. This time, I would like to cast my bet with Peak Master and see where it takes us!¡± Li Chiyong, whose profound qi cultivation was only second to Lu Changge¡¯s, said in compliance. After seeing Li Chiyong, the Deacon with the highest authority, voice his consent, the other Dao Foundation stage Deacons all voiced their support one after the other. Only Tan Min and one other Dao Foundation stage disciple stayed silent the whole time, their expressions unsightly. Lu Changge didn¡¯t pay them any mind, however, sending out several jade slips. ¡°I have already prepared the detailed statutes, which are in these jade slips. The matters regarding the preparation of the starting resources and capital, the construction of the pavilions and halls, and other miscellaneous tasks must be undertaken by you Deacons.¡± ¡°Understood, Peak Master.¡± If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 123 Chapter 123 ¨C Final Round of the Sea of Qi Tournament ¡°The fact that disciples like us could also listen in on official Peak business is all thanks to your prestige, Junior Martial Brother Xu,¡± Lu Zimo said with a smile as the three of them left Morning Night Hall. Xu Disheng shook his head lightly and said, ¡°Could there be some deeper meaning behind the Peak Master deliberately letting us listen in on the matter of setting up a marketplace?¡± ¡°But setting up a marketplace requires years of preparation, and we will need to report our intention to a Spirit Master in authority and receive approval. There are many extremely complicated details and procedures that we would need to go through first,¡± Bai Zhehua said, somewhat knowledgeable on the topic. His expression was relaxed as he fiddled around with a jade bottle in his hands and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu is right. All of this was thanks to Senior Martial Brother Xu¡¯s prestige. These two drops of Purple Qi Morning Dew were an unexpected windfall.¡± Xu Disheng also had a jade bottle, which he put away into his Yin Yang Diagram. Lu Changge had given the three of them two drops of Purple Qi Morning Dew each. It really was a pleasant surprise. The Purple Qi Morning Dew of Morning Dew Peak was extremely rare, and there was practically no market for it due to the lack of supply. Most of it was being stored away by Lu Changge. Even a single small drop could increase one¡¯s lifespan by several years. One drop could be sold for well over 100 spirit stones. ¡°Come to think of it, how come I haven¡¯t seen Senior Martial Brother Chu in the past several days? He was originally the number 1 Sea of Qi stage disciple on Morning Dew Peak, so by all rights he should have been allowed to listen to the business proceedings,¡± Bai Zhehua said with a puzzled expression. Lu Zimo said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu has been in Heart Refining Mountain¡¯s Cultivation Hall for the last two days. His ranking in the tournament was only okay, but he¡¯s close to breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage.¡± He turned to address Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, in the tournament tonight, you must weigh your abilities and act within your limits. Although the Spirit Masters in authority will be spectating, you should quickly admit defeat against the geniuses you can¡¯t beat. Although there shouldn¡¯t be any danger to your life in this round, a simple graze from a Psychic Magic Treasure can injure you. Taking a direct hit would be even more devastating. When you run into those few geniuses with Psychic Magic Treasures, you need to exercise utmost caution.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern, Senior Martial Brother Lu,¡± Xu Disheng said. ¡°Fortunately, the advantage in power a Psychic Magic Treasure gives decreases more and more in the Dao Foundation and Divine Core stage,¡± Bai Zhehua said, a hint of dissatisfaction and even jealousy in his tone. ¡°A Sea of Qi stage cultivation is too inadequate. All of the combat power at this stage relies on Magic Treasures. It¡¯s way too unbalanced.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no helping it. The might of any cultivation method is very limited at the Sea of Qi stage,¡± Lu Zimo said. ¡°But there¡¯s something you¡¯re a bit mistaken about, Junior Martial Brother Bai. Someone at the Dao Foundation stage can exert the full might of a Magic Treasure, but it¡¯s only at the Divine Core stage that Spirit Masters can exert the might of a Psychic Magic Treasure to its peak. So technically, this kind of disparity in resources would only even out upon reaching the Three Approaching Divinity stages at the very least.¡± The Three Approaching Divinity stages? Bai Zhehua shook his head, deciding not to think about it any further. This was the truth of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. As long as you had a noble bloodline, some background that provided you with a deep pool of cultivation resources, or the support of some powerful force in the sect, it would always be possible to suppress disciples of the same rank, and they wouldn¡¯t even be able to resist. There were only two ways for an ordinary disciple to stand out in the Shangqing Sacred Sect. The first way was to have a tremendous level of luck and fortune and accumulate opportunities and inheritances, which would allow one to rise above the rest and suppress those of the same generation. Just like Sacred Son Feng Shao had back in the day, obtaining the inheritance of Celestial Tide Saint Lord and experiencing a meteoric rise to greatness. Due to his Psychic Magic Treasure, the Star Beheading Sword, he earned a flawless set of victories against all of the Dao Foundation stage geniuses in the Eight Mountains, earning the title of Sacred Son, and all of the spectacular honor and glory that came along with it. (TL: Saint Lord Xingyuan ¡ú Celestial Tide Saint Lord. Previously mentioned in Chapter 80. There are apparently two people with the moniker ¡®Celestial Tide, as mentioned below.¡¯) Interestingly enough, there was also the Celestial Tide Spirit Master in Mingxin Mountain Range, who had the same moniker as the Saint Lord. It was rumored that he was actually the descendent of Celestial Tide Saint Lord. However, it was Feng Shao who obtained the inheritance of Celestial Tide Saint Lord in the end. The second way was to have an outstanding, exceptional level of talent and aptitude. Even if you had an ordinary, humble background, as long as you were a phenomenal talent, there would be no shortage of influential powers wanting to support you. Those that had access to neither of these means could pretty much only squander away their lives in mediocrity in the world of cultivation. There wasn¡¯t much they could do to avoid scrimping over those few spirit stones that they could earn in cultivation resources every month and fretting over the quota of sect missions they had to do every year. However, there was a way out for these disciples destined for mediocrity. If they wanted to give up on advancing any further, they could declare their intent to the sect and be assigned to the provincial seat of a mortal province in the Mortal Secret Realms. They would be tasked with watching over mortals, but at least they would be able to enjoy a lavish lifestyle of riches and power. Xu Disheng said farewell to Lu Zimo and Bai Zhehua and returned to his courtyard alone. He would only receive his new courtyard after the tournament ended. But considering the fact that it was a courtyard that was standard issue for Dao Foundation stage disciples, it was probably a big upgrade over his current courtyard. The official business proceedings that had gone on in Morning Night Hall were more or less unrelated to Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t really prepare much for the final round of the Sea of Qi division of the tournament that was tonight. Instead, he was looking pensively at a jade slip in front of him. This jade slip had flown over to his location from the faraway Wenyuan Mountain. The sender of the jade slip was the Secret Realms Envoy that Xu Disheng was set to be working under, whose name was Wei Yuanwei. Wei Yuanwei didn¡¯t say that much since he was well aware that Xu Disheng had been directly assigned to the post of intermediary disciple by Celestial Tide Spirit Master. He simply told Xu Disheng to come to Wenyuan Mountain to report in and officially assume his duties as an intermediary disciple after the Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Internal Disciple Tournament ended. Also, Wei Yuanwei informed Xu Disheng that in five days, he was to come with him and one other intermediary disciple to Cangyun Peak, where they would depart for two Mortal Secret Realms, the Chu Territory and the An Territory, to carry out some matters. Unwittingly, several years had already flown by since Xu Disheng came to the Human Realm. However¡­ it wasn¡¯t even time for the next recruitment period in the Mortal Secret Realms yet. Wei Yuanwei¡¯s trip to the Chu Territory at this time was an arrangement ordered by Celestial Tide Spirit Master. The other Mortal Secret Realm they were going to, the An Territory, was also related to another matter altogether. This kind of situation was extremely common. Although the people of the 27 Mortal Secret Realms had humble beginnings, their numbers were incalculable. In the passing of countless years, many geniuses had originated from within. It was even rumored that in the First Mountain, the Shangqing Mountain Range, where Primordial Lords submerged themselves in cultivation, there were several who originated from the Mortal Secret Realms. Hence, there were descendents and relatives of these disciples with powerful cultivations scattered throughout the 27 Mortal Secret Realms, possessing their bloodlines and meridians. Although a portion of them may have already made it out of the Secret Realms, the various bloodlines continued to propagate and flow on. As a result, there were still many relatives and descendents of disciples of the Shangqing Sacred Sect existing within the Mortal Secret Realms. Aside from being responsible for matters related to recruiting disciples from the Mortal Secret Realm, one hidden role of the Secret Realms office of Affairs Hall was to go into the Secret Realms on behalf of those who requested it and pass on information to those within. It was quite clear that the reason Wei Yuanwei was bringing Xu Disheng and another intermediary disciple into the Chu Territory and An Territory wasn¡¯t to recruit disciples, but to carry out matters for the people in the background who requested it. At night, the Green Lotus Domain looked almost the same as it did during the day. Floating above the waters of Lotus Lake were a myriad of brilliant lights suspended in the air, which made for a beautiful scene that illuminated the entire domain. The number of disciples standing around watching the tournament had already decreased drastically. The several hundred brilliant white circles of light had also been removed. The disciples of the various Mountain Peaks had already returned to their respective Peaks, leaving only a little over ten thousand disciples still in the domain spectating. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 124 Chapter 124 ¨C First Battle In fact, there wasn¡¯t a whole lot of suspense surrounding the last round of the tournament. The only big suspense lay in the fight between Bai Zhaoyun and Ke Yue over who would be third and fourth place. There were still many disciples who wagered spirit stones and even entire storage pouches at the betting stalls, hoping to become rich overnight. The match that attracted the most bets was the fight between Bai Zhaoyun and Ke Yue over third place. Following closely behind that was the fight between Xu Disheng and Yan Cheng, over who would be last in 10th place. Li Cangyun, Guan Lu, and Kou Zun had long been famous as Sea of Qi stage geniuses, and were second only to the peak circle of geniuses at the very top. These three geniuses weren¡¯t an easy match for Xu Disheng and Yan Cheng, who had recently risen to their positions. Zhao Yueban had once been of the same caliber as Li Cangyun and the other two geniuses, but after he had been killed by Xu Disheng¡¯s Ghost Devourer in the Mirage Sea Realm, a spot had opened up in the top 10. At sundown, Tao Yuanbai flew up in a streak of profound light, arriving on the chariots atop the giant turtle. After presenting himself before the Spirit Masters and receiving their instructions, he moved to stand on the shoulder of the giant turtle. When he spoke, his voice resonated throughout the entirety of the Green Lotus Domain. ¡°According to the rules of the final round of the Sea of Qi division of the Mingxin Mountain Internal Disciple Tournament, the contestants must voluntarily choose and challenge an opponent, starting from the contestant who received 10th place in the Mirage Sea Realm based on the number of points. The loser will be eliminated until only the top 5 remain.¡± ¡°What? Why are the rules different from how they were in the past?¡± ¡°With these rules, wouldn¡¯t the half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses encounter each other sooner¡­?¡± ¡°My spirit stones!¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s now being done by points, doesn¡¯t that mean that 10th place Guan Lu and 9th place Yan Cheng will be fighting each other?¡± The expressions of the innumerable disciples in the domain changed greatly upon hearing the rules, despite the fact that the rules weren¡¯t exactly the same each time. With this new set of rules that involved selecting opponents based on points, it was possible for the disciples with the least points to choose the disciples with the least strength and enter the top 5 while avoiding the half-step Dao Foundation stage disciples altogether! The ten arenas that were once set up in the center of the domain had been removed, and now a single massive arena took their place, drawing the gazes of all the onlookers. Many disciples who had already returned to their respective Mountain Peaks started rushing over to the Green Lotus Domain after hearing that there were changes to the rules. Many jade slips were sent out, and shortly after, countless streaks of light belonging to all kinds of different flying-type Spirit Tools flashed through the sky as more and more disciples began to arrive in the Green Lotus Domain. Some disciples had glittering eyes as they pulled out even more spirit stones, seeming to already have betting targets in mind. The massive screen of light above the Green Lotus Domain had only 10 names remaining on it. Since the rules were based on the number of points, that put Xu Disheng at 4th place on the ranking. 1st place, Yu Yangyao. 2nd place, Jian Liangbi 3rd place, Bai Zhaoyun. 4th place, Xu Disheng. 5th place, Ke Yue. 6th place, He Junyu. 7th place, Li Cangyun. However, this ranking wasn¡¯t reflective of their true strength. There was a factor of luck in it, with many other elements at play. ¡°Guan Lu, you may step up to the arena and choose an opponent,¡± Tao Yuanbai announced. Guan Lu stepped on his flying sword and flew onto the massive arena in the very center of the domain. He looked up at the ranking and gazed contemplatively at Yan Cheng and Xu Disheng¡¯s names. ¡°Choose Xu Disheng! He¡¯s only at the early Sea of Qi stage. If you choose him, I¡¯ll go all in!¡± a disciple bellowed, his eyes bloodshot. He had very evidently lost quite a few spirit stones already, but now he seemed to be ready to stake everything on a single wager. ¡°Idiot! Zhao Yueban and Guan Lu are similar in terms of strength. Xu Disheng will just send him to his death just like he did Zhao Yueban! Why in the world do you think Guan Lu would be able to take an easy win over Xu Disheng?!¡± another disciple nearby sneered disdainfully. ¡°Among the 10 geniuses, Xu Disheng and Yan Cheng are obviously the weakest, since they recently joined the ranks of geniuses. If Guan Lu chooses one of those two, he¡¯ll easily be able to win and enter the top 5.¡± Guan Lu cupped his fists and said, ¡°Peak Master Tao, I will choose Yan Cheng as my opponent.¡± The level of strength that Xu Disheng and Yan Cheng had put out in the open was fairly similar at this point. Both of them had several Magic Treasures on them. Given the fact that Xu Disheng had killed Zhao Yueban and Zuo Yanran, Guan Lu decided to go with the safer option and choose Yan Cheng, who now seemed weaker in comparison. A forced smile appeared on Yan Cheng¡¯s face as he flew up onto the arena in a streak of light. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Guan, it¡¯s a pleasure to exchange pointers with you.¡± Guan Lu nodded and looked towards Tao Yuanbai on a chariot atop the giant turtle. ¡°Start,¡± Tao Yuanbai declared. The moment his voice reached their ears, Guan Lu immediately attacked, flinging out a long whip. A purple streak of profound light nearly a hundred meters long swept horizontally across the stage, thrashing ruthlessly towards Yan Cheng. ¡°Spirit Suppressing Tome!¡± Yan Cheng said unflinchingly, and an ancient book appeared above his head. The pages flipped wildly, and with every turning page, a Dao Foundation stage spiritual beast charged out of the tome! Two of the spiritual beasts collided with that relentless purple profound light, destroying it completely. The bodies of the spiritual bodies also faded into motes of light, returning to the ancient tome. The remaining eight Dao Foundation stage spiritual beasts let out a cacophony of howls and roars and charged at Guan Lu! Yan Cheng¡¯s hand seals shifted, and an imperial seal Magic Treasure appeared. It swelled in size until it was the size of a hill and smashed down towards Guan Lu with a resounding explosion! This Moon Obscuring Seal was a top-grade Magic Treasure. It was well over a hundred times better than Xu Disheng¡¯s Severing Spirit Seal. Faced with the rumbling sound that accompanied the descent of the seal, Guan Lu¡¯s complexion changed several shades. Guan Lu didn¡¯t care that much about those eight spiritual beasts, since they were just incomplete spiritual bodies. They were far from being as powerful as a genuine Dao Foundation stage cultivator. When the purple profound light sweeping the arena dissipated earlier, a purple whip appeared in Guan Lu¡¯s hand. It was the top-grade offensive-type Magic Treasure, the Qingyang Whip! Guan Lu showed no signs of putting up any defenses of any kind. Instead, he recited a mantra, intending to use a spell from the Qingyang Whip! In the moment that the eight spiritual beasts howled and approached, the Moon Obscuring Seal, which was now the size of a small mountain, was already right above Guan Lu¡¯s head, about to crush him into the ground! Many of the disciples who had placed their bets on Guan Lu bellowed in outrage. ¡°What is Senior Martial Brother Guan doing?! He¡¯s being suppressed by a newly risen genius!¡± ¡°What the hell do you know?! Senior Martial Brother Guan¡¯s cultivation base is deep and profound. Watch, in the next moment, he¡¯s going to turn it around on Yan Cheng and defeat him.¡± Some of the smarter disciples had already seen through the fact that Yan Cheng was lacking in momentum, and knew that Guan Lu¡¯s performance so far was actually an extremely skillful display. As if to substantiate those words, Guan Lu¡¯s eyes suddenly shone with a radiant glow as he muttered, ¡°Qingyang, Yin Wind.¡± The Qingyang Whip in his hand transformed into a pure, brilliant orb of purple radiance, and quickly grew in size until it was several times larger than before. Before long, it had transformed into a howling tornado. Those eight incomplete Dao Foundation stage spiritual beasts were caught up in the squall of the purple tornado. Shortly after, they disappeared, transforming into countless motes of faded light before returning defeated to the Spirit Suppressing Tome above Yan Cheng¡¯s head. The Moon Obscuring Seal was extremely powerful. It continued to crash downwards with an unrelenting momentum, and was already on the verge of pressing down upon the purple tornado and extinguishing it. But at that moment, a longsword Magic Treasure appeared in Guan Lu¡¯s hand. He casually threw it out, and the longsword morphed into an orb of resplendent profound light, colliding fiercely with the Moon Obscuring Seal! Boom! If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 125 Chapter 125 ¨C Fighting Kou Zun! An ear-splitting screech rang out as the longsword Magic Treasure collided with the Moon Obscuring Seal. With a glaring burst of light, both Magic Treasures were sent flying, returning back to the hands of their respective users. However, within those few breaths of time, the purple tornado was already right upon Yan Cheng. Yan Cheng closed his eyes, and his body suddenly turned illusory. The purple tornado charged right through his body, and the berserk, cyclonic winds screamed out as they smashed into the protective barrier surrounding the arena. The impact caused the entire barrier to ripple and shake intensely. ¡°What cultivation method is that?!¡± a disciple cried out in shock. ¡°It should be the cultivation method that comes with the Moon Obscuring Seal, known as the Moon Obscuring Illusory Transformation. It allows the user to use the radiance of the three moons to temporarily protect one¡¯s body from harm. But by the looks of it, this move will be difficult to use a second time,¡± a disciple who was rather well-informed about the top-grade Magic Treasures of Mingxin Mountain said calmly, gazing up at the three moons sitting high in the sky. Although Yan Cheng managed to avoid the Qingyang Yin Wind with his Moon Obscuring Illusory Transformation, his complexion looked rather pale. He didn¡¯t have any defensive-type top-grade Magic Treasures. An ordinary defensive-type Magic Treasure wouldn¡¯t be enough to block the attacks of the Qingyang Whip. Although the Moon Obscuring Seal was a top-grade treasure, and an offensive-type one at that, it had already been blocked once by Guan Lu¡¯s longsword-type Magic Treasure. Even if Yan Cheng tried to use it again, the end result would still be futile. Seeing Guan Lu about to use the Qingyang Yin Wind again, a bitter smile rose to Yan Cheng¡¯s lips. ¡°I admit defeat,¡± he declared. Guan Lu put the Qingyang Whip away with a wave of his hand, his expression unchanging. He nodded once to Yan Cheng, then stepped on his flying sword and left the arena. ¡°Guan Lu enters the top 5,¡± Tao Yuanbai announced. ¡°8th place, Kou Zun, please select your opponent.¡± Kou Zun entered the arena and looked up at the ranking list on the massive screen of light. ¡°I will choose Xu Disheng,¡± he said eventually. ¡°I bet 200 spirit stones on Kou Zun!¡± a disciple shouted excitedly, hurriedly placing the spirit stones on the betting table. ¡°30 spirit stones on Kou Zun!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bet 120 spirit stones on Kou Zun!¡± Within moments, the ten or so disciples who were hosting betting tables had stacks of spirit stones shoved in their faces, the majority of which were betting on Kou Zun. Kou Zun¡¯s choice wasn¡¯t outside of anyone¡¯s expectations. Li Cangyun and him were of similar strength, and the other five geniuses had Psychic Magic Treasures. That left the relatively weaker-looking Xu Disheng as his obvious, straightforward choice. The phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram appeared below Xu Disheng¡¯s feet. He was just about to fly onto the arena when he heard a clear, sonorous voice in his ears. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, I bet 5,000 spirit stones on you this time, you know.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s figure paused momentarily. He replied indifferently without even turning around, ¡°Help me place a bet of 5,000 spirit stones on myself then. If I lose, I¡¯ll give you the Smoky Cloud Screen.¡± He willed the Yin Yang Diagram forward and flew onto the arena. He Junyu shook his head with a wry smile. He walked up to the betting table once more and took out an interspatial ring. ¡°1:4 odds, huh? I¡¯ll bet another 5,000 spirit stones.¡± Tao Yuanbai glanced at Xu Disheng. Thinking back, the only thing somewhat remarkable about him was that ghost Dao secret technique he used to kill Zhao Yueban. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if Xu Disheng would use it again in this fight against Kou Zun. He nodded his head and said, ¡°You may start.¡± Kou Zun gazed at Xu Disheng. The two of them had seen each other in the Mirage Sea Realm, in the center of Lightning Cloud Stone Island, but they had never really talked. ¡°As a newly risen genius, you should act within your own limits, Junior Martial Brother Xu. Even though you managed to get lucky and kill Zhao Yueban, your troubles with Ghost Controlling Peak probably haven¡¯t been completely resolved yet, so it would be better for you to just admit defeat here. I can at least do you that much of a favor.¡± His tone was aloof and arrogant, and he clearly didn¡¯t really view Xu Disheng with any regard. Even though he spoke of doing him a ¡®favor¡¯, it sounded almost like he was bringing himself to perform an act of charity for him. The gilded trim on the black material of the Soul Suppressing Vestment began to glow with a faint golden light, and Xu Disheng¡¯s black hair, tied up in a jade band, began to flutter in the wind. Motes of golden light began to appear around the vestment, blinking in and out of existence around his body. As the true nature of the Soul Suppressing Vestment manifested, Xu Disheng¡¯s expression changed, seeming to become even more apathetic. He looked up to the sky and asked Tao Yuanbai, ¡°Peak Master Tao, in the final round, is it permitted to fatally wound the opponent?¡± Tao Yuanbai¡¯s brows furrowed, and he looked back at the Spirit Masters behind him, but they were all meditating. None of them seemed to be paying any attention to the scene going on below. Eventually, he responded, ¡°This¡­ If someone admits defeat, the other party must immediately put a stop to their attacks.¡± These words were quite ambiguous. But Xu Disheng understood his meaning. If someone didn¡¯t admit defeat in time and were killed, the sect wouldn¡¯t find trouble with the person who killed them. However, it was just like the matter with Ghost Controlling Peak. Within the sect, no one would cause trouble for him, but as soon as he went outside of the sect, he had to be very careful. To Kou Zun, this treatment was like receiving an insult of the highest order. Seeing Xu Disheng blatantly ignore him, Kou Zun¡¯s normally calm temperament kindled into a fiery rage. In fact, his anger towards Xu Disheng¡¯s disregard of him wasn¡¯t unfounded. After all, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t have any powerful backer or master. The only affiliation he had was Celestial Tide Spirit Master. However, Kou Zun¡¯s backer, Pure Ocean Spirit Master, wasn¡¯t inferior to Celestial Tide Spirit Master in any way. Moreover, the importance their respective Spirit Masters attached to each of them were completely different. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you, but I¡¯ll make sure to beat you to a pulp and cripple your cultivation,¡± Kou Zun said coldly. A small, intricate array diagram appeared in his hand, and several top-grade longsword Magic Treasures began to revolve threateningly around him. A strong aura of slaughter was practically oozing from the array. ¡°It¡¯s the Demon Punishing Array Diagram!¡± ¡°My goodness, Senior Martial Brother Kou already took out the Demon Punishing Array Diagram. He must really be angry.¡± ¡°Xu Disheng is far too young and naive. He actually provoked Senior Martial Brother Kou to this degree. He already took out the Demon Punishing Array Diagram, so why isn¡¯t Xu Disheng admitting defeat yet?¡± Many disciples¡¯ eyes turned red with greed as they slammed spirit stones down on the betting desks. ¡°I bet on Kou Zun!¡± ¡°All-in on Kou Zun!¡± The ten or so disciples hosting the betting booths immediately closed off their tables and repeatedly called out, ¡°We¡¯re no longer accepting bets!¡± The Demon Punishing Array Diagram was refined by a peak Primordial Spirit stage Primordial Lord, based on a certain picture scroll. It was said that there was an array diagram on this picture scroll, which had four swords portrayed on it. Each sword was powerful enough to shake the heavens and rend the earth! The Demon Punishing Array Diagram was a treasure refined with the utmost care of this Primordial Lord, and it was originally supposed to be a Psychic Magic Treasure. But at the final critical juncture, the spiritual incantation fell short by a syllable, so it ended up as only a top-grade Magic Treasure. Even He Junyu, who was standing below the arena, had a grave expression as he spectated the scene taking place. If he were the one up there in the arena, even someone of his caliber would face a swift defeat if he didn¡¯t promptly take out the Thunderflame Pagoda! Xu Disheng examined the array diagram. At that moment, a thumping sound resounded in his mind, and he seemed to recall something from his memories. As it turned out, he seemed to have seen a similar array diagram before in the past. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 126 Chapter 126 ¨C Ripple Xu Disheng had no time to ponder deeply. The array diagram had already enveloped the area and his vision blurred. When everything returned to normal, he found that his surroundings had transformed into a boundless ocean. Beneath his feet, the Yin Yang Diagram was resting on the surface of the calm waters. Back in the arena, Xu Disheng had vanished from his position without a trace. All that remained was the Demon Punishing Array Diagram, which enveloped the entire arena, and Kou Zun standing by its side. ¡°Where did he go?¡± ¡°What are we even here to look at?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see anything!¡± Many disciples started to complain loudly. After so many people placed bets on this match, the mood and the atmosphere had reached a peak. By this point, the surging group mentality bolstered them, making them dare to loudly voice their discontent in the presence of the Spirit Masters. But there were so many people protesting, and their complaints were well founded, so the Spirit Masters couldn¡¯t punish their behavior. Tao Yuanbai looked down at the disciples below. Some of their eyes were bloodshot, greatly agitated since they bet a large amount of spirit stones on this match. He turned around to face Tranquil Cypress Spirit Master, who was on the lowest chariot, and cupped his hands in salute, quietly reporting several lines to her. (TL: Tranquil White Spirit Master ¡ú Tranquil Cypress Spirit Master. She is a relatively recently ascended Divine Core stage Spirit Master, last mentioned in Chapter 91.) A cloth shawl appeared in Tranquil Cypress Spirit Master¡¯s hands. When she waved it, a screen of light appeared above the giant arena, showing Xu Disheng¡¯s figure atop the boundless ocean. ¡°This is the inside of the Demon Punishing Array!¡± ¡°The space inside is actually comparable to a Psychic Magic Treasure!¡± ¡°It was originally supposed to be a Psychic Magic Treasure, but there was a mistake at the end of the refining process.¡± ¡­ ¡­ As Xu Disheng stood there atop the ocean, he noticed several dangerous intents lock onto him from the void. Kou Zun pointed at him and one of the sword lights in the array diagram shot towards Xu Disheng with a brilliant streak of red. But at this moment, Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t in a hurry. In the horizon above Xu Disheng¡¯s head, the blazing red sword light whistled through the air and slashed against Xu Disheng¡¯s body. Clang! The Smoky Cloud Screen appeared around his body and blocked the sword light. The barrier shook from the powerful impact. ¡°Zhao Yueban¡¯s Smoky Cloud Screen?¡± Kou Zun commented dryly. He willed power into the array, and the four longsword Magic Treasures started to simultaneously shoot out sword lights, streaking towards Xu Disheng in a variety of four different colored lights. Brilliant red sword light, imbued with killing intent. Blazing white sword light, clad with destruction intent. Pale sword light, pressing down with an oppressive intent. The final color was a dark green sword light, filled with corrosive intent. The four colored sword lights whizzed towards him from afar, hacking upon the Smoky Cloud Screen at the same time. Bang! Deafening booms echoed out, causing countless pillars of water to shoot up from the water. The sonic waves from the impact blasted outwards in all directions, causing the surface of the ocean to churn and roil. Xu Disheng swallowed a Qi Boosting Pill and continued to pour everything into the Smoky Cloud Screen. The Smoky Cloud Screen consumed profound qi at a rapid pace. He was only at the early Sea of Qi stage and he had to endure the barrage of multiple sword lights, so he needed to replenish his profound qi immediately. However¡­ Kou Zun also began to pour profound qi into his Demon Punishing Array Diagram, and several times more sword lights than before started to hammer down on Xu Disheng, leaving him no time to breathe. ¡°By the looks of it, Xu Disheng will have no problem fending off Senior Martial Brother Kou¡¯s sword lights,¡± an early Sea of Qi stage disciple who was rather inexperienced commented dubiously. ¡°What do you know? Senior Martial Brother Kou is hardly even using 10 or 20% of the might of the Demon Punishing Array Diagram. Like you said, those are just sword lights. The actual longsword Magic Treasures haven¡¯t even moved once, you know?¡± a more experienced and knowledgeable Sea of Qi stage disciple sneered. Sure enough, in the arena, the four longswords were still floating at four different corners of the Demon Punishing Array Diagram. They hadn¡¯t moved yet and were just repeatedly firing off sword lights, and even then Xu Disheng looked like he was just barely managing to fend them off. The sword lights faded away. All that remained of the barrier from the Smoky Cloud Screen was just a thin veil. From somewhere above the surface of the ocean, Kou Zun¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Do you still think you can kill me now, Junior Martial Brother Xu? I only revealed a bit of my power so far, and you¡¯re already having trouble keeping up?¡± As soon as he finished speaking, one of the four swords, the blazing white Demon Punishing Sword, moved! The top-grade Magic Treasure known as the Demon Punishing Sword was shrouded in an aura of destruction. It was also receiving a strengthening effect from the Demon Punishing Array Diagram. It shot out in an electrifying flash of white, arcing towards Xu Disheng in an instant! Pfff! The blazing white sword light streaked down from the heavens, ruthlessly penetrating into the depths of the ocean. A massive wave 300 meters tall rose up from the impact, reaching towards the skies! The Smoky Cloud Screen around Xu Disheng was shattered in one go, and there was a bloody, gaping hole in his left leg where the Demon Punishing Sword had pierced right through. An aura of destruction lingered around the edges of the wound, stopping his flesh from regenerating and even slowly widening the gaping hole in his leg. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Kou¡¯s Demon Punishing Array Diagram is simply peerless in strength. It¡¯s already comparable to a Psychic Magic Treasure.¡± Some of the disciples looked envious as they watched the mighty display of the Demon Punishing Swords. ¡°If he had a Psychic Magic Treasure, he wouldn¡¯t have even been taken into the array diagram in the first place. If Senior Martial Brother Kou couldn¡¯t take him into the array, the might of the Demon Punishing Array Diagram would be far less.¡± Some of the other disciples commented, giving a fair evaluation of the situation. Kou Zun¡¯s other three swords also shot out. His voice echoed from on high, resounding in Xu Disheng¡¯s ears. ¡°Xu Disheng, this is already me holding back. If you admit defeat now, you¡¯ll only have lost a leg.¡± Kou Zun didn¡¯t insist on killing him. Even though he had Pure Ocean Spirit Master as his backer, Xu Disheng also had Celestial Tide Spirit Master behind him. Both Spirit Masters had authority in the Mountain Range, and were of similar ranking, so he had to at least give some face where it was due. When Xu Disheng entered the arena, he already knew that if it came down to a fight comparing Magic Treasures, he definitely wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. But despite that, he still wasn¡¯t admitting defeat. Just where was his confidence coming from? Doubt began to rise in the hearts of the countless spectating disciples. Some of the disciples with more discerning eyes could see that if the four Demon Punishing Swords attacked all at once, Xu Disheng would undoubtedly perish. Even if the Smoky Cloud Screen was completely intact again, it still might not be able to block the full power of a simultaneous attack by the four Demon Punishing Swords. So why was he still not admitting defeat? Did he really want to die today? Xu Disheng¡¯s left leg was already useless, forcing him to one knee atop the Yin Yang Diagram. As he sensed the four peerless sword intents in the sky, great waves began to ripple in his heart. He finally remembered the name of the array diagram from his memories. He had once heard Little Sky speak to him of the beings known as Immortals. And the name of that heaven-shaking, earth-shattering array diagram from his memories was none other than¡­ the Immortal Punishing Sword Formation! Xu Disheng channeled Soul Force into his left leg, temporarily numbing it so he could ignore the excruciating pain. His hands flashed through a series of hand seals and an Evil Spirit skull came out from his sea of consciousness and appeared above his head. It was the fifth scripture of Soul Song, the Extinguishing Soul Mantra! Originally, even if he used the Extinguishing Soul Mantra in this ocean domain, he wouldn¡¯t have any way of precisely locating Kou Zun¡¯s position. But with the memories he recalled, he became aware of a small imperfection in the array diagram. This was his chance. The Evil Spirit skull transformed into a single mote of black light and dropped into the surface of the ocean, submerging into the depths of the seemingly limitless ocean. Back on the chariots atop the giant turtle, Killing Heart Spirit Master Yu Xingchao said, ¡°This secret ghost Dao technique is incredibly powerful. Last time, Xu Disheng used this secret technique to kill Zhao Yueban. It can directly pass through the defenses of top-grade Magic Treasures. Perhaps only a Psychic Magic Treasure could block it somewhat.¡± From a lower seat chariot, Tranquil Cypress Spirit Master responded, ¡°But even if he uses this secret technique, how is he going to defend himself if Kou Zun sends down all four of his Demon Punishing Swords?¡± Yu Xingchao shook his head, as if he was already seeing the image of Xu Disheng being sliced to bits in the next moment by the four sword lights. Unless the disciples fighting were unrivaled geniuses with Rank 4 Spiritual Roots, the Spirit Masters would pretty much never interfere in a fight between disciples. At most, if someone admitted defeat and the other party was still attacking, they would step in to save their life. But at this moment, Xu Disheng still hadn¡¯t admitted defeat. Even if Celestial Tide Spirit Master wanted to, he had no grounds to intervene whatsoever. Tranquil Cypress Spirit Master cast a doubtful glance over at Celestial Tide Spirit Master, whose eyes were still closed as ever, deep in meditation. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 127 Chapter 127 ¨C Rules Between Spirit Masters ¡°How stubborn. Xu Disheng is finished.¡± ¡°He¡¯s still not admitting defeat? Senior Martial Brother Kou is about to attack at full force!¡± ¡°Looks like your 10,000 spirit stones are going to be going down the drain, Senior Martial Brother He,¡± Li Cangyun said, standing next to He Junyu. He Junyu glanced at him expressionlessly. Even though he always looked favorably upon Xu Disheng, even he couldn¡¯t imagine how Xu Disheng could break through this situation aside from admitting defeat. Unless he could pull out a Psychic Magic Treasure of some sort. Xu Disheng got back to his feet, using his profound qi to support his leg. ¡°Then Kou Zun, let me hand those words back to you. I won¡¯t kill you. I¡¯ll let you live, but I will cripple your cultivation.¡± ¡°Has he gone mad?¡± several disciples cried out in bewilderment. ¡°He actually dares to provoke Senior Martial Brother Kou at this point? Does he really wants to die?!¡± There were some disciples who looked sorry for Xu Disheng, while others looked regretfully upon him, saddened by the imminent downfall of a newly risen genius. Kou Zun¡¯s expression gradually turned unsightly. He no longer held himself back and surged all of his might into the Demon Punishing Array Diagram. Four dazzlingly bright sword lights of varying colors swept across the arena, drawing a line from the sky to the earth as they sliced down towards Xu Disheng at breakneck speed! Some disciples couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore and closed their eyes. There were also disciples with ruthless, violent temperaments who opened their eyes even wider, hoping to capture the moment of Xu Disheng being torn to bits by the four sword lights. He Junyu shook his head and let out a sigh. Even the eyelids of Celestial Tide Spirit Master, sitting on high atop the giant turtle with his eyes closed in meditation, twitched slightly. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Junior Martial Brother Xu just admit defeat¡­?!¡± Bai Zhehua, Zhang Haobo, and several others lamented, repeatedly letting out sighs. Among the disciples, they were standing off in a fairly inconspicuous location and watching the events taking place in the distant arena through a screen of light. A profound yellow light flooded heaven and earth, illuminating it completely. Even Kou Zun, the master of the array diagram, couldn¡¯t see the scene taking place within the array diagram. ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± ¡°He died just like that?¡± ¡°Ai, why didn¡¯t he just admit defeat? I really don¡¯t get it. Even if he dies here, no one will remember him before long. What¡¯s the point?¡± ¡°Before Senior Martial Brother Kou took out the Demon Punishing Array Diagram, I actually bet 50 spirit stones on Xu Disheng just for kicks, hoping to get lucky. I didn¡¯t think the bet would fall through just like that.¡± Some of the disciples who were fond of gambling muttered complaints about the spirit stones they wagered. When the blinding radiance faded, Xu Disheng was standing there, completely unharmed. Those four merciless longswords emitted their distinctly colored sword lights as they hovered and revolved around Xu Disheng. However, they were very clearly being held off at a radius of 5 meters by the profound yellow radiance, unable to advance even an inch further. The gilded trim on Xu Disheng¡¯s Soul Suppressing Vestment had become even more distinct. An immeasurable golden light shone forth from the vestment, resonating with the profound yellow light surrounding his body. His jet black hair had already come loose. There was a small, exquisitely detailed pagoda revolving above his head, spilling forth an inexhaustible profound yellow radiance that protected his body. It was the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda! It was an Innate Xiantian Treasure used by Immortals in bygone eras of tribulations past! He had finally unearthed a single face of it. ¡°What Magic Treasure is that?!¡± ¡°Could that be a Psychic Magic Treasure?¡± The faces of countless disciples were colored with shock. They thought that Xu Disheng had already been chopped to ribbons by the sword lights, but at this moment, he was still standing tall in his original position. For the first time in this match, Kou Zun¡¯s expression turned serious. Tranquil Cypress Spirit Master¡¯s gaze shifted to the Demon Punishing Array Diagram above the arena. She watched as a black mote of light appeared beneath it, quickly transforming into a massive Evil Spirit skull that howled and screeched as it lunged towards Kou Zun. ¡°That¡¯s the secret ghost Dao technique that Xu Disheng used in the Mirage Sea Realm to kill Zhao Yueban!¡± Some of the well-informed disciples cried out. When Killing Heart Spirit Master summoned the screen of light in his hand to watch the scene of Xu Disheng killing Zhao Yueban, he hadn¡¯t gone out of his way to hide it from other people. At the time, quite a few disciples who were watching the tournament from high up in the sky had seen the screen. As a result, some of the more well-informed groups of people recognized the secret ghost Dao technique that Xu Disheng used. However, this move wasn¡¯t the same as the Swallowing Soul Mantra that he had used at the time. It was the fifth scripture of Soul Song, the Extinguishing Soul Mantra! Through the half-opened eyelids of the Evil Spirit skull, a crimson, blood colored light glowed, enveloping Kou Zun in its hue. Kou Zun¡¯s expression changed wildly. His entire left arm, which had inadvertently been shined upon by that beam of blood-colored light, was instantly turned into a dissipating black mist. He felt like a portion of his soul was torn away with it, weakening him drastically and causing his consciousness to halt for a moment! Unable to restrain himself any longer, an inexhaustible killing intent erupted in Kou Zun¡¯s eyes. ¡°I originally wanted to save this Magic Treasure to fight against the top 5. I never thought a primitive from the Secret Realms like you would be able to force me to pull this out now.¡± By this point, it was no secret that Xu Disheng came from the Mortal Secret Realms. A white vestment appeared on Kou Zun¡¯s body. At that moment, the penetrating blood crimson light from the Extinguishing Soul Mantra looked like it was being obstructed. As it continued to shine upon the white vestment, a loud hissing sound could be heard, but for the moment, it couldn¡¯t advance even an inch further. ¡°A Psychic Magic Treasure!¡± The sudden series of changes spanned only several breaths of time, so most of the disciples were only just starting to react. They began to talk excitedly, expressions colored with astonishment. The battle situation in the arena suddenly became complicated. Xu Disheng unexpectedly pulled out that small pagoda, which was suspected to be a Psychic Magic Treasure, while Kou Zun even more shockingly revealed his biggest trump card, the Departure from Hatred Vestment. In fact, Kou Zun also had a defensive-type top-grade Magic Treasure, but Xu Disheng¡¯s Extinguishing Soul Mantra made him feel threatened, causing him to make a rushed, but ultimately correct decision to use the Departure from Hatred Vestment. Profound yellow light shone down, surrounding Xu Disheng¡¯s body. He stored the Yin Yang Diagram and dropped into the ocean, immersing himself in the depths of the boundless waters. A short moment later, a loud explosion rang out from the Demon Punishing Array Diagram. It returned to its original size and form and flew back to Kou Zun, where it hovered near his person. When Xu Disheng appeared back in the arena, he was surrounded by innumerable rays of profound yellow light. As soon as Xu Disheng regained his bearings within the arena, he poured all of the remaining Soul Force in the black Soul Force flute into another Extinguishing Soul Mantra. An Evil Spirit skull appeared over the arena, its eyes open a fraction wider than before. The blood-colored beam coming from its eyes was now several times stronger. It enveloped Kou Zun, who was standing on the other side of the arena. The Departure from Hatred Vestment scattered forth white light as it went all-out in resisting the blood-colored light from the Extinguishing Soul Mantra. But Kou Zun already had a bad feeling. The Departure from Hatred Vestment was a Psychic Magic Treasure, but somehow it wasn¡¯t enough to completely block this strange blood-colored light! A few shafts of the blood-colored light from the Extinguishing Soul Mantra penetrated the defenses of the Psychic Magic Treasure. At the places where the small beams of light came into contact with Kou Zun¡¯s body, large chunks of flesh were instantly melted and turned into black smoke. He suddenly felt his mind become even more indistinct than before. Kou Zun gritted his teeth and screamed in his heart. ¡°What the hell is this cultivation method?! Even a Psychic Magic Treasure can¡¯t completely block it!¡± In the end, the three words it took to admit defeat never left his mouth. His own pride wouldn¡¯t let him say it. At that moment, a dignified voice swept the arena. ¡°Kou Zun admits defeat. Stay your hand.¡± Hearing the voice of Pure Ocean Spirit Master, Tao Yuanbai quickly spoke. ¡°Xu Disheng, stop. You win.¡± Xu Disheng put away the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda and waved his hand, causing the Evil Spirit skull to close its eyes, shrink back down, and fly back to his fingertip. Kou Zun¡¯s face was flashing between shades of green and pale white as he glared at Xu Disheng with eyes full of resentment. At this point, there were several tens of thousands of disciples crowded around the massive arena, but it was possible to hear a pin drop. As Xu Disheng stood there in the center of the stage, the focus of everyone¡¯s attention, his black hair fluttered loosely in the wind. Kou Zun¡¯s gaze suddenly turned when he became aware of the fact that Xu Disheng had put away that small pagoda. Some of the power of Kou Zun¡¯s soul was depleted, so his mind would never be as quick or rational as it once was. The shame and humiliation of defeat washed through his body and mind, rage coursing through him to the point of bursting. He suddenly brandished the Demon Punishing Array Diagram and sent out all four swords, unleashing countless sword lights upon Xu Disheng! Xu Disheng shook his head. He was just about to release the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda when he heard a young man¡¯s voice resonate through the entire Green Lotus Domain. ¡°HALT!¡± It was so loud that perhaps even the deaf could hear it. Invisible ripples reverberated out in all directions, and the expressions of many of the disciples turned unsightly, forcing them to use profound qi to temporarily cover their ears. An enormous palm appeared in the space above the arena. With a single light swipe, it smashed through the ever-reliable, steadfast barrier surrounding the arena, grabbed Kou Zun, the Demon Punishing Array Diagram, and all four Demon Punishing Swords in one go. At that moment, the owner of the palm seemed to pause. In the next instant, a cloak came drifting down from the air, and the voice spoke once more. ¡°Kou Zun has violated the rules. This top-grade Magic Treasure will serve to make amends.¡± Atop one of the chariots, Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s eyes opened. He extended his left hand and flashed a hand seal. An endless fog and mist coalesced in the domain and the enormous palm that was holding Kou Zun was frozen solid. Celestial Tide Spirit Master said indifferently, ¡°Pure Ocean, your disciple committed a flagrant violation of the rules. According to the law, the proper punishment should be death.¡± The owner of the enormous palm paused, but eventually refrained from responding. After a short moment, the Demon Punishing Array, which was being held in the palm¡¯s grasp, flew towards Celestial Tide Spirit Master. Celestial Tide Spirit Master released his technique, then put away the Demon Punishing Array Diagram. He closed his eyes once more, refusing to bring up the matter of sect rules any further. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 128 Chapter 128 ¨C Battle Amongst the Top 10, Strong Start But Weak Finish Xu Disheng put away the top-grade cloak Magic Treasure, then stepped on the Yin Yang Diagram and flew down from the arena under the fervent gazes of countless disciples. Back at the betting table where He Junyu had placed his bets, the expressions of the disciples who were hosting the gambling scheme turned pale. The tables in front of them were piled high with storage pouches and spirit stones. Xu Disheng landed next to He Junyu. Li Cangyun, who had been standing nearby, came forward with a smile. Quite a few of the other geniuses crowded around, each congratulating him in turn. He Junyu looked at Xu Disheng, his complexion somewhat complex. ¡°Everyone said that you came from the Mortal Secret Realms and had no foundation in the Sacred Sect. But I never would have thought that your cultivation base was this deep, not inferior to even me by the slightest bit.¡± ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll be able to keep the Smoky Cloud Screen this time,¡± Xu Disheng said with a light smile, not entertaining his topic. The geniuses crowded around He Junyu and Xu Disheng and escorted them towards the betting table where He Junyu placed his bets. ¡°Senior Martial Brother He wagered 10,000 spirit stones. With the 1:4 betting odds, that¡¯s 40,000 spirit stones,¡± Li Cangyun said first, pointing at the stakes piled up on the table. ¡°However, while you have quite a few spirit materials and spirit stones there, it doesn¡¯t seem to be sufficient to pay that amount.¡± The betting broker disciple lowered his head and said respectfully, ¡°Senior Martial Brother He, this disciple is willing to offer you all of the stakes on this table, but in return, this disciple sincerely hopes that Senior Martial Brother He doesn¡¯t press this lowly one any further.¡± The disciples who dared to host a gambling market like this had to have some level of background and status in the Mountain Range. But in front of the first descendent of Celestial Tide Spirit Master, He Wenshu, his background was sorely lacking. He Junyu swept a rough glance over the spirit materials piled on the betting table. Excluding the 10,000 spirit stones within the two interspatial rings that he had bet, there were over 20,000 spirit stones worth of things there. After a while, he said, ¡°Fine, you can go.¡± The betting broker disciple bowed his head deeply as if he had received a generous pardon and quickly ducked into the crowd. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, you can take everything else. I¡¯ll just take back the 10,000 spirit stones that I bet,¡± He Junyu said, taking back his two interspatial rings and gesturing at the remaining stakes on the table. ¡°What?!¡± The expressions of the nearby disciples were colored with a mix of envy and shock. As they looked at the massive pile of spirit stones and cultivation resources on the table, they couldn¡¯t stop their eyes from turning red with greed. ¡°Senior Martial Brother He, I wagered 50 spirit stones on Senior Martial Brother Xu at this betting table. Can I receive the stakes that I won from that bet?¡± a youth with a pretty face said, squeezing out from the crowd and cupping his hands respectfully. The betting broker disciple who had originally been manning the betting table had disappeared without a trace. If anyone wanted to touch anything on the table, they naturally had to go through He Junyu first. Lightly furrowing his brow, He Junyu replied indifferently, ¡°Do you have any proof of that?¡± The youth was only at the early Sea of Qi stage, but he wasn¡¯t nervous under the gazes of all the geniuses nearby. From this point alone, he could be said to have a bit of courage and insight. The youth took out a jade slip and activated it. A screen of light appeared above it, showing the scene when the youth placed his bet. ¡°Senior Martial Brother He, I have a recording jade slip as proof!¡± It was extremely common for disciples to record their bets, which would often serve as a receipt when it came time to settle accounts. Everyone¡¯s gazes settled on the screen of light and the scene taking place on it. In the picture, the pretty youth deliberated for a moment, then seemed to eventually make up his mind. He took out exactly 50 spirit stones from his storage pouch and said, ¡°I will bet all of this on Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± The disciples in the scene looked at him like he was an idiot. One of them addressed him with good intentions, saying, ¡°It looks like it wasn¡¯t easy for you to save up those spirit stones. Just bet on Kou Zun. Although you¡¯ll win less in return, at least you won¡¯t suffer a loss.¡± The youth shook his head. He placed down the 50 spirit stones on the table and repeated himself. ¡°I will bet all of this on Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± The betting broker disciple didn¡¯t care as much. He simply accepted the spirit stones and made a record of it, not sparing him so much as another glance. After that, the recording jade slip showed He Junyu walking up to the table and betting 5,000 spirit stones. But that was as far as the recording went, ending right there. He Junyu nodded and said, ¡°Alright, you can take 200 spirit stones then.¡± The youth made his way over to the small mountain of spirit stones and portioned out exactly 200. He then approached Xu Disheng, his face turning a bit red. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, I was watching from the sidelines back when you were fighting Jie Zizhuo, and it was then that I started to really admire you. I was wondering if you could perhaps leave me your message jade slip¡­?¡± Xu Disheng raised a brow and asked, ¡°Were those 50 spirit stones all that you had at the time? Why would you have so much faith in me, to the point that you would go all-in?¡± ¡°Can I¡­ n-not say?¡± the early Sea of Qi stage youth said, his face looking all the more embarrassed as he started to stutter slightly. Xu Disheng shook his head lightly, not looking at him any further. With a wave of his hand, he stored all that remained of the stakes on top of the betting table. The youth stood there with his head lowered, not stepping back into the crowd. He previously looked rather at a loss, but in an instant, his expression turned tranquil. A seal that depicted thunder and lightning flashed on his forehead, but quickly disappeared once more. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Li, it¡¯s about time for you to go up,¡± He Junyu said, patting Li Cangyun on the shoulder. ¡°It seems that you can only pick me though.¡± A bitter smile rose to Li Cangyun¡¯s face. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll just be going up for a quick stroll then, Senior Martial Brother He. I¡¯ll admit defeat and we can watch Bai Zhaoyun and Ke Yue fight in the next match.¡± He Junyu nodded, while the nearby geniuses simply sighed. With the slight change to the rules in the fight amongst the top 10, the order that the contestants went up to choose their opponents was now based on the number of points they had earned. The winner could directly enter the top 5. Although there were some flaws to these rules, they had been set by the Spirit Masters, so there was no room for argument. There would be two heaven-shattering matches between the four half-step Dao Foundation stage geniuses, but at the same time, that meant two of them would inevitably be eliminated from the top 5. Looking down at the arena from his position at the edge of the giant turtle, Tao Yuanbai declared, ¡°Li Cangyun.¡± Li Cangyun flew up onto the arena atop a streak of sword light and said, ¡°I will chose Senior Martial Brother He Junyu.¡± After the two of them were standing there in the arena, Li Cangyun didn¡¯t even wait for Tao Yuanbai to speak before cupping his hands in salute towards the chariots atop the giant turtle and saying, ¡°I admit defeat.¡± Tao Yuanbai¡¯s expression was a bit strange, but he didn¡¯t say anything as he gazed at Li Cangyun. He nodded, then called Ke Yue onto the arena. As expected, Ke Yue chose Bai Zhaoyun as his opponent. But what strayed from everyone¡¯s expectations was that Bai Zhaoyun immediately admitted defeat, voluntarily opting out of the fight for a place in the top 5. Seeing Li Cangyun and Bai Zhaoyun admit defeat one after the other, some disciples seemed to have thought of something, their expressions exposing a hint of revelation. Other disciples were puzzled, and couldn¡¯t understand what had transpired. ¡°Why did both of them admit defeat?¡± Some of the smarter disciples began to explain. ¡°The top 10 in the Mountain have already been set in stone, so there¡¯s no point in fighting each other any further. They want to conceal their strength in preparation for the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament one year from now.¡± He Junyu also nodded in agreement. Addressing the disciples surrounding him, he said, ¡°In a moment, Senior Martial Brother Jian will likely also admit defeat. If he and Senior Martial Brother Yu really go at it seriously, I reckon that everyone will be able to completely see through Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s top Sea of Qi stage powers.¡± Although a large majority of the spectating disciples were disciples of the Mingxin Mountain Range, a good number came from other Mountain Ranges. They had come here with the express purpose of recording the Magic Treasures, cultivation methods, spiritual pets, and other hidden trump cards that each genius had, which they could then bring back and study in detail. Xu Disheng¡¯s usage of what was presumably a Psychic Magic Treasure known as the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, as well as his extremely powerful but bizarre secret ghost Dao technique had both entered the list of things that the Sea of Qi stage disciples from other Mountain Ranges needed to watch out for. Thus, the battle among the top 10 for the top 5 spots ended up playing out in such a farcical manner. As a result, the top 5 were Yu Yangyao, Ke Yue, He Junyu, Xu Disheng, and Guan Lu. ¡°The grand finals among the top 5 Mingxin Mountain disciples of the Sea of Qi stage will henceforth commence. Based on your point rankings, the one at the lowest in terms of ranking will go up and make a challenge. The winner will then advance,¡± Tao Yuanbai announced, his voice ringing throughout the entirety of the Green Lotus Domain. Guan Lu flew up onto the massive arena, but he hesitated when he looked and found himself squaring off directly against Xu Disheng. Right before Tao Yuanbai was about to tell them to start the match, Guan Lu¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°I admit defeat,¡± he declared Normally, he was about on par with Kou Zun in terms of strength, and it was difficult to tell who was the stronger of the two. But after seeing Kou Zun make use of his hidden trump card, the Departure from Hatred Vestment, and still not be able to win, Guan Lu was forced to reconsider. He felt that he didn¡¯t have any way to defend himself against that bizarre blood-colored light of the Extinguishing Soul Mantra, so he didn¡¯t see the need to fight it out. There wasn¡¯t much difference between being 4th and 5th place anyway. ¡°Xu Disheng versus He Junyu.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t move, the person in front of him changing from Guan Lu to He Junyu as he went up to take his spot. ¡°I admit defeat,¡± Xu Disheng declared, cupping his hands in salute to the chariots high up in the sky. The Yin Yang Diagram appeared beneath his feet and he flew down from the arena. At this point, there wasn¡¯t a single person who didn¡¯t know that Xu Disheng was a disciple that was held in high regard by Celestial Tide Spirit Master, and had even received vigorous support from him. Him admitting defeat at this point wasn¡¯t outside of anyone¡¯s expectations. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 129 Chapter 129 ¨C Zhao Assumes Power Over the Peak TL: Sponsored chapter (1/1). Thank you! ¡°Minghan Bodhisattva¡¯s 300,000 year term defending the Shaoyang Realm has hereby expired, and will now be permitted to return to Sah¨¡ Heaven. For the next 300,000 years, the one billion Buddhist domains of the Shaoyang Realm will be entrusted to the care of the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡.¡± ¡°By Lord Buddha¡¯s dharmic decree, this Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡ will comply. On behalf of Lord Buddha, this one will bring enlightenment to the beings of the Shaoyang Realm.¡± The massive, radiant halo floating behind the head of a man wearing a white Buddhist robe grew ever brighter as he received the dharmic decree. Innumerable rays of golden light blossomed forth, transforming into an inexhaustible Xiantian dharmic energy which assimilated into the massive halo floating behind the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡¡¯s head. The countless beings in the Three Realms of the Golden Crow all felt something at that moment. The constant, ever-existent presence of the Minghan Bodhisattva was gone, replaced by that of the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡. After a short while, the golden dharmic decree disappeared. The resplendent glow of the aura surrounding the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡¡¯s body grew brighter. Every word and action of his produced mystical Sanskrit sounds, giving rise to a rare, delicate perfume with every gesture. The title of Shaoyang Bodhisattva had already been conferred upon his body. However, Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡ did not immediately head towards the Three Realms of the Golden Crow. Instead, he lightly flicked his sleeves, causing the twelve-petaled lotus platform by his side to dissipate. He said, ¡°This one is much obliged to Amit¨¡bha for issuing this decree. I will bring these venerable ones to the Shaoyang Realm with me.¡± Amit¨¡bha cupped his hands respectfully and bowed, sparing no further words. His body gradually faded away. As one of the arhats who served at Lord Buddha¡¯s side, Amit¨¡bha¡¯s cultivation was only at the Ariya rank, but many Bodhisattvas treated him with great respect. In the Nine Serenities Realm, near the Human Path of Reincarnation, a twelve-petaled lotus platform appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Golden rays of light moved and scattered as the lotus platform transformed into a humanoid figure that stood at the edge of the vortex of the Human Path. Its facial features were blurry and indistinct, but its aura was rife with an endless dignity. A young man in a profoundly black satin robe and a red and gold crown promptly appeared next to it. He looked at the golden figure and said, ¡°May I inquire which Bodhisattva from the Sah¨¡ Heaven you are?¡± The incarnation of Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡¡¯s lotus platform shook its head and said, ¡°Emperor Fengdu, I am just here to borrow the Human Path of Reincarnation once.¡± After a while, the incarnations of the several Grandmasters of the Nine Serenities Realm appeared nearby, watching the golden figure. At the fingertips of the incarnation of the lotus platform, a cyan mote of light appeared, the divine light within glowing dimly in a restrained, understated manner. There was an extremely dignified and ancient aura leaking out from within. After throwing the cyan-colored true soul into the black and white vortex of the Human Path, the incarnation of the lotus platform said, ¡°Thank you for this matter, Emperor Fengdu.¡± Golden rays of light moved and scattered once more as the humanoid figure returned to its form as a twelve-petaled lotus platform. Divine, mystical sounds echoed out, and it faded away without a trace. ¡°Lord Emperor, that person¡­ was way too overbearing!¡± the Grandmaster of Moonphase exclaimed to the man with the red and gold crown, his brows furrowing deeply. ¡°Lord Emperor, if I didn¡¯t see incorrectly, that was the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡, from the Shaoyang Realm of the Three Realms of the Golden Crow,¡± the Grandmaster of Rotation said, gazing into the massive vortex that was the Human Path of Reincarnation. ¡°Was the purpose of Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡¡¯s visit to our Nine Serenities Realm just to toss in a single true soul? Then which supreme being from the Sah¨¡ Heaven was reincarnated just now?¡± The man with the red and gold crown shook his head. ¡°The influence of our Nine Serenities Realm is weak. Among the Xiantian beings, only I, as the Emperor of Fengdu City, have a level of talent that can compare to the Bodhisattvas. The Bodhisattvas of the Great Sun Buddhist World all look down on us, and it is only rightfully so.¡± He also gazed into the all-encompassing black and white vortex as he continued, ¡°Praj?¨¡¡¯s incarnation was protected by his dharmic force, so if I tried to forcefully probe it, the results would not be favorable to say the least. It would fare well for us to give Praj?¨¡ face in this matter and not meddle in this any further.¡± ¡°Understood, Lord Emperor.¡± The incarnations of the various Grandmasters all dissipated one after the other until only the Grandmaster of Rotation remained. Before his figure disappeared as well, he looked down at the several tens of thousands of ghost soldiers and generals below. A black mote of light appeared in his hands, which he proceeded to toss out. The black mote of light grew countless times larger, scattering endless light and darkness between heaven and earth. All of the ghost soldiers and generals, regardless of the rank, had their memories of what happened just now completely erased. In Dawn Creek City, only Divine General Tianrui was immune to his own ancestor¡¯s magic, as someone who had the Grandmaster of Rotation¡¯s bloodline. He had seen the scene take place from far off in Dawn Creek City with his own eyes, and it remained firmly implanted in his memories. ¡­ ¡­ Back at Wenyuan Mountain, on Cangyun Peak¡­ ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao, the Realm Master of the Fa Territory heard that you assumed control of Cangyun Peak, and dispatched men to send you four taels of Snow Mountain Spiritual Tea in congratulations. The people from the Fa Territory are here, and have already disembarked from the Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat. They have been waiting for a long time in the hall already.¡± Zhao Xingchang nodded his head. He didn¡¯t even move, continuing to bask in the pleasure of the gentle back massage he was receiving. ¡°Let them in then,¡± he said with a snort. He was surrounded by several beauties, each of them with cultivations that made them different from mortals even without cosmetic products. Their sultry figures and beautiful visages seemed to brighten up the room just by existing. ¡°As you command, Senior Martial Brother Zhao,¡± Qin Gang said, his gaze unwavering as if he couldn¡¯t see the women. He cupped his hands and left the large hall. In the hall below, a black-clothed disciple said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao¡¯s prestige is truly broad and deep. Even these people in the Mortal Secret Realms have heard of Senior Martial Brother Zhao¡¯s reputation and glory.¡± Zhao Xingchang seemed to be extremely pleased by these words. He pulled over one of the Cleansed Meridians stage women and placed her on his lap. Reaching his hand into her pink chiffon dress, he began to fondle and grope her wantonly. A short moment later, that woman in the pink chiffon dress let out an erotic moan, her fair complexion blossoming a bright red. Her tender body seemed to melt into Zhao Xingchang¡¯s hands. Dew-kissed tears moistened the edge of her reddened eyes, drawing an adorable, pity-evoking figure. The disciples in the hall below turned a blind eye to this entire scene, acting as if they had neither seen nor heard anything. ¡°Respectful greetings to Martial Uncle Zhao. On behalf of our ancestor, I, Wei Xiong, congratulate Martial Uncle for assuming power over Cangyun Peak!¡± A voice rang out after two people entered the hall. It was Qin Gang, who had returned, bringing in the people from the Fa Territory. Wei Xiong¡¯s behavior was shrewd. He had called out assertively and respectfully from the afar, where it was difficult to even make out his figure. Zhao Xingchang nodded and replied, ¡°You may dispense with the formalities. Back when Senior Martial Brother Li was still here, I do have some recollection of Realm Master Wei of the Fa Territory. Although this Realm Master was at the Dao Foundation stage, he seemed to have the ability to make sound judgments, and was quite the discreet personage. Senior Martial Brother Li spoke highly of him on multiple occasions.¡± The Senior Martial Brother Li that he spoke of in a venerating tone was Li Daoming. Zhao Xingchang was the foremost henchman of Li Daoming, who had been in charge of Cangyun Peak. In the past, he was that white-robed disciple who had humiliated Chu Tianhe. One of the three elders of Affairs Hall, Elder Li was an almighty half-step Primordial Spirit stage powerhouse. He held a tremendous level of authority in his hands and possessed a truly unimaginable amount of power in the sect. As his direct nephew, Li Daoming ruled over Cangyun Peak. The position had just been a stepping stone to him, and now he had been selected to go to the main branch of Affairs Hall for an important position. That inevitably left the office managing Cangyun Peak vacant. It was an extremely important position that had the privilege of making first contact with the exceptional disciples of the 27 Mortal Secret Realms. Many ambitious people greatly coveted this position. However, with a simple jade slip, Li Daoming was able to directly pass this seat of power onto his lackey, Zhao Xingchang. Experiencing such a sudden rise to power, Zhao Xingchang was deeply grateful to Li Daoming. He wouldn¡¯t tolerate anyone speaking poorly of his ¡®Senior Martial Brother Li¡¯. Wei Xiong laughed agreeably and said, ¡°Not at all, not at all. We don¡¯t deserve Martial Uncle Li¡¯s praise. On behalf of my ancestor, I would like to extend our gratitude to Martial Uncle Li and Martial Uncle Zhao for your compliments.¡± He took out a storage pouch and pulled out a wooden box from within. Maintaining his etiquette, he walked up to Zhao Xingchang and said respectfully, ¡°My ancestor would like to convey his congratulations to Senior Martial Brother Zhao on assuming authority over Cangyun Peak. Our Fa Territory would like to offer 4 taels of Snow Mountain Spirit Tea to honor this occasion.¡± If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 130 Chapter 130 ¨C Every Matter Zhao Xingchang let go of the woman in his arms and took the wooden box. He sniffed it lightly and nodded his head as he spoke. ¡°Not bad. Realm Master Wei is quite considerate. Tell him that Senior Martial Brother Li and I accept his kind intentions.¡± Wei Xiong responded compliantly and bowed once more before withdrawing to one side. Several Cangming Peak affairs disciples seated in the hall below silently bore contempt for Zhao Xingchang. He even had to use Senior Martial Brother Li¡¯s name in order to accept a small gift. He seriously had no sense of shame whatsoever. Zhao Xingchang was actually extremely clever in doing this. No one would dare to criticize him over this matter and say that he should be passing these gifts along to Senior Martial Brother Li. But nonetheless, whether these things would actually reach his hands was a different matter. Zhao Xingchang smiled and said, ¡°But someone like Senior Martial Brother Li wouldn¡¯t be interested in something from the Mortal Secret Realms, so I suppose I will hold onto it for Senior Martial Brother Li for now.¡± Wei Xiong was a shrewd man, and pretended to not even hear these words. In deferential tone, he simply said, ¡°Now that I have offered up our congratulatory gift, I will be heading back to the Fa Territory now, Martial Uncle Zhao.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Zhang Xingchang said, his current display of indecency belying the means by which he was able to muddle his way to becoming the top henchman of Li Daoming. ¡°As a direct descendent of Realm Master Wei, you don¡¯t even have an interspatial ring? Wei Pingfan is a little too stingy, isn¡¯t he?¡± Zhang Xingchang was only at the peak Sea of Qi stage, but he currently held a huge amount of authority. His tone when speaking of the Dao Foundation stage Wei Pingfan was overly casual. Zhang Xingchang gave a slight gesture, and Qin Gang understood his intent. He came forward and took out an entirely brand new interspatial ring, which he gave to Wei Xiong. ¡°Wei Xiong, Senior Martial Brother Zhao wanted to grant this specially to you. Hurry up and thank him.¡± Wei Xiong¡¯s expression changed, filled with astonishment. Before he could stop himself, he reached out and took the interspatial ring. He kneeled on the ground and said respectfully, ¡°Thank you so much, Martial Uncle Zhao.¡± Zhao Xingchang waved his hand and said, ¡°You can go now.¡± Even after Wei Xiong got back on the Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat outside the hall, he still hadn¡¯t regained his composure. Because Wei Xiong was a clever-minded fellow and was quick with handling affairs, he had received Realm Master Wei Pingfan¡¯s favor. This was his first time coming to the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Cangming Peak on behalf of the Fa Territory. His actions immediately upon entering the hall had been the result of many prior practice attempts in private. He totally didn¡¯t expect to receive an interspatial ring so easily, which were considered extremely precious in the Fa Territory. The Fa Territory was simply too small. Those that had stayed there for a long time were like frogs in a well. As the Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat was about to enter the stormy vortex, Wei Xiong turned around and gazed off into the mist and clouds rolling among the hills of Wenyuan Mountain, his eyes filled with yearning. Zhao Xingchang was fiddling around with the box containing the Snow Mountain Spirit Tea when a jade slip came flying into the great hall of Cangming Peak. A disciple flagged it down and handed it to Qin Gang. Qin Gang looked through it, then stepped forward and reported, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao, Secret Realms Envoy Wei Yuanwei is bringing two intermediary disciples with him to the Chu Territory and the An Territory. They will be arriving at Cangming Peak momentarily.¡± Zhao Xingchang didn¡¯t comment on the news. He simply said, ¡°Recently, there¡¯ve been more and more people going to the Mortal Secret Realms. But I suppose this is a good thing for us. When it¡¯s not the active disciple recruitment period, my Cangming Peak can accept a commission fee from people who want to go into the Mortal Secret Realms and recruit disciples.¡± As he was speaking, a Dao Foundation stage youth appeared outside the great hall in a beam of light and walked directly into the hall. He was flanked closely by two Sea of Qi stage intermediary disciples. ¡°Envoy Wei of the Secret Realms office, what is your business?¡± Zhao Xingchang asked Wei Yuanwei, despite already being fully cognizant of his answer. Wei Yuanwei¡¯s expression and tone were cold and indifferent. ¡°Under the authority of a Wayfaring Token from the main branch of Affairs Hall, I am to enter the Chu Territory and An Territory to recruit disciples. Peak Director Zhao, please prepare the Realm-Crossing tokens for the Chu and An Territories so we may set sail for those realms.¡± In the end, Zhao Xingchang wasn¡¯t Li Daoming. As a Dao Foundation stage Secret Realms Envoy, Wei Yuanwei had no need to be excessively courteous towards Zhao Xingchang. ¡°Going to two Mortal Secret Realms? Qin Gang, how much was our Cangming Peak¡¯s fee again nowadays?¡± Zhao Xingchang asked in a posturing demeanor, inwardly somewhat unhappy upon seeing Wei Yuanwei¡¯s strictly businesslike manner. Catching the hints from Zhao Xingchang¡¯s behavior, Qin Gang stepped forward and said, ¡°Reporting to Peak Director Zhao and Envoy Wei; when it is not the active disciple recruitment period for the sect, Cangming Peak requires a fee of 130 spirit stones from the Secret Realm Envoy for every realm traveled to. Envoy Wei, if you would like to leave for the Chu Territory and An Territory, then according to the regulations of Cangming Peak, you must pay 260 spirit stones.¡± Wei Yuanwei took out a storage pouch and handed it to Qin Gang, his expression just as deadpan as before. When Qin Gang received the pouch and looked inside, his expression became complex. ¡°Envoy Wei, this¡­¡± There were only 200 spirit stones inside! It was Zhao Xingchang who had incited.Qin Gang into raising the price on the spur of the moment. According to the normal prices, traveling to a realm only cost 100 spirit stones each. ¡°Envoy Wei, what is the meaning of this?¡± Zhao Xingchang asked, his complexion changing slightly. ¡°Cangming Peak¡¯s regulations? Are those regulations larger than the rules of the sect?¡± Wei Yuanwei challenged with a cold snort. ¡°Peak Director Zhao, I am duly aware of the rule that going to each realm costs 100 spirit stones.¡± Zhao Xingchang shot Qin Gang a rebuking glare as if to blame Qin Gang for raising the price too steeply. This small of a sum of spirit stones didn¡¯t really mean much to Cangming Peak or a Dao Foundation stage disciple like Wei Yuanwei. Moreover, these 200 spirit stones that Wei Yuanwei had put in the storage pouch originally came from the funds of Affairs Hall. However, the problem lay in the face lost. The original price was 100 spirit stones, but them suddenly raising it by 30 spirit stones was no different from them completely making light of Wei Yuanwei¡¯s position as a Dao Foundation stage Secret Realms Envoy. They had forgotten that Li Daoming wasn¡¯t here, and not many people would buy Zhao Xingchang¡¯s act. Qin Gang knew that he had fumbled on this matter, which left both Zhao Xingchang and Wei Yuanwei in an awkward position. His expression turned unsightly, but he summoned up the courage to say, ¡°Envoy Wei, we will cut you a discount this time and instead request that you pay 210 spirit stones to Cangming Peak.¡± Only raising the price by 10 spirit stones left both sides a way to deescalate the situation. Wei Yuanwei¡¯s glacial expression eased up a little, but he still said, ¡°200 spirit stones. No more, no less.¡± Zhao Xingchang¡¯s expression similarly turned unsightly. Wei Yuanwei¡¯s attitude on this matter was giving Cangming Peak zero face whatsoever, and he was clearly disregarding Zhao Xingchang, who had only recently risen to his position. However, in all his unhappiness towards Wei Yuanwei¡¯s attitude, Zhao Xingchang forgot that by subtly hinting to Qin Gang to raise the price, he had been the first one to cause Wei Yuanwei to lose face. At this point, Zhao Xingchang felt convinced that all of this was Wei Yuanwei¡¯s fault. From this, it was clear just how selfish of a person Zhao Xingchang was. However, Wei Yuanwei had a Wayfaring Token from Affairs Hall, and had already handed over 200 spirit stones. He couldn¡¯t refuse to give the order to let them set sail. But most importantly, if he were to give in and compromise here, his face as the newly appointed Peak Director would be henceforth completely nonexistent. The other Dao Foundation stage Secret Realm Envoys would become even more inattentive of his honor. Seeing that Wei Yuanwei had already taken out the Wayfaring Token and was holding it in his hand, Zhao Xingchang clenched his teeth and prepared to give the order to let them set sail. The Wayfaring Token was a special kind of decree that Affairs Hall gave out to affairs disciples. Once it was handed out, no disciples were permitted to obstruct the affairs disciple from carrying out their tasks. ¡°You will pay 260 spirit stones as mentioned earlier. Not even one spirit stone can be short,¡± a flat voice resounded throughout the hall as an elegant man strode into the hall, escorted by a number of disciples. He shot Zhao Xingchang a glance and said, ¡°Zhao Xingchang, you call this ruling the Peak? If you keep this up, what will happen to the dignity of my Cangming Peak?¡± ¡°Senior Martial Brother Li!¡± The disciples in the hall hurriedly stood up and bowed in greeting. Another one of Li Daoming¡¯s henchmen, Yu Jia, who was slightly inferior in bootlicking ability, had lost to Zhao Xingchang back during the contention over who would rule Cangming Peak. Seeing the petty exchange going on between Zhao Xingchang and Wei Yuanwei, he secretly sent out an urgent jade slip that explained the happenings on this matter to Li Daoming. Although Li Daoming no longer held a position at Cangming Peak, the people here were pretty much all his former subordinates. After hearing that his former subordinates were supposedly being humiliated, he brought several disciples from Affairs Hall and hurried over. ¡°Deacon Li,¡± Wei Yuanwei cupped his hands in greeting, his expression no longer as cold and indifferent as before. Although Li Daoming was only at the peak Sea of Qi stage, he was now one of the Deacons of Spirit Origin Hall at the main branch of Affairs Hall, which could truly be considered an illustrious position. ¡°So you¡¯re here, Envoy Wei,¡± Li Daoming said. He had ruled over Cangming Peak for several years, so they were long since acquainted. ¡°Pay the spirit stones. From now on, Cangming Peak¡¯s regulations state that every trip to a realm costs 130 spirit stones.¡± Wei Yuanwei¡¯s expression wavered slightly. Even though Wei Yuanwei held someone like Zhao Xingchang in disdain, no one dared to disregard Li Daoming¡¯s words now that he himself was present. Wei Yuanwei handed over 60 spirit stones. With a light snort, he followed after Qin Gang, who had taken out the realm-crossing token earlier, and was now quickly leading the way out of the great hall. Xu Disheng and the other intermediary disciple followed after him. Li Daoming didn¡¯t spare any further attention to Wei Yuanwei and the other two disciples following him. When he turned to look at Zhao Xingchang, his tone grew cold as he said, ¡°Zhao Xingchang, you aren¡¯t suited to rule this Peak. I order you to immediately write a jade slip to Affairs Hall and resign from this position.¡± He looked over at Yu Jia, whose expression concealed a hint of expectation deep within. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°I will hand in a jade slip to the main branch of Affairs Hall and recommend Yu Jia as the one to assume rule over Cangming Peak.¡± Yu Jia¡¯s complexion became exultant. ¡°Thank you so much for the promotion, Senior Martial Brother Li!¡± he exclaimed loudly. Zhao Xingchang¡¯s face was ashen. He had hardly taken the throne over the peak for 2 days. His buttocks hadn¡¯t even finished warming the seat before he was removed from the position. He couldn¡¯t help being swallowed by regret. Why did he have to care so much about his own face, and why did he have to give Wei Yuanwei a hard time? Even now, he hadn¡¯t realized that in the first place, he never had any face to speak of, standing before a Dao Foundation stage Secret Realms Envoy like Wei Yuanwei. The only face he had actually came from Li Daoming. ¡°Me raising this matter with Wei Yuanwei was all to protect your honor, Senior Martial Brother Li,¡± Zhao Xingchang stepped forward and said with a tone full of wrongful grievance, demonstrating his instinctual bootlicking prowess. Gazing at Zhao Xingchang, Li Daoming said, ¡°Forget it. Just come with me to the main branch of Spirit Origin Hall and act as an intermediary disciple.¡± After all, Zhao Xingchang was someone who had followed him for years. Putting him down in a place where so many of his followers were present would only hurt their opinion of him. ¡°Thank you so much, Senior Martial Brother Li!¡± Zhao Xingchang said deferentially, his expression filled with joy. He was no longer ruler of the Peak, and the two statuses of the two positions were worlds apart. But as long as he could stay by his Senior Martial Brother Li¡¯s side, he would never be short of cultivation resources, spirit stones, or beautiful women. Zhao Xingchang felt it was a shame that he would have to let go of the beautiful ladies he just brought into Cangming Peak. He would simply have to concede those small advantages to that bastard Yu Jia. He looked over at the attractive women in the hall, silently filled with regret. Although these female disciples were all outer disciples, they had specific posts. They were affairs disciples of Cangming Peak, not concubines, so there was no way he could bring them with him. After Qin Gang activated a Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat and handed the realm-crossing token to Wei Yuanwei, he returned to the hall. ¡°Xu Disheng, Xing Xing. Each of you hand over 30 spirit stones,¡± Wei Yuanwei said flatly, boarding the wooden boat first. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t hesitate, taking out 30 spirit stones from his interspatial ring and placing them on a desk on the wooden boat. Xing Xing¡¯s complexion fell. ¡°Envoy Wei, I¡­¡± ¡°Hm? You came to the Secret Realms on behalf of your backer to carry out business, and you want me to pay the spirit stones for you?¡± Wei Yuanwei said, a cold light flickering in his eyes as he looked at Xing Xing. He was clearly unhappy about being one-upped by Li Daoming earlier. ¡°No, no, I wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± Xing Xing mumbled, very painfully and reluctantly taking out 30 spirit stones and placing them on the desk. Wei Yuanwei snorted coldly and put away the 60 spirit stones. Then, he grasped the realm-crossing token and activated it. A violent, stormy vortex appeared in the air above the great hall, growing larger and larger. Once the portal stabilized, the Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat rose up into the air and went through. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 131 Chapter 131 ¨C Seventh Son of the Jin Clan On a bed made from luxurious agarwood, a youth opened his eyes. He sniffed a few times, catching the fragrance wafting about the room as he sat up. ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re awake. Xiao Rou will help you get dressed,¡± a gentle voice chimed. A pretty maid hurried over, taking the silk robe from the wooden clothes rack and moving to help the youth get dressed. The youth lightly pushed Xiao Rou away, looking around at the cozy, gorgeously decorated room. ¡°Where is Yan¡¯er?¡± he asked, brows furrowing lightly. Xiao Rou politely retreated several steps and replied, ¡°Young Miss went to pay her respects to the Patriarch. She saw that you were sleeping, so she didn¡¯t wake you up.¡± Ye Zhaixing took the silk robe from her hands and began to dress himself while muttering his complaints. ¡°Yan¡¯er, really¡­ I just came back from Youyang City yesterday. Today, I was supposed to go pay respects to father-in-law too.¡± ¡°Young Miss only did this because she cares about you,¡± Xiao Rou said with a short peal of melodious laughter as she came forward to help Ye Zhaixing straighten the wrinkles in the sleeves of his silk robe. When she pushed open the doors of the pavilion, warm sunlight spilled down, filtering through the leaves of the tall trees out front. The rays of sunlight bathed the youth, highlighting the handsome features of his face. Ye Zhaixing squinted his eyes and exclaimed, ¡°There really is no place more comfortable than home. Those two years I spent at Youyang City¡¯s Dao Palace were awful.¡± Xiao Rou didn¡¯t dare to reply to that, simply closing the wooden doors and standing obediently off to the side. Ye Zhaixing casually gave Xiao Rou¡¯s pert buttocks a squeeze. Seeing her body squirm and her face flush a bright red, the corner of his lips curled into a smile. He took his hand away and straightened the hems of his sleeves, then left the pavilion. In the Nourishing Heart Hall in Zhenhai City¡­ Ever since Xu Xiao had taken over the position of Patriarch from Xu Chaoyang, Nourishing Heart Hall had become his personal pavilion as the new Patriarch. The matters related to the clan, no matter how big or small, were all handled within the walls of Nourishing Heart Hall. Xu Chaoyang was now the Regional Lord of the Ruyang Region, and had taken his hands off all internal clan affairs. ¡°Yan¡¯er, why did you come alone? Didn¡¯t Ye Zhaixing already come back yesterday?¡± Xu Xiao said. His handsome, now forty-year-old features had a hint of dignity to them. After managing the Xu Clan for several years, he was no longer the capricious young man he once was. ¡°Father, Zhaixing was cultivating hard at Youyang City for two years. He must be both physically and mentally exhausted. Please allow him a bit of rest this time,¡± Xu Yan said, affectionately grabbing her father¡¯s arm as she spoke in a coquettish tone like that of a spoiled child. ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Xu Xiao relented, looking helplessly at his precious daughter. ¡°But this time, Zhaixing¡¯s return coincides with a big undertaking of our Xu Clan. He has to take responsibility and participate.¡± After Xu Disheng left, the status of his one and only sister Xu Yan had risen astronomically thanks to Daoist Lord Qingxin and Zhang Keyu. Although Daoist Lord Qingxin didn¡¯t say all that much, the prince of the Xing family, Zhang Keyu, had been bestowing generous rewards to the Ruyang Region¡¯s Xu Clan. As such, they were thriving and flourishing. There were several dozens of small aristocratic families in the Ruyang Region, and the eldest son of the Ye Clan, Ye Zhaixing, greatly adored Xu Yan. He had frequently sent generous gifts to Zhenhai City, wanting to marry her. As the Regional Lord, Xu Chaoying looked down on the Ye Clan somewhat, so the matter had always been getting delayed and postponed. But who could have guessed that at the Dao Channel Measurement Ceremony two years ago, Ye Zhaixing would actually end up testing Grade 3 Dao Channels! Xu Chaoyang immediately conveyed this matter to the You Province¡¯s Dao Palace, and the Youyang Dao Palace sent a messenger several days later, ordering Ye Zhaixing to come to the Youyang Dao Palace to cultivate. Unexpectedly, Ye Zhaixing requested to postpone his departure for Youyang City, instead continuing to repeatedly ask for Xu Yan¡¯s hand in marriage. With his repeated proposals, Xu Chaoyang and the Council of Elders no longer had any reason to refuse him, so the Xu Clan and Ye Clan held a magnificent wedding ceremony in Zhenhai City, the new capital of the Ruyang Region, which had taken place two years ago at this point. ¡°Greetings, father-in-law,¡± Ye Zhaixing said, striding into the hall with a straight and impressive appearance. Xu Xiao lifted the cup of tea in front of him and took a sip. He nodded and said, ¡°Zhaixing. How did these two years of cultivation go for you?¡± Ye Zhaixing gave a bitter smile and said, ¡°Father-in-law, I really can¡¯t bear those bitter, grueling days of cultivation any longer. I already told Prince Xing that I won¡¯t be coming anymore from now on.¡± ¡°All the better! My Xu Clan is currently undergoing a period of rapid expansion. It wouldn¡¯t do for you to leave and never come back like Sheng¡¯er,¡± Xu Xiao said with a smile, putting down his teacup. Ye Zhaixing gently pulled Xu Yan over to his side. When their gazes met, their eyes were full of tender feeling. Ye Zhaixing turned back to Xu Xiao and said respectfully, ¡°Father-in-law, my Ye Clan has already been incorporated into your Xu Clan. As long as you say the word, I am willing to jump into any fire or brave any danger for the Xu Clan.¡± Xu Xiao nodded and said, ¡°The Elders will have a council tomorrow. Come to Nourishing Heart Hall and stand by.¡± Then, he seemed to remember something and asked, ¡°Zhaixing, what is your cultivation like now?¡± A hint of self-satisfaction flashed across his face as he replied, ¡°Unfortunately, I am too lacking in talent. I am already at the half-step Xiantian realm.¡± ¡°Good. You can go now then,¡± Xu Xiao replied. As Xu Xiao watched the retreating figures of the couple, a gleam appeared in his eyes. When Ye Zhaixing was younger, he had a poor reputation. He frequented brothels and was the typical hedonistic son of a well-to-do family. But it was still good that the Ye Clan was a small aristocratic family. Ye Zhaixing had a good discerning eye, and while he bullied and pushed around the commoners, he never caused any huge trouble. After the Xu Clan gained Prince Xing¡¯s favor and experienced a meteoric rise to power, coming to rule over an entire Region, Xu Yan became the pearl in the palm of the Xu Clan. She always had countless eyes fixed upon her, so Ye Zhaixing had no choice but to shape up. By relying on his handsome features, diverse mindset, and his own wit, he managed to attract Xu Yan¡¯s interest. However, the Ye Clan¡¯s influence was weak. They were inferior to the Xu Clan¡¯s power by several levels, so he didn¡¯t have the qualifications to marry her. Ye Zhaixing had previously not been very proactive towards his own self-improvement, so in his childhood, he hadn¡¯t even participated in a Dao Channel Measuring Ceremony. Two years ago, Xu Chaoyang held a unified Dao Channel Measuring Ceremony, rather than each influential clan of the Ruyang Region holding one themselves, so Ye Zhaixing took advantage of this opportunity to attend. At this ceremony, Ye Zhaixing was measured to have Grade 3 Dao Channels, causing his name to become known far and wide throughout the Region! When the Youyang Dao Palace sent someone over, it was discovered that he actually had Grade 3 Profound Meridians, meaning he could become a profound cultivator! However, Ye Zhaixing didn¡¯t have much interest in cultivating the profound laws. Instead, he preferred cultivating Martial Techniques. By using his Grade 3 Profound Meridian talent, he managed to go from being an ordinary Houtian martial artist to the half-step Xiantian stage in just two years. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Hurry up and throw her in!¡± a black-robed youth exclaimed, looking at the plain-clothed girl at his feet with an expression filled with excitement. Several slaves who were standing by off to the side came and dragged the girl away in spite of her deathly pale complexion, tossing her a massive beast cage. A vicious tiger with gorgeous stripes was pacing back and forth in the cage, letting out low growls. When its cold, callous beastly gaze fixated on the girl who had just been tossed in, its eyes turned red. ¡°Young Master Jin, please let me go, I beg you,¡± the girl pleaded with despairing eyes, her throat hoarse as she leaned up against the side of the cage. ¡°Hah? You broke my Spiralight Jade Bottle. Don¡¯t you think you deserve to die?¡± Jin Wuyou, a youth of around 14-15 years old, said in an extremely ruthless tone. ¡°It was given to me by Sister Yan, who received it from Prince Xing! Every time I played with it, I was always extremely careful. But you, you filthy, cheap slave! You broke it! This sin cannot be pardoned! Hurry up and shut the cage door!¡± One of the sturdily-built slaves slammed the door closed and slid the thick iron bolt lock tightly in place. It seemed that this wasn¡¯t the first time this vicious tiger was being fed food in this manner. It eyed the thick iron lock and let out a low growl, tail swiping back and forth. Then, it pounced towards the girl, whose clothes were already in tatters from being whipped severely. ¡°Young Master Jin, please let me go¡­ thi¡ªaaahhh!!¡± the girl pleaded in a hoarse voice as she gripped the ice-cold bars of the beast cage. But after a short moment, her voice was cut off and no further cries came from the cage. Jin Wuyou, the seventh son of the Jin Clan, couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the cage. His expression grew more and more excited as he stared rapturously at the scene taking place within. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 132 Chapter 132 ¨C Young Master A clamor could be heard outside of the beast arena. Jin Wuyou furrowed his eyebrows and said coldly, ¡°Who¡¯s making such a racket? Didn¡¯t I tell you all before that when I am punishing a slave, no one is to enter the beast arena?¡± A slave who was rather favored by Jin Wuyou steeled their resolve and came forward. ¡°Seventh Young Master, Emissary Ye has arrived.¡± When Ye Zhaixing went to the Youyang Dao Palace, Prince Xing, also known as Zhang Keyu, had granted him the title of Ruyang Emissary. As a result, all of the clans referred to him as Emissary Ye. ¡°So it¡¯s brother-in-law,¡± Jin Wuyou said. Although he was young, he had a clever mind. He no longer paid attention to the beast cage and walked towards the outside of the hall. ¡°Let¡¯s see what brother-in-law is here for this time.¡± Several slaves came with him, following at a respectful distance. ¡°Wuyou, you¡¯re still playing around with such dull, uninteresting things?¡± Ye Zhaixing said as he entered the beast arena and glanced around at the scene before averting his gaze. ¡°Today, the Regional Lord and the Patriarch of the Xu Clan held a meeting for the Council of Elders. The Regional Lord issued an order to the Region, commanding all clans to immediately organize their troops and proceed towards the Lin¡¯an Region seven days from now. The official document of the regional order will likely arrive soon.¡± Then, he gestured at Jin Wuyou and said, ¡°The Regional Lord specifically mentioned your name, instructing you to go as well.¡± Jin Wuyou nodded and said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve gone through the trouble of coming here personally to notify me, I¡¯ll be there right on time. Please give my regards to Sister Yan.¡± Ye Zhaixing voiced his assent and said with a smile, ¡°Your Sister Yan is always concerned about you. Right before I came here, she made sure to tell me that you hadn¡¯t gone to see her in quite a number of days now.¡± Jin Wuyou gave a mysterious smile and pointed to a grand hall outside of the beast arena. ¡°Brother-in-law, I¡¯ve been researching something fun for the past several days. Would you care to try something a little novel?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ye Zhaixing raised an eyebrow as he looked at Jin Wuyou with a gleam in his eyes. ¡°Since when did you start to speak in riddles, little brat? Why don¡¯t you hurry up and show me what it is?¡± Jin Wuyou was the youngest son of Jin Qingzhao. He was highly intelligent, far more so than ordinary people. The Jin Clan valued him greatly, and he was widely referred to as the Seventh Young Master among the people of Ruyang Region. But no matter how intelligent he was, he had a cruel and bloodthirsty temperament. If he was even slightly displeased with a slave or maid servant, he would torture them to death. He was young, but that only made the ordinary citizens of the Ruyang Region even more afraid of him. ¡­ ¡­ As the rule of the provincial government over their respective Regions became even more lenient, many clans were beginning to stir restlessly and have subversive thoughts. The Ruyang Region¡¯s Xu Clan was just one of these clans. Last year, Zhao Huichun of the Yecheng Region had mustered up a force consisting of several Xiantian martial artists and a sizable number of Houtian martial artists and wiped out the Gao Clan of the Gaoyang Region. Following that, another two clans in the neighboring Regions fell at the hand of the Zhao Clan. After the incident, the Imperial Courier of Prince Xing arrived and conveyed a simple message, only stating that he would be levying a tax on them. Under the implicit favor of You Province¡¯s government, the Xu Clan¡¯s growth and expansion had been unhindered in the last several years. This gave some ideas to the Regional Lord Xu Chaoyang and the Elders of the Xu Clan. After all, the Ruyang Region now had as many as 3 Xiantian martial artists, and they had more than 10 half-step Xiantian martial artists! The Zhenhai Army had already changed its name to the Ruyang Army and expanded to a force 800 strong, gathering practically all of the elite martial artists in the entire Ruyang Region. The Grand Elder of the Xu Clan¡¯s Council of Elders, Xu Qinying, had received a Spirit Gathering Herb from the Youyang Dao Palace three years ago, which allowed him to break through to become a Martial Technique Xiantian and increase his lifespan by 200 years. The Regional Lord of Ruyang Region, Xu Chaoyang, managed to rank up to a Martial Technique Xiantian two years ago by relying on his Grade 5 Dao Channels talent. This also gave him another 200 years of lifespan. Xu Qingcheng, from the branch family of the Xu Clan, also had Grade 5 Dao Channels, and she broke through to the Martial Technique Xiantian stage through her own efforts, similarly gained 200 years of longevity. She was cultivating the qi controlling method, Shangqing Qi. The reason why the Xu Clan was able to have so many people break through to the Xiantian stage was clearly linked to Daoist Lord Qingxin and Prince Zhang Keyu. Their favor, intentional or otherwise, couldn¡¯t be disregarded in this matter. Daoist Lord Qingxin was at the peak Sea of Qi stage, and the mortals¡¯ Xiantian stage was only equivalent to the profound cultivators¡¯ Cleansed Meridians stage. Although Daoist Lord Qingxin was poor, he gave them several Spirit Gathering Herbs, which he had brought from the Human Realm. This made it a rather simple matter for half-step Xiantian mortals to break through to the Martial Technique Xiantian stage. Xu Chaoyang had been in contact with Zhao Huichun of the Yecheng Region, who was another Martial Technique Xiantian. Taking advantage of the timing of their offensive, Xu Chaoyang was eyeing the Guo Clan of the Lin¡¯an Region, who still had only one Martial Technique Xiantian to this date. They likely wouldn¡¯t be able to block the offensive of the Ruyang Region¡¯s Xu Clan. ¡­ ¡­ Ye Zhaixing left the Jin Clan¡¯s estate and got on his luxurious horse-drawn carriage. Through the window curtains, his gaze fell upon the grand hall that he was in earlier. He clearly hadn¡¯t been able to enjoy himself to the fullest just now. Glancing over at the bodyguards by his side, his gaze turned cold as he said, ¡°Inform the newer bodyguards that they are not to speak of this matter to Yan¡¯er, otherwise¡­¡± ¡°Understood, Young Master.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The other bodyguards nearby kept silent out of fear, hurriedly nodding their heads. Two of the bodyguards among them were from his own clan, so they referred to him more informally as sir, and not Young Master. (TL: There are many Chinese honorific titles that don¡¯t have English equivalents, so some of the meaning in the names is lost in translation. ¹ÃÒ¯ or gu¡¯ye, which I translated as Young Master, is the term used by people from the family of his wife, Xu Yan, to refer to him, an in-law. ¡®Sir¡¯ here refers to ¹«×Ó, or gongzi, which is usually used to refer to the son of a noble family.) ¡°Let¡¯s go then,¡± Ye Zhaixing said. The horse-drawn carriage began to move, accompanied in the front and back by around a dozen attendants. The few people closest to the carriage were newly admitted members of the Ruyang Army. Their expressions were solemn, and every word and action of theirs was filled with propriety, clearly signifying their status as elite Houtian stage martial artists. Ye Zhaixing looked out the window at the large pavilion complex of the Jin Clan¡¯s estate and let out a sigh. After the migration of the Guo Clan and the extermination of the Bai Clan, the only remaining big clans in the large Ruyang Region were the Xu Clan and the Jin Clan. The Jin Clan had always been blindly following the Xu Clan, and by relying on the growth of the Xu Clan, their development in recent years was also extremely fast. They already had the air of a large regional clan. Meanwhile, the Ye Clan was only a small aristocratic family, so they could only be assimilated into the Xu Clan as a subservient clan. Although he had Grade 3 Dao Channels and immeasurable future prospects, the Ye Clan as he knew it didn¡¯t exist anymore. When he thought back to the pleasures in that grand hall just now, Ye Zhaixing couldn¡¯t suppress a fiery desire from bubbling up within him. He was looking out the window and happened to spot a couple in plain clothes walking by. The young married woman still had a tender, beautiful complexion. He immediately told his attendants to stop the carriage. Seeing the carriage with the symbol of the Xu Clan on it come to a stop, the citizens nearby hurriedly started to leave or get out of the way as fast as possible. In recent years, the younger generation of the Xu Clan had become increasingly arrogant and violent, and there were countless incidents where they had preyed on the common people. They still had a powerful reign over Ruyang City, and the taxes they levied on the commoners were only becoming heavier and more oppressive over the years. The common people suffered terribly, to the point that the bottom rung of the citizens were barely scraping by. ¡°Bring her onto the carriage,¡± Ye Zhaixing instructed. The two bodyguards closest to him were the close attendants that had stayed by his side in the two years that he was at the Youyang Dao Palace. They were also originally from the Ye Clan, so they understood him best. Seeing Ye Zhaixing eyeing that young married woman, there was no way they wouldn¡¯t see through his intentions. One of the bodyguards drew his sword and brought it down between the married couple. He used the tip of the sword to point at the young and beautiful married woman and said coldly, ¡°You, get on the carriage.¡± ¡°Ah? Lord, we lowly citizens weren¡¯t watching where we were going and must have accidentally ended up offending you. We will leave right away.¡± The plain-clothed man¡¯s expression changed greatly when he saw the bodyguard. He immediately dragged his wife and positioned her protectively behind him, then got on his knees and began to kowtow. ¡°Hm? What a shame,¡± the bodyguard, who was a peak Houtian martial artist, said with a cold scoff. He swung his sword, sending fresh blood splattering. The man clutched his arm and let out a pained howl, then fell to the ground, unable to rise again. ¡°If you don¡¯t come with us right this moment, the next swing of my sword will be taking his head,¡± the bodyguard said to the pretty married woman, wiping the bloodstains from his sword before returning it back in its scabbard. ¡°I-I¡¯ll go with you¡­¡± the woman said with a painful, forlorn gaze. She helped her husband wrap up his wound before standing up and making her way onto the carriage, her body trembling the entire way. ¡°Xiao Yun!¡± the plain-clothed man shouted. But the sudden wave of turbulent emotion caused him to cough up a mouthful of fresh blood and lose consciousness. Ye Zhaixing examined the married woman, who was wearing plain, coarse cloth garments. She was clearly a newlywed, looking to be only around 20 years old. The youthful, girlish look about her still hadn¡¯t fully receded from her countenance. He was unable to stop himself from reaching his hand out and tearing off the married woman¡¯s coarse cloth garments. ¡­ ¡­ At the Lin¡¯an Region¡¯s capital city¡­ ¡°The Xu Clan is too cruel!¡± Guo Nansu said, his expression unsightly. He finished reading the urgent report and slammed it down on the table in front of him. ¡°Regional Lord, the Xu Clan has 3 Xiantians. Counting Zhao Huichun, they have 4 Xiantian martial artists. Adding on the 800 elite soldiers of the Ruyang Army¡­ how are we supposed to stand against this?¡± The several Elders below him were also in despair. These people were almost all at the half-step Xiantian stage, but they had been stuck at this cultivation realm for several dozens of years, unable to advance even a step further. ¡°It¡¯s all because of that one brat who disappeared several years ago. I don¡¯t know how they were able to accomplish it, but they somehow managed to form a connection with that Daoist Lord. The entire Xu Clan has been receiving the generous favor of Prince Xing, who has been repeatedly bestowing treasures upon them. But my Guo Clan has nothing of that sort!¡± Guo Nansu exclaimed angrily. His tone gradually returned to calmness as he continued, ¡°It would be better to just step down now. The example of the Gaoyang Region¡¯s Gao Clan is still vivid in my mind. Our Guo Clan cannot become the next Gao Clan!¡± ¡°This¡­¡± The Elders all looked at each other, each harboring thoughts of their own. There were several people who looked down, avoiding the gazes of the rest as they silently plotted how they could achieve the greatest personal benefit from the massive changes about to befall the Guo Clan. As a peak Xiantian stage transcendent, Guo Nansu could clearly see through everyone¡¯s expressions. He couldn¡¯t help letting out a sigh, looking dozens of years older as he stood up and left the great hall. As soon as he left, the Elders immediately hurried back to their own residences, summoned their people, and began their secret schemes. There were some who had a knack for insubordination and directly reached out to the Xu Clan, declaring their intent to lead their subordinates to surrender and even offer their aid within Lin¡¯an City. Xu Chaoyang was standing atop the city walls, looking at the several dozen people standing behind him. The ones standing at the front were the Xiantian stage Xu Qingcheng and Zhao Huichun, but the half-step Xiantian stage Xu Xiao, Xu Chen, Xu Sanhuo, and so on were also present. Behind them were Xu Fu, Xu Qian, and Xu Ziyu, who were part of the younger generation of the Xu Clan. They had already taken up posts within the Ruyang Army, and were now each leading over a hundred of the elite, well-trained troops of the Ruyang Army. ¡°Brother Zhao, we¡¯ll be setting off now then,¡± Xu Chaoyang said. After he broke through and became a Xiantian transcendent, his lifespan increased by 200 years, making him look much younger. At present, his appearance had returned to that of a young man. Due to the long period of time he spent in power, his every action held an indescribable dignity. ¡°That¡¯s fine with me, but the Guo Clan has already sent multiple messages voicing their intent to surrender. Brother Xu, you¡­¡± Zhao Huichun said casually, glancing over at Xu Chaoyang. Xu Chaoyang¡¯s gaze had a steely indifference to it. ¡°How can one mountain have two tigers? How could I possibly let the Guo Clan go? I would have to leave them the Lin¡¯an Region, but that would only forcefully confine my Xu Clan to the Ruyang Region.¡± Zhao Huichun inwardly understood his meaning and didn¡¯t pursue the matter further. After all, when he had exterminated the Gaoyang Region¡¯s Gao Clan, he had done exactly what Xu Chaoyang was intending to do now. The Guo Clan had sent Zhao Huichun generous gifts, asking him to try putting in a word for them and persuade Xu Chaoyang to show them mercy. But was it really any of Zhao Huichun¡¯s business whether or not Xu Chaoyang actually agreed in the end? If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 133 Chapter 133 ¨C Primordial Lord Tongming In the Shangqing Sacred Sect, above the skies of the Mingxin Mountain Range, a massive palace was floating in the sky, hidden among the thick clouds atop Mingxin Peak. Spiritual pets in the form of rare birds occasionally soared past. The distant, echoing cries of cranes rang out, adding a misty, nebulous atmosphere to the floating palace. ¡°Lu Ling, you said that you were only going to go take a quick peek at the festivities before returning. Why were you gone for so long?¡± a youth in a golden robe said, furrowing his brows as he looked at the charming girl walking into the hall. ¡°I was just curious, Senior Martial Brother Zhang. I wanted to see how human tournaments were different from ours,¡± the girl said in a clear tone, her eyes concealing a hint of craftiness. She then turned to face the person seated in the hall¡¯s seat of honor and bowed respectfully. ¡°Primordial Lord.¡± The golden-robed youth shook his head, then also turned and bowed to the old man, who was seated cross-legged on a praying mat. ¡°Primordial Lord Yangze, now that I have delivered what my master wished to give you, I won¡¯t disturb you any longer. We will return to the Ancient Nuwa Sect right away and report to our master.¡± The old man¡¯s appearance was extremely ordinary, but his gaze was unfathomably deep and profound. With a light flick of his sleeves, he responded, ¡°It seems that the two new disciples that Tongming took in aren¡¯t too bad. You two take these things with you. Consider it a congratulatory gift from me to Tongming¡¯s new disciples.¡± The light flickered and a simple and unadorned interspatial ring appeared in the air in front of the golden-robed youth. ¡°Thank you for your generosity, Primordial Lord Yangze,¡± the golden-robed youth said, bowing in unison with the girl. They didn¡¯t open the interspatial ring on the spot, instead putting it away immediately. ¡°You can go now then,¡± Primordial Lord Yangze said, flicking his sleeves once more. The scenery shifted, and in the next moment, the golden-robed youth and the girl with the elegant features found themselves outside of the palace. ¡°Zhang Zeming, take out that interspatial ring. Let me see what kind of treasures Primordial Lord Yangze gave us,¡± the girl said, tugging on the golden-robed youth¡¯s sleeve. Zhang Zeming looked at her and shook his head. ¡°Lu Ling, you are considered to be one of master¡¯s elite disciples. Why can¡¯t you learn to be patient?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t let me see it, I¡¯ll tell master that a few days ago, you secretly¡­¡± Lu Ling began before Zhang Zeming covered her mouth with his hand. ¡°Fine, here,¡± Zhang Zeming said, taking out the interspatial ring and handing it to Lu Ling. ¡°Let¡¯s first go back and report to master though.¡± The two of them rapidly flew, turning into beams of light as they streaked through the sky. Within an hour, they made it out of the territory of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. ¡°Phew, maintaining this transformation technique for so long really consumes demonic qi,¡± Lu Ling said, demonic qi fluctuating around her body. Her legs turned into a single white serpent tail, which swung lazily back and forth. Zhang Zeming¡¯s legs also turned into a serpent tail, but his scales were golden. ¡°Master and Primordial Lord Yangze are old friends. Our mission this time was a personal matter of master¡¯s. As disciples of the Ancient Nuwa Sect, there¡¯s no way we could have entered the Shangqing Sacred Sect, otherwise this initially quite simple matter would have become far more complicated. ¡°Yeah, I remember the last time a ceremonial worship was held in the Shan Mountains, it was hosted by the Ancient Nuwa Sect and the Shangqing Sacred Sect. The several hundred sects of the Shan Mountains, both small and large, all attended. But the etiquette and tasks involved were way too convoluted,¡± Lu Ling said with a laugh, fiddling around with the interspatial ring in her hand. She hesitated for a moment, but still decided not to open it. ¡°I¡¯m really curious what kind of treasures Primordial Lord Yangze gave us, but I¡¯m thinking it still might be better to report to master first.¡± Zhang Zeming nodded, glancing at Lu Ling with a commending gaze. ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry back to the Ancient Nuwa Sect and head to the Tongyou Domain so we can report to master as soon as possible.¡± A cloud of pure demonic qi poured out from his hand, and with a flick of his golden serpent tail, a golden cloud appeared beneath his feet, propping up his weight. He shot forward as a dazzling beam of golden light, disappearing into the horizon. ¡°Wait for me!¡± Lu Ling shouted. She was distractedly looking at the simple, unadorned interspatial ring, but she quickly put it away, summoned a white cloud, and shot forward to catch up with Zhang Zeming. The wind swept past and rustled her black hair, revealing a seal on her forehead that depicted thunder and lightning. The three golden suns were on the verge of disappearing beyond the horizon. A small beam of twilight afterglow illuminated the girl¡¯s side profile. Her black hair fluttered lightly in the wind, revealing her fair skin and beautifully refined features. Her red lips parted in a smile to reveal pearly white teeth, as if she happened to think of something funny at that moment. With a light swipe of the snow white serpent tail beneath her pale pink dress, the cloud beneath her put on even more speed. Her figure sped off into the distance, disappearing into the sky full of clouds. ¡­ ¡­ By deploying the entire clan¡¯s resources, the Ruyang Region Xu Clan wiped out the Lin¡¯an Region Guo Clan in just three days. With a force consisting of 4 Xiantian stage transcendents, several dozen half-step Xiantian stage martial artists, the 800 elite troops of the Ruyang Army, and 500 Houtian martial artists from several other clans in the Region, the entirety of the Lin¡¯an Region was unable to put up any resistance whatsoever. Seeing the advance of the Ruyang Army, the countless small aristocratic families of the Lin¡¯an Region immediately surrendered. Xu Chaoyang pardoned all of these small aristocratic families without exception, but he forced them to forfeit around half of their assets. After all, the Xu Clan would be relying on them to govern the Lin¡¯an Region on their behalf in the future. As for the members of the Guo Clan who still remained in the Lin¡¯an Region, there was only the Xiantian stage transcendent Guo Nansu. The rest of the members of the Guo Clan had all been slaughtered! However, Guo Nansu¡¯s youngest granddaughter, Guo Ruoxi, had Grade 4 Dao Channels, which meant that she had an impressive talent for cultivation. As a result, she had been sent away in advance, and her current whereabouts were unknown. Many people from the Guo Clan had fled immediately upon catching wind of the invasion of the Xu Clan. However, Xu Chaoyang didn¡¯t pay any mind to those people. With only a few remaining stragglers, there was no way they would be able to cause any trouble, so he just let them be. It was nighttime back in the Ruyang Region, in Zhenhai City. Festivities were in full swing, making a show of happiness and prosperity. ¡°Our Regional Lord is so brilliant!¡± ¡°With our Regional Lord guiding us, we will definitely flourish and prosper!¡± ¡°A toast to the Regional Lord!¡± The elders and family heads of the small aristocratic families were laughing heartily as they offered a toast to Xu Chaoyang, who was sitting in the seat of honor with a complicated look on his face. Nourishing Heart Hall was extremely spacious, capable of holding all of the participants of this extravagant banquet, ranging from the people of authority from the large and small clans, the various talented and heroic youths, to the people who had obtained accolades in the recent battle. ¡°Seventh Young Master, we¡¯d like to offer you a toast,¡± Ye Fantian said, approaching Jin Wuyou with several other outstanding youths from the small clans. As a younger brother of Ye Zhaixing, Ye Fantian was also someone originally from the Ye Clan. Because he was a peak Houtian martial artist, he was granted a position as deputy commander of the Ruyang Army after the Ye Clan was taken into the Xu Clan. ¡°Seventh Young Master¡¯s strategies were excellent this time. Many of them are being spoken of throughout the Ruyang Region. For example, that plan to offer the ordinary citizens of Lin¡¯an Region bounties in exchange for clues on the whereabouts of the members of the Guo Clan¡­ Truly brilliant!¡± a youth in black clothes said with a smile. ¡°With the Lin¡¯an Region surrounded by enemies on all sides, the members of the Guo Clan could only escape through the fields of the citizens. But by offering them bounties in exchange for information, they would definitely sell them out. And sure enough, by relying on Seventh Young Master¡¯s plan, we managed to capture several dozen of the remaining members of the Guo Clan!¡± Jin Wuyou simply shook his head and said, ¡°Those were just petty ruses. Our victory over the Lin¡¯an Region this time was all due to the powerful forces of the Xu Clan. They would have easily accomplished it regardless before long.¡± If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 134 Chapter 134 ¨C Conflict TL: Sponsored chapter (1/1). Thanks for your support! In Nourishing Heart Hall, a grand banquet was taking place. Both the hosts and guests were making merry and enjoying themselves as they drank and gambled. Amidst the din, a sudden loud voice attracted everyone¡¯s gazes. ¡°Regional Lord, Father, Ye Zhaixing has long since had a disloyal heart. He is a malicious person with the face of a human but the heart of a beast!¡± As everyone stared at the person who spoke, the hall went silent for a moment before being thrown into an uproar. The speaker just now was unexpectedly Xu Xiao¡¯s eldest son, Xu Fu! He was the young master of the Xu Clan, and as Xu Xiao¡¯s eldest son, he would surely inherit the position of Patriarch in the future and rule over the entire Xu Clan, as long as nothing untowards occurred. However, the appearance of Ye Zhaixing had led him to feel an intense sense of pressure. Although Ye Zhaixing was originally an outsider to the family, the Ye Clan had already been assimilated into the Xu Clan. His wife, Xu Yan, also frequently received gifts from the exalted Youyang Dao Palace. And by the looks of it, Ye Zhaixing would be able to break through to the Xiantian stage in just a few more years! Although Xu Qinying, the Grand Elder of the Council of Elders, had already reached the Xiantian stage, he no longer involved himself with matters related to the clan. The Ruyang Region was being ruled by Xu Chaoyang, the Regional Lord, so the one who held authority in the Xu Clan right now was Xu Xiao, the current Patriarch. However, Xu Xiao had both explicitly and implicitly hinted on multiple occasions that he would be entrusting Ye Zhaixing with a heavy amount of responsibility after he broke through to the Xiantian stage. As the legitimate heir, Xu Fu was only an ordinary Houtian martial artist. How could he measure up to Ye Zhaixing? Xu Fu had used all the power at his disposal to incite several forces to look into the matters that Ye Zhaixing was trying meticulously to cover up. At this celebratory banquet that was being held to celebrate their achievements, Xu Fu spoke up brazenly to put Ye Zhaixing in a checkmate and bring him to ruin! ¡°Fu¡¯er, please don¡¯t babble any more nonsense here. It would be better for you to stand down,¡± Xu Xiao said lightly, his displeased gaze flashing with a cold light. Xu Xiao was seated adjuvant to Xu Chaoyang and Zhao Huichun, so he couldn¡¯t flare up and heavily reprimand Xu Fu here. Ye Zhaixing¡¯s expression contorted as he seemed to think of something. He was about to stand up, but Xu Yan, who was at his side, pulled down on his sleeve. He sat back down in his seat with an ugly expression on his face. Xu Fu glanced at Regional Lord Xu Chaoyang, who was seated in the seat of honor. Seeing his expressionless face, he gritted his teeth and said loudly, ¡°It is all too clear that Ye Zhaixing has predatory inclinations!¡± He turned to look at the occupants of the packed hall. Almost all of them were people of power in the Ruyang and Lin¡¯an Regions. Their expressions were diverse as they waited for his next words. He cleared his throat and when he spoke, his tone held a greater resentment within. ¡°After the Guo Clan was wiped out, Ye Zhaixing stealthily ordered people to gather up several married women of the Guo Clan. They are being stored in Hidden Phoenix Pavilion. Sister Yan, are you aware of this or not?¡± Xu Yan laughed gently and said, ¡°Big Brother, isn¡¯t it very common to have multiple wives or concubines?¡± Be that as it may, her bright and beautiful appearance from her juvenile days had dimmed somewhat. Beneath the table, her grip on Ye Zhaixing¡¯s hand tightened. Ye Zhaixing¡¯s expression became even more unsightly. He got to his feet, seeming to want to block Xu Fu from speaking his next words. Many people had contemplative expressions. If this matter were really that simple, Xu Fu would not have openly accused Ye Zhaixing like this. There had to be some kind of story behind it. Xu Fu¡¯s complexion was ruthless as he spoke word for word. ¡°Our Ruyang Xu Clan was searching all over the place for Guo Ruoxi, a member of the Guo Clan with Grade 4 Dao Channels. But as it turns out, Ye Zhaixing has her locked up in the Hidden Phoenix Pavilion!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Something like this really happened?¡± ¡°The Regional Lord dispatched people multiple times to search, but to no avail. Who could have thought¡­¡± ¡°Could it be, the Ye Clan and the Guo Clan¡­?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Everyone¡¯s expressions began to change. Beneath the table, Ye Zhaixing gripped Xu Yan¡¯s hand even tighter. For several moments, he couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Zhaixing, do you have an explanation for this?¡± Xu Xiao asked, his expression gloomy as he eyed Ye Zhaixing. As the Patriarch and Ye Zhaixing¡¯s father-in-law, he wasn¡¯t happy with this. Ye Zhaixing glanced over at the two Xiantian stage martial artists. Zhao Huichun¡¯s expression was indifferent, simply drinking and minding his own business. On the other hand, Regional Lord Xu Chaoyang was furrowing his brows deeply, and he was even already letting out a hint of killing intent. Ye Zhaixing couldn¡¯t stop his heart from trembling upon seeing this, and he hurriedly spoke up. ¡°Regional Lord, father-in-law, my Ye Clan has already been taken into the Xu Clan. I am not colluding with the Guo Clan whatsoever.¡± In fact, he simply admired Guo Ruoxi¡¯s charm. She was 16 years old, had Grade 4 Dao Channels, and was extremely beautiful. She had been hiding amongst a peasant family with a few of her maids and bodyguards when one of Ye Zhaixing¡¯s close aides happened to find her. Upon seeing this girl, Ye Zhaixing¡¯s heart stirred violently. He directly commanded his people to deliver her to Hidden Phoenix Pavilion. In the face of her captivating beauty, he momentarily overlooked her status as the granddaughter of Guo Nansu. If it was in the past, this would have been fine. And even under the present circumstances where the Guo Clan was now extinct, there wasn¡¯t a serious issue with him keeping Guo Ruoxi as a concubine. However, Xu Chaoyang had issued a strict order, stating that they would not be taking any prisoners from the Guo Clan. As a talent with Grade 4 Dao Channels, Guo Ruoxi was one of their most important search targets. The other people in the hall naturally knew that Ye Zhaixing didn¡¯t have any intention of colluding with the Guo Clan. After all, the Guo Clan was already wiped out, and the Ye Clan belonged to the Xu Clan. But Xu Fu brought up this matter so publicly in the middle of this banquet. The timing he chose was simply too crafty. Yet with this, he had pretty much lost all face for Xu Chaoyang and the Xu Clan! What kind of existence was the Xu Clan? What about their dignity and honor? Xu Chaoyang swept his gaze over the commotion that was happening in Nourishing Heart Hall and said firmly, ¡°Silence.¡± In just a few breaths of time, the grand hall went dead silent. All of their gazes turned to Xu Chaoyang, waiting to see how he would deal with Ye Zhaixing. If he let him go lightly, the Xu Clan¡¯s face would suffer considerable damage. Although the clans wouldn¡¯t openly disobey the Xu Clan, they would inevitably complain behind their backs. There wasn¡¯t much that could be done to avoid this. Aside from the fact that Ye Zhaixing would almost undoubtedly become one of the Xu Clan¡¯s Xiantian stage martial artists in the future, he and Xu Yan also had a loose connection with the Dao Palace. These factors had to be considered in dealing with him heavy-handedly. Xu Chaoyang was always firm in his decision to kill, yet right now, he showed a rare hint of hesitation. Xu Yan¡¯s expression was anxious, and she didn¡¯t dare to speak up. The clan¡¯s rules were strict. In this situation, there was no place for a woman like her to speak. Meanwhile, Xu Xiao¡¯s expression was ugly as he looked at Ye Zhaixing. After all, he had promoted Ye Zhaixing and even put him in charge of a battalion consisting of 200 troops of the Ruyang Army. But with this matter, Xu Chaoyang¡¯s blame would also fall upon him since he was the Patriarch. It was difficult for him to avoid reproach in this matter. In the lowest status seats of the banquet hall were Jin Wuyou, Ye Fantian, and other youths of the various clans. Xu Qian, Xu Ziyu, and other younger generation members of the Xu Clan were also present. None of them uttered a word, remaining completely silent as they watched the situation unfold in the banquet hall. After a few breaths of time, Xu Chaoyang seemed to have made up his mind. After all, Ye Zhaixing had cultivated at the Youyang Dao Palace. If he dealt with him rashly here, he couldn¡¯t be certain what kind of subsequent troubles might occur. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 135 Chapter 135 ¨C Black and White Blotting the Sky, Covering the Earth There was nothing that could outweigh the importance of a word from the Dao Palace, which made the decision rather simple. Just as Xu Chaoyang was about to open his mouth and speak his verdict, there was noise from outside Nourishing Heart Hall. Shortly after, a soldier announced in a loud and clear voice, ¡°A courier from the Youyang Dao Palace has arrived!¡± There was a mild change in Xu Chaoyang¡¯s expression. He couldn¡¯t help turning his gaze to Ye Zhaixing and Xu Fu, who were still standing in the center of the hall, then brought the higher ups of the Xu Clan with him out of the hall. ¡°Respectful greetings, courier.¡± ¡°At ease.¡± The person who showed up was a youth riding a white horse. He seemed to be in a hurry as he tossed over a simple, undecorated scroll. He immediately turned his horse around and started to leave as he said, ¡°Since Junior Martial Brother Ye isn¡¯t willing to cultivate, the Youyang Dao Palace will not impose further. I simply made this trip on master¡¯s behalf to deliver the official documentation to Junior Martial Brother Ye.¡± His voice drifted along on the wind as the youth on the white horse rode away. Before long, his figure had disappeared into the night. Xu Chaoyang picked up the scroll and slowly unfurled it. Ye Zhaixing hurried out of Nourishing Heart Hall, managing to catch the sight of the youth on his horse before he rode off into the distance. With an anxious look in his eyes, he shouted loudly after him, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhang, I¡¯m willing to cultivate! I will become a profound cultivator!¡± Xu Chaoyang put away the scroll and shot a cold sideways glance at him, then ordered everyone back into Nourishing Heart Hall. After everyone was seated back in the hall, Xu Fu looked at Ye Zhaixing, who looked dazed as he came back into the hall. Xu Fu smiled and said loudly, ¡°Ye Zhaixing also has a fondness for slaughtering ordinary citizens. The other day, we received testimony from a guard saying that Ye Zhaixing had forcefully kidnapped a woman. He not only murdered her husband in public for everyone to see, he even buried that married woman alive afterwards! How can our Xu Clan tolerate a person like this?!¡± Jin Wuyou furtively glared at Xu Fu out of the corner of his eye, a hint of displeasure hidden deep in his gaze. Jin Wuyou had similar preferences as Ye Zhaixing. By attacking Ye Zhaixing in this manner, Xu Fu was also inadvertently insulting him as well. Normally, this wouldn¡¯t be considered excessive. After all, in the Ruyang Region, the Xu Clan¡¯s word was absolute. Xu Chaoyang and Xu Xiao would never be concerned with matters related to the younger generation of the Xu Clan bullying the commoners. But to make matters worse, the most important thing was that scroll. Now, Xu Chaoyang didn¡¯t need to have any misgivings about the Dao Palace¡¯s opinion. Xu Chaoyang directed a frigid gaze at Ye Zhaixing and said, ¡°The Ruyang Army is present, yes?¡± ¡°Regional Lord!¡± Several dozens of armored elite martial artists strode into the hall in an orderly formation and cupped their hands in unison. The members of the small and large families in the hall were rattled when they saw the Ruyang Army, which had thoroughly shaken up the surrounding Regions. Even though they had experienced what they were capable of during the eradication of the Guo Clan, their appearance was nonetheless striking every time they witnessed them. Xu Chaoyang pointed at Ye Zhaixing and commanded, ¡°Place shackles upon this miscreant and drag him to the public square for execution by a thousand cuts.¡± So what if he would be a Xiantian martial artist in the future? To Xu Chaoyang, the face and authority of the Xu Clan was paramount. Moreover, the Xu Clan already had 3 Xiantian martial artists. Although Xu Qingcheng and Xu Qinying weren¡¯t here, no one dared to overlook their influence and intimidation factor. Xu Chaoyang didn¡¯t care about Ye Zhaixing¡¯s position as Emissary, because that scroll just now clearly stated that Ye Zhaixing himself stated that he didn¡¯t want to cultivate anymore, which relieved him of all positions in the Province and Dao Palace. This incident was extremely damaging to the Region and the face of the entire Xu Clan. Even though Xu Chaoyang felt pity over the loss of a future Xiantian stage martial artist, he was still callously firm in this decision. ¡°As you command, Regional Lord!¡± The soldiers clad in the black armor of the Ruyang Army didn¡¯t hesitate in the slightest. The leading officer kicked Ye Zhaixing in the back, forcing him to kneel on the ground. He took out a chain with sinister-looking barbs on it, and was about to bind Ye Zhaixing up in them. ¡°Regional Lord, Father, could you please spare his life?¡± Xu Yan said between sobs, mustering the courage to stand up. She had been crying since a while ago, and her tears were staining her beautiful complexion. Xu Yan was Xu Chaoyang¡¯s granddaughter. Although Xu Chaoyang didn¡¯t have many descendents, Xu Xiao had many. As a result, there wasn¡¯t actually that much familial affection between Xu Yan and Xu Chaoyang. Xu Chaoyang¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. He still hadn¡¯t said anything when Xu Xiao spoke angrily. ¡°Sit down! Is this any place for you to speak? You have the nerve to show such a lack of propriety!¡± The tears began to stream down Xu Yan¡¯s face even more rapidly. But she didn¡¯t speak any more. She could only sob quietly. In the past, her personality had been lively and clever, but that was simply because she had been naive and pure. After she married Ye Zhaixing, she slowly became more thoughtful and gentle, and her temper gradually became more mild. Xu Chaoyang was usually quite solemn and strict, so Xu Yan didn¡¯t dare to call him grandfather. She could only call him Regional Lord like everyone else. As a woman in this family, she was powerless in this situation. She held tightly onto her silken handkerchief as she cried incessantly, tears rolling down her face. A pleased look crossed Xu Fu¡¯s face, and he slowly withdrew, returning to his seat at the table. After a while, many people came over to exchange toasts with him. The several dozen troops of the Ruyang Army had already brought Ye Zhaixing out of Nourishing Heart Hall, and he didn¡¯t resist. After all, he was only a half-step Xiantian martial artist. While he might be able to stand up against 3 or 4 elite troops, there were several dozen of them present. He figured there was no way he could fight off that many. Xu Yan eventually stopped crying, the sorrowful look in her eyes replaced by an empty gaze, her black hair spilling down in disarray. By her side, there were several other women from the Xu Clan consoling her. Ye Zhaixing was dragged and shoved to the public square of the city. The barbed chains were wrapped around his torso, digging into his ribs and causing fresh blood to run in rivulets down his chest. Sharp, piercing pains were constantly being transmitted to his brain. Ye Zhaixing looked up at the bright, resplendent moon hanging in the sky. Feeling the fresh blood flowing down his skin, his eyes slowly glazed over and became unfocused. In the midst of his daze, a nearby elite soldier from the Ruyang Army picked up a sharp dagger and brandished it. At that moment, a hint of regret appeared in his heart. What am I regretting? That I didn¡¯t choose to continue cultivating at the Dao Palace? That I performed so many evil deeds? Am I regretting the greed, lust, and wanton murders that I committed? Or is it the fact that I acted so tyrannically and oppressively, defaming corpses to try and hide my traces? In fact, it was none of these things. The Xu Clan was too self-interested. What he really regretted was taking the entire Ye Clan with him to go under the Xu Clan. With his death, it would be difficult for the rest of the Ye Clan to avoid an unpleasant fate. And in the end, he really did love Xu Yan. Ye Zhaixing felt the sharp dagger slice across his skin. He gradually felt himself becoming numb to the excruciating pain. A wave of exhaustion flooded his mind, and he felt his eyes starting to close. All of a sudden, a streak of dazzling light shot across the horizon. Ye Zhaixing forced his eyes to back open, and he watched as only two colors, black and white, blotted out the sky and painted the earth as it approached. The brilliant phenomena approached Zhenhai City from afar, stopping right above it. A moment later, an ear-splitting sonic boom rippled out from the air. Now that it was closer, the effulgence of the light and shadow gradually became clearer. Heaven and earth were dyed in black and white, causing even the moonlight to pale in comparison. Depicted in the tapestry of black and white that spread across the sky were rugged mountains, elegantly flowing rivers, and bountiful nature. Although there were only two colors, the painting wasn¡¯t monotonous, not lacking charm or grace in the slightest. The countless citizens of Zhenhai City, from the commoners to the scholars and landowners, all rose from their beds and put on their clothes to go outside. They craned their heads to look up at the black and white painting that covered the sky, and many of them even knelt down in prayer. The painting depicting mountains and rivers flickered and transformed into a youth in a black and gold Daoist robe. His jet black hair was tied up by a jade band behind his head. The edges of his robe were gilded in a brilliant gold that shone with a seemingly divine light. The youth¡¯s countenance was elegant and refined. His facial features were graced with red lips and white teeth, but his eyes were filled with an utter indifference, which he swept across the scenery below. With a flicker of black and white, he appeared directly above the city square. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle!¡± ¡°Is he a god from heaven?!¡± ¡°But in all my life, I¡¯ve never heard of such a myth. Has the moon god descended before us?¡± The citizens all prostrated themselves and prayed, their expressions full of reverence. The soldier from the Ruyang Army who was carrying out Ye Zhaixing¡¯s execution was also struck dumb by the sight. The expressions of the several dozen soldiers of the Ruyang Army in the city square all changed dramatically as they laid eyes upon the handsome youth in the sky, descending in a trail of black and white. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 136 Chapter 136 ¨C Young Fellow? ¡°Sheng¡¯er, is that you?¡± As Xu Disheng rode on the Yin Yang Diagram to Zhenhai City, he left behind a massive black and white phenomenon above the public square that attracted the gazes of everyone present. The people in Nourishing Heart Hall had already left the hall to see what was happening. Xu Chaoyang had an intense reaction to his appearance and began to mutter to himself. When Zhao Huichun heard what he said, he asked, ¡°Regional Lord Xu, you know the cause of this phenomenon?¡± Xu Chaoyang glanced at him, then turned back to look in the direction of the public square, where the light in the skies was already beginning to fade. ¡°I have a guess. But we¡¯ll know once we get there.¡± Nourishing Heart Hall was only a few hundred meters from the public square of Zhenhai City, with several magnificent pavilions in between. In a few breaths of time, everyone in the hall arrived in the square. ¡°Sheng¡¯er?!¡± Xu Chaoyang exclaimed in a trembling voice as he laid eyes upon the youth in the black and gold Daoist robe standing in the square. His usual dignified expression was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a look filled with emotion. It wasn¡¯t that the two necessarily had a deep familial affection for one another. But Xu Chaoyang could see that Xu Disheng had already reached an unfathomable cultivation realm from the phenomenon in the sky. And the current flourishing state of the Xu Clan had much to do with Xu Disheng¡¯s connection with the Youyang Dao Palace. Xu Disheng turned to look at him, the gleam in his eyes becoming brighter, making it almost difficult for people to look at him. ¡°Grandpa Chaoyang.¡± ¡°It really is you!¡± Xu Chaoyang came forward hastily, reaching out both of his hands to stroke Xu Disheng¡¯s head. But the youth turned away slightly, avoiding his touch. Many of the people living in Zhenhai City were gradually beginning to fill up the city square, wanting to see for themselves what kind of figure formed out of that phenomenon that occurred just now. Xu Chaoyang let out a sigh, then calmed his surging emotions and retracted his hands. He called out, ¡°Ruyang Army, report in!¡± ¡°Regional Lord!¡± Several elite troops nearby came forward and knelt before him. Although they were filled with confusion and awe, they still meticulously obeyed orders. Gazing at the figure who appeared in the city square, Xu Chaoyang said in a serious tone, ¡°Immediately enforce a nighttime curfew. Those who disobey will be cut down on the spot!¡± ¡°As you command, Regional Lord!¡± The ruthless elite soldiers dispersed, starting to drive away the curious citizens who had come to see what happened. ¡°Is he¡­?¡± Xu Fu muttered, his expression complex. He seemed to vaguely recognize Xu Disheng¡¯s likeness and continued, ¡°With his return, will the outcome of this matter with Ye Zhaixing change?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he the older brother of Sister Yan? And the person that Father often mentioned¡­¡± Jin Wuyou murmured, a hint of curiosity appearing in his crafty gaze as he carefully sized up Xu Disheng. ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like a mortal at all. He seriously looks as eye-catching as a god who descended from the moon.¡± Xu Chen, Xu Qian, Xu Ziyu, and the other members of the younger generation were staring fixedly at the youth shrouded in black and white radiance in the center of the city square. All of the small and large families of the Ruyang and Lin¡¯an Regions aside from the Jin Clan had recently risen to power by following the Xu Clan, so none of them knew Xu Disheng. At this moment, they were all whispering and discussing amongst themselves in low tones. Zhao Huichun was the only other Xiantian stage transcendent present aside from Xu Chaoyang. When he saw the subtleties in the interaction between Xu Chaoyang and Xu Disheng, he stepped forward to try and mediate between the two. He smiled and said, ¡°Young fellow from the Xu Clan¡­¡± Before he even finished speaking, the black and white radiance surrounding Xu Disheng flickered, and the phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram appeared. With a light flick, Zhao Huichun¡¯s arm was separated from his body. Blood gushed out as it flew through the air, scattering in its wake. ¡°Young fellow?¡± Xu Disheng repeated with a callous gaze, eyeing Zhao Huichun, who was howling in pain. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, this person is Regional Lord Zhao of the Yecheng Region! He¡¯s our ally! How could you do this?¡± Xu Chaoyang exclaimed, his expression changing wildly. He quickly rushed to Zhao Huichun¡¯s side to help him stop the bleeding. Beads of sweat formed on Zhao Huichun¡¯s forehead as he moaned quietly in pain. There was a hint of fear in his eyes. He was a Xiantian stage martial artist, but his arm had been decapitated by some indescribable profound light. He couldn¡¯t even put up any resistance! Just who was this youth from the Xu Clan? ¡°Lord Zhao!¡± ¡°You dare¡­!¡± Seeing Zhao Huichun receiving an injury right before their eyes, they erupted with anger. One of them, who was exceedingly loyal, immediately pulled out his sword and charged at Xu Disheng! ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡± Zhao Huichun said hastily as soon as he saw the scene unfolding before him through the excruciating pain. However, his words were just a moment too late. That loyal aide was already right in front of Xu Disheng, bringing his sword down upon him! The youth didn¡¯t even look up. A black and white profound light flashed around him, and the person in front of him simply disappeared altogether, vanquished without a trace. ¡°So an ally of the Xu Clan can be rude to me then, is it? I¡¯m afraid even the Daoist Lords of Youyang Dao Palace might not have the right to call me ¡®young fellow¡¯,¡± Xu Disheng said, settling his gaze on Xu Chaoyang. ¡°Big Brother!¡± Xu Yan cried out as she came forward, unable to hold back her tears. ¡°Father hasn¡¯t been taking good care of me and Mother. Mother has already been living alone for several years, and I¡­¡± When Xu Disheng reached out to pat Xu Yan¡¯s long, silky hair, he was reminded of the long years past when she was just a 2 or 3 year old little infant, happily calling him brother in between suckles on their mother¡¯s teat. ¡°Bring me to where Mother is,¡± Xu Disheng said to her, glancing over the crowd. He saw Xu Xiao¡¯s complex gaze, but didn¡¯t inquire further. He simply stated that he wanted to go to where Jin Yu was. Xu Yan nodded, but she didn¡¯t start moving in the direction of Jin Yu¡¯s pavilion. She silently strode forward and started to use all of her force to pull at the barbed shackles wrapped tightly around Ye Zhaixing¡¯s ribs. But she was a fragile girl without much strength, so the shackles didn¡¯t budge in the slightest. ¡°Your husband?¡± Xu Disheng asked, looking at Ye Zhaixing, who was bloodied and on death¡¯s door. She nodded vigorously, grasping Ye Zhaixing hand, which was already ice cold from the blood loss. When she felt the chill in his body, she couldn¡¯t stop the tears from flowing down her face. Black and white profound qi wrapped around his body, and the alloyed iron shackles disappeared without a trace. Ye Zhaixing¡¯s wounds also healed somewhat. The bleeding stopped, and his deathly pale complexion regained a bit of color. Ye Zhaixing struggled to maintain a kneeling position as he said disjointedly, ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­ Big Brother¡­¡± Xu Disheng just shook his head. The phantom image of mountains and rivers appeared once more beneath his feet, and with a flourish of black and white profound light, Xu Yan was lifted into the air and carried in the direction of the city¡¯s pavilion complex. Xu Chaoyang¡¯s complexion fluctuated dramatically throughout all this, but in the end, he just let out a sigh and turned heel, walking off into the night. The small and large aristocratic families all looked at each other in dismay. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess that in the coming few days, it would be known to the entire You Province and its surrounding Regions that a youth far above the existence of a Xiantian had appeared in the Xu Clan. If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 137 Chapter 137 ¨C Northmost Divine Temple Moreover, he could fly in the skies by riding on black and white light, and the black and gold Daoist robe he wore was profound beyond comprehension. All of his techniques were in a category far above their understanding. The Young Patriarch Xu Fu¡¯s expression was unsightly as he looked at Ye Zhaixing, who was still in a severe condition. He said to Xu Xiao, ¡°Father, will Ye Zhaixing really be let off so easily?¡± Xu Xiao glanced at him with an ambiguous look, then turned and left with the members of the Xu Clan¡¯s Council of Elders. They were heading in the direction of Western Ravine Palace, the place where Grand Elder Xu Qinying always meditated. Only Xu Qian dared to come forward and try to persuade him. ¡°Xu Dis¡ªHe just freed Ye Zhaixing of his shackles. How can we still move against him now, Young Patriarch?¡± When he thought back to youth¡¯s indifferent gaze, Xu Fu shuddered. He had a really bad feeling that if he made an enemy out of Xu Disheng, he would ruthlessly destroy him despite the fact that he was his eldest son of their family and technically his half-brother. He immediately decided to drop the matter regarding Ye Zhaixing. He let out an embarrassed laugh and brought the rest of the Xu Clan with him, departing the scene. The various aristocratic clans and families of the Ruyang and Lin¡¯an Region were left there, wide-eyed as they exchanged glances with each other. The Xu Clan had already left, so they quickly exchanged pleasantries and went their separate ways. Ye Zhaixing propped himself up into a half-sitting position and leaned against the large stone stele that he had been chained to. As he gazed up at the resplendent moon, his thoughts were in turmoil. ¡°Xu Qian, just what cultivation realm is Xu¡­ Xu Disheng at? He could injure a Xiantian so severely, and from his attitude, it looked like he wasn¡¯t even trying.¡± She nodded her head and poked his forehead. ¡°There¡¯s no point making any absurd guesses. Him descending from the moon is already something that people like us can¡¯t comprehend.¡± Xu Ziyu muttered to himself, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that even those supreme Daoist Lords aren¡¯t able to fly. The things that happened tonight¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Sheng¡¯er!¡± Jin Yu exclaimed. She was still a few years from reaching her forties, but she now had a bit of wrinkles around her eyes that weren¡¯t there before. Nonetheless, her elegant, graceful appearance was undiminished compared to several years ago. The changes in her appearance were only very subtle. ¡°When you were 5 years old, you left home for 10 years without ever sending any letters. Then when you finally returned home, it wasn¡¯t long before you left again,¡± Jin Yu lamented as she tightly grasped Xu Disheng¡¯s hand, her crying in chorus with Xu Yan. ¡°And now you left for another several years before returning home. How could you be this heartless?¡± ¡°Mother, I have my own things I want to¡ª¡± Xu Disheng started, shaking his head lightly before Jin Yu interrupted him. ¡°You have your own things you want to do? Several years ago, you said the same thing! What is it that you need to do? You could stay with the Xu Clan and never be lacking for food or clothing, and experience all the glory and wealth in the world. You could even have as many concubines as you wanted. All of this is still not enough?!¡± Jin Yu questioned, her face bright red with agitation as she raised her voice. What is it that I wanted to do? When his mother¡¯s words entered his ears, a rare turbulence appeared in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. Jin Yu and Xu Yan were still saying something. But the voices that entered his ears were blurry and didn¡¯t register in his mind. In Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness, the cyan jade flute slowly underwent a transformation. When it finished taking form, it appeared as the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, with radiant beams of profound light glowing around it. A loud rumbling sound appeared in his mind as another restriction on his soul was released, opening up another piece of his soul. What is it that I wanted to do? Why was it this vague to me all this time? His surroundings seemed to distort before him. His view of Jin Yu and Xu Yan was broken up and scattered as he was dropped into a limitlessly vast, dark abyss. A glimpse of light appeared, growing as it dispersed the oppressive darkness. In the span of just a few moments, his body was surrounded with a dazzling radiance. When the light faded, the Oblivion Sky River could be seen above him, crashing as it flowed rapidly along. Below him was a gigantic divine temple, the spotlessly white brick extending beyond where his eyes could see. Xu Disheng was like a spectator in this scene. Although he was surely existing in the scene of this lofty divine temple, he had no way of touching or interacting with anything in a material sense. The man in the gold and purple robe turned around and said, ¡°You already entered the high and lofty Sah¨¡ Heaven, but you still had the thought to come and visit?¡± An limitless golden light condensed into a figure, who smiled. ¡°Is this the tone that the great Emperor Ziwei, one of the six rulers of the Heavenly Court¡¯s Middle Heaven, would use with an old friend?¡± Emperor Ziwei gazed off into the distance at the river in the sky and replied, ¡°As someone who had already attained the status of Bodhisattva and entered the Sah¨¡ Heaven, paying a visit to my Northmost Divine Temple is a tad improper.¡± Despite his words, Emperor Ziwei flicked his sleeves and a Buddhist feast composed of exotic fruits and exquisite beverages originating from a diverse variety of regions in the three heavens and nine realms appeared on the table. The golden light surrounding the figure faded, allowing his full appearance to be seen clearly. But the smile on his face also disappeared. ¡°This time, I¡¯m only here to say farewell,¡± the figure said. For the first time, Emperor Ziwei¡¯s indifferent expression showed some change, but he didn¡¯t ask what he meant. He continued staring off into the distance at the Oblivion Sky River, his thoughts obscure. But Xu Disheng¡¯s heart was pounding loudly. The figure¡¯s face was the exact same as his own, without the slightest disparity! However, the figure with his face was wearing gold and white Buddhist robes. There was a faintly discernible halo floating behind his head, and a holy Buddhist aura emanated inexhaustibly from his body. ¡°The Lord Buddha of Sah¨¡ Heaven, as well as that personage of the Heavenly Court, are both in a deep hibernation at the moment. If I want to pursue the Immortal Dao, this is my only opportunity.¡± Waves appeared in Emperor Ziwei¡¯s heart. ¡°Immortal Dao?¡± ¡°That is correct,¡± the figure said, the golden light radiating from his Buddhist robes gradually dimming down as his voice turned indifferent. ¡°In untold years past, the Great Buddhist Sun World and the Heavenly Court jointly worked out an agreement. The inexhaustible immortal qi from the Floating Immortal Heaven would be taken and used to repay all living beings of creation of the three heavens and nine realms by extending their longevity. This is what led to the existence of many beings with eternal life. But I want to rewrite the Immortal Dao. I want to imitate the ¡®Immortals¡¯ from several calamities past and return order to the three heavens and nine realms.¡± ¡°The Immortal race has been extinct for a long time now. The only thing left in the Floating Immortal Heaven is the inexhaustible immortal qi! They were too merciless, stripping the beings of the nine realms of their lifespans. That was something that none of the beings could tolerate!¡± Emperor Ziwei said, a rare hint of anger in his tone. ¡°The countless beings of the Heavenly Court and the Great Buddhist Sun World went through several calamities and tribulations before being able to overthrow their merciless rule. And now, you have the nerve to¡­!¡± The youth shook his head. The halo of virtue behind his head gradually scattered, and the 12 Buddhist Magic Artifacts around him were being destroyed one by one. His hundreds of years of attainments as a Bodhisattva were slowly being relinquished. ¡°Our convictions stand opposed. There¡¯s no need to argue further on this matter. But that respected personage in the Heavenly Court is in a state of dormancy, and you, Emperor Ziwei, can¡¯t stop me. In the end, I only came here to say goodbye to an old friend.¡± As he began to turn away, Emperor Ziwei¡¯s tone also restored its previous calm. ¡°If you insist on this, even I will have no choice but to be your enemy.¡± The golden radiance surrounding his body became subdued as the youth¡¯s figure dissipated and transformed into a cyan true soul. It entered a delicate, exquisitely detailed twelve-petaled lotus platform that had appeared at some point in time, and began to head off into the distance, towards the Nine Serenities Realm. ¡­ ¡­ When Xu Disheng opened his eyes, there was a newfound hint of immortal qi originating from the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda in his resplendent gaze. This strand of immortal qi took on a silver white color, and possessed an overbearing, tyrannical aura. Xu Disheng could only rely on the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, an Immortal Treasure that had existed since time immemorial, to make use of this immortal qi. And at this point, the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda had already reverted to its form as a cyan jade flute. The aura of an Immortal Treasure was too intense and grand. Right now, less than a hundredth of the power of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda had been unsealed. If it maintained its form as an Immortal Treasure for too long, there was a possibility that the Three Realms of the Golden Crow, the Sah¨¡ Heaven, and even the supreme Bodhisattvas in the Heavenly Court could perceive a hint of aura from this Immortal Treasure. What is it that I wanted to do? I wanted to return to the Six Paths of Reincarnation and unseal that sixth path that had been closed all this time¡ªthe Immortal Path. I want to go to the Floating Immortal Heaven. I want the countless living beings of the three heavens and nine realms to return their lives to heaven. I want to reforge the Immortal Dao that had been labeled as taboo. I will become one of those supreme Immortals, strip all living beings of their lifespans, and restore order to heaven and earth! I will replace emotion with ruthlessness and overcome any tribulations to achieve this! TL: This is a very important chapter for the future plot of Floating Immortal, where Xu Disheng finally realizes that he was a Bodhisattva in his previous life, so I wanted to clarify a bit. Dao is a term that has many meanings, and these meanings have been debated throughout the history of the idea. In one sense of its meaning, it can loosely mean ¡®path¡¯, ¡®road¡¯, or even ¡®beliefs¡¯. Here, I translated ÏɵÀ (xiandao) as ¡®Immortal Path¡¯ to refer to one of the reincarnation paths of the Six Paths of Reincarnation (such as the Sun Path, the Moon Path, the Human Path, the Ghost Path, the Sky Path, and now the taboo sixth one, the Immortal Path). But I also translated it in some parts as ¡®Immortal Dao¡¯ to refer to the path/way of the Immortal (becoming one, existing as one, etc.). If you appreciate the translation or want to sponsor a chapter, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi! CH 138 Chapter 138 ¨C I Originally Came to Recruit Disciples Xu Disheng bid farewell to Jin Yu and Xu Yan, then turned around and left the pavilion. He gazed at the expansive cityscape of Zhenhai City as the phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram appeared beneath him. But just as he was about to take off into the sky, a girl in a white dress appeared before him with a smile. ¡°Hey.¡± Xu Disheng glanced at the extremely pretty girl out of the corner of his eye, but he didn¡¯t stop. The black and white radiance around him continued to grow brighter. ¡°This¡­!¡± Xu Qingcheng took out a wooden tile with a cute dog engraved on it. Its was sitting on its haunches, gazing ahead with an obedient, lovable look in its eyes. Xu Disheng slowly drifted to the ground and took the wooden tile from her hands. As he closely examined it, a distracted look appeared in his eyes. When he took the wooden tile from her hands, his hand had inadvertently touched hers in passing. Her fair complexion blushed red, adding an even greater charm to her appearance. ¡°Back in the day, you left this behind at Juying Hall. I happened to find it and have been holding onto it for you all this time,¡± Xu Qingcheng said with a gentle smile. As a Xiantian transcendent of the Xu Clan, she was beautiful but normally extremely aloof. Yet at this moment, she looked like a little girl as she spoke to Xu Disheng. ¡°Well, looks like it¡¯s returned to its rightful owner now.¡± Xu Disheng put the wooden tile away, a hint of her delicate fragrance still lingering around him. ¡°It was considerate of you,¡± he said. He lowered his gaze, no longer looking at the girl in the white dress. The phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram appeared beneath his feet once more, and he ascended into the sky. He flew off, leaving behind a trail of black and white light as he disappeared into the night. The girl distractedly twirled a lock of her hair around her finger as the faint hint of expectation that had been hidden in her gaze gradually faded away into nothingness. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she muttered to herself, ¡°What was I even expecting?¡± She absentmindedly watched the black and white trail of light in the sky, feeling a bit dazed. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Aunt, Sister Yan, what did you summon me here so urgently for? Did you have something to tell me?¡± Jin Wuyou said, bowing politely outside the pavilion before entering. ¡°Wuyou, did you see Sheng¡¯er?¡± Jin Yu asked gently. It was possible to tell from her tone that she had been crying moments earlier, although her complexion had improved a lot. ¡°I saw him,¡± Jin Wuyou said, surveying the surroundings as he tried and failed to figure out her intent in asking this. ¡°Where is Eleventh Brother?¡± Since Xu Disheng was the eleventh son of Xu Xiao, Jin Wuyou referred to him as his proper title among the Xu Clan and Jin Clan, which was Eleventh Brother. Jin Yu took a silk handkerchief and softly dabbed at her eyes. ¡°He already left.¡± ¡°Huh?! He left so soon? From the moment he returned to the moment he left, it wasn¡¯t even two hours,¡± Jin Wuyou exclaimed in surprise as he roughly calculated the time. ¡°It¡¯s fine. If he leaves, he leaves. In the end, it wasn¡¯t possible to make him stay,¡± Jin Yu said, retrieving a blue longsword from behind her. ¡°This was something that your Eleventh Brother wanted to give to you for your protection. He said that this sword would be able to cut any Xiantian transcendent.¡± Jin Wuyou was even more dumbstruck. He didn¡¯t even remember interacting with Xu Disheng at all just now, but this sword¡­ it could slay Xiantians? But if it was his Eleventh Brother saying so, it had to be trustworthy. Next to her, Xu Yan spoke. ¡°Brother said that this is a Spirit Tool. He said that he had plenty of them, and even though you won¡¯t be able to display its full might, it would be more than sufficient for your protection.¡± ¡°I understand, Sister Yan,¡± Jin Wuyou said, giving a polite bow after taking the sword. ¡°Thank you Big Brother and Aunt for giving me this treasure.¡± Even by the time Jin Wuyou arrived at home, he still couldn¡¯t wrap his head around why Xu Disheng had given him this big of a treasure. He had tested its might on the way back, and it seemed capable of far more than just killing Xiantians! He was an ordinary Houtian stage martial artist, and a casual swipe of the blue sword unleashed several icy cold sword lights that traveled over 30 meters out. Not to mention those Xiantian transcendents, Jin Wuyou was confident that as long as he had this sword, he would even be able to put up a fight against those Daoist Lords who were revered as legends. ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng was flying among the clouds and mist. Beneath the pale moonlight, his eyes seemed even colder than the night. At this moment, Jin Qingzhao was wasting his life away in a hedonistic manner within the Jin Clan¡¯s ancestral domain. He had no idea that the incomplete Martial Treasure that he had gifted his little sister¡¯s only child over ten years ago had allowed him to buy several hundreds of years of prosperity for the Jin Clan. In Youyang City in the You Province¡­ Almost all of the citizens of the city had seen the sky-shattering black and white profound light, which momentarily stopped over the Youyang Dao Palace before leaving once more, casting powerful reflections and shadows in its wake. Only the few people at the highest level of power in the city knew a bit about what was happening. But they all tacitly took the same action, keeping their lips tightly sealed and not divulging the slightest bit of information. ¡°Sheng¡¯er, you actually managed to acquire a Magic Treasure like this in only several years¡¯ time¡­?¡± Daoist Lord Qingxin said with an emotional sigh as he stood atop the phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram. As the outer disciple of Zhuri Mountain Range back in the day, Daoist Lord Qingxin didn¡¯t even have a single Spirit Tool. He was incredibly poor. Laying eyes on a Magic Treasure that he had only heard of in rumors made him feel happy for Xu Disheng, if not a bit envious, even with his temperament. Xu Disheng simply said, ¡°If you like it, I can give it to you, master.¡± Qingxin shook his head. ¡°People like me are just here to recruit disciples for the sect. You shouldn¡¯t call me master anymore,¡± he said, looking down at the Yin Yang Diagram beneath him. ¡°Asking something like that of you would be even more improper. I¡¯m not someone who would forget favors and betray trust.¡± Standing next to him was a white-clothed youth called Zhang Yun. He was a disciple that Qingxin had taken in, and had Grade 2 Profound Meridians. He needed to bring him to the Grand Chu Imperial City to attend the unified sect entry exam. Xu Disheng¡¯s main purpose was to bring Qingxin back, but if there was a disciple to recruit, he couldn¡¯t simply return empty-handed. After all, Secret Realms Envoy Wei Yuanwei and the other intermediary disciple, Xing Xing, were waiting for him at the Grand Chu Imperial City. The Yin Yang Diagram was extremely fast. On the way, Xu Disheng saw some people from the Dao Palaces of other Provinces. They were riding on Spirit Clouds or longsword Spirit Tools. Compared to the speed of the three people aboard the Yin Yang Diagram, the other people were remarkably slow. To them, the Yin Yang Diagram was just a streak of black and white as it swept across the sky and disappeared off into the distance without a trace. At this moment, Xu Yan had stealthily pulled Ye Zhaixing aside into a pavilion and took out several things to hand to him. ¡°Big Brother said that you had Grade 3 Profound Meridians and could cultivate. These things were from him. You hold onto them.¡± What she didn¡¯t tell him was that she had personally pleaded for these things from Xu Disheng for his sake. Given Xu Disheng¡¯s indifferent temperament, it hadn¡¯t been a big matter to him. He simply handed her several things. CH 139 Chapter 139 ¨C Things Have Remained the Same In the Heavenly Heart Palace in Grand Chu Imperial City¡­ Emperor Chu was seated in his throne as always, his expression just as grave and stern as it was in the past. Although several years had flowed by, there were no changes to his appearance. ¡°It¡¯s only been several years since Liu Xiangji last came to this Secret Realm to recruit disciples. It really hasn¡¯t been very long since the last recruitment. We¡¯ve inconvenienced you and the Chu Territory,¡± Wei Yuanwei said from his seat to the left of the throne. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. These people are all the Chu Territory has,¡± Emperor Chu said, looking down at the lower hall of the palace at the several Daoist Lords who had arrived early. ¡°Plus, Celestial Tide Spirit Master issued a jade slip. No matter how big of an inconvenience it is, it can¡¯t be called an inconvenience.¡± Wei Yuanwei nodded, picked up his teacup, and took a light sip of the high-quality spirit tea. Rumbling booms resounded outside of Heavenly Heart Palace, accompanied by a black and white radiance filtering into the hall. Moments later, Xu Disheng entered the hall with Daoist Lord Qingxin and Zhang Yun. He took several steps forward and cupped his hands in salute. ¡°Martial Uncle Chu, Envoy Wei.¡± ¡°At ease,¡± Emperor Chu said, his grave and stern expression thawing into a gentle smile. ¡°How goes the matters that the Spirit Master entrusted you with?¡± ¡°Martial Uncle, the mission was completed smoothly. I¡¯ve brought¡­ Qingxin here,¡± Xu Disheng said, hesitating for a moment before finally deciding not to refer to him ¡®master¡¯ anymore. Emperor Chu nodded and looked at Qingxin, whom he had recollection of, as he had already spent over 200 years in the Chu Territory. ¡°Qingxin, Celestial Tide Spirit Master issued an order to have you freed of punishment, but the internal sect proceedings are still not fully complete. You will have to act accordingly.¡± ¡°Yes, Martial Uncle,¡± Qingxin said, also politely cupping his hands in salute. Emperor Chu no longer looked at him, closing his eyes and continuing to cultivate. Below, Xu Disheng silently perceived Emperor Chu¡¯s aura, which felt vast and profound. It was already stronger than Wei Yuanwei¡¯s aura by quite a bit. It seemed like he had already reached the bottleneck at the peak of the Dao Foundation stage. But would this damaged realm really be able to support his breakthrough to the Divine Core stage? After several hours, the people from each Province arrived in Heavenly Heart Palace. Since this time wasn¡¯t a unified sect recruitment, Wei Yuanwei had directly entered the Chu Territory with his two intermediary disciples without informing Emperor Chu beforehand. Thus, the Daoist Lords of each of the Dao Palaces hadn¡¯t come here in advance to wait for their arrival. Only after they descended upon the Imperial Court did Emperor Chu send out an order to each Province, instructing each Daoist Lord to bring their disciples. ¡°Realm Master Chu, shall we start then?¡± Wei Yuanwei asked. He and Emperor Chu weren¡¯t acquainted previously, unlike Secret Realms Envoy Liu Xiangji, who directly called him Brother Chu at the time. ¡°During the exam period, everything will be up to you, Envoy Wei,¡± Emperor Chu said while nodding, but he didn¡¯t stop cultivating. This wasn¡¯t all that surprising, given that there were only 6 or 7 people participating in the exam. It wasn¡¯t sufficient to draw much interest from him. It had only been several years since the last unified disciple recruitment period, so the Chu Territory was already quite outstanding to be able to produce another 6-7 people capable of becoming profound cultivators. Wei Yuanwei lightly waved his hand and a misty orb appeared in the center of the hall. In the light reflecting off the water vapor, the hundred vicissitudes of life could be seen¡ªpeople being born, growing old, and dying. ¡°A minimum of Grade 3 Profound Meridians is necessary to cultivate the profound laws. All of you meet the requirements, so we will only test your temperament. If you can make it out of the illusion realm in a quarter of an hour, you will be accepted into the sect.¡± Wei Yuanwei was clearly skipping over the steps, but no one dared to say anything. Zhang Yun, who had been standing beside Daoist Lord Qingxin, silently moved over to stand with the other 6 people taking the exam. ¡°Are you going in or not? What are you all waiting for?¡± Xing Xing, the other intermediary disciple, shouted reprovingly, clearly impatient. The complexions of the young men and women turned a bit unsightly, but they didn¡¯t dare to retort. After all, even the Daoist Lords were being extremely careful not to make any missteps. Plus, with Emperor Chu dismissively closing his eyes and cultivating, Wei Yuanwei was being extremely perfunctory about the sect entry examination, clearly not caring that much about it. They glanced at each other, then very carefully walked into the orb of mist, where illusions were continually fluctuating and flashing past. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± One of the girls screamed as she approached the orb of mist and was sucked in, disappearing without a trace. All that was left behind was her ear-piercing screech. Emperor Chu opened his eyes slightly, his brows furrowing in displeasure. There was a white-robed youth beside him. Seeing Emperor Chu¡¯s expression, he turned to the Daoist Lords and said coldly, ¡°Which Dao Palace does that disciple belong to?¡± Below, the dozen or so Daoist Lords lowered their heads and didn¡¯t reply. After a while, a voice said, ¡°Young Lord, that girl is my disciple.¡± This ¡®Young Lord¡¯, Chu Luo, walked down the stairs and stopped in front of the old man. ¡°Not only is one of the sect¡¯s Secret Realms Envoys here, but my forefather was also quietly cultivating just now. You have been in the Chu Territory for over 300 years, yet you bring a disciple like this who likes to scream and make a fuss? Do you only know how to bring disciples like these who lose face for our Chu Territory?¡± The old man was at the early Sea of Qi stage. Although Chu Luo was only at the Cleansed Meridians stage, his manner was overbearing, completely suppressing the old man into silence. As they were speaking, the 7 disciples who were taking the sect entry examination had all entered the orb of mist. Light radiated out from within, showing the scenes taking place inside the illusion realm. Xu Disheng roughly glimpsed the scenes and saw that the illusion realm was extremely simple. It was much like the small island he was on in the Mirage Sea Realm during the Internal Disciple Tournament. However, in this illusion, there were all kinds of temptations. If a regular mortal succumbed to these temptations, they would never be able to break out again. Xing Xing also didn¡¯t feel much interest in this. He turned and asked Xu Disheng, ¡°You were previously from the Chu Territory?¡± Xing Xing wasn¡¯t from the Mingxin Mountain Range. He was from the Third Mountain, Wenyuan Mountain Range. Thus, he didn¡¯t know Xu Disheng and just took him to be some ordinary disciple with a bit of backing. ¡°Yes,¡± Xu Disheng replied with a nod. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xing, we¡¯re about to leave for the An Territory, but will we be stopping back at Cangming Peak first?¡± When he heard the An Territory being brought up, Xing Xing¡¯s face turned stiff. He was clearly remembering the matter of Wei Yuanwei demanding 30 spirit stones from him. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Envoy Wei has the realm-crossing token. These tokens were refined by the supreme powers of Affairs Hall, and have links to each of the Mortal Secret Realms. With the realm-crossing token and the realm-crossing wooden boat, it¡¯s possible to go directly to any of the 27 Mortal Secret Realms,¡± Xing Xing explained unhurriedly as he continued to look at the happenings taking place in the misty orb. He had a good amount of patience for a colleague like Xu Disheng. A quarter of an hour quickly flew by. 6 people out of the 7 managed to escape from the mist within the time limit. Even the girl who had screamed earlier managed to tumble out at the last moment right before the time limit. CH 140 Chapter 140 ¨C But the People Have Changed Only Zhang Yun, who had been brought here by Daoist Lord Qingxin, was still stuck in the illusion realm. Wei Yuanwei didn¡¯t mind this and simply took back the large orb of mist. Zhang Yun tumbled out of it, his expression vacant and lost. Xu Disheng stood up and declared, ¡°You six people may enter the sect.¡± He took out a record jade slip and recorded their names and detailed information within, then handed it over to Secret Realms Envoy Wei Yuanwei. Wei Yuanwei took the jade slip, but he didn¡¯t immediately put it away. He looked over at Emperor Chu and Chu Luo, who was standing next to him. ¡°Realm Master Chu, this young fellow has had sufficient time to think. In the end, will he go or not?¡± Chu Luo had returned to Emperor Chu¡¯s side. At this moment, there was a look of hesitation on his face. Emperor Chu looked at Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Xu Disheng, weren¡¯t you a native of my Chu Territory¡¯s You Province?¡± ¡°Yes, Martial Uncle Chu,¡± Xu Disheng replied. ¡°Very good. I have a blood descendant with Grade 1 Profound Meridians who I want to send to Mingxin Mountain Range to cultivate. As a person also from the Chu Territory, could you please help look over him for me?¡± Emperor Chu said. He had his own communication network, and long since learned that Xu Disheng was one of the top 10 in the Sea of Qi division of the Internal Disciple Tournament, had multiple Magic Treasures on him, and could now be unquestionably considered a genius. He was also well aware that right now, Xu Disheng was an intermediary disciple in the Secret Realms Office of Affairs Hall. Although Emperor Chu was a Realm Master and a peak Dao Foundation stage existence, he knew that he couldn¡¯t push him around anymore. His attitude towards Xu Disheng was now extremely gentle and mild, and right now he was speaking as if he was consulting him on this matter. However, Xu Disheng knew the root cause of Emperor Chu¡¯s change in attitude towards him. He inwardly snorted and lifted his gaze to look at the ¡®Young Lord¡¯ Chu Luo beside Emperor Chu. He came forward and cupped his hands. ¡°Yes, Martial Uncle,¡± he said. Emperor Chu waved his hand, and a storage pouch appeared in the hall and landed in front of Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t put on any airs. With a thought, the Yin Yang Diagram flashed with black and white light, sweeping over the storage pouch and storing it within. ¡°Thank you, Martial Uncle,¡± he said. Chu Luo was extremely sensible. The fierce, imposing air he had when he was scolding that early Sea of Qi stage Daoist Lord earlier was nowhere to be seen. He cupped his hands respectfully to Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Greetings, Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and gestured with his eyes, hinting to him to stand behind him. Chu Luo came forward without a word and stood behind Xu Disheng, the look of hesitation on his face from before completely gone. Four years ago, Zhang Luo, a descendent of Emperor Chu¡¯s great-great-grandson, was tested to have Grade 1 Profound Meridians. He was also highly intelligent and bright, and earned the right to change his surname to Chu. For the past few years, he had been sticking closely with Emperor Chu and cultivating under his guidance. He often went out to gain practical experience, and had earned the title of ¡®Young Lord¡¯. With a peak Dao Foundation stage cultivator personally guiding him, Chu Luo was naturally no ordinary talent. His aptitude was exceptional, and he had even been exempted from taking the sect entry examination. A few years ago, there had been three people from the Chu Clan who took the sect entry examination at the same time as Xu Disheng, but Emperor Chu hadn¡¯t looked upon them with much importance. In the end, only Chu Qing¡¯er had entered the Mingxin Mountain Range, while the other two had been assigned to the Outer Region of Zhuri Mountain, where they would eventually die out in mediocrity with the rest. Originally, Emperor Chu didn¡¯t want to let Chu Luo enter the Sacred Sect this early. His plan had been to have him cultivate until he reached the Sea of Qi stage, at which point he would be able to skip over the barrier known as the Peak Examination and directly enter a Peak. This would be able to give him a higher starting point in the sect. But Wei Yuanwei¡¯s sudden arrival made him hesitate. There were pros and cons regardless of whether he chose to enter the Sacred Sect now or wait until the next unified disciple recruitment period. However, it was Xu Disheng¡¯s appearance that allowed Emperor Chu to make up his mind. If he was under the care of a recently risen Sea of Qi stage genius of Mingxin Mountain like Xu Disheng, Chu Luo probably wouldn¡¯t experience too much difficulty when he was in the Outer Region. Emperor Chu wasn¡¯t worried that Xu Disheng would only help him in a half-hearted manner. As someone who came from the Chu Territory, this label was attached to him and could never be removed from his identity as long as he was in the Shangqing Sacred Sect. In other peoples¡¯ eyes, they were of the same group. This was an undeniable fact. It was just like how Xu Disheng now had a connection to Celestial Tide Spirit Master and belonged to his influence. This was an irrefutable truth known to all of the people of Mingxin Mountain Range. On top of that, the gift inside the storage pouch wasn¡¯t light by any means. Even though Emperor Chu was a peak Dao Foundation stage Realm Master and someone from the same realm as him, he couldn¡¯t forcefully command Xu Disheng to do anything for him. But even under the premise that there was no benefit for Xu Disheng, Emperor Chu could still politely ¡®urge¡¯ him in a certain direction. Wei Yuanwei recorded Chu Luo¡¯s name in the record jade slip, then cupped his hands to Emperor Chu. ¡°Realm Master Chu, we won¡¯t be bothering you any more with these matters. We will be returning now,¡± he said. Emperor Chu nodded, then took out another two storage pouches, which he gave to Chu Luo. ¡°The arrangements for you to enter a Mountain are already in place. If you need anything in the future, you can consult with your Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± ¡°Yes, Forefather,¡± Chu Luo said, bidding farewell with a polite bow before putting away the storage pouches. At the Sky Platform above the Imperial Court¡­ Wei Yuanwei boarded the wooden boat first with Xu Disheng and Xing Xing, followed by Qingxin and Chu Luo. Then, the 6 disciples who had passed the exam got on the boat one by one. A stormy vortex appeared in the sky above them, and the Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat slowly passed through it. All that remained were several dozens of golden-armored soldiers solemnly standing above the Imperial Court. When the vortex faded, the wooden boat slowly landed, but unexpectedly they were right outside the great hall on Cangming Peak. Xu Disheng turned to look at Xing Xing. Xing Xing¡¯s expression was awkward. He had spoken so confidently earlier, concluding that they would surely be going straight to the An Territory. But now, reality was like a big, loud slap on his face. With a snort, Xu Disheng brought Qingxin, Chu Luo, and the other six disciples with him, disembarking from the wooden boat. Wei Yuanwei didn¡¯t get off the boat. Instead, he activated the realm-crossing token, and a black vortex appeared above the great hall once more. The realm-crossing wooden boat passed through it and disappeared without a trace. Upon entering the great hall, Xu Disheng¡¯s brows furrowed. It was evening now, and there were more than a dozen tables lined up in the hall. There were many disciples within, feasting on spirit fruits and drinking exquisite wines. The sounds of chatter and laughter were unceasing. ¡°Peak Director,¡± Xu Disheng greeted, cupping his hands to Yu Jia, who was seated in the seat of honor. ¡°Just coming back from the Secret Realm, is it? Where is the Envoy?¡± Yu Jia said, understanding the situation when he saw Xu Disheng and the people behind him. ¡°Envoy Wei dropped us off back at Cangming Peak, then directly left for the An Territory,¡± Xu Disheng replied. Yu Jia nodded and said, ¡°I recall that Wei Yuanwei said that he was going to the Chu and An Territories. The Realm Master of the Chu Territory sent a message, saying that a blood descendant of his might come this time. Where is this person now?¡± Xu Disheng turned his head. Chu Luo had been standing behind him all this time. Although he was nervous, he still came forward and said politely, ¡°Chu Luo of the Chu Territory greets the Peak Director of Cangming Peak.¡± ¡°Mhm. Take this token and enter the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain. Wait for¡­ the person beside you to make arrangements,¡± Yu Jia said, glancing at Xu Disheng. He waved his hand and a Mingxin Mountain outer disciple token landed in front of Chu Luo. CH 141 Chapter 141 ¨C And So What? Chu Luo took out one of the ornate storage pouches and placed it on the desk in front of Yu Jia before quietly withdrawing. After casually putting away the storage pouch, Yu Jia turned and instructed one of the disciples on his left, ¡°Assign these six people to the Mountains based on their talent. The records are in the jade slip. Afterwards, send the jade slips to Directory Hall and Affairs Hall.¡± ¡°As you command, Peak Director.¡± Unexpectedly, the person who answered to his command was Qin Gang. After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Qin Gang finished assigning the people to their respective Mountains according to their talent. Among them, there was an attractive girl who managed to be assigned to the Mingxin Mountain Range. Seeing Qin Gang making the records in the jade slip, Xu Disheng spoke to Yu Jia who was seated on high. ¡°Peak Director, we will have to ask to be excused now. The Spirit Master is still waiting for me to go back and report to him.¡± ¡°Hah?! Hurry, off you go then,¡± Yu Jia said, repeatedly waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. Upon hearing the words ¡®Spirit Master¡¯, he didn¡¯t dare to keep Xu Disheng here. According to the rules of Cangming Peak, the Secret Realms Envoy had to be present before the affairs hall disciples of Cangming Peak could assign the newly recruited disciples to their respective Mountains and record it in the jade slips. Yet at this moment, the Secret Realms Envoy, Wei Yuanwei, wasn¡¯t present. However, Yu Jia, Qin Gang, and Xu Disheng completely disregarded this rule, intentionally or otherwise. Xu Disheng brought Qingxin and Chu Luo out of the great hall. A black and white light flashed as the phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram slowly appeared around him. ¡°Young Lord, I am also headed for the Mingxin Mountain Range. If possible, could you please let me tag along?¡± the attractive girl who was assigned to the Mingxin Mountain Range said hurriedly to Xu Disheng and the others, quickly following them out of the hall. Chu Luo turned to look at her. They were previously acquainted. She was from the Yun Province Dao Palace, and she was well-loved by the Daoist Lords, to the point that her status was not very far off from a princess of Grand Chu Imperial City. But then, Chu Luo glanced furtively over at the youth in the black gold-trimmed Daoist robe. Xu Disheng was still sensibly keeping silent, turning a deaf ear to the girl¡¯s shouts. And sure enough, in the next moment, Xu Disheng activated the Yin Yang Diagram and they flew off. A barrier of light appeared around them as they shot off into the skies, rapidly cutting through the clouds and mist. He showed no signs of stopping for her whatsoever. ¡­ ¡­ The Eighth Mountain Range, Zhuri Mountain Range. This was the Mountain that was established the latest out of the eight. Despite being the ¡®latest¡¯, it had already existed for over 30,000 years now. 40,000 years ago, a Divine Sea stage patriarch of the Shangqing Sacred Sect went to Tianzhu Peak of Buzhou Mountain, where he met with the other Divine Sea stage beings of the Human Realm, who were then appointed as Rank 5 Divine Generals by the House of the Earth God. This earned them the right to go to the Heavenly Court, one of the three Heavens. But before this Divine Sea stage patriarch left, he left behind many inheritances and treasures. The previous Great Elder of the Cultivation Hall on Refining Heart Mountain, Primordial Lord Zhuri, was at the Primordial Spirit stage at the time. But by relying on heaven-defying luck and unparalleled powers of comprehension and destiny, he managed to comprehend one of the inheritances left behind by that Divine Sea stage patriarch. He broke through to the Clone Avatar stage in one go, which earned him the title of Saint Lord. A new Mountain Range was then established in his name, bringing light to all. If it weren¡¯t for Saint Lord Zhuri¡¯s previous status as ruler of Cultivation Hall, the strength and amount of resources that the Zhuri Mountain Range received from the Sacred Sect would have been even fewer, and far worse. The Zhuri Mountain Range had several tens of thousands of Sea of Qi stage disciples, several hundred Dao Foundation stage disciples, and over 200 Peaks, but there were only a scant few Divine Core stage Spirit Masters. Although the other Mountain Ranges had comparatively less Dao Foundation stage disciples, they were all elite disciples. Compared to the Dao Foundation stage disciples of the Zhuri Mountain Range, even the Deacons, Peak Masters, and other types who simply passed their lives on in a hedonistic manner were much stronger. The Dao Foundation stage disciples of Zhuri Mountain consisted of the people in the Eight Mountains with the worst temperaments and aptitudes. There were dragons mixed in with the fishes, but it was a common matter for them to scheme and fight against each other. The rules in this lowest ranked Mountain Range were even crueler than those of the other Mountain Ranges. The Outer Region of the Zhuri Mountain Range was rife with deceit and scheming. If you didn¡¯t exercise utmost caution, it was easy to be screwed over for eternity, with no hope of ever breaking free again. The branch of the Affairs Hall on Zhuri Mountain was also called Mountain Affairs Peak. There was an endless stream of disciples coming and going. The individual streaks of light coming from wayfaring flying-type Spirit Tools formed a constant, unbroken stream. Compared to the Mountain Affairs Peak of the Mingxin Mountain Range, the traffic here was far busier. But upon closer inspection, it was possible to see that the looks on the disciples¡¯ faces were rather fretful and impatient, and their cultivation bases couldn¡¯t be considered very good. There were many people who appeared to be the solitary, malicious type, and it could be seen from a mere glance that they weren¡¯t up to any good. Fu Chao walked out of the Sect Affairs Hall on Mountain Affairs Peak with two other people by his side, a pleased expression on his face. Just now, the three of them managed to secure themselves a spirit fruit retrieval mission. There was a high level of demand for these types of missions that required going to the mortals¡¯ provinces. Not only was there no danger involved, but they could also act heedlessly and enjoy their time outside of the sect. ¡°Are you Fu Chao?¡± A cold and distant voice could be heard. Fu Chao stared blankly for a moment before turning to Song Borong, who was standing at his side. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Song, did you hear someone calling me just now?¡± ¡°I seem to also have heard it.¡± It wasn¡¯t Song Borong who spoke, but Zhu Rou, who was standing on the other side of Fu Chao. He looked around at the disciples who were coming and going and said, ¡°But where is the person who spoke?¡± Song Borong¡¯s expression changed slightly when he lifted his head to look above him. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Fu, look up.¡± Fu Chao lifted his head and saw a black and gold-robed youth standing on an expanse of black and white profound light, floating in the air above Mountain Affairs Peak. ¡°Who are you? Don¡¯t you know that flying is forbidden in Mountain Affairs Peak?¡± Fu Chao said dubiously, not knowing this person¡¯s identity. ¡°Are you Fu Chao?¡± the youth repeated with the same exact cold and distant tone from before. ¡°Yes, but¡ª¡± Before he could even finish his words, a light flashed in the youth¡¯s eyes. The White Lotus Array Flag appeared and immediately suppressed Fu Chao. Fu Chao¡¯s expression changed dramatically. ¡°A Magic Treasure! And a top-grade one, at that!¡± He was immediately put at a loss and momentarily gave up all thoughts of resisting. ¡°Impudent!¡± A deafening roar echoed out. In the next moment, a blue smallsword flew out from the Human Affairs Hall at the summit of Mountain Affairs Peak and collided with the White Lotus Flag. An ear-piercing metallic screech rang out as the two colors clashed and then faded. Invisible ripples spread out from the point of impact. The blue smallsword flew back, while the White Lotus Array Flag quivered as it flew back to Xu Disheng¡¯s side where it hovered unassumingly. Fu Chao paled. Next to him, Song Borong¡¯s and Zhu Rou¡¯s expressions were changing dramatically, clearly unable to figure out what had just occurred. A Dao Foundation stage Deacon flew out from Human Affairs Hall on a sword light and appeared before them. He eyed Xu Disheng and said coldly, ¡° A top-grade Magic Treasure? But no matter what background you have, attacking another disciple within the sect and brazenly violating the rules of the sect is nothing but a sentence to a million deaths!¡± CH 142 Chapter 142 ¨C Proof? There were Dao Foundation stage Deacons in each of the other halls. Although they didn¡¯t come out from their halls, they were secretly watching the scene taking place in the air, trying to see which disciple had the guts to attack another disciple within sect territory. ¡°I am intermediary disciple Xu Disheng from the main branch of Affairs Hall, acting on orders to investigate an incident that happened 280 years prior. Lord Deacon, do you really intend to interfere with my mission?¡± Xu Disheng asked lightly, not cowed in the slightest despite there being a Dao Foundation stage Deacon right in front of him. When the Deacon heard the words ¡®main branch of Affairs Hall¡¯, his expression started to change. In the end, he let out a cold snort and said, ¡°You have a mission token?¡± The imposing force in his tone had subsided considerably compared to before. Although he was also part of Affairs Hall, he only had a position as a Deacon in the Human Affairs Hall of Mountain Affairs Peak in the Eighth Mountain. He couldn¡¯t restrict an intermediary disciple of the Third Mountain from carrying out his tasks. With a flip of Xu Disheng¡¯s hand, the mission token appeared between his fingers. The Deacon glanced at Fu Chao, then flew away on his sword light back to the Human Affairs Hall. ¡°280 years ago?¡± Fu Chao repeated in a puzzled tone. After a moment, his expression began to take a turn for the worse as if he remembered something. ¡°You¡¯ll be coming with me,¡± Xu Disheng said. The White Lotus Array Flag suppressed Fu Chao once more, and he felt an irresistible force sucking him into it. After wasting away 300 years, he was still only at the peak Sea of Qi stage. He never managed to chance upon any opportunity that could help him break through to the Dao Foundation stage. He had managed to save up some wealth throughout the years. Although he still didn¡¯t have a single Magic Treasure, he did have two high-grade Spirit Tools. Fu Chao gritted his teeth, took out a stone cauldron, and poured his strength into it to try and block the attractive force of the White Lotus Array Flag. But it was to no avail. He could still feel the force pulling on his body unabated, causing his expression to warp. In a low growl, he said, ¡°Lord Intermediary Disciple, did you perhaps get the wrong person? I have never broken any sect rules!¡± Xu Disheng stopped pouring energy into the White Lotus Array Flag. With a ruminating expression, he replied, ¡°If I say you violated the sect rules, then you violated the sect rules. Do you really think there¡¯s anyone who can save you now?¡± Fu Chao looked around him. Song Borong had already moved far, far away, and even Zhu Rou, who had been a close partner of his for many years, had withdrawn to the side with an ugly expression on his face. There were many others who had seen the ruckus taking place, and some of them were pointing at him, reveling in his misfortune. A good number of them were martial brothers and sisters who he was familiar with. An idea flashed through Fu Chao¡¯s mind and he formulated a plan of action. He yelled out, ¡°Where is the proof?! You don¡¯t have any proof! You don¡¯t have any reason to take me away in front of so many people!¡± As Fu Chao saw more and more people gathering around to watch the scene taking place, he gathered his courage and took out a jade slip. He clenched his teeth and spoke. ¡°I will report to Disciplinary Hall that you are bending the law to your favor and exploiting a public post to avenge private wrongs!¡± Although he didn¡¯t know what grudge Xu Disheng had against him, as long as occupied the moral high ground, it would be easier to speak if a disciplinary hall disciple came. Xu Disheng stood there in the air, fiddling with the White Lotus Array Flag with the same ruminating expression as before. After a short while, two black-clothed disciplinary disciples flew over on streaks of light and surveyed the situation. Seeing the disciples surrounding the peak of Mountain Affairs Peak, one of them said coldly, ¡°Who is causing trouble here?¡± Fu Chao looked like he had finally found his saving grace. He yelled out, ¡°Senior Martial Brothers, this person was trying to drag me away to Affairs Hall to be tortured or executed, without any evidence whatsoever!¡± ¡°Affairs disciple?¡± one of the disciplinary disciples said, looking at Xu Disheng. ¡°What is it? The Zhuri Mountain branch of Disciplinary Hall also wishes to impede me from carrying out my task?¡± Xu Disheng said indifferently, showing the mission token. ¡°You may carry out your task. However,¡± the black-clothed disciple said, glancing at the token, ¡°Where is the evidence? Only if you have conclusive evidence will you be permitted to take this person away.¡± He was clearly implying that if Xu Disheng didn¡¯t have evidence, he would be going nowhere. Xu Disheng sneered coldly. Before the disciplinary disciple had time to speak, he activated the White Lotus Array Flag and sucked Fu Chao into it. The Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals appeared and erased Fu Chao¡¯s soul in an instant. Xu Disheng casually moved a portion of his Soul Force into Fu Chao¡¯s empty body, then brought him back out of the White Lotus Array Flag. Fu Chao appeared once again, but his eyes were lifeless and dull. He was like a jiangshi as he stood behind Xu Disheng on the black and white light of the Yin Yang Diagram. (TL: Jiangshi ¨C a Chinese zombie/vampire) ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± The two disciplinary disciples¡¯ expressions turned nasty. They weren¡¯t from the branch of Affairs Hall on Mountain Affairs Peak, so they didn¡¯t have to give the main branch of the Wenyuan Mountain Affairs Hall any face. Xu Disheng actually dared to kill a disciple right in front of their faces! If they let this slide, where would the honor of the Disciplinary Hall go? Both of them took out their respective Magic Treasures and cast spells, causing beams of destructive power to shoot towards Xu Disheng. Disciplinary disciples had the authority to act first and report later. As long as they had reasonable grounds to do so, they were even permitted to kill within sect territory! Xu Disheng could see that they were peak Sea of Qi stage disciples from Zhuri Mountain. He activated the White Lotus Array Flag once again with a sneer. ¡°Small fries.¡± The might of a top-grade Magic Treasure was displayed once more, annihilating their beams of destructive power. The momentum of its power continued on unabated, pressing down on the two disciplinary disciples. The two black-clothed disciplinary disciples had the protection of Magic Treasures, but they were only able to resist for a few moments before being sucked into the White Lotus Array Flag. The Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals appeared, but Xu Disheng didn¡¯t order them to directly attack. They merely flitted past the two of them, sapping some of their Soul Force away. Both of them became frightened out of their wits, and Xu Disheng tossed them out of the White Lotus Array Flag. ¡°280 years ago, Fu Chao violated sect rules by framing a fellow disciple. I have conclusive evidence of this. He is guilty as charged, and will be coming back with me to Affairs Hall to face his punishment.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s indifferent voice could be heard on the wind as he rode away into the mist and clouds on the Yin Yang Diagram. ¡°That Wenyuan Mountain affairs disciple was so overbearing!¡± ¡°That person¡¯s array flag Magic Treasure was so strong!¡± ¡°Those two Senior Martial Brothers from Disciplinary Hall were elite disciples, but they were both beaten in one move! Are the peak Sea of Qi disciples of Wenyuan Mountain all this strong?¡± ¡°That person was most likely only at the early Sea of Qi stage. What a terrifying genius.¡± The two disciplinary hall disciples tumbled through the air after being ejected from the White Lotus Array Flag. As they used their Magic Treasures to stabilize themselves, their faces flashed between shades of pale white and sickly green. Then, they exchanged a glance with one another and left on their Magic Treasures without another word. What could they even do? If Xu Disheng was an ordinary disciple, the two of them could report this matter to the Dao Foundation stage Deacon of Disciplinary Hall and have him arrested. However, Xu Disheng had the mission token of the main branch of Affairs Hall. He was simply carrying out affairs in a fair and square manner, so even though he had harmed a fellow disciple, he hadn¡¯t violated a single sect rule. But that wasn¡¯t the most important point. Disciplinary disciples would each be granted a Magic Treasure from Disciplinary Hall to guarantee each disciplinary disciple had the strength to enforce the sect rules, regardless of their Sea of Qi stage cultivations. However, the two of them were beaten by Xu Disheng in a single move. After being sucked into the array flag, they were ejected from it moments later in a sorry state. This was no different from losing all face for the Zhuri Mountain branch of the Disciplinary Hall. Xu Disheng¡¯s black hair fluttered in the wind as they shot through the clouds and mist. A strand of profound qi appeared from the tip of his finger, forming into a drop of Pure Oblivion Water. It completely destroyed Fu Chao¡¯s body, turning him into a smoke that drifted off and melded into the mist. Although Daoist Lord Qingxin had explained his entire story to Xu Disheng, Xu Disheng simply found the situation a bother. Daoist Lord Qingxin only remembered the name of the person who caused him to fall to the position he had been trapped in for hundreds of years. But by using the authority given by the mission token, Xu Disheng was able to find Fu Chao in the records of Affairs Hall. Affairs Hall recorded the detailed information of every disciple. The identity tablets had the disciples¡¯ personal auras in them, so it was all too easy for an affairs disciple to locate the person they wanted to find. Xu Disheng had convicted him without any investigation or concrete evidence, but he didn¡¯t care even if he ended up drawing criticism for his actions. Although Celestial Tide Spirit Master had only said a few lines to him when they exchanged words on the chariot atop the giant turtle, there was a lot of information hidden in his words. At the time, he had said ¡®act at your own discretion¡¯, and ¡®bring Qingxin back¡¯. It was undoubtedly true that Qingxin being unwittingly framed and banished to the Secret Realms was a matter that ended up losing face for Celestial Tide Spirit Master. If Xu Disheng had really gone through the effort of investigating and wasting a whole bunch of time to acquire the conclusive evidence that might not even exist in the first place before convicting him, Celestial Tide Spirit Master might actually end up feeling disappointed with him. Celestial Tide Spirit Master directly bestowing him a position in Affairs Hall and giving him the intermediary disciple token was the same as giving him a blank check, making it much more convenient for Xu Disheng to do whatever it was he needed to do. Eliminating that scum and forging a jade slip to send to Affairs Hall¡ªthat was most likely the conclusion that Celestial Tide Spirit Master desired for this matter. CH 143 Chapter 143 ¨C Unexpected Gains ¡°Do you believe in predestination?¡± an old man asked, reeling in his fishing rod. There was a golden koi fish struggling on the end of his line. He reached out and removed the fish from the hook before tossing it into the bamboo fish basket at his side. ¡°Predestination? What¡¯s that?¡± a black-haired youth said, scratching his head in confusion. ¡°Predestination is the theory that every person¡¯s fate has already been fixed from birth, such that no matter what choices you make or who you meet, all future outcomes have already been preordained,¡± the old man responded. ¡°Huh? Wouldn¡¯t that be really scary?! If every one of my moves and thoughts were already fixed, how would I be any different from a puppet?¡± the black-haired youth exclaimed. The old man cast out his line once more and shook his head with a smile. ¡°The doctrine of predestination has already been relegated to mere folklore. Now, all living beings are said to no longer be bound by fate. Every living being has limitless possibilities.¡± ¡°Then Primordial Lord, why do you mention this¡­?¡± the black-haired youth asked doubtfully. The old man gazed into the endless domain of water in front of him and chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve been arduously cultivating the Dao of Divining for nearly ten thousand years now. Many others at the Clone Avatar stage can¡¯t compare with the level of mastery that I¡¯ve reached in this Dao. Last time I did a divination for Refining Heart Saint Lord, I inadvertently perceived that there was a massive change in the constellations.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t the stars in the sky under the control of the Heavenly Court? Is even the Heavenly Court, one of the three heavens, capable of making mistakes?¡± the black-haired man muttered, looking up at the sky full of stars above his head. ¡°The constellation map is just like the three suns and three moons in that they are entities of nature. However, the constellations have been expropriated by living beings,¡± the old man said, reeling in his fishing rod again. This time, there was a small black sea serpent with a high level of spiritual awareness wrapped tightly around the hook. ¡°The three suns, for example, have been refined by the deities into vast domains. These realms were given to the Bodhisattvas to protect.¡± The small black sea serpent nimbly uncoiled itself from around the hook and slithered to the ground at the old man¡¯s feet. It bent its body as if it was bowing respectfully to the old man. The old man gazed at the small black sea serpent at his feet as he continued. ¡°There has never been a change in the constellations before. Also¡­¡± he lifted his head and gazed up at the sky full of resplendent stars before continuing, ¡°The Heavenly Court is only in control of the power behind the constellations; they cannot control the inner workings of it. Last time I divined an augury diagram, I noticed that surprisingly, the constellation map was emitting a fading hint of the aura of predestination. The black-haired youth looked confused, seeming to partially understand what the old man was saying. He smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Primordial Lord, this¡­¡± ¡°Not willing to listen anymore, is it? You always say you don¡¯t want to learn this, you don¡¯t want to learn that¡­ What do you even want to learn? Your ancestor didn¡¯t send you here to keep this old man company and go fishing!¡± the old man said. His tone was strict, but he was still a bit helpless towards this youth in front of him. ¡°I want to learn the Dao of Curses!¡± the youth said, emphasizing each word with a bright gleam in his eyes. The old man was a Primordial Lord, but he facepalmed and let out a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯m proficient in several dozens of different types of major Dao. Why did you have to be so insistent on this one Dao?¡± ¡°Because I can secretly curse people to death, and they wouldn¡¯t even know it was me!¡± the black-haired youth exclaimed excitedly, the gleam in his eyes becoming even brighter as if he suddenly thought of something amusing. ¡°I¡¯m begging you, please teach me, Primordial Lord!¡± ¡°I only have a cursory understanding of the Dao of Curses, but there is this one spell that would presumably fit well with your tastes¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll learn it!¡± The old man silently apologized to a certain Clone Avatar Lord before speaking. ¡°Alright. Starting from tomorrow, I will teach you a somewhat famous curse that I picked up in the Shan Mountain region of the Earth Realm known as the Seven Head-Seeking Arrows Scripture. When the old man stood up, he glanced down at the small black sea serpent at his feet. He released a stream of profound light that landed on its body, then picked up the bamboo fish basket and left with the black-haired youth. After the small serpent was basked in the profound light, its body started to gradually undergo indescribable changes. It let out a low roar before turning around and diving back into the endless body of water. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± ¡°Respectful greetings, Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± When Xu Disheng landed on Morning Dew Peak, the disciples nearby all looked over at him with reverent gazes and greeted him with respectful bows. After Xu Disheng had earned a spot in the top 10 in the Sea of Qi division of the Internal Disciple Tournament, he had earned the respect and recognition of all of the ordinary disciples. ¡°No need to be so courteous,¡± Xu Disheng said, casually waving a hand. He went directly towards the summit of the Peak. Last time, Peak Master Lu Changge told him that he had arranged a new courtyard for him. He recently notified Xu Disheng that the renovations were complete and he could go there directly if he wanted. When Xu Disheng looked around at the extraordinary courtyard that was normally the standard for only the Dao Foundation stage Deacons, he gave an approving nod. Then, he opened the barrier of light and entered. As soon as he went in, his jade identity tablet began to vibrate, and more than a dozen different messages flew in and landed in front of him. After a rough look through them, he found that the senders were He Junyu, Lu Changge, Bai Zhehua and others from Morning Dew Peak, Li Dan, and Yuan Qi. The most eye-catching one was the sect jade slip at the top, emitting a green jade light that caused light to forth in a dazzling halo. Xu Disheng reached out and grabbed it, then sunk his consciousness into it. ¡°The ranking rewards for the Sea of Qi division of the tournament have been issued. Please bring this jade slip with you to Human Affairs Hall on Mountain Affairs Peak to receive the reward.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes twitched when he thought of the generous rewards promised by the tournament. He had placed 4th in the entire Mountain Range, so the resources he could obtain¡­ it was simply unimaginable. Aside from the standard issue reward of a Magic Treasure, there were also many rare treasures to be had. When he swept through the list of rewards, he felt moved by what he saw despite the fact that he had several tens of thousands of spirit stones in wealth at the moment. He immediately put away the jade slip and left his courtyard, flying towards Mountain Affairs Peak. As he flew on the black and white Yin Yang Diagram, many disciples either bowed to him or greeted him along the way. As a result, the short distance to Mountain Affairs Peak ended up taking him as long as the time it took an incense stick to burn. When he landed on Mountain Affairs Peak, there were even more disciples coming to speak to him and bowing to him in greeting. Many of them had reverent gazes, while some felt happy but envious inside when they looked at him. These kinds of gazes were usually reserved for people like Yu Yangyao, Jian Liangbi, and He Junyu, but now Xu Disheng was among them too. However, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t act aloof and detached towards them. He nodded to them in greeting and sometimes responded. Under the gaze of many, he made his way towards Human Affairs Hall at the summit of the Peak. ¡°Lord Deacon, I came to receive the reward from the tournament,¡± Xu Disheng said, taking out the green jade slip and handing it to the Dao Foundation stage Deacon, who had been silently cultivating in the hall. ¡°Sea of Qi division, 4th place Xu Disheng?¡± the Deacon said, looking deeply at Xu Disheng. ¡°This is your reward.¡± A simple and unadorned interspatial ring slowly flew over to him and hovered in front of Xu Disheng. ¡°Thank you,¡± Xu Disheng said, reaching out and grabbing the interspatial ring. When he peeked inside, his pupils constricted slightly in surprise. ¡°Something from Celestial Tide Spirit Master is also in there, which I am giving to you now on his behalf along with the other rewards from the tournament,¡± the Deacon said flatly, as if he knew what Xu Disheng was thinking. ¡°Thanks again for your troubles, Lord Deacon,¡± Xu Disheng said gratefully. He pondered for a moment before taking out a storage pouch and placing it next to the Deacon. Then, he cupped his hands politely and left. Not only were the generous rewards bestowed by the sect contained in that interspatial ring, but there was also a fully intact array diagram quietly floating within. The array diagram was clad in a thick killing intent, and there were four exquisite swords revolving around it endlessly. Each sword emitted a different color radiance, the four colors weaving together into a beautiful spectacle. It was none other than the Demon Punishing Array Diagram, which previously belonged to Kou Zun! Xu Disheng was fully aware of the might of this array diagram. It was even stronger than the White Lotus Array Flag. After all, it was only a thread of spirituality short of being a Psychic Magic Treasure, which meant it was truly an outstanding weapon. However, the reason why it was short by just a hint of spirituality was because this array diagram was actually an imitation of a heaven-shaking, paramount treasure which still existed somewhere out there. As long as this paramount treasure still existed, a counterfeit of it wouldn¡¯t be permitted to gain a spiritual ego. This was a mysterious rule of nature that had existed throughout time and spoke volumes about the fearsome power of this genuine, original treasure. After Xu Disheng left Human Affairs Hall, he took out the Demon Punishing Array Diagram and the reward he received from the tournament, a top-grade Magic Treasure known as the Dharma Breaking Sword. He put his spiritual mark on both of them to bind them to him before placing them in his sea of consciousness. The Dharma-Breaking Sword had an extremely high attack power, and it had the ability to break sealing arrays. The description was simple. But from the profound light revolving around it, it was clear that it wasn¡¯t ordinary. It could be seen from its appearance alone that it was a top-grade Magic Treasure oriented towards bloodshed and slaughter. At this moment, Xu Disheng already had five Magic Treasures in his sea of consciousness, which was the maximum that someone at the Sea of Qi stage could hold. It wasn¡¯t possible for him to bind and use a sixth Magic Treasure. Among the five Magic Treasures bound to him, the Demon Punishing Array Diagram was the strongest. The White Lotus Array Flag and the Smoky Cloud Screen were slightly inferior to it, but nonetheless, both of them were still at the peak among top-grade Magic Treasures. Below those were the Yin Yang Diagram and the Imperial Demon Brush. Both of them were quite good for Magic Treasures, but they fell short when compared to Magic Treasures at the grade of the White Lotus Array Flag and the Smoky Cloud Screen. However, Xu Disheng¡¯s cyan jade flute wasn¡¯t subject to this five Magic Treasures limit. At this point, Xu Disheng could already control it to some degree, and activating it would cause it to transform into the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda for a certain amount of time. A special red jade slip flew towards Xu Disheng with great speed and stopped right in front of Xu Disheng, vibrating in place. Xu Disheng picked it up and carefully looked it over. There was an interspatial space in this jade slip, so it was like half an interspatial ring while still serving its purpose as a way of passing on messages. In other words, it was an extremely expensive means of communication. Placed neat and tidily inside that interspatial space were over 20,000 spirit stones. A man¡¯s voice was transmitted into his ears. ¡°Dear esteemed customer, the sales of the six Magic Treasures that you consigned to our Spirit Karma House have been completed. The Remnant Rainbow Sword and the Silver Silk Net have been sold for 7,900 spirit stones and 6,850 spirit stones respectively. The other four ordinary Magic Treasures have been sold for a total of 8,360 spirit stones. In total, the sales amount comes out to 23,110 spirit stones. After subtracting our commission from this sum, we are now sending you 20,799 spirit stones via this special scarlet storage jade slip.¡± CH 144 Chapter 144 ¨C He Yin Xu Disheng put down the bottle of Qi Boosting Pills in his hand, the white profound qi surrounding him gradually fading away. The Sea of Qi in his Jianggong acupoint had already expanded by several times and formed its own self-replenishing cycle. His body was abundant with Shangqing profound qi. Faint wisps of it drifted out from his body, gracing his every movement and gesture. Xu Disheng had just broken through to the peak Sea of Qi stage, and at the moment, there was still some profound qi in his meridians that he couldn¡¯t fully control. After regulating his breathing for a while, his Sea of Qi stabilized completely. In his Jianggong Sea of Qi, there was an endlessly spinning vortex, constantly producing more profound qi. Qi Boosting Pills were extremely expensive. Each one cost 80 spirit stones, and their effects were significant. Now that Xu Disheng had cultivated to the upper limit of the Sea of Qi stage, his sea of profound qi couldn¡¯t expand any further. If he wanted to advance further, he could only rely on his own destiny and powers of comprehension to try to comprehend his own Dao Path and build a foundation from the profound laws. Only by doing this could he break through to the Dao Foundation stage. The majority of the Dao Paths that people comprehended were related to a desire for longevity, forging ahead bravely, becoming stronger, or fulfilling an oath. But these Dao Paths were already walked by many, so constructing their foundation from profound laws was a lot simpler. After all, they could draw on the experiences of countless other people who had walked the same path, so they would rarely end up down the wrong path. The remaining minority would walk paths related to slaying monsters, eliminating ghosts, strengthening their sect, refining Magic Treasures, or other kinds of Dao Paths that were less orthodox. Although they deviated from the mainstream paths, they each had merits to them that made them equally matched. The Dao Path had a lot to do with one¡¯s own heart of cultivation, and in advancing from the Dao Foundation stage to the Divine Core stage. As soon as one entered the Dao Foundation stage, it would no longer be possible to make any changes to one¡¯s Dao Path. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, Senior Martial Brother Jian and I have a share in a large-scale mission to go to the He Yin Territory. If you want to come with us, go to Mingxin Peak right away after viewing this message and go to the palace hall where Senior Martial Brother Jian is.¡± Xu Disheng put away the jade slip he received from He Junyu and pondered for a moment. Then, he stood up and left his room. Jian Liangbi was the disciple of Severing Meridian Spirit Master Feng Simiao, and an extremely rare genius with a Rank 4 Spiritual Root. His background was formidable, and even though he was only at the Sea of Qi stage, he already had his own palace hall on the 1st ranked Mingxin Peak. The Internal Disciple Tournament was still underway, but the Sea of Qi division had concluded a long time ago. Right now, the Dao Foundation division of the Internal Disciple Tournament was ongoing. Their competing venue wasn¡¯t the Green Lotus Domain, but in one of the sect¡¯s Secret Realms. After all, there were only a few dozen Dao Foundation stage disciples competing in the tournament, so selecting the top 10 out of such few people was an extremely simple matter. There was almost no suspense involved. Severing Meridian Spirit Master¡¯s domain, Passing Meridian Palace, was a massive, unparalleled structure at the summit of Mingxin Peak. Jian Liangbi¡¯s palace hall was a side hall among the many halls in the complex. Although it wasn¡¯t comparable to Severing Meridian Spirit Master¡¯s main great hall, it was still lofty and magnificent, not at all inferior to his identity as the direct descendent of a Spirit Master. At this moment, there were already several dozen disciples in front of the hall. When Xu Disheng landed, he saw some familiar faces, namely Li Cangyun, Yan Cheng, and some of the other top geniuses. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, you¡¯re also coming to the He Yin Territory?¡± Li Cangyun asked Xu Disheng, a hint of surprise in his tone. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Li,¡± Xu Disheng greeted, looking around at the disciples. Practically all of them were elite disciples, and some of them were even top ranking geniuses. ¡°I still haven¡¯t received the mission details.¡± Li Cangyun nodded. But just when he was about to open his mouth to speak, he saw Jian Liangbi and He Junyu come out from the hall. He immediately closed his mouth and turned his head, hinting to Xu Disheng. ¡°At the border between the Shan Mountain Territory and the He Yin Territory, an inheritance that is estimated to be at the Primordial Spirit stage in rank has appeared. It has recently been gradually attracting many Dao Foundation stage and Sea of Qi stage geniuses, causing them to converge on the location. Orders from the Mountain have designated Martial Uncle Jing Xingchen and Martial Uncle Bian Hongyu as leaders of the team. They were to choose several Sea of Qi stage geniuses to bring along with them for practical experience, and completing this ordeal would count as participating in a large-scale mission,¡± Jian Liangbi declared indifferently as he swept his gaze over the several dozen disciples present. ¡°Martial Uncle Jing Xingchen!¡± ¡°Martial Uncle Jing is the number one genius among our Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Dao Foundation stage disciples. He even earned 4th place in the Dao Foundation division of the last Eight Mountains Grand Tournament!¡± Many of the disciples looked excited. It wasn¡¯t that they lacked composure. Rather, Jing Xingchen¡¯s reputation was just too huge. Although he had a Rank 5 Spiritual Root, he had a natural talent for the sword. His Dao Path was entirely focused on the sword, and he was the only person at the Dao Foundation stage in the Mingxin Mountain Range who had once fought against Sacred Son Feng Shao. Even in the entire eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, he was publicly recognized as a genius in the Dao of the Sword. Moreover, this time¡¯s mission was mainly for gaining practical experience, so there wasn¡¯t a single specific objective. Many of the disciples¡¯ expressions revealed looks of eager excitement as they looked forward to seeing more of the wider world at the boundary between the Shan Mountain Territory and the He Yin Territory. Jian Liangbi¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. ¡°Quiet,¡± he reprimanded. The disciples quieted down, but the bright gleam in their eyes was undiminished. Next to him, He Junyu spoke. ¡°This time, only six disciples at the Sea of Qi stage were chosen to go. Senior Martial Brother Yu has other matters to attend to, hence Senior Martial Brother Jian and I called you all here. We will select three people from among you to come with us.¡± Guan Lu came forward and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother He, you and Senior Martial Brother Jian are only two people. Why are you only selecting three people?¡± He Junyu gave him a sideways glance and replied, ¡°Because we have already picked out one person, why do you ask?¡± ¡°No, nothing,¡± Guan Lu said, his expression stiffening. He then hurriedly retreated to one side. ¡°Junior Martial Brother He, we¡¯ll bring along Junior Martial Sister Yinghong. You can go ahead and pick the other two, I¡¯ll head over to where Martial Uncle Jing is first,¡± Jian Liangbi said, casually handing over the task to He Junyu. A multi-colored light flashed around his body and he rose into the air, disappearing off into the horizon in the blink of an eye. ¡°Luo Yinghong and Xu Disheng, come forward,¡± He Junyu instructed, glancing at a beautiful girl in a red dress. ¡±Yes, Senior Martial Brother He,¡± the girl responded, an attractive glimmer reflecting in her eyes as she came forward and quietly stood next to him. "" Li Cangyun, Guan Lu, Yan Cheng, and the others watched as Xu Disheng went forward, a hint of envy in their gazes. He Junyu paused for a moment, contemplating as he swept a cursory gaze over the disciples. Then, he said, ¡°Li Cangyun.¡± Li Cangyun¡¯s face lit up. He cupped his hands and came forward. ¡°Guan¡ª¡± Before he could say the two words of Guan Lu¡¯s name, he was interrupted by someone. ¡°He Junyu, I will go with you guys,¡± a white-clothed youth declared loudly as soon as he descended on his spirit crane and landed on the Peak. He Junyu¡¯s brows furrowed slightly as he spoke, ¡°¡­Young Martial Uncle, your name doesn¡¯t seem to be among the list of Sea of Qi stage disciples.¡± The white-clothed youth came up and put his arm around He Junyu with a friendly smile. ¡°No worries. Just now, I was speaking with Senior Martial Brother Jing. He already agreed to bring me along.¡± He Junyu was somewhat speechless. He glanced at Guan Lu and started, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Guan¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem, Senior Martial Brother He,¡± Guan Lu said, cupping his hands. He was actually quite sensible and intelligent. ¡°You guys can all go,¡± the white-clothed youth said to the several dozen disciples, flicking his sleeves. ¡°He Junyu, where¡¯s Jian Liangbi at? When are we setting out?¡± CH 145 Chapter 145 ¨C Zhaojiang Tributary ¡°Senior Martial Brother Jian just left to go find Martial Uncle Jing. You said you already went to see Martial Uncle Jing, right? Did you not see Senior Martial Uncle Jian there?¡± He Junyu asked, his expression dubious, looking like he was picking up on the fact that he might be getting toyed with. The white-clothed youth¡¯s face turned stiff as he gave a nervous chuckle. ¡°No worries, no worries. I¡¯ll just tell him when I see him. It¡¯s all the same anyway.¡± A multi-colored light streaked over from the horizon, and Jian Liangbi¡¯s figure appeared when the radiance faded. As soon as he landed in front of the hall, he saw the white-clothed youth. ¡°Ruan Xun, what are you here for?¡± he asked. ¡°Obviously, to go with you guys to the He Yin Territory!¡± Ruan Xun said with a chuckle, reaching his hand out to pat Jian Liangbi on the shoulder. Jian Liangbi sidestepped it, his brows furrowing. ¡°Who let you come with us?¡± he asked, turning to He Junyu. He Junyu shrugged his shoulders, a look of guilelessness on his face. ¡°What, I can¡¯t come? Also, what is this tone you¡¯re taking with your Martial Uncle?¡± Ruan Xun said in a reprimanding tone, playing the card of seniority over Jian Liangbi. Jian Liangbi¡¯s expression gradually darkened. In the end, he just snorted coldly and ignored him. Then, he turned to Xu Disheng and the others and said, ¡°Is there anything you still need to prepare? If not, we¡¯ll go to where Martial Uncle Jing is and immediately depart to the border area between the Shan Mountain Territory and He Yin Territory.¡± Li Cangyun, Xu Disheng, and Luo Hongying hadn¡¯t even said anything yet, but it was Ruan Xun who spoke next. ¡°Ah, crap! I forgot several Psychic Magic Treasures back at the Mingyang Domain! Whatever shall I do?!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°You can go back to Mingyang Domain and get them then,¡± Jian Liangbi said coldly, ascending into the sky with a flash of multicolored light. ¡°You three come with me to where Martial Uncle Jing is.¡± Xu Disheng, Li Cangyun, and Luo Hongying followed after him on their own streaks of light. No one paid Ruan Xun any mind. A watery blue radiance glowed around Ruan Xun and he caught up with Jian Liangbi in an instant. He smiled and said, ¡°Jian Liangbi, do you remember that you still owe me 20,000 spirit stones?¡± Jian Liangbi¡¯s face became even more stern, but he didn¡¯t respond to him. He just kept flying forward on his multi-colored light with a sullen expression. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Li, is this person not from our Mingxin Mountain Range?¡± Xu Disheng asked Li Cangyun. The two of them were near the back of the procession following Jian Liangbi. ¡°This¡­ Young Martial Uncle is a direct descendant of Primordial Lord Yangze, one of the two Mountain Masters of our Mingxin Mountain Peak. He also managed to awaken his primordial lord bloodline. His name actually isn¡¯t in the directory of disciples, but in terms of hierarchy, he¡¯s technically our martial uncle,¡± Li Cangyun said. Every Primordial Lord had a very long lifespan. As time passed, there would normally be many descendents born, and there was a possibility for them to awaken the Primordial Lord¡¯s bloodline. As soon as someone awakened the Primordial Lord¡¯s bloodline latent in them, their talent would soar and their powers of comprehension would reach an astonishing level. Before reaching the Primordial Spirit stage, they would experience no bottlenecks in their cultivation whatsoever. In other words, anyone who awakened their Primordial Lord bloodline would eventually become a Divine Core stage Spirit Master simply given enough time! While Ruan Xun was a descendent of Primordial Lord Yangze, there were an untold number of generations between them. But through Ruan Xun¡¯s own fortune, he managed to awaken his bloodline and become someone who was now being personally taught by Primordial Lord Yangze. Although he was only at the Sea of Qi stage, there was no one among the disciples of the Mingxin Mountain Range who didn¡¯t know him. Jing Xingchen was standing at the summit of a Peak, dressed in purple robes. Brilliant, deep purple motes of starlight twinkled around his robes, winking in and out of existence. ¡°Junior Martial Sister Bian, have you already made up your mind to come with us to Zhaojiang?¡± Next to him, a beautiful and elegant woman gently smiled and replied, ¡°The one who started this trouble should be the one to resolve it, Senior Martial Brother Jing. Regardless of whether I go now or later, this is something that can¡¯t be avoided.¡± Jing Xingchen nodded his head. He no longer looked at her, instead turning to gaze off at the mist and clouds on the horizon, where there were several people rapidly approaching. ¡°Ruan Xun? What, did Primordial Lord Yangze let you come?¡± Jing Xingchen asked, somewhat surprised when he saw a watery blue radiance land in front of him first. ¡°Yes, Senior Martial Brother Jing,¡± Ruan Xun said sincerely, coming forward and obediently cupping his hands in greeting. He no longer put on the mischievous, ingratiating demeanor he used with Jian Liangbi and the others. ¡°Okay. Once we reach Zhaojiang, Junior Martial Sister Bian and I might not be able to fully take care of you, so make sure you act with even greater caution,¡± Jing Xingchen said, letting him off rather leniently. Ruan Xun bowed his head slightly and said, ¡°I understand.¡± The beams of light belonging to Jian Liangbi and the others were a bit slower. They began to land in rapid succession moments later, cupping their hands respectfully to Jing Xingchen and Bian Hongyu. Seeing Jian Liangbi and the other five arrive, Jing Xingchen said, ¡°The place we¡¯re going to at the border between the Shan Mountain Territory and the He Yin Territory is actually a tributary river of the Zhaojiang River System. There are many monsters roaming about, so it¡¯s very dangerous. You had all best be mentally prepared.¡± Jing Xingchen saw that none of their expressions changed, so he nodded and waved his hand, causing a deep purple constellation map to appear upon the surface of the ground. The lines and decorative designs on it were extremely intricate. After it materialized from illusory into reality, it rose up into the air, carrying the people on it. In the blink of an eye, they shot off and disappeared into the mist and clouds. ¡­ ¡­ The flying speed of Jing Xingchen¡¯s deep purple celestial map Magic Treasure wasn¡¯t that fast. The moment they left the territory of the Shangqing Eight Mountains, several resplendent beams of light flitted past them, leaving deafening sonic booms in their wake. ¡°Those are¡­?¡± Li Cangyun muttered, lifting his head to look at the several brilliant beams of light whizzing off into the distance. ¡°Several other Mountains must have also dispatched disciples,¡± He Junyu said, recognizing the identity of one of the blazing beams of light. ¡°That bright beam of light belongs to the Green Thunderspark of Martial Uncle Xu Lingyun from Wenyuan Mountain.¡± ¡°I wonder if the Ancient Nuwa Sect will also send disciples¡­? But the inheritance that appeared belongs to a human Primordial Lord, so even if they went, it would be useless for a sect of monsters like them,¡± Li Cangyun said, suddenly remembering. The several people nearby turned to look at him. Ruan Xun sneered and said, ¡°The Ancient Nuwa Sect is a demon sect, not a monster sect. Demons and monsters aren¡¯t the same thing. If you say that out here, you better not tell them that you¡¯re a disciple of the Shangqing Sacred Sect or you¡¯ll turn us into a laughingstock!¡± Jing Xingchen was standing at the frontmost part of the purple celestial map. He said without even turning around, ¡°The Ancient Nuwa Sect and our Shangqing Sacred Sect are quite similar. Both are the overlord sects of the Shan Mountain Territory, so you had better not talk nonsense about them.¡± Receiving two harsh reprimandings back to back, Li Cangyun¡¯s expression turned ugly. He walked away over to the edge of the celestial map, where he saw Xu Disheng, who had been sitting there all this time with his eyes closed, cultivating. He couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, you¡¯re cultivating even while we¡¯re on the road?¡± Xu Disheng opened his eyes and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s just what I¡¯m used to. Senior Martial Brother Li, the Ancient Nuwa Sect is actually a demon sect? Why have I never heard of this before?¡± ¡°I know you came from one of the Mortal Secret Realms, so it¡¯s normal to be lacking in what would normally be considered general knowledge,¡± Li Cangyun said, his expression gradually improving as he finally caught hold of an aspect where he was superior. ¡°The Ancient Nuwa Sect and the Shangqing Sacred Sect jointly rule over the several millions of li of territory comprising the Shan Mountain Territory. There are several hundred smaller sects within the territory of the Shan Mountains, but they are all subordinate sects.¡± ¡°However, the Ancient Nuwa Sect is a demon sect made up of beings with human bodies and serpent tails. They also have ancient inheritances, and have produced over a dozen Divine Sea stage beings.¡± ¡°What is the difference between monsters and demons¡­?¡± Xu Disheng asked. ¡°This¡­¡± Li Cangyun hesitated, unable to answer due to his lacking knowledge in this subject. What he had said so far was the extent of what he knew. ¡°The demon race has a noble bloodline and are very similar to humans,¡± Ruan Xun said, walking over. He pointed up at the sky above their heads and continued, ¡°Even in the esteemed Heavenly Court, it¡¯s rumored that a majority of the divine posts are divided up between beings of the human race and the demon race.¡± ¡°Monsters, on the other hand, are beings indigenous to the Human Realm, without any history to them whatsoever. After they achieve spiritual awareness and become monsters, they can only serve as prey to the human and demon races.¡± (TL: There were some places where I had incorrectly translated ¡®monster¡¯ as ¡®demon¡¯ in the past, but I went back and fixed them. Looks like I¡¯m as ignorant as Li Cangyun on this topic, hahah¡­ Demonic qi/energy ¡ú Yao energy. Most of the places where ¡®demon¡¯ was used in the past actually refers to monsters (namely Chapter 49-55 ¨C Floating Moon Valley/wolf monster and Chapters 66-74 ¨C Jade Water Lake). Just to clarify in case this wasn¡¯t clear before, yao ¨C or yaoguai in Chinese, is a term that refers to monsters or other supernatural creatures. As for this novel, yao also refers to natural objects (like plants, animals, rocks, etc.) that have gained sentience/spiritual awareness, which allows them to cultivate, gain human-like forms, etc. It¡¯s not exactly correct to purely call them monsters in the sense that the western world thinks of them (i.e., goblins), so I decided to refer to it as ¡®yao energy¡¯.) "" ¡°Thank you for your explanation, Martial Uncle Ruan,¡± Xu Disheng said, cupping his hands. Ruan Xun seemed to be happy, seeing Xu Disheng¡¯s shrewd and perceptive behavior. He continued to speak, feigning a seemingly deep and profound tone. ¡°But the difference between a human sect like ours and a demon sect like the Ancient Nuwa Sect is the fact that in a demon sect, each individual¡¯s status is decided by the concentration of their bloodline. Those with dense bloodline concentrations will usually have a symbol indicating so.¡± ¡°For the half-human half-serpent demon race of the Ancient Nuwa Sect, this symbol is a purple lightning symbol between their eyebrows,¡± Ruan Xin said. As soon as he finished speaking, he looked over and saw that He Junyu and the others seemed to be listening intently to him, which boosted his mood even further. It looked like he wanted to say more, but Bian Hongyu interrupted him. ¡°Ruan Xun, come over here. I have some matters I would like to speak to you about.¡± Her feminine voice floated over, causing Ruan Xun¡¯s excited expression to crumble. He reluctantly dragged his feet over to her. A flash went off in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind as he recalled the time during the tournament where a disciple bet 50 spirit stones on him. But when he thought back on that disciple now, their face was indistinct and vague in his mind. He couldn¡¯t remember their face no matter how he tried, but a very strong intuition was connecting the clues of that disciple and the purple lightning seal. A thought occurred to him and a light green jade slip appeared in his hand. At the time, that disciple asked for his message jade slip, but he didn¡¯t give it to him. However, that disciple stealthily placed his jade slip on the betting table, and when Xu Disheng had gone to pick up the spirit stones and other winnings, he had inadvertently swept this jade slip along with it too. It was an extremely ordinary-looking message jade slip, but when he felt it in his hands, it felt smooth. There was even¡­ a faint hint of delicate fragrance to it. When he looked closely at it, the character for ¡®spirit¡¯ was engraved on it. Aside from that, there were no other messages. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t activate the light green jade slip. He simply tossed it back into his interspatial ring. In his cross-legged position at the edge of the celestial map, he submerged himself into cultivation once more. ¡­ ¡­ The Zhaojiang River System was a massive system of rivers that cut across the Shan Mountain Territory. There were many tributary rivers with countless monsters dwelling in the waters. The tributary river that they were going to just happened to be at the very border between the Shan Mountain Territory and the He Yin Territory. ¡°Three-Eyed Monster King, if¡­ if things continue on like this, our monster palace may¡­¡± a monster with a fish head and human body stuttered as he looked at the Three-Eyed Scorpion Monster seated on the throne with deference in his gaze. ¡°Ai¡­ In the last three days, there have been so many Dao Foundation stage humans. What can we even do?!¡± the Three-Eyed Scorpion Monster exclaimed, his voice filled with exasperation and worry. There were around 100 meters of water above their head until the surface. But right now, if any monsters were to head out carelessly, a complete massacre would result. Any monsters who dared to leave the monster palace right now would be neatly cut down by streaks of light the moment they set foot out the gate. Their bodies would be torn and their bones would be crushed until hardly anything remained. The monster palace of the Three-Eyed Scorpion Monster just happened to be located in a remote corner of the Zhaojiang River System. It was originally a solid fortress that was easy to defend, but now it had become their tomb. They couldn¡¯t go out, nor could they escape. It was still fortunate for them that these humans outside didn¡¯t seem to be specifically targeting them. Otherwise, their forces which consisted of several dozen lesser monsters, and even the Three-Eyed Scorpion Monster who had already transformed into a full monster, would have already been turned to ashes. CH 146 Chapter 146 ¨C Vast Ocean Primordial Lord The Zhaojiang River System was boundless and vast. The tributary river at the border between the Shan Mountain Territory and the He Yin Territory wound and snaked its way across the land, extending across almost half of the entire eastern territory of the Human Realm. The river currents surged powerfully along in a broad and magnificent manner. Countless monsters lived and reproduced in these waters, and there were signs of human inhabitation here and there on either side of the river bank. On the He Yin side of the river bank, a gigantic red and gold palace appeared. Its gates were tightly shut, and there were several hundred people gathered before them. ¡°All of you get lost. My Demon Sound Sect wants this area in front of this palace,¡± a disciple said in an overbearing manner as he landed alongside several streaks of purple and black light. He looked disdainfully at the group in front of the palace, which was composed of rogue cultivators, disciples from small sects, and small aristocratic families. ¡°The Demon Sound Sect!¡± ¡°Hurry up and make way. The Demon Sound Sect¡¯s disciples are known for being extremely malicious. They¡¯re known for often taking living people and refining them for their cultivation. Rogue cultivators like us simply can¡¯t afford to provoke them.¡± ¡°I heard that recently, for the Demon Sound Sect had a birthday celebration for their Phantom Sound Spirit Master, and they refined the bodies and essences of 30,000 men to concoct a pill. They¡¯re extremely cruel and overbearing!¡± When the rogue cultivators and small aristocratic families heard this, they all hurriedly started to make way, scared that they might end up getting involved with them. There were some among the group who regarded the Demon Sound Sect with disdain, but they didn¡¯t dare to show it on their faces. They simply silently turned to the side to make a path for them. ¡°Senior Martial Sister Zhang, please,¡± the disciple who made the entry earlier gestured with a bow, his expression immediately turning respectful and servile as if he was extremely afraid of the woman. ¡°Mhm,¡± Zhang Lingruo acknowledged with a curt nod. She led the disciples of Demon Sound Sect to the front of the palace. When she saw the tightly closed gates, she waved her hand and summoned a gorgeous purple chariot. With a slight lift of the hem of her dress, she sat elegantly upon it. The disciples of the Demon Sound Sect, including the man who spoke at the beginning, Lu Zhuo, stood behind the chariot, their expressions showing extreme respect. ¡°That¡¯s Zhang Lingruo?!¡± ¡°Who is she? Why haven¡¯t I heard of her before?¡± ¡°You rogue cultivator, from under what rock did you crawl out from? You haven¡¯t even heard of the Scorpion Beauty Zhang Lingruo of the Demon Sound Sect? She is a peak Dao Foundation stage disciple, and the direct disciple of Phantom Sound Spirit Master. I heard that when the Demon Sound Sect sacrificed 30,000 men to concoct a pill, a large portion of them were slaughtered by her.¡± ¡°What?!¡± that rogue cultivator exclaimed, his expression suddenly coloring with dread as he looked at Zhang Lingruo. Zhang Lingruo¡¯s elegant brows furrowed as if she felt the gazes of the rogue cultivators upon her. Her slender lily-white hands lightly plucked the air, causing an incorporeal sound wave to echo out. That rogue cultivator was merely at the peak Sea of Qi stage and only came here to join in the fun. But suddenly, his body froze up as if his body was bound by some technique, his expression stuck in place. In the next moment, his body melted into a puddle of flesh, not even leaving a skeleton behind. Lu Zhuo came forward and surveyed the area, then shouted reprovingly, ¡°Silence, all of you!¡± Half of the several hundred people present were rogue cultivators, while the remainder practically all belonged to nameless sects and small aristocratic families. There were only a few dozen Dao Foundation stage cultivators. The overwhelming majority were at the Sea of Qi stage. At this moment, the Demon Sound Sect had taken control of the scene. Not only was there Zhang Lingruo, a peak Dao Foundation stage genius, but there were also two other Dao Foundation stage disciples and several peak Sea of Qi stage elite disciples present. Under their imposing presence, no one dared to resist. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao, look at how lively this place is!¡± Several streaks of sword light closed in from a distance, followed by the sound of laughter. The gazes of the several hundred people present all turned to look at the incoming streaks of sword light. There were four men in black clothes, carrying swords on their backs. The one called ¡®Senior Martial Brother Zhao¡¯ was clearly the leader among them. His gaze swept over the red and gold great hall and finally the place where the Demon Sound Sect was standing. He let out a cold snort and said, ¡°The people of the Demon Sound Sect sure showed up early. But there are still at least two days until the main hall of this Primordial Lord¡¯s inheritance opens up, so what¡¯s the point in coming so early?¡± Back in her seat on the chariot, Zhang Lingruo simply waved her silk handkerchief, not even bothering to lift her head and spare him a glance. However, Lu Zhuo¡¯s expression became a bit unsightly. He shouted, ¡°Zhao Changhe, how dare you be so impudent in front of Senior Martial Sister Zhang?!¡± Zhao Changhe sneered and several dozen pale sword lights appeared. They even had a faint hint of the power of heaven and earth on them as they flickered into being in the space above the front of the great hall. All of the sword lights suddenly shot out at full power, ruthlessly slashing in the direction of the people of the Demon Sound Sect! Boom! A gigantic purple barrier of light appeared in the air above the Demon Sound Sect, blocking the several dozen ruthless sword lights and causing them to scatter. Some of them flew into the crowd, slicing through several Sea of Qi stage rogue cultivators like tofu before they could move out of the way. Zhao Changhe didn¡¯t care about those rogue cultivators and small aristocratic families. He only looked at Zhang Lingruo and said, ¡°People of the Demon Sword Sect, back away 30 meters right this instant. If you don¡¯t, you can¡¯t blame my Peak Destroying Sword Sect for being discourteous.¡± The purple barrier transformed into a small and exquisite crystalline lotus with purple and black petals as it returned to Zhang Lingruo¡¯s hand. She gently caressed the flower petals and felt the shallow cracks now webbing over its surface. Still not lifting her head to look at him, she spoke in a voice that was as melodious as a black-naped oriole. ¡°Since you said so, Senior Martial Brother Zhao, how could I dare to not oblige?¡± Her voice was extremely pleasant on the ears. Many of the Sea of Qi stage cultivators¡¯ faces flushed red as they stared at Zhang Lingruo with an entranced look on their faces as if their souls had been stolen away by her. ¡°Retreat 30 meters,¡± Zhang Lingruo commanded. Through some unknown method, the gorgeous purple chariot flickered and appeared 30 meters away in the blink of an eye. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhang¡­¡± Lu Zhuo started, still seeming somewhat unwilling to retreat. But when he saw the cold look in Zhang Lingruo¡¯s eyes, he swallowed his words and waved his hand, gesturing for the disciples of the Demon Sound Sect to back up and take their positions behind Zhang Lingruo. Zhao Changhe nodded and put away the sword intents before speaking to the vicinity. ¡°All of you scram. This great hall is the inheritance of a Primordial Lord, a Primordial Spirit stage existence. It¡¯s not something that you rogue cultivators and small aristocratic families have the right to covet.¡± The rogue cultivators and small aristocratic families revealed hesitant expressions, but through the sheer force of mob mentality, none of them turned to leave. They clearly all harbored hopes to somehow get lucky. Standing behind Lu Zhuo, Liu Yuxuan smiled and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao, why bother with them? If they really don¡¯t know their place, just kill them.¡± Zhao Changhe nodded once, no longer looking at the rogue cultivators. He walked with the other disciples of the Peak Destroying Sword Sect to the large open area in front of the hall, occupying the space. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao, would you happen to know which Primordial Lord this inheritance hall belongs to?¡± Unexpectedly, it was Zhang Lingruo who spoke, her melodious voice ringing like birdsong when she laughed. Based on her tone, she was now intentionally placing herself in a lower status position when speaking. Zhao Changhe raised a brow, turning his gaze towards her beautiful and alluring face. ¡°I only know this is the inheritance of a Primordial Lord from the human race. But I still don¡¯t know exactly which one.¡± ¡°This inheritance belongs to a supreme powerhouse at the half-step Clone Avatar stage known as the Vast Ocean Primordial Lord,¡± Zhang Lingruo said, gazing at the red and gold great hall. ¡°As someone who was at the half-step Primordial Spirit stage, Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s inheritance is extremely powerful. It can¡¯t be compared with the likes of an inheritance from an ordinary Primordial Spirit stage cultivator.¡± She deliberately spoke in an overt manner so all of the people nearby could hear her clearly. ¡°What?! Vast Ocean Primordial Lord?!¡± ¡°How could that be possible?! Weren¡¯t there rumors that the Vast Ocean Primordial Lord had broken through to the Clone Avatar stage and left for the eastern territory?¡± ¡°Vast Ocean Primordial Lord was one of the few known Primordial Spirit stage rogue cultivators. No one has heard news of him for ages. Who would have thought that he silently met his end?!¡± All of the rogue cultivators¡¯ expressions changed dramatically as they lifted their heads to look at the red and gold great hall. Vast Ocean Primordial Lord was a rogue cultivator from the Shan Mountain Territory. He only had a Rank 6 Spiritual Root and never joined a sect, but by relying on a water element cultivation method he accidentally found one day, he managed to cultivate to the Primordial Spirit stage, which earned him the title of ¡®Vast Ocean¡¯ Primordial Lord. He was known for sheltering other rogue cultivators. There were some Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivators among the group present who had clearly once received Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s favor, as their faces turned unsightly. They stared at the great hall for a moment, then hurriedly began to send out jade slips to inform others of this shocking news. ¡°So she says, but the Demon Sound Sect and our Peak Destroying Sword Sect are right next to each other, but we¡¯ve never heard of it. How would Zhang Lingruo know this?¡± Liu Yuxuan said with a mocking sneer, unconvinced by her words. She shook her head and pointed with a slender finger at the sign smack dab in the middle of the area above the great hall¡¯s main entrance. ¡°You dumb swine, take a look at what it says right there.¡± Liu Yuxuan and her were both at the Dao Foundation stage, so being insulted by her like this caused him to lose more face than he was willing to surrender. Just as he was about to erupt with anger and lash out, Zhao Changhe stopped him. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhao¡­¡± Liu Yuxuan said unsteadily, his expression filled with dissatisfaction. However, Zhao Changhe ignored him. He looked at the sign that Zhang Lingruo pointed out, upon which the four characters ¡®Great Harmony Water Palace¡¯ were engraved. ¡°Junior Martial Sister Zhang, I¡¯ve certainly never heard of this Great Harmony Water Palace before, but how did you figure out from this that this great hall was the inheritance of Vast Ocean Primordial Lord?¡± Zhao Changhe asked Zhang Lingruo, the sharp, cutting edge in his tone from earlier replaced by a more consultatory tone. CH 147 Chapter 147 ¨C Sacred Son of Fifty Years Past Zhang Lingruo shot a sideways glance at Liu Yuxuan, who was still extremely angry. Then, she turned to Zhao Changhe and said with a smile, ¡°Vast Ocean Primordial Lord was originally a rogue cultivator. He was poor in his youth, and managed to have a fortunate encounter that earned him the aid of the monsters. So after he rose to great heights, he was not only exceptionally caring towards the rogue cultivators, but also sheltered many of the monsters of the Zhaojiang River System. His Vast Ocean Domain is located in the currents of one of the tributary rivers, and there have always been many beings of all races living there and cultivating.¡± ¡°This is something that everyone knows, you¡ª¡± Before Liu Yuxuan could finish, Zhao Changhe shot him a frigid gaze, causing him to shut his mouth and timidly retreat to the back. Zhang Lingruo¡¯s red lips moved as she continued. ¡°However, Vast Ocean Primordial Lord had a lesser known inner palace called the Great Harmony Water Palace. His hope for this place was for everyone, regardless of whether they were monsters, ghosts, humans, or demons, belonging to large sects, small sects, rogue cultivators, or aristocratic families, to all live together in harmony under the heavens.¡± ¡°How could something like that be possible? How come this Primordial Lord was able to reach such a profound cultivation boundary, but still had such a naive way of thinking?¡± Zhao Changhe asked, surprise evident in his voice. ¡°For now, let us not make rash assumptions about this lord¡¯s way of thinking. But since this inheritance hall has been confirmed to belong to Vast Ocean Primordial Lord, it definitely won¡¯t be as simple as one might imagine,¡± Zhang Lingruo said, gazing towards the massive red and gold great hall. The air screamed as streaks of light shot through the air and landed one after the other in front of the palace. More and more powers were starting to gather in this place. After a mere two days, disciples from 5 different large sects arrived, and there were innumerable rogue cultivators and small aristocratic families, making for a total of around several thousand people. A gargantuan demonic cloud approached from the distance, blotting out the sky and covering the earth. A low rumbling sound swept out as it shot forward, drawing countless gazes. ¡°It¡¯s the Ancient Nuwa Sect!¡± ¡°Demon race!¡± People began to chatter excitedly amongst themselves, but no one dared to reveal any negative looks. Everyone put on a respectful expression, regardless of whether it was the people of the five large sects, the countless small sects, aristocratic families, or the rogue cultivators. The Ancient Nuwa Sect and the Shangqing Sacred Sect were the overlord sects of the Shan Mountain Territory. They ruled over several million li of land and possessed impressive dignity and power. No one dared to show the slightest hint of disrespect. "" The demonic cloud landed and around a dozen disciples of the Ancient Nuwa Sect with human bodies and serpent tails appeared. The one in the lead was a red-clothed youth. His features were handsome and his expression was cold as he silently eyed the red and gold great hall. ¡°Demon Sound Sect, Peak Destroying Sword Sect, Spirit Flower Sect, Daji Shrine, and House of Bliss¡­ Looks like all of you large sects on the edges of the Shan Mountain Territory decided to show up,¡± a white-haired youth behind the red-clothed youth said with a laugh when he saw the five large sects present. Regardless of whatever kinds of conflicts the various disciples of the large sects had with each other, they all neatly came forward and cupped their hands with respect. ¡°Greetings, Senior Martial Brother Hong Zhao and Senior Martial Brother Yan Wuji.¡± The red-clothed youth remained silent as he continued to eye the great hall. No one knew what he was thinking. The white-haired youth, Yan Wuji, lightly waved his hand and said, ¡°No need to be overly courteous. Everyone here is from our Shan Mountain Territory. There aren¡¯t so many rules to worry about. Anyone can enter as they wish. This Primordial Lord¡¯s inheritance will go to whoever has the destiny to obtain it.¡± As a genius of the Ancient Nuwa Sect, Yan Wuji didn¡¯t attach much importance to this Primordial Lord inheritance. He heard from Hong Zhao that a Primordial Lord inheritance had appeared here, and simply tagged along to take part in the occasion. The expressions of the disciples of the five large sects changed slightly, but they didn¡¯t dare to say too much. They simply voiced their assent in low tones. The rogue cultivators, on the other hand, became excited. Their eyes began to blaze as they gazed at the red and gold great hall. Although this place was located at the border between the Shan Mountain Territory and the He Yin Territory, there were pretty much no powers from the He Yin Territory here. This border region of the He Yin Territory was fairly deserted, so pretty much all of the people that had gathered here were from the Shan Mountain Territory. There were many large sects further away, but they hadn¡¯t sent any disciples. Given that this was just a Primordial Lord inheritance, they couldn¡¯t be bothered to make that big of a fuss over it. Most of the disciples who were here came with the intention of gaining some practical field experience outside the sect. The only ones who had a genuine interest in the Primordial Lord¡¯s inheritance itself were the rogue cultivators, the small sects, and the aristocratic families. ¡°Wuji, this Great Harmony Water Palace is the inner palace in the domain of Vast Ocean Primordial Lord,¡± Hong Zhao said, retracting his gaze. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t Vast Ocean Primordial Lord that moron who considers monsters and the demon race on equal terms?¡± Yan Wuji said. There wasn¡¯t the slightest shred of respect towards the half-step Clone Avatar stage powerhouse in his words. Vast Ocean Primordial Lord could be considered extremely famous in the Ancient Nuwa Sect, but that was only because the principle behind his rise tarnished the name of the Ancient Nuwa Sect, which was made up of demon race. The demon race hailed from the bloodline of a supreme powerhouse from unknown years past. That person¡¯s body was different from that of the human race, and was considered to be a different race altogether. In the Shan Mountain Territory, there were the half-human half-serpent demon race of the Ancient Nuwa Sect, as well as the six-tailed fox demon race that made up the large sect, Daji Shrine. Monsters referred to all non-human beings that went through arduous cultivation to produce a spiritual awareness and undergo transformation. Their status was considered as low as it gets. It was rare for monsters to be able to cultivate the profound laws to a high level. Most ordinary monsters would simply be considered an inferior race that were only fit to be prey. The demon race hated people lumping them together with monsters the most, and this was exactly what Vast Ocean Primordial Lord did by valuing monsters and the demon race equally. The Ancient Nuwa Sect was an overlord sect, so they often considered it beneath them to do anything that would be considered bullying the weak. But once, there was a Clone Avatar stage greater lord of the Ancient Nuwa Sect who came angrily looking for Vast Ocean Primordial Lord, wanting to capture him and put him down. It was said that after the meeting between this Clone Avatar stage greater lord and Vast Ocean Primordial Lord, the Clone Avatar stage greater lord didn¡¯t attack in the end. He quietly retreated and issued an order to the disciples of the Ancient Nuwa Sect, telling them to give the Vast Ocean Domain a wide berth if they ever have to pass by it in the future. Hong Zhao furrowed his brows and said, ¡°Your words are so vulgar. How does that make you any different from him?¡± Yan Wuji raised a brow but didn¡¯t continue the conversation. He turned and gazed off into the distance, a pondering look appearing in his eyes. ¡°Looks like quite a few waves of disciples from the Shangqing Sacred Sect are coming. Our Shan Mountain Territory hasn¡¯t been this lively since that time at the Shan Mountain ordination.¡± The other people present suddenly felt the air starting to tremble, and they lifted their gazes to the skies. An enormous silvery white chariot, pulled by four snow-white spirit beasts, streaked through the air. As it descended from the horizon, it left a brilliant trail and countless motes of silver light scattering in its wake. Several people unhurriedly disembarked from the white chariot. The first was a white-clothed youth with a hint of berserk madness apparent in his eyes. Hong Zhao turned and met his gaze, instantly causing sparks to fly in a literal sense. Behind the red and gold great hall, the rushing waters of the Zhaojiang River System began to release a violent spindrift that swept several dozen meters into the air. Invisible waves of power rippled out in all directions from the point where their gazes met. ¡°Sacred Son Bai Lu,¡± Hong Zhao said flatly, retracting his gaze. Bai Lu restrained the wild madness in his gaze, and a hint of a smile appeared on his handsome face. ¡°Hong Zhao, what are you doing here? This is a Primordial Spirit stage inheritance. Could something like this really have caught your eye?¡± ¡°I just happened to be passing by. I figured I¡¯d come see what the ruckus was all about,¡± Hong Zhao said, glancing over at Yan Wuji, who was by his side. ¡°Wuji, weren¡¯t you always talking about Bai Lu after last time when we left the Taiqing Fantasy Realm? Now that he¡¯s right in front of you, how come you aren¡¯t even greeting him?¡± Yan Wuji¡¯s face turned a bit stiff as he and Bai Lu looked at each other at the same time. Just when he was about to speak, several streaks of radiance shot out from the horizon once more, emitting a majestic aura. ¡°Sacred Son Bai Lu.¡± ¡°Greetings to Sacred Son Bai Lu.¡± The ones who arrived were disciples from the Fourth Mountain of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, Wenyuan Mountain. Once they saw Bai Lu and the few people he came with, they all came forward and bowed in greeting before retreating to the side, where they stood around and formed their own circle. ¡°It was rumored that Sacred Son Bai Lu placed first in the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Eight Mountains Grand Tournament fifty years ago and earned the title of Sacred Son. But look, he¡¯s already at the peak of the Dao Foundation stage.¡± ¡°Sacred Son Bai Lu has only been cultivating for a little over 100 years, but he can already compare with a genius like Hong Zhao of the Ancient Nuwa Sect. What an extraordinary level of talent¡­¡± ¡°Every 50 years, the Shangqing Sacred Sect will give out two Sacred Son or Daughter titles. But after all these years, just think about how many people would have the title of Sacred Son. In my opinion, Bai Lu doesn¡¯t seem to be all that great,¡± a rogue cultivator said, looking at Bai Lu with an envious gaze. Anyone could tell that the case of sour grapes1 in his tone was enough to pierce the heavens. Fifty years ago, Feng Shao earned 1st place in the Dao Foundation division of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, but the one who earned 1st place in the Sea of Qi division was Bai Lu. Bai Lu had also earned the title of Sacred Son and endless honor and glory. He was also taken as a disciple by a powerhouse, and in a mere 100 years, his cultivation had already advanced to an unimaginable boundary. Among the geniuses at the Dao Foundation stage, he was practically unrivaled. Meanwhile, the people who had been strutting around, showing off the strength of their sects earlier like Zhao Changhe and Zhang Lingruo, had already quietly retreated to a corner, making themselves scarce. They didn¡¯t even have the qualifications to come forward and give their regards to him. Bai Lu looked at the red and gold great hall and asked, ¡°How long until it opens?¡± He himself didn¡¯t have any interest toward this inheritance, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered to look into it in detail. He only asked for the sake of the people behind him, who had come with him. Without a doubt, his question was directed at Hong Zhao and Yan Wuji. The other people didn¡¯t even have the right to speak to him. ¡°Half a day,¡± Hong Zhao said. ¡°Too long,¡± Bai Lu muttered, his brows creasing. A purple profound light spun in his hand, then shot towards the horizon. It transformed into a deep purple cloud, which seemed to be teeming with lightning. ¡°That¡¯s the Psychic Magic Treasure, the Lightning Spirit Bead!¡± Many people were silent as they looked at Bai Lu with complex expressions. He looked like a god who descended from heaven as he stood under the brilliant lightning. ¡°Go.¡± With a point of his finger, the lightning brewing inside the thunder cloud struck down. An inexhaustible purple light flashed and lightning fell from the sky with a thunderous, ear-splitting clap! An extremely sturdy red and gold barrier of light appeared around the Great Harmony Water Palace. In the next moment, a seemingly endless barrage of lightning crashed down upon it like it wanted to crush the great hall into the ground, sending disastrous blasts of electrical discharge scattering everywhere. Even Psychic Magic Treasures had their strengths and weaknesses. But clearly, the Lightning Spirit Bead was of the extremely powerful type. Before the lightning even dissipated, Bai Lu casually tossed out the Lightning Spirit Bead. It transformed into a dazzling, heaven-shaking purple light and smashed ruthlessly into the main gate of the Great Harmony Water Palace! CH 148 Chapter 148 ¨C Broken Star TL: Sponsored chapter (1/2) Sacred Son Bai Lu was always very haughty and prideful to the extreme. Him directly trying to destroy the inheritance hall didn¡¯t actually stray that far from everyone¡¯s expectations of him. However, the Lightning Spirit Bead, which was releasing lightning of heaven-defying power, strangely looked like it was stuck in place at the gate of the great hall, unable to advance a single inch forward. The countless beams of lightning extending out of it were extinguished. The prestigious Psychic Magic Treasure known as the Lightning Spirit Bead looked no different from a common purple jade pearl as it hovered there in the space above the gate of the hall, slowly spinning in place. A stream of red and gold profound light gradually began to condense into being in front of the gate, forming into the phantom image of a long-haired man in a blue-green robe. There was a peaceful look in the man¡¯s eyes. He reached out to grab the Lightning Spirit Bead and spoke. ¡°Not bad.¡± Sacred Son Bai Lu¡¯s pupils constricted. He was a peak Dao Foundation stage and someone with the title of Sacred Son. But at this moment, he couldn¡¯t feel his connection with his Lightning Spirit Bead! With this level of strength and the blue-green robe, the identity of this man in the phantom image was all too evident. ¡°Greetings to Vast Ocean Primordial Lord!¡± Many of the rogue cultivators cried out emotionally, their eyes turning red. There were even people among them who even started shedding tears. ¡°Respectful greetings to Vast Ocean Primordial Lord!!¡± There were people from the aristocratic families and the small sects who had received his favor in the past. After hesitating for a moment, they also bowed and greeted him loudly. The Demon Sound Sect¡¯s Zhang Lingruo, the Peak Destroying Sword Sect¡¯s Zhao Changhe, and the other disciples of the five large sects all bowed, showing their respect to this half-step Clone Avatar stage powerhouse. "" Only the small circles of people from the Ancient Nuwa Sect and the Shangqing Sacred Sect remained still. They simply stared coldly at the long-haired man in the blue-green robe. With one hand holding the Lightning Spirit Bead, the man in the blue-green robe swept his gaze over the corpses of the rogue cultivators and shook his head, letting out a sigh. ¡°Vast Ocean Primordial Lord, you¡¯ve already been dead for a long time, and yet you¡¯re here feeling pity for these rogue cultivators?¡± Yan Wuji said with a mocking expression. Amidst the quietude dominating the front of the great hall, his voice was exceedingly clear. ¡°Yan Wuji, don¡¯t be so disrespectful to the Primordial Lord!¡± Some of the rogue cultivators began to point at Yan Wuji and shout reprovingly at him, even momentarily overlooking the disparity in their statuses. Yan Wuji¡¯s brows furrowed, and he raised his hand, tossing out a dazzling blood-colored light. But just as the blood of the rogue cultivators was about to flow like a river¡­ ¡°Enough,¡± the man in the blue-green robe said with a flick of his sleeves, causing the blood-colored light to disappear altogether. He undid the restriction on the Lightning Spirit Bead and said, ¡°What this little demon race friend said is correct. I have already been reincarnated, and now all that remains here is but a remnant of my primordial spirit. What can I do?¡± After the restriction on the Lightning Spirit Bead was released, it began to blossom forth with countless eye-piercing beams of lightning. The rumbling coming from inside it became louder and louder as if it was extremely displeased with the man in the blue-green robe. ¡°Come back,¡± Sacred Son Bai Lu said, waving his hand. The Lightning Spirit Bead reluctantly flew over to him, and the lightning filling the sky began to recede. ¡°I lived a lonely, sorrowful life. Even after my death, the only inheritance I could leave behind was a water element cultivation method that I acquired back in the day,¡± the man in the blue-green robe said. A red and gold radiance budded from his palm and enveloped the area around him within a range of around 1000 meters. ¡°Any living being can have a try at receiving this inheritance. At this point, this is the only justice I can do to you all.¡± Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s figure began to fade away, and he turned to look fondly in the direction of the waters of the Zhaojiang, as if there was something there that he was reluctant to leave behind. ¡°Primordial Lord!¡± ¡°Vast Ocean Primordial Lord!¡± His figure burst into countless motes of light, leaving behind a resplendent glowing afterimage of only his eyes and the peaceful gaze they held within. However, this afterimage also gradually began to fade as it floated over to the surface of the Zhaojiang River. The moment a gale swept across the water, the light winked out without a trace. All of the rogue cultivators and people who had received his favor in the past stared dazedly at the spot where his figure dissipated. Their expressions were complicated, and a Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator even silently knelt down on the ground. The massive gate of the hall slowly swung open at that moment, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. But no one fought to enter right away, since the 1000 meter range red and gold shroud that the remnant spirit of Vast Ocean Primordial Lord had cast emitted a soft pull that transported every living being within its range into the great hall. In the end, what Vast Ocean Primordial Lord had said held true. Every living being would be given a chance at obtaining the water element cultivation method inheritance. Sacred Son Bai Lu, Hong Zhao, and Yan Wuji each moved the profound laws to break free of the transport power and escaped the range of the red and gold shroud of light. Off on the distant horizon, a massive dark celestial map streaked over, floating upon the wind. Its speed couldn¡¯t be considered fast, but it was extremely eye-catching. Bai Lu and the others all raised their heads to look, and they immediately realized some of the people approaching. ¡°Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Jing Xingchen?¡± Yan Wuji said, a gleam appearing in his eyes. ¡°I heard that his Dao Path is solely focused on the sword, and its might is heaven-defying. Maybe I should have a bout with him to test his power.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t his opponent,¡± Bai Lu said indifferently from next to him. ¡°I haven¡¯t even given it a try yet. How would you know that?¡± Yan Wuji said, clearly unimpressed by Bai Lu. He immediately made up his mind, and a demonic light shone in his palm. In a flash, it transformed into a long saber. Yan Wuji flipped his palm and gripped the long saber in his hand, then swung it in the direction of the celestial map approaching from the distance. Atop the celestial map, Jing Xingchen, whose eyelids were closed in cultivation, suddenly opened his eyes. ¡°Careful,¡± he said. The moment his words reached everyone¡¯s ears, a seemingly omnipresent saber light materialized right in front of the celestial map. The saber light, imbued with a massive amount of the power of heaven and earth, chopped down at them with an impossible amount of force! "" The expressions of Jian Liangbi, He Junyu, and the others all turned grave when they saw the massive saber light, which possessed an unparalleled might. All of them quickly summoned their own Magic Treasures to protect themselves. Meanwhile, Luo Hongying was still staring blankly off into the clouds and mist surrounding them. It was totally unclear what was going through her head at the moment, but Jian Liangbi immediately turned around and grabbed her, pulling her into the range of the multi-colored light protecting him. Only then did she come to her senses. ¡°Huh?¡± Without warning, Luo Hongying suddenly found herself being pressed tightly to Jian Liangbi¡¯s body. She caught a whiff of his manly scent, causing her cheeks to flush red. Just as she was about to push him away, Jian Liangbi spoke. ¡°Look for yourself,¡± Jian Liangbi said, lifting her chin slightly. When Luo Hongying caught sight of the situation in front of the celestial map, she cried out in alarm. ¡°Higher Knowledge!¡± The massive saber light had already collided with Jing Xingchen¡¯s purple sword, which was clad in a dazzling starlight. The purple blade looked like it was crafted from beautiful glazed ceramic. This was Jing Xingchen¡¯s one and only sword, which was named Broken Star. The Broken Star Sword suddenly erupted with resplendent sword light, utilizing the power of heaven and earth within roughly 100 meters. When the radiance of sword light faded, the massive saber light had already been defeated, vanquished without a trace. Jing Xingchen stood there at the edge of the celestial map, holding the Broken Star Sword. He looked at Yan Wuji, who was standing at the edge of the Zhaojiang, and spoke. ¡°Since you would so rudely welcome us, it wouldn¡¯t do for me to not return the favor.¡± With a light tap of his foot, Jing Xingchen leapt up from the celestial map into the air. Broken Star transformed into a blazing orb of purple light, which wrapped itself around his body. At that moment, it was as if sword and human merged into one. Radiant purple light shot towards Yan Wuji¡¯s location at a blinding speed. ¡°Higher Knowledge, Starstrand.¡± Jing Xingchen¡¯s voice reverberated from within the radiance, but by the time his words reached everyone¡¯s ears, his attacking form had already flashed past at a speed that no ordinary person could even react to and arrived right above Yan Wuji¡¯s head. His speed was completely unabated as they collided, and the momentum carried the two of them towards the Zhaojiang. A massive boom echoed out as Yan Wuji smashed into the surface of the river, causing water to shoot up in waves that soared hundreds of meters into the sky. The celestial map had already slowly come to a stop. Standing atop it, Bian Hongyu cupped her hands in salute. ¡°Greetings, Sacred Son Bai Lu.¡± ¡°As you were,¡± Bai Lu replied before turning to Hong Zhao. ¡°I wonder when Yan Wuji will be able to change this temper of his.¡± ¡°I only fear that might not be possible,¡± Hong Zhao said, not looking at Bian Hongyu and the others. Both he and Bai Lu simply looked off in the direction of the Zhaojiang. CH 149 Chapter 149 ¨C Up the Stream TL: Sponsored chapter (2/2). Thank you for your support! Purple radiance scattered about in every direction as Jing Xingchen rose from the surface of the water, standing atop the Broken Star Sword. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of the several people present. He glanced at Sacred Son Bai Lu and said, ¡°Where are the other people of the Sacred Sect?¡± Bai Lu used his lips to gesture at the red and gold great hall nearby, and a rare mocking expression appeared on his handsome face. ¡°If you came any later, who knows if there¡¯d even be anything left.¡± The red and gold shroud of light had already unwittingly shrunk down, and by now it only covered a range of about 10 meters in front of the great hall. If they didn¡¯t go in right away, the gates to the great hall would close completely and wouldn¡¯t open back up until someone had officially obtained Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s water element inheritance. Yan Wuji rose up from the water on his demonic cloud. Although his appearance didn¡¯t look that different from before, if you looked closely, it was possible to see from his face that he had actually suffered a loss. ¡°This Starstrand Higher Knowledge¡­¡± Yan Wuji muttered, somewhat hesitant. Jing Xingchen simply cut him a glance out of the corner of his eye, not responding. He turned back to Jian Liangbi and the others and said, ¡°Go on in. The trial process of this Primordial Lord inheritance will be a pretty good experience for you guys.¡± ¡°Yes, Martial Uncle Jing,¡± Jian Liangbi said, bringing Luo Hongying with him into the contracting red and gold shroud of light. He Junyu, Xu Disheng, and Li Cangyun cupped their hands to Jing Xingchen before entering the range of the shroud of light. After a while, the red and gold shroud of light completely shrunk down and the gates closed, plunging the massive Great Harmony Water Palace into silence once more. ¡°What, so the disciples of the Shangqing Sacred Sect meet one of their Sacred Sons and act like they didn¡¯t even see him, huh? Isn¡¯t that just too lacking in etiquette?¡± Yan Wuji said sarcastically. He had lost a bit of face earlier, so when he observed the behavior of Xu Disheng and the others who had entered the Water Palace last, he intentionally brought up this point. ¡°So what? There are many people with the title of Sacred Son in our Shangqing Sacred Sect. If they always had to cup their hands in greeting, then there¡¯d be no time left for anything else in the day. Forget cultivating, they¡¯d just be there all day, cupping their hands at everything they see,¡± Jing Xingchen said coldly before Bai Lu could open his mouth to respond. After being suppressed by Jing Xingchen earlier and now taking another loss to him in a battle of words, Yan Wuji harrumphed and didn¡¯t try to find trouble with him anymore. He simply gazed off in the direction of the Great Harmony Water Palace, his thoughts obscure to any onlooker. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Jing, Junior Martial Sister will be leaving now to attend to that matter,¡± Bian Hongyu said gently, stepping on a lotus flower Magic Treasure. Jing Xingchen gazed deeply at her for a moment and said, ¡°Go on then. Remember to be careful.¡± ¡°Junior Martial Sister knows,¡± Bian Hongyu replied. She cupped her hands to Bai Lu again and flew off into the distance on her lotus flower Magic Treasure. Seeing her leave in the direction of the origin of the Zhaojiang river tributary where there were countless monsters gathered, Hong Zhao said in a surprised tone, ¡°Is that Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Bian Hongyu?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jing Xingchen said, his expression complex. ¡°Even in a place as far as our Ancient Nuwa Sect, we¡¯ve heard of this female genius of yours,¡± Hong Zhao said. He suddenly looked like he thought of something, then turned to look at Sacred Son Bai Lu. ¡°Bai Lu, I heard that in all of these dozens of years, you never once had a cultivation partner, nor any maids. Don¡¯t you find it boring?¡± Yan Wuji also looked over at this moment. Fifty years ago when Sacred Son Bai Lu had risen to astronomical fame, he had the adoring gazes of countless women. But all this time, he never had a cultivation partner, and he never even got involved with any women whatsoever. It was considered a marvel amongst the disciples of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Bai Lu didn¡¯t open his mouth to speak. He simply gazed off at the tumbling waters of the Zhaojiang, where the river flowed along with turbulent vigor. Water splashed and swirled in eddies with the ebb and flow, perpetual and never-ending. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m busy right now! Ugh, so annoying!¡± a youth said, brushing a girl¡¯s hand away before returning to work on his wooden carving. The meticulously cut slices of fruits were knocked to the ground, and the wooden tray clattered loudly, but this didn¡¯t attract the youth¡¯s attention at all. The girl crouched down. Her fair, slender fingers picked up each piece of dust-covered fruit and placed them back on the tray. Once she finished picking them up, she left. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve been carving for half a day already. Are you tired? How about taking a short break? The people all over the city really love your wooden carvings. At noon, there was even someone who placed a down payment of 10 gold taels!¡± The girl¡¯s chin was propped up on her small, delicate hand, and her face looked pleased as if she was proud of the youth¡¯s achievements. ¡°Can you not talk to me when I¡¯m carving? If you want the gold then just take it. You know that I¡¯m never short for money,¡± the youth said offhandedly, carefully blowing away the wood shavings as he examined the exquisitely carved wooden carving in his hands. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Hey, my father spoke to me today. He said that I¡¯m already 16, and that I¡¯m reaching the age where it¡¯s about time to start thinking about marriage,¡± the girl said, her small face blushing an attractive pink. ¡°Hah?¡± the youth said, distractedly lifting his head to look at her. ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m not talking to you!¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°I really like this poem. How about I recite it to you?¡± ¡°Then recite it quickly!¡± the youth said, as impatient as always. His attention was completely focused on the carving knife in his hands. ¡°The reeds and rushes are deeply green, and the white dew is turned into hoarfrost. The man of whom I think, is somewhere about the water,¡± the girl recited, picking up a simple and crude wooden carving from underneath the youth¡¯s desk before continuing, ¡°I go up the stream in quest of him, but the way is difficult and long. I go down the stream in quest of him¡­¡± (TL: This is a poem called ÝóÝç (The Rush Leaves) from the Book of Songs, from the pre-Qin era. Here is the full version if you¡¯re interested.) ¡°Huh? Why did you stop reciting?¡± the youth asked, putting down the wooden carving in his hand for the first time. He lifted his gaze to look at the girl, his bright eyes shimmering like starlight. Her face flushed red and she lifted the wooden carving in her hands. ¡°Do you still remember when you made this wooden carving?¡± ¡°It was my first carving, a few years ago. I think it was modeled after you?¡± the youth said, uncertain. ¡°Yeah,¡± the girl said, blushing. ¡°The last line of that poem is, ¡®I go down the stream in quest of him, and lo! he is right in the midst of the water.¡± The youth lowered his head again and picked up his carving knife. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Then how about the two of us make a pact?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°In private, I¡¯ll call you Bai Lu, and you¡¯ll call me Jianjia. How does that sound?¡± (TL: Bai Lu here means ¡®white dew¡¯ and Jianjia means ¡®rush leaves¡¯ (aka reeds), which is also the name of the poem. Bai Lu¡¯s current real name uses the characters for ¡®white¡¯ and ¡®deer¡¯.) ¡°¡­.Childish.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Say, are you going to marry me or not?¡± the girl summoned her courage to ask, taking the wooden carving out of the youth¡¯s hands. ¡°When did I ever say I was going to marry you?¡± The look in the girl¡¯s eyes fell. She looked at him again and said, ¡°I understand.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°I¡¯m going to be getting married.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡­ ¡­ The youth¡¯s mind was a mess. The room seemed to be missing something. He anxiously pushed the large pile of wooden carvings in front of him out of the way and stared blankly at the desk before him. The tray that used to always be filled with meticulously cut fruit was now covered with a layer of dust. The inkstone that he used to practice his calligraphy in his free time had long since dried out completely. ¡°Are you tired? Let me help you massage your fingers.¡± "" ¡°In the past few days, quite a few people have come to my house to propose marriage. Gosh, they¡¯re all so annoying.¡± The girl¡¯s bright laughter seemed to ring faintly in his ears. In his daze, he seemed to see that sweet, beautiful girl smiling as her fair, white hands helped him grind the inkstone. But she was gone. Unwittingly, he¡­ ¡°Jianjia?¡± The youth mumbled to himself. He picked up the wooden carving on the ground and began to immerse his entire soul into it. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°AGHHH!!¡± With trembling hands, the youth swept all of the things on top of the desk onto the floor. The wooden carvings and gold and silver all bumped and collided with each other as they tumbled to the ground with a heavy thud. ¡°Jianjia, where are you¡­?¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Jianjia¡­..¡± The youth leaned helplessly against the wall as tears fell silently from his eyes. The feelings that lay at the deepest part of his heart churned turbulently. He muttered, ¡°Fleeting clouds, morning dew¡­ Time is transient and life is short. In my confusion, I was wrong. I¡¯ll listen to you. In the future¡­ I¡¯ll call myself Bai Lu.¡± (TL: The characters used for Bai Lu here are ¡®white¡¯ and ¡®deer¡¯. This comes from a play on words from the two idioms that Bai Lu uses here back to back. ¸¡ÔƳ¯Â¶ [f¨² y¨²n zh¨¡o l¨´] means fleeting clouds, morning dew. The morning dew part is a tribute to his previous Bai Lu name that Jianjia gave him, which meant white dew. The idiom itself means that time is fleeting and life is short¡ªreferring to the bittersweet time they spent together. The second idiom, ¸²Â¹Ñ°½¶, [f¨´ l¨´ x¨²n ji¨¡o], comes from a chapter of Liezi, a text from 4th century BC, where a man encountered a deer in the forest and killed it, then happily hid it somewhere. But he wasn¡¯t sure if this was a dream or not, and in the end couldn¡¯t find it. This idiom refers to a situation where someone gets mixed up and becomes unsure of the line between dreams and the waking experience, and makes mistakes as a result. I¡¯ll leave it to your own interpretation, but he¡¯s most likely calling himself this as a way to atone for his mistake of being too absorbed with his wood carving and being too slow to realize that he had unknowingly come to care for this person. Sorry for the long TL note.) ¡­ ¡­ More than 100 years passed, making those memories seem like they were from lifetimes ago. Sacred Son Bai Lu retracted his gaze from the surface of the water and said, ¡°My master already gave an order. Five years from now, I¡¯m to marry the granddaughter of the direct descendent of Primordial Lord Hongzhen.¡± Hong Zhao was somewhat baffled. He somehow felt that in this short time, Bai Lu underwent some kind of change. When he exchanged a glance with Jing Xingchen, both of them saw question marks in each others¡¯ eyes. Yan Wuji wasn¡¯t as attentive as these two. He smiled simply and said, ¡°That¡¯s great. I heard that Primordial Lord Hongzhen is extremely rich and influential. When you get married, I¡¯ll be sure to come with a lot of people and impose upon the festivities.¡± Bai Lu patted him on the shoulder and gave him a rare grin. ¡°Sure,¡± he said. Bai Lu no longer looked at Hong Zhao and Jing Xingchen. He threw himself up onto the white chariot. The four snow white spirit beasts let out resonant cries, then the chariot shot off in a dazzling streak of silver light. Before long, he gradually disappeared into the clouds and mist on the horizon. ¡°Why¡¯d that guy suddenly turn all weird?¡± Yan Wuji said, watching the silver light fade off into the distance. But he was only met with Hong Zhao and Jing Xingchen¡¯s silence. Back when they were at the Taiqing Fantasy Realm, Bai Lu, Hong Zhao, and Yan Wuji had gone through life and death together. Although they belonged to different sects and were different races, they still had an unspoken mutual understanding of one another. After a moment of silence, Hong Zhao shook his head and said, ¡°He¡¯s just another broken-hearted person in this world.¡± CH 150 Chapter 150 ¨C Preferential Treatment When the red and gold colored radiance faded, Xu Disheng found himself standing at the bottom of a staircase that seemed to climb up into the sky. When he looked all around him, he saw thousands of disciples standing on the platform at the very bottom of the flight of stairs. There was a vast expanse of clouds and mist surrounding the platform. The only path forward was this massive flight of stairs that seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see. A cold and somewhat machine-like voice resonated throughout the entire space. ¡°This flight of stairs is set up to imitate the Heart Seeking Road in the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Its level of profundity and complexity are nowhere close to the original, and there are some slight differences regarding the details. Those who are able to climb up 500 steps will qualify for the next trial.¡± This voice clearly belonged to a remnant consciousness that remained in Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s inheritance. It didn¡¯t have any emotions. It simply carried out the inheritance trials and followed the rules exactly by the book. ¡°Heart Seeking Road? I heard that it was one of the three Heart Roads of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Refining Heart Mountain. It¡¯s apparently an ancient inheritance that has existed for countless years.¡± ¡°As it turns out, the space inside the Great Harmony Water Palace was actually a small realm. Although it¡¯s a badly damaged realm, it really goes to show how profound Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s cultivation base was as a half-step Clone Avatar stage supreme powerhouse.¡± Many people began to discuss spiritedly amongst themselves, sighing in admiration. A few of the people already began to move forward, silently climbing their way up the first step. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes lit up and he also started walking up the first step. Every step of the staircase was extremely long at about roughly 10 meters per level, and the staircase itself was hundreds of meters wide, more than spacious enough to accommodate several thousands of people climbing at once. An indescribable might pressed down on his body, but its force was still extremely weak. Without carefully perceiving it, it might be difficult to even notice it. The people around Xu Disheng, feeling that the pressure was extremely small, began to activate their movement techniques and rushed forward madly. It was impossible to fly here, even for Magic Treasures. Each person had to go step by step, and there weren¡¯t any shortcuts. Xu Disheng silently perceived the minute changes in pressure weighing down on him as he climbed up each step. More importantly, he discovered that if he activated Azure Ocean, a water element cultivation method, the pressure would instantly decrease by a lot, and would even transform into strands of pure primordial water energy and imbue itself little by little into the operation of his Azure Ocean cultivation method. After traversing a mere thirty steps, Xu Disheng noticed that his comprehension and understanding of the Azure Ocean cultivation method had gone up by a bit, and even its might had increased. When he looked up ahead, he saw that many people were gradually starting to slow down. Some of them realized Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s intentional designs and began to activate water element cultivation methods, allowing them to use the pressure on the steps to refine their cultivations. Even in the middle of a trial, Vast Ocean Primordial Lord was allowing the living beings near the Zhaojiang who cultivated water element cultivation methods to increase their strength. This kind of meticulous consideration and merciful spirit really drew people¡¯s admiration. 100 steps! The primordial water energy surrounding Xu Disheng rose sharply. With just a thought, countless screens of water materialized around him. Surprisingly enough, this level of mastery was already enough to match He Junyu¡¯s display of that water screen technique back during the tournament. A black drop of water condensed at the tip of his finger. It was none other than the Summon Rain technique, which had a hint of the aura of Pure Oblivion Water. Xu Disheng let the water screens fall away. Then, he began to channel the concentrated primordial water energy coming from the mysterious pressure into the black droplet of water at his fingertip, making it more and more refined. Meanwhile, He Junyu and Jian Liangbi had already walked up 200 steps. Right now, their expressions drastically differed from one another. Several hundred water screens appeared around He Junyu in a shocking display of power. The aura around him became more and more impressive, and each step he took seemed light and easy. On the other hand, Jian Liangbi¡¯s expression was somewhat grave. He had even taken out an umbrella Magic Treasure and positioned it over his head to try and resist the pressure as he moved forward. Many of the other people on the staircase were just like him. But to every person that cultivated a water element cultivation method, traversing this staircase was like walking on flat ground. And while they were at it, they could polish their mastery of their cultivation method and increase their strength. However, those who didn¡¯t cultivate a water element cultivation method or only had a crude understanding of it had to endure the full brunt of the pressure on each step. The weight pressing down on them was only growing with each step. From the 200th step and onwards, if they didn¡¯t use a Magic Treasure, it was practically impossible to move even a single step forward! For a Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator, having even a single Magic Treasure was considered amazing. Most of the Sea of Qi stage rogue cultivators only had a single Spirit Tool. From the 200th step and onward, the number of people had decreased by a lot. The only people that remained were either like Jian Liangbi, who were relying on their Magic Treasures to move forward, or those who cultivated water element cultivation methods. Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s foundation was that mysterious water element cultivation method, so his inheritance naturally sought out someone who already cultivated the water element. It wasn¡¯t surprising at all that those who cultivated water element cultivation methods were receiving preferential treatment here. However, those who weren¡¯t able to bear the pressure any longer and couldn¡¯t continue onward weren¡¯t without gains. More and more people were realizing that if they no longer went forward and simply sat down on the steps to cultivate, they could use the power behind the mysterious pressure to improve any cultivation method at twice the effect with only half the effort. Of course, those who cultivated water element cultivation methods would have even faster progress and experience far more explosive gains. 200 steps! Xu Disheng was already using all of the power being transmitted from the pressure into refining the black drop of water. The aura of Pure Oblivion Water was becoming more and more distinct, and it was now emitting a faint aura of destruction. On the 268th step, Xu Disheng spotted Li Cangyun, who was seated cross-legged on the ground, cultivating. He clearly wasn¡¯t someone who cultivated the water element. Despite that, he was able to bear a tremendous amount of pressure, and he had already reached a step that entered the category of what a Dao Foundation stage cultivator could bear. But he had reached his limit, and now he made the most proper choice. Gradually, the others that came along, like Luo Hongying and Jian Liangbi, began to stop at various steps along the way. They sat down and started cultivating, thereby giving up their shot at contending for the inheritance. When Xu Disheng made it to the 300th step, he looked up ahead. Aside from He Junyu, he saw a few dozen people were still moving up the steps. These people were clearly all water element cultivators. There was no pressure apparent on their bodies, and they were even relying on it to slowly improve their water element cultivation methods. As the black drop of water spun slowly at his fingertip, the destruction intent imbued in it was becoming more and more intense. If it could really transform into a drop of Pure Oblivion Water, its power would be enough to shake the heavens! It was said that in the Heavenly Court, one of the three heaven realms, there was a river in the sky that existed since time immemorial. It flowed from an unknown origin and spanned the sky of the entire realm, flowing on to who knows where. This was the Oblivion Sky River! Every single drop of water in it was known as Pure Oblivion Water! Any living being that dared to enter its depths would be instantly destroyed. Their soul would scatter, and they wouldn¡¯t even be given the right to return to the cycle of reincarnation. Only those who had achieved the status of Bodhisattva could resist it somewhat. That being said, there were still quite a few supreme powerhouses who could take a few drops of Pure Oblivion Water from the Oblivion Sky River for their own use. Whether it was refining Magic Treasures or refining it into pills, Pure Oblivion Water would always provide wondrous effects. In the Human Realm, Pure Oblivion Water was practically extinct. It had long since become mere folklore. Xu Disheng happened to have a fortuitous encounter and saw the Oblivion Sky River in his own memories, allowing him to comprehend a hint of its intent. He also happened to have the Summon Rain technique, which he could use as a medium to demonstrate its power. Under the pressure and the concentrated primordial water energy it transmitted, Xu Disheng continued to refine and polish the black drop of water. At this moment, the aura of Pure Oblivion Water in the black drop of water was already around 70% of the real thing! At this point, even Xu Disheng was having a bit of difficulty controlling the black drop of water. The destruction intent in it grew more and more intense as if it were about to erupt forth in the next moment and annihilate everything it touched. CH 151 Chapter 151 ¨C True Samadhi Water 400th step! Xu Disheng¡¯s black hair flapped gently in the wind. The concentration of the primordial water energy surrounding him had already reached a maximum. He was pouring all of his control into the black drop of water at his fingertip, moving and channeling all of the primordial water energy into refining it. BANG! Suddenly, as if a certain restriction had been broken through, the primordial energy blew out with an ear-piercing explosion. The sound echoed deafeningly out throughout the staircase, drawing the gazes of the countless people sitting cross-legged in cultivation. Hovering above his palm, the black droplet of water had now transformed into the shape of a pure black calligraphy brush. As Xu Disheng held onto what was previously the Imperial Demon Brush, his eyes trembled slightly and the barriers from the Smoky Cloud Screen and the Soul Suppressing Vestment faded away. The drop of genuine Pure Oblivion Water had finally taken full form, but Xu Disheng couldn¡¯t fully control the violent destruction intent on it. When he saw the incoming backlash from the Pure Oblivion Water, he made a split-second decision and took out the Imperial Demon Brush and broke down its spiritual core. Then, he had the Imperial Demon Brush suck in the Pure Oblivion Water. Only then was he able to forcefully suppress it. If the Pure Oblivion Water were to really lose control and backfire, even the defenses of the Soul Suppressing Vestment and a top-grade Magic Treasure like the Smoky Cloud Screen wouldn¡¯t be able to fully protect Xu Disheng. A precious Magic Treasure was destroyed, but he acquired this¡­ In his hand was what was previously the Imperial Demon Brush. It had undergone huge changes and was now a shade of pure black. Xu Disheng could perceive that the calligraphy spell that was previously contained in it, which could suppress demons, had been completely erased. All that remained in it was an extremely violent destruction intent that seemed like it wanted to break out of the vessel at any moment. Xu Disheng gave a casual swipe of the brush and a streak of black sheen dozens of meters long was made from the brushtip. It left a smear of pitch black across his surroundings that looked like a splash of concentrated ink. In the badly damaged realm of the Great Harmony Water Palace, this brushstroke even caused a minute spatial tear. ¡°The Imperial Demon Brush is already no more. From now on, I¡¯ll call you ¡®Disperse¡¯,¡± Xu Disheng said, giving the pure black brush a somewhat odd name before putting it away. Disperse. When Xu Disheng set foot onto the 500th step, a massive amount of primordial water energy was absorbed into Disperse. The view before his eyes changed and he found himself in a new great hall. When Xu Disheng¡¯s figure appeared in the great hall, a few dozen people looked over at him. These people had already been waiting here for a while. ¡°Back when I was still small and insignificant, this water element cultivation method was the foundation for my rise to my current status. I don¡¯t wish for it to gather dust and be forgotten. For this inheritance, there¡¯s only one rule,¡± the flat voice once again resonated throughout the great hall. ¡°Regardless of temperament, race, or inclination towards good or evil, all living beings who cultivate the water element have the qualifications to participate in this final trial.¡± ¡°The cultivation method is called Samadhi True Water.¡± The moment these words reached the ears of the few dozen people present, their expressions all changed drastically. ¡°Samadhi True Water!¡± ¡°So this is the water element cultivation method that Vast Ocean Primordial Lord cultivated!¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that Samadhi True Water is second only to the divine Pure Oblivion Water. Every drop can drip away at a person¡¯s soul, and it can¡¯t be blocked!¡± There were some people who were familiar with the origins of the Samadhi True Water. One of them said, ¡°This type of water is extremely malicious. There is another story about this type of water in the ancient myths and legends.¡± Several people nearby turned to him. ¡°Please, I¡¯d like to hear the details,¡± someone said. ¡°An unknown number of years ago, there weren¡¯t as many living beings in the Eastern Territory of the Human Realm as there are now, and even Buzhou Mountain, which was used for conferring divine posts, still hadn¡¯t collapsed at the time,¡± the person narrated, a hint of excitement on his face. ¡°It was said that there were many living beings who couldn¡¯t bear being manipulated by the heavens and wanted to struggle free of their long preordained fate, so they gathered an extremely large force to resist the heavens.¡± A person asked in a doubtful tone, ¡°The heavens? Not the Heavenly Court?¡± ¡°At the time, the Heavenly Court didn¡¯t exist yet. Only the Immortal Court existed then.¡± "" The moment that person said the two words ¡®Immortal Court¡¯, his complexion suddenly changed. Only after a long while did he let out a breath of relief, seeing nothing out of the ordinary happening. ¡°Immortal Court?¡± ¡°What is the Immortal Court?¡± More and more people looked over, and many of them had a strong doubt in their expressions. The person seemed to think of something and seemed a bit more at ease. He surveyed his surroundings and said, ¡°This is a secret from an ancient era, so it¡¯s only normal that you all wouldn¡¯t know. I¡¯m just a humble rogue cultivator, but I was able to reach the Dao Foundation stage by following a cultivation method passed down from my ancestor. There were also some extremely ancient texts passed down within.¡± An unknown number of years ago, the three heavens and nine realms didn¡¯t consist of three heavens and nine realms. There was only the boundlessly vast Human Realm, the Nine Serenities Realm, as well as the three large suns and three silver moons hanging in the sky. The only heaven realm at that time was the Floating Immortal Heaven, which was above all living beings. The beings of the Floating Immortal Heaven were referred to as ¡®Immortals¡¯. The Immortal Court controlled the predestination of all living beings. They stripped countless living beings of their longevity to fuel the natural laws. They placed all kinds of rules and restrictions, making it so an immortal being would never appear in any of the realms. Eventually, there came a day where some extremely powerful beings in the Human Realm became discontent with having to silently put up with being sent back to the cycle of reincarnation every time. They wanted a long life. They wished for authority; they desired immortality that could match the heavens, unable to be snuffed out even by thousands of calamities. The ancient texts didn¡¯t have any record of what happened after that point, but from that time on, the Immortal Court was overthrown and the Floating Immortal Heaven was eternally sealed. From that point on, the countless living beings could all have long lives. If they managed to cultivate to the Divine Sea stage, they could live eternally and never have to worry about aging or dying. Every living being gained control over their own destiny, and they were no longer bound by the Immortal Court. All of the living beings, as countless as grains of sand throughout the realms, received their own freedom from that day forth. Samadhi True Water was something that was previously used in the Immortal Court to punish those who wanted to overthrow the law of predestination. Samadhi True Water could be poured into a soul and cause them to experience a pain worse than death. That excruciating level of pain could only be imagined. ¡°No wonder Vast Ocean Primordial Lord never brought up what kind of cultivation method he cultivated.¡± There were people who sighed in admiration when they heard that person¡¯s brief account. ¡°The Immortal Court dominated the heavens? When was that even? Why do you look so terrified of even mentioning those words?¡± Some people sneered when they heard what was said. They clearly hadn¡¯t only heard of the Immortal Court from that person¡¯s brief account just now. In the untold years past, although the word ¡®Immortal¡¯ had become taboo, there were still records of it secretly handed down in private, and these records were only becoming more and more common. A screen of light appeared in the great hall, attracting the gazes of everyone present. ¡°The introductory scripture of the Samadhi True Water requires perception and meditation,¡± the cold, robotic voice said. ¡°The person who can comprehend the most information about the Samadhi True Water from this picture scroll within two hours will receive the complete inheritance.¡± ¡°What is this diagram?¡± ¡°What is this even?¡± ¡°Did Vast Ocean Primordial Lord somehow make a mistake?¡± When Xu Disheng examined the massive screen of light, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. There was indeed a picture scroll on the screen, but the only thing on it was a dark green lotus. There was nothing on it that seemed to have any connection with the Samadhi True Water at all. ¡°In the past, Vast Ocean Primordial Lord was only an ordinary Sea of Qi stage rogue cultivator. But because of this picture, he was able to comprehend the complete scripture for controlling the Samadhi True Water from within. At the time, he only meditated on this picture for a mere 7 years.¡± In the tone of the cold, robotic voice that spoke these words, there was surprisingly a hint of emotion within, which wasn¡¯t there before. But no one was listening to the voice. They were all staring at the picture scroll, at that dark green lotus, with their brows scrunched up in concentration. However, Xu Disheng was able to perceive the difference in the voice¡¯s tone. He also noticed what it said earlier about ¡®comprehend the most information¡¯. Evidently, this trial wasn¡¯t testing to see who could comprehend this picture, but rather who could figure out the most information about the Samadhi True Water within a two hour time limit. The colossal great hall gradually became quiet as everyone silently meditated on the dark green lotus in the picture. There were people whose brows were tightly furrowed, even exposing a hint of impatience in their eyes. They clearly were making no headway. There was even one person who suddenly smiled and said, ¡®I got it!¡¯, drawing many peoples¡¯ gazes. Realizing that he blurted out something he shouldn¡¯t have, he immediately shut his mouth and returned to meditating on the picture. But after this apparent revelation, the brightness of the faint glow surrounding him as he meditated was now a bit brighter. A faint red and gold barrier of light appeared around everyone¡¯s bodies. Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s meaning was clearly to prevent any fighting in the Great Harmony Water Palace. Xu Disheng internalized the picture of that dark green lotus into his mind and closed his eyes to meditate. The time it takes for one incense stick to burn. Two incense sticks. Xu Disheng¡¯s long eyelashes trembled slightly. He lifted his gaze and his brows slightly furrowed. He hadn¡¯t made the slightest headway. The lotus was still a lotus, and the picture was still just a picture. Not even the shadow of the Samadhi True Water was anywhere to be seen. "" Wait, the shadow¡­? Xu Disheng looked back up at the massive screen. The dark green lotus was on a picture scroll, but it shook slightly as if it was being stirred up slightly by a passing wind. However, it didn¡¯t have any shadow whatsoever. A flash went off in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. He seemed to have thought of something, and above his head, the faint halo grew by several inches, emitting a brighter glow. Above every person¡¯s head was a small halo. The size of the radiant glow represented their degree of progress in meditating on the picture. Suddenly, there was a large commotion. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Someone from the Shangqing Sacred Sect?¡± ¡°There¡¯s someone with such a level of comprehension?¡± ¡°Was Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s inheritance this easy to just be taken away?¡± Many people roared out in displeasure, unwilling to accept the result. Xu Disheng followed everyone else¡¯s gazes. He saw an extremely bright beam rush into the picture scroll. Then, the picture scroll suddenly flew in the direction of the beam¡¯s origin. A youth with a handsome face stood up and grabbed the picture scroll. The red and gold barrier of light became even brighter, to the point that it was hard for people to even look at him. ¡°Comprehension¡­ 30%! You obtain the inheritance!¡± Unexpectedly, there was a hint of surprise in the cold, robotic voice as it announced the result. ¡°Senior Martial Brother He?¡± Xu Disheng murmured, looking at the youth holding the picture scroll. CH 152 Chapter 152 ¨C The Real Yan Wuji The picture scroll gradually transformed into a red and gold mote of light, which melded into He Junyu¡¯s body. At that moment, a massive teleportation power appeared, wrapping up everyone present. After a few breaths of time, the only person remaining in the great hall was He Junyu. The several thousand people cultivating on the stairs back on the first level of the Great Harmony Water Palace were also wrapped up in the powerful teleportation power. A few moments later, there wasn¡¯t a single person left on the 500 step staircase. ¡°Who obtained the inheritance?¡± Everyone was gathered outside of the great hall, by the riverbank of the Zhaojiang. There were many people who hadn¡¯t been able to make it to the second level, so they looked all around, trying to figure out who earned the favor of Vast Ocean Primordial Lord and was able to obtain the inheritance of this half-step Clone Avatar stage powerhouse. ¡°A bunch of morons,¡± Zhao Changhe sneered coldly. He gathered the disciples of the Peak Destroying Sword Sect and took advantage of the time when the crowd was still in chaos to leave. He cupped his hands to Yan Wuji from afar, not even caring if he saw it or not, and flew off into the distance on a sword light. Hong Zhao casually shot Zhao Changhe and the others a glance out of the corner of his eye. He knew that they were disciples from the Peak Destroying Sword Sect, so he didn¡¯t pay them any extra attention. He retracted his gaze and looked thoughtfully over at the several thousand people gathered by the great hall. Among the crowd, there were some rogue cultivators who had very keen senses. They could perceive that there was something wrong with the atmosphere here, so they stealthily slipped away in beams of light. ¡°Wuji,¡± Hong Zhao called out, rising into the air on his demonic cloud with a flick of his serpent tail. ¡°Mhm,¡± Yan Wuji grunted in response, a glacial look appearing in his eyes as five small banners appeared around him. Demonic energy rose and the five small banners filled with wind. Each of them flew towards a position surrounding the few thousand people, forming a large demon array. Clouds of demonic energy tumbled and roiled as the illusionary figures of monsters appeared within. Of those, several dozen of them had undergone full transformations. The people didn¡¯t even have enough time to react. By the time they realized what was happening, they were already trapped in the massive demon array. Their expressions became colored with shock and terror. Some people tried to bombard the deep blue barrier of light surrounding the demon array, but it didn¡¯t budge at all. Instead, it attracted the attention of the half-transformed monsters in the clouds of demonic energy. They turned in their direction and let out fierce roars as they approached. "" ¡°When the remnant of that old man Vast Ocean appeared, there were some people among you who dared to slander the Ancient Nuwa Sect. We were too lazy to check which of you exactly it was, so you¡¯ll all have to pay for it,¡± Yan Wuji said, his expression cold as he activated the five array flags. In the next moment, it was as if the countless monsters within received an order. They let out crazy roars and charged towards the separated rogue cultivators, commencing the slaughter. There were disciples from the other four large sects caught up in the array too. Their expressions turned unsightly. Zhang Lingruo, from the Demon Sound Sect, made a snap decision, immediately turning to Yan Wuji and Hong Zhao, who were floating in the air outside the array. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yan, I, Zhang Lingruo of the Demon Sound Sect, have never made any rash comments about the Ancient Nuwa Sect. The Demon Sound Sect is a subordinate demon race sect of the Ancient Nuwa Sect, so I would like to beg you to please show mercy and let us out.¡± After a moment of pondering, Yan Wuji nodded. He paused the array and made a hole for them at the top of the large array. Zhang Lingruo¡¯s face brightened. She flew towards the hole, bringing the disciples of the Demon Sound Sect with her. There were several people close to that hole. One of them was a Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator called Yan Tao. He had short stature and an ugly face. When he saw that a hole in the array suddenly appeared, his eyes lit up. He rode on his fan Magic Treasure and flew out of the hole, exiting the demon array. He looked at the hovering Yan Wuji and his cold expression. But he didn¡¯t seem to care about him, so Yan Tao clenched his teeth and desperately fled in a beam of light, disappearing over the horizon in the blink of an eye. The few Sea of Qi stage rogue cultivators near him also tried to do the same, but they were torn to pieces by the rushing onslaught of some half-transformed monsters. Zhang Lingruo wielded her lotus flower Magic Treasure and surrounded the several disciples of the Demon Sound Sect with a barrier of light, blocking the crazed onslaught of the monsters with transformed heads. Then, they all flew out of the hole in the demon array the instant before it closed. ¡°The Ancient Nuwa Sect is too malicious!¡± ¡°Just look at how many innocent people are in here!¡± ¡°Ai, this disaster was so uncalled for!¡± The rogue cultivators began to insult and swear uncontrollably. Their expressions were filled with despair as they bitterly tried to block the frenzied assault of the monsters. The disciples from the large sect, Daji Shrine, also began to speak and plead their case, hoping to be let out just like the disciples of the Demon Sound Sect were. But Yan Wuji didn¡¯t show any sign of responding to their cries. ¡°The Demon Sound Sect can be considered a subordinate sect of the Ancient Nuwa Sect, but the other large sects are under the Shangqing Sacred Sect. It¡¯s only a few dozen disciples. If they die then they die,¡± Yan Wuji said offhandedly, pouring even more demonic energy into the five small banners making up the array. He no longer paid any more attention to the roars, begs, and insults coming from within. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Jian, Junior Martial Brother Xu, the Ancient Nuwa Sect wants to use this demon array to kill us too!¡± Li Cangyun said anxiously. He had the barriers from two Magic Treasures surrounding him, firmly protecting him. In the midst of the chaos, he managed to find Xu Disheng and Jian Liangbi. Jian Liangbi¡¯s expression was also very grave as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about Yan Wuji¡¯s reputation. In the Ancient Nuwa Sect, he¡¯s considered a genius among the Dao Foundation stage disciples. His demon race bloodline is extremely dense, and he¡¯s extremely cold-blooded and ruthless. Simply because a few people insulted the demon race of the Ancient Nuwa Sect when the remnant spirit of Vast Ocean Primordial Lord appeared, he now wants to bury all of the people here alive without any regard for sentiment or face. You can see just how ruthless his temperament is from this.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Martial Uncle Jing?¡± Li Cangyun asked, his expression visibly filling with despair as he barely managed to block the attack of a fully transformed monster. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he doesn¡¯t care about this?¡± Xu Disheng glanced at the countless monsters roaring around him and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. But even if we all die here, the sect probably won¡¯t take initiative to get revenge for us. They might say that our demise was simply because our skills were lacking.¡± The several disciples from the Ancient Nuwa Sect had already flown away on their demonic clouds right before the array formed, and were standing behind Yan Wuji and Hong Zhao. A male disciple with a green serpent tail looked hesitant, and he eventually decided to come forward and speak up. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yan, there are still quite a few disciples from the Shangqing Sacred Sect inside. Some of them are even people that Sacred Son Bai Lu brought here¡­¡± ¡°Hah?¡± Yan Wuji growled, turning slightly. The frigid coldness deep in his gaze was on full display. That disciple didn¡¯t dare to meet his gaze and quietly lowered his head. ¡°Bai Lu already returned to the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Who cares about the disciples he brought? If they die here then they die here,¡± Yan Wuji said, unexpectedly going out of his way to speak coldly to that disciple. ¡°In the Shan Mountain Territory, and even in the entire Eastern Territory, these are how the rules have always been. You¡¯ve already cultivated to the Dao Foundation stage and you still don¡¯t get it?¡± ¡°I understand, Senior Martial Brother Yan,¡± the disciple with the green serpent tail said deferentially. After that, he didn¡¯t say anything more. While this was happening, Hong Zhao ascended high into the sky and watched as a purple celestial map approached from the distance. After a short while, Jing Xingchen stopped the celestial map in front of Hong Zhao. He looked down at the massive demon array and the corpses strewn about within. ¡°Hong Zhao, what is the meaning of this?¡± he asked, brows furrowing deeply. ¡°There were people among them that slandered my Ancient Nuwa Sect. Isn¡¯t death the proper punishment for this crime?¡± Hong Zhao said, raising a brow. "" Jing Xingchen snorted coldly, and a sword clad in dazzling starlight appeared in his hand. Then, without a word, he began to swing his sword, unleashing resplendent sword lights at the massive demon array. ¡°If someone slandered the Shangqing Sacred Sect, what would you do?¡± Hong Zhao said casually, not moving to block him. The Broken Star Sword paused and Jing Xingchen replied, ¡°Of course, kill them all. But there are several disciples that I brought to this place, and I can¡¯t have them die here.¡± The swift and ruthlessly fierce sword lights grew even brighter as they flew, blossoming with lustrous purple starlight. When they smashed upon the sturdy demon array, they managed to blow open a hole. ¡°Disciples of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, come out through here.¡± Through the hole that was blasted open, a thick, sickening scent of blood wafted out, causing Jing Xingchen to furrow his brows as he surveyed the ground littered with corpses. CH 153 Chapter 153 ¨C Drizzle Upon the Soul Several bloodstained rogue cultivators saw the gap in the array and they inwardly went wild with joy. But the moment they flew through the gap out into the open and thought they were free, they immediately lost their consciousnesses to several dazzlingly bright sword lights that shone like starlight. Jing Xingchen cut down several dozens of rogue cultivators in succession until a woman flew out, looking worse for wear. She cried out anxiously, ¡°Martial Uncle Jing!¡± It was Luo Hongying. Her long hair was a mess, and she was covered in bloodstains, but it wasn¡¯t clear if it was her blood or the blood of the monsters. Even after saving her, Jing Xingchen¡¯s tightly furrowed brows didn¡¯t loosen one bit. This time, among the disciples he brought, there was Jian Liangbi, who was the direct disciple of Severing Meridian Spirit Master Feng Simiao, and He Junyu, who was the eldest son of Celestial Tide Spirit Master He Wenshu. If those two died here, while it admittedly wouldn¡¯t make any waves whatsoever among the younger generations of the two overlord sects of the region, Jing Xingchen wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the guilt of being unable to look after them since he was the team leader on this mission. He didn¡¯t think that over the course of merely one hour, Hong Zhao and Yan Wuji would do something as heavy-handed as commencing indiscriminate slaughter. While Hong Zhao and Yan Wuji had a deep connection with Sacred Son Bai Lu, these ties didn¡¯t seem to compel them to extend any mercy to the disciples of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, nor Jing Xingchen for that matter. He felt that he was too naive. He thought that because they could be considered well acquainted, it wouldn¡¯t matter if he left the Great Harmony Water Palace. He didn¡¯t expect that they would be so callous to all emotion and wrongfully massacre all of these people. Although there were several disciples from large sects among these few thousand people and many of them were from small sects and aristocratic families, it wouldn¡¯t cause a single ripple in the Shan Mountain Territory even if they were to all die here. The remaining several hundred people in the demon array were still bitterly fighting and trying their best to stay alive. They were making use of the most malicious expletives to curse out those few people who spoke poorly of the Ancient Nuwa Sect. It was them who directly brought about the deaths of these several thousand people, the grand majority of which were completely innocent. The Ancient Nuwa Sect usually was pretty fair, and they wouldn¡¯t discriminate against rogue cultivators that much. But when it came to people who didn¡¯t know the difference between demons and monsters, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to show their cold, unfeeling side. ¡°Martial Uncle Jing.¡± Jian Liangbi, Xu Disheng, and Li Cangyun flew out from the gap in the demon array. Jing Xingchen looked them over. Seeing that they weren¡¯t in too bad of a shape, he snorted coldly and put away the Broken Star Sword. The celestial map unfurled, and he brought them with him to ascend into the skies. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Jian, are you okay?¡± Luo Hongying asked, approaching Jian Liangbi with deep concern in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Jian Liangbi said, eyes flashing as he looked at the gradually closing gap in the demon array, his thoughts unclear. Li Cangyun suddenly remembered and said urgently, ¡°Martial Uncle Jing! Ruan Xun still hasn¡¯t come out!¡± Hearing these words, Jian Liangbi¡¯s expression changed slightly. In the midst of all the chaos, he had somehow forgotten too. ¡°Even if you all died, he alone would be fine,¡± Jing Xingchen said coldly. ¡°Although the monsters in the demon array are strong, the restriction power of the barrier of light is only in the category of the Dao Foundation stage. If the few of you all used your Magic Treasures and attacked a single point at the same time, you would definitely have been able to break through. Why did you all not try this?¡± Their faces turned stiff and no one responded. When the demon array had just taken shape, some Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivators tried to bombard the barrier of light, but it didn¡¯t budge at all. From that point, a preconceived notion was instilled in them that there was no way to break the barrier of light surrounding the demon array. If only they had carefully thought it over, they would have been able to see through it. The Magic Treasures that those rogue cultivators had were all ordinary, with very mediocre levels of power. On the other hand, genius disciples like them weren¡¯t short for even top-grade Magic Treasures. If they had all attacked one point together with all their might, they would have broken the restriction barrier of the demon array and escaped long ago. If they were a bit more attentive, they would have seen that after the disciples of the large sects such as Daji Shrine, the Spirit Flower Sect, and the House of Bliss attempted to beg Yan Wuji to let them escape and failed, the Dao Foundation stage disciples from each of their sects such used all of their Magic Treasures to blast a single point. In the end, even they were able to quietly escape using this method. It wasn¡¯t clear what Yan Wuji was thinking. He was simply hovering in the air over the massive demon array, controlling the five array banners. He didn¡¯t pay much mind to the disciples of the large sects who managed to break through the restriction barrier and escape. He simply shot them a glance, then used the array flags to reseal the hole they made to escape. ¡°Those people from the Ancient Nuwa Sect tacitly left you all a way to survive, but you just didn¡¯t take it. If I didn¡¯t show up in time, would you all have just died in the demon array?¡± Jing Xingchen said, his tone becoming even more strict. As they were speaking, the space above the celestial map twisted and Ruan Xun¡¯s figure appeared atop it. He clapped a hand on Jian Liangbi¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°I was about to save you guys just now, but then I saw Martial Uncle Jing came, so I didn¡¯t bother.¡± As the direct descendent of a Primordial Spirit stage powerhouse, Ruan Xun clearly had the skill and knowledge to back his status. He had many hidden treasures on him, so these kinds of risky life-or-death situations were nothing to him. From his tone, he seemed to have plenty of energy left over, more than enough to save Xu Disheng and the others. Jian Liangbi wasn¡¯t in any mood to bicker with him. He simply closed his eyes and submerged himself in meditation, thinking deeply and introspectively on what had just happened. ¡°Hong Zhao, I want an explanation,¡± Jing Xingchen said, grasping the Broken Star Sword in his hand. The radiance surrounding the sword grew brighter as he turned to look at Hong Zhao atop his demonic cloud. ¡°What explanation do you want?¡± Hong Zhao said with a smile, raising a brow. Jing Xingchen remained silent. The Broken Star Sword in his hand began to tremble as an extremely powerful aura gradually condensed into being around his body. Hong Zhao¡¯s expression became a bit more serious. ¡°If you were here at the time, Wuji and I wouldn¡¯t have troubled these little fellows. But since you just so happened to leave, why would I still need to show any mercy to those people who slandered the Ancient Nuwa Sect?¡± ¡°So a Dao Foundation stage demon race genius like you still needs to shove false arguments down peoples¡¯ throats and speak such thoughtless nonsense? Color me surprised,¡± Jing Xingchen mocked. The radiance surrounding the Broken Star Sword in his hand faded and he activated the celestial map, departing from the Great Harmony Water Palace. ¡°I, Jing Xingchen, will remember this.¡± ¡°Those demon race of the Ancient Nuwa Sect¡­ is there something wrong with their brains or something?¡± Li Cangyun said, a lingering hint of fear in his voice. ¡°The way they do things is so weird.¡± ¡°Most of the demon race are like this. Usually they¡¯re still pretty amiable, but as soon as they get angry, they become extremely unreasonable and vicious and don¡¯t listen to common sense,¡± Jian Liangbi said, already seeming to have regained his calm. He turned to Jing Xingchen and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother He still hasn¡¯t come out from the Great Harmony Water Palace, is he¡­¡± ¡°No, he¡¯ll be fine,¡± Jing Xingchen said flatly. Below him, the celestial map put on even more speed as they flew back in the direction of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. In a tributary river of the Zhaojiang River System, at the Great Harmony Water Palace¡­ The massive demon array gradually fell silent, until not a single sound echoed out. Yan Wuji put away the five array banners and the demon array slowly faded. The countless monsters crawling and vying against one another dove back into the five array banners. Returning to his usual frivolous and uninhibited temperament, Yan Wuji looked at the pile of corpses and sea of blood and said, ¡°Look through their things and tidy up a bit. These rogue cultivators probably don¡¯t have anything good. Then we¡¯ll continue towards the He Yin Territory to carry out our mission.¡± The disciples of the Ancient Nuwa Sect complied and each flew towards the piles of corpses. They would reach out their hands from time to time and storage pouches and Spirit Tools would fly into their hands. ¡­ ¡­ Several hours later¡­ Countless monsters from the waters of the Zhaojiang came, attracted by the smell of blood. They were frenzied and crazed as they swarmed over the thousands of mangled corpses belonging to the profound cultivators. Their eyes glowed with green light as they commenced their wild feast. The red and gold great hall slowly turned into an eye-catching mass of light. It shrank and condensed, eventually transforming into a figure, clad in brilliant light. The facial features of the figure were still indistinct. It flew into the sky with a step, causing the feasting monsters nearby to pause and look at the illusory figure made of light. When the radiance faded, the face of a handsome man was revealed. In his eyes, there was a vacant look of perplexion. He reached out and lightly closed his hand. A huge power coalesced around him, causing the wind to whistle and howl. A massive gale swept! Oppressive, dark clouds covered the sky above the Zhaojiang tributary. Anyone who saw the scene would feel despair in their heart. Some of the monsters stopped eating as if they detected the latent danger. They brought a few corpses with them and quickly escaped into the river. Many of the monsters were too dull and continued to gorge themselves. The aura in the air surrounding them grew unceasingly, and the light in front of their eyes grew more and more bright. The handsome, slender figure moved his finger, and his gaze gradually became clear. He glanced around at the dense mob of monsters. There were even two or three among them that were fully-transformed Dao Foundation stage monsters. ¡°Samadhi True Water, First Form.¡± ¡°The inky clouds fly in but do not hide the hills; as large drops of white rain scatter and leap into the boat. A sudden wind arrives and sweeps across the earth; below I see the lake, a mirror of the sky.¡± (TL: This is a poem called ¡°Written While Drunk in the Lake-View Pavilion on the 27th Day of the Sixth Month¡±, written by a famous Song dynasty poet called Su Shi.) ¡°Drizzle Upon the Soul.¡± As the handsome young man muttered these words, the clear and bright gaze in his eyes grew stronger. When he flipped his palm over, the massive black cloud began to rain down in a continuous, unending drizzle. Under the hour of dusk, the pale, beaming moonlight spilled forth from the three moons, illuminating the sinister, squalid faces of the innumerable monsters on the riverbank. CH 154 Chapter 154 ¨C Soaring Reputation At night, the summit of Morning Dew Peak was still bright as day. A giant 10,000-year-old pine tree stood tall next to Lu Changge¡¯s Morning Night Hall, emitting a constant brilliant radiance. Xu Disheng gazed at Morning Night Hall several kilometers off in the distance, then urged the Yin Yang Diagram forward and landed in front of his own palace hall. Inside the palace hall¡¯s barrier of light, a dozen message jade slips were floating in the air, vibrating. A majority of them had unfamiliar auras surrounding them. They clearly weren¡¯t from people that he was acquainted with. He opened the barrier of light and looked around at the comfortable, luxurious palace hall that was normally for Dao Foundation stage disciples. Then, after swiping his hand and putting away the dozen or so jade slips, he went inside. What surprised him the most was that one of the jade slips was from Chu Qing¡¯er, who was previously also cultivating at the Outer Region of the Mingxin Mountain Range, and there was even one from Chu Tianhe from the Eighth Mountain, the Zhuri Mountain Range. They both originally came from the Chu Territory like him. After the end of the Mingxin Mountain Inner Disciple Tournament, Xu Disheng¡¯s reputation soared and he became a Sea of Qi stage genius considered on par with people like Guan Lu and Kou Zun, and second only to the few people with Psychic Magic Treasures. A majority of those several people who came from the Chu Territory like him were still rushing around and toiling over a few spirit stones. Some of them were still at the Cleansed Meridians stage and were wasting their lives away in the Outer Region, unable to enter a Peak. After the news of the tournament spread, Xu Disheng¡¯s status as the 4th place genius in the Sea of Qi division became widely known and he became someone who was showered in admiring gazes wherever he went. These people who sent him messages were trying to get him to extend a helping hand so they could obtain some benefits or protection. Xu Disheng lightly swiped his hand to toss them all to the side, but part way through, his slender hand suddenly paused. When he thought back to the generous gifts that Emperor Chu had given him in that storage pouch, he thought it wouldn¡¯t be good to turn a blind eye to Chu Luo. He picked out his jade slip from the pile, then summoned the destruction intent from the Pure Oblivion Water at the tip of his finger and destroyed the rest of the message jade slips. When he roughly looked through the message jade slip from Chu Luo, he found that there wasn¡¯t a single word requesting protection from him or anything of the sort. Instead, in an extremely respectfully worded manner, he congratulated Xu Disheng for getting 4th place in the tournament and becoming a well-known genius in the sect. After Chu Luo had arrived at the Outer Region, he found out that Xu Disheng had just finished participating in the Internal Disciple Tournament before coming to the Chu Territory, so his congratulation wasn¡¯t considered late by any means. After pondering momentarily, Xu Disheng wrote a few sentences in response, then activated the courtyard¡¯s messaging array and tossed out the jade slip. It flew up into the air through the power of the array and shot off into the distance, where it soon disappeared without a trace. ¡°Xu Disheng of Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Morning Dew Peak. The deadline for the sect¡¯s annual mission quota is approaching. Within four months, you are still required to complete 3 sect mission shares, equivalent to 1 large-scale mission, 2 medium-scale missions, or 3 small-scale missions.¡± One of the jade slips was sent out by the Mingxin Mountain¡¯s branch of the Affairs Hall. It was a routine reminder sent out to disciples who had entered a Peak that they had to complete their quota of sect missions on time. The mission share for the large-scale mission that he went on with Jing Xingchen and the others to the Zhaojiang River System hadn¡¯t gone through yet, so he was still considered to have only completed 2 sect mission shares so far, the same amount he had half a year ago. As soon as the sect mission share for this large-scale mission was registered in the system, then his annual quota of 5 sect mission shares for the year would be fulfilled. While Xu Disheng was fighting in close quarters with those monsters inside of Yan Wuji¡¯s demon array, he managed to improve his control over that drop of Pure Oblivion Water. Although that drop of Pure Oblivion Water had fused with the Imperial Demon Brush into a single entity and turned into the Magic Treasure which Xu Disheng called ¡®Disperse¡¯, he was still unable to demonstrate its full might. Little did he know, being able to control a drop of Pure Oblivion Water below the Primordial Spirit stage was normally nothing more than wishful thinking. If anyone else tried to do it, the backlash would instantly obliterate their mind and wipe them from the face of the universe without even giving them the chance to reincarnate. It was only because of the cyan jade flute in his sea of consciousness that he could suppress this nascent Pure Oblivion Water and keep it calm so Xu Disheng could activate it and manipulate it a little bit. But although he could barely use it, its might was capable of rendering people speechless. Every time Xu Disheng waved Disperse, the energy of the Pure Oblivion Water would concentrate at the tip of the brush and unleash a black brushstroke in its wake. Any time it came into contact with any monster, its entire body would curl up into black gas and disappear. Only the fully-transformed monsters could resist it slightly. But they couldn¡¯t block the energy of the Pure Oblivion Water head-on or they would also end up with their minds obliterated. Although fully-transformed monsters were more or less equivalent to a human race Dao Foundation stage cultivator, the monsters in Yan Wuji¡¯s demon array were merely numerous, but actually quite weak. Even if there were fully-transformed monsters, they had lost their intellect and completely relied on their instincts to kill. They couldn¡¯t use any monster spells whatsoever. Monsters that couldn¡¯t use monster spells were like humans who had lost their Spirit Tools or Magic Treasures. No matter how high their profound qi cultivation was, their combat strength would be very limited. Thus, these fully-transformed monsters in Yan Wuji¡¯s demon array couldn¡¯t match up to the reputation that normal fully-transformed monsters that could use monster spells had. The demon array was strong, but it only relied on numbers to suppress its foes. ¡°Master, in this time you have taken in quite a bit of Soul Force. I require roughly 7 days to complete my evolution. This time, I should be able to ascend to the rank of a pinnacle top-grade Magic Treasure. During this period, please refrain from using the Soul Suppressing Vestment to confront any enemies,¡± Little Sky said in his deep voice from within the Soul Suppressing Vestment. ¡°Alright,¡± Xu Disheng said. He didn¡¯t say more because the combat potential that the Soul Suppressing Vestment offered him at the moment was extremely limited as it was. It could hardly compare to the Smoky Cloud Screen or the White Lotus Array Flag, much less a pseudo-Psychic Magic Treasure like the Demon Punishing Array Diagram. The Soul Suppressing Vestment was a Soul Vessel, so it could continue to grow in rank as long as it received enough Soul Force, but then again, its original vessel was only an ordinary Spirit Tool. Although it had the wondrous effects from the Sealing Soul Mantra applied to it, the pace of its growth still wasn¡¯t that great. There was a scripture within the Sealing Soul Mantra that allowed him to refine a new Soul Vessel. It allowed him to extract the void nucleus of the Soul Vessel from its current vessel and required the use of Soul Force to quickly move it to a new vessel to be re-refined. This ¡®void nucleus¡¯ was the core of the Soul Vessel. While he could do this if he wanted, it caused the energy in the Soul Vessel to drop greatly, and it would take a long time of careful nurturing to restore it back to its previous state. Seeing that Little Sky had already entered a dormant state, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t bring up this matter. After seven days were up and he could talk to Little Sky again, he could start going about the matter of re-refining the Soul Vessel. After all, right now he could be considered extremely wealthy. He had recently been making massive gains in rapid succession, so even Xu Disheng didn¡¯t know exactly how many spirit stones and cultivation resources he had on him. ¡°Invitation letter to the Grand Auction of Wenyuan Mountain¡¯s Splendid Commodity Peak.¡± Among the remaining jade slips that still hadn¡¯t been opened, there was one fancy and ornate looking message jade slip that caught Xu Disheng¡¯s eye. When he reached out and took it into his hand, these words appeared before his eyes in a flash of golden scintillating light. It hovered there in the air for a few breaths of time and then slowly transformed into motes of light and dissipated. Everything else aside, the spectacle that occurred when opening this jade slip was more than doing its job at putting on an extravagant appearance. ¡°The esteemed Xu Disheng of Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Morning Dew Peak ¨C There are still 7 days remaining until the grand auction being held by the Grand Erudition House of Splendid Commodity Peak. We have sent you a special invitation requesting your distinguished presence. We would be very honored to have you attend.¡± Although the contents of the jade slip were very brief, the information was shocking. Wenyuan Mountain¡¯s Splendid Commodity Peak! The Grand Erudition House! Wenyuan Mountain was where the main branch of Affairs Hall was. The Wenyuan Mountain Range was extremely vast, to the point that two Mingxin Mountain Ranges could fit inside of it. Splendid Commodity Peak was an extremely large Mountain Peak domain belonging to Grand Erudition Spirit Master. Although Grand Erudition Spirit Master was a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, he was mainly interested in doing business. Under his discreet business management prowess, Splendid Commodity Peak had quietly risen to being the largest marketplace in the Wenyuan Mountain Range. Many extremely wealthy Spirit Masters with liberal spending habits, and even Primordial Lords had opened up shops on Splendid Commodity Peak. The goods that they refined would be sold firsthand at their shop fronts on Splendid Commodity Peak. The disciples of the Eight Mountains would visit their shops for their reputation. The magnificently prosperous scene on Splendid Commodity Peak was beyond imagination. The Grand Erudition House was the largest auction business under Grand Erudition Spirit Master¡¯s name. People often said that there was nothing in the Shan Mountain Territory that couldn¡¯t be found there. The grand auction was only held by them once every several years, and each auction would be an extravagant gathering of rare resources and precious treasures, drawing the attention of countless low and middle rank profound cultivators from the Eight Mountains. For each grand auction, the Grand Erudition House would send out countless gorgeous-looking invitations. These exquisite jade slips would fly out and land in front of the Divine Core stage Spirit Masters, the Dao Foundation stage Peak Masters, and the numerous Sea of Qi stage geniuses of the Eight Mountains. As a Sea of Qi stage genius of the Mingxin Mountain Range, Xu Disheng had now earned the qualifications to be invited to this grand auction. Due to his unfathomably powerful secret Ghost Dao technique, he had caught the attention of people from other Mountain Ranges. There was a certain poem that went: The start of the immortal¡¯s path Is when their Dao heart is set. Overturning the universe, To use heaven and earth as their cauldron. CH 155 Chapter 155 ¨C The Flourishing Wenyuan Mountain Range Pure Heart Pavilion was the name of Xu Disheng¡¯s courtyard. Having a pure, single-minded devotion to meditation¡­ the name clearly showed the attitude that the master of this courtyard had towards cultivation. In the air above the courtyard, a youth wearing the apparel of an Outer Region disciple was descending on a white Spirit Cloud. After hesitating for a moment, he sent a message jade slip into the Pure Heart Pavilion. After a short while, a hole opened in the barrier of light surrounding the Pure Heart Pavilion and a cold voice echoed out from within. ¡°Come in, Chu Luo.¡± The youth in the Outer Region disciple uniform bowed rigidly and said respectfully, ¡°Yes, Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Only then did he enter the walk through the hole in the barrier and enter the courtyard. When Chu Luo saw the simple but elegantly refined courtyard, a hint of delighted envy appeared in his gaze. However, he didn¡¯t linger or look around. He walked directly towards the courtyard hall and bowed once more before walking through the door. Xu Disheng looked at the youth in the lower hall. Although he was dressed in the robes of an Outer Region disciple, his expression was steady and not disturbed in the slightest. His etiquette was considerate and well-placed. The arrogance and boastful air he had about him in the Chu Territory was gone altogether. Only the look in this youth¡¯s eyes showed his exceptional temperament. ¡°Greetings, Senior Martial Brother Xu,¡± Chu Luo said, his greeting kept shrewdly short. Afterwards, he lowered his eyes and kept his silence. ¡°Mm,¡± Xu Disheng said, putting down the jade slip in his hands. ¡°How has your time staying in the Outer Region been so far?¡± ¡°All thanks to Senior Martial Brother Xu¡¯s thoughtfulness in sending me to the errands hall of the Outer Region of Mingxin Mountain, I didn¡¯t experience any difficulties,¡± he replied. Far from experiencing any difficulties, he even had plenty of cultivation resources from Emperor Chu, who held him in high importance. As soon as he entered the Outer Region, he bought a Spirit Cloud and even managed to make some friends with some Outer Region disciples who had excellent Spiritual Roots. In his community of courtyards, he could be considered to be thriving. After a moment of thought, Xu Disheng took out a jade slip and said, ¡°With your resources, cultivating to the Sea of Qi stage shouldn¡¯t take too long. When you take the Peak Entry Examination, if you wish to join Morning Dew Peak, show this jade slip to a human resources disciple on Mountain Affairs Peak. Someone will then make the arrangements for you.¡± After a short pause, he continued, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t pass the Peak Entry Examination, I will send someone to alter the result and make it so you pass.¡± Chu Luo came forward and accepted the jade slip with both hands. Even with his steady temperament, a hint of emotion crossed his expression. ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Senior Martial Brother Xu!¡± ¡°Go on then.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Chu Luo said, respectfully bowing once more before leaving Pure Heart Pavilion. Chu Luo took out his white Spirit Cloud. After climbing on it, he turned his head to look back at the clouds and mist surrounding Morning Dew Peak. After getting a hold of himself, he flew off in the direction of the Mingxin Mountain¡¯s Outer Region. Among the few dozen friends and acquaintances that Xu Disheng had made so far was a Sea of Qi stage genius called Yin Yi. This person¡¯s elder brother, Yin Hetong, was a Dao Foundation stage Deacon of the Human Resources Hall on Mingxin Mountain¡¯s Mountain Affairs Peak. To a Dao Foundation stage Deacon of Human Affairs Hall, a small matter like the Peak Entry Examination and assigning someone to a Mountain Peak was nothing more than putting in a word. Xu Disheng only needed to send out a message jade slip to let him know. In the storage pouch that Emperor Chu gave him, there were several Spirit Tools and as many as 800 spirit stones within. Although this amount of resources couldn¡¯t be considered much to the current Xu Disheng, it was more than enough to show the sincerity of Emperor Chu, who had been in the Chu Territory for a long time. Doing at least this much for Chu Luo was still within reason. As for Chu Qing¡¯er, Chu Tianhe, and the other people of the Chu Territory, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t pay any attention to them whatsoever. After skimming through their jade slips, he simply destroyed them with Pure Oblivion Water. The scripture of the Theory of Causality slowly surfaced in Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness. He furrowed his brows as he began to use his Soul Force to examine it. Countless black threads began to appear around him, spreading out in all directions with him in the center. What was the goal behind the Theory of Causality that appeared in the cyan jade flute, in something as mysterious as the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda? Did it truly want him to cut off all causality, every karmic link? But¡­ something like that was simply impossible! Every being could influence causality with something even as simple as stepping on a blade of grass. Only by making everything that ever existed into nothingness was it possible to completely cut off every karmic link. Although Xu Disheng had already recovered a portion of his memories, he didn¡¯t want to completely surrender himself to the beck and call of these past remembrances. There was still a heavy layer of fog around some of his memories. There was even a portion of these memories that in Xu Disheng¡¯s opinion, seemed false! It was like a whirlpool of repeating mysteries and riddles, and he was caught in the middle of it, unable to see through it at all. The pure black Disperse appeared in his palm. Only after he felt the destruction intent on it did his heart begin to stabilize a bit. No matter if it was the Soul Song or the cyan jade flute, all of them were things that had accompanied him since he entered the cycle of reincarnation and was reborn. However¡­ when he thought of the enigma in his memories, Xu Disheng knew that he couldn¡¯t completely rely on his past memories. The drop of Pure Oblivion Water was from a scene of the Oblivion Sky River in Xu Disheng¡¯s memories. Adding in the enlightenment he received when he polished the Summon Rain scripture and his peerless comprehension ability and destiny, the Pure Oblivion Water was something that was completely part of his own strength. No one could take it from him. The faint hint of destruction intent emanating from the Pure Oblivion Water was so dangerous that even Xu Disheng, as the master of it, felt a slight tingling, burning sensation from it whenever it appeared at his fingertip. After putting away the long calligraphy brush, Disperse, Xu Disheng contemplated for a while before writing several message jade slips. After sending them flying off towards their recipients in succession, he stood up and also left Pure Heart Pavilion. As an Secret Realms intermediary disciple of Affairs Hall, he couldn¡¯t endlessly enjoy the benefits of the position without paying any price. He was now headed towards the Third Mountain, Wenyuan Mountain, to meet Wei Yuanwei in one of the Secret Realms. Anyone who held the position of intermediary disciple had to go to the Secret Realms at least once a month to accept and complete assigned tasks within, regardless of which Mountain Range they came from. Going to the Chu Territory to bring back Qingxin was an order directly from Celestial Tide Spirit Master, and was considered a special task. It was done under the name of recruiting disciples, but it couldn¡¯t be considered a full task. The purpose of Xu Disheng¡¯s visit to the main branch of Affairs Hall on Wenyuan Mountain to meet Wei Yuanwei was to take on his first task as a Secret Realms intermediary disciple. Since the end of the month was in a few days, he couldn¡¯t put it off any longer. ¡­ ¡­ For a long time now, Wenyuan Mountain was the most flourishing Mountain Range among the Eight Mountains. The mere existence of the main branch of Affairs Hall had transformed the entire vast Mountain Range into an sprawling, unending expanse of city and civilization as far as the eye could see. The distance between the Mountain Peaks couldn¡¯t be considered far, but at the base of almost every single Peak, there were cities and towns of various sizes, each one meant to house the families of the disciples of the adjacent Peak. Many of them were at the Cleansed Meridians stage, and there were even some that were mortals. This could be considered something particular only to the Wenyuan Mountain Range. After all, as the most prosperous Mountain Range among the Eight Mountains, the numbers and population density of the disciples was beyond imagination. That was why it was decided many, many years ago for towns to be built at the base of each Peak, specifically to hold the families of the disciples of the Eight Mountains. These cities and towns of varying sizes ended up as the foundation of Wenyuan Mountain, serving a variety of uses. The courtyards that housed the disciples¡¯ families in the cities of some of the more affluent Mountain Peaks had soared to prices of over a few thousand spirit stones, already outstripping the price of a common Magic Treasure. In the Shangqing Sacred Sect, the Affairs Hall was a monstrously colossal existence. Spirit Origin Hall, Human Affairs Hall, Examination Hall, and Sect Affairs Hall were all halls subordinate to it. One level beneath the halls like Spirit Origin Hall were Spirit Armament Pavilion, Cultivation Method Pavilion, and other smaller subordinate halls. The distribution of cultivation resources for every single disciple in the Shangqing Sacred Sect was under the control of the main branch of Spirit Origin Hall, which Refining Hall, Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, and other extremely wealthy smaller subordinate halls were a part of. The complicated organizational structure of the powers under Affairs Hall were what made up a monstrous, nearly inconceivable level of authority. The Secret Realms Office was simply one extremely small branch of Affairs Hall. They were only in charge of the affairs taking place in the 27 Mortal Secret Realms. There were around a dozen Dao Foundation stage Secret Realms Envoys. The office of Wei Yuanwei, who Xu Disheng was working under, was atop Green Creek Peak, where the Secret Realms Office was situated. CH 156 Chapter 156 ¨C Cyan Celestial Luan Xu Disheng was riding on the Yin Yang Diagram, but when he saw Green Creek Peak in the distance, he couldn¡¯t stop his expression from turning somewhat strange. The entire Peak was conspicuously covered in a uniform shade of green, sticking out from the surrounding few Peaks like a sore thumb. There were also no cities at the foot of the mountain, and there weren¡¯t many disciples traversing to and from it. After glancing around at the flourishing cities around the base of each Peak, Xu Disheng shook his head and continued on his way towards Green Creek Peak. When he was a few kilometers away, he suddenly heard a massive explosion sound ring out in the sky, shaking a dozen or so of the nearby Peaks. The countless citizens in the cities below lifted their heads and looked skywards. Even the disciples that were passing by were startled by the noise and looked over. A gigantic Cyan Celestial Luan was falling from the sky, its wings hanging powerlessly at its side. A green light flashed and in the next moment, it had transformed back into an extremely beautiful woman in a green robe. She struggled to lift her arm and summoned a cloud, which she used to slow her descent. (TL: Luan ¨C a legendary bird from Chinese mythology, often mistaken for a phoenix or roc.) ¡°Slut!¡± A deafeningly loud roar echoed out. A handsome, black-robed flew on a seven-colored sword light appeared. A blazing orb of profound light materialized in his palm, which he launched ruthlessly towards the green-robed woman. ¡°So it¡¯s Senior Martial Brother Chen.¡± When all of the disciples saw the seven-colored sword light and realized who it was, they all lowered their gazes and no longer looked at the green-robed woman. ¡°Looks like Senior Martial Brother Chen Junsheng is teaching one of his maids a lesson again.¡± "" Many disciples directed pitiful gazes at the beautiful woman. That green-robed girl was the humanized version of that Cyan Celestial Luan. Now that she had assumed the form of a petite woman, she was even more beautiful. Her features were delicate and her small face was exquisitely shaped. Her silky black hair flowed down like a waterfall, but at this moment, it was no longer as smooth and unimpeded as one. Her hair was now a mess. The speed of that orb of fiercely blazing profound light couldn¡¯t be considered fast, but the place where that green-robed woman was about to land just happened to be where Xu Disheng was. A pleading look appeared on her small face, and her bright red lips began to tremble as if she was begging Xu Disheng to help her block this blazing orb of profound light. Xu Disheng gazed up at the extremely beautiful green-robed girl. In the next moment, a finger swiped sideways within the sleeves of his black and gold robe. The woman floated within several meters of Xu Disheng as this happened. His black hair fluttered in the wind, revealing his handsome features and indifferent gaze. When his finger swept out, a thick, broad water screen appeared and wrapped itself around the woman, rendering her unable to move a single step. The blazing orb of profound light ruthlessly smashed into the woman, striking her real body! Bang! The green-robed woman wasn¡¯t able to resist. She was struck head-on and sent flying into the side of a relatively small Mountain Peak, where she was firmly embedded into the rock, life or death unknown. Several Dao Foundation stage disciples angrily flew out from this relatively small Mountain Peak. But when they looked up and suddenly saw Chen Junsheng descending on his seven-colored sword light, they instantly suppressed their anger and put on a smile. After respectfully cupping their hands in his direction, they all returned to the Mountain Peak one after the other. ¡°This disciple sure is brave, acting against a maid of Senior Martial Brother Chen.¡± Some disciples directed fearful gazes towards Xu Disheng. ¡°When I saw him taking action just now, I thought he was going to save that Cyan Celestial Luan. I didn¡¯t think that he would¡­¡± All of the bystanders had drastically different expressions as they talked amongst themselves. ¡°But looking at Senior Martial Brother Chen¡¯s expression, he doesn¡¯t seem angry¡­?¡± a disciple who was adept at reading body language said, scrutinizing his expression in a serious manner. ¡°I thought you were going to save her,¡± Chen Junsheng said, landing in front of Xu Disheng in a flash of seven-colored light. He glanced into the distance at the green-clothed woman, who had crashed into the rock of the Mountain Peak. Then, he turned back to Xu Disheng and sized him up. ¡°Why?¡± Although his tone was cold, it carried a hint of confusion. After all, it was a fairly common occurrence for Chen Junsheng to teach his maids a lesson, but no one ever dared to get involved. Many years ago, there were some people who tried to take action to save a damsel in distress, but they were all turned to dust. However, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t try to protect her or save her. Instead, he used a water screen technique to trap her, which piqued Chen Junsheng¡¯s interest. ¡°I was just on his way to Wenyuan Mountain to accept a task when I saw a bird-type transformed monster running rampant. Slaying monsters is merely part of my duty as a disciple of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. It would be ill of me to shirk my duty,¡± Xu Disheng replied, speaking each word with a steady gaze. His tone was firm and full of a cold righteousness, causing the image of this Sea of Qi stage disciple before all the onlookers to be firmly etched into their minds. Chen Junsheng¡¯s expression was strange. He waved off the disciples behind him who wanted to speak and said, ¡°So there are disciples like this in the sect nowadays? This is news to me.¡± He pointed in the direction of the Mountain Peak where the green-robed woman had been sent flying into and said, ¡°Although she is a monster, she¡¯s merely my maid and plaything.¡± After he finished speaking, he started to ride away on his seven-colored sword light, bringing the several disciples behind him with him to where the woman was. But he suddenly stopped as if he thought of something and tossed out a jade slip. ¡°Bring this jade slip to the main branch of Spirit Origin Hall and you can claim 1,000 spirit stones.¡± The several disciples standing behind Chen Junsheng all gave Xu Disheng a closer look, forming an impression of this disciple who dared to act out against the maid of their Lord Chen. Xu Disheng ignored all of the bizarre, astonished gazes of the people in the cities and the disciples floating around in the air and reached out to grab the floating jade slip. The firm, righteous look on his face was completely gone, and he returned to his previous expression of tranquil indifference as he flew off on the Yin Yang Diagram in the direction of Green Creek Peak. Chen Junsheng, who was already at the peak Dao Foundation stage, was a direct descendent of the grand elder of the main branch of Spirit Origin Hall, Chen Xiuming. Setting aside his Rank 4 Spiritual Root, his great-grandfather, Chen Xiuming, was the grand elder of the main branch of Spirit Origin Hall and one of the almighty powerhouses in the entire Wenyuan Mountain Range. He was an early stage Primordial Spirit stage cultivator, and he was known by title as Eternal Harmony Primordial Lord. He held an extraordinary amount of authority over the main branch of Spirit Origin Hall. Any action he took could cause an earthquake of changes in the distribution of resources throughout the entire Mountain Range. Eternal Harmony Primordial Lord Chen Xiuming was the third disciple of one of the Mountain Masters of Wenyuan Mountain. The amount of influence he had in the sect through his firm control over the cultivation resources was unimaginably large. As the most talented person in the younger generation of the Chen Clan, Chen Junsheng was doted on heavily by Chen Xiuming. In the Wenyuan Mountain Range, his status was second only to the direct descendents of the two Mountain Masters of Wenyuan Mountain. Many of the people who saw this strange sight were already used to it. Seeing Chen Junsheng and his several attendants take away the green-clothed woman, they didn¡¯t make any further comments and all went back to their own tasks. The closer Xu Disheng got to Green Creek Peak, the stranger his expression became. The Peak where the Secret Realms Office was located gave off an incongruent and inharmonious aura. If it weren¡¯t for the map in the jade slip indicating that this was the place where the Secret Realms Office was, Xu Disheng wouldn¡¯t have been able to draw the connection between this Mountain Peak and the Secret Realms Office. The phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram below him slowly transformed into motes of light and disappeared. Xu Disheng landed on Green Creek Peak and looked in the direction of the dark green great hall. After a while, he started walking toward it in a somewhat hesitant and perplexed manner. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Xu Disheng heard a somewhat surprised-sounding voice and turned to the side, where he saw Xing Xing, who had just landed in a beam of light, waving at him. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xing, you also came here to receive tasks?¡± Xu Disheng asked. ¡°Yes. In the past few days, some matters got delayed, so I came this time to finish the tasks for this month and next month so I don¡¯t have to make another trip,¡± Xing Xing said, gazing in the direction of the dark green great hall, a hint of disdain towards it in his eyes. ¡°This Mountain Peak¡­¡± Xu Disheng began hesitantly, somewhat unsure on how to even word his question. ¡°You¡¯ll slowly come to an understanding about this matter. It would be clever of you to not speak too much about the former Peak Master of Green Creek Peak,¡± Xing Xing said with a hint of ridicule regarding the topic in his voice. However, he didn¡¯t say more about the matter. ¡°I have a feeling that 80% of the tasks we¡¯ll take this time will be related to Splendid Commodity Peak¡¯s Grand Auction. Come on, let¡¯s go see Envoy Wei together.¡± This dark green great hall was the place where the Secret Realms Envoys belonging to the Secret Realms Office did their work. That being said, the Peak Master and the Deacon weren¡¯t here. After all, when people reached such a position, they would all have their own Mountain Peaks, so they wouldn¡¯t be coming to Green Creek Peak every day. After entering the great hall with Xing Xing, Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes felt a bit more comfortable. Although the exterior was a dark green color, the inside was still pretty normal. The furnishings were all exquisite and luxurious, reaching the standards typical of a Dao Foundation stage disciple¡¯s establishment, to the point of offering the heart some comfort. However, Wei Yuanwei wasn¡¯t here. Inside, there were only several intermediary disciples bustling about. When one of them saw Xing Xing enter with Xu Disheng, they swept a measuring glance over Xu Disheng before addressing Xing Xing. ¡°Xing Xing, these are the tasks that Envoy Wei has assigned to you.¡± With that, he handed Xing Xing a jade slip before turning back to Xu Disheng and giving him another careful look over. ¡°Are you that newly appointed intermediary disciple, Xu Disheng?¡± ¡°That is me.¡± ¡°This is for you. You can leave now,¡± the intermediary disciple said dismissively, handing over a jade slip. He seemed extremely busy and no longer paid the two of them any attention. Glancing around at the several people present, Xing Xing turned to Xu Disheng and said, ¡°These Senior Martial Brothers are resident intermediary disciples, unlike us. Let¡¯s get out of here, Junior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and walked with him out of the dark green great hall, then looked at the jade slip in his hand. ¡°Intermediary disciple Xu Disheng. After receiving this jade slip, head towards Cangming Peak at once and enter the Zhao Territory of the Mortal Secret Realms to collect tribute on behalf of Wooden Construct Spirit Master. You have a limit of two days.¡± CH 157 Chapter 157 ¨C Death Trap!! Xu Disheng landed in front of the great hall of Cangming Peak in a beam of light, and the wayfaring token appeared in his hand. After showing it to the few disciples standing outside the hall, he walked right in. The person who was previously ruling over the peak last time he came, Yu Jia, wasn¡¯t present. Only Qin Gang and several other affairs disciples were here. After seeing Xu Disheng enter, Qin Gang spoke first. ¡°What business do you have?¡± ¡°Going to the Zhao Territory to carry out tasks,¡± Xu Disheng said, handing him the wayfaring token. The information regarding the tasks were recorded within. After Qin Gang received the token, he briefly examined it. Then, he nodded and gave Xu Disheng a realm-cross token. ¡°Outside the hall, you can choose a Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat as you wish. Go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you, Senior Martial Brother.¡± Xu Disheng took the two tokens with him and left the great hall of Cangming Peak. After randomly climbing on a Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat, Xu Disheng activated the realm-crossing token in his hand. This was his first time going to the Zhao Mortal Secret Realm. He was alone in the enormous Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat, gazing up at the stormy vortex growing in size above his head. A light flashed in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes, and he ascended on the Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat into the gradually stabilizing stormy vortex. The Zhao Territory was the 5th realm out of the 27 Mortal Secret Realms. The space in this badly damaged realm was extremely vast, over several times larger than the Chu Territory¡¯s realm. The Zhao Clan was currently ruling over this realm. It was said that they were a branch family of the Zhao Clan of the Fourth Mountain, the Mountain of Law, so they had a powerful background. The stormy vortex slowly shrunk down. The Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat was above the platform, and Xu DIsheng was atop it, looking all around him with his eyebrows raised. When he walked off of the boat, there wasn¡¯t a single person in sight. The gigantic platform was completely empty, looking much less welcoming than the Sky Platform in the Chu Territory¡¯s Imperial Court. Only after Xu Disheng walked to the edge of the platform did he find that he was at the very top of a mountain peak, hundreds of meters above the ground. There was a haze of clouds and mist below, making him unable to see anything off in the distance. He took out the affairs jade slip and the wayfaring token and checked the mission information. There was only one line, which said ¡®to collect tribute on behalf of Wooden Construct Spirit Master¡¯, and that there was a limit of two days. After that, there was some extremely small text underneath, indicating 3,000 of something. But there was no clear indication what this item to be taken as tribute was. That being said, Xing Xing said before that these tasks were meant to be easy, and could even be considered as a mere formality. As he was lost in his thoughts, a stream of sword light cut through the clouds and mist. A girl in a purple dress was standing on the sword light, and soon landed in front of Xu Disheng. ¡°Intermediary¡­ Did you come to collect tribute on behalf of Wooden Construct Spirit Master?¡± the girl in the purple dress asked gently, carefully sizing up Xu Disheng with a respectful expression on her face. She was at the early Sea of Qi stage. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Xu Disheng said, nodding his head. ¡°This tribute¡­ I had no way of bringing it with me. You will have to come with me to the ancestral city of the Zhao Clan to pick it up,¡± the girl said with a cryptic tone as if she was trying to cover up something, her expression a bit stiff. ¡°Okay,¡± Xu Disheng said, picking up on the girl¡¯s strange expression. But he didn¡¯t ask more and quietly agreed. The ancestral city of the Zhao Clan was at the very center of the Zhao Territory, and almost all of the direct descendents of the Zhao Clan were gathered here. Nearly everything in sight was extremely luxurious and extravagant. There was a sprawling complex of pavilions and kiosks as far as the eye could see. The girl in the purple dress landed on her sword light in front of a large, imposing great hall. She gestured toward the hall and said, ¡°Intermediary, the ancestor is cultivating inside. Whenever you are ready, you may enter.¡± This time, Xu Disheng came alone without a Dao Foundation stage Secret Realms Envoy accompanying him, which was why he didn¡¯t have the qualifications to be personally welcomed by a Realm Master, and only a descendant was sent out to meet him. Upon entering the hall, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t expect to find several dozen people within. Most of them were at the Sea of Qi stage, but there were three at the Dao Foundation stage, seated up high around the seat of honor. ¡°You are an intermediary disciple from the Secret Realms Office?¡± one of the people at the Dao Foundation said, speaking slowly. It was an old man, whose gaze was sharp and incisive as he looked straight at Xu Disheng. ¡°Yes. Which person here would be the Realm Master Martial Uncle of the Zhao Territory?¡± Xu Disheng said, cupping his hands. His expression was unchanged as he faced the gazes of everyone in the hall. ¡°That would be me,¡± the old man at the Dao Foundation stage said, his expression easing up a bit. As he spoke, his smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Little intermediary disciple, you must be here to collect tribute on behalf of Wooden Construct Spirit Master. The tribute has already been prepared long ago. Zhao Mu, go and bring it here!¡± ¡°Yes, lord ancestor,¡± one of the Sea of Qi stage Zhao Clan members said, complying with the order. Xu Disheng watched the old man pick up his teacup and take a sip of his tea. However, this action made him feel a slight hint of discomfort. This sense of discomfort became more and more apparent. The expressions of the several dozen people in the hall turned somewhat strange, and there were some whose faces started to twist in discomfort. ¡°Lord ancestor, I have brought the tribute for Wooden Construct Spirit Master!¡± Zhao Mu announced as he entered the hall with his head lowered, a wooden box in his hands. This wooden box was an interspatial storage Spirit Tool refined specifically for containing ghost type beings. ¡°Go ahead and hand it over to the little intermediary disciple then,¡± the Realm Master old man said. His face was hidden in the darkness of the great hall, and when his voice echoed out from within, he sounded completely unaffected. Xu Disheng laid eyes on the wooden box in front of him. But just as he was about to reach out his hand to take it, he suddenly became aware that the lights in the great hall had become like flickering shadows, casting indistinct light and shadows throughout the hall and making him unable to clearly make out any of the figures in the hall. This wooden box¡­ It was giving off a sense of life-threatening danger. It seemed as if picking it up would cause him to immediately meet misfortune! ¡°Xu Disheng, why aren¡¯t you taking the tribute? Are you not going to complete your task anymore?¡± The voice of the Realm Master became even more gloomy and cold as it echoed out from the darkness in the great hall, which had become even more opaque and pervasive. How does he know my name? The sense of discomfort Xu Disheng was feeling had reached its limit. His scalp was tingling, and he felt a hint of gloomy, frigid cold intent pressing down on him. Xu Disheng took back the hand he had stretched out to take the wooden box. A flash of black light shone in his eyes as he channeled Soul Force and looked into the darkness of the great hall. What great hall of the Zhao Clan¡¯s ancestral city? There were countless ghosts with pallid, sinister expressions surrounding him on all sides! The one closest to him had its maw open wide and was already right upon him! This was clearly a domain where Evil Spirits gathered! Endless screams filled with bitter resentment howled out as several Evil Spirit stage ghosts charged at him. Behind them, there were several hundred Malicious Spirit stage ghosts, which also swarmed crazily upon him. The Smoky Cloud Screen appeared around him, blocking the attacks of many of the rushing ghosts. After being deadlocked for a moment, one of the Evil Spirit stage ghosts reached out a deathly pale claw and swiped it down with all of its might! Siii! Like a bubble popping, the defenses of a top-grade Magic Treasure like the Smoky Cloud Screen were broken by the swipe of its claw! An Evil Spirit stage ghost was the equivalent of a Dao Foundation stage human race cultivator. These three Evil Spirits were also at their peak state, and had already reached the initial stage of being able to operate Ghost Force. The top-grade Magic Treasure, the Smoky Cloud Screen, wasn¡¯t able to block it! Xu Disheng hurriedly used the Soul Suppressing Vestment to block for a little bit, then used the Yin Yang Diagram to retreat and try to rush out of this place. Boom! The attacks of the Malicious Spirit stage ghosts couldn¡¯t be considered strong, but they were gathered in a large swarm. They were blown back dozens of meters by Xu Disheng, but the black barrier of light from the Soul Suppressing Vestment had become thin and practically transparent from just one attack. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes widened. This was an extremely bad sign. He definitely hadn¡¯t forgotten that the three Evil Spirit stage ghosts still hadn¡¯t made their move! Little Sky was still in deep hibernation, and while he could forcefully use the Soul Suppressing Vestment, its defensive strength was extremely weak at the moment. If those three Evil Spirit stage ghosts all attacked at once, the Soul Suppressing Vestment wouldn¡¯t be able to hold up! A maniacal laughter rang out and one of the Evil Spirit stage ghosts appeared right next to Xu DIsheng. A ghost claw filled with Ghost Force swiped at Xu Disheng, forming a miniature black hole. The black hole made out of Ghost Force twisted the space around it, transforming into an extremely small, rapidly distorting sphere. It even caused small tears in space, causing crackling sounds as it spun towards Xu Disheng¡¯s body. Two of the Evil Spirit stage ghosts still hadn¡¯t made their move. After all, using the full strength of one Evil Spirit stage ghost to deal with a Sea of Qi stage disciple was already like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The ghost had even used Ghost Force! All of the ghosts suddenly came to a stop, as if they could already see Xu Disheng¡¯s body being turned into mincemeat by the sphere of Ghost Force. The Ghost Force sphere exploded with a large bang. Countless splinters seemed to engulf everything, and the badly damaged space in the region produced ear-shattering explosions. Endless yellow profound light suddenly erupted forth, faintly illuminating the deep darkness. A small, exquisite pagoda appeared above Xu Disheng¡¯s head, spilling down yellow profound qi to firmly protect him. Xu Disheng wiped the fresh blood at the corner of his mouth. ¡°The Zhao Clan of Ghost Controlling Peak?¡± The expressions of the three Evil Spirit stage ghosts changed drastically. They didn¡¯t expect the defensive ability of this pagoda-type Magic Treasure to be so powerful. Although the previous information stated that Xu Disheng had a small pagoda that seemed like a Psychic Magic Treasure, he would still meet his end if three Evil Spirit stage ghosts attacked with all their might. Even if he had a real Psychic Magic Treasure, it shouldn¡¯t matter. ¡°When did it start? When I entered the Zhao Territory?¡± Xu Disheng questioned, eyeing the silent, unspeaking ghosts. ¡°In the first place, the problem was the task itself. When I went to Green Creek Peak, Secret Realms Envoy Wei Yuanwei just so happened to not be present. And when I went to Cangming Peak, the Peak Director Yu Jia just so happened to not be present either. Plus, the Zhao Territory just so happens to share a name with the Zhao Clan of Ghost Controlling Peak. Having to send out three Evil Spirit stage ghosts to get revenge for Zhao Yueban¡­ I suppose you¡¯ve given me enough face.¡± ¡°How clever of you. As expected of a newly risen genius of the Mingxin Mountain Range.¡± The sound of slow clapping echoed out through the great hall. At that moment, an old man walked out of the darkness. When he appeared, all of the ghosts bowed respectfully. This person was none other than the Vice Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak. What caused Xu Disheng¡¯s heart to turn cold was that this Vice Peak Master was a genuine peak Dao Foundation stage cultivator who had endured the vicissitudes of time in the ranks of the Zhao Clan. He didn¡¯t act often, but when he did, he would surely bring death! Xu Disheng didn¡¯t know exactly where this was, but if this was the real Zhao Territory, then the Realm Master, who presumably also belonged to the Zhao Clan, would most likely also be a peak Dao Foundation stage existence! Even though he had exerted as much strength as he did to get this point, there was now the peak Dao Foundation stage Vice Peak Master on top of the three Evil Spirit stage ghosts. There were also countless Malicious Spirit ghosts eyeing him maliciously from the sidelines! For them to move this much power to target a Sea of Qi stage disciple¡­ It was no different from a death trap with no way out! CH 158 Chapter 158 ¨C Awaken!! ¡°Secretly plotting an ambush against a genius of the sect like this is considered against the sect rules, so making a single mistake is simply unacceptable. Even though this is a situation of a tiger against a hare, we, as the tiger, must act at full force. You may just be at the Sea of Qi stage, but we can¡¯t give you even the slightest chance to return back alive,¡± the Dao Foundation stage Vice Peak Master said, an intense killing intent in his eyes. Two blood-colored vortexes of light appeared in both of his palms and shot towards Xu Disheng! As the blood-colored vortexes swept and spun during their trajectory, they swept up a strong wind. Xu Disheng¡¯s expression turned grave. The Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda above his head trembled and spilled forth motes of profound yellow light which condensed into a screen in front of him. ¡°This Psychic Magic Treasure isn¡¯t bad, but it¡¯s wasted in your hands,¡± the Vice Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak said, greed coloring his gaze as he looked at the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda. He clearly thought that it was a real Psychic Magic Treasure. Xu Disheng was only at the Sea of Qi stage. Although the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda was a supreme Immortal Treasure, he couldn¡¯t display even a single bit of its full might. The most he could do was forcefully use it a little bit. Unexpectedly, the profound yellow screen of light stopped the advance of the blood-colored vortexes. They hung in the air momentarily, letting out an ear-spitting screech as they clashed. But could the move of a Dao Foundation stage cultivator be only this much? Xu Disheng¡¯s expression became even more grave. He poured all of his might into the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, trying his best to resist the attack. The Vice Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak let out a scoff. ¡°Trifling Sea of Qi stage disciple, you think you can block my Nine Rotations Blood Pool?¡± The moment he said that, the blood-colored vortexes erupted with power and spun even more! Two rotations! Dazzling blood-colored radiance illuminated the entire space. When they shone upon the sinister faces of the innumerable ghosts floating around, it painted a hell-like atmosphere. The profound yellow light rapidly melted. As the blood-colored vortexes flew towards Xu Disheng, it started another rotation! Three rotations! There was a large amount of the power of heaven and earth infused in the blood-colored vortexes. Although it was still around 10 meters away from Xu Disheng, he could already feel the overwhelming might behind it that made people want to kneel before its power. Xu Disheng eyed the blood-colored vortexes, which by now were already right upon him. He raised his hand and took out the Smoky Cloud Screen once more. He brazenly ignited its true soul, consuming the power at its deepest source to transform it into a shocking screen of white light to block the area in front of him! Although this action could allow him to momentarily gain an extremely strong defensive power, it would irreversibly destroy this top-grade Magic Treasure, which was worth several thousand spirit stones, and turn it into countless irreparable fragments. The blood-colored vortexes that seemed to be able to devour everything in existence collided with the blinding white screen of light, causing its advance to be slowed greatly. However, this blinding white screen of light began to melt. It began to melt faster and faster, and as it did, the smell of blood became thicker and thicker. In only a few breaths of time, the blinding white screen of light would be completely destroyed. Behind Xu Disheng, two of the Evil Spirits charged away. Their figures soon disappeared into the darkness. Along with the command of the Vice Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak, the blood-colored vortexes went through their fourth rotation! Under the all-illuminating blood-colored light, the blinding white screen suddenly crumbled. The fourth rotation blood pool ruthlessly slammed into the screen of light formed by the profound light spilling forth from the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda! At the same time, an Evil Spirit suddenly appeared right at Xu Disheng¡¯s left side, a sphere of Ghost Force in its hand just like before. With an evil cackle, it slammed the sphere into the screen of light produced by the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda! A massive explosion rang out, and in the midst of it was a clear ¡®peng¡¯ sound as the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda¡¯s barrier of light broke. The almighty Immortal Treasure was currently at the rank of a Psychic Magic Treasure, but Xu Disheng still couldn¡¯t even bring out 20% of its true power. Even an ordinary Psychic Magic Treasure required someone to be at least at the Dao Foundation stage to be able to bring out its strongest might, so the mocking words of Ghost Controlling Peak¡¯s Vice Peak Master earlier weren¡¯t wrong by any means. Although the fourth rotation blood vortex also ran out of force and disappeared as a result of the barrier breaking, Xu Disheng¡¯s expression only turned more grave. In the end, this was only the casual blow of Ghost Controlling Peak¡¯s Vice Peak Master, but Xu Disheng had already exhausted almost all of his trump cards to block it. After all, the Vice Peak Master was an experienced peak Dao Foundation stage cultivator. A Sea of Qi stage cultivator like Xu Disheng was as powerless as an infant against him. Plus, it was only after reaching the Dao Foundation stage that it was possible to begin to exhibit the genuine might of many cultivation methods. It wasn¡¯t like the Sea of Qi stage, where combat power was entirely dependent on Spirit Tools and Magic Treasures. It was evident that Nine Rotations Blood Pool, the cultivation method belonging to the Vice Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak, was extremely powerful! From the time that the blood vortexes appeared, to breaking through the barrier of light produced by igniting the true soul of the Smoky Cloud and smashing through the defenses of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, only ten breaths of time had passed. Xu Disheng barely managed to pull out the Demon Punishing Array Diagram and the White Lotus Array Flag in time before another Evil Spirit appeared right next to him. It mercilessly swung its ghastly white claw, which was clad in Ghost Force. ¡°Extinguishing Soul, Blood Light!¡± The White Lotus Array Flag floated protectively in front of Xu Disheng as he consumed a large amount of Soul Force, allowing him to just barely use the strongest move currently available to him. A small Evil Spirit skull soundlessly appeared. Its eyes were opened just a crack, leaking forth an inexhaustible bloody light from within, which completely illuminated the Evil Spirit stage ghost that had ambushed him. Boom! The White Lotus Array Flag only held out for several breaths of time before its defenses were broken by the Ghost Force claw, but it bought Xu Disheng a precious few moments. ¡°Aaaaaahh!¡± A bitter scream roared out. The body of that Evil Spirit was caught completely in the blood-colored light, and black gas began to rise from its body. Its Ghost Force, which was raging like a fiercely blazing inferno around its body, started fading away at a speed visible to the naked eye. Aftering casting a resentful gaze at Xu Disheng, it rapidly backed away. Countless Malicious Spirits were caught in the scattered rays of blood-colored light. They didn¡¯t even have time to scream before they were turned into black gas. ¡°This is his trump card. That secret Ghost Dao technique,¡± the Vice Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak, with his hands clasped behind his back, said to one of the Evil Spirits, who hadn¡¯t moved all this time. ¡°Indeed, this secret Ghost Dao technique is extremely powerful, to be able to injure an Evil Spirit stage ghost,¡± that Evil Spirit said, transforming into the appearance of a scholarly middle-aged man. ¡°But that¡¯s the furthest extent of it. This old Realm Master thinks that this secret technique must have some ability to exert some special control over ghosts. After killing him, I¡¯ll be sure to carefully search his soul.¡± This Evil Ghost that looked like a scholarly middle-aged man was actually the Realm Master of the Zhao Territory! The Zhao Clan of Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Ghost Controlling Peak and the Zhao Clan of the Mortal Secret Realm¡¯s Zhao Territory were both branch families of the main Zhao Clan from Wenyuan Mountain. There was a complicated and extensive network of connections between the branches of the clan. The Zhao Territory was a Mortal Secret Realm the sect granted to the main Zhao Clan, so it couldn¡¯t be considered strange for the Realm Master to use it to nurture ghosts. To secretly get rid of Xu Disheng, Ghost Dominion Spirit Master had sent a jade slip to the main Zhao Clan of Wenyuan Mountain, asking for their assistance. With their strength and backing, they made many arrangements to ensure that they would be able to silently eliminate Xu Disheng without any problems. If Xu Disheng died here, he would ultimately be declared to have been killed by ghosts while carrying out a task. With both testimony and evidence present, there wouldn¡¯t be anything suspicious about it. Even if most people could guess that Xu Disheng had in all probability been killed by the Zhao Clan of Ghost Controlling Peak, the sect rules of the Shangqing Sacred Sect stated that as long as there was no conclusive evidence, they wouldn¡¯t convict any suspects. The Vice Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak nodded and instructed, ¡°Hurry up and kill him, you two. Bring his soul here, and Brother Jingyuan and I will search his soul.¡± The Realm Master of the Zhao Territory was named Zhao Jingyuan. Although his body was that of a ghost, he was regarded highly by the main branch of the Zhao Clan. No one knew exactly what kinds of shady business he was secretly doing for them under the cover of the Zhao Territory. As a result, even the Vice Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak, Zhao Yan, had to be somewhat polite to him. The other two Evil Spirits respectfully complied. Ghost Force began to swirl around their bodies as they too took on human forms and began to approach Xu Disheng, who was on one knee. ¡°Master,¡± Little Sky said, his deep voice reaching Xu Disheng¡¯s ears. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you needed a full 7 days before you could awaken?¡± Xu Disheng said, his tone of voice sounding completely unaffected and devoid of emotion. ¡°I detected that Master was in fatal danger, so I had no choice but to awaken.¡± Xu Disheng was silent as he once again forcefully activated the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda. An extremely weak profound light drizzled forth, forming into a thin barrier of light that looked like it would break with a single touch. Little Sky hesitated a moment before saying, ¡°I am the artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, but because of the restrictions of Soul Song, I can only dwell in this Soul Vessel. If I can return to the pagoda, I could activate a bit of its true power and bring forth a sliver of the original might of this ancient Immortal Treasure. Suppressing these people would then be as easy as crushing ants.¡± ¡°Then why are you hesitating?¡± Xu Disheng replied. ¡°Doing that would completely destroy this Soul Vessel and require you to completely refine and nourish one from scratch,¡± Little Sky said, starting to speak quicker as he noticed the approach of the two Evil Spirits. ¡°Also, I will once again fall into a deep slumber, and I won¡¯t regain consciousness until after a new Soul Vessel is refined.¡± A rare hint of bloodlust appeared in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes, which were as resplendent as stars. In his sea of consciousness, he revolved the black Soul Force flute to its absolute limit. Xu Disheng spoke firmly, declaring each word with conviction. ¡°Soul Suppressing Vestment, explode!¡± CH 159 Chapter 159 ¨C Immortal Technique, Purple Tribulation Spirit Shatter As the Soul Suppressing Vestment cracked and shattered, a massive amount of pure black Soul Force erupted out of it, forming into a tide of black Soul Force that slowly rotated and wrapped around Xu Disheng. No one was able to see what was taking place within. The two Evil Spirits paused in their tracks, their expressions changing slightly. Seeing the sudden rush of resplendent black Soul Force, they hesitated for a moment. ¡°What are you two doing?¡± The Realm Master of the Zhao Territory, Zhao Jingyuan reprimanded, his tone turning cold. When he saw the black tide, he only thought of it as Xu Disheng putting up his last efforts to resist, so when he saw the two Evil Spirit stage ghosts cowering, he was extremely displeased. ¡°This¡­¡± one of the Evil Spirits started hesitantly. Then, it clenched its teeth and channeled Ghost Force, then charged into the tide of Soul Force. The other Evil Spirit had suffered at the hands of the blood light of the Extinguishing Soul Mantra, and its already limited Ghost Force had been used up quite a bit. After glancing around furtively, it deliberately tried to delay for a bit before following after the first Evil Spirit. The Soul Suppressing Vestment shattered completely, transforming into fading motes of black and gold light. A true spirit with an extremely ancient, timeworn aura flew out from the core of the robe and flew right into the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda above Xu Disheng¡¯s head. Meanwhile, the tide of black Soul Force surrounding Xu Disheng was gradually being absorbed by the malevolent soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull. Its eyes were opening wider and wider, emanating a vicious, blood-colored light from within. The Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda began to tremble. All of the beings in the surrounding space felt a shock to their minds, as if they were witnessing some indescribable awakening. Countless rays of profound yellow light shot out, illuminating the entire space and banishing all of the darkness. This place was actually the summit of a mountain peak, and the Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat was above Xu Disheng, parked above a massive platform. As it turned out, Xu Disheng had been caught in an illusion from the moment he entered the Zhao Territory. What purple-clothed girl? What ancestral city of the Zhao Clan? All of it was fake! ¡°What is that?!¡± Zhao Jingyuan shouted, his expression changing drastically. Within that fiercely blazing profound yellow light, he felt an extremely strange, unfamiliar aura. And this aura was extremely terrifying! ¡°How could this be? This isn¡¯t a Psychic Magic Treasure. Its aura definitely surpasses that of a Psychic Magic Treasure!¡± Zhao Yan said, squinting his eyes at the location where Xu Disheng stood. His expression was extremely ugly as he perceived the dangerous aura within. The Evil Spirit who charged towards the tide of Soul Force first didn¡¯t have time to dodge. The light spilling forth from the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda transformed into a massive hand, which grabbed the Evil Spirit and ruthlessly clamped down on it! The Evil Spirit couldn¡¯t even make a sound as it screamed silently, its expression became even more distorted and malevolent. The large hand made of profound yellow light directly squeezed it to death! ¡°Run away, quickly!¡± The expressions of Zhao Yan and Zhao Jingyuan became even more unsightly. They didn¡¯t know what had happened to Xu Disheng, but after seeing that Evil Spirit stage ghost being easily squeezed to death, they knew that even they wouldn¡¯t be able to block three moves from him as he was now. The other Evil Spirit had already been on guard against Xu Disheng¡¯s final counterattack, but he had no idea that this brat¡¯s ¡®counterattack¡¯ would be so terrifying! After giving a shrill shriek, it transformed into a cloud of black gas and attempted to flee. ¡°Master, I managed to use a hint of the true might of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, but I will fall into a deep slumber in three breaths. There are still two breaths of time remaining!¡± Little Sky said, his deep, calm voice containing a hint of urgency for the first time. In his voice, Xu Disheng could also hear a hint of weakness and faint dread. However, there was no time left for Little Sky to say what the source of that dread was. A glint of bloodthirst reflected in Xu Disheng¡¯s gaze as he borrowed the power of Little Sky¡¯s true spirit to forcefully activate a bit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda¡¯s might to launch an attack! Several streaks of profound yellow light swept horizontally, seeming to separate heaven and earth. The Evil Spirit that had by now fled several dozens of meters away was wrapped up in the light. Its consciousness was completely erased as it was dragged into the pagoda. A seemingly inexhaustible amount of Ghost Force appeared around Realm Master Zhao Jingyuan, welling forth intensely like waves of the ocean. He formed several barriers in front of him, but he still didn¡¯t feel safe. He took out several Magic Treasures that had been transformed into Ghost Armaments and poured all of his strength into them to form a meticulous defense before him. The profound yellow light swept towards Zhao Jingyuan, shattering all of the barriers he had placed in front of him. In the end, his face showed a look of despair and regret as he was thrown into the pagoda, his mind erased. Three breaths of time! The intense, all-illuminating yellow radiance of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda gradually dimmed down. Little Sky was on the verge of falling into a deep slumber. Xu Disheng looked off into the distance at Zhao Yan, the Vice Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak, and his eyebrows furrowed deeply. If Xu Disheng let Zhao Yan escape here, he would reveal the fact that Xu Disheng had such an unparalleled treasure and cause him endless trouble in the future! ¡°Little Sky, can I rely on you for another breath of time?!¡± Xu Disheng asked. This was the first time he was asking something of Little Sky. After a moment of silence, Little Sky spoke, but his voice sounded normal, without any hint of the weakness and dread from earlier. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda began to exude an all-encompassing golden yellow radiance once more. Once Zhao Yan perceived the power radiating from behind him, he didn¡¯t even dare to turn his head to look. He hurriedly used several secret techniques and summoned a vast amount of the power of heaven and earth to protect himself as he desperately fled. ¡°Master, this Immortal Technique was one that I had just reawakened from my memories. It was a technique that Master taught me during our leisure time together in the long distant past. Now, I will be teaching it back to you, Master,¡± Little Sky said, his voice containing a hint of fluctuating emotion for the first time. ¡°Master won¡¯t be able to use this technique until after reaching the Dao Foundation stage. But once you do, you can use the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda to demonstrate a fraction of its might. Immortal Technique, Purple Tribulation Spirit Shatter.¡± The moment Little Sky finished speaking, it looked like the entire sky of the Zhao Territory dimmed down. A shock of purple lightning, emitting an ancient, dignified aura, ripped apart the blue dome of the heavens. It swept across the sky of the Zhao Territory, unleashing a deafening, ear-splitting clap of thunder. All of the beings living in the Zhao Territory bowed their heads and prayed to the heavens. They had no idea what caused such a phenomenon to occur, or if they had somehow incurred the wrath of the heavens. After a while, the skies began to brighten once more. The bolt of purple lightning that had swept across the skies of the Zhao Territory had already disappeared, when Zhao Yan began to fall from the sky in the distance. His body plummeted down into the mountain forest. Several tribulations ago, this Immortal Technique, Purple Tribulation Spirit Shatter, was used by the people of the Immortal Court to punish the beings of the lower realms. Among the Immortal Race, it was considered the most basic Immortal Technique to grasp. This Immortal Technique didn¡¯t harm the corporeal body nor the soul. It would directly obliterate the true spirit and plunge it into a complete, eternal death, making it impossible for the being to reincarnate ever again. In his hands, Xu Disheng held the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, which had returned to the rank of a Psychic Magic Treasure. He could sense that Little Sky¡¯s true spirit was dead silent and on the brink of dissipating. Little Sky hadn¡¯t told him that when he was straining himself to activate the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda for three breaths of time, he was already violating the restrictions and rules set by Soul Song. The only way he could recover was through an extremely long, drawn out slumber. To chase down Zhao Yan and kill him, Little Sky had once again used the indistinct connection between his true spirit and the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda to force out a hint of the might of the Immortal Treasure and cast an Immortal Technique. This caused an even bigger backlash to his true spirit, making his condition far worse. And to use the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda to cast this Immortal Technique, Little Sky had to use a strand of genuine immortal qi hidden deep in the depths of his true spirit. This kind of backlash wasn¡¯t something that Little Sky¡¯s overstrained spirit could sustain. As a result of this series of self-incurred backlashes, Little Sky¡¯s true spirit had thoroughly faded away, transforming into a pure strand of ancient, dignified aura, which was sucked into the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda. Xu Disheng had this feeling that even if he nurtured another Soul Vessel, Little Sky wouldn¡¯t ever appear again. Xu Disheng also had an extremely terrifying conjecture that Little Sky wasn¡¯t the true artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, and that he was just an avatar split off from the true artifact spirit, which had existed for ages untold. Most likely, the genuine artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth was still slumbering deep in that mysterious, terrifying Immortal Treasure. And every time Xu Disheng refined a Soul Vessel, the genuine artifact spirit would fraction out an avatar from itself to inherit a portion of Xu Disheng¡¯s memories and serve as the artifact spirit of the Soul Vessel. CH 160 Chapter 160 ¨C 3,000 After taking a few Qi Gathering Pills and regulating his breathing for a while, Xu Disheng went to the edge of the platform above the mountain peak and surveyed the real scenery below. The Malicious Spirits had all either been destroyed in the fallout of the fight earlier or had fled long ago. The view beneath the mountain peak was still an expanse of clouds and mist, looking exactly the same as it had in the illusion. Although the ghosts being nurtured by the Zhao Territory had fled, they were only Malicious Spirit stage ghosts. The Dao Foundation stage Zhao Yan and the three Evil Spirit stage ghosts had all died. Now then, in the Zhao Territory¡­ Xu Disheng took out the affairs jade slip once more and looked at the description indicating ¡®3,000¡¯ of something as the mission objective. In his eyes, it was only looking more and more out-of-place. After putting the Realm-Crossing Wooden Boat into the Yin Yang Diagram, Xu Disheng took out the Dharma Breaking Sword, the attack-type Magic Treasure that he had received as a reward from the tournament. He hopped onto the sword and flew down from the mountain peak, plunging into the hazy mist and clouds. Based on what he remembered from the illusion, he began to head in the direction of the Zhao Clan¡¯s ancestral city. Since the illusion had been made based on the real Zhao Territory, there shouldn¡¯t be too much difference between it and the real Zhao Territory. Sure enough, after traveling a few dozen kilometers, a clamorous, bustling city entered Xu Disheng¡¯s vision. Exactly like the scene in the illusion, there was a magnificent great hall off in the distance, surrounded by a sprawling complex of pavilions and buildings as far as the eye could see. With a light scoff, Xu Disheng reduced the speed of the sword light he was riding and carefully examined the people walking about in the city. A little less than half of the citizens had ghost bodies, but there were many humans intermingling with them. The ghosts were being treated like equals, and some humans had even formed extremely close relationships with them. As it turned out, the Zhao Territory really was special. Above the ancestral city of the Zhao Clan, the Dharma Breaking Sword hacked downwards, splitting open the barrier surrounding the great hall. Clad in a black Daoist robe, Xu Disheng descended atop a sword light. ¡°Where are the people of the Zhao Clan?¡± he asked loudly. The Soul Suppressing Vestment had already been destroyed. For the time being, Xu Disheng had taken out a common Spirit Tool Daoist robe from his interspatial ring and put it on. Although Zhao Jingyuan and the others had died, it wasn¡¯t a given that the ordinary people of the Zhao Clan and the ghosts under their care would know about this. More than half of the ghosts who had participated in the scheme to kill Xu Disheng had died, and the dozen or so that remained didn¡¯t dare to show their faces anymore. It wouldn¡¯t be strange at all if the ordinary people of the Zhao Territory in the ancestral city didn¡¯t know anything of their clan¡¯s scheme to kill Xu Disheng. ¡°Who are you? How dare you trespass into the ancestral city!¡± Several Zhao Clan descendants quickly flew out from the main palace, their expressions filled with displeasure. Each of them was accompanied by either one or a number of ghosts. ¡°I am an intermediary disciple of the Shangqing Sacred Sect from the Secret Realms Office of Wenyuan Mountain¡¯s Affairs Hall,¡± Xu Disheng said, flashing the token. ¡°I came here to claim tribute on behalf of Wooden Construct Spirit Master.¡± The expression of one of the Zhao Clan descendants who seemed to be the leader among them changed. He seemed to know something and looked hesitant. ¡°Are you really an intermediary disciple from the Shangqing Sacred Sect?¡± the descendant of the Zhao Clan said hesitantly. After a while, he continued, ¡°The people of the Sacred Sect haven¡¯t come to our Zhao Clan in a long time now. Only people from the Zhao Clan have been regularly coming and going here. This tribute for Wooden Construct Spirit Master that you speak of¡­ I have heard our ancestor speak about it before.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± Xu Disheng asked. ¡°About that¡­ Ancestor said he had to go out and do something important, so we should wait until he returns,¡± the Zhao Clan descendant replied. As it turned out, he wasn¡¯t dumb. It had been a very long time since any people from the Sacred Sect had come to the Zhao Territory. He couldn¡¯t confirm Xu Disheng¡¯s identity at this moment, despite the Dharma Breaking Sword seeming to be a real Magic Treasure. Thus, he could only try to delay and wait for Zhao Jingyuan and the others to come back and handle this. Zhao Jingyuan was originally a direct descendant of the Zhao Clan, and in the past, was a Rank 5 Spirit Root elite disciple. But after encountering an unexpected disaster, his soul was brought back to the Zhao Clan, and he was refined into a ghost. He had been living in a ghost body for the time being and was ruling over the Zhao Territory on behalf of the Zhao Clan. His position in the clan and his own capabilities were both high, which was why he was called ¡®ancestor¡¯ by all of the direct descendants of the Zhao Clan. But little did he know that their ¡®ancestor¡¯, Zhao Jingyuan, already had his mind completely erased and was now confined in the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda. He had even lost the right to be reincarnated, and in the end, he could only become nutrients for Xu Disheng¡¯s soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull to absorb. ¡°Hah? Could you bear the responsibility of holding up an intermediary disciple like me from completing his tasks?¡± Xu Disheng said, activating the Dharma Breaking Sword. Several streaks of sword light appeared in the air. They hovered there in the middle of the air, threatening to slice towards the people of the Zhao Clan at any moment. ¡°Intermediary disciple¡­¡± These expressions of these direct descendants of the Zhao Clan changed dramatically when they felt the fierce, powerful aura coming from the Magic Treasure. ¡°Lord Intermediary Disciple, our ancestor seems to have prepared some tribute, but the amount is a bit insufficient,¡± the Zhao Clan descendant who spoke first earlier said, finally managing to muster up enough courage to speak in face of the enormous pressure coming from the three sword lights hovering menacingly in the air. ¡°Seems to have?¡± Xu Disheng repeated. After a bit of contemplation, he saw through the whole story. In the plans the Zhao Clan had drawn up, they would kill him without fail when he came to the Zhao Territory, and they never planned on anything unexpected occurring. This task that he had taken on, which he wasn¡¯t even sure at this point whether it was real or fake, might only end up being counted as a failure in the end. But regardless of whether this task was real or fake, Xu Disheng absolutely had to complete it so he could have some way to explain himself once he left the Zhao Territory and returned to the Shangqing Sacred Sect. ¡°Bring all of it here.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Intermediary Disciple,¡± that Zhao Clan descendant replied. His status in the Zhao Clan clearly wasn¡¯t low, but after seeing Xu Disheng summon the three sword lights that were now hanging over his neck, his face turned pale and he even started to refer to Xu Disheng with honorifics. ¡°Hurry and bring the tribute for Wooden Construct Spirit Master here!¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master Zhao.¡± After a while, someone came out of the hall with a wooden storage box in hand. It looked exactly the same as the one in the illusion, but this time, the life-threateningly dangerous aura on it was absent. Xu Disheng received the wooden storage box and opened it. Drifting about aimlessly within were over 1,000 mortal souls that already had their consciousnesses wiped clean. ¡°Wooden Construct Spirit Master wanted 3,000 souls. These aren¡¯t enough,¡± Xu Disheng said flatly, closing the wooden box. Young Master Zhao¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Lord Intermediary Disciple, there really is nothing that we can do about this matter. We have to get our ancestor¡¯s approval before we can arrest any mortals and extract their souls.¡± He was very obviously saying this only to stall until Zhao Jingyuan and the others came back. ¡°If that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Xu Disheng said, the sword lights from the Dharma Breaking Sword glowing brighter, ¡°Then you all are useless.¡± The sword lights flashed. In the next moment, the few descendants of the Zhao Clan before him were cut down. The expressions of the remaining people changed dramatically. Under the suppression of Xu Disheng¡¯s Magic Treasure, they didn¡¯t even dare to think about putting up a fight. They simply pulled out their Spirit Tools and attempted to flee. The Demon Punishing Array Diagram appeared around Xu Disheng and began to eliminate all of the direct descendants of the Zhao Clan and Malicious Spirit stage ghosts. The four-colored swords zipped around and flashed several times until there wasn¡¯t a single being left alive in the array. Strangely enough, the wooden storage box in his hand then began to emit a strong attraction force. The souls of the people who had just died were sucked towards it, pulling them away from the cycle of reincarnation. Their consciousnesses were wiped away from their souls, and they were transformed into ordinary souls and stored in the wooden box. However, these newly added souls weren¡¯t souls originally belonging to mortals. Although their consciousnesses had been whittled away, what remained was a brutal, ferocious instinct. They began to gobble away and devour the souls near them. In the blink of an eye, several dozen souls were swallowed by them. Xu Disheng¡¯s brows furrowed in displeasure. He swept his hand out and the soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull flew out, sucking in the dozen or so souls that were devouring the others. When Xu Disheng looked into the wooden box again, there were only a little over 1,000 souls left in the box. Perhaps Wooden Construct Spirit Master only wanted souls belonging to mortals. Xu Disheng got on the Dharma Breaking Sword and rose into the air. When he looked at the flourishing city off in the distance, his eyes narrowed. CH 161 Chapter 161 ¨C Meeting the Spirit Master In just the span of one hour, Xu Disheng managed to acquire 3,000 mortal souls. After putting the wooden box away, he flew off on a sword light and returned to the tall mountain peak. He pierced through the mist and clouds and arrived directly atop the platform above the mountain peak. It was deathly silent. All that remained there was the debris from the big fight that occurred there not long before. After getting on the Realm-Cross Wooden Boat, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t even spare another glance back at the Zhao Territory before activating the realm-cross token and riding the boat into the stormy vortex. Back at the great hall of Cangming Peak, Xu Disheng handed over the realm-crossing wooden token and said, ¡°Peak Director Yu. Intermediary Disciple Xu Disheng of the Secret Realms Office hereby returns the realm-crossing token to you.¡± Yu Jia hinted for a disciple standing by his side to walk up and take it. ¡°Okay. After we make the records, you can go.¡± Clearly, he didn¡¯t care that much about the tasks that an ordinary intermediary disciple like him was carrying out in the Secret Realms. After they made the record in a jade slip, Xu Disheng began to walk out of the great hall. But all of a sudden, he felt a gaze fixated on him. He turned his head and saw that it was Qin Gang. There were too many emotions flashing through his gaze. Confusion, bewilderment, doubt. It was as if¡­ he didn¡¯t know how Xu Disheng managed to make it out of the Zhao Territory alive. Walking out of the great hall, Xu Disheng forced down the killing intent that threatened to boil over in his heart. He lifted his hand and sent out a water-blue colored message jade slip, then got on the Dharma Breaking Sword and flew towards Morning Dew Peak. ¡­ ¡­ Weng. The sound of something vibrating resounded outside Xu Disheng¡¯s courtyard. He stopped cultivating and opened up the barrier of light surrounding the courtyard to let a water-blue colored jade slip fly in. ¡°Come to Falling Moon Peak to see me immediately.¡± It was the dignified voice of Celestial Tide Spirit Master that entered his ears. Falling Moon Peak was the 3rd ranked Mountain Peak in the Mingxin Mountain Range. The Peak Master was Celestial Tide Spirit Master He Wenshu, who was also one of the Spirit Masters with authority in the Mountain Range. Xu Disheng rode on the Dharma Breaking Sword and landed on Falling Moon Peak. As soon as he arrived, several Sea of Qi stage disciples came forward, their expressions solemn and respectful. One of them asked, ¡°Who are you? What business do you have?¡± ¡°I think this might be Senior Martial Brother Xu Disheng. I think I¡¯ve seen his image in a jade slip before,¡± one elite disciple among them who was at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage said in a hesitating tone, as if he didn¡¯t dare to confirm. In the image recorded in the jade slips that were circulating around, Xu Disheng was wearing a black and gold robe, which had long since been confirmed as a Magic Treasure-grade robe. At the moment, Xu Disheng was only wearing a black Spirit Tool Daoist robe. That was why although his facial features looked extremely similar to the image, this elite disciple didn¡¯t dare to say for certain. ¡°I am Xu Disheng of Morning Dew Peak. I came to have an audience with Celestial Tide Spirit Master,¡± Xu Disheng said in a mild tone, trying not to make things difficult for these disciples. ¡°So it really is Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± The expressions on the disciples¡¯ faces immediately became more respectful, and their tones warmed up a bit. ¡°If Senior Martial Brother Xu wants to have an audience with Celestial Tide Spirit Master, just take the Falling Moon jade slip up to the domain at the summit of Falling Moon Peak.¡± Everyone knew that Xu Disheng was someone who belonged to Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s influence. Thus, as soon as he revealed his identity to them, they immediately considered him as an insider, so their speech loosened up quite a bit. ¡°Thank you, Junior Martial Brothers.¡± After Xu Disheng thanked them, he got on the Dharma Breaking Sword once more and flew off towards the domain at the summit of Falling Moon Peak, which was shrouded in clouds and mist. ¡°I heard that Senior Martial Brother Xu had a cold temperament. But looking at him now, it didn¡¯t really seem that way, did it?¡± the disciple who spoke with him earlier said, watching as Xu Disheng flew off atop a sword light. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu is modest and approachable. Those rumors are all false,¡± the disciple who recognized Xu Disheng earlier said. His face was proud as he said, ¡°I personally witnessed Senior Martial Brother Xu use his secret ghost Dao technique. He was in desperate straits against Kou Zun, but he suddenly turned the tides! It was so impressive!¡± ¡­ ¡­ The Falling Moon Domain was located at the peak of Falling Moon Peak, but it was an extremely vast, isolated area where exotic birds and rare beasts were being raised. It was the area where Celestial Tide Spirit Master He Wenshu usually spent his time cultivating. Xu Disheng took out the water-blue colored jade slip and held it in his hand. When he landed on the summit of Falling Moon Peak, he felt like he had passed through a screen of water and entered an entirely different world. The jade slip in his hand emitted a dull glow. After his vision shifted, he found himself on an island floating in the middle of the water. Xu Disheng looked around him at the azure sky that expanded off into the distance as far as he could see. A light breeze blew across the water, gently lifting his long black hair. Every tree and blade of grass here seemed extremely real. ¡°Come on in.¡± A dignified voice echoed out from a palace at the center of the island. ¡°Yes, Spirit Master.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t hesitate. He put away the Dharma Breaking Sword and began to walk towards the palace on foot. The primordial energy here was extremely rich. In just a few breaths of time, Xu Disheng felt the Soul Force and profound qi in his body recover quite a bit. After revolving his cultivation method, the speed of recovery increased by many times more. After arriving at the front gates of the great hall, Xu Disheng bowed and said, ¡°Xu Disheng of Morning Dew Peak requests an audience with Celestial Tide Spirit Master.¡± ¡°Come in and speak. No need to be overly courteous.¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s tone was peaceful. There wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of rippling emotion within. Xu Disheng entered the great hall. Celestial Tide Spirit Master was seated next to an enormous pill furnace, controlling the true fire of his Divine Core to refine a batch of pills. The faint pill aroma that wafted over was extremely alluring. Next to the pill furnace, there were two pill assistants standing by respectfully. They acted in a restrained manner, making themselves scarce. Even Xu Disheng¡¯s entry into the hall wasn¡¯t enough to draw their gazes. After Xu Disheng stood there quietly for around an hour, Celestial Tide Spirit Master retracted his Divine Core True Fire and instructed the pill assistants, ¡°Keep a close eye on the pill furnace.¡± ¡°Yes, Spirit Master.¡± The two pill assistants bowed. Then, they began to cast some special technique, causing profound qi to constantly pour towards the pill furnace. ¡°Come in and talk,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said. He was wearing a pale white robe that was the color of the moon, and his hair was casually coiled up into a bun. He led the way into a side hall with his hands behind his back. For a moment, Xu Disheng continued to look at the pill furnace, which was still trembling, before following after him. ¡°Spirit Master.¡± ¡°Why did you activate the Falling Moon jade slip that I gave you before?¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said, taking a seat on a prayer mat. With a flick of his sleeves, a platter of spirit fruits and a pot of spirit tea appeared on the table. Clearly, Celestial Tide Spirit Master regarded Xu Disheng, a genius that recently rose to fame, with a fair amount of importance, and he showed him a level of respect that fit that status. However, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t touch those courteously placed spirit fruits and tea. Instead, he came forward and began in a heavy tone, ¡°Ghost Controlling Peak, the Zhao Clan, and the Secret Realm of the Zhao Territory.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s originally somewhat casual gaze suddenly became more vigilant, giving off an aura more characteristic of a Divine Core stage Spirit Master. ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°Disciple went to the Secret Realms Office to pick up a task, which ended up being to go to the Zhao Territory to gather souls. But there, Disciple ran into an ambush devised by the Vice Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak and the Realm Master of the Zhao Realm. By sheer luck, Disciple managed to escape and flee back to the sect,¡± Xu Disheng said, handing over the wayfaring token and affairs jade slip. Celestial Tide Spirit Master picked up the affairs jade slip, but didn¡¯t touch the wayfaring token. He carefully examined its contents, and when he spoke again, his tone seemed to reveal a change in mood. ¡°I see,¡± he said. After a while, the Spirit Master lifted his gaze. He swept his eyes over Xu Disheng, his gaze as deep as the ocean. ¡°There were three Evil Spirit stage ghosts, the equivalent of Dao Foundation stage cultivators, in the Zhao Territory, on top of the peak Dao Foundation stage Zhao Yan. How did you manage to escape?¡± ¡°By relying on my secret ghost Dao technique. A ghost escape spell,¡± Xu Disheng said flatly as he brought up the secret ghost Dao technique that everyone already knew of. ¡°And now, those four are all dead.¡± For the first time, a clear hint of surprise appeared in Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s eyes. A smile appeared on his face as he cast another assessing look at Xu Disheng. ¡°Slaying four Dao Foundation stage cultivators at only the Sea of Qi stage¡­ Not bad. Not bad at all. The Shangqing Sacred Sect allows their disciples to have their own secret techniques. The sect considers that a good thing. You don¡¯t have to be too concerned about that.¡± Xu Disheng nodded, but didn¡¯t continue. ¡°Ghost Dominion went too far this time,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said, flicking his sleeves once more. ¡°You can go now. I have my own arrangements in mind regarding this matter.¡± ¡°Yes, Spirit Master,¡± Xu Disheng said, cupping his hands respectfully. He turned around and was about to leave the great hall when Celestial Tide Spirit Master spoke again. ¡°Do you still have the Demon Punishing Array Diagram with you?¡± the Spirit Master¡¯s indifferent-sounding voice resounded from behind him. Xu Disheng stopped. After a moment, he replied, ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Mmm. The Demon Punishing Array Diagram¡¯s offensive power is extremely strong, but you need to be at the Dao Foundation stage before you can demonstrate the bulk of its might. But right now, you lack defensive power, so I will give you this for your protection. Also, take good care of this jade pendant. There are three attacks of my Overflowing Ocean Technique in it,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said. After he finished speaking, a jade pendant and a gorgeously exquisite blue and white Daoist robe appeared before Xu Disheng. CH 162 Chapter 162 ¨C Sweeping Undercurrent ¡°Thank you, Spirit Master.¡± Xu Disheng put away the blue and white Daoist robe and the jade pendant. After cupping his hands in salute once more, he left the great hall. On his way out, he looked at the gigantic pill furnace. The two pill assistants were still constantly using their technique on the pill furnace. The pill aroma coming from within was becoming more and more rich, clearly hinting that it wouldn¡¯t be long until the pill inside was complete. ¡°Someone at the Sea of Qi stage killing four beings at the Dao Foundation stage?¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master muttered to himself. Clearly, he didn¡¯t really believe what Xu Disheng said about his secret ghost Dao technique. ¡°He Chong, take my personal token, go to the Zhao Territory, and look into this matter in detail.¡± The space next to him twisted, and a figure appeared not long after. Although this figure was heavily restraining the aura of his peak Dao Foundation stage cultivation, it was still extremely terrifying! ¡°Yes, Young Clan Head.¡± He Chong said, bowing and accepting the order. His body began to fade away again shortly after. He was a member of the He Clan, and had followed Celestial Tide Spirit Master for several hundred years now. Even though they were in the Shangqing Sacred Sect, he still referred to him as ¡®young clan head¡¯. ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said, turning to look at him. ¡°If you come back from your investigation and find that what he said was true, draft a sect jade slip for me and send it to Clearheart Peak of Shangqing Mountain¡­ nominating Xu Disheng as a candidate to become a Sacred Son of the sect.¡± The title of Sacred Son wasn¡¯t reserved only for the people who earned the number one spot in the Sea of Qi and Dao Foundation divisions of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. If they possessed outstanding talent and comprehension and were nominated by a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, they could also have a chance to receive the title of Sacred Son. If it was true that Xu Disheng, with his Sea of Qi stage cultivation, was able to turn the tables and slaughter four Dao Foundation stage beings while under passive circumstances like being ambushed and caught in a death trap, then this nomination for Sacred Son wouldn¡¯t be considered excessive at all. After all, even the Sacred Sons of the Sea of Qi division stage that emerged from the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament every 50 years would have to use everything in their arsenal to barely come out victorious against even the most ordinary of Dao Foundation stage cultivators. But if Xu Disheng was actually able to wipe out four Dao Foundation stage cultivators, with one even at the peak Dao Foundation stage, then his strength already far outstripped the category of the Sea of Qi stage, and this situation simply couldn¡¯t be explained by a mere ¡®secret ghost Dao technique¡¯. The Shangqing Sacred Sect had never forbidden its disciples from having secrets. On the contrary, in all of the countless years of the Sacred Sect¡¯s existence, the positions of the disciples that had heaven-shocking secrets all rapidly rose up in the sect under their protection. Thus, these geniuses would feel grateful to the sect and the sect¡¯s legacy would continue to live on and become even more prosperous and powerful. Now that Celestial Tide Spirit Master knew that Xu Disheng held some heaven-shocking secret, he wasn¡¯t surprised at all. Instead, Xu Disheng¡¯s position in his heart rose to a level of extremely high importance. In the end, the Human Realm was full of absurd and extraordinary things. It wasn¡¯t strange at all for there to be plenty of people who unintentionally obtained an inheritance or secret treasure and rose to greatness. It was just like Sacred Son Feng Shao, fifty years prior. By obtaining a Saint Lord-level inheritance, he went from an ordinary Dao Foundation stage disciple that no one had ever heard about to a famous genius that all of the disciples of the Shangqing Sacred Sect watched with passionate gazes, all in a single bound. In just fifty years, he had become a Divine Core stage Spirit Master and obtained peerless glory and honor. He was now even aiming for the position of Mountain Master of the Fourth Mountain, Wenyuan Mountain Range. The speed at which he rose up in the sect was flabbergasting. After He Chong accepted the order and left, Celestial Tide Spirit Master was left sitting alone in the hall. At some point in time, a Go board had appeared in front of him. He reached out his hand and picked up a white piece, then slowly placed it on the board. The White Heron Robe was an extremely magnificent and ornate robe, and a genuine Psychic Magic Treasure worth several tens of thousands of spirit stones. Xu Disheng changed out of the black Daoist robe Spirit Tool and put on the White Heron Robe. When he poured a bit of profound qi into it, an inexhaustible blue profound light appeared, coalescing into a transparent blue barrier of light with a sturdy defense. There were also three spells recorded within, based on the White Heron Robe. The first spell, which was called the White Heron¡¯s First Cry, could be practiced at the Sea of Qi stage. Once it was activated, it could even block an attack from an ordinary Dao Foundation stage cultivator! This Psychic Magic Treasure was proficient in defense and signified Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s change in attitude towards Xu Disheng, showing that he was seriously willing to give him such a valuable treasure. Even his eldest son, He Junyu, only had the one attack/defense oriented Psychic Magic Treasure, the Thunderflame Pagoda. Although the Thunderflame Pagoda was stronger than the White Heron Robe by a good amount, the value of a Daoist robe that was at the rank of a Psychic Magic Treasure didn¡¯t even need to be explained. In the past, Xu Disheng always wore dark colors. He was still handsome, but it gave him a kind of unapproachable feeling. Now that he was dressed in an ornate blue and white robe with his hair tied up by a white jade band, his calm gaze and pretty features were accentuated, making him look like an elegant prince with the charm of a god. Climbing onto the Dharma Breaking Sword, Xu Disheng began to fly in the direction of the Wenyuan Mountain Range. Aside from getting tasks at the Secret Realms Office on Green Creek Peak, Xu Disheng also wanted to get to Splendid Commodity Peak several days in advance. He had many Spirit Tools that he had no use for, and he even had a number of common Magic Treasures that he wanted to exchange for spirit stones. The Smoky Cloud Screen and the Soul Suppressing Vestment had been destroyed, and the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda had completely transformed back into the cyan jade flute. No matter how much Xu Disheng tried to activate it, it had no reaction. In the next years and even decades, it would probably be impossible for him to use it again. However, he had a lot of spirit stones. In the Internal Disciple Tournament, he had earned several tens of thousands of spirit stones from He Junyu¡¯s bet alone. Right before he left the Zhao Territory earlier, he had done a rough sweep of their wealth. The strength of the Zhao Clan¡¯s direct descendants was average, but their pockets were lined with spirit stones, padding Xu Disheng¡¯s own purse quite a bit. Adding onto that were the rewards given to him by the Mingxin Mountain Range at the end of the Internal Disciple Tournament, as well as an assorted variety of cultivation resources. Right now, Xu Disheng¡¯s personal wealth already outstripped many ordinary Dao Foundation stage disciples. After all, most ordinary Dao Foundation stage disciples had only one common Magic Treasure and several of them at most. The Dao Foundation stage disciples who had Psychic Magic Treasures usually had considerable family backing and were targets of many peoples¡¯ envy. For example, take Bai Honghua, the father of Bai Zhehua, and a Deacon of Morning Dew Peak. He made quite a bit of profit from day to day, but he only had two Magic Treasures. The Peak Master of Morning Dew Peak, Lu Changge, only had three common Magic Treasures in his possession, one of which had been given to Xu Disheng. But now, it had already been destroyed and became fused with the Pure Oblivion Water, transforming into the Magic Treasure known as Disperse. Green Creek Peak was as conspicuous as ever, sticking out in the Wenyuan Mountain Range like a sore thumb. The eye-catching mountain was just as offending to the eyes no matter how much time went by. Xu Disheng put away the Dharma Breaking Sword, landed in front of the dark green great hall that Xing Xing had brought him to last time, and walked in. ¡°Envoy Wei,¡± Xu Disheng greeted, cupping his hands upon seeing several people inside. Seated in the seat of honor, Wei Yuanwei said, ¡°At ease. Did you finish your task?¡± Xu Disheng nodded and came forward, handing over the affairs jade slip. "" ¡°I was aware that this was your first time carrying out tasks, so I chose a relatively easy one for you,¡± Wei Yuanwei said, a hint of a smile appearing on his grave and stern face. He took the affairs jade slip and sank his consciousness into it. The smile on his face froze and gradually turned serious. He looked carefully at the jade slip and said, ¡°What is this? This isn¡¯t the task I assigned to you.¡± As he spoke, his tone became strict, and he looked over at the several disciples standing by. ¡°Envoy¡­ Disciple doesn¡¯t know,¡± one of the disciples said in a low tone after mustering up the courage to speak up. Wei Yuanwei¡¯s brows furrowed deeper. He suddenly seemed to think of something. ¡°Weren¡¯t there several disciples from the Mountain of Law who came to help out with some matters? Did they perhaps take the wrong one?¡± ¡°That may be possible,¡± the same disciple said, letting out a breath as if he had found a path out. After all, giving an intermediary disciple the wrong affairs jade slip could potentially be a huge mistake, but there was also a chance for it to be downplayed as a small slip-up. If the intermediary disciple managed to safely finish the task and return, then it would just be a small matter and could be easily glossed over. Xu Disheng looked closely at those disciples. Last time when he came with Xing Xing, none of the disciples that were there at the time were here now. It suddenly became clear in his mind and he said, ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Envoy Wei. This task was just as straightforward.¡± Wei Yuanwei¡¯s brows were still furrowed, but he didn¡¯t continue to delve into the matter. He simply nodded and said, ¡°No problem, but this task couldn¡¯t be considered simple. A whole 3,000 mortal souls, and having to pry them out of the hands of those ghosts belonging to the Zhao Clan¡­ You did well, being able to finish this task.¡± Xu Disheng took out a wooden box and came forward, offering it to Wei Yuanwei. After checking it briefly, Wei Yuanwei nodded again and said, ¡°This task was specially raised by Wooden Construct Spirit Master, but it has been sitting here gathering dust for a while. All this time, I wasn¡¯t able to assign this task. I don¡¯t know who messed up and assigned this task to you, but you having the luck and destiny to be able to finish it is really quite fortunate.¡± ¡°It was all thanks to Envoy Wei¡¯s guidance,¡± Xu Disheng said. The more Envoy Wei examined Xu Disheng, the more pleased he felt. ¡°You can go then. When the reward from Wooden Construct Spirit Master arrives, I¡¯ll send it to you by storage jade slip.¡± After agreeing, Xu Disheng bid farewell and left the great hall. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t care that much about Wooden Construct Spirit Master¡¯s reward. Even if the rewards were generous, with the way Wei Yuanwei did things, he would definitely take a big cut out of it. Back when they had gone to the Chu and An Territories, Wei Yuanwei had forced him and Xing Xing to pay up 30 spirit stones each. It would be some kind of fantasy tale if he didn¡¯t deduct a portion from the reward. Following the map in the invitation jade slip sent to him by the Grand Erudition House, Xu Disheng eventually arrived at Splendid Commodity Peak in the Wenyuan Mountain Range. Although there were still several days until the Grand Auction, Splendid Commodity Peak was flooding with people, and countless beams of light were arriving at the Peak with every moment. Colorful beams of all different shades illuminated the horizon as the disciples flew over like carp in a river. There were many famous shops on Splendid Commodity Peak that were heavily frequented by the disciples. For now, Xu Disheng was planning to find a store where he could exchange his extra Spirit Tools and Magic Treasures for spirit stones, and then he could search for the things he needed. CH 163 Chapter 163 ¨C Grand Erudition House and Grand Erudition Hall Several Sea of Qi stage disciples clad in the apparel of Splendid Commodity Peak flagged Xu Disheng down. One of them said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, disciples belonging to a Peak must pay a fee of 10 spirit stones to enter Splendid Commodity Peak.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Xu Disheng said, not caring about a few spirit stones. After paying 10 spirit stones like the other people entering Splendid Commodity Peak, he went in. Splendid Commodity Peak was vast. It was split into multiple districts, with the most famous one being the market district. There were even stores in the market district that belonged to Primordial Lords. No matter what rare treasure or exotic beast, these shops would have it all. As Xu Disheng wandered around the marketplace of Splendid Commodity Peak, he found that there weren¡¯t any stalls run by disciples. It was only a continuous, unending array of countless stores and luxurious pagodas, making the scenery almost too much for the eyes to take in. With Splendid Commodity Peak¡¯s entry fee being set as high as 10 spirit stones, it kept out many ordinary disciples who were short on money. As a result, the people who frequented Splendid Commodity Peak¡¯s marketplace were mostly Dao Foundation stage disciples or wealthy Sea of Qi stage disciples from the Eight Mountains. Now that the Grand Auction was approaching, there were quite a few Sea of Qi stage geniuses here from the Eight Mountains who had received invitations. These geniuses came in grand style, putting on a big show of extravagance. In just the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Xu Disheng had already walked past several groups of three to five Sea of Qi stage disciples. All of these people had impressive auras. The light of treasures twinkled all over their bodies, and many of their robes were of the Magic Treasure rank. Clearly, they were all incredibly wealthy. Xu Disheng stopped and looked off into the near distance, where an opulent, stately pavilion had caught his gaze. It seemed to be called the ¡®Grand Erudition Hall¡¯, and it was even more elegant and refined than the other stores in the vicinity. The decorations were impressively ornate, and many people were entering the pavilion. Among the people who were coming out of the pavilion, some of them had looks of satisfaction on their faces. They must have gotten their hands on what they were looking for within. After a moment of contemplation, Xu Disheng went in. Immediately upon entering, a maid in black clothes approached him with a smile. ¡°Senior Martial Brother, what are you looking for today?¡± Xu Disheng looked around at the items on display on the first floor of Grand Erudition Hall. There were many common Magic Treasures, and only very few Spirit Tools. After a moment, he said, ¡°I would like to sell some Magic Treasures and Spirit Tools.¡± Without a single change in her smiling expression, the maid said, ¡°Is this Senior Martial Brother¡¯s first time coming to Splendid Commodity Peak? We, the Grand Erudition Hall, are a branch of the Grand Erudition House, and only take items at the rank of Psychic Magic Treasure and higher. If Senior Martial Brother would like to sell items, please go to the pavilion across the street.¡± When she finished speaking, she tread daintily over to the door of the pavilion and pointed towards a black pavilion right across from them at the street corner. There was a signboard on it indicating that it was called ¡®Procurement Pavilion¡¯. Xu Disheng nodded, then turned to leave Grand Erudition Hall. The maid in black clothes was still smiling as she greeted the next customer, clearly not finding the situation that occurred just now strange at all. After all, with the Grand Auction only a few days away, there would be many people who were coming to Splendid Commodity Peak for the first time and didn¡¯t know what shops there were in the marketplace. This maid was already used to it and simply pointing them in the right direction wasn¡¯t any extra effort on her part. The shop space of Procurement Pavilion wasn¡¯t large by any means, but business was flourishing. Many disciples went in and came back out with pleased expressions, clearly having struck an extremely favorable business deal inside. After Xu Disheng entered the pavilion, a male disciple in green clothes approached him and said, ¡°Respected customer, if you have things you would like to sell, please hand them to me and I would be happy to appraise the value for you.¡± Without hesitating, Xu Disheng took out an interspatial ring. Leaving only the several Magic Treasures he normally used and the precious items behind, he loaded everything else inside and gave it to the male disciple. The green-clothed disciple took the interspatial ring and handed it to someone behind him, who took it to the back hall. At the moment, there were many people who were just like Xu Disheng. Having handed over the items they wanted to sell to the disciples in green clothes, they were just patiently waiting in the main hall. The green-clothed disciple carefully sized up Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Respected customer, this must also be your first time coming to our Procurement Pavilion. Our pavilion accepts any items for sale, but our rules state that the price will be 65% of the market value. We must let you know this beforehand to prevent any potential misunderstandings.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± What Xu Disheng disliked the most was needlessly wasting time. He could slowly sell each thing one by one and get a relatively higher price, but it would waste too much of his time and energy. Procurement Pavilion had taken into account the disciples¡¯ needs regarding this point. They would take anything, but the prices they would offer in return would be a bit lower, offering their customers a trade-off between price and speed and convenience. Thus, they were making a considerable profit margin and their business was also booming. After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, several disciples came out from the rear hall, bringing 6-7 interspatial rings, which they handed to different disciples wearing green clothes. The green-clothed disciple standing by Xu Disheng received an interspatial ring. After looking through it, he handed it to Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Please confirm the contents, respected customer. The items you have sold have amounted to a total of 17,385 spirit stones. If you are unsatisfied with the price, I can go and retrieve your items for you.¡± Xu Disheng nodded, then put away the interspatial ring and walked out of Procurement Pavilion. The green-clothed disciple watched Xu Disheng leave. He didn¡¯t think anything of it and continued on with his work, helping the next customer. These items consisted of only a few Magic Treasures, while the remaining majority were Spirit Tools. There were also some items he got as rewards from the Internal Disciple Tournament, but he didn¡¯t have any use for them so he simply sold them as well. Originally, Xu Disheng¡¯s estimated value of these items was over 20,000 spirit stones. However, exchanging the items at Procurement Pavilion was extremely simple and convenient, but the low prices they offered were famous on Splendid Commodity Peak. From this one transaction, they turned a profit of several thousand spirit stones. But at this point, the number of spirit stones in Xu Disheng¡¯s possession had already reached a terrifying figure. He had no less than 100,000 spirit stones. This was an amount of wealth that even an old, experienced peak Dao Foundation stage cultivator had no way of competing with. Xu Disheng browsed a few more shops and pavilions, but he didn¡¯t find anything he could use. He saw quite a few common Magic Treasures, but they were just far too lacking in comparison to the powerful Magic Treasures he had like Disperse and the Demon Punishing Array Diagram. Psychic Magic Treasures, on the other hand, were only sold at time-honored establishments like Grand Erudition Hall. They were also extremely expensive, easily reaching prices of 40,000 to 50,000 spirit stones, but they weren¡¯t that useful to Xu Disheng. After all, Xu Disheng was only at the peak of the Sea of Qi stage, so he had no way of displaying the full might of even a common Magic Treasure. No matter how many Psychic Magic Treasures he had, there was no point if he wasn¡¯t even able to bring out the full might of a single one. It was like that time back in the Zhao Territory, where in Xu Disheng¡¯s hands, the Smoky Cloud Screen, a top-grade Magic Treasure, was only able to block a single attack from an Evil Spirit stage ghost. In the end, he had to ignite its source to protect himself, but that meant destroying a top-grade defensive-type Magic Treasure. If even the most ordinary Dao Foundation stage cultivator used the Smoky Cloud Screen and summoned a barrier of light, they could stand there and tank the attacks of an Evil Spirit stage ghost for a while before it would break. Thus, destroying a top-grade Magic Treasure like this was a huge waste. It was a terrible pity. Golden Sun Pavilion was the largest establishment for spiritual food and accommodation in the market district of Splendid Commodity Peak. Renting even the most ordinary room for a day there cost no less than 60 spirit stones. Xu Disheng sat down on a plush, cozy couch and took two Qi Boosting Pills. He held several spirit stones in each hand, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate. The Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda had returned to its form as the cyan jade flute, which was no longer revolving above his sea of consciousness. It was now wrapped up in profound light at the deepest depths of his sea of consciousness. No matter how Xu Disheng tried to activate it, it didn¡¯t return the slightest response. Although it no longer spilled forth cyan light, Xu Disheng recently felt that his cultivation speed had undergone a change. This meant that his talent had already been increased to Rank 4 Spiritual Root! Rank 4 Spiritual Root geniuses were those like Yu Yangyao and Jian Liangbi. Even in the entire Mingxin Mountain Range, geniuses of this caliber were extremely rare! CH 164 Chapter 164 ¨C Lord Taichu Temporarily replacing the cyan jade flute was the long black flute which was condensed entirely from Soul Force and had changed from an illusory form to real form. The black light glowing from it was extremely bright. The two Evil Spirit stage ghosts from the Zhao Territory that it had absorbed had already been sucked dry. The total amount of Soul Force Xu Disheng possessed had now reached a terrifying level. The skull of the Soul Suppressing Evil Spirit¡¯s form was distinct and real. It was floating in Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness, receiving the constant nourishment of the Soul Force from the black Soul Force flute. Any time Xu Disheng wanted to, he could use this skull to cast several types of techniques from Soul Song. Only the second scripture, the Passing Soul Mantra, didn¡¯t need to rely on the skull of the Soul Suppressing Evil Spirit to be cast. The skull that appeared when the Passing Soul Mantra was used was already just a phantom image of the Soul Suppressing Evil Spirit. The Dao Foundation stage could only be reached by comprehending one¡¯s own Dao Path and condensing a foundation from the profound laws. This step wasn¡¯t exactly difficult, but it couldn¡¯t really be considered easy either. In Spirit Origin Hall¡¯s Cultivation Method Pavilion, there were many tips and insights recorded by people who had broken through to the Dao Foundation stage. But while it looked like there were a lot of tips, it could only be used as a reference. Many peoples¡¯ Dao Paths were extremely simple. For example, seeking strength, eternal life, or revenge and so on. These were all relatively common Dao Paths to comprehend. But Xu Disheng¡¯s Dao Path¡­ In his Shengong Meridian, the sea of profound qi within had already condensed to a peak. It had no way of expanding any further. There were countless strands of Shangqing profound qi cycling constantly within, regenerating endlessly. Seeking strength? No, becoming stronger was just a means, not an end in itself. Living a long life or eternal life? It was true that after cultivating to the Primordial Spirit stage, one¡¯s lifespan would become essentially unlimited. However, breaking through to the Clone Avatar stage was truly gaining eternal life in a more genuine sense. Only at the final stage of the Three Approaching Divinity Stages, the Divine Sea stage, could one truly become inextinguishable and live as long as the heavens. This was the ultimate cultivation boundary that many people aimed to reach for all their lives. They would set this as their Dao Path and Dao Foundation, but this was a well-trodden path. However, Xu Disheng had peered into his memories, and, seeing the fake portions of it, felt perplexed, even with his temperament. If he went along with his previous life¡¯s memories and continued to pursue the taboo Immortal Path, how could he ensure that he wasn¡¯t a pawn on someone else¡¯s chessboard? Xu Disheng turned and looked outside the room, where there was a tall Earth Spirit Fruit Tree planted in the middle of the courtyard. These fruits weren¡¯t cheap, but this tree was planted in this courtyard as a mere decoration. There were many Earth Spirit Fruits on the tree that were already ripe, giving off a rich, fruity aroma. The people in this room could absorb its nutrients at any time. This tree was only several thousand years old, which was still considered young. If it could survive longer until it had the opportunity to develop consciousness, it could transform into an indigenous monster. But is that really what it wished for? It didn¡¯t have any consciousness at the moment, and at best, it could only be considered a tree with some spiritual nature to it. Even if people plucked its fruits, it was no bother to it. If it developed spiritual awareness, it would be under the restrictions of the Shangqing Sacred Sect and be unable to truly transform for eternity and forced to stay as a mere tree. Even if it developed a consciousness, the suffering it would have to undergo would be thousands or even tens of thousands greater. "" It would be just like the 10,000 year old pine tree next to Morning Night Hall on Morning Dew Peak. It had developed a spiritual awareness long ago, but it could only accept its fate of being used to constantly collect purple qi and essence dew for tens of thousands of years. It would forever be trapped in that spot, forced to silently bear this duty in lonesome solitude. Even though the human beings thought that they were struggling free of their predetermined fates, they had no idea that they had never actually been free of this vague and illusory thing called fate. Every living being was still firmly bound by it. The Immortal race was cruel, but more than that, they were fair. Under the heavens and earths ruled by the Immortal race, every living being would live for only several hundred years at most, no matter how strong they were. There were very few beings who had the innate ability to quietly live on for a long time under the oppression of the Immortal race. Even after the Immortal Court was overthrown and every living being of the three heavens and nine realms earned back the freedom they wished, allowing them to live long, prosperous lives, did they really ever break free of that thing called fate? The Immortal race had been extremely cruel and selfish. They often used to slaughter and exterminate entire races, and their Immortal Techniques were incredibly vicious, directed specifically towards taking away the souls and true spirits of living beings. Admittedly, it wasn¡¯t necessarily wrong for the countless beings to rise up and overthrow the Immortal Court for the sake of freedom and longevity. However, throughout the three heavens and nine realms, there were more and more beings who had managed to cultivate to the Divine Sea stage over the accumulation of countless years. There were already too many divine posts conferred in the Heavenly Court to count, and the time until the next tribulation wasn¡¯t far. Should he abandon the memories of his past life and never speak of them again? Then what exactly was his Dao Path? Xu Disheng was seated cross-legged, his eyes closed and brows furrowed tightly. But in his mind, the memories of the nearly twenty years of his life so far began to flash past. The Ruyang Region, the Xu Clan. Xu Xiao, Jin Yu. Xu Qinying, Xu Chaoyang. Jin Yu¡¯er. Daoist Lord Qingxin, Zhang Keyu. Emperor Chu, Ye Zhaixing, Xu Yan. The faces of these people from the Chu Territory surfaced in his mind, but they were gradually becoming hazy and unclear. The eastern region of the Human Realm, the Shan Mountain Territory, the Shangqing Sacred Sect. This time, the memories were much clearer. The Human Realm was a real world, and although it was under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court, the rules of the world were very much intact. The Dao Path. His true Dao Path¡­ A sudden flash of enlightenment struck Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. All of his memories flitted through his mind in an instant, and his eyes shot open, revealing a resplendent gaze. He had suddenly thought of something. An abrupt change occurred! An extremely terrifying aura began to emanate from the previously dead silent cyan jade flute. This aura seemed to be ancient, from an era untold. It was desolate but grand, evoking terror. An inexhaustible cold gnawed away at Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness, interrupting his memories. After a short moment, it returned back into the cyan jade flute and fell back into silence. The youth closed his eyes. When he reopened them once more, his gaze had already returned to its usual calm indifference. He muttered to himself, ¡°My Dao Path is to cultivate the Immortal Path once more, reestablish the Immortal Court, and reinstate the suppression of the living beings of the three heavens and nine realms.¡± As soon as his words left his mouth, heaven and earth seemed to perceive his intent. From a mysterious, unseen space, a purple strand of immortal qi descended. The aura surrounding Xu Disheng rose sharply and the sea of qi in his Shengong meridian began to revolve crazily. The countless strands of profound qi in his sea of qi began to weave and entangle together. The profound qi became even more condensed until the entire sea of qi evaporated, gradually transforming into a translucent, sparkling crystal. It hovered peacefully in Xu Disheng¡¯s Shengong meridian, where his sea of qi used to be. Half-step Dao Foundation stage! This crystal was the fledgling stage for Xu Disheng¡¯s foundation, formed from the profound laws. After comprehending his Dao Path, this profound law crystal had taken shape and he broke into the half-step Dao Foundation stage. If he wanted to thoroughly break through into the Dao Foundation stage, he needed another hint of comprehension and destiny. Some people, under the right conditions, would break through right to the Dao Foundation stage, extending their lifespan to 800 years. This also allowed them to control some of the power of heaven and earth, increasing their strength dramatically. Others would stay trapped at this half-step Dao Foundation stage forever until they died. Even after wasting away hundreds of years of their lives, they would be unable to break through. However, people with powerful backgrounds would never have these kinds of worries, since there were numerous pills like the Foundation Laying Pill, but they were just extremely expensive. As long as there were sufficient cultivation resources, successfully comprehending one¡¯s Dao Path was a foregone conclusion. The purple immortal qi entered Xu Disheng¡¯s Shengong meridian and wrapped itself around the crystal, where it gradually settled. Meanwhile, in the First Mountain of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, Shangqing Mountain Range, in a vast domain located somewhere in the clouds¡­ ¡°Lord Taichu, just now there seemed to be a hint of purple qi descending from the heavens to the Shan Territory. Did you perceive it?¡± An old man lifted his head and looked off into the sky above the three great suns. He seemed to be gazing off past the sky, to some distant place above the skies that couldn¡¯t be seen. A middle-aged man in a white Daoist robe was stroking an adorable white spirit beast. But he didn¡¯t even look up and simply smiled. ¡°In recorded history, it¡¯s a bad omen when purple qi descends from the heavens. But what does that have to do with ordinary people like us?¡± The white spirit beast shook its body, freeing itself from the white-robed man¡¯s hands. It turned around and bared its clean, sharp fangs at him. The old man shook his head and didn¡¯t say more. "" ¡­ ¡­ In the House of the Earth God in the Heavenly Court¡­ ¡°Reporting to Lord Deity of the House. One incense stick before, a strand of Immortal race purple qi descended into the eastern region of the Human Realm. It is suspected to have descended from¡­ from the utmost heavens,¡± Divine Elder Hanyin said, pausing for a moment before taking out a file. There was a painting on it, which seemed vivid to the point of being alive. It was a depiction of the Shangqing Sacred Sect in the Shan Mountain Territory. The almighty, respected figure seated in the seat of honor didn¡¯t say anything. He simply flicked his sleeves and Divine Elder Hanyin didn¡¯t dare to say anything more. He immediately retreated and left the great hall of the Divine House. The figure seated on high waved his hand and the file flew to him. After flipping through a few pages, a snort echoed throughout the vast, spacious great hall. ¡°Purple qi descended from the heavens? The Heavenly Court is the heavens.¡± He didn¡¯t give it any more attention, and simply destroyed the file about the Shangqing Sacred Sect with a wave of his hand. ¡­ ¡­ Before even ancient times, there was a legend. Every being of the Immortal race was innate Xiantian beings. In accordance with the mandate of heaven, they would be born with innate Purple Immortal Qi and have vast power. But after the Immortal race was overthrown and the rules of natural order were rewritten, these rumors, which couldn¡¯t be confirmed as true or false, were lost in the flow of time. The Heavenly Court had 72 Divine Houses, and the one that oversaw the matters of the Human Realm was the House of the Earth God. The deity that ruled over this House was the Rank 2 Divine Lord Diyuan. Divine Lord Diyuan had ascended to his rank approximately ten thousand years ago. He originally came from the Human Realm, and when he first arrived in the Heavenly Court, he was like most Divine Sea stage beings from the Human Realm, who had been appointed as Rank 5 Heavenly Generals. After he arrived, his cultivation progressed extremely rapidly due to his outstanding powers of comprehension. He was gradually promoted to a Rank 4 Divine General, and eventually Rank 3 Divine Elder. (TL: Turns out each rank of deity has a different name. Previously, I called all of them Divine Generals. But from here on, Rank 5 is Heavenly General, Rank 4 is Divine General, and Rank 3 is Divine Elder, and Rank 2 is Divine Lord. Those are the known ranks so far.) A little over ten thousand years ago, when he earned his title as Divine Lord, the Heavenly Court issued a decree, instating him as a Lord Deity of the House of the Earth God. The decree stated that he would rule over the House of the Earth God along with Divine Lord Nanhua. It was very rare for the House of the Earth God to have two Lord Deities presiding over it. Rank 2 Divine Lords were on par with the arhats of the Great Sun Buddhist World, possessing overwhelming power and authority. Although Divine Lord Diyuan had cultivated for tens of thousands of years, he was extremely disdainful of the Immortal race, which had already been destroyed and lost to time. While it was true that before ancient times, the Immortal race did have innate purple qi within them, it was now considered nothing more than one of many strange phenomena in the Human Realm in this day and age. Because of this, Divine Lord Diyuan was displeased with Divine Elder Hanyin. After all, the Human Realm was boundlessly vast, and anything could happen. For Divine Elder Hanyin to make such a big fuss over some purple qi descending from the utmost heavens and even go so far as to alert the Lord Deity of the House, he was being far too indiscreet and overstepping his social bounds. CH 165 Chapter 165 ¨C 800 Spirit Stone Box Suite The Grand Auction that the Grand Erudition House was hosting this time was the biggest auction in the entirety of the market district of Splendid Commodity Peak. Countless low and medium level disciples from each of the Eight Mountains were gathered here in the Wenyuan Mountain Range, making it seem even more lively and flourishing. Xu Disheng left the Golden Sun Pavilion and began to head in the direction of the Grand Erudition House. He was wearing the White Heron Robe, and his hair was tied up in a white jade band. The market district was crowded and bustling with people, and Dao Foundation stage disciples, which usually weren¡¯t seen that often, could be seen here everywhere he looked. He even saw the occasional Divine Core stage Spirit Master flying by on a streak of light, disappearing from sight only moments later. Flying was forbidden in the marketplace, but Divine Core stage Spirit Masters had a prerogative that automatically placed them above these rules. Not only did people not dare to say anything about this, but they even bowed as they passed, showing their respect to the passing Divine Core stage Spirit Masters regardless of their own backgrounds. Of course, the Divine Core stage Spirit Masters wouldn¡¯t pay attention to the people below as they landed on the 9th floor of the Grand Erudition House, their streaks of light disappearing behind them. The Grand Erudition House was a palace-like pagoda, taking up a huge area at the base. It had 9 floors in total, and the Grand Auction was being held on the first three floors. The first three floors were interconnected, all open to an enormous shared atrium space. There were luxury box suites on the wings of the upper floors, overlooking the stage for the Grand Auction. As soon as Xu Disheng entered the vicinity of the pagoda, a green-clothed disciple approached him. ¡°Do you have an invitation jade slip? If not, you will need to pay 1,000 spirit stones to enter the venue.¡± Xu Disheng produced the invitation jade slip and handed it to the disciple, who took it and examined it carefully before returning it. When he did so, his expression was much more respectful. ¡°So it was Senior Martial Brother Xu from the Mingxin Mountain Range. Please enter.¡± The green-clothed disciple turned to the side in a welcoming manner, making way for Xu Disheng to pass. As a disciple of Wenyuan Mountain¡¯s Splendid Commodity Peak, he didn¡¯t necessarily know Xu Disheng. However, these invitation jade slips were only sent out to the geniuses of the Eight Mountains, and within them were descriptions indicating such. It was only natural for these green-clothed disciples to become more respectful after confirming their identities. Only after entering the pagoda was Xu Disheng able to fully witness the opulent wealth of the Grand Erudition House. The floors were tiled with Green Luminite Rock, which had the effect of calming peoples¡¯ minds and allowed them to concentrate more effectively. The material was extremely precious and expensive. Furthermore, there were fox monster pelts laid out on each seat in the rows lined up on the first floor. The pattern on the pelts was not only luxurious and pleasing to the eye, but they were also extremely comfortable when sat upon. On the tables lined up between each row of seats were high-grade spirit fruits and types of spirit tea that were difficult to purchase even in the market district. These refreshments could be taken freely by the customers attending the event. In the corners of the hall, there was concentrating incense laid out, which also wasn¡¯t cheap by any means. As they released swirling wisps of essence into the air, they slightly raised the mental cultivations of the disciples who smelled it, providing a variety of other useful effects as well. ¡°Xu Disheng?¡± A somewhat surprised voice called out. When Xu Disheng looked in the direction of the voice, he saw Yu Yangyao standing several meters away, looking at him with raised eyebrows. There were a number of other geniuses from the Mingxin Mountain Range near him. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yu.¡± Xu Disheng came over and greeted him, exchanging nods with several other geniuses from the Mingxin Mountain Range. ¡°To think that you comprehended your Dao Path and stepped into the half-step Dao Foundation stage in such a short time,¡± Yu Yangyao said, turning around with a profound gaze and walking towards the steps leading to the second floor. ¡°This is my message jade slip.¡± A dark green jade slip floated over to Xu Disheng, and he reached out to take it, putting it away. The other Sea of Qi geniuses of the Mingxin Mountain Range looked a bit shocked when they heard what Yu Yangyao said. They wordlessly looked Xu Disheng over, and some of them took the initiative to greet him before following Yu Yangyao up to the second floor. In the vast hall, there were many disciples affiliated with the Grand Erudition House going around. One of them took notice of Xu Disheng and approached him with a smile. ¡°Respected guest, would you like to reserve a box suite?¡± ¡°A box suite?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. All invited guests or those who paid 1,000 spirit stones to enter may attend the Grand Auction on the first floor. But in the box suites on the second or third floor, there are concealing arrays to mask your face and identity and maids to speak your bids for you. There will be a bit of a price, however,¡± the disciple replied. Xu Disheng looked up and saw the box suites on the second and third floor lining the inside of the pagoda¡¯s atrium area. It had a good view, and it was extremely convenient to be able to look down from the box suite and see the entire auction. When the disciple saw Xu Disheng making up his mind, he said, ¡°The original price for a box suite on the second floor is 1,500 spirit stones. But if you have an invitation jade slip, you can just pay 800 spirit stones.¡± The Grand Auction on Splendid Commodity Peak really wasn¡¯t a place where any ordinary disciples could afford to come to. Any expenses here were easily around a thousand spirit stones. Only wealthy disciples or those with powerful backgrounds could afford this kind of spending. Ordinary disciples who only received several dozen spirit stones per year in cultivation resources were simply too poor to come to the Grand Auction. They might even be hard-pressed to pay the 10 spirit stone fee to enter Splendid Commodity Peak. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take a box suite on the second floor,¡± Xu Disheng said without further hesitation. He took out 800 spirit stones, placed them into a storage pouch, and handed it to the disciple. The disciple looked pleased. Clearly, the disciple would be earning a share of the spirit stones inside. After putting away the storage pouch, he said, ¡°Dear guest, please lend me your invitation jade slip and wait here for just a moment.¡± After taking the invitation slip from Xu Disheng¡¯s hands, he turned around and left. A few moments later, the disciple returned, handing him back the invitation slip. He said respectfully, ¡°Please allow me to show you up to the second floor.¡± The interior design of the second floor was even more luxurious. Each box suite had layers and layers of arrays covering them. Sound-proofing arrays, defensive arrays, messaging arrays, and so on, making for an extremely complete set of arrays of varying functions. The box suites made a full loop around the inside of the pagoda, whose first three floors were interconnected into a large atrium area. Opening up the barrier of light surrounding one of the box suites, the disciple smiled and said, ¡°Dear guest, this is your box suite. It has already been registered with your invitation jade slip, which you can use to open or close the barrier as you wish. There is a Sea of Qi stage maid inside, who can announce your bids for you and satisfy your needs.¡± After he finished speaking, he took a half step back, indicating for Xu Disheng to enter. Xu Disheng entered and activated his invitation jade slip, firmly closing the barrier and activating the arrays surrounding the box suite. Only after doing that did he turn around to look at the inside of the box suite. The interior was even more lavishly decorated. There were pelts of monsters unknown to Xu Disheng laid on the ground as rugs, and several types of extremely expensive spirit fruits were arranged on the table. There were even several pieces of a kind of spirit fruit that could increase one¡¯s lifespan by a certain amount. A white-clothed woman was seated by the table, looking through the barrier of light down at the auction venue below. When she saw Xu Disheng enter the box suite, she stood up and walked over to him. Her black hair flowed down to her wide, supple hips, which swung irresistibly as she approached him. Her facial features were as beautiful as a painting, and her body was sculpted like jade. A pair of bare legs extended below her white dress. There was an ornamental gem placed between her eyebrows, adding to her sense of exotic beauty. ¡°Young master,¡± she greeted in a gentle tone. Her beautiful gaze was fixed on Xu Disheng alone. Xu Disheng walked over to the desk and took a seat by it, surveying the auction venue below. ¡°Is there a list of items being auctioned today?¡± Seeing Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes not lingering on her at all, the woman in the white dress was momentarily speechless. But she quickly came back to her senses and said, ¡°Naturally.¡± She bent over and picked up a nearby jade slip, then came over and placed it on the table in front of Xu Disheng. She took advantage of the opportunity to sit next to him. She picked up a Violet Spirit Grape and peeled it, then tried to put it in Xu Disheng¡¯s mouth. Xu Disheng picked up the jade slip, and while carefully looking through it, he said indifferently, ¡°Those 800 spirit stones were worth every penny.¡± The girl in the white dress blushed slightly. Seeing Xu Disheng had no intention of eating the spirit fruit she peeled, she just quietly sat by his side, looking at him. This Sea of Qi stage maid wasn¡¯t actually a disciple of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Women like her were instead raised by some influence in the sect. After being discovered to have profound meridians at a young age, girls like her were raised to the Sea of Qi stage with pills and medicines. They were taught to be proficient in the arts and other talents for entertaining and pleasing, then sold off as maids. Each of these women were worth at least 200 spirit stones. A maid as pretty as this woman would be worth at least 500 spirit stones. For the Grand Auction, a certain force in the sect had reached a business deal with the Grand Erudition House, so each box suite had one of these women in them to serve as maids. Even after subtracting the real cost of the box suite itself from the price of 800 spirit stones, the price still couldn¡¯t be considered expensive. As Xu Disheng looked through the jade slip with the list of items, his heart was trembling. There were so many items being put up for auction, and the variety of items was extremely broad and extensive. Many of the items were beyond his current knowledge. The Grand Auction lasted for 7 days, so there were many wealthy people from clans who would spend spirit stones to reserve a box suite on the second floor. The interiors were cozy and suitable for relaxing, while also conveniently concealing their identities. "" Even though everyone was protected by the strict sect rules, most people still liked to act discreetly and keep their identities hidden, since they didn¡¯t want other people to know what kind of hidden trump cards they had or were obtaining. As a result, these box suites were in extremely high demand. If Xu Disheng had arrived even half a day later, all of these box suites might have already been all sold out. Meanwhile, the box suites on the third floor couldn¡¯t be reserved by simply having sufficient spirit stones. Having the qualifications to reserve one of those box suites for 7 days required being at the rank of Peak Master or higher in terms of status and Dao Foundation stage or higher in terms of cultivation. As for the Divine Core stage Spirit Masters that would occasionally come to the auction, the Grand Erudition House obviously wouldn¡¯t make them pay a single cent. They would be welcomed respectfully into the 9th floor of the pagoda, where they could watch the auction through a screen and choose what they wanted. On top of that, if something caught one of the Spirit Masters¡¯ interest, it would immediately be removed from the auction and sold to them at the lowest possible price. ¡°Young master, there is still a full day until the Grand Auction starts. How about I¡­¡± As the woman spoke, she suddenly leaned forward, trying to fall into Xu Disheng¡¯s arms. The youth immediately turned away and the woman fell forward on the couch instead. She looked up at Xu Disheng, a hint of unhappiness hidden behind her gaze. After being sent to these box suites, these women were to act as the maids of the box suite¡¯s master and were completely at their discretion for these seven days. ¡°What a waste of a Violet Spirit Grape though,¡± Xu Disheng said, giving her a sidelong glance. The woman in the white dress sat up. Only then did she realize that she had accidentally crushed it into a pulp when she had fallen forward on the couch just now. Her face immediately flushed an even deeper red. She couldn¡¯t even speak out of shame. Although she didn¡¯t have any cultivation method, she had a Sea of Qi stage cultivation. Ordinarily, she should have never made a mistake this severe. Maybe it was because this youth was too handsome, causing her to accidentally crush the Violet Spirit Grape in her state of absentminded infatuation. The woman wasn¡¯t wearing shoes. Her white, slender legs were bare, looking extremely attractive beneath the light, airy cloth of her white dress. Seeing the youth in the White Heron Robe already closing his eyes and submerging himself in cultivation, the woman gritted her teeth and took out a hand mirror. After making sure she had restored her dignified appearance, she took a lock of her hair and started to twirl it in her fingers. Summoning her courage, she said seductively, ¡°Master¡­ Master, why are you ignoring me?¡± CH 166 Chapter 166 ¨C Divine Torrent Boundary-Breaking Pill ¡°Know your place,¡± Xu Disheng said, opening his eyes to gaze at the weak woman. ¡°You sit there and quietly wait on standby. One day later, you will speak my bids for me at the auction. Don¡¯t disturb me again.¡± The woman in the white dress looked like she wanted to say something again, but when she suddenly saw the hint of bone-chilling cold in the youth¡¯s indifferent, profound gaze, she immediately shut her mouth. She felt a hint of the cold seep into her chest, and she no longer dared to speak. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Sister Ling¡¯er, are you really going to marry Hong Zhao?¡± a small girl with her hair tied up into two cute pigtails lifted her head and asked, waving her long white tail back and forth. ¡°Little Yu, where did you hear that?¡± Lu Ling replied. She was wearing a long light pink skirt, and her black hair was tied up into an attractive-looking bun. Her facial features were beautiful and refined, and her fair white skin matched the color of her white tail, which waved gently to and fro. A stream of pure demonic qi wrapped around her and the girl¡¯s body rose lightly into the air. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Why don¡¯t you just answer me?¡± Little Yu said, standing up. There was a hint of a ridiculing smile on her small face as she continued, ¡°Hong Zhao is pretty handsome, but his bloodline concentration is a bit lacking.¡± Lu Ling didn¡¯t respond. The white tail beneath her dress moved, and a mass of demonic qi coalesced into being and covered Little Yu¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ah¡ªW¡ª¡± Little Yu had just opened her mouth, but several streams of demonic qi stuffed her mouth, rendering her unable to speak. A hint of a smile graced the corners of the girl¡¯s eyes, but her thoughts ended up thoroughly drowning out the smile before it could bloom. Ever since she was a child, she had this strange, recurring dream. Over a boundlessly vast expanse of water, black waves rose up in massive crests, shaking the heavens with each crashing tide. Countless bolts of purple thunder tore the heavens asunder and rain poured down in torrents. It looked like there was a crack in the skies, which had always been the same since time immemorial. The girl curled up her body and serpent tail, hiding in an ice-cold crevice in a reef. Her hair was sodding wet from the torrential downpour outside, sticking clammily to her face. She was trembling from the cold, bearing the fearful dread of this dream all by herself. Every time she had this dream, Lu Ling would always wake up suddenly in a cold sweat, all alone on the couch. She would tremble and quiver as if she had fallen into a bottomless abyss. This continued to happen until one time, the bone-piercing cold in the dream seemed to reach an utmost limit, and then suddenly saw a bright, golden light appear before her eyes. The rain continued to pour down in torrents, but the girl could feel a kind of warmth. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself surrounded by watery mist. She strained her eyes to try and see clearly through the golden light. When the golden light subsided, a handsome youth in a white Buddhist robe was by her side on the reef. A golden profound light was springing from his hand, which was protecting her from the wind and rain. The purple lightning in the skies was even more intense, and the rumbling of thunder resounded deafeningly. The black seas rose up in waves hundreds of meters high, blotting out the sky and sweeping everything away. With a sudden impulse of emotion, she threw herself into the youth¡¯s embrace. She rested her head on the youth¡¯s chest, greedily basking in his warmth amidst the despondent cold. ¡°It¡¯s okay now. Don¡¯t cry,¡± the youth in the white Buddhist robe said tenderly. He lifted his arms and wrapped Lu Ling in his embrace, gently resting his chin on her forehead. Suddenly, the scene broke and she was wrested from the depths of the dream. This time, there wasn¡¯t despair on Lu Ling¡¯s small face like in the past whenever she had this dream. She awoke with a light smile on her face, as if she was still relishing in that warm embrace. But after that, the dream never came again. That bone-chilling cold, and that embrace that she was reluctant to part with¡­ All of it disappeared without a trace. Ever since the day she awakened her bloodline and started cultivating the demonic laws, she never dreamed anymore. All until that one day when she went with Zhang Zeming to the Shangqing Sacred Sect to see Primordial Lord Yangze. She had disguised herself as an ordinary male disciple and went to the Internal Disciple Tournament that was coincidentally taking place that day, just to see what all the festivities were all about. It was there that she happened to catch a glimpse of that youth, who brought her memories of that dream rushing back like the tide. ¡­ ¡­ A day¡¯s time came and went. Xu Disheng opened his eyes and looked through the arrays at the Grand Auction taking place outside his window. From the box suite, it was possible to clearly see the massive stage on the first floor and the disciples sitting on the luxurious seats below. But any of the disciples that looked up at the box suites from the first floor would only see a hazy, ever-changing array. They wouldn¡¯t be able to see through it at all. The box suites on the second floor had gradually been filled up as the official start of the Grand Auction approached. The nearly 1,000 seats on the first floor were also completely filled to the brim. A man at the Dao Foundation stage walked up onto the stage. After looking around at the crowd, he spoke with profound qi amplifying his voice. ¡°I am Wu Youcai of the Grand Erudition House. I cannot express my gratitude enough to all of you who have come to attend our Grand Auction. We assure you that you will not leave disappointed. In just one incense stick of time, the Grand Auction will officially begin. You may all take a look at the record jade slips cataloging the items for auction. If you see anything that catches your eye, you must be prepared for when it comes around.¡± Xu Disheng picked up the jade slip on the desk and fiddled with it. ¡°Young master, is there anything that catches your eye?¡± the woman in the white-dress asked, seeing Xu Disheng finally stop cultivating. She had been silent and alone for an entire day by this point. ¡°If there¡¯s anything I want to place a bid for, I will let you know.¡± Xu Disheng put down the jade slip and looked at the auction below. The first item had already been placed on a table in the center of the stage, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°I didn¡¯t think the first item would be such a precious treasure.¡± Some of the onlookers¡¯ eyes flashed when they saw the spiritual herb on the table. ¡°Divine Torrent Herb. It¡¯s extremely rare and said to only grow in the coldest of places. It¡¯s also a main ingredient in refining the Divine Torrent Boundary-Breaking Pill.¡± An inexperienced Sea of Qi stage disciple who hadn¡¯t seen much of the world asked, ¡°Divine Torrent Boundary-Breaking Pill?¡± ¡°The Divine Torrent Boundary-Breaking Pill is a type of extremely expensive pill that offers a major boost to peak Dao Foundation stage disciples looking to consolidate their Divine Core,¡± a knowledgeable peak Sea of Qi stage genius said. He continued flatly, ¡°The pill is so rare that it¡¯s not readily available in the markets. Whenever one does appear, each one costs at least 10,000 spirit stones.¡± Wu Youcai walked onto the stage once more and said in his resonant voice, ¡°You may have already checked your jade slips and seen that the value of the item itself may not be very high, but it is indeed rare. It is one of the main ingredients in refining the Divine Torrent Boundary-Breaking Pill. There are three of this herb in total. Starting bid of 7,000 spirit stones.¡± Light began to appear above Xu Disheng¡¯s jade slip. After a while, it formed into several words. ¡°Second floor, No. 65.¡± Presumably, this was his number for the auction. ¡°8,000 spirit stones!¡± A Dao Foundation stage disciple on the first floor with a square face and large ears said excitedly. ¡°10,000 spirit stones.¡± ¡°13,000 spirit stones!¡± ¡­ ¡­ Wu Youcai¡¯s smiling expression remained unchanged as the shouting of bids continued. Next to him, several disciples were recording down the bids as they came. Once someone called out 17,000 spirit stones, the number of people continuing to shout out bids immediately cut down to about 4-5 people. Although the Divine Torrent Herb was extremely rare, this was pretty much the extent of its value. It was also only an ingredient herb, so whoever bought it would still have to go through the effort of refining it into a pill. CH 167 Chapter 167 ¨C Half-Step Primordial Spirit Stage Cultivation! ¡°21,000 spirit stones!¡± An old man at the peak Dao Foundation stage hesitated for a moment before placing a bid that exceeded the previous one by an entire 4,000 spirit stones. ¡°Xu Zhi is already reaching the end of his lifespan. He¡¯s probably staking everything on this.¡± There were some people among the auction participants who knew the old man and gossiped about him in quiet tones. ¡°This price is already far beyond the market value for Divine Torrent Herb. If they keep bidding, it won¡¯t be worth it.¡± The bidders began to shake their heads as they started to abandon all thoughts of bidding any further. The few people who were still calling out bids hesitated, then they also gave up on contending for the Divine Torrent Herb. Xu Zhi looked around him. Seeing no one raising the bid anymore, his face stirred with emotion. He looked unblinkingly at Wu Youcai, who was still standing there on the stage. From the safety of his box suite, Xu Disheng sized up Xu Zhi. His profound qi cultivation was genuinely at the peak Dao Foundation stage, but there was a deathly aura surrounding him. He clearly didn¡¯t have much of his lifespan remaining. Spending a ton of spirit stones to buy spirit herbs and fruits to extend his lifespan by a few years was a method that only treated the symptoms but not the root cause. The only way he could live longer was to stake it all on a breakthrough to the Divine Core stage. His lifespan would then increase greatly, absolving him from his plight. The Grand Auction¡¯s first item, the extremely rare Divine Torrent Herb, was Xu Zhi¡¯s only goal. As long as he could buy it, then search for a Divine Core Spirit Master specializing in refining pills, he could refine the Divine Torrent Boundary-Breaking Pill. Then, his prospects of breaking through to the Divine Core stage would increase greatly! Seeing no one raising the bid any further, a hint of disappointment flashed in Wu Youcai¡¯s eyes. ¡°21,000 spirit stones by first floor #76 for three stalks of Divine Torrent Herb. Are there any higher bids?¡± These goods up for auction were brought in from different kinds of sources. As the auction hosts, they obviously wished for these items to be sold at a higher price so they could reap a greater profit. ¡°If there are no further bids, these three stalks of Divine Torrent Herb will belong to first floor #76,¡± Wu Youcai said. He turned and hinted to the disciple next to him, who put the herbs into a jade bottle, walked over to Xu Zhi, and handed it to him. Xu Zhi took out the spirit stones and handed them to the disciple. After taking the jade bottle, his expression filled with emotion. He got up and left the hall, not even bothering to participate in the rest of the auction. ¡°The second item is a complete Blood Shadow Coral, plucked straight from the Zhaoshui Tributary,¡± Wu Youcai announced, gesturing at the massive coral that had been carried onto the stage. ¡°You all may have already read the description of this item and seen that this Blood Shadow Coral has considerable benefits for those cultivating Blood Dao cultivation methods. Starting bid of 1,200 spirit stones.¡± ¡°1,250 spirit stones.¡± ¡°1,300 spirit stones.¡± ¡­ ¡­ On the first floor, many people began to eagerly place their bids. The first item, the Divine Torrent Herb, was naturally rare and its price wasn¡¯t low either. On the other hand, the Blood Shadow Coral was only useful to people cultivating Blood Dao cultivation methods, so its price was much lower. Xu Disheng withdrew his gaze and turned to the side. The woman in the white dress was still sitting next to him, watching Xu Disheng all this time. Seeing him suddenly look over at her, she blushed a bit and stuttered, ¡°¡­Y-Young Master.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t spare her much more than a glance. He picked up the jade slip on the table, noted down a few items, then handed it to her and said, ¡°When these several items show up, let me know.¡± The moment he finished speaking, he took out several spirit stones and went back to cultivating. There were almost a thousand different items in the catalog of items up for auction. The Grand Auction lasted 7 days, so there was still a long time until the items that Xu Disheng was interested in would appear. The items that came before those few items he was interested in were either incompatible attribute-wise or useless for Xu Disheng. If he continued to watch the auction, it would just be a waste of time for him. When the woman took the jade slip from him, her own fair, slender hand accidentally brushed the youth¡¯s hand, causing her heart to start racing. But by the time she looked up at him, his eyes were already closed and he was back in a state of cultivation. A hint of disappointment couldn¡¯t help surfacing in her beautiful eyes. As the Grand Auction continued on in the Grand Erudition House¡¯s pagoda, there were radical changes taking place on Mingxin Mountain¡¯s Falling Moon Peak. A gigantic vortex of the power of heaven and earth spun in the air above the domain on Falling Moon Peak. The protective illusion spell over the domain was gone, and Celestial Tide Spirit Master was seated cross-legged in the middle of the air. A massive image of himself was projected behind him, imitating his appearance in an extremely lifelike manner. Celestial Tide Spirit Master opened his mouth. The projected image of himself also did the same, and sucked in a powerful breath! The power of heaven and earth within thousands of kilometers was sucked in like a whale¡¯s breath, causing the massive projection to become even more lifelike. The aura of the figure was shocking, and the oppressive might pressed down like the weight of the sky. The disciples within the range used their Spirit Tools and tried to bitterly resist the powerful might. There were people whose cultivations were insufficient, and they were immediately pressed to the ground, vomiting up blood and losing consciousness. On Mingxin Mountain Peak, Severing Meridian Spirit Master Feng Simiao was seated cross-legged in the hall. As he looked in the direction of Falling Moon Peak, there was a hint of admiration in his eyes. He muttered to himself, ¡°Celestial Tide Spirit Master has successfully comprehended his Primordial Spirit. As of today, he steps into the Primordial Spirit stage. His future from this point on will be promising.¡± Beside him, Jian Liangbi¡¯s expression changed greatly. ¡°Master, now that Celestial Tide Spirit Master is at the half-step Primordial Spirit stage, then that previous dispute between him and Ghost Dominion Spirit Master¡­¡± The details regarding what happened to Xu Disheng in the Zhao Territory simply couldn¡¯t be hidden from the Spirit Masters in authority in the Mingxin Mountain Range. If Xu Disheng had really died in the Zhao Territory, then that would be the end of the matter. Ghost Dominion Spirit Master would only have to worry about covering up matters on the surface, but he wouldn¡¯t suffer any repercussions. At most, he would have trampled on Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s face and incurred a bit of his resentment. But Xu Disheng was stubborn and didn¡¯t die. He used some secret unknown treasure to slaughter four Dao Foundation stage beings back to back and returned to the Shangqing Sacred Sect safe and sound. In the past, Celestial Tide Spirit Master had always remained quiet, and all the other Spirit Masters thought that he had already swallowed this matter. But now that he reached the half-step Primordial Spirit stage, he could be considered among the two highest ranking people in the Mingxin Mountain Range. Now, he was practically on equal footing with Severing Meridian Spirit Master Feng Simiao. Ghost Dominion Spirit Master was a Spirit Master belonging to the younger generation. Although he had the Zhao Clan from Wenyuan Mountain Range backing him, he was far too lacking compared to the Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s capabilities and influence in the Mingxin Mountain Range. And now that Celestial Tide Spirit Master was at the half-step Primordial Spirit stage, Ghost Dominion Spirit Master had zero authority to speak before him. All of the Divine Core stage Spirit Masters were looking in the direction of Falling Moon Peak with varying expressions on their faces. At last, the giant projection of Celestial Tide Spirit Master finished sucking in the power of heaven and earth within a radius of several thousand kilometers. The projection became even more lifelike, as if it had truly gone from illusory to reality. But in the end, it lacked that very last bit, and wasn¡¯t able to become completely real. Celestial Tide Spirit Master opened his eyes. There was inexhaustible primordial water energy fluctuating within. A phantom image of colossal waves towering several hundreds of meters tall appeared behind him, shocking the heavens! CH 168 Chapter 168 ¨C Change in Authority After reaching the half-step Primordial Spirit stage, one¡¯s strength would experience a sharp increase. After all, it was just a half step away from all of those Primordial Lord powerhouses! ¡°I bring orders from Primordial Lord Yangze. Celestial Tide Spirit Master is to come immediately to the Cloud Ascension Domain above Mingxin Peak to see Primordial Lord Yangze.¡± It was Ruan Xun who spoke. After he landed on Falling Moon Peak, he gazed respectfully upon Celestial Tide Spirit Master, who was sitting cross-legged in the air, and announced Primordial Lord Yangze¡¯s decree. Although Ruan Xun was the direct descendent of Primordial Lord Yangze, he still held a certain amount of respect for a powerhouse who managed to successfully comprehend the dao of the primordial spirit. Plus, Celestial Tide Spirit Master was extremely young. He was only a little over 1,000 years old. If he really managed to fully break through into the Primordial Spirit stage, his status would undergo a revolutionary change. He would become someone of genuine power even in all Eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. ¡°Report back to Primordial Lord Yangze and tell him that I will be heading there immediately,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said unassumingly, retracting his aura. He didn¡¯t put on any airs towards a person of the younger generation like Ruan Xun. ¡°As you command,¡± Ruan Xun replied. He didn¡¯t stay long. After sending back the reply to the decree, he flew off on a sword light back to the Cloud Ascension Domain. Meanwhile, on Ghost Controlling Peak¡­ Ghost Dominion Spirit Master crushed the jade slip in his hands. As he sensed the powerful aura coming from Falling Moon Peak off in the far distance, his expression was extremely unsightly. He had expended a lot of effort to call upon the aid of those three Evil Spirits in the Zhao Territory by relying on his relationship with the Mountain of Law¡¯s branch of the Zhao Clan. He even sent out the peak Dao Foundation stage Vice Peak Master, Zhao Yan. It should have been a sure kill, beyond any doubt. But in the end, what resulted was an absolute bloodbath for the Zhao Clan. The three Evil Spirit stage ghosts were all killed, and Zhao Yan¡¯s corpse was found in the Zhao Territory. Several disciples from Disciplinary Mountain had gone to investigate, and all the trails pointed towards Xu Disheng and Ghost Controlling Peak¡¯s Zhao Clan. But simply because of Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s interference, the investigation was put to a complete stop. Even now, there were no disciplinary disciples going to Xu Disheng to find trouble. Ghost Dominion Spirit Master was not one of the Spirit Masters with authority in the Mingxin Mountain Range. The power he had backing him was extremely limited, and this incident had not only caused him considerable losses, but also caused the Mountain of Law¡¯s Zhao Clan to look upon him poorly. For the Mountain of Law¡¯s Zhao Clan, the Zhao Realm was a lair for them to nurture ghosts. It wasn¡¯t of extreme importance, but they wouldn¡¯t tolerate it being destroyed. But because of Ghost Dominion Spirit Master, it was now pretty much ruined and in a complete state of disorder. Although his hatred for Xu Disheng had reached a peak, Ghost Dominion Spirit Master didn¡¯t dare to make any more rash decisions. Celestial Tide Spirit Master had been silent recently, so everyone thought that this matter had passed. He never thought that Celestial Tide Spirit Master was actually making preparations to break through into the half-step Primordial Spirit stage during this time. This sudden upset struck fear and panic into Ghost Dominion¡¯s heart. By now, he just wanted to resign from his position as Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak and return to the Mountain of Law¡¯s Zhao Clan. Just two days later, a certain piece of news arrived at Ghost Controlling Peak, scaring all of their disciples witless. Celestial Tide Spirit Master had broken through to the half-step Primordial Spirit stage, and his status was now comparable to Severing Meridian Spirit Master Feng Simiao. His status now even outstripped that of the Killing Heart Spirit Master, Yu Xingchao. An ordinary summons jade slip was brought by He Junyu to Ghost Controlling Peak. The time it takes one incense stick to burn later, Ghost Dominion Spirit Master came out, his expression heavier than the ocean. He disappeared in a streak of light, heading in the direction of Mingxin Peak. ¡°Congratulations on reaching the half-step Primordial Spirit stage, Celestial Tide Spirit Master. May the path forward be smooth for you,¡± Tranquil Cypress Spirit Master said. She looked around at the presiding Spirit Masters in authority and continued, ¡°May I ask what you have summoned all of the presiding Spirit Masters here to discuss today?¡± Mingxin Peak was the #1 ranked Mountain Peak in Mingxin Mountain Range. Every time the presiding Spirit Masters had important matters to discuss, they would gather here. All of the other Spirit Masters were present, including Killing Heart Spirit Master and the ever-indifferent Severing Meridian Spirit Master in the seat of honor, looking at Celestial Tide Spirit Master. ¡°Naturally, I have summoned you all here today to deal with an important matter,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said, gazing towards Ghost Dominion Spirit Master, who was seated in the lowest status seat in the hall. ¡°I have conclusive evidence that Ghost Dominion Spirit Master, Zhao Leshan, has acted to harm a Sea of Qi stage genius disciple of our sect.¡± Several jade slips flew out from his hand, landing in front of all of the Spirit Masters present. Ghost Dominion Spirit Master seemed to have already given up any attempts of refuting him. He was silent, his expression grave. Pure Ocean Spirit Master, who had once lost face to Celestial Tide Spirit Master over the matter with Kou Zun, only gave the jade slip a cursory glance before saying, ¡°This matter only shows that the Vice Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak, Zhao Yan, was colluding with the people of the Zhao Territory. Ghost Dominion Spirit Master¡¯s only fault is that his control over his subordinates was lacking.¡± ¡°Not so,¡± Star Abyss Spirit Master replied. ¡°Zhao Yan was merely at the Dao Foundation stage. How would he have the courage to ambush and slaughter a genius of the sect? The three Evil Spirits were under the command of the Mountain of Law¡¯s Zhao Clan. How would a Vice Peak Master like him be able to get them to move?¡± Star Abyss Spirit Master was a bloodline descendant of Star Abyss Saint Lord, separated by many generations. But the real inheritance of Star Abyss Saint Lord was taken away by Feng Shao, so he was all in all a pretty unlucky Spirit Master. (TL: Star Abyss Saint Lord was previously translated as Saint Lord Xingyuan, and in Chapter 123, I mistranslated it once as Celestial Tide Saint Lord because of how similar his name looks in Chinese to Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s name. Sacred Son Feng Shao received Star Abyss Saint Lord¡¯s inheritance and rose to the heights he did. There is also a Star Abyss Spirit Master, a descendant of Star Abyss Saint Lord. You can refer to Chapters 80 and 123 to see when this came up. Sorry about the confusion.) Star Abyss Spirit Master was the first to speak up, his words clearly partial to Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s side. ¡°What Star Abyss Spirit Master says is true. A trifling Dao Foundation stage like Zhao Yan certainly wouldn¡¯t have such capabilities,¡± Tranquil Cypress Spirit Master said. Although her words were basically just parroting what Star Abyss Spirit Master said, it was obvious that she was also standing on Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s side. ¡°Trying to secretly harm a genius of the sect is indeed deserving of heavy punishment,¡± Killing Heart Spirit Master said coldly, giving Ghost Dominion Spirit Master a sideways glance. Ghost Dominion Spirit Master could no longer maintain his dignity as a Divine Core stage Spirit Master. His expression was ugly, and his gaze was shifting unpleasantly. Seated on the highest seat of honor in the hall, Severing Meridian Spirit Master said, ¡°Celestial Tide Spirit Master. In your opinion, how should he be punished?¡± ¡°He should be stripped of his position as Peak Master of Ghost Controlling Peak and demoted to Vice Peak Master. Instate a restrictive order forbidding him from leaving the Peak, and reduce his share of cultivation resources to the standard for the Dao Foundation stage. He shall not be absolved of guilt until he reaches the Primordial Spirit stage,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said, his expression indifferent the entire time. Ghost Dominion Spirit Master¡¯s expression changed dramatically, and a hint of resentment leaked through his gaze. It wouldn¡¯t be that heavy of a punishment if he only lost his position as Peak Master. After all, a Peak Master position wasn¡¯t essential for a Divine Core stage Spirit Master. The restrictive order, however, was extremely heavy-handed. Once it was put into place, he wouldn¡¯t be able to take a single step out of Ghost Controlling Peak. Not to mention, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to attend any Spirit Master congregations. His entire future would be suspended by these restrictions, since his cultivation resources would be reduced to that of a typical Dao Foundation stage disciple. He would forever have no hopes of making any further breakthroughs, and his Dao Path would be cut short. ¡°Don¡¯t you think this punishment is a bit too heavy, Celestial Tide Spirit Master?¡± Tranquil Cypress Spirit Master said, a bit unconvinced. Although she was standing on Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s side, she still had to speak up for Ghost Dominion Spirit Master a bit, which showed how severe the proposed punishment was. ¡°It is indeed a bit heavy. It should suffice to limit the restrictive order to 200 years, and reduce his share of cultivation resources to half of the standard for a Divine Core stage. What do you think of this, Celestial Tide Spirit Master?¡± Severing Meridian Spirit Master said with a flick of his sleeves. It could be heard from his tone that he was consulting him on the matter. ¡°Since it is Severing Meridian Spirit Master saying so, then we shall act according to your suggestion. Effective immediately, Ghost Dominion Spirit Master Zhao Leshan will be confined to Ghost Controlling Peak for 200 years and demoted to Vice Peak Master, and his share of cultivation resources will be cut to half,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said, flicking his sleeves as well. Then, he addressed the Dao Foundation stage Deacons of Mingxin Peak. ¡°Send out jade slips to every Peak in the Mingxin Mountain Range, announcing Ghost Dominion Spirit Master¡¯s punishment.¡± As soon as the Deacons withdrew to carry out the order, Ghost Dominion Spirit Master flicked his sleeves as well and left the hall, completely ignoring all of the presiding Spirit Masters on his way out. Pure Ocean Spirit Master gave a cold snort. No longer looking at Celestial Tide Spirit Master, he cupped his hands to Severing Meridian Spirit Master, then turned and left the hall. Tranquil Cypress Spirit Master was always kindhearted. She watched Ghost Dominion Spirit Master¡¯s back as he left, a hint of pity in her expression. She let out a light sigh, then cupped her hands to Severing Meridian Spirit Master and Celestial Tide Spirit Master before politely leaving the hall as well. As soon as news of Ghost Dominion Spirit Master¡¯s punishment spread throughout the Mingxin Mountain Range, the awe-inspiring authority of the half-step Primordial Spirit stage Celestial Tide Spirit Master became deeply etched in the minds of all the disciples. After all, Ghost Dominion Spirit Master was a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, but he was punished simply because Celestial Tide Spirit Master said he should be punished. Even in other Mountain Ranges, this kind of boldness was rarely seen. CH 169 Chapter 169 ¨C Sky High Price! ¡°Young master, the next item up for auction is the Fierce Specter War Chariot,¡± the woman in the white dress said gently. ¡°Okay,¡± Xu Disheng said. He stopped cultivating and went to the window, peering down at the auction below. After two days of the auction had passed, the atmosphere of the auction-goers in the pagoda had thoroughly reached its peak. Many people had already gotten the things they wanted. Quite a few people had left the Grand Erudition House early after achieving their objectives for coming. But even more people were still silently waiting for the items they had set their heart on. They would quietly lie in wait, and strike out with an outrageous bid like a clap of thunder when their item came around. ¡°This is the Psychic Magic Treasure, the Fierce Specter War Chariot. It has five layers of seals on it. But if all five layers are unsealed, its might is enough to shock the heavens! Only a Divine Core stage Spirit Master would be able to demonstrate its full power. A Dao Foundation stage would only be able to undo three layers of the seal. Starting bid of 43,000 spirit stones.¡± ¡°Young master, would you like to place a bid?¡± the woman in the white dress asked softly. This Fierce Specter War Chariot was one of the items that Xu Disheng had marked. ¡°I¡¯ll wait a bit,¡± Xu Disheng said, his brows furrowing as he looked down at the people below, whose moods were starting to surge rowdily. The offensive power of this Psychic Magic Treasure was incredibly strong. There was a Fierce Specter stage ghost sealed within. If one channeled power into the array on the war chariot, it would erupt forth with an attack of inconceivable power! A Fierce Specter stage ghost was equivalent to a Divine Core stage Spirit Master! But its price was simply far too expensive. Although there were several people who were continually bidding with excited looks on their faces, the bids were only increasing by about 500 or 1,000 spirit stones each time. A price easily exceeding tens of thousands of spirit stones wasn¡¯t something ordinary people could afford. Only disciples who were extremely wealthy or had influential backgrounds could have such a massive amount of spirit stones at one time. ¡°49,000 spirit stones,¡± a woman¡¯s voice resounded from a box suite on the second floor directly across from them. It was clearly the maid assigned to the owner of the box suite that was announcing the bid. After this bid, everyone was silent. For a stretch of time, no one put forth any bids. ¡°Increase the bid by 1,000 spirit stones each time, regardless of what they bid,¡± Xu Disheng said. Her eyes became bright, and she went forward to activate the voice transmitting array. ¡°50,000 spirit stones!¡± she shouted. Even though it wasn¡¯t her spirit stones, shouting out such a tremendous bid made the woman¡¯s heart beat faster, to the point that she was hardly able to control herself. Countless gazes turned to the 65th room on the second floor, but all they could see was a dense fog, and all they could hear was the woman¡¯s birdsong-like voice through the array. After a moment¡¯s silence, a voice rang out from the 40th room on the second floor. ¡°55,000 spirit stones.¡± This person clearly marked the Fierce Specter War Chariot as a must-have item. They raised the price by 5,000 spirit stones in one go! On the first floor, many peoples¡¯ eyes started to turn red with greed as they stared unwaveringly at the war chariot on the stage. There was a baleful aura surrounding it, endless shrieks of horror ringing from within, causing the hearts of anyone who beheld it to thud in terror. ¡°56,000 spirit stones!¡± the woman in the white dress called out, her voice trembling slightly. Simply thinking about such an incredible amount of spirit stones made her heart shudder with exhilaration. ¡°60,000 spirit stones!¡± the maid in room 40 called out without hesitation. It was an immediate rise of 4,000 spirit stones! ¡°Young¡­ Young Master, d-do we continue to raise the bid?¡± the woman in the white dress asked stammeringly, turning around to look at Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes were furrowed slightly in displeasure. There were other items that he wanted, which would only appear later on in the auction. If he wasted too many spirit stones on this Fierce Specter War Chariot, it wouldn¡¯t be good for him. But this Psychic Magic Treasure was different from the others because it had as many as five seals on it, which were sealing the Fierce Specter stage ghost within. Although a Sea of Qi stage cultivator would only be able to undo a single seal, if there was a life-threatening disaster, it was possible to undo more seals and unleash most of the might of a Psychic Magic Treasure! Of course, the backlash of the Fierce Specter would be nearly impossible to deal with by that point. But despite this flaw, the Fierce Specter War Chariot was an extremely powerful trump card. ¡°Continue.¡± Hearing Xu Disheng¡¯s reply, the woman once again activated the voice transmitting array, causing her delicate voice to resound throughout the auction hall. ¡°61,000 spirit stones.¡± ¡°This is insanity! Even if it is a Psychic Magic Treasure, a price of over 60,000 spirit stones is far too extravagant!¡± ¡°Which Mountain Range does this disciple belong to?! How wealthy can they possibly be?!¡± ¡°Over 60,000 spirit stones!¡± In the auction hall, many people started to whisper amongst themselves uproariously, their eyes red with greed. The auction had been going on for two days by this point, and the highest price that an item had gone for was a little over 30,000 spirit stones, for an item called the Frost Flower Dharmic Sword. Even though the starting bid of the Fierce Specter War Chariot was extremely high, the bidding price climbing to over 60,000 spirit stones in such a short time was outside of many peoples¡¯ expectations. ¡°70,000 spirit stones!¡± the maid in room 40 yelled. This time, there was very clearly a hint of trembling in her voice. ¡°This is pure madness!¡± ¡°Increasing the price by 9,000 at once?! This person is crazy!¡± ¡°Who in the world is this person in room 40?¡± ¡°70,000 spirit stones?!!¡± The woman in the white dress no longer dared to activate the voice transmitting array and increase the bid further. She turned around and looked at Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng was looking down at the Fierce Specter War Chariot in the center of the stage, examining its baleful aura and the faint, endless shrieks that rang out from within. His gaze was calm. And for a moment, there was silence. Wu Xingye was someone who had a great amount of life experience, so even though he was pleasantly surprised by this sky high price, he maintained a steady hand over his emotions. In a spirited voice, he called out, ¡°Second floor room 40 bids 70,000 spirit stones! Are there any higher bids?¡± As Wu Xingye spoke, he looked towards room 65, where Xu Disheng was. He was quite obviously hoping there would be a higher bid, so the Grand Erudition House could earn an even greater profit. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡°Now that it has increased to a sky-high price of 70,000 spirit stones, there¡¯s no way room 65 will continue to bid,¡± a man who was clearly trying to act all profound judged, taking a dramatic sip of his tea. ¡°Even for an offense-oriented Psychic Magic Treasure like this, a price exceeding 70,000 spirit stones is way too high.¡± Wu Xingye waited for a while. Seeing no one putting forth any bids, he couldn¡¯t hide the disappointment on his face. But just as he was about to speak, a delicate female voice rang out from room 65. ¡°80,000 spirit stones.¡± By this point, the woman in the white dress was already numb, the massive number of spirit stones becoming just a jumble of numbers in her mind. She didn¡¯t even dare to think of the outrageous amount of wealth 80,000 spirit stones entailed. Room 40 was completely silent. All at once, an uproar broke out in the auction hall. Many people shot up out of their seats, looking in pure shock at room 65, where Xu Disheng was sitting! Mu Hui¡¯s expression was ice cold. In any equally frigid tone, he said, ¡°Go call your Deacon here.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master Mu,¡± the maid said, withdrawing from room 40. After a while, the barrier and arrays opened up again, and the Dao Foundation stage Deacon, Wu Youcai, appeared, his face smeared with an obsequious smile. ¡°Young Master Mu, what is your command?¡± ¡°Give me the details on the person in room 65 who dared to partake in a bidding war with me just now,¡± Mu Hui demanded. He had only brought a little over 70,000 spirit stones with him this time. The person in room 65 continued to outbid him, causing red hot fury to surge in his heart. ¡°Young Master Mu, this is against the rules,¡± Wu Youcai said, his expression turning difficult. ¡°My Grand Erudition House has one Psychic Magic Treasure similar to this one. If it is to Young Master Mu¡¯s liking, I can offer it to you for the original price.¡± Mu Hui was the disciple of Wenyuan Mountain¡¯s Inner Nuance Spirit Master. There wasn¡¯t a single person in Wenyuan Mountain who didn¡¯t know Mu Hui, and naturally Wu Youcai didn¡¯t dare to offend him. Mu Hui snorted coldly. He was naturally aware of the rules that Grand Erudition Spirit Master had founded the Grand Erudition House upon, so he didn¡¯t trouble Wu Youcai any further. He simply nodded and said, ¡°Bring it here then. I¡¯ll buy it for 30% above the original price.¡± As the direct disciple of a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, it was beneath Mu Hui to care about a trifling few thousand spirit stones in discounts. CH 170 Chapter 170 ¨C I¡¯m Stubborn, So What? On the second floor in box suite 26, the invitation jade slip on the desk vibrated. Xu Disheng picked it up and checked the contents. After thinking for a bit, he opened the protective barrier at the main door of the box suite. An unnamed Dao Foundation stage Deacon of the Grand Erudition House came into the room, carrying an interspatial ring. He was inwardly shocked, seeing how young Xu Disheng was, but he didn¡¯t show it on his face at all. He smiled and said, ¡°Respected guest, I have brought the Psychic Magic Treasure, the Fierce Specter War Chariot.¡± When he finished speaking, he came forward and gently placed the interspatial ring on the desk. Xu Disheng picked up the interspatial ring and examined it. Then, he nodded and took out a storage pouch, which he handed to the woman in the white dress. The woman in the white dress stood up and respectfully handed the storage pouch to the Deacon. ¡°Good. Exactly 80,000 spirit stones,¡± the Deacon said, checking the storage pouch. The cordial smile on his face deepened. He flicked his sleeves and pulled out a golden jade slip. ¡°This is the VIP jade slip of our Grand Erudition House, reserved for our most valuable customers. Very few people have this jade slip. It has many uses, which you can slowly discover for yourself.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The Dao Foundation stage Deacon didn¡¯t stay for long. After taking another good look at Xu Disheng, he left room 65. The auction was still continuing, but room 65 on the second floor, where Xu Disheng was, had become the temporary focus of everyone¡¯s attention. Many people were keeping an eye on his box suite to see if this person who had boldly bid 80,000 spirit stones would bid again on another item.. But much to everyone¡¯s disappointment, for the three days that followed, no more bids came from the second floor¡¯s room 65, as if the person inside had already left. Over the last three days, there had been several auctioned goods that had been sold off for several tens of thousands of spirit stones. The item that sold for the highest was the Blood Ocean Scepter, which was refined by a Clone Avatar stage powerhouse. It had sold for no less than 110,000 spirit stones, and had gone to the person in room 32 on the second floor. ¡°Young master, the next item up for auction is the Divine Foundation Laying Pill,¡± the woman said, interrupting Xu Disheng¡¯s cultivation. ¡°Bid a high price and secure the item directly,¡± Xu Disheng said without hesitation after glancing at the catalog in the record jade slip. The Divine Foundation Laying Pill was similar to the Foundation Laying Pill, in that both of them had great effects for one¡¯s foundation in the profound laws. However, the effects of the Divine Foundation Laying Pill were greater than the Foundation Laying Pill by several times, and a single pill was worth over 800 spirit stones. ¡°One bottle of Divine Foundation Laying Pills. There are a total of 5 perfect quality pills inside. Starting bid of 5,000 spirit stones.¡± ¡°5,500 spirit stones!¡± ¡°5,700 spirit stones!¡± ¡°5,900 spirit stones!¡± ¡­ ¡­ There were many people on the first floor bidding for the item. But items like pills and medicines had a relatively fixed price. No matter how expensive they were, the selling price wouldn¡¯t surpass the market value by much. When the price reached 6,700 spirit stones, the voice of the woman in the white dress rang out from room 65 on the second floor. ¡°9,000 spirit stones.¡± For a moment, the entire venue went silent as they stared at box suite 65. ¡°This price¡­¡± ¡°This person is such a big shot.¡± ¡°With this kind of price, wouldn¡¯t it be enough to buy two whole bottles of Divine Foundation Laying Pills?¡± Everyone began to talk spiritedly amongst themselves. But since this person had the precedent of bidding 80,000 spirit stones, a bid like 9,000 spirit stones didn¡¯t cause that much of an uproar. Without the slightest disturbance, the five Divine Foundation Laying Pills were sent to room 65 on the second floor. Xu Disheng put away the pills, paid the spirit stones, then stood up. ¡°Young master?¡± the woman couldn¡¯t help asking, her expression looking a bit flustered. ¡°Hm?¡± Xu Disheng turned to look directly into the woman¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­¡± The woman stammered for a bit, but in the end decided not to say anything. She bowed politely to Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng pondered for a moment, then took out a storage pouch. He put 500 spirit stones into the bag then said, ¡°Here is your reward.¡± He placed the storage pouch on the desk. Then, he activated the invitation jade slip and opened the protective array. Without even looking back, he left the room. There were actually still a few more items that Xu Disheng wanted from the auction, but because he had spent too much on the Fierce Specter War Chariot, he had no way of contending for those items anymore. After securing the Divine Foundation Laying Pill for a high price, he was only left with a little over 10,000 spirit stones. Although there were still 2 days left in the Grand Auction, he didn¡¯t have enough spirit stones. It wouldn¡¯t do him any good to stay longer, so he left immediately. Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com" Splendid Commodity Peak was still as bustling and crowded as before, with a continuous stream of disciples coming and going. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t stay any longer on Splendid Commodity Peak. He stepped on the Dharma Breaking Sword and flew off in the direction of Refining Heart Mountain. The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament was gradually approaching. Although Xu Disheng had already made it to the half-step Dao Foundation stage, his cultivation still wasn¡¯t completely solidified. He wanted to go to Cultivation Hall and use this time to stabilize his cultivation and refine his cultivation methods further. Xu Disheng was still completely unaware of the changes in authority in the Mingxin Mountain Range and Ghost Dominion Spirit Master¡¯s punishment. But at this time, there were quite a few message jade slips hovering around his courtyard back at Morning Dew Peak. The Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Eight Mountain Grand Tournament was a monumental occasion that occurred once every 50 years. Not only would all of the geniuses of the Eight Mountains be present, but also many of the other sects in the Shan Mountain Territory would come and watch. It wasn¡¯t just the Ancient Nuwa Sect. The Demon Sound Sect, the Peak Destroying Sword Sect, and other large-scale sects would send people to attend. Thus, the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament that occurred every 50 years could be considered a grand occasion for all of the Shan Mountain Territory. In Cultivation Hall, there were many popular rooms packed with disciples, some of them looking even more crowded than Splendid Commodity Peak. From time to time, there were disciples who flew out from the rooms, looking unsatisfied as they left Cultivation Hall. They had clearly used up their spirit stones, and weren¡¯t able to stay there any longer. Coincidentally enough, a disciple just happened to be leaving one of the rooms of Meditation Hall, which was exactly the practice room that Xu Disheng wanted to go into. With the free spot now available, Xu Disheng paid 8,000 spirit stones up front, which allowed him to stay there for 8 days. While the name of Meditation Hall was as plain as it was, it was the most expensive practice room in Cultivation Hall. Staying there for a single day cost 800 spirit stones. Although the practice room wasn¡¯t specialized towards a single type of Dao, practicing any cultivation method there would yield twice the effects with only half the effort. It could be considered the most optimal choice for refining cultivation methods overall. Xu Disheng took out the Divine Foundation Laying Pills right away. He took all 5 pills without hesitation and immediately started trying to comprehend the mysterious, illusive process of constructing a foundation from the profound laws. A rumbling sound was emitted from his body as the five Divine Foundation Laying Pills dissolved into his body. They felt like five scorching balls of fire, which eventually became flowing magma as they coursed through his entire body and its 36 meridian points. As the potent power of the medicine entered his Jianggong sea of qi, Xu Disheng endured the searing pain that felt like it was cutting straight into his spirit. CH 171 Chapter 171 ¨C An Extremely Realistic Evaluation The moment the power of the medicine came into contact with the sparkling, translucent crystal formed from the profound laws, there was a mysterious transformation. As the effects of the medicinal power were absorbed, the profound law crystal grew brighter and gradually melted down and reformed once more into a new shape, looking much like an ancient bell. After a while, the medicinal power of the five Divine Foundation Laying Pills was completely absorbed. The ancient bell¡¯s form became even more realistic, but in the end, it was still lacking just that very last bit, and wasn¡¯t able to fully go from illusory to reality. Now, Xu Disheng was thoroughly in the half-step Dao Foundation stage! He could feel that with a mere thought, he could fully break through into the Dao Foundation stage. If he did that, his lifespan would increase by 800 years, and he would be able to move a bit of the power of heaven and earth. His status would also undergo an enormous change. Jian Liangbi, Yu Yangyao, and the others were also at this cultivation realm. But they didn¡¯t break through because they wanted to compete for the Mingxin Mountain Range in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament! With the Dao Foundation stage right in front of his nose, it was a bit difficult to resist the temptation to break through, even with Xu Disheng¡¯s temperament. But after a short moment, Xu Disheng abandoned those thoughts and focused on his Jianggong meridian point once more, stabilizing his half-step Dao Foundation stage cultivation. Then, he began to practice various cultivation methods. The phantom image of that ancient bell in Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of qi was the visual representation of his profound law foundation. Every person¡¯s profound law foundation was different. Xu Disheng¡¯s profound law foundation looked like a bell with extremely intricate engravings on its surface that emitted an aura of untold distant pasts. ¡­ ¡­ At Miaohua Mountain¡­ Lu Wen was a peak Sea of Qi stage disciple. He had accepted a sect mission to come to Miaohua Mountain to pick 10 Weeping Ghost Herbs. According to the description in the jade slip, a massive battle had taken place at Miaohua Mountain not too long ago. Evil Spirit stage ghosts had died there, which filled the entire mountain with the air of resentment, causing a considerable amount of Weeping Ghost Herb to appear in the area. This spiritual herb was used as an ingredient in some medicinal pills, which was why the sect had issued a mission to harvest them. ¡°What is up with this place being in the middle of bumfuck nowhere? I heard that there used to be a certain Miaohua Sect here, but from the looks of it, this place is completely deserted,¡± Lu Wen grumbled to himself as he hopped off of his flying sword Spirit Tool. After searching for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he found the entirety of Miaohua Mountain to be overgrown and deserted, just as he observed at the beginning. There weren¡¯t any traces of Weeping Ghost Herb either. Lu Wen¡¯s expression was becoming more and more dispirited. But just as he was about to hop on his flying sword and fly to the other side of Miaohua Mountain to search further, he suddenly noticed an extra shadow in his vision. The profound qi surrounding his body didn¡¯t alert him at all to the approach of any living beings. When Lu Wen looked closer, the shadow suddenly disappeared, causing him to let out a string of expletives. A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled. Lu Wen got onto his flying sword Spirit Tool, but just as he was about to fly off, his expression suddenly underwent a dramatic change. He let out a blood-curdling shriek, as if he saw something absolutely terrifying. His pupils constricted with terror as a shadow suddenly covered his entire face. In the next moment, Lu Wen disappeared without a trace. A dark shadow rose up out of the ground, twisting and materializing into the appearance of Lu Wen. On his ordinary features, there was a weird, ghastly smile. If someone inspected this ¡®Lu Wen¡¯ closer, they might notice that there was actually something different from the original. There was a string tied around his neck with a small sculpture hanging from it. Carved on this sculpture was an extremely lifelike face that looked like that of a dignified Bodhisattva, its eyes shut. But after the appearance of this ¡®Lu Wen¡¯ took shape, the eyes of this sculpture opened just a crack, giving it an eerie appearance. ¡®Lu Wen¡¯ lifted his hand and, surprisingly enough, a stream of Shangqing profound qi welled forth. With a light grab, the flying sword Spirit Tool on the ground flew into his hand. ¡°Daddy, I¡¯ll make sure all of those sinners are buried along with you.¡± Mournful laughter rang out in the Miaohua Mountains as ¡®Lu Wen¡¯ flew off on his flying sword into the distance. ¡­ ¡­ At the Mountain of Law, on Inner Nuance Peak¡­ ¡°Damn it! The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament is only three months away. I need to hurry up and get ready,¡± Mu Hui said. He stood up quickly as if he had suddenly remembered, and began to put on his clothes. On the couch was a half-clothed beauty, her body scantily clad in only a red undergarment. As she watched him leave, there was a hint of resentment hidden in her eyes. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Ji Haohan, can you secure the title of Sacred Son in the Sea of Qi division?¡± an old man asked, his expression cold as he looked down at the white-robed youth kneeling on the ground before him. Ji Haohan¡¯s head was lowered as he knelt there, making it difficult to see his expression. ¡°Respected ancestor, I can do it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll only give you this one chance. As a Rank 3 Spiritual Root genius of the Ji Clan, you shouldn¡¯t have any worthy opponents at the Sea of Qi division aside from Mo Yue and that fellow from the younger generation of the Zhang Clan,¡± the old man replied. The old man flicked his sleeves, and Ji Haohan¡¯s vision blurred. In the next moment, he found himself in the Refining Heart Mountain Range, at the peak of its first-ranked mountain, Refining Heart Peak. As the white-robed youth got to his feet, he muttered to himself. ¡°The title of Sacred Son, huh?¡± ¡­ ¡­ The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament of the Shangqing Sacred Sect! All of the sects in the Shan Mountain Territory sent people out to the Shangqing Sacred Sect to attend the big occasion that came only once every 50 years. There were tumultuous undercurrents afoot as the countless influences in the Shangqing Sacred Sect prepared to contend in the ranking of the Eight Mountains. The ranking of the Eight Mountains was extremely important. It directly influenced the assignment of cultivation resources for the next 50 years. The difference of one place in the ranking was unimaginably large, like that between clouds and mud. Since time immemorial, the first place Mountain Range was the Shangqing Mountain Range. This had never changed in the history of the sect. The rankings of the Second Mountain, Refining Heart Mountain, the Third Mountain, Wenyuan Mountain, and the Fourth Mountain, the Mountain of Law, hadn¡¯t changed for several tens of thousands of years. As a result, the Mountain Ranges that were actually competing for a higher spot were those in the fifth to eighth spots. The Fifth Mountain, Mengyang Mountain, and the Sixth Mountain, Mingxin Mountain, were very similar in terms of strength. In the last few Grand Tournaments, the Mingxin Mountain Range had only been inches away from surpassing Mengyang Mountain. The Seventh Mountain, Fengzhou Mountain, and the Eighth Mountain, Zhuri Mountain, were similar in that they were always at the lowest rank. The biggest goal of the Mingxin Mountain Range this time was to accumulate enough total points to surpass Mengyang Mountain and take its place as the fifth ranked Mountain Range! ¡­ ¡­ At Morning Dew Peak¡­ Xu Disheng opened up the barrier of light around his courtyard and came out. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu!¡± ¡°Respectful greetings, Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Several disciples happened to be passing by his courtyard. Upon seeing Xu Disheng, they all came over and greeted him with admiration and respect in their gazes. ¡°As you were,¡± Xu Disheng said, nodding to them in response. After that, he got on his flying sword and left Morning Dew Peak. Following Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s breakthrough into the half-step Primordial Spirit stage, Falling Moon Peak¡¯s status rose in turn. It was now busy and flourishing, appearing much stronger than Morning Dew Peak by several times. Xu Disheng rode his flying sword to the Falling Moon Domain and stopped in front of the entrance. A Dao Foundation stage disciple blocked his path, his expression cold and indifferent. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked. ¡°I am Xu Disheng of Morning Dew Peak. I am here under orders to have an audience with the Spirit Master,¡± Xu Disheng replied. ¡°Orders? Who¡¯s orders?¡± the disciple shot back. Although he was at the Dao Foundation stage, he didn¡¯t have the bearing of one, looking very arrogant. ¡°Celestial Tide Spirit Master is now a half-step Primordial Spirit stage powerhouse. How can a mere Sea of Qi stage disciple like you see him just because you want to?¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s brows creased. But before he could say anything, a clear voice came from the side. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Liu, you don¡¯t know Junior Martial Brother Xu?¡± It was He Junyu, who just happened to be flying out from the Falling Moon Domain. Liu Hao gave a cold snort and gave Xu Disheng an unhappy stare out of the corner of his eye. But he didn¡¯t say anything further. Liu Hao had a Dao Foundation stage cultivation and was a Deacon of Falling Moon Domain, so he couldn¡¯t speak too harshly in front of He Junyu. After He Junyu greeted Xu Disheng, he brought him into Falling Moon Domain. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, did you offend Liu Hao in any way?¡± He Junyu asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never met him before,¡± Xu Disheng replied. He Junyu was even more surprised. ¡°Judging by Liu Hao¡¯s expression, he clearly knew you, but it looked like he was deliberately causing you trouble.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t inquire further. Instead, he asked, ¡°What did the Spirit Master call me here for?¡± ¡°It should be regarding the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament,¡± He Junyu said. When the subject of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament came up, his brows furrowed tightly. ¡°While the most important factor deciding the ranking of the Eight Mountains is the Dao Foundation division of the tournament, the Sea of Qi division of the tournament is still very important.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Xu Disheng asked. He Junyu paused for a moment and replied, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yu Yangyao can be considered number one in the Sea of Qi division of the Mingxin Mountain Range. Xu Disheng raised an eyebrow. ¡°Everyone knows this.¡± ¡°But against those several peerless geniuses in the first three Mountains, Senior Martial Brother Yu would hardly last ten moves,¡± He Junyu explained with a bitter smile. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yu wouldn¡¯t stand a chance even against Liu Pengyun and Zong Zizhen from the Fourth Mountain. The likes of you and me would fare even worse.¡± Upon reaching that point, he took out a jade slip and handed it to Xu Disheng. ¡°Those are the strongest geniuses in the Sea of Qi division of the tournament. Take a look.¡± Xu Disheng took the jade slip and sank his consciousness into it. After a while, Xu Disheng¡¯s pupils constricted. His grip on the jade slip tightened and his expression became unsettled. ¡°Zhang Yangui, Shangqing Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 3 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Unparalleled.¡± ¡°Mo Yue, Shangqing Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 3 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Unparalleled.¡± ¡°Ji Haohan, Refining Heart Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 3 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Extremely strong.¡± ¡°Mu Hui, Wenyuan Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Relatively strong.¡± ¡°Liu Pengyun, Mountain of Law. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Relatively strong.¡± ¡°Zong Zizhen, Mountain of Law. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Relatively strong.¡± ¡°Pu Li, Mengyang Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Ordinary strength.¡± ¡°Yu Yangyao, Mingxin Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Ordinary strength.¡± ¡­ ¡­ After reading to this point, Xu Disheng just put the jade slip away. He Junyu smiled and said, ¡°The truly strong geniuses in the Sea of Qi division within the Shangqing Sacred Sect and even in the entire Shan Mountain Territory are recorded in that jade slip. From the Mingxin Mountain Range, only Senior Martial Brother Yu appears on the list, and he only received an ordinary evaluation. Senior Martial Brother Jian didn¡¯t even have the qualifications to appear on that list.¡± There were only 11 geniuses recorded on the jade slip, and each and every one of them was a true genius of the Eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Just looking at the comparison between the evaluations of the geniuses at the very top of that list and the marginalizing evaluations of those at the bottom of the list was enough to dampen Xu Disheng¡¯s will to fight. Most of Yu Yangyao and Jian Liangbi¡¯s fighting power came from their Psychic Magic Treasures. But to those truly strong geniuses, even though they were at the Sea of Qi stage, their Magic Treasures were just tools. Zhang Yangui, Mo Yue. At this moment, those two names were etched firmly into Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. CH 172 Chapter 172 ¨C The Lakebed of Green Lotus Domain As Xu Disheng and He Junyu conversed, the two of them arrived in front of the hall where Celestial Tide Spirit Master was before they knew it. ¡°Come on in, you two,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s voice echoed out from the hall. Xu Disheng and He Junyu exchanged a glance, then walked into the hall. ¡°Greetings, Spirit Master.¡± The two of them came forward and respectfully cupped their hands with a light bow. Although He Junyu was his first son, He Junyu calling him Spirit Master was well within appropriate etiquette. ¡°At ease,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said. His gaze grew more deeper as he looked towards Xu Disheng. ¡°How did your comprehension of your profound law foundation go?¡± ¡°Disciple can break through into the Dao Foundation stage at any time,¡± Xu Disheng replied. He didn¡¯t deliberately hide anything, since he wouldn¡¯t be able to hide his cultivation from a half-step Primordial Spirit stage powerhouse. ¡°Break through after the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament finishes,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master instructed, taking out a jade slip. ¡°You are the only one who hasn¡¯t received the special reward given out to by Killing Heart Spirit Master to the top 10 ranks in the Internal Disciple Tournament. Have a look.¡± Xu Disheng nodded and came forward, receiving the jade slip. The top 10 ranking disciples in the Internal Disciple Tournament could use the dark green jade slip given to them by Killing Heart Spirit Master Yu Yangyao to inform him of any needs they might have, which the Mountain would then do their best to fulfill. In all this time, Xu Disheng had never used the jade slip. As the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament was now right around the corner, the other nine had already used the jade slip to get their hands on the cultivation resources they needed. Only Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t yet made use of the reward. The jade slip that Celestial Tide Spirit Master gave him showed a detailed explanation of the cultivation resources he could receive. He could choose a Magic Treasure, 7,000 spirit stones or a medicinal pill of equivalent value, or a spiritual beast, etc. As long as he wanted something, the Mountain would do their best to grant it to him. ¡°Spirit Master, disciple would like a Spirit Infusing Bead. Is this possible?¡± Xu Disheng asked after a while of contemplation, putting the jade slip down. ¡°Hm?¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°Did you want to upgrade the Demon Punishing Array Diagram to a full Psychic Magic Treasure?¡± When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Yes,¡± Xu Disheng replied. There was actually another use for this item, but it wasn¡¯t convenient for Xu Disheng to tell him now. The Demon Punishing Array Diagram was extremely powerful in terms of attack power, but it was just a hair¡¯s breadth away from the rank of a Psychic Magic Treasure. It lacked a hint of spirituality, so no matter how strong it was, it couldn¡¯t be called a Psychic Magic Treasure. Celestial Tide Spirit Master explained, ¡°That Array Diagram was refined as an imitation of a scenery depicted in a legendary painting scroll. I had the good fortune to see that painting before. The materials and ingredients that went into the creation of the Demon Punishing Array Diagram were all highly valuable. If a spirit is born inside of it, it might be able to reach among the top in the Psychic Magic Treasure rank, but¡­¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s sleeve swept, and an image of a painting scroll appeared in the air. The scenery depicted was a youth with a cold expression, standing above the clouds with an array diagram scroll in his hands. The array diagram enshrouded an immeasurably vast area. Countless living beings were howling in anguish within, their faces wrought with despair as their attempts to struggle free were in vain. Four different colored sword lights swept horizontally across the entire area encompassed by the array diagram. The youth had only given the scroll a gentle shake, and the countless monsters trapped within the array diagram were completely annihilated, cut into a fine powder. The cold-faced youth put away the fierce array diagram. His figure slowly faded away, leaving behind only a deathly stillness. ¡°Awaken!¡± A deafening sound like the gong of a massive bell resounded in Xu Disheng¡¯s ears. He looked dazed as the scene before his eyes gradually became clearer. He was back in the hall, but he couldn¡¯t help being still being somewhat shell-shocked by the scene from earlier. It was only the image of the painting scroll, but just a single glance was enough to cause people to become entranced by it. Celestial Tide Spirit Master waved his hand and the image of the scroll disappeared. ¡°The name of the scroll that the youth was holding is unknown. But one of the supreme powerhouses of the sect was able to refine the Demon Punishing Array Diagram from what scarce information regarding this scroll existed, extracting the destruction, suppression, slaughter, and corrosion sword intents from it.¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master continued, ¡°But in the end, it wasn¡¯t able to become a Psychic Magic Treasure. It could only be a peak-grade Magic Treasure, because it was lacking the most important part¡ªthe spirituality. Do you know why?¡± Xu Disheng pondered for a bit before replying, ¡°Because the scene depicted in the array diagram is an imitation of the real array diagram, which still exists somewhere in the three heavens and nine realms.¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master nodded. ¡°Correct. You probably aren¡¯t proficient in any refining Daos, otherwise you would have known that every Psychic Magic Treasure is a unique existence. If a Magic Treasure is an imitation of another Magic Treasure, it can only be a peak-grade Magic Treasure at the highest. The powerhouse who refined the Demon Punishing Array Diagram only managed to do so with a bit of luck.¡± ¡°Thank you for the explanation, Spirit Master.¡± ¡°Even if I gave you a Spirit Infusing Bead, the Demon Punishing Array Diagram cannot be raised to the rank of a Psychic Magic Treasure. Do you still want it?¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master asked. From the side, He Junyu interjected. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, the price of a Spirit Infusing Bead may only be around 8,000 spirit stones, but they have always been so rare that there simply aren¡¯t enough to form a market for them. Even if we searched, we wouldn¡¯t be able to find one. Don¡¯t you still have the White Lotus Array Flag? This Magic Treasure is pretty good, even if you aren¡¯t able to use the Demon Punishing Array Diagram.¡± In fact, the Spirit Infusing Bead was something that He Junyu had gone out of his way to tell Xu Disheng about, and told him to request it from Celestial Tide Spirit Master. He Junyu looked at Xu Disheng, flashing him a hint with his eyes. Xu Disheng met his gaze, then cupped his hands. ¡°Spirit Master, I¡¯ll still take this Spirit Infusing Bead.¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master seemed to turn a blind eye to their little act and simply nodded. He flicked his sleeves and an orb emitting a deep azure light appeared in front of Xu Disheng. ¡°You can leave now. When the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament comes around, just try your best,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said. He clearly didn¡¯t have high hopes for the two of them in the tournament. After all, with the geniuses from all eight Mountains gathering in one place, along with the peerless geniuses from the top ranking Mountain Ranges, the only person from the Mingxin Mountain Range who would actually be in the spotlight was Yu Yangyao. Xu Disheng cupped his hands and bowed before withdrawing. As he left the hall with He Junyu, he turned to look at him and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother He, what you were talking about before¡­¡± A hint of amusement appeared in He Junyu¡¯s eyes. ¡°Actually, you can just keep it. You could just take the four top-grade magic swords out of the Demon Punishing Array Diagram and just upgrade the array diagram, couldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You must be joking, Senior Martial Brother,¡± Xu Disheng said, somewhat speechless. ¡°Are you satisfied with this?¡± He Junyu said, no longer playing around. He took a small flag out of his sleeves. The flag had a number of seals on it, and was emitting a watery blue glow. It was a restrictive-type top-grade Magic Treasure. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t take the watery blue array flag. Instead, he took the Spirit Infusing Bead and handed it to He Junyu. ¡°You¡¯ve really helped me out a lot, so you should just take this Spirit Infusing Bead. Let¡¯s forget the trade, Senior Martial Brother.¡± He Junyu took the Spirit Infusing Bead and put it away, but he still handed the watery blue array flag to Xu Disheng. He smiled and said, ¡°A Spirit Infusing Bead isn¡¯t anything that valuable, although it is rare. Only a scant few powerhouses in the Shangqing Mountain Range can refine them, and Spirit Master only had one left. If I asked him for it, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have given it to me, so I had no choice but to trouble you about this, Junior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t try to refuse. He put away the watery blue array flag and said, ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating, Senior Martial Brother He. It was hardly any effort on my part. But what did you want this Spirit Infusing Bead for?¡± As the eldest son of Celestial Tide Spirit Master, he had the Thunderflame Pagoda, a Psychic Magic Treasure, and several top-grade Magic Treasures. The watery blue array flag that he just gave to Xu Disheng was just one of them. The Spirit Infusing Bead could open the spirituality of a top-grade Magic Treasure, but it had a huge chance of failure. With how elevated He Junyu¡¯s status was, there shouldn¡¯t be any need for him to use an item like this. ¡°The Spirit Infusing Bead has another use that very few people know about. And I plan to use it for that purpose,¡± He Junyu said in a deliberately vague manner. Xu Disheng¡¯s tone and behavior had been well within propriety, and he didn¡¯t press the matter. He changed the topic, asking about what he might need to know about the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile, on the 29th ranked Peak of Mingxin Mountain Range, Spring Hill Peak¡­ Zhang Deyong walked out of his courtyard and just happened to see Lu Wen, his neighbor, landing on a sword light in front of his own courtyard. He immediately approached him and asked, ¡°Lu Wen, I just accepted a sect mission to go kill a half-transformed monster. Do you want to go with me?¡± ¡®Lu Wen¡¯ froze, his expression blank as he put away his flying sword Spirit Tool. He turned around, his face somewhat looking stiff. ¡°Go on without me, Senior Martial Brother Zhang. I¡¯m not really feeling well right now.¡± Zhang Deyong didn¡¯t think much of it and simply nodded. He got on his own flying sword and left Spring Hill Peak. According to the memories in his head, ¡®Lu Wen¡¯ took out the key jade slip, opened the barrier around the courtyard, and walked in. Every time ¡®Lu Wen¡¯ thought of everything that had happened at Miaohua Mountain, his expression would contort with resentment. He had just been an ordinary youth who had gone with his father to Miaohua Mountain to pay the tax for their village. The events that had occurred in the mountain had thoroughly twisted his personality. In his heart, there was now only an endless darkness, devoid of a single ray of light. The Bodhisattva sculpture on the string tied around his neck was emitting a constant strange aura. The eyes of the Bodhisattva were open just a crack, but a little bit more than last time. After searching through his memories, ¡®Lu Wen¡¯ muttered to himself, ¡°Lu Wen, 85th place in the Sea of Qi division of the Internal Disciple Tournament¡­ The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, huh?¡± ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile, at the Cloud Ascension Domain above the summit of Mingxin Peak¡­ ¡°Feng Simiao of Mingxin Peak respectfully greets Primordial Lord Yangze,¡± Severing Meridian Spirit Master said, standing atop a spiritual crane in the middle of the air. He was waiting quietly outside the domain. After a while. Ruan Xun came out and said, ¡°Severing Meridian Spirit Master, please enter the hall.¡± With that, Ruan Xun eagerly guided Severing Meridian Spirit Master into Cloud Ascension Domain. ¡°Greetings, Primordial Lord,¡± Severing Meridian Spirit Master said, his expression calm. His tone was respectful, but not servile. ¡°At ease. What business do you have today?¡± Primordial Lord Yangze asked, not looking up from the flower basket he was weaving from spiritual essence. ¡°Just now, I sensed an extremely strange, sinister aura entering the Mingxin Mountain Range. I wasn¡¯t able to come to a decision on what to do, so I came to consult you on the matter,¡± Severing Meridian Spirit Master said. Primordial Lord Yangze put down the flower basket and looked up slightly, his gaze a bit complex. ¡°Your senses weren¡¯t mistaken. That strange aura is none other than a ¡®revenant¡¯.¡± ¡°May I implore you to elaborate further, Primordial Lord?¡± Severing Meridian Spirit Master asked. Clearly, even with his experience and insight, he had never heard of this existence known as a ¡®revenant¡¯. ¡°In the Human Realm, a revenant looks much like a ghost, but it differs in many ways. It is a dreadful being formed from the bad side of a Bodhisattva. It is also extremely rare,¡± Primordial Lord Yangze explained, his gaze seeming to look past the walls of the great hall towards Spring Hill Peak a great distance away. ¡°This revenant is only a newborn stage. For now, don¡¯t touch it. There are some things I want it to verify.¡± ¡°As you wish, Primordial Lord,¡± Severing Meridian Spirit Master said. Having received his answer, he didn¡¯t stay any longer. After cupping his hands and bowing, he left Cloud Ascension Domain. The great hall was extremely silent, except for the nearly inaudible sounds of Primordial Lord Yangze using primordial energy to weave the flower basket he was working on earlier. After a while, a divine light seemed to shine from Primordial Lord Yangze¡¯s hands, enveloping the flower basket. ¡°Ruan Xun, place this flower basket in the lakebed of Green Lotus Domain,¡± he instructed. Ruan Xun lowered his head and complied. He took the flower basket and went to carry out his order, not daring to ask too many questions. ¡°Perhaps this revenant is formed from the bad side of that almighty being from the Great Buddha Sun World. But with how weak it is, perhaps this could be an opportunity for me to break through¡­¡± Primordial Lord Yangze muttered to himself, his voice echoing emptily in the great hall. CH 173 Chapter 173 ¨C Primordial Lord, Realm Master of the Yuluo Realm In the Shangqing Mountain Range, high above the Yuluo Realm, there was an enormous floating island drifting amidst the clouds and fog. There were spiritual beasts and exotic birds flying above, and people with terrifying cultivations were coming and going from the floating island. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Zhang, it¡¯s been over 20 years, hasn¡¯t it? Has the pain of the Burning Heart Sword Poison gotten any better?¡± Zhu Yingyue, dressed in a body-length snow white dress, asked. She was standing beneath an ancient apricot spirit tree, smiling as she watched a youth land on a Scarlet Flame Phoenix. The fire phoenix beneath him let out a sonorous cry, and scarlet flames began to roil around its body. The flames licked and raged, but gradually the phoenix and its flames receded into the void surrounding the youth¡¯s body. ¡°A blink of an eye and 20 years go by, but I see Senior Martial Sister Zhu is as peerlessly beautiful as ever,¡± the youth said. There was a conspicuous red sword-shaped mark on his forehead. As he put away his Scarlet Flame Phoenix spirit beast, he gave the beautiful woman in the snow white dress a slight bow. Zhu Yingyue looked a bit regretful as she looked at him. She waved her hand and said, ¡°If you didn¡¯t have the Burning Heart Sword Poison holding you back, you would have long been a Divine Core Spirit Master with your talent. Then you and I wouldn¡¯t have had to deal with formalities between one another.¡± Hearing her bring up the Burning Heart Sword Poison twice in a row, a hint of gloominess flashed through the youth¡¯s eyes. ¡°From the moment I was born, this Profound Treasure has been in my body. While it does cause me constant torment, I am able to find joy in my life in spite of the suffering. In all these years, I¡¯ve received large benefits from it after all.¡± Zhu Yingyue gave a light sigh, but she didn¡¯t pursue the matter further. Instead, she said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Zhang, did you come to the Suppressing Fortune Domain to have an audience with Primordial Lord Qingfu?¡± In spite of her words, she had been waiting here for a while now. She clearly had been expecting Zhang Yangui¡¯s arrival. ¡°Precisely. I came to see Ancestor. Could I trouble you to notify the Primordial Lord?¡± Zhang Yangui asked. His eyes were directed downward slightly, avoiding the woman¡¯s gaze. ¡°You grew up in the Suppressing Fortune Domain, and I even used to bring you to the Sea of Tranquility to play. Back then, you were so clingy and intimate with me. Why have you turned into a complete stranger in the last 20 years since leaving the Yuluo Realm? You¡¯re acting all courteous towards me,¡± Zhu Yingyue said in a casual, joking tone. She made a complex hand seal, which dissipated into the void. Now that Zhang Yangui was about to see Primordial Lord Qingfu again, his mood couldn¡¯t help turning a bit complex, even with his temperament. He straightened the hem of his Daoist robe and gave a bitter smile. ¡°The rites can¡¯t be neglected,¡± he said. Zhu Yingyue turned around, the hem of her snow white dress sweeping up a gentle fragrant breeze. ¡°The Primordial Lord wants me to show you in,¡± she said. ¡°Okay,¡± Zhang Yangui said, following Zhu Yingyue. They walked out from under the ancient apricot tree and into the Suppressing Fortune Domain. The Shangqing Sacred Sect had a total of 36 Secret Realms. Aside from the 27 Mortal Secret Realms, there were 9 large-scale Secret Realms, each one possessing its own miraculous aspect. The Yuluo Realm was located in the Shangqing Mountain Range, and there were many Primordial Lords in secluded cultivation within. There were several dozen domains of various sizes spread across its extremely vast territory, and could be considered the center of genuine authority in the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Eight Mountains. Primordial Lords from every Mountain Range, and even the grand elders of Affairs Hall, Disciplinary Hall, and other major influences in the sect would establish domains in the Yuluo Realm. Even the Mountain Masters of each of the Eight Mountains would rotate out every so often, handing off their roles to other Primordial Lords in the Yuluo Realm when their term was up. The Clone Avatar stage greater lords and Saint Lords wouldn¡¯t leave the Yuluo Realm. Those existences were undoubtedly the core of the sect, and were essential to its operation. Zhang Yangui followed Zhu Yingyue into Tranquil Spirit Hall. When he looked up and saw the wizened old man, he felt his eyes grow hot as tears nearly threatened to spill out. He came forward and knelt on the stone brick floor of the hall. When he spoke, his voice was choked with emotion. ¡°Respectful greetings to Primordial Lord Qingfu.¡± When the old man opened his eyes and closed them once more, his profound gaze seemed to embody the life and death of all beings. Although his appearance was haggard, he seemed to become filled with vitality once more. The aura surrounding him wavered and fluctuated indeterminately. He opened his eyes and looked at the sword-shaped mark between Zhang Yangui¡¯s eyebrows, then said, ¡°Over twenty years ago, I sent you to Red Lotus Primordial Lord¡¯s place so he could use his Samadhi True Fire to resolve your Burning Heart Sword Poison. But I see it didn¡¯t help very much.¡± A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. Shedding tears, Zhang Yangui replied, ¡°Because of the Burning Heart Sword Poison affecting my body, Ancestor has wasted so much time on me that could have been spent progressing your cultivation. Even in thousands of years, I could never hope to repay this favor to you. Red Lotus Primordial Lord treated me like one of his own. Whenever he had free time, he would use his Samadhi True Fire to expel the poison. In the last few years, the pain that the Burning Heart Sword Poison brings me has already lessened quite a bit.¡± Primordial Lord Qingfu shook his head. ¡°Your father was always stubborn and mischievous. I was never able to deal with him. Although he has already departed, this karmic tie must be resolved.¡± Zhu Yingyue came forward and helped Zhang Yangui to his feet. Wiping the tears from his face, she said, ¡°In these past few years, Junior Martial Brother Zhang has carved out quite the reputation for himself. Many people are calling him the number one genius at the Sea of Qi stage.¡± Zhang Yangui stood on his own. Once he regained his composure, he said, ¡°This reputation means nothing.¡± Primordial Lord Qingfu seemed oblivious to this. He addressed the woman in the snow white dress and said, ¡°Zhu Yingyue, pass on my decree to the domains of the fifteen Mountain Masters of the Eight Mountains.¡± When he finished speaking, fifteen lights formed from spiritual essence appeared, hovering in the air. Zhu Yingyue bowed. ¡°As you command, master.¡± With a few swipes of her fair, delicate finger, the spiritual essence lights flew towards her, which she stored in her sleeve. Her figure blurred, and she vanished a moment later in a wisp of mist. That stunningly beautiful woman in the snow white dress was unquestionably a Divine Core stage Spirit Master! Her waiting under the ancient apricot tree for Zhang Yangui was because Primordial Lord Qingfu had figured out when he would arrive and sent her to wait for him. Seeing Zhu Yingyue leave with his order, he said, ¡°I called you back because I found a method to cure you of the Burning Heart Sword Poison. The method will allow you to not only be free of it forever, but also to obtain an intact Profound Treasure.¡± ¡°Ancestor, are you serious?!¡± Zhang Yangui exclaimed, his voice trembling. His eyes were brimming with disbelief and complex emotion. Only after the words came out did Zhang Yangui realize that he was being improper. He looked up at Primordial Lord Qingfu, and saw that he was slightly furrowing his eyebrows at him. There were only a few dozen Primordial Lords in the Yuluo Realm. Of those, three of them were in charge of ruling the realm. In handling the matters of the Yuluo Realm, their authority exceeded that of the other Primordial Lords, and they held an inconceivable amount of power. Primordial Lord Qingfu was one of those three Realm Masters of the Yuluo Realm. In terms of cultivation, he was only one step away from the Clone Avatar stage. He had already cultivated his primordial spirit to perfection. In the Shangqing Sacred Sect, he had a staggering amount of authority. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to speak so carelessly against someone like this. Even for someone like Zhang Yangui, who was his direct grandson, his tone was a bit improper, and his words just now even somewhat implied that he doubted what the Primordial Lord had said. But Primordial Lord Qingfu didn¡¯t get angry, as if he suddenly thought of his long departed son. ¡°There is a spell, a grafting technique, that can be used on the Burning Heart Sword Poison.¡± Because he misspoke earlier, Zhang Yangui didn¡¯t dare to speak again, but his gaze was filled with excitement. Before Zhang Yangui¡¯s father passed away, he used a Profound Treasure, the Burning Heart Sword, to plant the Burning Heart Sword Poison in his body. It caused him to experience a constant searing agony, making his life even worse than death. However, this sword poison didn¡¯t kill him. It simply absorbed the energy of his Spiritual Root and used it to nourish itself. Zhang Yangui was an unparalleled genius with a Rank 3 Spiritual Root, but in all this time, he had never been able to break through into the Dao Foundation stage because of the Burning Heart Sword Poison. If he were to break through into the Dao Foundation stage, the sword poison would immediately erupt in his body and begin to drain the energy of Zhang Yangui¡¯s Spiritual Root even faster, to the point that it would leave him completely disabled! A Profound Treasure was a rank higher than a Psychic Magic Treasure. Every Profound Treasure possessed a might that could shake the heavens! Even though Primordial Lord Qingfu had already cultivated his primordial spirit to perfection, he couldn¡¯t guarantee that Zhang Yangui wouldn¡¯t suffer any harm if he tried to completely remove the Burning Heart Sword Poison in his body. That was why twenty years prior, he had sent Zhang Yangui to the domain of Red Lotus Primordial Lord, who used his Samadhi True Fire to help resolve the sword poison. CH 174 Chapter 174 ¨C Just a Karmic Tie ¡°Zhu Yingyue broke through to the Divine Core stage several years ago. She is suitable to act as a furnace for the spell,¡± Primordial Lord Qingfu said, his unsympathetic tone ringing in Zhang Yangui¡¯s ears. ¡°Ancestor!¡± Zhang Yangui cried out, his expression changing drastically. ¡°Senior Martial Sister, she¡­ she is your youngest disciple!¡± A wave of light swept across the great hall, picking up Zhang Yangui and slamming him into an ornate pillar carved with dragons and phoenixes. Zhang Yangui coughed up a mouthful of blood. After struggling for a while, he managed to slowly get to his feet. In a pleading tone, he said, ¡°Ancestor, isn¡¯t there any other method?¡± Primordial Lord Qingfu shook his head. ¡°The requirements for the spell furnace are extremely strict, requiring at least a cultivator with a Rank 4 Spiritual Root. They must also be at the Divine Core stage, and female. There are no substitutes for these criteria.¡± He eyed Zhang Yangui, who now cut a very sorry figure. After flicking his sleeves, he continued, ¡°If you aren¡¯t willing, then forget it. But I can¡¯t continue to shoulder this karmic tie any longer. You¡­ can just commit suicide.¡± Zhang Yangui lifted his head and stared with disbelief at the intimately familiar figure of the old man that he knew for so long. Commit suicide?! The memories of his childhood in the Suppressing Fortune Domain and the love and care that Primordial Lord Qingfu had shown towards him back then resurfaced in his mind. Primordial Lord Qingfu hadn¡¯t hesitated to use his Primordial Spirit stage cultivation at the time to help him with the effects of the poison, to the point that he was having difficulty break through to the Clone Avatar stage all this time. Was that all because of this karmic tie he was talking about? When he saw Primordial Lord Qingfu¡¯s indifferent gaze, Zhang Yangui¡¯s heart throbbed painfully. Even as his direct grandson, did he really have no affection for me? To the extent that he even had the heart to tell me to¡­ kill myself right here? Right, even if I said okay and died right here, the Burning Heart Sword Poison in my body wouldn¡¯t go anywhere. It would continue to drain away at my Spiritual Root until nothing was left, and transform into the perfected version of the Psychic Magic Treasure, the Burning Heart Profound Sword. ¡°Primordial Lord, could I please have some time to think about it?¡± Zhang Yangui asked. His face was downcast, obscuring his expression. But instead of ¡®Ancestor¡¯, he went back to calling him ¡®Primordial Lord¡¯ once more. Primordial Lord Qingfu closed his eyes. Without responding, he flicked his sleeves. A wave of light swept through, wrapping Zhang Yangui up and tossing him out of the Suppressing Fortune Domain. With a single thought, a blazing conflagration appeared next to him, transforming into the Scarlet Flame Phoenix. As if it could feel its master¡¯s feelings, the phoenix wrapped itself around him and cooed. The light from its wings enveloped him, comforting his hurting heart. He climbed on the phoenix and laid down, wrapping his arms around the phoenix¡¯s head. In a self-deprecating tone, Zhang Yangui muttered, ¡°I should have known from the very beginning that you would be the only one to accompany me until the very end.¡± The phoenix gave a sonorous cry. It flapped its wings and flew up, turning into a flaming ball of light as it soared through the air. They passed by several Primordial Lords¡¯ domains on their way to the realm¡¯s outer border, where they exited the Yuluo Realm. ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile, in the Shangqing Mountain Range¡­ Red Lotus Domain was a gigantic floating island located above the Peaks of Shangqing Mountain Range. It was the place where the first Mountain Master, Red Lotus Primordial Lord, resided. ¡°Red Lotus Primordial Lord, disciple has relayed the order, so disciple will be taking her leave,¡± Zhu Yingyue said. She was not only beautiful, but her voice was also extremely pleasant on the ears. There was a youth in a black robe next to Red Lotus Primordial Lord who had been eyeing her up and down the entire time, unable to tear his gaze off her. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Go on then. Realm Master Qingfu has already relayed the order, so how can I not comply?¡± Red Lotus Primordial Lord flicked the sleeves of his robe, putting away the spirit essence light. Red Lotus Primordial Lord¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he watched Zhu Yingyue¡¯s retreating figure. Zhang Yangui had been cultivating for over twenty years at the Red Lotus Domain. He had gone to the Yuluo Realm, but for Realm Master Qingfu to be issuing this order to the Mountain Masters of the Eight Mountains at this time, then¡­ ¡°Primordial Lord, this spirit essence light?¡± the disciple in the black robe asked, his expression inquisitive. He had never seen the Yuluo Realm Master issue an order like this, so he was extremely curious about the contents. Red Lotus Primordial Lord simply shook his head. ¡°If you aren¡¯t able to earn the title of Sacred Son in the Dao Foundation division and lose face for me, then¡­¡± ¡°Then what?¡± A woman in a palace dress materialized into being, appearing in front of Red Lotus Primordial Lord. There was a dangerous look in her eyes. (TL: Palace dress) The lofty first Mountain Master of the Shangqing Mountain Range, Red Lotus Primordial Lord, instantly shut his mouth. He didn¡¯t dare to say a word, and stormed off with a flick of his sleeves. In the Shangqing Sacred Sect, there were a few extremely famous dao cultivation pairs. The pair that people were the most jealous of was the Red Lotus Primordial Lord and Rippling Tear Primordial Lord pair. To be more precise, the target of peoples¡¯ envy was actually Red Lotus Primordial Lord. In the past, when Red Lotus Primordial Lord wasn¡¯t at the Primordial Spirit stage, and was just an ordinary Dao Foundation stage disciple, he had caught the eye of a certain woman in an unexpected turn of events simply because he was too handsome. He had been forced into a dao companion relationship with her. That woman was Rippling Tear Primordial Lord. She had another identity that was extremely terrifying. She was the youngest daughter of the Clone Avatar stage powerhouse, Greater Lord Taichu, a Saint Lord of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. At the time, Red Lotus Primordial Lord¡¯s status had skyrocketed. His cultivation not only advanced by leaps and bounds, but he also ended up with a tremendous amount of authority. He ended up taking extremely important posts as the Peak Master of Dao Heart Peak and the grand elder of Command Hall. After he broke through to the Primordial Spirit stage, he was directly promoted to the first Mountain Master of the First Mountain, Shangqing Mountain Range. He established the Red Lotus Domain and came to wield an incredible amount of power. A long time ago, there used to be a lot of people in the Sacred Sect who held criticisms towards him, but after he settled into his position as first Mountain Master of the Shangqing Mountain Range, no other doubtful rumors dared to surface. All of the slander and gossip surrounding him vanished without a trace, and everyone erased the reason behind Red Lotus Primordial Lord¡¯s abrupt rise in status in their minds. ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile, at the Ancient Nuwa Sect¡¯s Pervasive Dark Domain¡­ ¡°Sister Ling¡¯er, did you want to go to the Shangqing Sacred Sect to watch?¡± Xiao Yu asked, fiddling around with her white serpent tail. Her shrewd gaze flickered with mischievous light as she looked at Lu Ling. Lu Ling was wearing a crimson palace dress, and was dipping her bare feet in the clear spring. When she felt the massive rush of extremely pure demonic qi, her charming lips curled into a smile. ¡°What, you wanted to go too?¡± she asked. A look of excitement appeared on Xiao Yu¡¯s small face, and she vigorously nodded. ¡°Yeah!¡± After a while of pondering, Lu Ling¡¯s brows creased slightly. ¡°It might be difficult, but¡­ I¡¯ll help you think of a way.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Xiao Yu also entered the spring. When she glimpsed Lu Ling¡¯s slender white legs beneath her red dress, a look of envy surfaced in her gaze. ¡°I also want to transform and become as beautiful as Sister Ling¡¯er.¡± Lu Ling flicked her gently in the forehead. Her pretty eyes curled into crescents as she smiled. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll help you find a husband when that time comes!¡± ¡°Sister Ling¡¯er, you¡¯re so naughty!¡± Xiao Yu pouted. ¡°But when is your marriage with Hong Zhao going to be confirmed? Pervasive Dark Primordial Lord also brought this matter up recently. Hong Zhao¡¯s bloodline is a bit lacking, but he¡¯s really handsome, so he might be able to just barely match up to Sister Ling¡¯er.¡± Lu Ling didn¡¯t respond. She just sat there on a rock, dipping her white, creamy legs in the spring. The water of the gurgling spring soaked the hem of her red dress as she stared off into the distance in the direction of the clouds and mist surrounding the Pervasive Dark Domain. ¡­ ¡­ The Jade Water Array Flag was a top-grade Magic Treasure with absorption and suppression capabilities. Its Corroding Jade Water could melt human flesh and even damage Magic Treasures. Xu Disheng took out the watery blue colored array flag. After refining it so it belonged to himself, he took a while to understand its functions. He wasn¡¯t sure whether it was He Junyu¡¯s intention or not, but this array flag was very similar to the White Lotus Array Flag. The only difference between the two was the Soul-Devouring White Lotuses as opposed to the Corroding Jade Water. The former attacked the soul, while the latter corroded flesh and Magic Treasures. It was almost as if they were both parts of one array flag back when it was fully intact. Sure enough, when he took out the White Lotus Array Flag, he could sense some sort of faint resonance between the two array flags. There clearly seemed to be some kind of unknown connection. But it didn¡¯t mean that much in the end. Even if a complete version of the array flag existed, it was still horribly incomplete now with only these two array flags remaining. There was no way to completely restore it. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t worry about this matter. He put away the two array flags and turned his attention towards the ten or so jade slips next to him. He hadn¡¯t returned to Morning Dew Peak in a while, so a huge pile of message jade slips had piled up. After skimming through them and filtering them accordingly, Xu Disheng picked out the few most important jade slips and read them carefully. The most eye-grabbing one was the jade slip from the sect sent to notify the participants in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. It was wrapped in a conspicuous deep green glow. ¡°Xu Disheng of Morning Dew Peak. Fourth place in the Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Sea of Qi division. Qualifications to participate in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament acquired.¡± ¡°The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament is a grand occasion that occurs in the Shangqing Sacred Sect every 50 years, and is split into the Sea of Qi and Dao Foundation divisions. The first place of each respective division will be conferred the title of Sacred Son or Daughter.¡± It was a simple introduction, but just reading it ignited the competitive spirit. The Shangqing Sacred Sect was one of the overlord sects in the Shan Mountain Territory, occupying a little under half of the landmass in the Shan Mountain Territory. It possessed a fearsome prestige, and its heritage and inheritances traced back countless years. Each Mountain Range had several tens of thousands of Sea of Qi stage disciples. That meant that in the Eight Mountains, there was a total of a few hundred thousand disciples at the Sea of Qi stage! Out of those few hundred thousand disciples, only one single person would emerge first place. One person whose talent surpassed those of all his or her peers as they forged their way to the top and earned the title of Sacred Son or Sacred Daughter. They would earn unending glory and be allocated massive amounts of cultivation resources, allowing them to experience a meteoric uprise. Every person who received the title of Sacred Son or Daughter had swept the competition of other unparalleled geniuses. Becoming a Divine Core stage Spirit Master was just a matter of time for them, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before they glimpsed into the Primordial Spirit stage. Almost all of the people who had earned the title of Sacred Son or Daughter in the past had chosen to cultivate in the Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Yuluo Realm. There were a few dozen Primordial Lords residing in the Yuluo Realm, and there were also many Divine Core stage Spirit Masters. This tradition, which had existed for years untold, made it so that there was no shortage of previous recipients of the Sacred Son or Daughter title in the realm, cultivating in the domain of some Primordial Lord within. CH 175 Chapter 175 ¨C Mist Covering 1,500 Kilometers The Shangqing Mountain Range was the first Mountain of the Eight Mountains and had countless geniuses. It was extremely vast, more than several times larger than many of the other Mountain Ranges. There were many Secret Realms in the Shangqing Mountain Range. There were many smaller Secret Realm domains, which were separate from the 27 Mortal Secret Realms and the 9 large-scale Mystical Realms. There were a small minority of people who weren¡¯t willing to enter the Yuluo Realm and cultivate under a Primordial Lord, and instead chose to enter a small Secret Realm and establish their own domain, where they would teach their Dao and form an influence of their own. The Luminous Cloud Abyss was located in the southeast of the Shangqing Mountain Range, and was the gate to the entire Shangqing Sacred Sect. It was a vast stretch of clouds and mist that spanned a thousand miles. It was an extremely special external dimensional plane that was refined an unknown number of years ago by several supreme powerhouses of the sect. The Luminous Cloud Abyss melded with the landscape of the Mountain Range, making for a magnificent sight where clouds and mist rolled gently through the valleys. In the entire Shan Mountain Territory, it was an extremely famous spectacle. The Luminous Cloud Abyss Gate¡¯s Cloud Road was the real entrance to the Shangqing Sacred Sect. It was guarded by several thousand elite disciples, who were overseen by a few Divine Core stage Spirit Masters. A faint, heaven-shaking roar rang out in the distance to the southwest. All of the disciples on the Cloud Road looked up off into the distance. There was a massive kun peng spirit beast as large as a mountain. It was flying high above the skies as it approached from afar, stirring up the energy of the heaven and earth. (TL: Kun peng is a legendary fish and bird hybrid creature from Chinese mythology. [Wiki] [Image]) It left an enormous shadow on the ground wherever it flew over, and was flanked by several smaller spirit beasts. In just a few breaths of time, the kun peng arrived in its full might above Cloud Road. Its fins were flapping gently as it flew in the air, but it swept up a strong gale over thousands of miles. ¡°Yu Yun arrives with the disciples of the Ancient Nuwa Sect,¡± a clear voice atop the kun peng announced, resonating throughout the entirety of Cloud Road. ¡°That¡¯s the Profound Kun Peng spirit beast of the Ancient Nuwa Sect!¡± ¡°That beast is humongous!¡± ¡°This kun peng spirit beast is extremely powerful. Even though it¡¯s several thousand miles away, it gives off such an oppressive aura.¡± ¡°What a grand show of might by the Ancient Nuwa Sect! That kun peng spirit beast is at the equivalent of the Primordial Spirit stage, but it¡¯s just being used as a mount!¡± The Shangqing Mountain Range disciples in the nearby Peaks all began to discuss spiritedly amongst themselves as they beheld the spectacle. A dignified voice rang out from the depths of the Shangqing Mountain Range. ¡°So it¡¯s Primordial Lord Yu Yun on behalf of the Ancient Nuwa Sect. Please forgive our rude welcome. All disciples of Cloud Road, heed my command! Open the Cloud Road and welcome our guests!¡± All at once, the countless disciples began to move to carry out the order. ¡°As you command, Primordial Lord Yanghua!¡± A tremendous rumbling began to ring out from Cloud Road! The mist began to billow and sweep. Rich spiritual energy began to spread out as the Luminous Cloud Abyss began to change. The Cloud Road transformed into an extremely broad staircase that ascended majestically into the skies. Hundreds of female disciples came out, each one carrying a basket filled with flower petals. As they flew, they scattered the flower petals. Wherever the flower petals landed, they grew into beautiful flowers of all different colors, ripe with spiritual energy. Whenever any of the disciples came close, the flowers would take flight and bore into the bodies of the disciples, increasing their profound qi cultivations in an extremely mysterious manner. Primordial Lord Yanghua was the other Mountain Master of the Shangqing Mountain Range aside from Red Lotus Primordial Lord. Together, they wielded a tremendous amount of authority, ruling over the First Mountain, Shangqing Mountain Range. Primordial Lord Yu Yun led the few dozen people from the Ancient Nuwa Sect in flying off from the kun peng spiritual beast and landing on the stairs that ascended into the sky. Behind him, there were several Divine Core stage Spirit Masters. The rest were Dao Foundation and Sea of Qi stage demon race geniuses. They had come on behalf of their seniors to spectate the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. Since the Shangqing Sacred Sect was a human sect, the people of the Ancient Nuwa Sect hid their serpent tails, instead opting for legs. At a glance, they looked no different from human cultivators. There were many disciples from the Shangqing Sacred Sect who hadn¡¯t seen the demon race before, and were secretly sizing up the disciples from the Ancient Nuwa Sect as they climbed the stairs, whispering amongst themselves in quiet tones. Once Primordial Lord Yu Yun and his cohort reached the top of the stairs, the disciples invited them into the Luminous Cloud Abyss. In the sea of clouds that made up the core of the Cloud Abyss, there was a beautiful flying palace prepared for the people from the sects who came to attend the event. That kun peng spirit beast, which was comparable to a Primordial Spirit stage cultivator, began to flap its fins, causing the clouds and mist near it to disappear in ribbons. A short while later, it rose into the sky and it too disappeared without a trace. A pagoda flew in from the distance, soaring across the sky, where he stopped above Cloud Road. ¡°Xu Qing of the Peak Destroying Sword Sect has arrived on invitation to attend the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s event!¡± Primordial Lord Zhenyue was the grand elder of the Peak Destroying Sword Sect. He also arrived at this moment, bringing two Divine Core stage Spirit Masters and several dozen Dao Foundation and Sea of Qi stage geniuses to attend the event. This time, only a single Divine Core stage Spirit Master came out to welcome the Peak Destroying Sword Sect. The Cloud Road was opened just like before to welcome them into the Luminous Cloud Abyss, but the welcome was a lot less grand. After all, the Ancient Nuwa Sect was a colossal existence on par with the Shangqing Sacred Sect. They had countless years of inheritance in the Shan Mountain Territory and were fully worthy of their name as an overlord sect of the region. Even though the Peak Destroying Sword Sect was a large-scale sect, they only had a scant two or three Primordial Spirit stage powerhouses. They were also a sect that was considered subordinate to the Shangqing Sacred Sect, so their status couldn¡¯t be compared to that of the Ancient Nuwa Sect in the slightest. This novel is available on "pawread dot com". Over the course of the next 12 hours, the Magic Sound Sect, the Spirit Flower Sect, the House of Bliss, the Clear Tone Sword Sect, Daji Shrine, and several dozen other large-scale sects all arrived one after the other. They were all brought to the sea of clouds at the core of the Luminous Cloud Abyss, where each sect was given a palace to stay at temporarily. (TL: Demon Sound Sect ¡ú Magic Sound Sect.) The smaller sects, clans, and other various influences of the Shan Mountain Territory also showed up in droves. They walked along the broad avenue of Cloud Road, but they seemed disorderly and noisy. These various influences didn¡¯t have the qualifications to be invited into the sea of clouds at the core of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. They could only find temporary arrangements in the few dozen Mountain Peaks off to the side of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. Although they were given worse conditions, they were still treated extremely well. Every sect and clan that came would be supplied with precious spirit fruits and teas. They would even receive medicinal pills and other items. The Shangqing Sacred Sect treated all of them favorably, making a grand display of their status as an overlord sect of the region. ¡°Father, the Shangqing Sacred Sect is way too wealthy. Our Liu Clan, an influence with only a single Divine Core stage Spirit Master, showed up to attend the tournament without an invitation, but we can still eat such valuable spirit fruits every single day,¡± Liu Mo said, picking up a Jade Heart Blossom from the jade platter in front of him. He looked it over with a somewhat reluctant gaze before putting it in his mouth. Only after slowly savoring the taste did he swallow it. ¡°Just look at yourself!¡± Liu Hongfang snorted. In spite of his words, he also picked up a Jade Heart Blossom and delicately sampled it. ¡°But the Shangqing Sacred Sect really makes a point of its status as an overlord sect. They can treat even a clan sect like ours, which only has a single Divine Core stage Spirit Master, with such generosity, and allow us to not feel slighted at all.¡± Liu Mo pushed open the window and looked up at the central sea of clouds in the Luminous Cloud Abyss. He let out a sigh of admiration and said, ¡°The Luminous Cloud Abyss itself is already several times more impressive than the domain of our Liu Clan¡¯s ancestor. I heard that this place was just the gateway realm of the Shangqing Sacred Sect.¡± Liu Hongfang seemed to remember something and said, ¡°Ancestor didn¡¯t come this time, but he did inform me that several days later, when the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament officially starts, the clans, sects, and other influences regardless of size will all receive an unexpected windfall.¡± ¡°Father, this time, only you, me, and a few Dao Foundation stage descendants from the Liu Clan came. What kind of unexpected windfall could there even be?¡± Liu Mo said, closing the window and turning around to face his father again with a dubious expression on his face. Liu Hongfang shook his head and replied, ¡°Ancestor didn¡¯t specify, but we¡¯ll know a few days from now.¡± CH 176 Chapter 176 ¨C Green Lotus Flower Filling the Sky Like Raindrops It was morning in the Luminous Cloud Abyss. In the sea of clouds at the very core of the Cloud Abyss, there were several dozen beautiful, majestic flying palaces, which were where the large-scale sects were staying. The people from these large sects came out of their respective palaces and looked off into the distance at the vast sea of clouds. They talked amongst themselves as if they were waiting for something. Liu Hongfang, Liu Mo, and the other members of the Liu Clan were led by a Sea of Qi stage disciple up the staircase that ascended into the sky. They arrived along with other sects and influences of varying sizes at the sea of clouds in the center of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. When Liu Mo set foot on the sea of clouds, he was shocked speechless by the sight, unable to tear his gaze away. ¡°Father, this sea of clouds¡­¡± Liu Mo started, somewhat unable to find the words to describe the boundless majesty of the sight before him. Liu Hongfang didn¡¯t pay him any mind, continuing to follow after the disciple from the Shangqing Sacred Sect who was leading the way. Other disciples like this one were guiding the way for the various large and small sects. Once they arrived at an area away from the other sects, they stopped. Almost all of the sects and influences in the Shan Mountain Territory had already arrived. The deafening gong of a large bell echoed out, resonating through the entirety of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. The sound of this bell was heard across all eight Mountain Ranges of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Countless gazes turned toward the First Mountain, the Shangqing Mountain Range. ¡°I came here fifty years ago with my master and had the fortune to see Greater Lord Taichu. I could never forget his face. I wonder which Greater Lord will appear this time,¡± a Divine Core stage rogue cultivator said quietly to a youth who was standing beside him, his face full of admiration. ¡°A Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord¡­¡± the youth muttered. Seeing all the groups of profound cultivators, a feeling of awe rose in his heart. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the skies, afraid to miss the sight. ¡°Respectful greetings to Greater Lord Zhuri.¡± Primordial Lord Yanghua¡¯s voice rang throughout the sea of clouds, his tone full of reverence and respect. The people from every sect and influence present, no matter whether it was the Ancient Nuwa Sect, the large-scale sects, or the small sects and clans, all heard Primordial Lord Yanghua¡¯s greeting and spoke up in turn. When they spoke, it was nearly in unison, causing the profound qi and mist in the air to shake and rumble. ¡°¡°¡°Respectful greetings, Greater Lord Zhuri!!¡±¡±¡± High up above the sea of clouds, a semi-transparent figure slowly appeared, ephemeral like the mist, clouds, and wind. Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at "pawread dot com" As the figure slowly became more and more corporeal, it emitted a boundless aura, fierce like a raging fire. Although the effects of the aura reached every single person in the Luminous Cloud Abyss, the feeling it gave wasn¡¯t one of oppression, but one of comfort. The aura felt like a spring breeze, refreshing and soothing to the extreme. ¡°Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord!¡± ¡°Greater Lord Zhuri¡¯s title is actually Saint Lord Zhuri. He is the one who established the Eighth Mountain Range of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Now that I have had the privilege to see his divine complexion, I have no more regrets in my life.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t look with my own two eyes, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to sense that he was a Greater Lord-level existence. The power of a Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord is truly immeasurable,¡± a Divine Core stage Spirit Master from a small sect said with a sigh of admiration, looking up to the sky with veneration. A few moments later, the figure of Greater Lord Zhuri fully materialized into reality. He looked like a young man, wearing a Daoist robe made from coarse cloth. If it wasn¡¯t for his eyes that were as deep and boundless as the ocean, it might have been difficult for anyone to tell that he was an almighty Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord. ¡°Fellow profound cultivators, I commend you all for coming from far and wide, crossing mountains and rivers to arrive at our humble sect to watch the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. I present to you a meager gift.¡± Unexpectedly, Greater Lord Zhuri¡¯s tone was extremely mild, making him seem modest and approachable. All of the beings in the Luminous Cloud Abyss couldn¡¯t help feeling an indescribable feeling of closeness with him. ¡°Every word and action of a Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord is no different from natural law with the way it moves the energy of heaven and earth. What an awe-inspiring presence,¡± Perfect Harmony Spirit Master, who came on behalf of the House of Bliss, said to the disciples from his sect. Shortly after Greater Lord Zhuri finished speaking, countless miraculous changes began to occur throughout the Luminous Cloud Abyss. Several hundred impressive flying chariots formed out of the mist and vapor and rose from the sea of clouds. Tens of thousands of seats formed from clouds took shape shortly after, but they were placed at a lower altitude than the cloud chariots that came before them. Then, myriads of green spiritual lotus flowers appeared out of nowhere and drifted gently down. Many light screens of different sizes also appeared in the air, shimmering with profound light as they hovered high up in the sea of clouds. ¡°What in the world are these green spirit lotuses?! I suddenly advanced several dozen years in profound cultivation! Now, I¡¯m only one step away from the half-step Divine Core stage!¡± an old man at the peak Dao Foundation stage exclaimed, catching one of the falling green lotus flower petals. The lotus flower immediately melded into his body, raising his profound cultivation by several decades worth of meditation. As people discovered the miraculous effects of these green lotus flowers, a mad scramble for them ensued. In just a few breaths of time, the green lotus flowers that were fluttering down from the sky were gone. The various sects and influences in the sea of clouds had caught every single petal and absorbed them. Yan Wuji caught a green lotus petal. He examined it carefully, using his demonic qi to make sure it wouldn¡¯t melt into his palm. ¡°Green lotuses filling the sky, raining down like flowers¡­ If I hadn¡¯t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have thought that this was just one of Greater Lord Zhuri¡¯s Higher Knowledge spells.¡± Primordial Lord Yu Yun, who was standing next to him, gave him a look out of the corner of his eye and said, ¡°The Clone Avatar stage Greater Lords of our Ancient Nuwa Sect have similar Higher Knowledge spells. There¡¯s no need to be envious.¡± ¡°Yes, Clan Uncle,¡± Yan Wuji replied with a smile, absorbing the green lotus petal in his hand. The green lotus petals only had pure spiritual essence in them, and were created from Greater Lord Zhuri¡¯s Higher Knowledge spell. The qi wasn¡¯t impeded in the slightest, feeling extremely natural regardless of whether the recipient was from the human race and had profound qi, or from the demon race and had demonic qi. In the Ancient Nuwa Sect, social status depended on the concentration of their bloodline, so the talented geniuses in the sect tended to be related to one another. Primordial Lord Yu Yun was one of Yan Wuji¡¯s clan uncles and knew how he usually acted, so he only furrowed his eyebrows, but didn¡¯t pay him any mind. Greater Lord Zhuri¡¯s figure gradually became lighter until he eventually faded away into the skies. All of the people who had come to spectate the event took the seats that were made for them. The cloud chariots made for the Primordial Spirit stage cultivators were the highest, allowing them an unimpeded view of the entire sea of clouds below. Right below them were the several hundred or so cloud chariots belonging to the Divine Core stage Spirit Masters. Below them were the seats meant for the Dao Foundation stage and Sea of Qi stage disciples, which numbered in the tens of thousands. The Mountain Masters of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Eight Mountains appeared one after the other in the sea of clouds, standing above the others in the very highest cloud chariots. The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament wasn¡¯t as simple as merely selecting two people to grant the title of Sacred Son or Daughter to. It was an opportunity to sift through the fresh blood that had entered the Sacred Sect in the last 50 years, and also a chance to get an idea of the sect¡¯s overall direction and prosperity in the future. The meaning behind the tournament was extremely far-reaching and long-lasting. Back in the Mingxin Mountain Range at Morning Dew Peak, Chu Luo was in his own courtyard. He activated his key jade slip and a light screen with an extremely clear picture appeared in front of him, showing the scene of the sea of clouds in the center of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. He looked at a screen of light coming out of another jade slip, where the ranking for the Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Internal Disciple Tournament was recorded. Much to his surprise, the person listed in fourth place was none other than Xu Disheng! ¡°So you were able to reach the Sea of Qi division of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, Senior Martial Brother Xu¡­¡± Chu Luo muttered to himself as he watched the scene taking place in the sea of clouds through the light screen. The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament was being held in the Luminous Cloud Abyss, in an inner realm in the sea of clouds at its very center. Ordinary disciples didn¡¯t even have the qualifications to enter this place to watch. Every disciple in the sect could watch from their own courtyard by using their key jade slips. The quality for the broadcast of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament was extremely clear, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to experience it in person. Aside from the Divine Core stage Spirit Masters who had no restrictions, the only disciples in the Shangqing Sacred Sect who had the qualifications to watch in person were the Sea of Qi and Dao Foundation stage geniuses. As a result, even though there were tens of thousands of seats in the sea of clouds, most of the people seated were from the various sects and influences of the Shan Mountain Territory. The ordinary disciples of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Eight Mountains could only watch the tournament through the screens of light from their jade slips. But that couldn¡¯t stop the disciples who wanted to make a fortune overnight. The Peaks with marketplaces across all of the Mountain Ranges without exception were packed with people. The crowds were so large that the large marketplaces could hardly contain them! There were an endless number of betting stalls set up, and many oceans¡¯ worth of cultivation resources were being wagered. Countless people were staring fixedly at the light screens showing the scene taking place in the Luminous Cloud Abyss, rubbing the spirit stones in their storage pouches as they contemplated who to place a bet on, and how much. Naturally, the various Mountain Peaks of the sect wouldn¡¯t forbid this in any way. On the contrary, many of them set up massive platforms with enormous light screens to attract disciples to watch the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament together, which made it easier to set up bidding stalls and other forms of business. High in the sky above the sea of clouds, there were already a few dozen Primordial Lords seated in their respective cloud chariots. Usually, most people would be hard-pressed to meet even a single Primordial Lord, but the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament made it easy for people who hadn¡¯t seen much of the world to get their first look at a Primordial Spirit stage cultivator. They even got to see the face of a Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord, so this trip definitely wasn¡¯t wasted for them. ¡°Primordial Lord Yangze, are there any geniuses from your Mingxin Mountain Range that you have your eye on?¡± an old man asked, smiling as he turned to look at Primordial Lord Yangze. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we saw each other, especially after you left the Yuluo Realm and took up your post ruling the Mingxin Mountain Range.¡± This old man was actually a demon race Primordial Lord. He was the grand elder of Daji Shrine, Earth Fox Primordial Lord, and had been a long-time acquaintance of Primordial Lord Yangze. Shaking his head lightly, Primordial Lord Yangze replied, ¡°My Mingxin Mountain Range doesn¡¯t even have a single Rank 3 Spiritual Root. In recent years, I¡¯ve been paying very little attention to the matters of the Mountain Range. The younger generation, Severing Meridian Spirit Master and Killing Heart Spirit Master, are conscientious and capable, so Primordial Lord Huahao and I just leave things to them.¡± Earth Fox Primordial Lord smiled and said, ¡°You probably just want to pass the remaining time in your post and step down from being Mountain Master so you can take your Cloud Ascension Domain and return to the Yuluo Realm, don¡¯t you?¡± The other Primordial Lords present were also chatting amiably, taking advantage of the grand occasion to discuss amongst themselves and exchange favors. It was a rare occasion for people like them to meet and exchange with their equals. The gazes of the entire Shangqing Sacred Sect, and even the entire Shan Mountain Territory, were all gathered and focused on the sea of clouds in the Luminous Cloud Abyss. If someone could take advantage of this opportunity to sweep the opposition, surpass their peers, and earn the title of Sacred Son or Daughter, their name would instantly soar to fame and become synonymous with glory, their meteoric rise unstoppable. At the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament fifty years ago, when Sacred Son Feng Shao rose to greatness, he used the Star Beheading Sword to defeat all of the Dao Foundation stage geniuses. With that single thrust, his sword had pierced the heavens, carving his name in the stars. Even now, people would occasionally bring up his name and talk enthusiastically about his achievements. CH 177 Chapter 177 ¨C White Heron, White Lotus ¡°Cloud Stream, this time you¡¯ll be the one opening the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. Go ahead and start,¡± Red Lotus Primordial Lord, sitting atop his cloud chariot, said to a short and plump middle-aged man beside him. ¡°Yes, Lord Mountain Master,¡± Cloud Stream Spirit Master responded. He was a close direct descendant of Red Lotus Primordial Lord who had cultivated to the Divine Core stage in the Shangqing Mountain Range, which was why he referred to Red Lotus as Mountain Master and not Primordial Lord. Although he was of a short build, his body gave off a powerful aura. In his hand was the temporary command key that could control the Luminous Cloud Abyss, which he promptly activated. This command key had been handed out by Greater Lord Zhuri. It allowed entry into the inner realm, which was where the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament was being held. Above the sea of clouds, thick clouds began to roil and turn. They slowly took shape in the center of the sea of clouds, eventually transforming into a large gate roughly 30 meters tall, formed from white clouds. The aura coming from the gate was mysterious, constantly fluctuating between an aura like a blazing inferno and a bone-piercing cold. ¡°Welcome to the Sea of Qi division of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. The 820 disciples will now enter via the Cloud Gate,¡± Cloud Stream Spirit Master announced, his expression solemn. As he spoke, the qi from his Divine Core made his voice resonate through the entirety of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. In front of the Cloud Gate, seven small-scale transfer arrays, composed of beautiful, intricate lines, began to glow brightly. The 100 Sea of Qi stage disciples from the Shangqing Mountain Range were already waiting in the sea of clouds, but the disciples from the other seven Mountain Ranges started to appear from the transfer arrays. Brilliant light filled the skies, and the air began to tremble as the teleporting power of the transfer arrays surged. When the light receded, the 100 disciples from the Refining Heart Mountain Range appeared! Two Divine Core stage Spirit Masters from the Refining Heart Mountain Range appeared along with the 100 disciples. All of them had already seen through their own screens of light what kind of scenery would be greeting them once they appeared. The 100 disciples flew off on their respective flying tools and charged towards the mysterious Cloud Gate! Having appeared from a different transfer array shortly after, the 100 disciples from the Wenyuan Mountain Range followed closely after them. Without hesitation, they all flew into the Cloud Gate one after the other! The Fourth Mountain, the Mountain of Law! The Fifth Mountain, Mengyang Mountain! Followed shortly after by the Sixth Mountain, the Mingxin Mountain Range, and the Seventh Mountain, Fengzhou Mountain! Four hundred Sea of Qi stage geniuses appeared in the sea of clouds from the transfer array, rose up into the sky, then flew into the Cloud Gate. When the people from the Eighth Mountain, Zhuri Mountain Range, appeared, they followed after the 100 Sea of Qi stage disciples from the Shangqing Mountain Range and entered the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. ¡°All of these Sea of Qi stage disciples have such strong auras!¡± ¡°Are these the Sea of Qi stage geniuses of the Shangqing Sacred Sect?¡± ¡°Practically all of them have high-grade Spirit Tools! Quite a few of them even have Magic Treasures! What is up with that person? He¡¯s using a top-grade Magic Treasure only as a flying tool?! What an absolute waste!¡± ¡°The Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Sea of Qi stage geniuses are too strong. If you were to randomly pick one from that group, any one of them could crush over 10 rogue cultivators at the same cultivation realm, or even several disciples from a small-scale sect like ours,¡± a Sea of Qi stage disciple from the Clear Profound School said, watching the streaks of light from all different kinds of Magic Treasures flying past into the Cloud Gate. A bitter smile surfaced on his face as he remembered the years he had arduously spent saving up for a flying sword Spirit Tool. After all 820 disciples entered the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss, several streams of qi revolved around the Cloud Gate. Moments later, it slammed close with a bang and submerged back into the depths of the sea of clouds. High in the sky, a list of contestants, written in gold text, appeared with a loud rumble. With this, the Sea of Qi division of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament had officially begun! Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes flashed. He arrived at an extremely desolate-looking town, filled with ruins and old, dilapidated buildings. There wasn¡¯t a single person in sight¡ªonly a sad, lonely wind that occasionally swept past. With a rough sweep of his senses, he found that the entire town only encompassed a few kilometers. When he expanded his senses further, he found that anything further than that was just nothingness. He tried using his profound qi and his Soul Force, but neither allowed him to probe any further. He wasn¡¯t surprised by this, though. He channeled some profound qi into the White Heron Robe, using the power of the Psychic Magic Treasure to build a pale white barrier of light around himself for protection. The rules for the 820-contest battle were simple and straightforward. Of the 820 disciples in the tournament, each person would be pitted up against one other person in a one-on-one fight at random. The victor would continue on and be matched with another opponent, while the loser would be sent out of the inner realm and lose any qualifications to participate further in the tournament. The rankings of the defeated would be decided based on the order that they were ejected from the inner realm. When there were only 20 people left in the inner realm, the battles would stop, and the next round of the tournament would start! These rules were extremely fair. After all, no one knew who they would get paired up with. It could be a person of completely ordinary strength, or it could be an elite disciple who ranked in the top 30 in their Mountain Range, or it could even be a supreme genius with a Rank 3 or 4 Spiritual Root. Any pairing was possible. The stage environment would also be randomly generated for each fight. But these stage environments weren¡¯t ordinary stages, but ones that could supply and lend power to the contestants within. For example, if the stage was a volcano, the environment would boost the strength of fire technique cultivators. They would receive an enormous advantage and even be able to display twice their normal strength. Xu Disheng heard the faint sound of wind sweeping by. He suddenly turned to the side and saw a furious wind gusting into a massive tornado nearly 30 meters in diameter, rushing towards him in near silence! The Dharma Breaking Sword appeared in his hands, and he unleashed a powerful slash in the direction of the tornado. Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Glimmering sword light swept across half the town, mowing down many of the ruined buildings in its path. Dust flew up its wake, but there wasn¡¯t a single person in sight. The tornado¡¯s momentum was great, but it simply wasn¡¯t enough to break through the defenses of the White Heron Robe. The pale white barrier of light blocked all of its force, causing Xu Disheng to only feel a light breeze on the other side. A barely audible huff of surprise rang out from somewhere. A light flashed in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes, and he unraveled the White Lotus Array Flag. When he swept out, an array manifested in the surroundings, attacking the area where that sound just came from! This was one of the uses of this top-grade Magic Treasure that Xu Disheng unlocked when he broke through to the half-step Dao Foundation stage. Array-type Magic Treasures in particular could manifest arrays into reality, allowing the user to directly send out spells and attacks like the Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals. The power of this kind of attack was a bit lower than sucking the opponent into the weapon, but it was an extremely convenient method of attack. ¡°A top-grade Magic Treasure?¡± the owner of the voice, unable to hide anymore, said in a tone full of shock and resentment. ¡°I just entered and was matched up against a genius with two top-grade Magic Treasures?¡± A bell-type Magic Treasure appeared above the person¡¯s head in an attempt to block the force of the White Lotus Array Flag. This person¡¯s figure, clad in an ordinary green robe, came into view shortly after. Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t used the full power of the White Lotus Array Flag. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, ¡°Your concealing technique is pretty good. What¡¯s your name?¡± This disciple wasn¡¯t powerful by any means, but his concealing technique was quite strong. He even managed to avoid Xu Disheng¡¯s Soul Force-backed senses for a time. The green-clothed disciple rolled his eyes and said, ¡°What is your intention, Senior Martial Brother?¡± CH 178 Chapter 178 ¨C Fierce Specter Emerges! Xu Disheng smiled and said, ¡°You tell me?¡± The disciple in the green robe rejoiced a little inside. ¡°This is the concealing technique that was passed down to me by my ancestors. I¡¯ll give it to Senior Martial Brother if you give me 1,000¡ªno, 800 spirit stones.¡± A sharp glint flashed in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes. The pressure from the White Lotus Array Flag increased, and several Soul-Devouring White Lotuses appeared out of nowhere and landed on the green-robed disciple¡¯s body as if they would plunge into his sea of consciousness and directly attack his soul at any moment. ¡°You picked the wrong move at the wrong place, Senior Martial Brother. In the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss, disciples will be protected by the mist and teleported out when they¡¯re about to take fatal damage,¡± the green-robed disciple said confidently, as if he wasn¡¯t scared of the Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals right next to him. ¡°Let¡¯s do it like this. If you give me 500 spirit stones, I¡¯ll give this concealing technique to you, Senior Martial Brother.¡± Seeing that Xu Disheng was interested in his concealing technique, the green-robed disciple was obviously trying to rip him off and make a big profit. Instead, the reply he got was the Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals plunging into his sea of consciousness and directly attacking his soul! ¡°Aaahhh!!¡± the green-robed disciple cried out. He fell to the ground, where he started convulsing uncontrollably. A stream of white mist appeared from nowhere and wrapped around the green-robed disciple¡¯s sea of consciousness, taking out the Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals. Then, the mist shrouded around the green-robed disciple and teleported him out. Xu Disheng¡¯s brows creased as he stared at the ground where the green-robed disciple disappeared. A cold voice rang out through the ruined town. ¡°Victory goes to Xu Disheng of Morning Dew Peak. You will continue to be matched with another opponent.¡± The ruined buildings around him shattered into fragments and the entire town turned to a fine powder, which were swept away by the mist. It contained a strong power of teleportation, which sent Xu Disheng to another setting. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu won,¡± Chu Luo commented, still in his courtyard on Morning Dew Peak. There were a few other disciples with him watching the Eight Mountains Tournament. The screen of light on the jade slip had been projected to a larger size, showing the scene of Xu Disheng being teleported out of the stage by the mist. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu is the fourth place genius of the Mingxin Mountain Range. Even if he isn¡¯t on the same level as those peerless geniuses, his ranking can¡¯t be low,¡± one of the disciples said in an admiring tone. The one who spoke was a disciple who had recently joined Morning Dew Peak and got along well with Chu Luo. He also heard about Xu Disheng¡¯s rise to fame in the Internal Disciple Tournament and was watching the screen of light intently. By the looks on their faces, the few others beside him all agreed, but their eyes never left the screen. There were over 800 disciples in the Sea of Qi division of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, and thus there were over 800 screens of light showing the perspective of each disciple in the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. Chu Luo and the others weren¡¯t looking at any other perspectives. After directly picking out Xu Disheng¡¯s screen of light, they enlarged the screen and started watching. At the same time, there were also others silently observing Xu Disheng, like Bai Zhehua on Morning Dew Peak, Li Dan, and Yuan Qi, as well as the people who came from the Chu Territory like Chu Qing¡¯er. In the sea of clouds where there were tens of thousands of people watching, there were several hundred enormous screens floating in the air. Many people were watching the screen that Xu Disheng was on, and there was no shortage of Divine Core stage Spirit Masters among them. Where the few dozen disciples from the Ancient Nuwa Sect were, Lu Qing looked over at the somewhat dazed Lu Ling and asked in a concerned tone, ¡°Senior Martial SIster Lu, what¡¯s wrong? Why do you seem a bit distracted all of a sudden?¡± When Lu Qing turned towards her and came closer, she caught a glimpse of a small screen of light hidden in her fair palm. Before she could see clearly what was on the screen, Lu Ling closed her palm and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Lu Qing shook her head, but didn¡¯t think too much of it. She pointed in the direction of the several hundred large screens of light in the center of the sea of clouds and said, ¡°The way I see it, the strength of the Sea of Qi stage disciples in the Shangqing Sacred Sect really varies a lot. It¡¯s nothing like our Ancient Nuwa Sect, where the strength of the disciples is more or less even.¡± The cloud chariot that Yan Wuji was on wasn¡¯t far from the two of them, and he happened to overhear what the two of them were saying. He turned to her and sneered, ¡°What do you understand? The strength and base of a sect always depends on its few most powerful experts, not the mediocre strength of its ordinary disciples. The powerful always grow stronger. This is the true tradition of the Shangqing Sacred Sect and any other sect out there.¡± Lu Qing clamped her mouth shut. Her expression turned unsightly, but she simply turned away and didn¡¯t retort. Yan Wuji had a more concentrated bloodline, and he had a Primordial Lord backing him, so she didn¡¯t dare to offend him in any way. ¡­ ¡­ Large snowflakes fell from the sky. When Xu Disheng perceived the half-step Dao Foundation stage aura coming from the red-clothed disciple in front of him, his eyes glimmered brightly like stars. Neither of them spoke, but words were unnecessary in this situation. Victory and defeat. The victorious would proceed, the defeated eliminated¡ªall in a simple yet cutthroat manner. The Demon Punishing Array Diagram appeared above his head with a deep rumbling noise. The four-colored swords swept out, sending snow flying everywhere. The red-clothed disciple made a hand seal and muttered under his breath, ¡°Flowing Fire, kill.¡± The moment he finished his incantation, fierce blazing flames combusted around him and transformed into countless fire birds, erupting with an intense flare. The four swords of the Demon Punishing Array Diagram were filled with an unparalleled aura. They pierced right into the body of the red-clothed youth. With a deafening explosion, the drifts of snow were scattered into the sky, blocking the view completely. The fire birds had no intention of stopping whatsoever. As they swooped towards Xu Disheng, they let out an ear-piercing cry, blazing with fiery light like meteors. A pale white light revolved around the White Heron Robe, intercepting the crazed assault of the fire birds. With a turn of his palm, Disperse appeared in his hand in the form of a calligraphy brush. An unbridled aura of destruction spread out, causing the snowflakes near him to be annihilated before they could even touch him. There was a real drop of Pure Oblivion Water in this calligraphy brush! Although Xu Disheng was hardly able to display 1-2% of its might, he could use the aura of destruction imbued in Disperse as an extremely powerful method of attack. With a thrust of the brush, a blotch of black ink darker than the longest night painted a stark contrast on the snow white landscape. The four swords of the Demon Punishing Array Diagram flew back from their positions buried in the snow. They revolved around the array diagram, constantly letting out threatening whizzing sounds as they moved. The figure of the red-clothed youth, which had been pierced through by the four swords, regained its opacity. When he examined the blotch of black ink, his eyes finally took on a grave look. An ancient bell appeared next to him, which he struck with a fistful of profound qi. Gwaaaaang! The deep chime of the bell resonated throughout the entire snowscape, causing snowflakes to vibrate and tumble. Surprisingly, even the snow falling from the sky paused for a short moment. Search "pawread dot com" for the original. A Psychic Magic Treasure! The pale white barrier of light from the White Heron Robe was shattered by the sound wave. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t hesitate. In a flash, he immediately activated the defensive spell, White Heron¡¯s First Cry. Caaaaaaaaw! A heron¡¯s crisp, shrill cry rang out. Dozens of white birds appeared out of nowhere, blocking the onslaught of the invisible sound wave. Despite the resistance, Xu Disheng was still forced back several steps by the force of the vibrations. The resentful roar of a ghost echoed out as the Fierce Specter War Chariot appeared next to Xu Disheng, filling the air with a baleful aura. This was the first time the Psychic Magic Treasure that Xu Disheng had bought for the sky-high price of 80,000 spirit stones made its debut! ¡°First Seal, release!¡± Xu Disheng weaved a series of hand seals, then firmly placed his palm against the Fierce Specter War Chariot! The war chariot took on a more dreadful appearance as a layer of restrictions around the ghostly aura disappeared. The evil gaze of the ghost inside seemed to shoot Xu Disheng a resentful glare. It let out a blood-curdling shriek, then spit out a vortex of ghost force from its mouth, which then swept across heaven and earth as it whirled towards the red-clothed youth! CH 179 Chapter 179 ¨C Feeding Himself to the Ghost? The expression of the red-clothed youth was grave. He was channeling all of his strength into the ancient bell that was deployed in front of him. For the time being, his hands were full dealing with the attack, but he was unexpectedly able to keep the aura of destruction from the blot of ink at bay. When the red-clothed youth saw the vortex of ghost force that the Fierce Specter spat out, twisting and ripping everything apart in its path, his expression turned ugly. He gave a low roar filled with startled fury and released his hands from the ancient bell. A yellow seal appeared in his hands a second later. He activated the defensive spell in it at full force to try and block the approaching vortex. But Xu Disheng didn¡¯t give him time to breathe. He swallowed a few Qi Boosting Pills and took out the Jade Water Array Flag, then activated it at full force, suppressing the area around the red-clothed youth! The ancient bell was a Psychic Magic Treasure, but without any profound qi powering it, it seemed that it wouldn¡¯t last longer than a few breaths against the materialized aura of destruction from the blot of inky black Pure Oblivion Water. The red-clothed youth clenched his teeth and pulled out another item, an embroidered scarf Magic Treasure. He ignited its origin source and transformed it into an extremely powerful defensive force! The ghost force vortex smashed into the yellow seal with a bang, forcing it to fly backwards from the recoil. The vortex shrank by a good amount as a result, and the remaining momentum slammed into the explosive defensive power from the sacrificed embroidered scarf Magic Treasure and disappeared. Blood seeped out from the red-clothed youth¡¯s mouth. His face was pale, but he managed to somehow block the attack. Without any profound qi being channeled into it, the ancient bell had already suffered its loss. The blot of ink clad in the aura of destruction came into contact with the remaining defensive power summoned from the ignited scarf Magic Treasure, causing them both to simultaneously disappear. Feeling the corrosive pressure from the Jade Water Array Flag weighing down on him, the red-clothed youth had no energy left to resist. He gave Xu Disheng a deep gaze, then spoke his first line since the start of the fight. ¡°I am Wei Jun from the Mountain of Law. May we meet again someday.¡± With that, a stream of mist wrapped him up and his figure faded away. He had activated his own identity jade tablet and teleported himself willingly out of the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. A cold voice rang out across the snowscape shortly after. ¡°Victory goes to Xu Disheng of Morning Dew Peak. You will continue to be matched with another opponent.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Wei Jun was somehow eliminated in only his second match!¡± ¡°Who is that youth in that white Daoist robe?!¡± ¡°Wei Jun is the third ranked genius of our Mountain of Law, but he was eliminated just like that. Don¡¯t tell me his luck was so bad that he ran into an unparalleled genius with a Rank 3 Spiritual Root?!¡± ¡°That youth is Mingxin Mountain¡¯s 4th ranked genius, Xu Disheng! But how could he be this strong?!¡± Many of the people in the Mountain of Law who were watching Wei Jun were in an uproar. Some people shot to their feet as they stared in shock at the screen of light showing the youth in the white and blue robe, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. ¡°Xu Disheng is only the 4th ranked genius of Mingxin Mountain. Why is he this strong?! That war chariot¡­ That was his first time using it. It¡¯s way too overpowered!¡± ¡°I remember now. That war chariot is the Fierce Specter War Chariot! At the Grand Auction on Splendid Commodity Peak, it went for 80,000 spirit stones! Don¡¯t tell me, that was¡­?!¡± ¡°That black calligraphy brush wasn¡¯t a Psychic Magic Treasure, but the blot of ink it unleashed could somehow break through the defenses of that Psychic Magic Treasure¡­? Even though that Psychic Magic Treasure wasn¡¯t being powered by any profound qi, that black calligraphy brush is too mysterious!¡± Countless people turned their attention towards Xu Disheng¡¯s screen. The massive screen showing Xu Disheng¡¯s perspective in the sea of clouds had suddenly attracted the gazes of many cultivators from the Shan Mountain Territory. ¡°How could this be? His name isn¡¯t even on the list of the Eight Mountains¡¯ genius disciples! But if he was able to defeat someone of Wei Jun¡¯s caliber, his name is more than deserving to be on the Sea of Qi division¡¯s list of geniuses!¡± Light and shadow flickered, and the snowscape shattered to pieces. In the next moment, Xu Disheng found himself above a boundless ocean, stretching as far as his eyes could see. Although there were 800 disciples at the start, each battle lasted a different amount of time. As a result, there were a few people who had wrapped up their fights extremely quickly that even had to wait to be matched with their next opponent. This was also the reason they could have 20 people remaining at the very end even though there were 800 people at the start, duking it out in one-on-one battles. ¡°It¡¯s you, Junior Martial Brother Xu?¡± Yu Yangyao said, raising an eyebrow when he saw the handsome youth in the white and blue Daoist robe in front of him. Xu Disheng was momentarily speechless. It was only the third battle and he already got matched up with someone from the same Mountain Range as him. After a moment of silence floated between the two of them, Yu Yangyao spoke up again. ¡°Will you be conceding?¡± Xu Disheng lifted his gaze and looked directly at Yu Yangyao. There was a fighting intent present in his gaze, which gradually turned into resolve. Back during the Internal Disciple Tournament, at the Lightning Cloud Stone Island, Xu Disheng was only at the early Sea of Qi stage. In front of a Rank 4 Spiritual Root genius like Yu Yangyao, he had no ability to fight back. But now, things were different. Yu Yangyao already understood Xu Disheng¡¯s meaning. The Coiling Serpent Pike appeared in his hand, the sharp silver point of the pike casting glaring reflections on the surface of the ocean. His aura suddenly skyrocketed! ¡°Summon Rain.¡± After comprehending the Pure Oblivion Water, Xu Disheng had never used the Summon Rain technique. That was because it had completely lost its aura of destruction, and was now purely a water-type spell. But above this massive ocean, the power of a water-type spell like this was amplified manifold! Dozens of pure, colorless water appeared in the air, dropping towards the top of Yu Yangyao¡¯s head. With the added might from the scenario¡¯s environment, they plummeted downwards at an even faster speed! However, Yu Yangyao simply ignored these raindrops. The Essence Tassel Armor appeared around him, and with a shake of the Coiling Serpent Pike, the silver radiance it was emitting grew brighter. When it reflected off the surface of the ocean below, it created a beautiful shimmering effect. With a flash of silver radiance, Yu Yangyao immediately appeared right in front of Xu Disheng, thrusting the sharp point of the Coiling Serpent Pike towards him! The raindrops missed their mark and plummeted into the surface of the ocean, sending up waves dozens of meters tall wherever they landed. The first defensive spell of the White Heron Robe was triggered, and dozens of white birds spiraled outward from Xu Disheng¡¯s figure, blocking the fierce thrust of the pike. Xu Disheng was pushed backwards by the impact of the recoil, sending him retreating several dozens of meters. ¡°A Psychic Magic Treasure-grade robe? Not bad,¡± Yu Yangyao commented lightly. ¡°But will you be able to block this move too?¡± The moment his words reached Xu Disheng¡¯s ears, the silver glow at the tip of the pike rose to a nearly blinding radiance. The phantom image of a silver serpent appeared from the tip of the pike, opening its sinister maw wide as it let loose a deafening roar. ¡°The soul of a monster with a monster core is sealed in this pike. Although I can only demonstrate a fraction of its might, this move isn¡¯t something that Psychic Magic Treasure of yours will be able to block,¡± Yu Yangyao said casually. Profound qi glowed in his hand as he activated the pike. The length of the serpent began to emit a silver glow, making it difficult to see. When it reached the end of its roar, the serpent fixed its cold, slitted pupils on Xu Disheng. Unexpectedly, the body of the coiled serpent separated from the pike. After opening its dangerous maw, it shot towards Xu Disheng like lightning, clad in powerful monster qi! Monsters were roughly divided up into different ranks: half-transformed monsters, transformed monsters, core formation monsters, and monster kings. Core formation monsters were the equivalent of a Divine Core stage Spirit Master! Although this silver serpent was just a soul body and Yu Yangyao wasn¡¯t able to display its full might, this attack was still beyond something that a Sea of Qi stage disciple could block. As Xu Disheng watched the phantom image of the silver serpent whiz towards him, he suddenly thought back to when he beat Wei Jun earlier. Xu Disheng had used the Fierce Specter stage ghost sealed in the Fierce Specter War Chariot to crush Wei Jun. The situation here was more or less the same, but the roles were swapped. Yu Yangyao¡¯s expression was as nonchalant as before. He clearly didn¡¯t consider Xu Disheng as being capable of blocking this blow. The White Heron Robe wouldn¡¯t be able to block it, and it wasn¡¯t like there was a ghost or monster of Divine Core stage strength sealed in every Psychic Magic Treasure. All of the people spectating the battle between Yu Yangyao and Xu Disheng in the sea of clouds at the center of the Luminous Cloud Abyss, and even throughout the Eight Mountains watched with bated breath, eyes glued to their screens. ¡°Yu Yangyao is going to lose,¡± one Divine Core stage Spirit Master sitting atop one of the cloud chariots said with a smile. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± a Divine Core stage rogue cultivator, who was more lacking in foresight, asked. ¡°At the Sea of Qi stage, it simply isn¡¯t possible to exhibit the full might of spells and cultivation methods. Most of the combat power at that stage comes from the strength of one¡¯s Magic Treasures. Even though Yu Yangyao has the Coiling Serpent Pike, he isn¡¯t able to make full use of its strength. But Xu Disheng¡¯s Fierce Specter War Chariot¡­ he can forcefully activate it by lifting the seals!¡± ¡°But a mere Sea of Qi stage disciple like him wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the backlash, would he?¡± the Divine Core stage rogue cultivator responded, shock apparent in his tone. Although forcefully lifting the seals would allow him to demonstrate a fraction of the Psychic Magic Treasure¡¯s true might, the backlash from the Fierce Specter stage ghost would tear a trifling Sea of Qi stage disciple into pieces within seconds. ¡°Keep watching and you¡¯ll see what I mean,¡± the other Divine Core stage Spirit Master said with a flick of his sleeves, refusing to speak further. CH 180 Chapter 180 ¨C Tremendous Upset Under Countless Gazes! The silver serpent shot across the surface of the ocean at a breakneck speed. Although it was just a phantom image, Xu Disheng could still see the serpent¡¯s cold, cruel gaze. ¡°Controlling Waves.¡± Xu Disheng lightly flicked his white and blue adorned sleeves. His jet black hair began to sweep in the wind, and even the endlessly roiling surface of the ocean went still for a moment. The two words that left his mouth were simple, but they made Yu Yangyao¡¯s expression change dramatically. ¡°How could that be possible?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the third form of Azure Ocean, the Controlling Waves technique!¡± Many disciples of the Mingxin Mountain Range shot to their feet in disbelief as they stared wide-eyed at the slender figure of the youth in the white and blue robe. We are "pawread dot com", find us on google. ¡°This technique requires the user to be at the Dao Foundation stage at the very least. It¡¯s an incredibly powerful technique, but how is a half-step Dao Foundation stage cultivator like him able to use it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s Azure Ocean cultivation method!¡± ¡°Did he break through to the Dao Foundation stage? But there¡¯s no way! If he really broke through, then he would immediately be teleported out of the Luminous Cloud Abyss by the white mist.¡± Through the screens of light, countless people watched the scene taking place between Xu Disheng and Yu Yangyao above the surface of the ocean. After the ocean¡¯s brief moment of calmness, massive waves suddenly shot up into the sky! With the added power of the scenario¡¯s environment, the might of the Controlling Waves technique was enough to shock the heavens! As the enormous waves roared, ocean mist sprayed, sending up screens of spindrift dozens of meters tall. Xu Disheng stood in the air at the crest of the wave. He swept his sleeves, keeping his eyes on the rapidly approaching silver serpent. The raging waves crashed! The tremendously powerful waves collided with the silver serpent, battering its body. It was tossed aside by the force, smashing into the surface of the ocean! This was the might of a cultivation method! ¡°So strong¡­!¡± ¡°What a powerful cultivation method!¡± ¡°Yu Yangyao is going to lose!¡± The crowd went into an uproar, filling the air with shouts of surprise. Back at the Zhao Realm, Zhao Yan, the Dao Foundation stage Vice Peak Master, had used a cultivation method known as the Nine Rotations Blood Pool to suppress Xu Disheng, almost bringing him to his death! Only a Dao Foundation stage cultivator could truly practice a cultivation method and demonstrate its real power. Now, Xu Disheng was using a cultivation method, the Controlling Waves technique, allowing him to swat the phantom image of the core formation monster that Yu Yangyao was so proud of right into the ocean! ¡°A genius!¡± ¡°This is a true genius!¡± ¡°This guy can control so much of the power of heaven and earth despite only being at the half-step Dao Foundation stage? How could this be?! What kind of unparalleled genius is this?!¡± For a moment of time, more and more gazes turned towards Xu Disheng¡¯s screen of light. There were even several Primordial Lords who looked over. ¡°Primordial Lord Yangze, it seems that your Mingxin Mountain Range has produced quite the terrifying young brat,¡± Earth Fox Primordial Lord said with praise apparent in his voice as he sized up Xu Disheng¡¯s figure, standing there at the crest of a massive wave. Primordial Lord Yangze was a bit astonished himself. He took a closer look at Xu Disheng and said, ¡°This cultivation method indeed requires the power of heaven and earth to use this water-type spell. This brat must have already fully comprehended his Dao Path. He must have even completely grasped his profound law foundation in his Jianggong sea of qi, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be able to bring out combat power on par with a Dao Foundation stage cultivator like he is now.¡± ¡°These kinds of unparalleled geniuses that have already fully comprehended their Dao Paths must be rare in the Shangqing Sacred Sect too, no?¡± Earth Fox Primordial Lord said, curiosity evident in his inquisitive tone. ¡°That¡¯s right. In the Mingxin Mountain Range, which I rule over, I am the only one,¡± Primordial Lord Yangze said. He muttered under his breath as if he remembered something and said, ¡°A little while ago, Celestial Tide sent a jade slip to Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Clearheart Peak, nominating someone for the title of Sacred Son. It must have been for this brat.¡± He gently flicked his sleeves, sending out a watery blue light. It disappeared shortly after, flying out of the Luminous Cloud Abyss in the direction of Clearheart Peak. Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Clearheart Peak was fully responsible for investigating those nominated for the title of Sacred Son and Daughter. In the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss, Xu Disheng was naturally unaware of his own screen of light. In the sea of clouds, he was already the focus of tens of thousands of gazes. He took several precious True Qi Pills, then prepared to use the Controlling Waves technique once more. A True Qi Pill cost 400 spirit stones in the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, and could restore a Dao Foundation stage cultivator¡¯s profound qi at a very fast rate. Although Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t reached the Dao Foundation stage yet, this one move had cost him 70% of the profound qi in the ancient bell in his sea of qi. A Qi Boosting Pill was no longer sufficient for him to replenish his profound qi, so he could only use True Qi Pills, which even Dao Foundation stage cultivators found extremely precious. ¡°How could this be?!¡± Yu Yangyao muttered. He was standing there with the Coiling Serpent Pike in his hands, still unable to regain his bearings. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yu.¡± As Xu Disheng stood there at the crest of the waves, he spoke, looking down at Yu Yangyao. ¡°You broke through to the Dao Foundation stage, didn¡¯t you?¡± Yu Yangyao asked as he looked up at Xu Disheng with a hint of hope deep in his eyes, hoping for a straight answer. When Xu Disheng shook his head, Yu Yangyao¡¯s heart slowly dropped. In reality, one of the major reasons he could be the first place genius in the Mingxin Mountain Range was because Killing Heart Spirit Master had been allocating him the necessary cultivation resources, as well as his rare Rank 4 Spiritual Root aptitude. The fact that Xu Disheng could already move a bit of the power of heaven and earth at only the half-step Dao Foundation stage, and could even practice a cultivation method that only those at the Dao Foundation stage could cultivate meant that he was the greater genius. This was difficult for Yu Yangyao, who was always proud and aloof, to accept. He looked down at the waves below Xu Disheng that towered dozens of meters tall, and saw the water elemental energy coursing within, amplified by the scenario¡¯s environment. The aura it was emitting was growing more and more terrifying, and he knew that if he made even the slightest move, it would crash upon him like a thousand bolts of thunder. What would he use to block something like that? Yu Yangyao felt discouraged and disheartened. Without any further words, he activated his jade identity tablet and teleported out of the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. In the sea of clouds, Yu Yangyao¡¯s figure appeared outside the massive cloud gate. Moments later, the gazes of countless people from sects large and small all turned towards him with varying expressions in their eyes. He lifted his head and looked at the hundreds of screens of light in the sky, his eyes falling on Xu Disheng¡¯s enormous screen of light. The ocean shattered to pieces, and the youth in the white and blue robe was wrapped up in white mist and teleported elsewhere. Feeling the gazes upon him, Yu Yangyao felt complex emotions welling within him. He immediately left the Luminous Cloud Abyss, silent and speechless. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu is a real genius!¡± At some unknown point in time, Xu Disheng had gained the respect of many among the tens of thousands of disciples in the Mingxin Mountain Range. They were now cheering for him with excited looks on their faces. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yu is too disappointing. When the match between him and Xu Disheng began, I bet 70 spirit stones, but now I lost everything!¡± A disciple in one of the marketplaces in the sect shouted angrily, eyes full of regret as he watched the scene taking place on the screen. Atop the cloud chariots, the far-reaching gazes of the Divine Core stage Spirit Masters fell upon Xu Disheng, each with a different look in their eyes. ¡°With this one match, this child revealed such unparalleled powers of comprehension ¡­ Even if his Spiritual Root talent is ordinary, he is worth fully supporting and nurturing.¡± ¡°I hear that this child is tied to Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s influence. With such a frightening display of power of comprehension, he is now the first ranked Sea of Qi stage genius in the Mingxin Mountain Range. I suppose fame really does follow merit.¡± ¡°How does this child compare to people like Ji Haohan and Mo Yue?¡± ¡°They can¡¯t even be mentioned in the same sentence! Even though this child¡¯s powers of comprehension are outstanding, it¡¯s apparently recorded that his talent is only a Rank 6 Spiritual Root. There¡¯s no way he can match up to unparalleled geniuses like Mo Yue and the others, who have Rank 3 Spiritual Roots.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity. If his talent was higher, the title for Sacred Son this time might¡­¡± ¡°The Sacred Son from the Sea of Qi division will definitely be Zhang Yangui.¡± ¡°Exactly. Zhang Yangui is not only the direct grandson of Qingfu, the Realm Master of the Yuluo Realm, but he has also spent decades training under Red Lotus Primordial Lord. Besides, if it wasn¡¯t for the Burning Heart Sword Poison¡­ he might have already broken through to the Divine Core stage.¡± CH 181 Chapter 181 ¨C Twin Revenants Xu Disheng was still unaware of the tremendous uproar he had caused outside of the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. At this moment, when he saw the person standing in front of him, a hint of doubt appeared deep in his eyes. The disciple¡¯s facial features were ordinary. He seemed to be an elite disciple at the peak Sea of Qi stage, but there was a rare, faint but still discernible aura around him which was surprising to Xu Disheng. That person laughed and said, ¡°Come.¡± His voice was coarse, not like a human¡¯s voice. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyebrows furrowed deeper. This person was very much like a ghost with high spiritual awareness who had transformed into a human. But this was the Shangqing Sacred Sect, one of the overlord sects of the Shan Mountain Territory. There were countless powerhouses here, and even several Clone Avatar stage Greater Lords watching over the place. It would be strange for there to be even a hint of any sinister ghost thriving here, much less a ghost from the outside world. But this person¡¯s aura¡­ It wasn¡¯t exactly ghost qi, but it was similar. High up in the sea of clouds at the center of the Luminous Cloud Abyss, Primordial Lord Yangze, seated on a spacious, luxurious couch made of clouds, inadvertently glanced over at the strange disciple. Lu Wen¡¯s voice grew even more coarse as he spoke. ¡°Why are you still not attacking? I already killed four disciples. If you don¡¯t attack me first, I can¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a protective mist energy. You managed to kill people?¡± Xu Disheng asked, raising an eyebrow. Lu Wen¡¯s face warped and contorted, already very much unlike a human face. After a few moments, he forcefully brought his face back into order, the hint of urgency in his tone growing. ¡°Hurry up and attack, I want to kill you! There¡¯s a really nice smell on your body!¡± His fingers began to twitch, like he wanted to attack Xu Disheng. But as if there was some unknown kind of rule binding him, he couldn¡¯t lift his hands at all. With the protection of the mist energy, there really was no way to kill anyone by force here. But there were strange things about this Lu Wen. Before the disciples could teleport out, a phantom image of a Bodhisattva statue with tightly closed eyes would appear before him, swallowing the disciples¡¯ souls! A bizarre occurrence like this should have been discovered by the spectators outside, watching the screens of light, but Primordial Lord Yangze had secretly made a move to conceal it. The Bodhisattva phantom image was the ¡®revenant¡¯ that Primordial Lord Yangze had spoken of! It was a dreadful being formed from the negative aspects of a Bodhisattva! Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. The screen of light showing Xu Disheng¡¯s perspective was being watched by too many people. Even Primordial Lord Yangze had no way of forcefully hiding it, so he could only watch over the situation to make sure nothing unexpected occurred. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you able to attack if I don¡¯t attack you?¡± Xu Disheng asked. He suddenly felt an indistinct, ancient aura coming from this person¡¯s body. In his sea of consciousness, a fragment of a memory floated to the surface of his mind. The cyan jade flute, which had long been sitting in stillness in a corner of his sea of consciousness, unexpectedly began to emit a dull cyan glow once more. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Praj?¨¡, where is your revenant?¡± ¡°The Human Realm,¡± the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡ said, looking at the youth beside him. ¡°Everyone with the title of arhat and even Bodhisattvas all reincarnate their revenants into the Human Realm, allowing them to operate under a set of rules. You became a Bodhisattva recently, but you should also know about this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a bit curious about your revenant, that¡¯s all. Do you still remember what I spoke with you about last time?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t help you,¡± the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡ said. After a moment¡¯s thought, he continued, ¡°After some time, I will be going to the Lesser Sun Realm and taking up a post as one of the three Bodhisattvas of the realm to gather merits. It would be best if you abandoned your thoughts of deviating from all living beings.¡± ¡°Suppose I told you that you could get a glimpse past that supreme boundary if you went to the Human Realm and found and absorbed the revenants of every arhat and Bodhisattva in the Great Buddhist Sun World¡­ Would you believe me?¡± the youth said nonchalantly. On the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡¡¯s face, a rare hint of terror appeared on his face. As he lifted his head and looked off into the horizon of Sah¨¡ Heaven, the divine light around him trembled slightly. ¡°How could you dare¡­¡± the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡ began. ¡°Don¡¯t bother looking. Lord Buddha is asleep. He won¡¯t hear,¡± the youth said. ¡°Impudent! You don¡¯t act like a Bodhisattva at all!¡± the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡ shouted, true anger erupting forth. The halo behind his head shone fiercely with boundless divine light. ¡°We are both Bodhisattvas, what can you even do to me? Remember this, Praj?¨¡. You will help me with that matter sooner or later. And only your twelve-petaled lotus seat will be able to help me.¡± With that, the youth¡¯s figure morphed into golden motes of light and left Sah¨¡ Heaven. ¡­ ¡­ The memory fragmented to pieces. In Xu Disheng¡¯s half-closed eyes, the golden glow of Buddhist divine light was shining. Lu Wen¡¯s face filled with terror. In a trembling voice, he shouted, ¡°Who in the world are you?!¡± Xu Disheng came back to his senses. When he opened both of his eyes fully, the golden divine light disappeared. In his eyes, which were always peaceful and calm, there was unexpectedly a hint of rage within. Some being had intentionally let him see this memory! And in this memory fragment, there was a good portion of it that was fabricated! However, what was even more terrifying was that every time Xu Disheng was submerged in this memory in his sea of consciousness, he could sense the flaws and fabricated points in the memory, but whenever he woke up, the memory would seem incomparably real to him! Xu Disheng channeled Soul Force into his eyes and examined Lu Wen. Lu Wen was still looking at him with an expression filled with shock and fear, but there was a dreadful image superimposed over his body! This image was a Bodhisattva with a frightening, sinister expression. His eyes were tightly closed, and tears of blood were streaming down his face in two rivulets. As if the Bodhisattva felt Xu Disheng¡¯s gaze on him, his eyes, which were trembling and crying tears of blood, started to open up! A kind of sheer terror filled Xu Disheng¡¯s heart. He had a premonition that if these two bloody eyes were to open up completely, he would definitely die! In his sea of consciousness, the cyan jade flute began to blaze with cyan light, and Xu Disheng could feel its monstrous hunger. It trembled and stirred, as if it was about to transform into the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, then completely swallowed the terrifying phantom image of that Bodhisattva. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot, and he let out a low roar. ¡°Return for me!¡± Pouring all of his Soul Force into this command, he suppressed the stirring cyan jade flute. He submerged it deep into the depths of his sea of consciousness, where it fell silent. CH 182 Chapter 182 ¨C Only Equal? TL: Sponsored chapter (1/3) Just a short moment later, the eyes of the Bodhisattva image overlapping with Lu Wen¡¯s body opened completely, revealing the deep blood-colored light within! An incomparable terror consumed Xu Disheng¡¯s body, but he lifted his gaze and met the eyes of the evil Bodhisattva, which were dripping with bloody tears. Where its eyes should have been, there were just frightening, empty voids! It felt like his entire body was being constricted tightly, leaving him unable to move a single inch. The malevolent phantom image opened its mouth, which revealed a cavity containing a dark nothingness. From its mouth came an unprecedentedly powerful suction force that threatened to suck out and swallow Xu Disheng¡¯s soul! Xu Disheng had been cultivating the Soul Song¡¯s Nourishing Soul Mantra since birth, so his soul was extremely solid, to the point that his Soul Force had materialized into the black flute. When his soul came under the suction power, his origin soul began to tremble slightly, and even the black flute began to shake. The face of the revenant warped and twisted erratically for a moment. Its mouth grew even larger, emitting an even more concentrated and fearsome aura of void, of nothingness. Suddenly, a hidden stream of gray divine light swept in front of Xu Disheng, cutting across heaven and earth. It wrapped up the revenant on Lu Wen¡¯s body, then disappeared without a trace beyond the horizon. Lu Wen, or rather, the plain-clothed youth, who was previously parasitized by the revenant, stood there with a stiff, blank expression. In the next moment, the mist wrapped him up, sending him out of the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. What the people watching the screens of light saw, however, was Xu Disheng and Lu Wen standing there facing one another for several breaths of time, and then Lu Wen being teleported out by the mist. It looked very much like Lu Wen had admitted defeat. The gray divine light returned to Primordial Lord Yangze, his gaze somewhat cryptic. Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Although his revenant was weak and only at an infant stage, if it had been given a bit of time to hide, it could become an extremely terrifying being! Primordial Spirit stage cultivators could sense and control the power of heaven and earth, and could use Higher Knowledge spells. A nascent revenant like this simply couldn¡¯t escape the notice of a Primordial Lord. If it hadn¡¯t rashly entered the Shangqing Sacred Sect and just hid away somewhere until it had matured, it might have become a problem. It wouldn¡¯t be a big inconvenience, but it wouldn¡¯t be a small one either. Although Primordial Lord Yangze¡¯s maneuvering managed to conceal the matter from many of the ordinary Primordial Lords, it didn¡¯t go unseen by the Mountain Masters of the Eight Mountains. Some of them were already looking over from their cloud chariots and cloud sofas, each with an inquisitive look in their eyes. Primordial Lord Yangze had previously helped to conceal Lu Wen¡¯s identity because he wanted to thoroughly examine it. He had already achieved his objective now, so he naturally stored it away. This being was still very useful to him, so he acted as if he didn¡¯t see the gazes of the Mountain Masters looking over at him. ¡°Victory goes to Xu Disheng of Morning Dew Peak. You will continue to be matched with another opponent,¡± the cold, mechanical voice rang out. ¡°There are currently 68 people remaining in the inner realm. The round will end when 20 remain.¡± The voice, belonging to Cloud Stream Spirit Master, who held the key to the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss, rang in the ears of every disciple still in the tournament. With 800 contestants participating and being randomly matched one-on-one battles, some battles would last a long time, while some only a short few moments. As a result, some had already gone through 5 to 6 battles, whereas others had only gone through three or four. There was no way for people who knew each other to avoid each other or put off getting matched with one another. Any behavior that might suggest otherwise would make the Shangqing Sacred Sect lose face in front of everyone watching. People would definitely disdain and ridicule such behavior, and if anyone was caught red-handed, Cloud Stream Spirit Master would immediately send them out of the Luminous Cloud Abyss and disqualify both parties. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°I bet on Xu Disheng!¡± ¡°I¡¯m placing my bet on Senior Martial Brother Xu!¡± ¡°120 spirit stones, all in!¡± In a marketplace somewhere, the atmosphere was reaching a fever pitch. Countless disciples were watching the screens of light in the sky with red-eyed gazes, tossing their spirit stones and cultivation resources down on the massive betting table to place their wagers. After Xu Disheng beat Yu Yangyao, revealing his unparalleled powers of comprehension, it became known that he had fully grasped his profound law foundation at the half-step Dao Foundation stage and could move a portion of the power of heaven and earth! He had taken away the title of first ranked genius in the Mingxin Mountain Range. Now, in many of the marketplaces, people were starting to hop on the bandwagon and place their bets on Xu Disheng. There were some clever-minded individuals running the betting tables who took advantage of the opportunity to rewrite the ranking jade slips listing the Sea of Qi stage geniuses of the Eight Mountains. Taking advantage of the crazy demand, they distributed them as fast as they could! ¡°Zhang Yangui, Shangqing Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 3 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Unparalleled.¡± ¡°Mo Yue, Shangqing Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 3 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Unparalleled.¡± ¡°Ji Haohan, Refining Heart Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 3 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Extremely strong.¡± ¡°Xu Disheng, Mingxin Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 6 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Extremely strong.¡± ¡°Pu Li, Mengyang Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Extremely strong.¡± ¡°Mu Hui, Wenyuan Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Relatively strong.¡± ¡°Qin Muxue, Zhuri Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 5 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Relatively strong.¡± ¡°Liu Pengyun, Mountain of Law. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Relatively strong.¡± ¡­ ¡­ The evaluations for most of the people on the list didn¡¯t change at all. Aside from the geniuses like Yu Yangyao and Zong Zizhen who had been eliminated from the tournament, and Xu Disheng, who had shot up to fame all at once, the most noteworthy contestants were Qin Muxue and Pu Li. Xu Disheng¡¯s half-step Dao Foundation stage cultivation allowed him to move some of the power of heaven and earth and use Dao Foundation stage cultivation methods. On the ranking jade slip, this unexpectedly placed him on equal footing with the unparalleled Rank 3 Spiritual Root geniuses like Ji Haohan and the others! Qin Muxue was a genius from the Eighth Mountain, Zhuri Mountain Range. Although her Spiritual Root talent was ordinary, he had won five battles in a row, causing her evaluation to shoot up. She was relying on a complete set of mystical ice spells and the Psychic Magic Treasure, the Snow Spirit Silk Band. Against other ordinary geniuses, it displayed an overwhelming might that allowed her to steamroll through her battles, drawing the gazes of many. Pu Li, on the other hand, was capable of summoning a spiritual beast, which was a transformation-rank monster known as the Dark Thunder Lion. He had also crushed all of his opponents, and while it wasn¡¯t technically his own strength, it could still be considered one of his techniques, so his evaluation was also raised by several levels which brought him to be placed on equal footing with Ji Haohan and the others. The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament allowed spiritual beasts. But a transformation-rank spiritual beast was the equivalent of a human Dao Foundation stage cultivator, so they were extremely expensive, easily costing tens of thousands of spirit stones. They were also extremely rare and even if someone had the spirit stones to buy one, it was difficult to find one up for sale in any large-scale marketplace. ¡­ ¡­ Blazing flames erupted and magma flowed, bubbling and releasing thick smoke that intertwined with ash and craggy rock. Fireballs of varying sizes burst from the volcanic crater, coloring the sky an ashy gray that reddened into a dark crimson on the horizon. Xu Disheng was standing on a craggy rock that jutted out dozens of meters. When he looked down and saw the red-hot magma flowing lethargically in rivers below him, his eyebrows furrowed. This scenario¡¯s environment was very different from the previous one. It seemed extremely realistic. Even though he was dozens of meters away, he could sense the heat of the lava flowing below, burning hot enough to completely melt any Spirit Tools that happened to come into contact with it. ¡°Forty contestants remain. Once the loser of this match is decided, the victor will enter the top 20!¡± Cloud Stream Spirit Master¡¯s voice rang out far and wide in the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. CH 183 Chapter 183 ¨C A Thousand Miles of Snow, Azure Ocean TL: Sponsored chapter (2/3). Last chapter for today. Thanks for your support Tony! Xu Disheng looked off into the distance, where he saw a woman standing on a craggy rock hundreds of meters away. Inside, he knew. If he defeated her, he could enter the top 20 of the Sea of Qi division of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament! He would also have the qualifications to contend for the unrivaled title of Sacred Son! And at this moment, all of the disciples watching, in the sea of clouds, in the Shangqing Mountain Range, in the Mingxin Mountain Range, in all eight Mountain Ranges, laid eyes on the woman¡¯s appearance. Their expressions changed, and cried out in surprise. ¡°Qin Muxue!¡± ¡°In the last battle before reaching the top 20, Xu Disheng ended up getting paired with Qin Muxue!¡± ¡°This environment is somewhat unfavorable for both of them!¡± ¡°Exactly, Xu Disheng cultivates a water element cultivation method and Qin Muxue is proficient in ice and snow-type spells. This scenario¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s such a regret that these two new unparalleled geniuses, who are evaluated as ¡®extremely strong¡¯ and ¡®relatively strong¡¯, had to run into each other so early.¡± ¡°The two of them definitely have combat strengths ranking in the top 10. But now, one of them has to be eliminated here. It¡¯s really such a pity.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°I bet on Xu Disheng!¡± ¡°All in!¡± ¡°I bet 650 spirit stones on Senior Martial Brother Xu!¡± ¡°300 spirit stones on Qin Muxue!¡± The activity at the betting tables in each of the large marketplaces reached an unprecedented fervor. Although Qin Muxue was also someone who had recently risen to the ranks of those considered as unparalleled geniuses, she was still somewhat inferior compared to Xu Disheng, who had the accolade of defeating someone like Yu Yangyao. Roughly 70% of the disciples were betting on Xu Disheng¡¯s victory, slamming their spirit stones down on the betting table with bright red eyes. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°I am Qin Muxue of Zhuri Mountain. May I ask who Senior Martial Brother is?¡± Qin Muxue said from far afar, across the lava lake. Her hair was white as snow, and she was extremely beautiful, wearing a white long dress. ¡°Mingxin Mountain, Xu Disheng.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s gaze was calm. He took out two precious True Qi Pills and tossed them down. The medicinal power flowed, and in a few breaths of time, the phantom image of the ancient bell, representing his profound qi, was restored to roughly 90% of its maximum capacity. Qin Muxue nodded slightly, sensing the blazing aura of the rivers of magma below, but she didn¡¯t seem to mind it that much. It was true that this environment would restrain her ice and snow-type spells to some degree, but it was only by a bit. Forgoing any further words, a ribbon appeared in her palm, emitting white radiance as pure as snow. She sent it aflutter, causing countless snowflakes to appear in the air. They fell from afar, spinning towards Xu Disheng. This ribbon was the Psychic Magic Treasure that had played such an instrumental role in her last five battles, the Snow Spirit Silk Band! The snowflakes appeared ordinary, but they were extremely quick. In just a few breaths of time, they completely surrounded Xu Disheng, whirling rapidly. A pale white profound light appeared around the White Heron Robe, blocking the snowflakes completely. Xu Disheng stepped on the Yin Yang Diagram and flew up into the sky. Dark vortexes spun in his eyes as he said, ¡°Swallowing Soul, second form. Ghost Devourer.¡± Unexpectedly, he cast the advanced spell of the Swallowing Soul mantra right off the bat! The soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull shot out of his sea of consciousness with a deeply intimidating roar, sending up a sudden gale of evil black wind that swept right towards Qin Muxue! ¡°Falling Snow!¡± Just now, Qin Muxue was clearly just probing. She didn¡¯t think that Xu Disheng would unleash such a powerful secret technique right away! When she felt the life-threatening aura radiating from the Evil Spirit skull, her expression changed. She hastily activated the Snow Spirit Silk Band, forming a sturdy shield from ice and rime in front of her. The soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull picked up speed, growing faster and faster until it transformed into a resplendent black beam. The next moment, it appeared right in front of the wall of ice! After the briefest moment¡¯s pause, it penetrated right through the shield! Utter shock rocked Qin Muxue¡¯s heart, her expression changing dramatically. Suddenly appearing as if she recalled something, she promptly took out a small parasol and poured as much energy into it as she could, using it to shield herself! Surely enough, the soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull didn¡¯t pierce right through this time. It was blocked by the small parasol, and the two forces reached a momentary deadlock. She let out a sigh of relief, rejoicing that she had prepared a mind-protecting Magic Treasure in advance. It was not only useful in protecting against ghost-type attacks, but it could also directly defend the soul. If it weren¡¯t for this item, this Evil Spirit skull would truly be difficult to block. However, Ghost Devourer was an advanced spell from the Swallowing Soul Mantra. How could it be simple? Although the small parasol managed to block it, the skull opened its sinister maw, then warped and twisted off into 10 smaller Evil Spirit skulls. Several of the skulls bypassed the defenses of the small parasol, biting ruthlessly towards Qin Muxue! Weng. A snow white profound light appeared above Qin Muxue¡¯s head and sent the Evil Spirit skulls nearest her flying. They transformed into black mist and disappeared shortly after. It was a Psychic Magic Treasure! ¡°Just what kind of origins does Qin Muxue have?¡± ¡°Sure, she suddenly revealed those unknown ice and snow spells and that Psychic Magic Treasure earlier, the Snow Spirit Silk Band. But now, she revealed yet another Psychic Magic Treasure! Did she somehow receive some complete inheritance or something?¡± One disciple said with a cold snort, ¡°Qin Muxue definitely received some kind of complete inheritance, but she¡¯s just some upstart bumpkin. Isn¡¯t she still being pressured by Senior Martial Brother Xu in this fight?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t because Qin Muxue is too weak. It¡¯s just that Senior Martial Brother Xu¡¯s secret ghost Dao technique is too bizarre and difficult to block. Even a Psychic Magic Treasure can¡¯t defend against it very well.¡± ¡°Exactly, Senior Martial Brother Xu¡¯s secret ghost Dao technique is too mysterious. He hasn¡¯t even used that crazy blood-colored light that he used against Kou Zun yet!¡± Countless spectating disciples began to talk spiritedly amongst themselves, but they weren¡¯t watching Qin Muxue closely, thinking that she was just some ordinary disciple that happened to run into some good fortune. Qin Muxue¡¯s face was somewhat pale. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, how about you do away with that rare secret ghost Dao technique of yours and have a real fight with me?!¡± If they were to compete in spells alone, the complete inheritance that she had received consisted of two Psychic Magic Treasures and over ten fully intact spells. Against those also at the Sea of Qi stage, she had the confidence to beat any opponent. But this secret ghost Dao technique was too strange and mysterious. Even the soul-protecting Magic Treasure that she had made specially prepared wasn¡¯t able to fully block it, leaving her frustrated to the extreme. The youth was standing high up in the sky on the Yin Yang Diagram. When he heard what she said, he let out a scoff. The black vortexes in his eyes spun with an even greater radiance, and as he spoke, his cold voice was audible over the rumble of the bubbling magma. ¡°Extinguishing Soul, Blood Light.¡± The soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skulls were still deadlocked with the small parasol and the snow white profound light, neither able to take an inch off the other. The moment Xu Disheng¡¯s words reached her ears, innumerable black winds began to sweep around the skulls! A bloodthirsty aura of destruction erupted from the Evil Spirit skulls with a loud bang! The tightly closed eyes of the skull slowly opened, the blood-colored light piercing through the ashy gray atmosphere. Black gales swirled into a tempest, the howling of the winds resonating in the mind! It was the first form of Soul Song¡¯s Extinguishing Soul Mantra, Soul-Extinguishing Blood Light! The hairs on Qin Muxue¡¯s body stood on end, and her scalp tingled eerily. Without another thought, she immediately tossed out the white profound light above her head to block it, then made an explosive retreat! The blood-colored light shone on the small parasol. In only three breaths of time, the small parasol turned into black gas and disappeared, sentenced to oblivion. The snow white profound light that Qin Muxue had thrown out revealed its true appearance at that moment. It was a brocade scarf with several snowflakes embroidered on it. It was also completely illuminated by the Soul-Extinguishing Blood Light, and with a sizzling zizi sound, its spirituality started to slowly be wiped away, albeit at a snail¡¯s pace. In the end, it was a Psychic Magic Treasure, so even though Qin Muxue had no way of demonstrating its full might, it could still passively defend to some degree upon receiving damage. The Soul-Extinguishing Blood Light and the Embroidered Snowflake Scarf reached a temporary impasse. Although several streams of blood-colored light managed to shine through, Qin Muxue had already made a swift retreat, so it wasn¡¯t able to reach her. ¡°Qin Muxue doesn¡¯t stand a chance!¡± ¡°Last time when Xu Disheng was facing off against Kou Zun, a genius from the Mingxin Mountain, this blood-colored light caused Kou Zun to lose his entire arm when it shone on him!¡± ¡°Even a Psychic Magic Treasure isn¡¯t able to completely block it! Senior Martial Brother¡¯s secret ghost Dao technique is too oppressive!¡± ¡°Qin Muxue had been relying on her complete set of ice and snow-type spells and their synergy with her Psychic Magic Treasure to get to this point, but since the start of the fight, she hasn¡¯t had the chance to show her real fighting strength. Senior Martial Brother Xu gained the initiative by striking first and now she¡¯s in a bad spot!¡± ¡°She¡¯s just an ordinary disciple. Even if she managed to obtain an inheritance, her cultivation base is too lacking. Now that her embroidered scarf Magic Treasure is stuck with blocking the blood-colored light, what is she going to use to block Senior Martial Brother Xu¡¯s attack?¡± The people who betted on Xu Disheng were all pleasantly surprised. Many of them grew excited and started cheering loudly. One disciple shouted, his voice trembling with excitement. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu is unstoppable! I¡¯ve been betting on him the entire day and already made hundreds of spirit stones!¡± Xu Disheng looked at Qin Muxue, who had already retreated far away, but he didn¡¯t give her any time to breathe. The Jade Water Array Flag and the White Lotus Array Flag appeared simultaneously. With a gust of air, they each materialized an array in the surroundings, ruthlessly suppressing the area within! Qin Muxue had never seen such a bizarre ghost Dao technique like Xu Disheng¡¯s. She felt extremely frustrated inside. Seeing the array field appearing around her and the suppressing force rapidly approaching, she clenched her teeth and channeled power into the Snow Spirit Silk Band. It glowed with intense white light as if it was preparing to unleash an extremely powerful ice element spell. ¡°A Thousand Miles of Snow!¡± Snowflakes fell from the sky, condensing into a colossal wall made from snow. It not only blocked the suppression from the two manifested array domains, but also continued to grow larger, unleashing a bone-chilling cold that unfurled towards Xu Disheng! ¡°Qin Muxue is¡­ trying to use offense as her defense?¡± ¡°Yes, she must know very well that she has no way of blocking Senior Martial Brother Xu¡¯s secret ghost Dao technique, so her only hope for victory is to try an all-out attack.¡± ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu¡¯s two array flags are top-grade Magic Treasures, but Qin Muxue¡¯s Snow Spirit Silk Band is a Psychic Magic Treasure. It makes sense that his attack would be blocked.¡± Qin Muxue suddenly burst out with power, causing the disciples who had bet on her to see a glimmer of hope. Their eyes were glued to the screen of light, afraid to miss even a single second. ¡°Soul Devouring White Lotus, Corroding Jade Water.¡± Xu Disheng took another two True Qi Pills, then activated the inherent spells in each of the top-grade Magic Treasures at full force. The wall of snow swept away the Corroding Jade Water that filled the materialized array domain, and even sent the Jade Water Array Flag flying, causing the array domain to disappear. The Soul Devouring White Lotus was a spell that attacked the soul. It passed right through the wall of snow, bypassing it entirely. Qin Muxue¡¯s expression turned unsightly, cursing under her breath. ¡°Yet another spell that targets the soul! This Xu guy is handsome, but the cultivation methods he uses are so vile!¡± In the time she took to think, dozens of Soul Devouring White Lotuses had already reached her. With a flush of exasperated resentment, Qin Muxue activated the Snow Spirit Silk Band in her hand once more. A frigid qi filled the air, unexpectedly freezing the Soul Devouring White Lotuses! The white lotuses were incorporeal, but they were still affected and slowed significantly by the frigid, bone-piercing cold qi emanating from the Psychic Magic Treasure. Qin Muxue waved the Snow Spirit Silk Band. ¡°Ice and snow, ensnare.¡± The Psychic Magic Treasure emitted a radiant white glow, completely turning the dozens of Soul Devouring White Lotuses into ice. With a light flick of her arm, the icy lotus flowers splintered and shattered into mere powder. Find the original at "pawread dot com". She managed to meet offense with offense, which allowed her to deal with the Soul Devouring White Lotuses. But before she could even let out a sigh of relief, she looked up and realized that the enormous wall of snow she had gone all-out to summon had disappeared without a trace. Her eyes went wide like they were about to pop out of their sockets, and her heart filled with despair. ¡°Controlling Waves.¡± The youth¡¯s cool voice reached Qin Muxue¡¯s ears. She heard the rumbling and flowing of water and looked down. As it turned out, Xu Disheng had moved the power of heaven and earth to convert the entirety of the Thousand Miles of Snow spell that she used to summon the wall of snow into water elemental energy. Floating in the air above the flowing magma were countless towering waves, rushing towards her! CH 184 Chapter 184 ¨C I Want to Take First Place Qin Muxue ground her perfect white teeth, her eyes filled with frustration and unwillingness. As the waves roared towards her, it gathered more and more of the power of heaven and earth. It crashed upon her like thunder, reducing the blazing aura that had been surrounding her body by more than half. QIn Muxue took out her jade identity tablet and activated it, unable to block the Controlling Wave technique any longer. She took back her Embroidered Snowflake Scarf, which was still at a deadlock with the Soul Extinguishing Blood Light, before being teleported out of the inner realm of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. In the enormous screen of light in the sea of clouds, golden light pulsed with a loud rumble, and Xu Disheng¡¯s name appeared in blazing golden script across the sky. With this, Xu Disheng had entered the top 20 of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. Qin Muxue felt stifled and frustrated to the extreme, and hatred for Xu Disheng filled her heart. She originally came from a large clan in the Jinchang Province, and the last time she went back to her ancestral land, she was chosen to receive her ancestor¡¯s inheritance due to her special body constitution. It was a completely intact Divine Core stage inheritance. This Divine Core stage inheritance not only had a method that could convert profound qi into ice and snow-aspected qi, but also included one attack and one defense-type Psychic Magic Treasure. Along with a comprehensive set of ice and snow spells, it allowed her to experience an explosive rise in fighting strength, elevating her from an ordinary peak Sea of Qi stage disciple to a half-step Dao Foundation stage genius. After winning five battles in a row in the Luminous Cloud Abyss¡¯s inner realm, Qin Muxue started to entertain thoughts of entering the top 20. But she just so happened to run into Xu Disheng in the most crucial battle. After getting what could only be called steamrolled, and then finally eliminated with hardly any chance to retaliate, she was as angry and frustrated as one could well imagine. ¡°As expected, Senior Martial Brother Xu won,¡± a disciple who bet on Xu Disheng in advance said happily, counting the spirit stones he earned. ¡°How could an upstart nobody like Qin Muxue even compare to someone like Senior Martial Brother Xu?¡± ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu is a disciple that was trained since childhood by Celestial Tide Spirit Master specifically for this tournament. And now he¡¯s making it big!¡± Another disciple said brazenly, evidently somewhat misinformed. ¡°The Sea of Qi division¡¯s top 20 battles will be exciting to watch this time.¡± ¡°I agree. Senior Brother Zhang Yangui and Senior Sister Mo Yue aside, Ji Haohan and Xu Disheng will be roughly evenly matched. If they happen to run into one another, this time¡¯s Eight Mountains Grand Tournament will become interesting.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Mist energy wrapped up Xu Disheng¡¯s body. Teleportation power filled the air around him, then his field of vision changed. A few breaths of time later, he found himself above the sea of clouds in the Luminous Cloud Abyss, standing next to the enormous Cloud Gate. Countless people turned towards Xu Disheng, sizing up this Sea of Qi stage genius who was comparable to the unparalleled Rank 3 Spiritual Root geniuses like Ji Haohan. In these gazes, there was praise, admiration, respect, envy, and even jealousy, among other complex feelings. Standing atop a cloud chariot, Cloud Stream Spirit Master glanced over at Xu Disheng, his eyes full of praise. ¡°You can rest for half a day and catch your breath. After half a day, the top 20 battles will commence.¡± Xu Disheng cupped his hands and bowed. ¡°Understood, Spirit Master.¡± There were several Sea of Qi stage disciples from Affairs Hall standing nearby, who began to lead him towards an extremely large, majestic great hall. He turned to look at the list of names in the sky, the names inscribed in gold. There were already around a dozen names written on it, meaning there were still some people fighting in the inner realm. Zhang Yangui, Mo Yue, Ji Haohan, Pu Li, and Mu Hui were on the list, their names glimmering with golden light. These people clearly came out of the inner realm earlier than himself. There were a few more unfamiliar names on there, but their names hadn¡¯t been on the jade slip that recorded the names of the well-known geniuses. Xu Disheng only skimmed the list before entering the majestic great hall that had been prepared for him beforehand. There were only a little over a dozen names written in gold on the list, but they weren¡¯t ranked in any particular order. It was only used to display the top 20. The great hall was extremely peaceful and quiet, the furnishings tasteful and refined. There was also precious incense like concentrating incense burning in the hall, which could slightly raise the cultivation of the mind. This place was very optimal for recuperating. After only a few moments passed, over 20 jade slips came flying into the hall. Xu Disheng put down the jade identity tablet in his hand and gathered all of the jade slips that had arrived. This great hall also had an array for transmitting information, which could be temporarily assigned to Xu Disheng for use. All he had to do was use his jade identity tablet to activate the sealing array, and it would dispatch all of the messages left for him at his own courtyard in Morning Dew Peak over to his current location. There were only two jade slips that had a resplendent dark green glow. Aside from standard jade slips issued by the sect, only Divine Core stage Spirit Masters could send jade slips with this color. Xu Disheng picked one of them up and submerged his consciousness into it. One of the dark green jade slips was from Celestial Tide Spirit Master, which didn¡¯t come as any surprise to Xu Disheng. What was surprising, however, was the other jade slip. It was sent out by the Cloud Ascension Domain of Mingxin Mountain Range. When he opened it, Ruan Xun¡¯s voice entered his ears. ¡°Primordial Lord Yangze orders Xu Disheng of Morning Dew Peak to proceed to the Cloud Ascension Domain after the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament for an audience.¡± Although Ruan Xun was a Sea of Qi stage genius, he was also a descendent of a Primordial Lord, so he was never registered on the directory of Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s disciples. As a result, he couldn¡¯t participate in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. Aside from him, there were others that lived in the Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Yuluo Realm and were geniuses that resided in the domain of some Primordial Lord. They also weren¡¯t registered as disciples and thus couldn¡¯t participate in the tournament. Primordial Lord Yangze was one of the Mountain Masters of Mingxin Mountain Range. Xu Disheng knew of this matter, but he hadn¡¯t had any prior interaction with him before. It was rather abrupt for Ruan Xun to send a jade slip out of the blue containing Primordial Lord Yangze¡¯s orders, telling him to come to the Cloud Ascension Domain to have an audience with the Primordial Lord after the tournament. Subconsciously, Xu Disheng suddenly thought of Lu Wen and the terrifying Bodhisattva phantom image, as well as that gray divine light that had swept across heaven and earth. Inwardly, some guesses began to surface in his mind. As Xu Disheng was deep in his thoughts, he felt a ripple in the protective array outside the great hall. Without hesitation, Xu Disheng activated his jade identity tablet and opened the restrictive array outside the hall. ¡°All those buzzing rumors about that Fierce Specter War Chariot¡­ So it was you who got your hands on it in the end, Junior Martial Brother Xu?¡± He Junyu said, striding into the hall. He was dressed in a black Daoist robe, and the look in his eyes was a bit complex. ¡°Yes, that was me,¡± Xu Disheng replied, lifting his gaze. He could sense the aura of a water element spell around He Junyu¡¯s body which hadn¡¯t completely dissipated. ¡°Did you also make it to the top 20, Senior Martial Brother He?¡± ¡°I got lucky. Several times in a row, I didn¡¯t run into any of those unparalleled geniuses. Although I ended up facing Liu Pengyun from the Mountain of Law in the very last match, I was somehow able to fight my way to victory,¡± He Junyu said. Although his words were downplaying his accomplishment quite a bit, Xu Disheng knew the difficulties within, and was well aware that it was no simple feat. Liu Pengyun of the Mountain of Law was one of the geniuses listed on the ranking jade slip! Even though Liu Pengyun was only evaluated as ¡®relatively strong¡¯, He Junyu shouldn¡¯t have been able to stand a chance based on what Xu Disheng knew about his prior strength. This novel is available on "pawread dot com". However, at the border between the Shan Mountain Territory and the He Yin Territory, He Junyu had obtained Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s water element inheritance. Now, no one knew for certain how strong he truly was. Unwittingly, He Junyu and Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s attitude toward Xu Disheng, and the way they treated them, had undergone a subtle but significant change. In this tournament, Xu Disheng had not only displayed an unparalleled power of comprehension, but had also demonstrated his ability to use Dao Foundation stage spells beyond his cultivation realm. He was no longer limited to the Mingxin Mountain Range, and had firmly entered the eyes of everyone in the eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. ¡°Are you interested in the title of Sacred Son, Senior Martial Brother He?¡± He Junyu looked startled for a moment, then shook his head and replied, ¡°Even though my strength has improved greatly since obtaining Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s secret water Dao techniques, I still don¡¯t stand a chance against people like Zhang Yangui and Mo Yue. Even though the title of Sacred Son seems so close, I¡¯m still worlds away from being able to get my hands on it.¡± Xu Disheng stood up, the small soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull above his shoulder flitting about constantly. With a flick of his sleeve, he declared, ¡°I want to take first place!¡± ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu?!¡± He Junyu exclaimed, flabbergasted and speechless. In his mind, Xu Disheng was someone who always played it low-key and had a very reserved and indifferent temperament. He was never the kind of person to resort to crazed ramblings. But if he wanted to win against geniuses like Zhang Yangui and Mo Yue, merely putting it in words wasn¡¯t enough. The difficulty these words implied was enormous and was hardly something any ordinary disciple could imagine. But when the youth in the white and blue robe looked up, a light wind swept up, in spite of the fact that the two of them were inside a great hall. He Junyu could feel the intense desire to fight coming off of Xu Disheng, flaring up like a raging inferno. ¡°From the Ruyang Region to the You Province, from the Chu Territory to the Mingxin Mountain Range¡­ I have cultivated so hard for nearly twenty years. I¡¯ve remained silent long enough. With the enormous share of cultivation resources that the title of Sacred Son promises, I refuse to miss this opportunity,¡± Xu Disheng said quietly. He wasn¡¯t looking at He Junyu. Instead, he¡¯d walked to the gate of the great hall, where he looked out over the sea of clouds outside the restrictive array. He had been reincarnated in the Chu Territory with a heavy fog obscuring his mind, and for nearly twenty years, until he stood where he stood now, he found that his past life¡¯s memories were covered in layers upon layers of fabrications. On top of that, there seemed to be an ancient being hibernating within the cyan jade flute. Only by becoming stronger could he completely unravel the mysteries and find the truth within. And thus, for the first time, Xu Disheng finally wanted to reveal his true strength. CH 185 Chapter 185 ¨C True Flame Body Refinement TL: Sponsored chapter (3/3) Half a day passed in the blink of an eye. He Junyu and Xu Disheng stood together, watching as an enormous elevated stage made of mist slowly rose up in the center of the sea of clouds. He Junyu said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, it would be nice if the two of us don¡¯t get matched up against one another.¡± Xu Disheng nodded his head, then looked around at the sea of clouds and the tens of thousands of profound cultivators from the Shan Mountain Territory who had come to watch. ¡°I guess we don¡¯t know what exactly the rules will be for the top 20 tournament.¡± The spectators who were sitting on the seats made out of clouds began to size up the top 20 geniuses of the Sea of Qi division, discussing amongst themselves. ¡°That¡¯s Zhang Yangui? He doesn¡¯t look that strong.¡± ¡°Is that small, red sword-shaped between his eyebrows¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the Psychic Magic Treasure, the Burning Heart Sword. It was planted in him as a sword poison by his father. Back in the day, it set the entire Shan Mountain Territory abuzz with rumors, causing quite the controversy.¡± ¡°Mo Yue is pretty, but I hear she¡¯s as cold as an iceberg, tsk-tsk,¡± a Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator said, sighing with admiration as he stared at Mo Yue¡¯s picturesque features. She was a cool beauty¡ªalluring but icy. ¡°Who cares how pretty she is? Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivators like you have no right to lust over someone like her,¡± someone next to him sneered. ¡°Who are you?¡± that Dao Foundation rogue cultivator said, his face filling with humiliation and resentment. He whipped around to look for the person who just ridiculed him and came face to face with a Dao Foundation stage youth in the attire of the Peak Destroying Sword Sect, who was looking at him with an amused expression. The rogue cultivator immediately swallowed his rage, muttering to himself as he turned back around, not daring to say another word. Although the Peak Destroying Sword Sect was just a subordinate sect of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, they were still a large-scale sect in the Shan Mountain Territory. They also had a Primordial Spirit stage existence in their ranks, and they weren¡¯t a force that a few rogue cultivators could provoke. ¡°That youth in the white and blue Daoist robe is Xu Disheng.¡± ¡°That secret ghost Dao technique of his is too overpowered!¡± ¡°No, as far as I¡¯ve seen, the secret technique that Xu Disheng has demonstrated is related to attacking the soul. Although it¡¯s similar to the ghost Dao, the might of the two are worlds apart.¡± Xu Disheng had been using techniques from Soul Song more and more frequently, and there were many people with good eyes who started to have guesses about his cultivation method. After all, if it was just a ghost Dao technique, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to break through the defenses of a Psychic Magic Treasure so easily. The might of the Soul Extinguishing Blood Light was shocking, easily destroying a Magic Treasure! Techniques that attacked the soul and mind were not as well known, but were inexplicable and strange, and very difficult to guard against. At that moment, Cloud Stream Spirit Master¡¯s voice resonated through the entire Luminous Cloud Abyss. ¡°The top 20 tournament will be split into two rounds. In the end, only 5 will remain.¡± Aftering speaking to that point, a profound light flew out from his sleeve, imprinting itself on the enormous list of contestants written in gold in the sky. There were 20 names on the list. And at this moment, 10 golden lines appeared, randomly matching pairs between each of the names. Shortly after, it finished assigning matches to all 20 people. ¡°Mu Hui and Zong Zizhen!¡± ¡°Pu Li got matched up with Zhang Yangui! Pu Li¡¯s luck is the worst!¡± ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng had been matched with an unfamiliar name. It was a genius called Chen Chengwang, who came from the Refining Heart Mountain Range. Cloud Stream Spirit Master looked up at the golden list of names and announced, ¡°First match, Zhang Yangui vs. Pu Li.¡± There was a colossal arena made out of mist in the middle of the sea of clouds. A fire phoenix appeared next to Zhang Yangui in an inferno of blazing flames and carried him up onto the arena. Pu Li¡¯s expression was unsightly. He followed closely behind, flying up to the arena on a Magic Treasure. On the ranking jade slip, Pu Li had been given an ¡®extremely strong¡¯ evaluation mainly because he had a transformation stage spiritual beast called the Dark Thunder Lion, which was equivalent to a human Dao Foundation stage cultivator. Aside from that, he didn¡¯t possess any outstanding characteristics. Setting everything else aside, Zhang Yangui¡¯s spiritual beast, the Scarlet Flame Phoenix, was a peak transformation stage monster, and was more than enough to crush his own Dark Thunder Lion single-handedly. If they were to compare any other aspect, they would still be worlds apart. The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament didn¡¯t allow its contestants to concede defeat. After all, so many influences from the Shan Mountain Territory were coming to watch. If the Sea of Qi stage geniuses just conceded without fighting, it would bring harm to the face of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Pu, go ahead and attack first,¡± Zhang Yangui said casually. He hadn¡¯t taken any battle stance whatsoever, and was just petting his Scarlet Flame Phoenix. Standing on the other side of the massive mist arena, Pu Li cursed inwardly. After a moment¡¯s thought, he sent out the Dark Thunder Lion and had it charge toward Zhang Yangui. The Dark Thunder Lion was a transformation stage spiritual beast and had an extremely high intelligence, so it had already seen through Pu Li¡¯s intention to avoid fighting. Although it was roaring loudly as it charged towards Zhang Yangui, lightning coiling threateningly around its body, it was only using about 60% of its power. The Scarlet Flame Phoenix let out a resounding cry and spit out a massive ball of spirit flame. It collided with the Dark Thunder Lion, the momentum sending it flying backwards through the air. Wrapped in a blazing flame, it was slammed heavily into the floor of the arena. Seeing the Scarlet Flame Phoenix turn towards him with its beak open, as if it was about to spit another ball of spirit flame at him, Pu Li hurriedly shouted, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Zhang, I admit defeat!¡± ¡°What is this?!¡± On the other hand, the disciples of the Eight Mountains that were watching the tournament all deeply understood how Pu Li felt. After all, Zhang Yangui was of extremely noble status, and his name was synonymous with being unmatched. If it weren¡¯t for the Burning Heart Sword Poison, he would have already broken through to the Divine Core stage. Everyone was well aware of this. Before the start of a match like this with such a large disparity, the disciples that were hosting the betting tables had temporarily stopped taking bets. Even if anyone were to bet on Zhang Yangui¡¯s victory, they would make only a few spirit stones. ¡°Second match, Xu Disheng vs. Chen Chengwang.¡± Cloud Stream Spirit Master¡¯s voice resonated throughout the Luminous Cloud Abyss once more. Xu Disheng stepped on the phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram and flew onto the arena. The mist arena was simply too large, so he had to stare far off into the distance in order to see Chen Chengwang at the other end of the arena. Chen Chengwang was a Rank 4 Spiritual Root genius from the Refining Heart Mountain Range. Compared to Xu Disheng¡¯s outstanding combat record so far, Chen Chengwang seemed completely unremarkable. His name didn¡¯t even appear on the jade slip that contained the list of geniuses of the Eight Mountains. As a result, most people thought that this battle was going to be much like the previous one, with Chen Chengwang only lasting a short moment before Xu Disheng beat him. ¡°Xu Disheng? Your secret soul technique and your Controlling Waves technique are pretty good. As for the rest, you¡¯re pretty whatever,¡± Chen Chengwang said, his expression cold and indifferent. As he spoke, an extremely powerful aura started gradually rising from his body. ¡°This¡­?!¡± ¡°What?! This aura¡­ is this the Chen Clan¡¯s True Flame Body Refining technique?¡± ¡°Yes! Only the True Fire Body Refining technique can have an aura like this that rivals the Dao Foundation stage!¡± ¡°The True Fire Body Refining technique uses the power of earthen fire to refine the body. There are very few body refining experts, and it¡¯s extremely difficult to make breakthroughs. It¡¯s surprising that Chen Chengwang would choose this path.¡± ¡°So the reason why he seemed so unremarkable and ordinary was because he¡¯s actually a body refining expert, and naturally isn¡¯t proficient in spells.¡± ¡°As expected of someone from the Chen Clan. Concealing their strength is like second nature to them.¡± Quite a few people recognized the cultivation method that Chen Chengwang cultivated. As their expressions changed, they started to feel a renewed interest in this battle. ¡°I bet on Chen Chengwang! 300 spirit stones!¡± ¡°The True Flame Body Refining technique is a Dao Foundation stage technique. The fact that Chen Chengwang is able to practice it means its might is no different from Xu Disheng¡¯s Controlling Waves technique! But I still believe in Senior Martial Brother Xu more. I bet 200 spirit stones on Xu Disheng!¡± ¡°260 spirit stones on Chen Chengwang!¡± ¡°All in! I bet everything on Xu Disheng!¡± a disciple with red-rimmed eyes slammed a storage pouch filled with all his spirit stones on the betting table. There were 800 spirit stones within! As Chen Chengwang¡¯s true strength was revealed, the wagers started to stack up in all of the large marketplaces, causing the atmosphere to surge festively. ¡°True Flame Body Refining technique?¡± Xu Disheng muttered under his breath as he sensed the Dao Foundation stage aura coming off Chen Chengwang¡¯s body. CH 186 Chapter 186 ¨C True Strength! Blue flames surged around Chen Chengwang¡¯s body, allowing him to hover in the air. His deep, powerful aura pressed down on Xu Disheng. Chen Chengwang extended his arm, curling his hand into a fist. Icy blue flame leapt around his body, growing in intensity. With a burst of strength, he charged toward Xu Disheng, leaving a dazzling trail of blue light in his wake. Xu Disheng bore the pressure of Chen Chengwang¡¯s aura that rivaled the Dao Foundation stage in strength, watching as he rapidly approached. He took out the White Lotus Array Flag and the Jade Water Array Flag, then materialized an array in front of him, laying down layer upon layer of defense. Bang! Chen Chengwang stood in the air, his right hand still curled in a fist. The blue flames leaping off his body were flaring up like a raging inferno. ¡°You want to block me with a Magic Treasure¡¯s puny array domain?¡± he scoffed. The external array domain materialized by the two top-grade Magic Treasures was blown apart by a single fist from Chen Chengwang! The White Lotus Array Flag and the Jade Water Array Flag were sent flying back to Xu Disheng, who promptly put them away. With a thought, the Demon Punishing Array Diagram appeared above his head. The four different colored swords flashed, attempting to suck Chen Chengwang into its dimension! If Xu Disheng could suck him into the array diagram, he could gain the advantage and slowly whittle him down! Chen Chengwang¡¯s expression filled with an even greater disdain. His right hand still curled tightly into a fist, he flagrantly threw out a punch towards the incoming suppression of the Demon Punishing Array Diagram. The moment he punched out, the blazing blue flames on his fist blossomed into a dazzling radiance, colliding with the four-colored sword lights! Boom! With a loud explosion, the blue flames overpowered the four-colored sword lights, sending them flying away. Chen Chengwang staggered a few steps back, but this only made his fighting intent grow stronger. ¡°What a good array diagram!¡± The Demon Punishing Array Diagram furled back up and returned to Xu Disheng. The four-colored sword lights revolved above Xu Disheng¡¯s head, orbiting about. ¡°Chen Chengwang¡¯s body is so strong¡­!¡± It was exactly as this person said. At that moment, Chen Chengwang, standing in the middle of the air, took out two True Qi Pills from his interspatial ring and tossed them down. He looked down at Xu Disheng and said, ¡°If that¡¯s all you have to rely on, you aren¡¯t my opponent.¡± Xu Disheng lifted his gaze slightly to look at him, but didn¡¯t respond. A black war chariot clad in a dreadful, sinister aura appeared in front of him, filling the air with an evil energy. It was the Fierce Specter War Chariot, which had a Fierce Specter stage ghost sealed inside! Chen Chengwang¡¯s expression turned a bit more serious. He took out a pair of sky blue metal knuckles. It wasn¡¯t clear what they were made out of, but they shone with a scintillating glow, making it clear that it was a Psychic Magic Treasure! ¡°The Blue Sky Knuckles!¡± ¡°The Blue Sky Knuckles are a Psychic Magic Treasure specifically for body refining experts!¡± ¡°It¡¯s rumored that the knuckles were made from blue sky meteoric iron, and¡­ they¡¯re apparently strong enough to damage other Psychic Magic Treasures!¡± ¡°But Xu Disheng¡¯s Fierce Specter War Chariot¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it also has some origin to it. The Fierce Specter stage ghost sealed within¡­ it actually originates from a Divine Core stage disciple from the Mountain of Law who turned traitor several hundred years ago.¡± This novel is available on "pawread dot com". Chen Chengwang put on the knuckles, the glow surrounding both of his fists becoming even brighter. With a sneer, he swooped down, swinging a fist towards Xu Disheng! ¡°First seal, release!¡± Xu Disheng made a hand seal, then stamped his hand on the Fierce Specter War Chariot! A resentful howl shook the air, ringing throughout the arena. A figure emitting fiendish energy appeared from the war chariot. Its sinister face opened wide, spitting out a vortex of ghost force as black as the depths of the underworld! The ghost force vortex sucked up nearly half of the mist floating above the arena as it approached Chen Chengwang, who punched out towards it with both fists! The black, fiendish qi that was covering practically half of the entire arena collided head-on with the blue radiance! The sound of an enormous explosion rocked the entire sea of clouds. The fiendish qi dissipated, and Chen Chengwang¡¯s face was also somewhat pale. A grim smile teased at the corner of his mouth. ¡°I wonder how many times you can use a move like that?¡± Many people looked over at his opponent. Sure enough, Xu Disheng was in the middle of taking several True Qi Pills. Clearly, a single attack from the Fierce Specter in the Fierce Specter War Chariot consumed a massive amount of his profound qi. The flaming blue radiance surged forth with renewed vigor from the Blue Sky Knuckles. After adjusting his breathing for a moment, Chen Chengwang charged towards Xu Disheng once more! True Qi Pills recovered profound qi very quickly, but there wasn¡¯t enough time. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t have enough time to completely recover his profound qi. He gritted his teeth, then made a hand seal. ¡°Swallowing Soul Mantra, second form. Ghost Devourer!¡± Unexpectedly, he consumed a little under half of the Soul Force in the black flute to cast an advanced spell from the Swallowing Soul Mantra! The soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull hovering by his shoulder let out a howl and shot towards Chen Chengwang, unleashing black winds in its wake. ¡°Your secret soul attacking technique is no secret anymore. I¡¯ve made preparations far in advance. You can¡¯t do anything to me,¡± Chen Chengwang said, his sneer growing deeper. He completely ignored the approaching Evil Spirit skull, then swung out with a flaming fist at Xu Disheng! The soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull went right through Chen Chengwang, leaving him completely unharmed! Upon closer inspection, it was possible to see a faint yellow glow flash above Chen Chengwang¡¯s head. It was a soul and mind protecting Magic Treasure, which were extremely rare. Caaaaaw! Dozens of white birds flew out from the White Heron Robe, but it was only able to block the explosive force of the Blue Sky Knuckles for a single breath of time. After that, the white birds dissipated back into pure profound qi. A thin screen of water appeared in front of Chen Chengwang, blocking his line of sight for a moment. The screen of water was pierced through in an instant, but it caused the unstoppable blue flaming fist to pause for a moment. However¡­ Chen Chengwang furrowed his eyebrows. His fist collided with layer after layer of water screens, gradually slowing down his momentum. He suddenly looked up. Xu Disheng had already appeared dozens of meters behind him! There were hundreds of water screens erected protectively in front of him! ¡°How could this be?! Is Xu Disheng¡¯s profound qi infinite?¡± ¡°He just used the Fierce Specter War Chariot to attack. He theoretically shouldn¡¯t have any profound qi remaining. Even if he did take several True Qi Pills just now, he shouldn¡¯t be able to recover profound qi this fast!¡± ¡°So many water screens! And every single one of them has about the same amount of defensive power as a Magic Treasure!¡± Meanwhile, in Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of qi, the phantom image of the ancient bell was trembling, madly absorbing the power of heaven and earth outside of Xu Disheng¡¯s body. The speed at which it was absorbing was allowing him to recover several times faster than the True Qi Pills! For the first time, Xu Disheng¡¯s profound law foundation was showing its unique characteristic! In a battle, he could recover the profound qi in his sea of qi at an incredibly fast rate! ¡°You said I wasn¡¯t your opponent?¡± Xu Disheng said as he rose up into the air on the Yin Yang Diagram, his blue and white robe fluttering in the wind. ¡°You told me that aside from that soul-attacking spell and the Controlling Waves technique, there¡¯s nothing I can do against you, didn¡¯t you?¡± The profound qi emanating from Xu Disheng¡¯s body was bountiful and concentrated to the extreme. Almost all of the power of heaven and earth in the boundary of the enormous arena was gathering above his head, forming a massive whirlpool of energy that was being absorbed rapidly into his Jianggong meridian. ¡°Didn¡¯t you also say that I couldn¡¯t block your attack?¡± The Fierce Specter War Chariot appeared again next to Xu Disheng. He formed an even more complicated hand seal, then stamped it on the chariot! ¡°Second seal, release!¡± Boundless evil energy erupted forth, causing the air to shake! A blood-curdling shriek echoed out as the Fierce Specter stage ghost appeared from the war chariot, its figure was even more consolidated than before. It turned to look at Xu Disheng, then shot out a mouthful of pure baleful energy from its mouth. Its ghostly claws condensed an extremely concentrated orb of ghost force, which melded with the baleful energy it spat out towards Chen Chengwang. The orb of baleful energy was the purest, darkest black. After it fused with the ghost force, the evil aura it was emanating turned even denser, filled with a will to annihilate souls. It spread out and propagated, tainting half of the arena with the darkest black as it swallowed towards Chen Chengwang! ¡°That¡¯s the seal that can only be released by a Dao Foundation stage cultivator!¡± ¡°The second seal of the Fierce Specter War Chariot can only be released by a Dao Foundation stage cultivator, so why can Xu Disheng¡­¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t he scared at all of the backlash from the Fierce Specter ghost after forcefully opening the second seal?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s an effect of his secret ghost Dao technique, who knows?¡± ¡°How is this anything strange to be gawking at? Doesn¡¯t the Controlling Waves technique also require the user to be at the Dao Foundation stage?¡± ¡°Exactly. Unparalleled geniuses can¡¯t be compared with ordinary people. Everything that¡¯s happened is within reason. Isn¡¯t Zhang Yangui the same way?¡± ¡°Zhang Yangui is the grandson of Realm Master Qingfu. He has also trained with Red Lotus Primordial Lord for over 20 years. How can Xu Disheng compare to him?¡± ¡°The fact that anyone has even mentioned Zhang Yangui means that Xu Disheng is already comparable to him.¡± After hearing that, all the people who had spoken earlier quieted down. Before anyone knew it, Xu Disheng had experienced a meteoric rise from his origins in Mingxin Mountain, and after his dazzling performance so far, he was now being compared with the unparalleled Rank 3 Spiritual Root geniuses. CH 187 Chapter 187 ¨C No Hope of Reprieve! When Chen Chengwang sensed the fierce ghost qi closing in on him, his cold and indifferent expression turned serious for the first time in this fight. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. Although he didn¡¯t know why Xu Disheng suddenly had so much profound qi, he didn¡¯t have the time to think about it. The pale yellow light above Chen Chengwang¡¯s head finally came into full view. It was a pale yellow alms bowl, which was emitting a sturdy, protective profound light. (TL: Alms bowl ¨C a bowl for Buddhist monks with a flat bottom and a narrowed opening that was firmly ingrained in their culture and lifestyle, used for receiving offerings and food from humans and heavenly beings) ¡°Extinguishing Soul Mantra, second form. Blood Light Illumination.¡± Seals flashed in Xu Disheng¡¯s hands. The soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull flew back to him, and after a moment of transfiguration, its eyes opened completely. The blood light condensed into a beam and shot right through Chen Chengwang¡¯s body! This was the Soul-Extinguishing Blood Light¡¯s advanced form, Blood Light Illumination! The energy consumption of this technique was extremely large, costing almost all of the Soul Force in the black flute in his sea of consciousness! Although Xu Disheng managed to comprehend this form while training at Refining Heart Mountain, he hadn¡¯t been able to use it until now. At that moment, the phantom image of the ancient bell representing Xu Disheng¡¯s profound law foundation demonstrated its miraculous effect. It not only rapidly recovered the profound qi in his Jianggong sea of qi, but it also raised the upper limit of Soul Force Xu Disheng could use, allowing him to use another advanced spell. Chen Chengwang poured energy into the pale yellow alms bowl with all his might. The yellow radiance shining down from it became even more opaque, but it wasn¡¯t able to block the onslaught of the fierce ghost qi. Chen Chengwang suddenly heard an ear-piercing zizi sound. He turned to the side and saw that there were already several streams of fierce ghost qi piercing and swallowing towards him. He couldn¡¯t let this fierce ghost qi reach him at all costs! Black rays of light shone from Chen Chengwang¡¯s robe, and he weaved a series of hand seals. A phantom image of a black lion shot out, and with a roar, it swallowed down all of the fierce ghost qi piercing towards him. Before Chen Chengwang could catch even a single breath, a beam of glaring blood red light cut towards his body! There was simply no time to react. Even the Psychic Magic Treasure ranked robe that Chen Chengwang was wearing couldn¡¯t do anything to block it, not even for a moment. The beam of blood red light had shot out of the mouth of the soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull and streaked across the entire length of the mist arena. It penetrated through the pale yellow alms bowl and the defenses of the Black Lion Robe, piercing straight through Chen Chengwang¡¯s body. It illuminated the edge of the arena behind him and even destroyed part of the arena, turning it back into a pure mist energy. ¡°What is that?!¡± Many people shot to their feet, staring at Xu Disheng¡¯s figure atop the arena with fiery gazes. In the Mingxin Mountain Range, countless disciples cheered excitedly for him as they watched through the screens of light projected by their jade slips. Without the protection of the pale yellow alms bowl, the boundless fierce ghost qi flooded over Chen Chengwang, wrapping him up completely in a ball of pitch black. He was slammed into the arena, where he lay quivering and trembling. ¡°Xu Disheng is victorious.¡± Cloud Stream Spirit Master waved his hand and sent out a stream of profound light to save Chen Chengwang, but it only managed to dispel the fierce ghost qi on him. The entire left side of Chen Chengwang¡¯s body was gone, completely vaporized by Xu Disheng¡¯s Blood Light Illumination. He was completely drenched in blood, prone on the floor of the arena, drawing his final breaths. Cloud Stream Spirit Master¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Bring him down from the arena.¡± A Dao Foundation stage elder from the Chen Clan flew onto the arena and brought Chen Chengwang away with him. After shooting Xu Disheng a hateful glare, he left the Luminous Cloud Abyss without a word. Xu Disheng cupped his hands toward Cloud Stream Spirit Master. Under everyone¡¯s gazes, he flew down from the enormous mist arena. ¡°Go Senior Martial Brother Xu!¡± ¡°In my opinion, Xu Disheng can contend for the title of Sacred Son!¡± ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu is the number one genius of our Mingxin Mountain Range!¡± In the Mingxin Mountain Range, all the disciples were buzzing with excitement. When they looked at Xu Disheng through their screens of light, pride bubbled up in their chests. Compared to the top ranking Mountain Ranges, the sixth ranked Mingxin Mountain Range received less cultivation resources and produced less true geniuses. Even people like Yu Yangyao and Jian Liangbi were called geniuses mostly because they relied on their identities and Psychic Magic Treasures to crush others of the same rank. However, Xu Disheng¡¯s meteoric rise in the public eye led others to start comparing him with geniuses like Zhang Yangui, Mo Yue, and Ji Haohan. This incited great excitement in the disciples of the Mingxin Mountain Range, even causing some to harbor unrealistic expectations for him. They wanted Xu Disheng to crush all of his peers and stand above the rest! They looked forward to Xu Disheng taking first place in the Sea of Qi division, representing the entire Mingxin Mountain Range! More than anything, they yearned for him to fulfill the inner heart¡¯s desire of any ordinary disciple, to tower over their peers and earn the title of Sacred Son! Chu Luo and the group of people he had been watching the tournament with had left Morning Dew Peak and gone to the marketplace on Canxia Peak. When they felt the buzzing, fervent atmosphere spanning the entire Mingxin Mountain Range, they felt enthusiastic and energized. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yuan, can you tell us in more detail about that time you went on a mission with Senior Martial Brother Xu?¡± There were dozens of disciples surrounding Yuan Qi, their faces glowing with excitement as they urged him to speak. Yuan Qi looked at the disciples surrounding him. When he caught sight of a few pretty girls among the ranks, a lascivious look flashed through his eyes. He forced himself to stay in control, inwardly telling himself, ¡°You were previously one of Xu Disheng¡¯s companions, you can¡¯t let yourself lose your composure in front of these ordinary disciples.¡± With a sigh, he looked around at the disciples surrounding him and started to speak in a tone that feigned profundity. ¡°That time Senior Martial Brother Xu and I went on a mission together, we were able to forge our way to the divine palace at the lakebed of Jade Water Lake through our combined efforts. Remaining calm and collected, fearless in the face of death, we¡­¡± He didn¡¯t even bother to mention the person who accepted the mission in the first place, Chen Xingzhou, or any of his people. Gradually, rumors spread, citing that Xu Disheng cared about his fellow sect members and would even look out for disciples from the same Mountain Range as him, which only raised their respect for him to greater heights. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°The Shangqing Sacred Sect has so many talented disciples!¡± ¡°Indeed, as expected of an overlord sect of the Shan Mountains. Even ordinary Dao Foundation stage disciples might not stand a chance against this little fellow and his secret ghost Dao technique.¡± ¡°I heard that the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s number one genius at the Sea of Qi division is Zhang Yangui, that youth who went up to the arena first with the seal of the Burning Heart Sword Poison between his brows.¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s a Profound Treasure! Just how precious is something like that?! It¡¯s such an enormous waste for someone to use it just for planting a sword poison!¡± In the sea of clouds, the tens of thousands of profound cultivators from the Shan Mountain Territory were talking and discussing amongst themselves. In the cloud chariots up high, there were many Divine Core stage Spirit Masters talking to one another in subdued tones. ¡°Celestial Tide, why have I never heard you say anything about acquiring such an unparalleled genius of a disciple?¡± Unsurprisingly, Celestial Tide Spirit Master had drawn the gazes of many other Spirit Masters from his position atop his cloud chariot. Celestial Tide Spirit Master looked off into the far distance toward Xu Disheng, who had already returned to his great hall. There was a hint of surprise in his tone as he spoke. ¡°This disciple is indeed great. It¡¯s true that I was nurturing him before, but even I never expected him to be quite so unmatched.¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master only regarded Xu Disheng with such importance because he knew what he did in the Zhao Realm, when he had erupted with fighting strength and killed four Dao Foundation stage cultivators. But even he didn¡¯t expect him to experience such an explosive growth in every aspect. A Spirit Master from the Spirit Flower Sect exclaimed, ¡°No matter what it is about this disciple, from his secret soul-attacking technique, to the fact that he¡¯s able to undo the second seal of the Fierce Specter War Chariot and use the Controlling Waves technique at only the half-step Dao Foundation stage, any one of these things would be enough for him to be called a true genius.¡± ¡°Did you perhaps forget to mention that secret method that that disciple used to rapidly recover his profound qi?¡± Another Spirit Master said with a laugh. ¡°That secret method was the real key to his victory just now. If his internal profound qi couldn¡¯t keep up with his consumption, using the Fierce Specter War Chariot or the Controlling Waves technique wouldn¡¯t have been more than a pipe dream.¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master nodded, agreeing. ¡°Indeed, that secret technique that allows him to rapidly recover profound qi is even more precious than his ghost soul-attacking technique. It¡¯s a shame that such techniques are useless for Divine Core stage cultivators like us, or even I might not be able to hold myself back from asking him about his methods and losing face for myself.¡± The nearby Spirit Masters nodded in agreement. The Spirit Master from the Spirit Flower Sect who spoke earlier opened his mouth once more. ¡°Celestial Tide Spirit Master, in your opinion, do you think this disciple can seize the title of Sacred Son for the Sea of Qi division this time?¡± Gazing off in the direction of Xu Disheng¡¯s great hall once more, Celestial Tide Spirit Master replied, ¡°He can place in the top 3.¡± Even though he didn¡¯t say it explicitly, he was placing Xu Disheng above Ji Haohan! Zhang Yangui and Mo Yue were both evaluated as ¡®unparalleled¡¯, and were both capable of crushing anyone at the same rank as them. But with Celestial Tide Spirit Master saying that Xu Disheng could place in the top 3, it meant that he was placing Xu Disheng second only to these two geniuses! Meanwhile, on Ghost Controlling Peak in the Mingxin Mountain Range¡­ Ghost Dominion Spirit Master, also known as Zhao Leshan, was wearing a gloomy expression. ¡°Help me draft a clan jade slip and send it to the Fourth Mountain. I want to completely resign from my status in the Mingxin Mountain Range and return to the Zhao Clan branch in the Mountain of Law.¡± It was a humiliation for a lofty Divine Core stage Spirit Master to be confined to a Peak in this manner, unable to take a single step from its boundaries. After this matter took place, Zhao Leshan had lost all the face and reputation he had built in the Mingxin Mountain Range. Now, all of the disciples and members of the Zhao Clan had to yield to every demand and could no longer act as overbearing as they once did. If things continued like this, Ghost Controlling Peak would soon experience a rapid decline. Ghost Dominion Spirit Master now hated Xu Disheng and Celestial Tide Spirit Master down to their guts. He was even angrier at the Vice Peak Master, Zhao Yan, for being totally useless and unable to do anything right! Very few people knew about this matter. Only the few Spirit Masters who held authority in the Mingxin Mountain Range were aware. If more people knew, it would cause huge waves in the Shangqing Sacred Sect. The people in the Zhao Realm who knew what happened had already been taken care of by Xu Disheng, leaving behind only ordinary mortals. The main branch of the Zhao Clan from the Mountain of Law learned of this matter through Ghost Dominion Spirit Master, but they didn¡¯t believe that Xu Disheng turned the tables and killed Zhao Yan and the others alone. They instead believed that Xu Disheng had some powerful expert backing him, which is why they further reprimanded Ghost Dominion Spirit Master, harshly criticizing him for making a mess of the Zhao Realm and losing face for the Zhao Clan. ¡°Fortunately, I have that bastard Zhao Yan¡¯s recording jade slip, showing his last moments before death. If I didn¡¯t have that, even I wouldn¡¯t have believed that that Sea of Qi stage brat could kill four Dao Foundation stage cultivators! That pagoda¡­ it has to be at least a Profound Treasure!¡± Zhao Leshan waved his hand, dismissing the Ghost Controlling Peak disciples in the hall. He muttered to himself while fiddling with the recording jade slip in his hand. ¡°Celestial Tide Spirit Master He Wenshu¡­ You must be so pleased with yourself right now. But I have conclusive evidence that Xu Disheng, whom you place such high hopes on, violated sect rules. Even if I have to give up my foundation on Ghost Controlling Peak, I will thoroughly destroy him as revenge for you humiliating me!¡± The rules of the Shangqing Sacred Sect were extremely strict! Ghost Dominion Spirit Master was heavily punished, but it was still Zhao Yan and the others who had borne the brunt of the criminal charges for attempting to slaughter a genius of the sect. Although Xu Disheng had acted in his own personal defense by killing Zhao Yan and the other Dao Foundation stage beings from the Zhao Clan, he still killed many people from the Zhao Clan, some of which were disciples registered on the sect directory! Xu Disheng had once been charged with slaughtering fellow sect disciples, but Celestial Tide Spirit Master took action and forcefully cleared these charges. But this wasn¡¯t Ghost Dominion Spirit Master¡¯s true gambit. Instead, his focus was that pagoda that Xu Disheng had revealed at that moment of truly life-threatening danger, which he had used to kill the four Dao Foundation stage assailants! The man may be innocent, but others will always covet the riches of another! The Mountain Range and the sect as a whole could accept Xu Disheng¡¯s secret soul-attacking technique, his secret method of rapidly recovering his profound qi, and even the Psychic Magic Treasures he had, but not a Profound Treasure! A Profound Treasure was a paramount item ranked above even a Psychic Magic Treasure. They were extremely rare even amongst Primordial Spirit stage cultivators! And with this¡­ Zhao Leshan now had an extremely good excuse! Slaughtering fellow disciples of the sect in the Zhao Realm! If Ghost Dominion Spirit Master disclosed this matter and made it known that Xu Disheng had a Profound Treasure, all that waited for Xu Disheng was an inescapable abyss, with no hope of reprieve! CH 188 Chapter 188 ¨C Different Means to the Same End TL: Sponsored chapter (1/4). Last one for today, both of today¡¯s chapters were pretty long. ¡°Where are you going, Senior Martial Sister Lu?¡± Lu Qing asked, turning to look at Lu Ling. Lu Ling¡¯s soft black hair flowed past her delicate nape, forming a contrast with her intricately designed moon white dress and her skin, which was pale as snow. She painted a picture of a cold, lone beauty. When she heard what Lu Qing said, she turned around, emotion flashing in her eyes. She bit her lip and said, ¡°To clarify some things.¡± As she turned back around, the white crown atop the crest of her head swung with her, accenting her female charms that were bright like the autumn moon, sculpted like icy jade. Lu Qing was baffled, but she didn¡¯t inquire further. She bent over and picked up the spirit stone that Lu Ling had left on her cloud seat. She stared blankly off into the distance as she watched Lu Ling leave, her thoughts a mystery. Lu Ling¡¯s departure didn¡¯t startle too many people. When they saw from her figure that she was a disciple of the Ancient Nuwa Sect, they didn¡¯t pay her too much mind and turned back to the fight going on between the two geniuses in the mist arena. Yan Wuji turned to the side and addressed Hong Zhao. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to go after Lu Ling to see where she¡¯s gone off to?¡± Hong Zhao glanced over at him. ¡°Lu Ling is the direct disciple of Pervasive Dark Primordial Lord. You think I have the right to stop her from wherever she¡¯s going?¡± ¡°Why not? Wasn¡¯t Pervasive Dark Primordial Lord planning to betroth her to you?¡± Yan Wuji asked, a hint of a ridicule showing through his smile. ¡°Lu Ling¡¯s bloodline is rich and she¡¯s beautiful. She¡¯s more than a match for you.¡± A hint of annoyance flared in Hong Zhao¡¯s heart, but he didn¡¯t know where this irritation came from. He turned back without a word, focusing his attention back on the fight between Mo Yue and Xiao Yingzong taking place in the arena. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°I am a disciple from the Ancient Nuwa Sect. I¡¯m here to see an acquaintance from the Mingxin Mountain Range. Sorry to trouble you with this, Junior Martial Brother,¡± Lu Ling said to the patrol disciple in front of her. Search "pawread dot com" for the original. The patrol disciple was staring at Lu Ling and her slender, elegant figure. He had trouble taking his eyes off her, and was only able to come back to his senses a few moments later. He turned to look at the majestic palaces behind him and said hesitantly, ¡°There¡¯s only one person from the Mingxin Mountain Range here. Could you be referring to Senior Martial Brother Xu?¡± Lu Ling nodded her head. ¡°Uhh¡­ Since you said you know Xu Disheng, you can go ahead.¡± This was the sea of clouds at the center of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. Although there were patrol disciples posted around, it was mainly just for show. He didn¡¯t go out of his way to block her and easily opened the way. ¡°Then thank you very much, Junior Martial Brother.¡± Lu Ling was at the peak transformation-stage, which was the equivalent of a human Dao Foundation stage cultivator. She had the right to call this patrol disciple Junior Martial Brother, but she was modest and polite, without the slightest hint of disdain towards him. The patrol disciple was unable to take his eyes off her as he watched her figure disappear into the distance. Her moon white dress fluttered in the wind with each step she took, and her silky black hair flowed down like a waterfall from the white crest at the top of her head. He was struck dumb as he took in her beauty. He murmured to himself, ¡°As expected of an unparalleled genius of the Shangqing Eight Mountains like Xu Disheng. Even an acquaintance he knows from outside is like a goddess amidst mortals.¡± These twenty majestic palaces were prepared for the top 20 disciples of the Sea of Qi division, providing them with a place to rest. After beating Chen Chengwang, Xu Disheng had returned to the great hall of the palace he had been provided. A light ripple was transmitted from the protective array surrounding his great hall. Xu Disheng picked up his jade identity tablet and lightly activated it, opening up the protective array outside the hall. Moments later, a young woman in a moon white dress entered. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. Before fully seeing her face, he had already detected the pure qi of a demon race coming from Lu Ling¡¯s body. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked. He suddenly thought of the disciples from the Ancient Nuwa Sect who were in the sea of clouds watching the tournament, and some guesses appeared in his mind. But he was still unsure why one of them had made their way here. He never had any interactions with the Ancient Nuwa Sect, and had only run into them back during the time with Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s inheritance. When Lu Ling walked into the hall and saw Xu Disheng, her eyes gleamed. Her cherry pink lips parted as she spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me?¡± Xu Disheng became even more puzzled. The girl in front of him had a white crest on her head, and her facial features were beautiful and refined. But after flipping through his memories, he concluded that he had no recollection of her. When Lu Ling saw the confusion and lack of familiarity in his eyes, her chest filled with disappointment. But she still clung onto a shred of hope. ¡°Then have you ever seen me in a dream? A dream where the sky and earth were overturned, large waves surging, purple lightning tearing the heavens asunder, torrential rain pouring down like a river in the sky? And¡­ a woman that looks just like me.¡± Xu Disheng shook his head. He lowered his gaze, no longer looking at her. There was a hint of coldness in his tone when he spoke. ¡°You must have the wrong person. I don¡¯t know you. You may leave.¡± After a while¡­ ¡°Why are you still¡­¡± Xu Disheng looked up. He saw misty tears brimming in the young woman¡¯s eyes, which were filled with disappointment and sadness. He inadvertently held his tongue, and he unexpectedly felt his heart pound for a moment. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll leave.¡± Lu Ling turned around and hopped on her demonic cloud. With a flutter of her white dress, she flew out of the great hall. ¡°A peak transformation-stage demon race disciple from the Ancient Nuwa Sect¡­¡± Xu Disheng muttered quietly to himself. When Xu Disheng thought back to the lightning symbol on that young woman¡¯s forehead, something flashed through his mind. A small fragment of a memory gradually became clear in his mind. In his sea of consciousness, the cyan jade flute began to emit a vague glow. Waves of rumbling echoed out as innumerable memories that seemed simultaneously both real and fake appeared once more like a tapestry in his mind. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Grandmaster, would you please save these innocent beings of this realm?¡± she cried out as she watched the world collapsing below. There were innumerable beings screaming and struggling as they tried to escape the destruction, but to no avail. Her heart throbbed painfully as she pleaded with the youth in the white Buddhist robes. The youth she referred to as ¡®grandmaster¡¯ looked at all of the beings that were suffering the calamity. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he replied, ¡°I am no longer one of the gods of the Heavenly Court¡¯s 72 Divine Houses. I have vacated my position as a Rank 2 Divine Lord to return to Sah¨¡ Heaven and am now on the verge of ascending to a Bodhisattva, so I should not muddle the karmic ties any further at this point.¡± She could only watch as an all-consuming flood washed out one village and town after the other. She saw countless people, young and old, weak and innocent, meet tragic deaths. Her eyes were filled with tears as she begged, ¡°Grandmaster, if you don¡¯t save them then I won¡¯t leave!¡± ¡°Impudent!¡± the youth roared, angrily flicking the sleeves of his white Buddhist robe. ¡°Don¡¯t think that because I normally pamper you that you can just cause trouble as you please! Don¡¯t tell me you want to destroy all the achievements that I built to cultivate my position as a Bodhisattva?!¡± She replied stutteringly, ¡°Grandmaster, I know that you have invested untold efforts to achieve the supreme position of Bodhisattva, not only resigning from your position as Divine Lord, but also returning to Sah¨¡ Heaven to receive the title of grandmaster, joining the ranks of the arhats. But these beings are all innocent, and you can clearly save them all with a flip of your palm. How could you just turn a blind eye to them? Even if you do end up muddling the karmic ties, with your power, saving them would only cost you another few tens of thousands of years.¡± The youth¡¯s expression turned cold. He directly sealed her Rank 4 Divine General cultivation and tossed her towards a coral reef in the madly seething waters below. With a flick of his sleeves, he left. ¡°Soft-hearted fool! Stay here and thoroughly reflect on yourself!¡± ¡­ ¡­ Purple thunder continued to tear the heavens asunder. Heaven and earth were collapsing, and the ocean waters raged. Near a certain coral reef jutting out of the ocean, there was a blazing golden Buddhist light shining amidst the destruction. Her eyes were tightly closed as she felt the warmth of the youth¡¯s embrace. She murmured, ¡°Grandmaster, I knew you would come back for me. I just knew you couldn¡¯t leave me behind. Did you save those beings?¡± The youth wrapped her up, basking the two of them in a golden glow. They gradually rose into the air, leaving this world. In a sullen tone, he replied, ¡°I saved some of them.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng opened his eyes. The golden Buddhist light within began to glow even brighter in his gaze. After a few moments, he fully came back to his senses. And when he did, there was only anger in his eyes! ¡°Who are you?! You aren¡¯t me, you definitely aren¡¯t me!!¡± Xu Disheng roared. He had completely lost his normally calm and tranquil composure. His head was filled with a splitting pain as he thought back on the shattered and smashed fragments of memories he had just witnessed. Those fragmented memories seemed to be from the time before he became a Bodhisattva, based on that youth¡¯s cultivation. But Xu Disheng had clearly seen that the face of that woman in his memories, beautiful and picturesque, was the very same as Lu Ling. In his sea of consciousness, the cyan jade flute was still emitting a dull cyan glow. It seemed to be causing the pounding he felt in his heart. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are. Even if that was who I was in my previous life, I have already reincarnated, so I am just myself, Xu Disheng. I refuse to think of any insignificant emotions from others!¡± Xu Disheng channeled his Soul Force, using it to suppress the unnecessary emotions in the deepest recesses of his heart. He temporarily forgot about that memory fragment and his expression gradually returned to tranquility. ¡°Master, that was you.¡± A deep voice resounded from Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness, sounding like it came from before ancient times. ¡°Are you the true artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda?¡± Xu Disheng responded in an indifferent tone, as if his appearance wasn¡¯t too far out of his expectations. ¡°Yes. I was in hibernation all this time, waiting for Master to fully awaken and resume cultivating the Immortal Dao.¡± The voice of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda¡¯s artifact spirit was similar to Little Sky¡¯s, but it was much thicker. ¡°I am not your master,¡± Xu Disheng said, as cold and indifferent as before. ¡°You just haven¡¯t fully recovered your memories yet, Master. There¡¯s no need to deny things prematurely,¡± the artifact spirit said patiently, as if he had infinite tolerance to guide him. ¡°Who was that woman?¡± ¡°She was a disciple that you took when you were in the Heavenly Court, before you rose to your position as Bodhisattva, Master.¡± ¡°Then if I have already acquired the position of Bodhisattva, why did I choose to abandon such a supreme cultivation boundary and recultivate the Immortal Dao?¡± The Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda¡¯s artifact spirit paused, as if it didn¡¯t expect Xu Disheng to ask this question. ¡°It¡¯s because of that woman¡­ But the story is too long, and too much happened for me to explain adequately. Once you fully regain your memories, you will remember everything, Master.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s cold and indifferent tone was like a fire that had burned the last of its kindling. ¡°If you¡¯re going to keep calling me Master, then let me ask you this.¡± ¡°When I was sent flying by that half-transformed wolf monster and left on the brink of death, where were you?¡± ¡°Back at the Zhaojiang River Tributary and was being humiliated and trapped like an ant in an array by that Dao Foundation stage genius from the Ancient Nuwa Sect, where were you?¡± ¡°When I was in the Zhao Realm, being ambushed by a peak Dao Foundation stage cultivator and three Evil Spirit stage ghosts, again, where were you?! If it wasn¡¯t for Little Sky sacrificing himself, shattering his soul to forcefully activate a portion of your main body, I would have been dead a long time ago!¡± Xu Disheng shouted, recalling vividly how he had asked Little Sky whether or not he could hold out for another breath of time, and the way Little Sky had responded ¡®Yes, Master¡¯. The artifact spirit was silent for a while, before responding, ¡°Little Sky¡­ he was just one of my clones. Although he was given an independent consciousness and some memories, he was just a damaged true spirit. There is no need for you to feel sorry for him, Master.¡± The artifact spirit continued, ¡°Furthermore, I was extremely weak at that time, trapped into a deep slumber with no way of awakening. If Master died, you would just reincarnate again when I awakened once more. Now that you have completely broken away from Sah¨¡ Heaven, as long as you have my protection, your true spirit will never die, and you will continue to reincarnate.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s heart turned even colder. ¡°What is the point in reincarnating? What is the purpose of recultivating the Immortal Dao?¡± The artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda seemed to be oblivious to Xu Disheng¡¯s mood. ¡°Reincarnating is naturally to reopen the Immortal Path of Reincarnation, strip all beings of their longevity, and completely revive her. Is this not what Master would give up the status of Bodhisattva for?¡± ¡°Then that woman who came into the hall just now¡­ who was she?¡± ¡°A trace of a true spirit projection of Divine Elder Lu Ling. When Master fully revives her, the memories from her time in the Human Realm will return to her main body.¡± Xu Disheng smiled self-deprecatingly. ¡°What revival, what reincarnation in the Human Realm, what does this have to do with me? Was I just a puppet all along, unconsciously being manipulated by you?¡± At that moment, Xu Disheng began to move the power at the origin of his soul. In a low tone, he said, ¡°I just so happen to be very interested in this Immortal Dao that towers above all else, and I will cultivate it on my own. But anything regarding you, her, or that Bodhisattva from my previous life, none of it has anything to do with me. You hear me?¡± An acute pain worse than death began to shoot through him from the depths of his soul. Xu Disheng resisted the piercing pain as he tried to strip the cyan jade flute away from his very soul! ¡°Master, that Bodhisattva is you. Once you fully recover your memories, you will understand everything.¡± The artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda felt a hint of crisis. The cyan jade flute transformed into a beam of light and submerged itself in the depths of Xu Disheng, disappearing without the slightest sound. ¡°Get out here, you stupid dog,¡± Xu Disheng seethed, his tone frigid and filled with boundless killing intent. ¡°You bastard, no matter what previous incarnation, or who it is that wants to manipulate me, I will cast you all deep into an endless abyss before long. I will let a thousand ghosts feed on your sins, rendering you unable to reincarnate for eternity as you suffer the torment!¡± CH 189 Chapter 189 ¨C Moon Phase Revolution ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, what¡¯s wrong?¡± He Junyu asked. When he looked at Xu Disheng, he could sense some kind of indescribable change in him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡±Xu Disheng replied, shaking his head. He Junyu wanted to inquire further, but Cloud Stream Spirit Master¡¯s voice rang out from high up in the sky. ¡°The top 10 will fight until only 5 remain.¡± When his voice reached everyone¡¯s ears, lines started to appear on the golden list of names projected in the screen on the sky, matching up the 10 names on it. Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Xu Disheng versus Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Mo Yue. Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Zhang Yangui versus Mingxin Mountain¡¯s He Junyu. Wenyuan Mountain Range¡¯s Mu Hui versus Refining Heart Mountain¡¯s Ji Haohan. Fengzhou Mountain¡¯s Liu Daoxuan versus Mengyang Mountain Range¡¯s Xu Zimo. Zhuri Mountain Range¡¯s Zhao Xiuyong versus Fengzhou Mountain Range¡¯s You Shao. Up to this point, it was already very clear who the top 10 geniuses of the Sea of Qi division were. The Shangqing Mountain Range, Mingxin Mountain Range, and Fengzhou Mountain Ranges all had two people each left in the tournament. The Refining Heart Mountain Range, Wenyuan Mountain Range, Mengyang Mountain Range, and Zhuri Mountain Range each had one person left in the standings. The Sea of Qi division geniuses from the other Mountain Ranges had all been eliminated. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Xu Disheng and Mo Yue!¡± ¡°They encountered one another in the top 10 battle?!¡± ¡°If Xu Disheng was matched with anyone other than Zhang Yangui and Mo Yue, he would be able to secure an easy victory. But against Mo Yue¡­¡± ¡°Mo Yue is an unparalleled genius with a Rank 3 Spiritual Root. It isn¡¯t clear who will emerge victorious in this fight.¡± In the sea of clouds and even across all Eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, everyone had their eyes on Xu Disheng and Mo Yue, and they were discussing spiritedly amongst themselves. There wasn¡¯t as much discussion about the other four pairs. Zhang Yangui was up against He Junyu, who previously didn¡¯t have much fame or reputation in the Eight Mountains. The outcome practically went without saying. Although Mu Hui could be called a true genius, he was still somewhat lacking compared to the Rank 3 Spiritual Root genius Ji Haohan. The last two pairings mentioned were also commendable, but they were somewhat overshadowed by the previous few matchups. There was a bit of luck involved in them getting to this point, so very few people were particularly interested in their matchup. Mo Yue was wearing a long black dress with intricate designs, adorned with lightly glowing motes of starlight. After she looked up at the list of names, she glanced nonchalantly over at Xu Disheng as if she was taking him lightly.. ¡°Mo Yue versus Xu Disheng,¡± Cloud Stream Spirit Master announced, his voice echoing out from afar. An enormous black-feathered luan appeared beneath Mo Yue¡¯s feet. With a cry, it flapped its wings and soared into the air, bringing her onto the mist arena. As always, Xu Disheng stepped on the phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram and flew up to the stage. When he looked over at the girl in the black dress at the other side of the arena, he felt an extremely powerful sense of life-threatening danger coming from her slender, seemingly delicate figure. Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t personally gone to the arena to watch the fight between Mo Yue and Xiao Yingzong earlier, but he had opened his screen of light and watched a bit from his great hall, so he knew just how tyrannical Mo Yue¡¯s strength was. He knew that he couldn¡¯t let down his guard the slightest bit, otherwise he would definitely lose this match. ¡°Mo Yue, from Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Early Moonrise Peak,¡± she said, going out of her way to introduce herself for the first time in this entire tournament. Although everyone knew who she was, this act revealed that she did consider Xu Disheng as a truly worthy foe. ¡°Xu Disheng, from Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Morning Dew Peak.¡± Black winds swept up from Xu Disheng¡¯s body, and the soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull morphed into the size of a horse carriage. It floated next to him, its eyes tightly closed. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, do you think we should keep betting on Senior Martial Brother Xu?¡± Ma Chen asked. He and the other two disciples were looking at Chu Luo with hesitant looks on their faces, waiting for his reply. Ever since they came to the marketplace on Canxia Peak, they had been betting as a party on Xu Disheng for every match he participated in. They had earned over a hundred spirit stones by this point, but after he was matched up against Mo Yue, the odds had fallen, and were now practically 1:1. Chu Luo didn¡¯t respond to them and instead started to take out all of his spirit stones. They amounted to a little over 270 spirit stones in total, which he proceeded to place on the betting table. ¡°All in on Senior Martial Brother Xu,¡± he declared firmly. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, that¡¯s Senior Martial Sister Mo Yue, an unparalleled Rank 3 Spiritual Root genius from the Shangqing Mountain Range, you know?!¡± Ma Chen and the others exclaimed. When they saw him go all in, not leaving even a single spirit stone behind, their expressions were hesitant as they wavered, vacillating over whether or not they should bet. ¡°If you all want to place your bets, then it¡¯d be best to hurry up. The fight is about to start, and the betting table will close soon,¡± the disciple running the betting table called out to the dozens of disciples in the surroundings. Red-eyed, they each hurriedly placed their bets one after the other, afraid that their bets would be considered invalid if they were too late. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I believe in Senior Martial Brother Xu,¡± Chu Luo said unhurriedly, looking up at the screen of light and seeing Xu Disheng¡¯s cool, collected expression. Find the original at "pawread dot com". Ma Chen and the others shared a look, seeming to make up their mind. They each put all of their remaining spirit stones on the betting table. ¡°We will bet all of these spirit stones on Senior Martial Brother Xu.¡± CH 190 Chapter 190 ¨C The Starry Sky Stretches Beyond TL: Sponsored chapter (2/4) Dark purple motes of starfire appeared above the arena. Mo Yue extended a fair, delicate hand, her eyes slightly lowered. ¡°As this is our first time exchanging moves, I will present you with this spell, Nightfall Starfire.¡± After her words reached his ears, the sky full of dark purple starfire motes condensed towards the palm of her hand, coalescing into a giant orb of deep purple light that brightly illuminated her surroundings. Deep, dangerous rumbling sounds repeatedly erupted from the inside the orb, occasionally ejecting embers of starfire from the orb. Wherever they landed on the floor of the arena, purple flames towered up. ¡°Go.¡± Mo Yue released the giant orb of purple starfire from her palm. As it flew through the air toward Xu Disheng, it crackled with webs of purple lightning. ¡°That¡¯s a Dao Foundation spell from the Starfire Record!¡± ¡°Who could have expected that Mo Yue had already fully comprehended her profound law foundation and can move the power of heaven and earth!¡± ¡°You all are making a fuss over nothing! As an unparalleled Rank 3 Spiritual Root genius from the Shangqing Mountain Range, how is her fully comprehending her profound law foundation anything surprising?¡± ¡°This Nightfall Starfire move is extremely famous. A few hundred years ago, Deep Night Primordial Lord once used this move to exterminate an entire mid-sized sect!¡± ¡°But Mo Yue¡¯s cultivation is still inadequate. Even if she manages to forcefully uses this move, it shouldn¡¯t be too powerful.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng watched as the orb of deep purple light, wrapped in coils of lightning, whistled and crackled through the air towards him. Although it was still about half the arena¡¯s length away, he could perceive the starfire within, the energy constantly cycling through birth and death. ¡°Controlling Waves.¡± Massive amounts of water vapor condensed in front of him. In a flash, it transformed into an enormous wave over 50 meters tall, which began to surge towards the deep purple orb of light approaching him. The sound of a deafening explosion erupted forth as the massive wave wrapped up the orb of light. The wave was torn open at the moment of impact. Water and vapor flew every which way, blocking the line of sight. The condensed orb of starfire dissipated along with the wave, but it was now spread out across the entire arena in small motes of deep purple starfire that floated in the air. ¡°Azure Ocean is just one water element cultivation method, but my Starfire Record has three spells. How can you win against me?¡± Mo Yue said, unfazed by the fact that her attack didn¡¯t work. She gave a pretty smile, then began to weave a series of complicated hand seals. ¡°Moon Phase Revolution.¡± The motes of starfire that were scattered across the entire arena began to transform into brilliant moonlight, the deep purple giving way to dazzling pale white that emitted an aura of bone-chilling cold. A sense of life-threatening danger rose in Xu Disheng¡¯s heart. With a flick of his gaze, he activated the White Heron Robe. An instant later, White Heron¡¯s First Cry was cast at full force, causing dozens of white birds to materialize into being. They fluttered and danced outwards, making for an extremely beautiful sight. The motes of pale white moonlight that filled the arena began to quiver, then emitted a dazzling radiance, unleashing their illuminating glow towards Xu Disheng! Hundreds of beams of white moonlight shot towards him, each one imbued with an aura of intense, bone-chilling cold. They came from every direction, completely surrounding Xu Disheng. ¡°What a powerful move!¡± ¡°Is this the might of the Starfire Record?¡± ¡°Moon Phase Revolution is also a Dao Foundation stage spell from the Starfire Record. The cold aura can completely freeze the profound qi of a Sea of Qi stage cultivator!¡± As it turned out, Moon Phase Revolution was a spell that directly attacked the sea of qi! The hundreds of white beams of light penetrated through the defenses of the White Heron Robe, completely ignoring the fluttering white birds as if they didn¡¯t exist. They pierced through, right towards Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of qi! The phantom image of the ancient bell in his sea of qi shook and produced a golden barrier around itself, which managed to block the first few beams of moonlight. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyebrows furrowed tightly. The profound qi in all of his meridians revolved crazily in an attempt to disperse the moonlight that had entered his body. The beams of moonlight didn¡¯t harm his body nor his mind, but the intense cold that radiated from the moonlight¡¯s aura was threatening to freeze his sea of qi over! The Shangqing profound qi that was circulating through Xu Disheng¡¯s meridians became more and more sluggish. He was helpless against the moonlight. He took several True Qi Pills in an attempt to rely on the mystical trait of the ancient bell to resist this strange attack. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to resist this attack, Junior Martial Brother Xu. Admit defeat,¡± Mo Yue said. She didn¡¯t underestimate him at all. After the first probing attack, she immediately used an offensive-type spell like this that targeted his sea of qi. Without as much profound qi to power it, the pale white radiance from the White Heron Robe dimmed. The situation in Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of qi could only be called a crisis! The hundreds of beams of moonlight that pierced into his sea of qi had condensed into an orb of frigid white profound qi, which had wrapped itself around the ancient bell. It was now slowly icing over, and now Xu Disheng could only hardly use a tenth of the profound qi he could normally use! Just that 10% of profound qi would be exhausted in only a few breaths of time. Even the powerful medicinal strength of the True Qi Pills was completely unable to replenish his profound qi! After all, once the True Qi Pills were ingested, the medicinal power needed to enter his sea of qi before it could take effect. Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of qi was on the verge of freezing over entirely. Even if he took more True Qi Pills, it would be useless. ¡°Xu Disheng is going to lose.¡± Many people began to look at Xu Disheng with pity in their eyes, while others looked anxious. He Junyu¡¯s expression was unsightly as he watched on. He murmured under his breath, ¡°Hurry up and admit defeat, Junior Martial Brother Xu¡­! If your sea of qi is frozen for too long, your Jianggong meridian point will lose its spiritual nature, and you¡¯ll become practically handicapped!¡± Mo Yue¡¯s black dress was glittering with star light as always, looking like a goddess that had descended to the mortal realm. Her fair, delicate fingers weaved another set of hand seals, and a phantom image of a river of stars appeared above the mist arena! The phantom image was indistinct, but the aura that it gave off was incredibly shocking! ¡°Cold is the starlight¡¯s splendor, scattering clouds and sweeping wind¡ªFalling Starry River.¡± When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Mo Yue¡¯s gentle voice breathed through her cherry blossom lips, but her words were filled with an endlessly frigid killing intent. The river of stars that filled the sky above the arena plummeted downwards, falling towards Xu Disheng! Although Mo Yue had firmly grasped the upper hand, she didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of underestimating her opponent. She immediately unleashed another move that was on par with Moon Phase Revolution in strength! ¡°That¡¯s Falling Starry River! Yet another Dao Foundation stage spell in the Starfire Record!¡± ¡°Xu Disheng doesn¡¯t have any profound qi left. He¡¯s practically unable to resist, but Mo Yue is continuing to attack him?¡± In the Mingxin Mountain Range, the faces of Ma Chen and the others were ashen as they watched the massive screen of light projected above the marketplace. After feeling their empty storage pouches, they either muttered dejectedly to themselves or fell completely silent. Chu Luo¡¯s expression was also grave. He watched as Xu Disheng continued to struggle with the bright moonlight, as the river of stars above him upended and fell towards him. His situation was incredibly dangerous. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu¡­¡± Chu Luo muttered to himself. In Morning Night Hall on Morning Dew Peak, Lu Changge, Bai Honghua, and the other Dao Foundation stage disciples of the Peak were gathered. There were also dozens of Morning Dew Peak disciples present, watching the massive screen of light projected next to the 10,000-year old pine tree. Their expressions were filled with great pity as they watched. When they exchanged glances with one another, they could only sigh. ¡°It¡¯s over for Senior Martial Brother Xu¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and admit defeat, Senior Martial Brother Xu! There¡¯s no need to try to show off!¡± ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu!¡± The expressions of all the disciples of Morning Dew Peak were colored with anxiety and regret, every one of them wishing they could admit defeat for him. ¡°Celestial Tide, it¡¯s a shame about that brat of yours. Without a specialized Magic Treasure to protect his sea of qi, there¡¯s no way to block Mo Yue¡¯s move.¡± The move that this Spirit Master was referring to was Moon Phase Revolution, which had caused Xu Disheng to lose most of his fighting ability, rendering him unable to stand up against Mo Yue. Celestial Tide Spirit Master was already at the half-step Primordial Spirit stage, and he had already peered into the gate of the cultivation boundary before him. When he heard what was said to him, a ripple appeared in his gaze that was as deep as the sea. ¡°Just watch,¡± he replied. In the sea of clouds, Lu Ling watched as the youth struggled, wrapped in the bright moonlight assailing him. Her heart was twinging with pain. She anxiously bit her lip, accidentally drawing a bead of blood. CH 191 Chapter 191 ¨C Paramount Ancient Bell! TL: Sponsored chapter (3/4) Xu Disheng¡¯s head was lowered as he stood there, awash in the pale moonlight. In the sky above, the phantom image of the river of stars was plummeting towards him. Dao Path. What is the Dao Path? What is my own Dao Path? Fragments of memories constantly flitted through his mind like a shattered tapestry of flashbacks that had occurred only moments before. Ten thousand years seemed to pass by like an eternity, reminiscent of a lifetime long past. In the end, who do I exist for? For that lofty Bodhisattva from my previous life? Although I am reincarnated from his true spirit, I don¡¯t want to be subject to his manipulations! To resurrect that woman who I supposedly loved? Utter nonsense! I am myself, Xu Disheng. Why would I have to live this life for someone else? Memories, real or fabricated, flashed through his mind. But in this scattered mess of memories, he finally found a hint of truth. ¡°Immortal.¡± ¡°Not differentiating between good and evil.¡± ¡°Not asking about right and wrong.¡± ¡°Not distinguishing black and white.¡± ¡°Considering all living things as mere fodder.¡± ¡°Arduously seeking the great Dao.¡± A resplendent radiance began to glow in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t golden Buddhist light, and it wasn¡¯t Shangqing profound light. It belonged to him, Xu Disheng¡­ his Dao-seeking light! Although his aspirations were practically like using different means of achieving the same end that was desired by that Bodhisattva, this was the Dao Path that he had chosen for himself, and had no relation or influence from anyone else. In the world of the Immortals, there was only order and Dao. In the past, the Immortal Court reigned above the three heavens and nine realms, oppressing all living beings. They only acted to safeguard the true order of heaven and earth. But in the current world, the living beings had obtained eternal life and broken free of the fetters of predestination. The true order of heaven and earth was in chaos. However, the Immortals desired to strip the longevity of these countless beings and return it to heaven and earth. They refused to allow any living being in the three heavens and nine realms to stand aloof! Immortals wished to place the shackles of predestination upon all living beings once more! They wished to restore the order between heaven and earth, bringing everything back under the control of fate. On this Dao Path, even if death was nigh¡­ it would not have been for nothing. What is my Dao Path? My Dao Path¡­ is paramount! As Xu Disheng fully comprehended his Dao Path, an intense, golden refulgent light gradually began to shine from the phantom image of the ancient bell in his sea of qi. Golden light radiated from his body. Tiny rays of light began to peek through the moonlight that was wrapped around his body. Suddenly, the deep ringing of an ancient bell erupted forth from his mind! The ancient bell emitted countless beams of golden light, completely smashing through the pure white moonlight surrounding him! With Xu Disheng fully comprehending his Dao Path, his profound law foundation had completely solidified. He could break through to the Dao Foundation stage at any time, as long as he willed it. At this point, another 800 years of lifespan was truly just before his eyes. ¡°¡®Cold is the starlight¡¯s splendor, scattering clouds and sweeping wind¡¯, you say¡­ Senior Martial Sister Mo, this incantation of yours¡­ is really quite nice,¡± Xu Disheng said, lifting his gaze to look at the phantom image of the river of stars pouring down upon him in torrents. His body was emitting a dazzling golden glow, making his features look even more striking. ¡°How could this be?¡± Mo Yue exclaimed, an expression of disbelief coloring her picturesque face. She couldn¡¯t believe that Xu Disheng had managed to break free of the freezing of his sea of qi caused by Moon Phase Revolution. ¡°How could he break free of that spell?¡± ¡°Just how many secrets does Xu Disheng have on him?¡± All across the Eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, countless people began to cheer and quip about the situation. Tens of thousands of gazes were concentrated on the arena in the center of the Luminous Cloud Abyss¡¯s sea of clouds. A jade pendant appeared in front of Xu Disheng. He lightly activated it, causing a powerful Dao Foundation stage water elemental energy to fill the entire arena. ¡°Capsizing Ocean.¡± The phantom image of a massive ocean appeared out of thin air, engulfing the phantom image of the starry river and washing it away entirely! The phantom image of the river of stars was instantly smashed to bits, but the endless ocean hadn¡¯t taken any loss in momentum in the slightest. It continued to roar and sweep towards Mo Yue! It was the jade pendant that Celestial Tide Spirit Master had given him, which contained the power of three strikes of his Capsizing Ocean! ¡°What?! A Divine Core stage Spirit Master¡¯s spell imbuement treasure!¡± Someone cried out in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s a full-powered strike of Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s Capsizing Ocean!¡± a Dao Foundation stage Deacon exclaimed, his face filled with lingering fear as he sensed the faint suppression coming from the aura in the arena. ¡°Spell imbuement treasures are incredibly precious. The imbuer can seal a full-powered strike of theirs inside, turning it into a special type of jade slip that costs well over 10,000 spirit stones!¡± another person who knew about spell imbuement treasures added. ¡°A disposable item like that isn¡¯t part of his own combat strength. How useful can it be?¡± another disciple sneered. ¡°Ignorant! It¡¯s precious precisely because it¡¯s a disposable item!¡± ¡­ ¡­ Mo Yue watched as the phantom image of the great ocean fell oppressively towards her. Momentarily powerless, she gritted her teeth. Then, she took a wooden sword out of her interspatial ring and activated it. Sword qi, swift and fierce to the extreme, instantly erupted forth from the wooden sword! This wooden sword was also a spell imbuement treasure! The sword qi split into hundreds of arcs, surrounding her in a sturdy defense. It gradually dissipated the phantom image of the ocean, but by the time it was completely destroyed, Mo Yue¡¯s face was much paler. ¡°Senior Martial Sister Mo, I¡¯ll be returning with a strike of my own now,¡± Xu Disheng said casually. A black chariot with sinister features appeared next to him, the Fierce Specter stirring within restlessly. Xu Disheng weaved a series of complicated hand seals. In his sea of qi, the phantom image of the Paramount Ancient Bell revolved madly, condensing all of the power of heaven and earth in the arena into a vortex above Xu Disheng¡¯s head, swallowing it like a feeding whale! The youth¡¯s black hair fluttered in the wind as he spoke. ¡°Third seal, release.¡± With that, he stamped the hand seal firmly against the war chariot! In the next instant, the sinister war chariot erupted forth with a baleful aura that skyrocketed towards the heavens! A ferocious shriek exploded outwards as the war chariot¡¯s appearance underwent a massive change, the corners and edges became more impressively ornate. The body of the Fierce Specter ghost that began to slowly crawl out of the war chariot was already half condensed into a real, tangible form! It cast an greedy, insatiable gaze at Xu Disheng. It wanted to open its mouth wide and devour him. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Extinguishing Soul Mantra, Blood Light Illumination!¡± The soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull at his shoulder opened its mouth and shot out a condensed beam of Soul-Extinguishing Blood Light, which pierced through a corner of the war chariot. A roar of bitter resentment rang out. In the end, this Fierce Specter stage ghost was under the control of the Fierce Specter War Chariot, which Xu Disheng had already refined as his possession. Although the Fierce Specter had the opportunity to bite back, it was firmly restrained by the Soul-Extinguishing Blood Light. It shrieked and roared, highly concentrated ghost qi rising off of its body. After another hateful glare at Xu Disheng, the Fierce Specter stage ghost turned its gaze towards Mo Yue. With a low roar, its body temporarily left the war chariot and sped towards her! The baleful aura of the Fierce Specter filled the entire arena. Mo Yue¡¯s expression became extremely grave. She knew that as many as three of the seals upon this Fierce Specter stage were released, giving it a peak Dao Foundation stage strength. It would be extremely difficult for her to block! But not if she used her spell imbuement treasure once more. Her spell imbuement treasure was given to her by one of her elders, and was meant to save her life only in extreme crises. But with how precious a spell imbuement treasure was, how could she just use it repeatedly in a mere tournament? Mo Yue deliberated for two breaths of time, but in those few moments, the Fierce Specter had already arrived right before her eyes! Her heart leapt out of her chest! This speed was too terrifying! With a sharp ripping sound, her black starry dress was slashed open like it simply didn¡¯t exist. The ghost¡¯s claws, filled with powerful ghost force, clawed into her shoulder! ¡°Aaaahhh!!¡± Mo Yue shrieked. Her body was sent flying dozens of meters, a deep, bloody gash left in her shoulder. The wound oozed with fierce ghost qi, preventing it from healing. Insidious laughter filled the arena. The ghost force surrounding the Fierce Specter stage ghost was overflowing and abundant. It opened its maw and spit out a massive vortex of ghost force. It began to wave its ghostly claws, repeatedly swatting at it. After a few moments, the size of the vortex grew to nearly ten meters in diameter. It was releasing rumbling, explosive sounds from the might held within. Mo Yue¡¯s expression became even more unsightly. She had no way of receiving this attack by herself! As she bit her cherry red lip, the wooden sword appeared in her hand once more. There was only one remaining use in this spell imbuement treasure. At this point, this was all she could do! Although she didn¡¯t know how Xu Disheng managed to struggle free of her Moon Phase Revolution, she assumed that he didn¡¯t have much profound qi remaining by now. He had also forcefully released the third seal of the Fierce Specter War Chariot, so he shouldn¡¯t be able to keep up the attack that long. Once she managed to get past this critical juncture, she would likely be able to secure victory! With her mind made up, she hesitated no longer. She immediately activated the wooden sword, and the sword swept forth, releasing a dazzling, brilliant white sword energy towards the Fierce Specter stage ghost! The Fierce Specter stage ghost was extremely intelligent. With a low roar, its ghostly image flashed as it tried to return to the war chariot. The sword energy was extremely fast. As the wave of blinding white radiance swept over the arena, it not only destroyed the massive vortex of ghost qi, but it also cut through the ghost¡¯s body before dissipating in a flash of white. At that moment, the wooden sword in Mo Yue¡¯s hand was destroyed, turning into wood powder that fluttered away in the wind. After taking a few medicinal pills, Mo Yue let out a breath of relief. Then, she looked at Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, not bad at all¡ªNo way, how can you¡­?!¡± Before she could even finish what she was saying, the Fierce Specter stage ghost, which had suffered extreme damage from her previous strike, was suddenly replenished to brimming with ghost force. It met her gaze, directing a nasty, sinister grin at her. In Xu Disheng¡¯s Jianggong meridian point, the Paramount Ancient Bell was revolving madly. His Shangqing profound qi, brimming and welling without end, was flowing directly into the Fierce Specter War Chariot. In only a few breaths of time, it healed the injuries that the Fierce Specter stage ghost had suffered. At the same time, many people in the crowd suddenly shot to their feet! Countless exclamations of utter shock and surprise rang out far and wide. Everyone refused to believe their own eyes! ¡°There¡¯s no way! His profound qi shouldn¡¯t be able to support that consumption!¡± ¡°The third seal of the Fierce Specter War Chariot can only be released at the Dao Foundation stage! Not only is he able to release it, but he can also maintain it for this long!¡± ¡°Xu Disheng¡­ it seems like he¡¯s just unable to run out of profound qi! He clearly still has more!¡± ¡°At only the half-step Dao Foundation stage, his profound qi reserves are this deep, and his profound qi recovery speed is this fast, outstripping many of those at the Dao Foundation stage! Absolutely unbelievable!¡± ¡°Could it be because of his profound law foundation? That ancient golden bell¡­ I heard before that the profound law foundations of some unparalleled geniuses had extremely miraculous effects!¡± ¡°I heard that the profound law foundation that Saint Lord Zhuri consolidated allowed him to increase his recovery by ten times!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me Xu Disheng¡¯s profound law foundation is comparable to that of a Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord?!¡± CH 192 Chapter 192 ¨C Extinguishing the Myriad Stars, Starfire Lightning! TL: Sponsored chapter (4/4). Thanks again for your support, Tony! In Xu Disheng¡¯s Jianggong meridian point, the Paramount Ancient Bell was madly revolving. The power of heaven and earth in the arena was swallowed by it, and a lot of the power of heaven and earth outside of the arena was still being drawn rapidly towards the arena! ¡°Primordial Lord Yangze, I heard that back when Saint Lord Zhuri formed his profound law foundation, there were some miraculous phenomena that accompanied it. This child¡¯s profound law foundation¡­¡± Earth Fox Primordial Lord said, shock apparent in his voice. For the first time, his disbelief was showing through. ¡°Yes, this child¡¯s golden bell phantom image has similarities with the profound law foundation that Greater Lord Zhuri formed back then, in that they both allow recovery of profound qi several times or tens of times faster than ordinary people,¡± Primordial Lord Yangze said, his expression dignified. Looking down at the arena, he continued, ¡°It seems that a true unparalleled genius has emerged from my Mingxin Mountain Range.¡± Comprehension! This was the difference between the power of comprehension and talent! Back at the Chu Territory, when Xu Disheng was taking the Entry Examination¡¯s test for comprehension, he had already demonstrated a bit of his incredible power of comprehension, but not many took notice. At last, right before stepping into the Dao Foundation stage, Xu Disheng relied on his powers of comprehension to comprehend a supreme profound law foundation, which materialized as the Paramount Ancient Bell! The most important aspects to a profound cultivator were first talent, then comprehension second, then finally temperament. Talent was the most important, but comprehension had the power to defy natural order. Comprehension allowed one to break through in the face of the restrictions and upper limit of one¡¯s cultivation boundary, obtaining results unimaginable by ordinary people. Inwardly, Mo Yue was indignant. She was aiming to delay Xu Disheng and make him use up all of his profound qi, so she had used up the last of her spell imbuement treasure to stall him. But this guy¡­ his profound qi was still overflowing, without the slightest hint of relenting! The figure of the Fierce Specter ghost flashed, and after seeing it grin evilly at her once more, Mo Yue ground her teeth. She took out two Psychic Magic Treasures to protect her, then immediately took an extremely precious Condensing Yuan Herb. Weaving a series of hand seals, she cried, ¡°Extinguishing the Myriad Stars!¡± The Fierce Specter stage ghost with three released seals was already more than she could contend with, but these two Psychic Magic Treasures would allow her to hold up for a few breaths of time. Mo Yue wanted to give it everything until the very end! As an unparalleled Rank 3 Spiritual Root genius, she would never yield! As long as she could thoroughly defeat Xu Disheng before the Fierce Specter broke through the defenses of her two Psychic Magic Treasures, she could emerge victorious. ¡°That¡¯s the Starfire Record¡¯s Extinguishing the Myriad Stars!¡± ¡°This move also requires the user to be at least at the peak Dao Foundation stage in order to use it¡­¡± ¡°If even a single one of these unparalleled Sea of Qi stage geniuses were to appear in my sect, we would have become a medium-sized sect a long time ago!¡± a Divine Core stage sect master from a small sect said with envy in his eyes as he watched Mo Yue and Xu Disheng. ¡°But right now, Xu Disheng¡¯s profound qi is abundant, and he has the ability to keep going. Mo Yue doesn¡¯t know this at all. She¡¯s going to lose this time.¡± ¡°Yeah, to think that Mo Yue didn¡¯t lose to Zhang Yangui this time, but to Xu Disheng. Who could have expected such a result?¡± ¡­ ¡­ Yan Wuji narrowed his eyes and examined Xu Disheng, whose figure was enveloped by the phantom image of the golden bell. ¡°I always feel like I know this disciple from somewhere.¡± ¡°From the He Yin Territory¡¯s Zhaojiang Tributary,¡± Hong Zhao replied, giving him a sideways glance. ¡°That¡¯s right. At the time, he was among the disciples that came from the Shangqing Sacred Sect. With the incredible powers of comprehension he¡¯s displaying now, he could be considered among the top 100 in the Dao Foundation stage, even in the entire Shan Mountain Territory, at least once he reaches the Dao Foundation stage.¡± Hong Zhao didn¡¯t respond. He simply watched the white and blue-robed youth in the mist arena, an indescribable look in his eyes. ¡­ ¡­ The entire area above the arena turned dark. After Mo Yue took the Condensing Yuan Herb, the Shangqing profound qi on her body increased dramatically, restoring her to her peak. She weaved a series of complex hand seals and a resplendent purple star bead appeared in front of her. She looked at it reluctantly before beginning to pour the power of heaven and earth above the arena into it. A dark nebula had already enveloped the entire arena, and there were sounds of explosions repeatedly ringing out from it. Unending starfire lightning crackled towards Xu Disheng, blazing with dark purple light. ¡°Even I wouldn¡¯t be able to resist this move¡­!¡± a Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator exclaimed, his expression unsightly as he watched the continuous stream of starfire lightning striking down on the arena. ¡°You¡¯re just a Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator. Mo Yue is an unparalleled Rank 3 Spiritual Root genius from the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Isn¡¯t it normal that you wouldn¡¯t be able to block a move like that?¡± someone beside him sneered, his tone full of mocking laughter. ¡°You¡­!¡± that rogue cultivator shouted, his heart filled with humiliated rage. He turned around, wanting to shout further. But as soon as he saw that it was Dao Foundation stage disciple from the Demon Sound Sect, he immediately swallowed his words and suppressed his anger, then silently turned back around. That Dao Foundation stage disciple from the Demon Sound Sect became even more disdainful. ¡°Ant-like rogue cultivator. If we weren¡¯t at the Shangqing Sacred Sect, I would beat your soul out of you for giving me a look like that!¡± Naturally, the Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator only listened, not daring to retort in the slightest. The Demon Sound Sect was fond of slaughter, and they were a large-scale subordinate sect of the Ancient Nuwa Sect. Crushing a Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator like him would be no different from them stepping on an ant. Even though his master was a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, he would have no way of protecting him. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Controlling Waves!¡± An enormous wave over 50 meters tall condensed into being. It swept and spread out, turning into a thick and sturdy screen of water that protected the area above Xu Disheng¡¯s head. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com". Xu Disheng sensed that the Paramount Ancient Bell was still far from reaching its limits. He repeatedly cast the Controlling Waves technique, and a few breaths later, he had condensed a massive screen of water across the entire arena that seemed to blot out the sky! The offensive might of the starfire lightning was extremely strong. A protective-type Psychic Magic Treasure, if used by a Sea of Qi stage disciple, wouldn¡¯t be able to block it. But there was nothing better than the pure strength of water. The Controlling Waves technique was also a Dao Foundation stage spell. While it was inferior to the Extinguishing the Myriad Stars spell by quite a bit, it could be cast repeatedly due to Xu Disheng¡¯s inexhaustible profound qi. In merely three breaths of time, the sky-spanning water screen destroyed most of the bolts of starfire lightning. The dark nebula covering the arena also weakened a bit, clearly showing that she was powerless to continue. Mo Yue was already unable to block the Fierce Specter¡¯s onslaught! The two defensive-type Psychic Magic Treasures had managed to buy three breaths of time for her to cast Extinguishing the Myriad Stars. But the result of her Extinguishing the Myriad Stars caused despair to spring up in her heart, crushing her will to fight completely. Xu Disheng was still standing beneath the sky-spanning screen of water, his jet black hair blowing loosely in the wind. His eyes were calm as he met her gaze. ¡°I¡­¡± Mo Yue started, staring deeply at Xu Disheng. She was widely recognized as an unparalleled genius, and she was extremely proud. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say the words ¡®admit defeat¡¯. Directly activating her jade identity tablet, she flew out of the arena¡¯s outer protective barrier and left the arena. CH 193 Chapter 193 ¨C Trials and Hardships Abound, Bandits Lie in Wait Deafening cheers suddenly erupted in Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Morning Dew Peak! Even the expression of the Peak Master, Lu Changge, was filled with emotion as he looked at the youth in the screen of light. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu really won,¡± Chu Luo murmured, still submerged in a state of mind that didn¡¯t dare to believe it had really happened. He was staring wide-eyed as he received hundreds of spirit stones from the disciple running the betting table. Although he did really believe in Xu Disheng, Mo Yue was just too strong. At the time, no one thought that Xu Disheng would be able to break free of the freezing binds of Moon Phase Revolution, then turn the tables around and win the match! Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ]. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, will we really have the chance to see Senior Martial Brother Xu?¡± Ma Chen asked. He and the others approached Chu Luo with bright faces, their tones full of respect and excitement. ¡°If Senior Martial Brother Xu has time, I will take you guys to see him,¡± Chu Luo said with a wry smile, forcing himself to agree. Xu Disheng¡¯s status was very different now. How could Chu Luo meet with him simply because he wanted to? After the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, Xu Disheng would break through to the Dao Foundation stage. At that point, it wasn¡¯t even clear if he would even return to Morning Dew Peak. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yuan, did Senior Martial Brother Xu really arrange a position for you at Affairs Hall?¡± a pretty female disciple in a black robe asked shyly as she was pulled reluctantly into Yuan Qi¡¯s embrace. Yuan Qi looked around. Seeing that there was no one around, he held the warm, tender body tighter. A lewd smile appeared on his face as he said proudly, ¡°I followed Senior Martial Brother Xu for several years. When he was free, I went to ask him if he could arrange a position for me in Affairs Hall. Wouldn¡¯t something like that be as easy as lifting a finger for him? But right now, your Senior Martial Brother will have to properly probe you a little bit¡­¡± ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yuan, you¡¯re so naughty!¡± the female black-robed disciple squealed as he caressed her body. Her eyes narrowed to slits in pleasure as her body became even more supple, practically melting in his hands. Yuan Qi chuckled, then stepped on his sword light and rode away with her in his embrace. ¡­ ¡­ There was a look of praise in Cloud Stream Spirit Master¡¯s gaze. There was even a never-before-seen hint of astonishment as he looked at Xu Disheng. His voice rang throughout the entire Luminous Cloud Abyss as he announced, ¡°Xu Disheng is victorious, and will enter the top 5.¡± Xu Disheng left the arena, then cupped his hands towards Cloud Stream Spirit Master before flying off towards his great hall. Countless gazes followed him as he left, watching his retreating figure. ¡°Deep Night Primordial Lord, I thought your little angel could fight for the title of Sacred Daughter this time. I never would have expected her to get eliminated before she even made it to the top 5,¡± another Primordial Lord said, smiling at Deep Night Primordial Lord. ¡°It¡¯s no problem. The Sea of Qi division¡¯s Sacred Son will be Zhang Yangui this time,¡± Deep Night Primordial Lord said, not appearing to mind that much. He flicked his sleeves as he watched Xu Disheng disappear off into the distance. The Primordial Lord who had spoken also looked at Xu Disheng and said, ¡°The timing of this little brat¡¯s rise is a bit unfortunate. It makes me feel a bit sorry for him, even. If Zhang Yangui wasn¡¯t present, the title of Sacred Son would have been his.¡± Deep Night Primordial Lord retracted his gaze and nodded in agreement. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Zhang Yangui versus He Junyu,¡± Cloud Stream Spirit Master announced. Just like before, the Scarlet Flame Phoenix appeared next to Zhang Yangui, flying him up to the arena. He Junyu glanced once more in the direction of Xu Disheng¡¯s departure, then smiled bitterly to himself. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xu, you might¡¯ve been able to beat Mo Yue, but I sure won¡¯t be able to beat Zhang Yangui¡­¡± Meanwhile, in the Mountain of Law¡­ Peaceful Sanctuary Peak was ranked 6th out of the more than 200 Peaks in the Mountain of Law, and it was the place where the main branch of the Zhao Clan was based. ¡°Patriarch, Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Zhao Leshan requests an audience,¡± a Dao Foundation stage elder reported respectfully. They were in a great hall decorated in great splendor with an abundance of gold and jade. ¡°Fine,¡± Ghost Punisher Spirit Master, Zhao Yangzhou, said. He had the appearance of a handsome youth, and was currently sitting at a desk, flipping through some jade slips. ¡°As you wish, Patriarch.¡± The elder activated a message jade slip, and a few moments later, Ghost Dominion Spirit Master, Zhao Leshan, entered the hall. ¡°Zhao Leshan greets Patriarch,¡± Ghost Dominion Spirit Master said with a bow, his expression polite and modest. ¡°The clan squandered quite a bit of our share of cultivation resources to release you from the constraints that the Mingxin Mountain Range levied on you. What do you have that can be considered a great contribution to the clan? Speak,¡± Ghost Punisher Spirit Master said, glaring at Ghost Dominion Spirit Master. Last time when Zhao Leshan sent him a clan jade slip, he said that there was a matter that could be extremely beneficial to the clan. That was why the clan decided to spend a large portion of cultivation resources to free him from his restrictions and allow him to return to the Mountain of Law¡¯s branch of the Zhao Clan. If Zhao Leshan wasn¡¯t able to articulate himself clearly here, then undoubtedly, his next several hundred years wouldn¡¯t be much better than spending that time in confinement. He immediately took out a recording jade slip and said, ¡°Patriarch, as soon as you see this, you will know. Furthermore, there are several pieces of concrete evidence that Xu Disheng has killed innocent sect disciples in the Zhao Realm.¡± Ghost Punisher Spirit Master took the jade slip and examined it closely. Although they were both at the Divine Core stage, Zhao Leshan was at the early Divine Core stage, whereas Zhao Yangzhou was a half-step Primordial Spirit stage powerhouse, and one of the Spirit Masters with authority in the Mountain of Law. The difference in status between the two was incomparable. After a while, the calm and tranquil expression on Zhao Yangzhou¡¯s face finally changed. He put down the jade slip and said, ¡°That pagoda¡­ is definitely a Profound Treasure!¡± Zhao Leshan¡¯s gaze was lowered, and he remained silent. After a moment¡¯s contemplation, Ghost Punisher Spirit Master said, ¡°Just now, Xu Disheng won against Mo Yue. We absolutely cannot allow him to receive the title of Sacred Son, or it will be difficult for us to make a move!¡± The Dao Foundation stage elder was standing silently and respectfully off to the side, turning a blind eye to their conversation. Ghost Dominion Spirit Master maintained his silence as he waited for Zhao Yangzhou to make up his mind. He knew how attractive a Profound Treasure was, and that Zhao Yangzhou wouldn¡¯t be able to turn a blind eye to it. After silence loomed in the hall for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Ghost Punisher Spirit Master finally made up his mind, just as he expected. ¡°Zhao Tonghai, pass on my command. Sixth Ambush Spirit Master will temporarily take charge of Peaceful Sanctuary Peak. I will head to Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Yuluo Realm right away to see Ancestor.¡± ¡°As you command, Patriarch,¡± the Dao Foundation stage elder replied respectfully. With the Patriarch¡¯s command in hand, he left the great hall. ¡°Ghost Dominion, you did well this time. If Ancestor can really get his hands on this treasure, I will recommend you for a Peak Master position in one of the top 50 Peaks in the Mountain of Law,¡± Zhao Yangzhou said, his tone easing up. ¡°Thank you, Patriarch!¡± Ghost Dominion Spirit Master said with relief, lowering his head in gratitude. The ancestor of the Zhao Clan was Spirit Wielding Primordial Lord. After cultivating to the Primordial Spirit stage, he went to the Yuluo Realm and established a domain. He was always meditating and cultivating all year round, and never really asked about the matters regarding the Mountain of Law¡¯s Zhao Clan. Ghost Punisher Spirit Master sensed that this was a perfectly justifiable opportunity to obtain a Profound Treasure. If everything worked out, their Ancestor would definitely make a move! As long as Xu Disheng didn¡¯t get first place in the Sea of Qi division of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament and receive the title of Sacred Son, Spirit Wielding Primordial Lord could use the ironclad evidence showing that he violated sect rules to arrest Xu Disheng and take his Profound Treasure! Even in the entire Shangqing Sacred Sect, no one would be able to criticize this verdict! After all, every Primordial Lord had overwhelming levels of authority in the sect. If they had ironclad evidence that an ordinary disciple had violated sect rules, they didn¡¯t have to receive anyone¡¯s permission to take punitive action. As for whether or not Xu Disheng would be able to secure the position of Sacred Son¡­ Ghost Punisher didn¡¯t even consider the possibility. Everyone knew that at the Sea of Qi stage, no one could beat Zhang Yangui in a fight. Even though Xu Disheng could win against Mo Yue, he still wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against Zhang Yangui. CH 194 Chapter 194 ¨C The Vast, Boundless Pure Spirit Ocean TL: Sponsored chapter (1/4) In the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Mirage Sea Realm¡­ The deepest recesses of the elderly realm spirit¡¯s mind had already been silent for tens of thousands of years, when he suddenly felt a powerful ripple. He lifted his ancient gaze, which contained the ancient vicissitudes of time, and stared off into the void in disbelief. ¡°Lord Yu Jing, is that you¡­?¡± An embroidered silk cloth, emitting a dazzling divine light, condensed into being, transitioning from illusory to reality right before his eyes. He picked up the embroidered silk cloth and felt the familiar aura emanating from it. Tears began to streak down the old man¡¯s face. ¡°Master Yu Jing, it¡¯s been tens of thousands of years since you cultivated to the Divine Sea stage and left for the Heavenly Court. There was never any news of you, and now, you¡­¡± We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. As the old man read the information written on the silk cloth, his expression filled with more and more shock. As he reached the end, his fingers began to tremble and his expression, which seldom saw variation, changed greatly! Over 40,000 years ago, the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s sole Divine Sea stage being, Heavenly Lord Yu Jing, and the other Divine Sea stage beings of the Human Realm were ordered by the House of the Earth God to congregate at Buzhou Mountain, where they would be assigned with a divine post in the Heavenly Court, never to return to the Human Realm. In all the years that had gone by, every Divine Sea stage being of the Human Realm had left and never returned. But now, the realm spirit of the Mirage Sea Realm received a silk cloth that was clad in the aura of Heavenly Lord Yu Jing! Primordial Spirit stage cultivators were referred to as Primordial Lords, while Clone Avatar stage cultivators were referred to as Saint Lords or Greater Lords. Divine Sea stage cultivators were referred to as Heavenly Lords! Divine Sea stage Heavenly Lords could split into countless primordial spirits, as numerous as drops of water in the sea¡ªnever expiring or perishing. It was the cultivation realm where one was truly considered to have eternal, undying life. If the information contained in this embroidered silk cloth were to be made known to the outside world, it would cause an uproar across the entire Human Realm! As it turned out, after Heavenly Lord Yu Jing took up a divine post, he and several other Divine Sea stage beings were brought into the Heavenly Court and given positions as Rank 5 Heavenly Generals. After that, they were completely isolated from the Human Realm, unable to return ever again. In the past 40,000 years, Heavenly Lord Yu Jing had forged forward boldly and was promoted multiple times, breaking through to the Grandmaster stage. A heavenly decree was sent down, granting him the position of Rank 2 Divine Lord and reign over the House of the Demon God. A Rank 2 Divine Lord in the Heavenly Court was equivalent to an arhat of the Great Buddhist Sun World. In terms of cultivation, they were both Grandmaster stage existences, inextinguishable even across ten thousand calamities. They could be entrusted with great authority and reign over a portion of the three heavens and nine realms. With a thought, they could overturn heaven and earth, and were truly almighty powerhouses. Although Divine Lord Yu Jing had achieved the divine rank of House Deity, single-handedly ruling over a Divine House, he still couldn¡¯t let go of the Human Realm¡¯s Shangqing Sacred Sect. He, along with several other almighty powerhouses who had also left the Shangqing Sacred Sect behind, sought out the opportunity and braved the risks of being exposed for breaking the rules of the heavens to send out this embroidered silk cloth. The Heavenly Court was one of the three realms of Heaven. It was incredibly vast, almost immeasurably so. In all the years to the current day, only a scant few dozen Divine Sea stage beings had come from the Shangqing Sacred Sect. The people who had cultivated to the Grandmaster stage were even fewer, which was why Divine Lord Yu Jing hadn¡¯t received much help, and could only send down an embroidered silk cloth, and only to the realm spirit of the Mirage Sea Realm at that. It definitely couldn¡¯t be sent to the outside world. The punishment for breaking a rule of the heavens wasn¡¯t something any living being could bear. Nevertheless, the old realm spirit thought of something else. Since Divine Lord Yu Jing had managed to secretly send down this embroidered silk cloth, that meant that the other influences in the Human Realm who had produced almighty powerhouses in the past would have also taken similar actions. But they probably didn¡¯t dare to let this be known to anyone outside their sphere of influence. The Eastern Territory of the Human Realm was just one part of the realm. There were four other territories, like the Central Territory, the Northern Territory, and so on. Once every few tens of thousands of years, every single Divine Sea stage being across the entire Human Realm had to go to the summit of Buzhou Mountain to leave for the Heavenly Court. But whenever there were no Divine Sea stage beings in existence across the entire realm, the first influence to produce one would sweep the entire Human Realm and swallow countless sects. Just a few years prior, the House of the Earth God had sounded the heavenly bell, commanding all Divine Sea stage beings to head to the summit of Buzhou Mountain to receive a divine post. As a result, there wasn¡¯t a single Divine Sea stage existence in the entirety of the Human Realm¡ªnot even in the Central Territory, which was the strongest of the 5 regions. Meanwhile, in the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Shangqing Spiritual Realm¡­ The Shangqing Spiritual Realm stood alone outside of the boundaries of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. It was located in the center of the Pure Spirit Ocean. It was a small, fully intact world formed from the treasures of heaven and earth and 60% of the spiritual essence of the Shan Mountain Territory. It was the world where the domains of all of the Clone Avatar stage Saint Lords of the Shangqing Sacred Sect were located. Above the Pure Spirit Ocean, boundless mirage qi swept over from afar. It transformed into the phantom image of an old man. He stood there silently in the void, looking at the endless array of palaces. ¡°Mirage Spirit Greater Lord,¡± a female voice said, containing a hint of surprise. The figure of an extremely beautiful woman in palace dress appeared above the Pure Spirit Ocean, materializing right next to the old man. Seeing him, she came forward and cupped her hands in a bow. Although Mirage Spirit Greater Lord was the realm spirit of the Mirage Sea Realm, he was a terrifying existence that had already split himself into 7 primordial spirits. Red Nacre Greater Lord had cultivated to the Clone Avatar stage within the last ten thousand years, so she could only be considered someone from the younger generation before one like him. ¡°It¡¯s been tens of thousands of years. This old man hasn¡¯t come back even once to the Pure Spirit Ocean all this time. But to think it would still be the same as ever,¡± Mirage Spirit Greater Lord said with an emotional sigh as he gazed out over the vast Pure Spirit Ocean and the Shangqing Spiritual Realm above it. ¡°If you have left the Mirage Sea Realm to come to the Shangqing Spiritual Realm¡­ could it be because you wish to see the Sect Master?¡± Red Nacre Greater Lord asked after a short moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°The Sect Master right now is Greater Lord Qingxuan?¡± Mirage Spirit Greater Lord asked, shaking his head with a self-deprecating chuckle. ¡°After Sect Master Yu Jing left, this old man wasted 40,000 years away. Now, I don¡¯t even know who the current Sect Master is.¡± Neither the former Heavenly Lord Yu Jing nor the current Sect Master were figures that Red Nacre Greater Lord could speak lightly of, so she simply remained silent in response. Heavenly Lord Yu Jing was the only Divine Sea stage being to come from the Shangqing Sacred Sect in the last several tens of thousands of years. He subjugated the entire Shan Mountain Territory during his reign, and was the fundamental origin of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s flourishing prosperity for the last several tens of thousands of years. Even Clone Avatar stage Greater Lords had to be prudent when his name was brought up. Even though he had already left tens of thousands of years ago, any time anyone brought up Heavenly Lord Yu Jing¡¯s name, no one dared to be even the slightest bit disrespectful. Only Mirage Spirit Greater Lord was different, since he was the artifact spirit of the Mirage Sea Realm, which was personally refined by Heavenly Lord Yu Jing back in the day. They also had a master and servant bloodline relationship, meaning they couldn¡¯t be any closer. ¡°Mirage Spirit Greater Lord, please feel free to come into my Domain for a chat,¡± Greater Lord Qingxuan said, his cool voice echoing out from the Shangqing Spiritual Realm. One of the walls of the Shangqing Spiritual Realm melted away, merging with the Pure Spirit Ocean in a grand, magnificent fashion. Just as Mirage Spirit Greater Lord was about to enter the Shangqing Spiritual Realm, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He remembered that Greater Lord Qingxuan was now the Sect Master of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, and he was also a direct descendent of Heavenly Lord Yu Jing, representing the entire sect. He couldn¡¯t afford to be disrespectful. ¡°Many thanks, Sect Master,¡± he said finally. Then, he faded into a boundless mass of mirage qi and entered the Shangqing Spiritual Realm. CH 195 Chapter 195 ¨C Jade Water True Sword, Clouds and Water Fill the Sky ¡°Senior Martial Brother He is going to lose,¡± Liu Daoxuan said, shaking his head as he watched the screen of light projected in the great hall. ¡°It seems that Zhang Yangui can bring out about¡­50% of the might of his Psychic Magic Treasure sword,¡± Xu Disheng said, not refuting him. He examined the water-blue sword in Zhang Yangui¡¯s hand, his gaze reacting slightly. ¡°No, that sword is called the Jade Ocean True Sword, and its rank is extremely close to a Profound Treasure. Just 10% of its might is more than enough to compare to 50% of the might of any typical Psychic Magic Treasure, which is what leads people to believe that he can exert a high level of control over a Psychic Magic Treasure,¡± Liu Daoxuan explained. ¡°At the Sea of Qi stage, it¡¯s only possible to bring out about 10% of the might of any Psychic Magic Treasure. It has more to do with one¡¯s profound qi cultivation. Even an unparalleled genius like Zhang Yangui isn¡¯t able to break this rule. Of course, your precious seal-type Psychic Magic Treasure, the Fierce Specter War Chariot, doesn¡¯t face such a restriction.¡± A seal-type Psychic Magic Treasure normally had a monster, ghost, or some other type of being sealed inside, and most of their power came from the seals themselves. Every time a seal was released, the might of the treasure would become stronger. However¡­ seal-type Psychic Magic Treasures like this, while precious, were less effective the higher one¡¯s profound qi cultivation was. It was still useful at the Dao Foundation stage, but at the Divine Core stage, any Psychic Magic Treasure could exhibit incredible might capable of splitting rivers and parting oceans! At that stage, seal-type Psychic Magic Treasures were practically useless. Whatever living being was sealed inside could be extinguished by a Divine Core stage cultivator with a wave of their hand. Seal-type Psychic Magic Treasures were only eagerly sought after at the Sea of Qi and Dao Foundation stages. Not only were they extremely rare, but there simply weren¡¯t enough being sold to meet the demand. To get his hands on the Fierce Specter War Chariot, Xu Disheng had spent over 80,000 spirit stones, which was pretty much all of the spirit stones he had at the time. Liu Daoxuan was the 2nd ranked genius of the Seventh Mountain, Fengzhou Mountain Range. He had gone out of his way to visit Xu Disheng¡¯s great hall to watch the tournament with him, clearly harboring intentions to get on his good side. After a moment of hesitation, Liu Daoxuan spoke again. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve entered the top 5, do you intend to aim for the title of Sacred Son, Senior Martial Brother Xu? As far as I can see, there aren¡¯t any other people who would stand a chance against you in the top 5 aside from Zhang Yangui.¡± ¡°Zhang Yangui is crushing Senior Martial Brother He, but he hasn¡¯t even used his full strength yet. His strength is truly immeasurable. I can¡¯t be sure about winning against him,¡± Xu Disheng said, not bothering with modesty in the slightest. After all, he had already beaten Mo Yue. He had revealed his true strength and now, his meteoric rise couldn¡¯t be stopped. Aside from Zhang Yangui, no one dared to say they could beat Xu Disheng in battle. ¡°I heard that you normally spend your time meditating, Senior Martial Brother Xu, so you might not know too much about Zhang Yangui. I have a jade slip here that might help you a bit,¡± Liu Daoxuan said, taking out a jade slip and laying it on the table. Xu Disheng looked at the jade slip, but didn¡¯t reach to pick it up. He simply lifted his gaze and looked at Liu Daoxuan. Liu Daoxuan gave a bitter smile and said, ¡°The Fengzhou Mountain Range is too weak. We might as well be considered worse off than the Eighth Mountain, Zhuri Mountain Range. If you obtain the title of Sacred Son, you will definitely be granted a Mountain Peak in the Mingxin Mountain Range, and also granted a position as a Peak Master. I hope that when that time comes, you won¡¯t forget to help me out a bit.¡± After a moment of contemplation, Xu Disheng picked up the jade slip and said, ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Then Junior Martial Brother will take his leave here. I still have to prepare for my top 10 battle with Xu Zimo. It will be taking place shortly,¡± Liu Daoxuan said. ¡°Go on then.¡± The two of them didn¡¯t even bring up the situation where Xu Disheng lost to Zhang Yangui and didn¡¯t obtain the title of Sacred Son. Clearly, Xu Disheng¡¯s chances of beating Zhang Yangui were extremely small. When Liu Daoxuan came to show his goodwill, he was only betting on that tiny possibility that Xu Disheng might win. Even if Xu Disheng lost, he would still have a favorable relationship with an unparalleled genius, so there was no harm to him no matter what happened. As the rank 2 genius in the Fengzhou Mountain Range, Liu Daoxuan wasn¡¯t willing to settle in the Seventh Mountain since it was too small. But if Xu DIsheng really obtained the title of Sacred Son, he would definitely be given a new Mountain Peak, and the share of cultivation resources he would receive from the sect would be extremely generous. He had a great potential to rise even further beyond. Feng Shao, the Sacred Son from fifty years ago, was now already a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, and was firmly ruling over the top 3 Mountain Peaks in his Mountain Range, possessing incredible levels of authority. The several genius disciples that had chosen to follow him were now all Peak Master-level existences due to his support, receiving a great return for their initial choice. ¡°Zhang Yangui, born in the Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Yuluo Realm. He is the direct grandson of one of the three Realm Masters of the Yuluo Realm, Realm Master Qingfu. He is the central figure in the matter with the Burning Heart Sword.¡± ¡°Rank 3 Spiritual Root talent. Cultivated under Red Lotus Primordial Lord¡¯s guidance for a few decades.¡± ¡°The Psychic Magic Treasures he is known to possess include the Jade Water True Sword, the Spirit Trapping Ring, the Heartlock Sword Array, and the Universe Overturning Seal.¡± We are "pawread dot com", find us on google. ¡°He also possesses several cultivation methods, including the Red Lotus Heartflame, Tranquil Incantation, True Jade Water Scripture, and Five Element Rotation.¡± ¡°His true combat power is similar to that of an ordinary Dao Foundation stage disciple of the Shangqing Sacred Sect.¡± ¡°In the past, he once slayed 3 peak transformation stage monsters through his own strength alone.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng put down the jade slip and looked at the massive screen of light in the great hall. Zhang Yangui was wielding the Jade Water True Sword, each swing sending out waves of sword light that swept across the entire arena. Each strike was clad in inexhaustible water elemental energy. In only around ten moves, he defeated He Junyu, who then left the sea of clouds. The True Jade Water Scripture was also a water element cultivation method, and it included the three spells contained in the Jade Water True Sword. Although He Junyu had acquired the inheritance of Vast Ocean Primordial Lord and his secret water Dao techniques, he was only able to hold out for a few moves before being overpowered and beaten down. The Azure Ocean cultivation method that He Junyu practiced was only a Divine Core stage Spirit Master¡¯s cultivation method. It couldn¡¯t compare to Zhang Yangui¡¯s True Jade Water Scripture, which was why it was futile to use a water element cultivation method to confront Zhang Yangui. Mo Yue¡¯s Starfire Record had three Dao Foundation stage spells, but she had to use practically all of her hidden trump cards in the fight against Xu Disheng. If he hadn¡¯t completely comprehended his Dao Path at that moment, awakening the Paramount Ancient Bell, he probably would have already been eliminated from the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. Zhang Yangui had always overshadowed Mo Yue, so how could he be inferior to her in any way? ¡­ ¡­ In the sea of clouds, the battles of the top 10 had already finished. In the Sea of Qi division of the Eight Mountains Tournament, only the top 5 now remained. Of the five disciples who had managed to make it here among the tens of thousands of disciples who had initially participated, every single one was an unparalleled genius that was undoubtedly worthy of the sect¡¯s full support. But in the end, only one person would take first place and receive the title of a Sacred Son of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. ¡°Luck is also a type of strength,¡± Cloud Stream Spirit Master said as he looked at Xu Disheng and the other 4 remaining geniuses, implied meaning lurking in his words. With a wave of his hand, two golden lines wriggled and glowed on the list of names, matching the contestants. After a while, the golden lines stopped moving, and four of the names were paired together, illuminated in a dim glow. Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Zhang Yangui versus Refining Heart Mountain Range¡¯s Ji Haohan. Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Xu Disheng versus Mengyang Mountain Range¡¯s Xu Zimo. And one name, which hadn¡¯t ever drawn much of anyone¡¯s attention, was You Shao, the rank 1 genius of the Fengzhou Mountain Range, who had received a bye for this round. ¡°Throughout the entire tournament, You Shao has always received really average opponents. Now he managed to get a bye. Isn¡¯t his luck the only good thing about him?¡± a Dao Foundation stage Deacon said doubtfully, looking at You Shao¡¯s completely average and uninteresting facial features. ¡°There¡¯s a pretty big difference between the rewards for finishing in the top 3 compared to the top 5. By getting a bye, You Shao directly makes it to the top 3. His luck is way too good.¡± Many people spoke about him with ridicule apparent in their tones, casting sour glances in his direction. ¡°In the top 10 battles just now, You Shao was only able to win against Zhuri Mountain Range¡¯s Zhao Xiuyong because Zhao Xiuyong suffered a backlash from the monster he was controlling¡­¡± ¡°What do you know? The cultivation method that You Shao cultivates, the Luck Converging Technique, can move the mysterious forces of luck to allow him to encounter great benefits and avoid disastrous outcomes. It can only be called a miraculous technique.¡± CH 196 Chapter 196 ¨C Blazing Will to Fight Ignites a Wildfire ¡°Senior Martial Brother Jing, between Xu Disheng and Zhang Yangui, who do you think will take the title of Sacred Son?¡± Sacred Son Bai Lu asked, watching the scene displayed on the screen of light. Jing Xingchen was standing there with the Star Beheading Sword slung over his shoulder. There were also a dozen or so Dao Foundation stage geniuses also present, gathered in this great hall to watch the Sea of Qi division of the tournament together. Jing Xingchen¡¯s gaze was fierce and sharp like an unsheathed blade. As he gazed at Zhang Yangui and Ji Haohan, who was struggling bitterly under the onslaught of the Jade Water True Sword, he said, ¡°The Sacred Son of the Sea of Qi division¡­ should be Zhang Yangui.¡± A mysterious smile appeared on Sacred Son Bai Lu¡¯s face. ¡°Not necessarily,¡± he replied in a quiet tone. Although he spoke quietly, other people heard him. The other Dao Foundation stage geniuses in the hall looked over with doubt in their eyes. ¡°Sacred Son Bai Lu, what do you mean by that? Even if Xu Disheng¡¯s powers of comprehension are unparalleled and he has a rare profound law foundation, it¡¯s still not enough to win against Zhang Yangui.¡± Another person nodded his head and spoke in agreement. ¡°Exactly. Zhang Yangui has the Jade Water True Sword and the Spirit Trapping Hoop, Magic Treasures that are nearly Profound Treasures in rank. Even I couldn¡¯t say that I could win easily against him.¡± Sacred Son Bai Lu watched Zhang Yangui through the screen of light and said unhurriedly, ¡°Certainly, only the person who earns first place in the Sea of Qi division will obtain the title of Sacred Son. But can the position of Sacred Son only be obtained through the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament?¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. A quick-witted Dao Foundation stage genius quickly picked up on what he meant. His eyes lit up and he said, ¡°You kind of beat around the bush, but I get your point, Senior Martial Brother Bai Lu. You¡¯re saying that with his profound law foundation and his unparalleled powers of comprehension, the Mountain Range he is from will nominate him to the Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Clearheart Peak. This is indeed another way to obtain the title of Sacred Son!¡± Sacred Son Bai Lu nodded, directing him an approving glance. What they didn¡¯t know at this point was that not too long ago, Celestial Tide Spirit Master had already drafted up a nomination jade slip and sent it off to the Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Clearheart Peak. Even the Mountain Master of Mingxin Mountain Range, Primordial Lord Yangze, had sent out a divine light towards Clearheart Peak, but the contents of it were yet unknown. ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile, in the Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord¡¯s domain in the Yuluo Realm¡­ ¡°Incumbent Patriarch of the Zhao Clan, Zhao Yangzhou, wishes for an audience with Spirit Controlling Ancestor,¡± Ghost Punisher Spirit Master said with the proper respect and etiquette. He waited outside the domain for a response. The Zhao Clan was a family-controlled organization, which meant it was different from a majority of the traditional organizations in the Shangqing Sacred Sect. As a result, Ghost Punisher Spirit Master referred to him as Ancestor rather than Primordial Lord. ¡°Ghost Punisher Spirit Master, the Primordial Lord was aware of your arrival, and has instructed me to bring you into the Domain.¡± A peak Dao Foundation stage youth dressed in green flew out from the domain, and called out in a clear voice. When he stood face to face with the Divine Core stage Spirit Master, he was neither servile nor overbearing. Ghost Punisher Spirit Master nodded and followed the green-clothed youth into the domain. ¡°Incumbent Patriarch of the Zhao Clan, Zhao Yangzhou, greets Ancestor,¡± Zhao Yangzhou said, kneeling respectfully. ¡°You are now one of the Spirit Masters with authority in the Mountain of Law. There¡¯s no need for you to kneel,¡± Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord said, furrowing his brows. With a wave of his sleeve, he sent out a divine light that pulled Zhao Yangzhou to his feet. ¡°For you to not be standing guard in Peaceful Sanctuary Peak as Patriarch of the clan, but to come here personally¡­ what is your purpose?¡± This was one point where family-controlled organizations were different from other influences. Regardless of how high one¡¯s cultivation was, it was always proper etiquette for one to kneel before the family¡¯s ancestor. But Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord was a bit different, and detested complex etiquette like this. As a result, he was a bit disgruntled by Zhao Yangzhou¡¯s actions. Ghost Punisher Spirit Master¡¯s expression remained respectful. He took out the recording jade slip and handed it to the green-clothed youth, then briefly recounted the matter with Xu Disheng. The green-clothed youth walked towards Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord and proffered him the recording jade slip. After a while, Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord lifted his gaze, putting down the jade slip. ¡°It certainly is a Profound Treasure.¡± Ghost Punisher Spirit Master didn¡¯t dare to look up to meet Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord¡¯s gaze, so he had no idea what his expression was like. Inwardly, he felt a bit anxious, so he couldn¡¯t help speaking up. ¡°Ancestor¡­¡± ¡°Is there something else?¡± Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord said. His voice, which had become noticeably colder, entered Zhao Yangzhou¡¯s ears, causing his heart to freeze. He no longer dared to speak further. He was well aware that his ancestor, Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord, was no benevolent do-gooder. To rise to the Primordial Spirit stage and get where he was now, he had slaughtered tens of thousands of living beings in the Shan Mountain Territory and extracted a little less than half of the Zhao Clan¡¯s meridians. ¡°You can go then.¡± With his head lowered, Zhao Yangzhou couldn¡¯t get a good grasp of the Primordial Lord¡¯s thought process. When he heard his voice ring out once more, he again couldn¡¯t bring himself to speak. He could only respectfully withdraw and leave the domain. ¡°A disciple that broke sect rules¡­ and has a Profound Treasure,¡± Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord muttered to himself. His voice reverberated in the silent hall, sending quiet echoes back. ¡­ ¡­ A rivulet of fresh blood dripped from the corner of Ji Haohan¡¯s mouth. In his heart, an unfettered will to fight rose up once more. With a wide grin, he cried out, ¡°Come again, Senior Martial Brother Zhang!¡± Zhang Yangui shook his head and replied, ¡°You should back down. If I attack again, it¡¯ll harm your profound law foundation.¡± With that, he waved his hand, erasing the sword lights from the Jade Water True Sword that were hovering in the air. ¡°Then Junior Martial Brother will congratulate you in advance for earning the title of Sacred Son,¡± Ji Haohan said, natural and at ease despite losing. After cupping his hands to Cloud Stream Spirit Master, he flew out from the arena. ¡°Xu Disheng versus Xu Zimo,¡± Cloud Stream Spirit Master announced, his voice echoing throughout the sea of clouds once more. Xu Disheng stepped on the phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram, flying up to the arena. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu, I admit defeat,¡± Xu Zimo said right away with a bitter smile before even letting out a single attack. Xu Disheng raised an eyebrow, half in doubt. ¡°I saw your entire fight with Senior Martial Sister Mo Yue from beginning to end. I can tell that I am not your opponent, so it would be better for me to admit defeat sooner rather than later,¡± Xu Zimo said. After bowing to Cloud Stream Spirit Master, he gave Xu Disheng a deep glance, then jumped on a sword light and exited the arena. Xu Zimo was very smart. In the battle against Xu Disheng, while his loss wasn¡¯t guaranteed, his chances of winning were extremely small. Not to mention Zhang Yangui was still looming behind him, and he stood even less of a chance against him. As a result, Xu Zimo didn¡¯t even think about trying to obtain the title of Sacred Son. It would be much better for him to be proactive in getting on Xu Disheng¡¯s good side, selling him this favor. That way, he would at least be able to gain some hidden benefits. Cloud Stream Spirit Master looked up at the golden list of names. Seeing that only three names remained, he announced, ¡°After this battle, the second place will be decided.¡± With a wave of his hand, a golden line appeared on the list, revolving around the three remaining names. Although he said that this battle would decide who gets second, everyone knew that if You Shao managed to roll another bye, this upcoming battle would decide who obtained the title of Sacred Son! You Shao mainly cultivated luck and fortune. While his fighting ability couldn¡¯t be considered weak, he had no chances of winning against Xu Disheng and Zhang Yangui. The golden line slowly came to a stop. One end of the faintly glowing line pointed to Zhang Yangui, and the other side¡­ Xu Disheng! Sure enough, You Shao got another bye. Just like that, he had secured 2nd place in the Sea of Qi division. Clamorous chatter erupted forth, spreading like wildfire across all eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. ¡°Zhang Yangui! Xu Disheng!¡± ¡°Both of them are undoubtedly unparalleled geniuses. After this battle, we will finally know who is the superior one.¡± ¡°In the end, who will obtain the title of Sacred Son, which is only given once every 50 years?¡± ¡°The two Sacred Sons from the previous Eight Mountains Grand Tournament were Sacred Son Feng Shao at the Dao Foundation stage and Sacred Son Bai Lu at the Sea of Qi stage. But in the end, I think Zhang Yangui will be slightly superior.¡± ¡°Zhang Yangui¡¯s chances of winning are indeed very high.¡± ¡°Xu Disheng already revealed his hidden trump cards during his battle against Mo Yue, but Zhang Yangui hasn¡¯t revealed his fighting strength yet. His odds of winning are higher.¡± ¡­ ¡­ At the same time, in Canxia Peak¡¯s marketplace, as well as all the countless marketplaces across the Mingxin Mountain Range and the other Mountain Ranges, there was only a single match left to bet on. Zhang Yangui, or¡­ Xu Disheng. At the moment, the bettings odds steadied out at 3:1. In other words, most people still thought that Zhang Yangui would win. After all, no matter which aspect it was, from cultivation methods, to Magic Treasures, spiritual beast, inheritance, and so on, Zhang Yangui would crush Xu Disheng in practically every one. CH 197 Chapter 197 ¨C Red Lotus Heartflame, Heart Ravaging Magic Sword TL: Sponsored chapter (3/7) ¡°Your powers of comprehension are really amazing. Even my profound law foundation is a bit lacking in comparison,¡± Zhang Yangui said. With a flick of his sleeve, the Jade Water True Sword appeared in his hand with a flash of icy blue. ¡°But your Spiritual Root talent isn¡¯t very high.¡± As far as everyone knew, Xu Disheng currently had a middle class Spiritual Root Sequence as a Rank 6 Spiritual Root. It wasn¡¯t that bad, but compared to the other unparalleled geniuses and their identities, it was indeed a bit ill-fitted. Compared to Zhang Yangui¡¯s upper class Rank 3 Spiritual Root, it was like the difference between clouds and mud. Only Xu Disheng knew that he currently had a Rank 4 Spiritual Root, which was comparable to geniuses like Yu Yangyao and Jian Liangbi. With a light flick of his sleeves, a blazing fighting intent ignited in Xu Disheng¡¯s gaze, flaring up like a wildfire! The Fierce Specter War Chariot appeared by his side, emitting an evil, ear-piercing howl. Right away, he released three of the seals! Baleful qi filled the entire arena, and the Fierce Specter¡¯s form became more corporeal. Ghost force surged from its body as it threw itself toward Zhang Yangui, leaving a streak of brilliant black light in its path. An icy blue radiance shone from the Jade Water True Sword, filling the entire arena! The sword light it unleashed swept across the arena, clad in a rich water elemental energy. It collided ruthlessly with the body of the Fierce Specter stage ghost. The Fierce Specter let loose a bitter howl. The sword light managed to block it for a bit, but its ghostly body suddenly surged with inexhaustible qi that rose up like black smoke and flames from its body. Zhang Yangui gripped the Jade Water True Sword. ¡°Jade Water Suppresses the Soul.¡± With that, the Jade Water True Sword flew out of his hand and rapidly rose into the sky. It hovered there in the sky, releasing a faint sound of thunder as if it was channeling lightning for an attack. An expression of fear appeared for the first time on the Fierce Specter stage ghost¡¯s face. But the might of the Jade Water True Sword was too intimidating, rendering it unable to move even half a step. After a while, thousands of beams of dazzling blue light erupted from the Jade Water True Sword, wrapping up the Fierce Specter stage ghost completely! ¡°ROOOAAAR!¡± A deafening shriek of pain shook the arena. The thousands of blue streams of light curled up around the ghost, forming an icy blue orb that trapped it within. The ghost force rising off its body was dissipating like smoke, and the fierce aura it was releasing quickly grew weaker. Zhang Yangui flipped his palm over and a small array appeared in his hand. The phantom image of a scarlet sword floated above it. Zhang Yangui poured power into it and uttered, ¡°Heart Ravaging Magic Sword.¡± The moment his words reached everyone¡¯s ears, the phantom image of the small scarlet sword suddenly disappeared without a trace. An instant later, it appeared above Xu Disheng¡¯s head and plummeted towards him! ¡°The Heartlock Sword Array!¡± ¡°Zhang Yangui actually took out a Psychic Magic Treasure right away!¡± ¡°This Magic Treasure has an impressive origin¡­¡± ¡°At the Sea of Qi stage, it¡¯s not possible to resist the Heartlock Sword Array and the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword.¡± ¡°Is Xu Disheng going to be defeated so quickly?¡± ¡­ ¡­ We are "pawread dot com", find us on google. Countless white birds flew out in an endless flutter from the White Heron Robe, moving to block the phantom image of the scarlet sword. However, the phantom image of the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword penetrated right through the defenses of the White Heron Robe, entering Xu Disheng¡¯s body! Scarlet sword light entered his meridians and quickly transformed into a scarlet sword energy that began to flow rapidly, mixing with the Shangqing profound qi all throughout Xu Disheng¡¯s body. Waves of sharp pain began to wrack Xu Disheng¡¯s body. The scarlet heart-ravaging sword energy suddenly erupted in his meridians! Xu Disheng¡¯s face turned pale. The Shangqing profound qi in his body was in complete chaos, unable to be controlled. His meridians were also a mess, and in some of the regions where the heart-ravaging sword energy was more concentrated, cracks had appeared in his meridians! If it wasn¡¯t for the Paramount Ancient Bell releasing a protective golden light throughout his entire body the very moment the heart-ravaging sword qi erupted, most of Xu Disheng¡¯s meridians would probably already have ruptured! ¡°Oh? You actually managed to resist it,¡± Zhang Yangui said, sounding surprised. He activated the array diagram in his palm once more, and unexpectedly¡­ dozens of scarlet-colored phantom images of the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword appeared, each one looking just like the one from before! Just now, there was only a single phantom image of the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword, and Xu Disheng was already practically unable to resist. If he let that many phantom images enter his body, he might not even leave a corpse behind. Even though Cloud Stream Spirit Master was floating in the sky, standing guard, and could save Xu Disheng from a moment of crisis, he would still have lost the match at that point. Meanwhile, the Jade Water True Sword was still floating in the middle of the air, releasing endless streaks of sharp, icy blue sword light, which was firmly trapping the Fierce Specter stage ghost in a massive orb of sword energy. From time to time, ear-splitting shrieks of agony rang out from inside. Clearly, the Fierce Specter stage ghost had no way of struggling free of its binds. Zhang Yangui casually waved his hand, and the dozens of small phantom images of the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword all disappeared at the same time. An instant later, they all appeared above Xu Disheng¡¯s head! Zhang Yangui closed his left hand. When he opened it once more, there was a lick of blazing heartflame in his palm. He poured energy into the heartflame, and it shot out of his hand, smoldering fiercely as it rose into the air! This was Red Lotus Primordial Lord¡¯s famous spell, the Red Lotus Heartflame. In just a few breaths of time, Xu Disheng was already surrounded on all sides in a serious predicament, teetering on the brink of defeat! Zhang Yangui went pretty easy against the other disciples he fought against, but against Xu Disheng, he immediately went all out, unleashing a slew of extremely powerful Magic Treasures and techniques against him! ¡°Zhang Yangui is so strong!¡± ¡°Is this his true strength?¡± ¡°With just a wave of his hand, he trapped that ghost rivaling a Dao Foundation stage cultivator and unleashed the Heart Ravaging Sword Array. It¡¯s completely ethereal and incorporeal, and the swords, which are made from profound qi, are controlled by the array. What can Xu Disheng even do against that?!¡± ¡°His reputation as the rank 1 genius at the Sea of Qi division is clearly not in vain!¡± ¡°I thought it would be an exciting fight. Who could have expected that it would be this boring in the end?¡± Many people thought that the match was already over when they saw Zhang Yangui unleash dozens of phantom images of the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword. No one could believe that Xu Disheng would be able to make it through such a powerful attack. Xu Disheng looked up at the closely dotted phantom images of the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword hanging above his head, on the verge of plummeting down towards him. His thoughts began to spin faster than lightning. After entering the meridians, these phantom images would transform into scarlet sword energy and then meld with his Shangqing profound qi. Then, it would erupt forth and destroy his meridians. If this sword energy was able to blend with Shangqing profound qi, then wasn¡¯t its original nature also profound qi? The White Heron Robe was unable to block these phantom images at all. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately used a move that he hadn¡¯t used in a long time, the Shangqing Incantation! The golden Paramount Ancient Bell began to revolve madly, causing Shangqing profound qi to surge from within, forming a massive shield of profound qi in front of himself! Right as the shield formed, dozens of flashes of scarlet radiance burst out as the phantom images of the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword stabbed downwards! BOOM! A deafening explosion rippled out. Xu Disheng¡¯s face was pale as he continued to crazily revolve the Paramount Ancient Bell to maintain the integrity of the shield. ¡°What is that? The most basic Shangqing Incantation?¡± ¡°He saw through the true nature of the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword!¡± ¡°Xu Disheng¡¯s profound law foundation is so mysterious! He¡¯s able to maintain such a massive amount of consumption for so long!¡± Countless peoples¡¯ expressions changed dramatically as they watched Xu Disheng use a mere Shangqing Incantation to form a basic shield of profound qi to block the unbeatable, explosive power of the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword. None of them dared to believe their eyes. Two breaths of time later, the dozens of sword lights formed from the phantom images of the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword were completely routed. Just as Xu Disheng let the profound qi shield fade away, a blazing conflagration of Red Lotus Heartflame appeared before his eyes, wrapping him up in its fiery embrace. Before Xu Disheng could even react, he was trapped in the red-hot prison of the Red Lotus Heartflame, causing agonizing pain to wrack his entire body! The Red Lotus Heartflame was capable of burning the mind, body, and soul. Clearly, Zhang Yangui had only cultivated it to the ¡®burning the body¡¯ level. But even just that elicited a pain that was worse than death, far worse than any ordinary person could bear. CH 198 Chapter 198 ¨C Jade Water Reaches the Sky, Extinguishing the Fire TL: Sponsored chapter (4/7) The moment Xu Disheng was wrapped up by the raging red flames, he activated the Paramount Ancient Bell in his sea of qi. It transformed his Shangqing profound qi into water elemental energy, counteracting the searing Red Lotus Heartflame. ¡°Jade Water Reaches the Sky,¡± Zhang Yangui uttered coldly, sending out a hand seal to the Jade Water True Sword, which was still hovering in the middle of the air. As soon as the seal landed on the Jade Water True Sword, it began to glow with a flourishing brightness. All of the jade water sword lights in the arena began to amass in a single spot, then slashed out with brilliant radiance! After being bound by the jade water sword lights for a while, the Fierce Specter ghost¡¯s aura had become very weak. The jade water sword lights had preyed on its strength, growing in power. The sword radiance that had condensed from all the sword lights slashed towards it, cutting off an arm! ¡°ROOOOAAAAARR!!¡± The Fierce Specter stage ghost let out a shrill shriek of agony. The sword lights surrounding it had disappeared, so it took advantage of the opportunity to transform into a mass of concentrated ghost qi and return to the Fierce Specter War Chariot. So far, only three of the seals had been released. Its true strength at the moment was only the peak Evil Spirit stage. In the face of Zhang Yangui¡¯s True Jade Water Scripture, it could only suffer defeat. Xu Disheng¡¯s face was pale, his jet black hair fluttering loosely in the wind. Having blocked the Red Lotus Heartflame, he turned to look at the Fierce Specter War Chariot, which was now giving off a weak aura. He gritted his teeth, then channeled Soul Force to use Blood Light Illumination! ¡°Extinguishing Soul, second form. Blood Light Illumination!¡± The eyes of the soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull opened wide, unleashing a beam of Soul-Extinguishing Blood Light that was concentrated to the brink of taking physical substance. Zhang Yangui¡¯s expression turned a bit more serious as he watched the beam of blood-colored light approaching him. ¡°So this is your strongest move, is it? It¡¯s not bad, actually.¡± With that, he took out a small seal with exquisitely intricate carvings on it. It rose up with the wind and protected the area in front of him! The Soul-Extinguishing Blood Light, which had been so effective in the past, fizzled out the moment it shined on the small seal. The air was momentarily permeated with countless motes of blood-colored light that slowly drifted towards the floor of the arena. ¡°The Universe Overturning Seal!¡± Many of the spectators let out exclamations of surprise. ¡°This seal is extremely famous. Although it¡¯s just a Psychic Magic Treasure, it was the treasure that Primordial Lord Qingfu used often when he was at the Divine Core stage!¡± a Divine Core stage Spirit Master said with a hint of excited yearning in his eyes as he examined the Universe Overturning Seal, which was emitting a dazzling golden radiance. ¡°I never would¡¯ve thought that Primordial Lord Qingfu actually gave this precious seal to Zhang Yangui!¡± Even to a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, the Universe Overturning Seal was an extremely precious treasure. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t know the origins of this seal, but after easily blocking the advanced spell of the Extinguishing Soul Mantra, the treasure seal grew and expanded until it was the size of a small mountain. At that moment, it began to stamp towards him! This seal¡­ He wouldn¡¯t be able to block it! Before the seal itself even arrived, the powerful pressure it caused was like the weight of an entire mountain. The power of heaven and earth around him turned thick and immutable, rendering him unable to move. With a deafening rumbling that only continued to grow louder as it approached, the seal, which had already grown to take up half of the entire arena, smashed upon Xu Disheng, slamming him into the depths of the arena! The arena was refined from a special kind of mist in the Luminous Cloud Abyss, and was sturdy enough to withstand an all-out attack from any cultivation boundary below the Divine Core stage. But when the seal came down, it left a huge indent in the floor of the arena! While the might of this seal hadn¡¯t reached the Divine Core stage, it was already comparable in combat strength to a peak Dao Foundation stage cultivator. Zhang Yangui took out a few pills and swallowed them down. After using a series of extremely tyrannical spells, even he was on the verge of exhausting his profound qi. ¡°Xu Disheng lost!¡± ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be dead. After all, he has the protections of the White Heron Robe which will activate when its user is on the brink of death, so Xu Disheng¡¯s life will be preserved at the very least.¡± ¡°Xu Disheng¡¯s aura is extremely weak, but I can still clearly feel it even though he¡¯s beneath the Universe Overturning Seal!¡± Suddenly, an extremely terrifying aura of destruction gradually surged up from beneath the Universe Overturning Seal. ¡°Why is the aura beneath the seal becoming more and more powerful?!¡± ¡°What is happening?¡± ¡°How could this be possible? Xu Disheng was attacked by the Heart Ravaging Magic Sword and the Red Lotus Heartflame in rapid succession, so he should already be extremely weak! That seal then pressed down on him like a mountain, so even if he¡¯s not dead, he should at least be seriously injured!¡± ¡°This aura¡­ why is it filled with destruction intent?¡± Countless people were staring at the Universe Overturning Seal, which was still taking up half the arena, trying to perceive the aura rising from beneath it. When they felt the aura, their expressions were aghast, filled with utter shock and amazement. Even Zhang Yangui had put away his previously nonchalant expression. His brows were furrowed as he looked toward the underside of the Universe Overturning Seal. BANG! The Universe Overturning Seal was suddenly sent flying, tumbling uncontrollably through the air! Xu Disheng¡¯s White Heron Robe had turned into a pure, uniform shade of white. It was emitting a glow that shone like moonlight, surrounding him in a sturdy barrier. He reached out his slender finger. At the tip of his finger, there was a pure black calligraphy brush hovering in the air, exuding a terrifying aura that seemed like it would destroy everything it touched. ¡°Disperse¡­¡± Xu Disheng muttered quietly. When he lifted his gaze, an enormous, phantom image of a giant timeworn bell appeared behind his head! The moment the Universe Overturning Seal slammed down, the Paramount Ancient Bell had suddenly erupted forth. Under its miraculous effects, it stimulated his profound qi and activated the White Heron Robe, bringing forth 30% of its true might, which allowed him to block the seal¡¯s attack. The Paramount Ancient Bell was spilling forth innumerable beams of profound light, illuminating the White Heron Robe, causing the white moonlight glow to become even fuller. It also formed a vortex, swallowing all of the power of heaven and earth within several kilometers! ¡°It¡¯s his profound law foundation!¡± ¡°What a miraculous profound law foundation¡­ It erupted forth again and allowed Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of qi to bring out a small portion of that Psychic Magic Treasure¡¯s true might!¡± ¡°That golden ancient bell¡­I wonder how it compares to the Yin Yang Mirror, the profound law foundation that Greater Lord Zhuri condensed back in the day.¡± ¡°What Magic Treasure is that in his hand?¡± ¡°Xu Disheng once had an ordinary Magic Treasure called the Imperial Demon Brush. But the aura coming from this black calligraphy brush is definitely not that of an ordinary Magic Treasure!¡± ¡°That aura of destruction just now was coming from this brush!¡± People shot to their feet, staring unblinkingly at the scene of Xu Disheng, with the mystical phantom image of the golden ancient bell behind him, and the pure black calligraphy brush in his hand. They were dumbstruck, their expressions colored with utter awe. ¡°Scatter and Destroy.¡± The moment his words reached everyone¡¯s ears, the black calligraphy brush floating in the hollow of his palm suddenly began to surge with a terrifying aura! Waves of destruction aura washed outwards. The brush only moved slightly, but it caused the surrounding mist to roil and dissipate. Zhang Yangui¡¯s expression grew heavy. He put away the Universe Overturning Seal, which had returned to a smaller size after being sent flying. With a flick of his sleeves, a hoop clad in demon qi appeared in his hand, which he flung directly towards Xu Disheng! The instant the hoop appeared, Xu Disheng felt the profound qi in his sea of qi grow more sluggish. As the hoop grew closer, the Shangqing profound qi in his body became less responsive to his control. It was a Psychic Magic Treasure that came from the Ancient Nuwa Sect, the Spirit Trapping Hoop! Under Zhang Yangui¡¯s control, its might was a bit reduced, but it could lock up all profound qi, demon qi, and ghost qi below the Divine Core stage! The moment he tossed out the Spirit Trapping Hoop, Zhang Yangui detected an extremely frightening aura of destruction approaching him, and his expression turned solemn. He revolved his profound qi, causing several defensive-type Psychic Magic Treasures to appear in front of him. A drop of dense, black ink appeared at the tip of Disperse. In a flash, it transformed into countless droplets that dispersed throughout the air. A moment later, thousands upon thousands of small, tiny droplets of black ink appeared in front of Zhang Yangui. They condensed together, forming a large droplet of pure black water! This move, ¡®Scatter and Destroy¡¯, was brought about by Xu Disheng¡¯s comprehension of the Pure Oblivion Water. This drop of water already possessed 10% of the power of a real drop of Pure Oblivion Water! The outermost Psychic Magic Treasure protecting Zhang Yangui, an umbrella-type Magic Treasure, was pierced right through by the black drop of water, passing through it! It carried on, passing through all three defensive-type Magic Treasures like a hot knife slicing through butter. By that point, the aura of the black drop of water weakened by a bit more than half, but its destruction intent hadn¡¯t decreased one bit. It still wasn¡¯t a force that Zhang Yangui could receive head-on! Zhang Yangui¡¯s face turned pale. He flipped his palm over and the Universe Overturning Seal appeared once more in front of him. The black drop of water came into contact with the surface of it. An ear-piercing sizzling zizi sound began to ring out. After a while, the black drop of water completely dissipated. A light blemish was left behind on the Universe Overturning Seal where the drop of water came into contact with it! The physical body of each Psychic Magic Treasure was extremely strong. The fact that this drop of water could leave a mark behind on it spoke volumes about how terrifying its power was. However, as the one controlling the Universe Overturning Seal, Zhang Yangui simply wasn¡¯t able to withstand the powerful backlash that resulted. He vomited up a mouthful of blood, and his face turned pale. The Shangqing profound qi in his body was in chaos. Even though Zhang Yangui took damage from Scatter and Destroy, the corner of his mouth curled up into a smile. On the other side of the arena, Xu Disheng had been firmly surrounded by the hoop, trapped in the ring of light it produced. He couldn¡¯t use any of his profound qi, leaving him no different from a mortal! ¡°Is that Peak Master¡¯s Imperial Demon Brush?¡± a Dao Foundation stage disciple from Morning Dew Peak asked. They were in Morning Night Hall, and when he saw the scene taking place on the screen of light, his expression filled with disbelief. Lu Changge shook his head, his gaze also fixated on the screen of light and the pure black calligraphy brush in Xu Disheng¡¯s hand. ¡°There¡¯s no way. Aside from the outer appearance looking somewhat like the Imperial Demon Brush, there¡¯s nothing else familiar about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid Xu Disheng might lose now,¡± Bai Honghua said with a soft sigh, examining the Spirit Trapping Hoop tightly binding Xu Disheng and the powerful waves of restrictive power it was releasing. After being bound by the Spirit Trapping Hoop, the Shangqing profound qi in Xu Disheng¡¯s Jianggong meridian point had become completely stagnant. Even though the Paramount Ancient Bell was mysterious and powerful, he could only move 10% of his profound qi. But¡­ at this moment, Xu Disheng¡¯s head was lowered, and the aura coming from his body seemed to have disappeared altogether. Anyone would believe that he had been completely restrained by the Spirit Trapping Hoop, unable to move even a sliver of his profound qi just like a mortal. A clear cry suddenly resounded throughout the arena. A blazing fire phoenix appeared, bringing with it a sweeping conflagration of flames. The moment it appeared, it flapped its wings and let out a cry. It launched itself towards Xu Disheng, its body wreathed in billowing flames. Zhang Yangui immediately took several pills and herbs. Then, he activated the Jade Water True Sword at full might. ¡°Jade Water Reaching the Sky!¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. It was this move again! Hundreds and thousands of icy blue sword lights filled the sky above the arena. After a while, they all coalesced together, forming a resplendent blue sword radiance. This radiant blue orb released by the Jade Water True Sword trailed closely behind the Scarlet Flame Phoenix, approaching him at a breakneck speed! Xu Disheng¡¯s head was still lowered, not a single ripple of profound qi coming from his body. It seemed like he would be ruthlessly blown off the stage in the next moment, wracked with heavy injuries. CH 199 Chapter 199 ¨C Entangling Karmic Ties TL: Sponsored chapter (5/7) ¡°Xu Disheng lost.¡± Many people looked at Xu Disheng, who seemed defenseless and unable to put up a fight any longer, letting out emotional sighs. ¡°The Spirit Trapping Hoop is no ordinary Psychic Magic Treasure. These kinds of powerful Psychic Magic Treasures that can restrict abilities are very precious and rare.¡± ¡°Just look at Zhang Yangui¡¯s status. It¡¯s not surprising at all that he can own a Psychic Magic Treasure like this that can directly destroy someone¡¯s equilibrium.¡± ¡°This disciple from Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s influence is really not bad, but he¡¯ll narrowly miss the chance to obtain the title of Sacred Son. What a shame.¡± Many Divine Core stage Spirit Masters were looking at Xu Disheng with admiring gazes. Meanwhile, high up in the skies of the Luminous Cloud Abyss¡­ ¡°Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord, your cultivation has really advanced by leaps and bounds in the last 400 years that we haven¡¯t seen each other,¡± Red Lotus Primordial Lord said with a smile, looking at Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord, who was approaching on a cloud. ¡°Greetings, Mountain Master Red Lotus.¡± Spirit Controlling Spirit Master cupped his hands, then looked around at the dozen or so Mountain Masters and the other Primordial Lords of the Shan Mountain Territory who had come to watch, exchanging nods with them. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord, you¡¯ve been in secluded meditation in your domain in the Yuluo Realm all this time, and haven¡¯t even taken up a post in any of the Mountain Ranges. What sudden impulse brings you here to watch a tournament of the younger generation?¡± a Primordial Lord who knew him for a long time asked, sounding mildly surprised. Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord looked down at the mist arena, which was covered in layers of mist and clouds. ¡°Always staying in the Yuluo Realm just felt a bit stuffy,¡± he said. Primordial Lord Yangze¡¯s cloud chariot was at the edge of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. He looked over at them from afar and noticed an extremely faint hint of killing intent coming from Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord¡¯s body, causing his brows to crease lightly. Killing intent? At this cultivation stage, there would never be any mistakes in the reactions of one¡¯s heart, and there would never be any blind, irrational emotions. Primordial Lord Yangze contemplated as he examined Spirit Controlling Spirit Master¡¯s calm expression. Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord was the ancestor of the Mountain of Law¡¯s branch of the Zhao Clan. He was completely unrelated to his Mingxin Mountain Range. They knew each other as normal acquaintances, but why would he suddenly have a trace of killing intent? Unless¡­ Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord was targeting someone. And that certain someone must have some relation to him, with some entanglement of karmic ties, which enabled him to sense it. He looked down at Xu Disheng, who was on the verge of defeat in the mist arena. Primordial Lord Yangze seemed to suddenly think of something, narrowing his eyes. ¡­ ¡­ The Paramount Ancient Bell was trembling, only able to move 10% of the profound qi in his body. Xu Disheng¡¯s hands were balled tightly into fists as hesitation appeared in his heart for the first time. The fire phoenix let out a sonorous cry as it arrived in front of him. Its wings left a scorching inferno in their wake as it swooped down at him! Xu Disheng lifted his gaze, the image of the swooping fire phoenix reflected in his eyes. He poured all of his strength into moving the 10% profound qi that he could access and formed a hand seal, then clapped his hand on the Fierce Specter War Chariot! ¡°Fourth seal, release!¡± A terrifying, fiendish aura skyrocketed towards the heavens! The figure of a ghost, fully materialized into a corporeal form, separated itself from the Fierce Specter War Chariot and flew out! When the ghostly qi faded, its facial features gradually became clearer. When it fully came into view, it appeared to be a black-clothed male, his hair coiled into a bun atop his head. The face of the black-clothed man distorted in a sinister fashion, and an extremely powerful ghost force revolved in his palm. He slapped the fire phoenix, sending it tumbling away! Seeing the sword radiance from the Jade Water True Sword following closely behind it, the black-clothed man¡¯s expression filled with a furious rage. His warping mouth opened wide to its very limits and let loose a fierce roar that shook the entire arena, then swallowed down the entire blue sword radiance! Xu Disheng had forcefully released the fourth seal of the Fierce Specter War Chariot! The ghost sealed inside had been fully restored to the early Fierce Specter stage, which was the equivalent of a human early Divine Core stage cultivator! ¡°Has Xu Disheng gone insane? He actually dared to release the Fierce Specter stage seal?¡± Many peoples¡¯ expressions changed dramatically as they stared wide-eyed at the black-clothed man in the arena. ¡°I don¡¯t believe this! It¡¯s not about whether he dares to unlock the fourth seal. But with a mere Sea of Qi stage cultivation boundary, how is he even able to release the fourth seal on that Psychic Magic Treasure?!¡± A Dao Foundation stage elder said, his expression grave. ¡°Perhaps it has something to do with his secret ghost Dao technique?¡± A Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator beside him said, giving a shot in the dark. ¡°It should be. He hasn¡¯t lost yet, but how does he plan to deal with the backlash from that Fierce Specter stage ghost?¡± ¡°Xu Disheng is in danger. He¡¯ll definitely have to face the backlash from that Fierce Specter!¡± In the arena, after the black-clothed man swallowed down the sword radiance from the Jade Water True Sword, he cast an expressionless sideways glance at Xu Disheng. He didn¡¯t send out an attack, but instead, his figure transformed into fierce ghost qi. In the next moment, he appeared right in front of Zhang Yangui! Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. As the equivalent of a human race Divine Core stage cultivator, a Fierce Specter stage ghost was extremely powerful. A Dao Foundation or Sea of Qi stage cultivator was powerless in comparison. Even if it was sealed inside a Psychic Magic Treasure, it still wouldn¡¯t willingly be manipulated by anyone. With Xu Disheng¡¯s current cultivation, he had no way of controlling the Fierce Specter War Chariot with its fourth seal released. But even still, the black-clothed man protected him, and even attacked Zhang Yangui, leaving people flabbergasted. ¡­ ¡­ A few breaths earlier¡­ ¡°In a few moments, I will release the fourth seal and let you regain your cultivation as an early Fierce Specter stage ghost.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you first,¡± the Fierce Specter in the form of a black-clothed man said, his cold voice echoing from the depths of the war chariot. ¡°You could kill me, but that won¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯ll still be sealed in this Magic Treasure, under the control of any master who wishes to manipulate you, forever unable to break free.¡± An extremely hateful roar echoed in his mind, but Xu Disheng ignored it and continued, ¡°If you help me through this matter¡­ I will find an opportunity to leave the boundaries of the sect, destroy the Fierce Specter War Chariot, and set you free.¡± The roaring gradually settled down, and the ghost¡¯s voice echoed out from the depths once more. ¡°It¡¯s true that I will never be able to see freedom as long as I am in the Shangqing Sacred Sect. But if you¡­¡± Before he could finish, Xu Disheng interrupted him. ¡°I can swear an oath.¡± Profound cultivators never took an oath lightly, since if they violated the oath, their Dao Heart and Dao Path would be significantly affected. With Xu Disheng swearing to take an oath to release him, the Fierce Specter was swayed. After all, there were countless powerhouses in the Luminous Cloud Abyss at the moment. There were dozens of Primordial Lords present, so even if he tried to kill Xu Disheng through the backlash, he would never be able to escape this mist arena alive. Even if he was lucky enough to not be steamrolled by any random Primordial Spirit stage powerhouse, the best outcome would be being stuffed back into the Fierce Specter War Chariot and handed off to a new master. If he made a bit of a gamble here, he really might be able to see the light of day once more. ¡­ ¡­ Zhang Yangui¡¯s expression was unsightly. Unparalleled genius or not, he didn¡¯t stand a chance against an early Fierce Specter stage ghost, which was the equivalent of a Divine Core stage Spirit Master. He was always disdainful towards seal-type Psychic Magic Treasures, labeling them as outside help. Although he knew Xu Disheng had the Fierce Specter War Chariot, which had a Fierce Specter stage ghost sealed inside, he didn¡¯t care too much about it since he knew Xu Disheng could only release three seals with his current cultivation. Even though Xu Disheng did end up forcefully releasing the third seal, it was only a little bit outside of his expectations. Zhang Yangui hadn¡¯t even thought it possible that Xu Disheng could release the fourth seal with his Sea of Qi stage cultivation, allowing the ghost sealed within to regain its early Fierce Specter stage cultivation! The black-clothed man appeared in front of Zhang Yangui, ghost force revolving in a vortex in his palm that distorted the space around it. With a fierce, baleful aura surging around him, he brought the vortex down over Zhang Yangui¡¯s head! An ordinary defensive-type Magic Treasure protecting him was completely vaporized, and the defensive-type Psychic Magic Treasures were sent flying! In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yangui was completely swallowed up by the vortex of ghost force. The vortex spun and pulverized, not even leaving dregs behind. All that remained was a strand of fierce ghost qi, floating in the mist. ¡°How could this be?!¡± ¡°Zhang Yangui died?¡± ¡°No way!!¡± ¡°How could he dare?!¡± Countless people shot to their feet, eyes popping out of their skulls in disbelief. They stared wide-eyed at the Fierce Specter in the form of the black-clothed man, expressions incredulous. From the time the black-clothed man was let loose by Xu Disheng to the time that Zhang Yangui was swallowed by the vortex of ghost force, only a few breaths of time had passed. Most people didn¡¯t even have the time to react before Zhang Yangui was no more than black gas, scattering in the wind. ¡°If the direct descendent of the Zhang Clan didn¡¯t participate, this little brat from the Mingxin Mountain Range might have actually been able to take the title of Sacred Son,¡± a Primordial Lord said with a smile, looking down from above the layers of clouds at the mist arena. ¡°I agree. This little brat has a lot of secrets on him. But it¡¯s exactly these kinds of disciples that can grow to great heights. Weren¡¯t people like us also originally just like this?¡± Earth Fox Primordial Lord said in agreement, his voice full of praise. What was surprising was that these Primordial Lords didn¡¯t seem to have any reaction whatsoever to Zhang Yangui¡¯s evident destruction. The Fierce Specter stage ghost in the form of the black-clothed man was standing in the middle of the air. But before he could turn around and return to the Fierce Specter War Chariot, his brows suddenly furrowed as if he sensed something. ¡°Were you looking for me, you lowly ghost?¡± Zhang Yangui¡¯s figure slowly appeared in the middle of the air, his expression cold and callous. He glanced to the side at Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Not bad, Xu Disheng. You managed to force me to reveal one of my true hidden trump cards. But in the end, you¡¯re just a stepping stone for me on my way to obtaining the title of Sacred Son.¡± A jade slip emitting a fiery glow appeared in his hand. It was a spell imbuement treasure! Unlike Xu Disheng¡¯s spell imbuement treasure, Zhang Yangui¡¯s was a Primordial Spirit stage spell imbuement treasure! And the imbuer was none other than one of the three Realm Masters of the Yuluo Realm, Primordial Lord Qingfu! Although it was somewhat of a waste to take out something like this in a fight at the Sea of Qi stage, Zhang Yangui couldn¡¯t care much about that now. He was only thinking about how to exterminate this lowly ghost that had dared to harm him! A glaring profound light burst out of the jade slip, shining forth like a sun. It was the spell that Primordial Lord Qingfu had personally imbued within, Sun Chakra Profound Light! Under the radiance of the profound light, the black-clothed man¡¯s face warped and distorted, letting out a silent shriek. The arrogant and tyrannical demeanor that he showed earlier as a Fierce Specter stage ghost was nowhere to be seen, and the concentrated ghost qi rising off his body began to fade away like smoke in the wind. Just a few breaths later, he would probably be burnt to ashes. He wanted to return to the Fierce Specter War Chariot, but he was firmly restrained by the Sun Chakra Profound Light, unable to move a single inch. He cast Xu Disheng a begging gaze, containing a fervent desire to live. Xu Disheng remained silent. When Zhang Yangui had used the Sun Chakra Profound Light, he had intentionally avoided targeting Xu Disheng. In a tournament where countless people were watching, he couldn¡¯t try to ruthlessly slaughter an unparalleled genius like Xu Disheng. But¡­ Now, his loss was set in stone. Zhang Yangui was using the Fierce Specter to vent his anger. Even if Xu Disheng wanted to save the Fierce Specter, he was powerless to do so. After a while, the Sun Chakra Profound Light faded. The Fierce Specter stage ghost had been charred to a crisp, leaving only a ghost spirit behind, floating lightly in the wind. It was on the verge of dissipating into the mist without a trace. The very instant before the ghost spirit could fade away, a pure black ghost force firmly wrapped it up, but the soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull flew over and put it away. Xu Disheng had already restored some of his profound qi. He took the soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull back into his sea of consciousness, then stepped on the black and white phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram and left the mist arena. CH 200 Chapter 200 ¨C Arrest Cloud Stream Spirit Master¡¯s gaze was complex as he watched Xu Disheng fly down from the arena. ¡°Zhang Yangui wins.¡± He looked down at You Shao and paused for a moment before saying, ¡°And now, the final match of the Sea of Qi division of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, deciding the title of Sacred Son. You Shao versus Zhang Yangui.¡± You Shao revealed a bitter smile and said, ¡°Spirit Master, Senior Martial Brother Zhang, I admit¡ª¡± Before he could even say ¡®defeat¡¯, a deafening rumble shook the entire Luminous Cloud Abyss! A massive hand that blotted out the sky swatted down from the skies of the Luminous Cloud Abyss, smashing through the layers of mist and clouds. It lunged towards Xu Disheng, grabbing towards him as he left the arena! ¡°What is the meaning of this, Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord?¡± Almost all of the Primordial Lords sitting in the skies of the Luminous Cloud Abyss looked over at Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord the moment he suddenly let out an attack. Many of them let out exclamations of bewilderment. Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord didn¡¯t care a single bit about what other people thought. He continued to move the hand made out of profound qi, heavy like a mountain. It seemed like in the very next moment, Xu Disheng was about to be snatched up in his clutches! As a Primordial Lord from the Yuluo Realm, he couldn¡¯t wait until Xu Disheng returned to the Mingxin Mountain Range. It wasn¡¯t convenient for him to deliberately make a trip to the Sixth Mountain just because a disciple violated sect rules. At that point, it shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with him. His current thoughts were to grab Xu Disheng, then reveal in front of everyone the ironclad evidence that he had violated sect rules. He would make sure the Primordial Lords remained silent, then take him back to his Domain and slowly refine the Profound Treasure out of him. Xu Disheng had just flown out of the arena, and the profound qi in his sea of qi was exhausted. His face was pale, and he was on his way to his great hall to recover when he felt an extremely terrifying pressure above his head. He looked up and saw a massive hand made out of profound qi blotting out the sky as it smashed towards him through the layers of clouds. Even with the Paramount Ancient Bell¡¯s speed of recovery, his profound qi had hardly recovered to half by this point. He hardly had any time to react, and immediately took out the spell imbuement treasure that Celestial Tide Spirit Master had given him, and poured all of his remaining profound qi into it! Capsizing Ocean! The sound of roaring waves rang out as the phantom image of an enormous ocean appeared in the middle of the air! Waves hundreds of meters tall surged powerfully, overflowing with extremely rich water elemental energy! The aura of Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s Capsizing Ocean¡¯s was incredible, but when it came into contact with the hand formed out of profound qi, it immediately burst apart! The massive hand made of profound qi smashed through it like it was no more than a minor hindrance, making the enormous ocean phantom image look more like a small pond. It scattered back into water elemental energy, which dissipated throughout the Luminous Cloud Abyss. This Capsizing Ocean spell hadn¡¯t caused the slightest damage nor obstruction to the massive hand made out of profound qi. It bought him a single breath of time, but in that time, practically all of the Primordial Lords and Spirit Masters managed to grasp what was happening, drawing countless gazes. Xu Disheng watched as the hand made of profound qi began to grab towards him again, and an insurmountable, life-threatening sense of terror filled his body. An inexplicable intuition told him that if he was caught by that hand, he would be cast into an endless hell with no hope of reprieve! A cyan jade flute suddenly appeared in his sea of consciousness. The true artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda spoke, its voice resounding directly in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. ¡°Master, release your mind completely. I will help you awaken your memories and resolve this crisis.¡± The voice echoed in his head, carrying an enticing allure. Xu Disheng was bearing the full, restrictive pressure of the hand formed from profound qi. He was on the brink of losing his mind, and the profound qi in his sea of qi was now fully spent. It felt as if he would really sink into a bottomless abyss if he did as the voice said. But¡­ If he completely awakened his past memories, would he still be himself? The artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda had once said, ¡°Now that you have completely broken away from Sah¨¡ Heaven, as long as you have my protection, your true spirit will never die, and you will continue to reincarnate.¡± Clearly, the person that the artifact spirit was referring to as ¡®Master¡¯ was not him, but that lofty Bodhisattva! If he reincarnated once more, it was certainly true that his true spirit wouldn¡¯t be extinguished. But then would I, Xu Disheng, still exist? This was Xu Disheng¡¯s only life! Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. On the other hand, that peerless Bodhisattva possesses an eternal true spirit! His life was no more than a small splash in the nearly indefinitely long river of memories that belonged to that Bodhisattva. I refuse to yield! If he completely released his mind, the Bodhisattva might genuinely awaken a bit through the true spirit planted in the depths of his mind. Sure, it might help him through this crisis, but his short 20 years of memories would be completely drowned out. A fate like that was no different from death! But how do I resolve this crisis? In the span of this one breath of time, a powerful vortex of Soul Force began to revolve madly in Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness. His thoughts spun thousands upon thousands of times, searching for a way to break out of this situation. This was the Luminous Cloud Abyss, in the central sea of clouds! How could a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, or even a Primordial Lord dare to attack a disciple of the sect here? Unless the person who attacked had proper grounds to do so. There was only one justifiable reason for them to attack at this moment, and that was under the pretext that he had violated sect rules! In the Zhao Realm, he had slaughtered fellow disciples of the sect! However, Celestial Tide Spirit Master was aware of this long ago, and had forcefully quelled the matter. That being said, the Zhao Realm was a place where the Mountain of Law¡¯s Zhao Clan had been raising ghosts. If the Zhao Clan wanted to find out the details regarding the matter, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for them to do so. But for them to delay this long, only to brazenly attack now under these circumstances¡­ It must be because it would be inconvenient for them to take action once he returned to the Mingxin Mountain Range. In that case¡­ as long as he could hold out for another breath of time, someone would definitely intervene! In the heights of the Luminous Cloud Abyss, Primordial Lord Yangze seemed to suddenly understand everything. When he spoke, his voice was full of anger. ¡°Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord! What is the meaning of this?!¡± He immediately swept his sleeves and spilled forth a stream of gray divine light, which swept towards the enormous hand made of profound qi below! But he was a step behind. It was already a bit too late. In Xu Disheng¡¯s resplendent eyes, black vortexes of Soul Force raged. He looked up at the hand formed from profound qi above his head and let out a low roar that reverberated throughout the entire central sea of clouds. ¡°Powerful¡­ But you won¡¯t be able to stop me!¡± It seemed as if in the next moment, a certain layer had been broken through. Clad in the fully transformed White Heron Robe, Xu Disheng¡¯s profound qi aura suddenly skyrocketed! The phantom image of the Paramount Ancient Bell behind his head began to shine with an intense radiance, materializing from illusory to reality! All of the power of heaven and earth within 10 li surged towards him, pouring into his body. The small golden bell in his Jianggong meridian point glowed with a lustrous golden brilliance, fully condensing into physical form! The Dao Foundation stage! Xu Disheng didn¡¯t even have time to fully stabilize the Shangqing profound qi revolving crazily in his body. He gritted his teeth, then took out the Fierce Specter War Chariot and boldly ignited it! At the Dao Foundation stage, it was possible to exert 70% of the might of a Psychic Magic Treasure. Although the Fierce Specter War Chariot had lost all the seals on it and thus lost most of its combat capability, it was still a genuine Psychic Magic Treasure ranked treasure! Xu Disheng used his Dao Foundation stage cultivation to fully ignite the origin of the Fierce Specter War Chariot. It instantly erupted with an incomparably powerful impact force, blocking the hand made of profound qi! The power that exploded from the Psychic Magic Treasure only managed to block the hand for an instant before being destroyed and fading away, leaving Xu Disheng in dismay. CH 201 Chapter 201 ¨C No Way Out TL: Sponsored chapter (6/7) ¡°White Lotus Array Flag, Jade Water Array Flag, explode for me!¡± Top-grade Magic Treasures were thrown out by Xu Disheng in rapid succession. He completely ignited their origin sources, causing them to detonate! Terrifying waves of energy pulsated outwards. The backlash of detonating the treasures hit him square on, making him cough out a mouthful of blood. His face was pale, and his aura was extremely weak. Meanwhile, the enormous hand formed from profound qi¡­ had only been delayed for the slightest of moments! Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He gritted his teeth, then took off the White Heron Robe! ¡°White Heron Robe¡­ explode for me!!¡± With a low roar, Xu Disheng ignited the origin of this flawless Psychic Magic Treasure, destroying it completely! The White Heron Robe wasn¡¯t like the Fierce Specter War Chariot. It was a flawless, fully intact Psychic Magic Treasure. Since Xu Disheng was its owner, the backlash of the self-detonation blew out a hole in Xu Disheng¡¯s gut, sending him to tumble backwards! At last, the hand formed from profound qi was slightly affected. But¡­ it still wasn¡¯t enough! Xu Disheng was already extremely exhausted and weak by this point, hardly able to steer the phantom image of the Yin Yang Diagram beneath him. He begrudgingly took out Disperse, and with another desperate shout, he willed the Paramount Ancient Bell to squeeze out a stream of Shangqing profound qi, which he used to splinter the calligraphy brush to pieces! The fragments of the Magic Treasure were sent flying in every direction. A terrifying, undisguised aura rose from the splinters of the calligraphy brush. A drop of pure black water rose up into the air, silently emitting an aura of unbridled destruction that caused the surrounding space to twist and warp. After all, this was the Luminous Cloud Abyss, which was only an externally manifested Secret Realm. The might of the Pure Oblivion Water was more than enough to cause the space around it to distort and tear. The hand made of profound qi continued to grab towards him, colliding with the drop of Pure Oblivion Water! Xu Disheng had no way of controlling the Pure Oblivion Water. After destroying the calligraphy brush vessel, Xu Disheng had completely lost the link he had with the drop of Pure Oblivion Water, and only an inexplicable perception allowed him to sense it. The space around the collision of the two objects warped and cracked. The power of the profound qi hand decreased by a little less than half. The drop of Pure Oblivion Water didn¡¯t have anyone controlling it, so after it came into contact with the hand, it couldn¡¯t avoid being sent flying off into the distance of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. More than half of the power backing the profound qi hand remained. But before Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord could move the hand to grab towards Xu Disheng once more, a gray divine light fell from the sky, smashing the profound qi hand and dispelling its remaining force! ¡°Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord?! I demand an explanation!¡± Primordial Lord Yangze said, his expression dark. He disappeared from his spot at the edge of the Luminous Cloud Abyss, appearing near Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord in the next instant. Earth Fox Primordial Lord also came over, his expression inquisitive. At this moment, Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord was inwardly shocked. Even supposing he was on the verge of breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage, how could a mere trifling Sea of Qi stage cultivator resist his arrest? But reality was right before his eyes. A freshly broken-through Dao Foundation stage disciple, who was no different from an ant in comparison to himself, had really resisted his capture for two full breaths of time, buying enough time for Primordial Lord Yangze to save him! ¡°Explanation? What explanation? I am simply arresting a disciple for violating the rules of the sect,¡± Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord said flatly, his expression unchanged in spite of the fact that he was inwardly quite shaken. Primordial Lord Yangze scoffed angrily. ¡°Xu Disheng is a genius of my Mingxin Mountain Range. Even if he did violate sect rules, that would be for my Mingxin Mountain Range to sort out. How is that any of your business?¡± ¡°Primordial Lord has the authority to arrest, question, and punish any disciples who violate the rules of the sect. Red Lotus Mountain Master, is this not so?¡± Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord said, ignoring him and turning directly to Red Lotus Primordial Lord. Red Lotus Primordial Lord was the husband of Rippling Tear Primordial Lord and the Mountain Master of the First Mountain, Shangqing Mountain Range. As a result, his status was a half-level higher than that of the other Mountain Masters from the other Mountain Ranges. Seeing Xu Disheng resist Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord for two full breaths of time, he was also inwardly flabbergasted. When he heard what Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord address him, he nodded. ¡°That is indeed what the sect rules say, but¡­ what sect rule did this disciple violate that provoked you to directly take action like this? Could you explain the details to us two Mountain Masters?¡± From Primordial Lord Yangze¡¯s words, the other Primordial Lords had all inferred that he and Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord were both cognizant of the fact that Xu Disheng had violated sect rules. Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ]. Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord looked over at Primordial Lord Yangze, whose expression was still dark. He took out several jade slips and said, ¡°Xu Disheng of Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Morning Dew Peak has slaughtered fellow disciples of the sect in the Zhao Realm¡ª13 Sea of Qi stage disciples and 54 Cleansed Meridians stage disciples. He also plundered spirit stones and cultivation resources for his personal use. According to the laws of the sect¡­ this is a punishment worthy of death.¡± Of course, he didn¡¯t take out the recording jade slip that showed Xu Disheng using the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda. By this point, Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord had given up all thoughts of directly suppressing and capturing Xu Disheng. Now, he could only convict him of the crimes, then think up another way that he could bring him back to his domain and refine the Profound Treasure out of him. The Primordial Lords roughly swept through the jade slips, momentarily somewhat speechless. The evidence was conclusive and irrefutable. As for whether Xu Disheng had violated sect rules or not¡­ the answer was already plain and clear. ¡°Then Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord, why did you choose to suddenly take action at this specific moment? Our fellow cultivators from the Shan Mountain Territory have come to watch the tournament and are still present. Isn¡¯t the timing of this too inappropriate?¡± Primordial Lord Yangze said, his tone cold. ¡°Furthermore, Xu Disheng is a disciple of my Mingxin Mountain Range. You have been residing in the Yuluo Realm for a long time, but now you suddenly come out to watch this tournament, and even flagrantly attacked a disciple. Your behavior is extremely abnormal. Could it be¡­ that you have some other scheme in mind?¡± Each and every Primordial Lord present was a peerless, one-in-a-million genius. When they heard what Primordial Lord Yangze said, they thought a little bit about it and quickly understood. Some guesses formed in their hearts, and they looked at Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord with inquisitive gazes. Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord always stayed in his own domain in the Yuluo Realm, and was very rarely involved with any of the matters regarding the Mountain of Law¡¯s Zhao Clan. No matter how anyone looked at it, it was very strange for him to come to the Luminous Cloud Abyss to watch a tournament, and then attack a Sea of Qi stage disciple from the Mingxin Mountain Range. Even if Primordial Lords had the power of arrest, his behavior simply violated common sense, causing people to think deeply about his motives. Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord gave a cold snort and said, ¡°I have conclusive evidence and am acting according to the rules of the sect. I would implore the respected Mountain Masters present to not obstruct me from bringing this disciple back to my domain for punishment.¡± Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord clearly didn¡¯t intend to waste any more words. He crushed the evidence between his fingers, then began to move to bring Xu Disheng away. Unfortunately, Primordial Lord Yangze had no way to retort. The evidence was irrefutable. In the Shangqing Sacred Sect, the rules of the sect stood above all else. Even as a Mountain Master and a Primordial Lord, there was no way he could blatantly resist the sect rules. High in the clouds, the Primordial Lords began to talk amongst themselves. But meanwhile, none of the others present were aware of the uproar that was taking place above the central sea of clouds. ¡°What in the world is happening? That profound qi hand just now had a Primordial Spirit stage aura!¡± a Dao Foundation stage Deacon said with a frightened expression, still caught up with the profound qi hand that had blotted out the sky several moments before. ¡°That was undoubtedly the work of a Primordial Spirit stage cultivator! Xu Disheng broke through to the Dao Foundation stage!¡± ¡°How could Xu Disheng block the attack of a Primordial Lord?!¡± ¡°That gray divine light just now was from Mountain Master Yangze¡¯s Black Cloud Profound Light!¡± ¡°¡­Is this a dream? This is the central sea of clouds! How could two Primordial Lords exchange blows here?¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master, on the other hand, was well aware of the dangers at hand. When Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord launched his attack, he had already guessed the majority of it, but he had no way to help. Only after Xu Disheng went all out, managing to buy himself two breaths of time for Primordial Lord Yangze to save him, did Celestial Tide Spirit Master finally let out a breath of relief, allowing himself the liberty of releasing his tightly clenched fists. Originally, a Divine Core stage Spirit Master would never lose control of themselves like this. But in the time he knew Xu Disheng, he had given him too many surprises, to the point that he¡­ saw the image of Greater Lord Zhuri in him. Because of his incredibly miraculous profound law foundation, Celestial Tide Spirit Master felt that Xu Disheng had the chance to become a Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord one day! Even if he only had a very, very small chance of reaching the Clone Avatar stage, it was still an incredible prospect! Not too long ago, the Divine Sea stage beings in the Human Realm had received the order from the Heavenly Court¡¯s House of the Earth God to congregate at Buzhou Mountain, where they would reforge themselves into divine bodies and take up a post in the Heavenly Court. As a result, Clone Avatar stage Greater Lords were the absolute strongest existences in the Human Realm at the moment. With just a thought, they could overturn heaven and earth; with a snap of their fingers, burn the skies and seas. If he really did have a sliver of a chance to become a Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord, it was still extremely terrifying, no matter how small that probability was! If another Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord really did appear, it would elevate the entire Shangqing Sacred Sect to new heights! Even the existence of one more Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord would mean multiplying the sect¡¯s power many times over! The only person to reach the Clone Avatar stage in the last several tens of thousands of years was Red Nacre Greater Lord. Red Nacre Greater Lord had reached the Clone Avatar stage right before Heavenly Lord Yu Jing reached the Divine Sea stage. At the time, the Shangqing Sacred Sect didn¡¯t have a Divine Sea stage existence. As a result, they were forced to pay 10% of the entire sect¡¯s wealth in tribute to the Nirvana Sky Sect, the strongest sect in the Eastern Territory at the time. Even though several tens of thousands of years had passed since then, it was still the greatest humiliation that the Shangqing Sacred Sect ever had to endure. Heavenly Lord Yu Jing¡¯s supreme talent allowed him to survive the Heart Demon Heavenly Tribulation and reach the Divine Sea stage. Then, he went to the Nirvana Sky Sect and only then did he manage to demand half of the tribute back. It was only half, but the humiliation was already carved deep in the hearts of the Greater Lords of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, and the shame hadn¡¯t decreased one bit. If the Shangqing Sacred Sect still hadn¡¯t managed to produce a Divine Sea stage existence in the next several tens of thousands of years while the strongest sect in the Eastern Region and the other overlord sects managed to produce Divine Sea stage powerhouses of their own, then humiliation would only await them once more. And that cycle would only continue ad infinitum. Across all the eras that the Shangqing Sacred Sect existed, they had produced a few dozen Divine Sea stage existences, who had left behind legacies and other measures. As a result, before Heavenly Lord Yu Jing had reached the Divine Sea stage, the Divine Sea stage powerhouse from the Nirvana Sky Sect had demanded a 10% tribute, but that was only because that was how much it always was. After all, fortunes rise and fall. Divine Sea stage beings were eternal, but all living beings below the Divine Sea stage would die eventually. No one knew when and where a Divine Sea stage powerhouse would emerge, and from what sect. And if the other sects happened to not have a Divine Sea stage existence, they would only become a target of oppression. Therefore, throughout the passing of the ages untold, the strongest sect and overlord sects of the Eastern Region had inadvertently reached a status quo of sorts. A tribute of 10% of the sect¡¯s entire wealth, no matter how ample their cultivation resources were! It was taxing enough to make any overlord sect unable to raise its head for tens of thousands of years. There were only two overlord sects in the Shan Mountain Territory. The other overlord sect was the Ancient Nuwa Sect, who were similar to the Shangqing Sacred Sect, but they were a bit worse off in comparison. In almost 100,000 years, the Ancient Nuwa Sect hadn¡¯t produced a single Divine Sea stage powerhouse. As a result, they had paid the tribute two times, leaving them at a point that was practically beyond recovery. Under a vicious cycle like this, they would be even less capable of producing a Divine Sea stage powerhouse. In spite of the fact that they were an overlord sect, they would perhaps soon be washed away and destroyed in the rivers of time, buried in the dust. The reason why the strongest sect prevailed as the strongest was because every several tens of thousands of years after the House of the Earth God issued the command and took away all Divine Sea stage existences in the Human Realm, they would always be the first to produce a Divine Sea stage existence! There were some prevailing sects that had terrifyingly deep reserves, who would always keep several Clone Avatar stage Greater Lords with 9 avatars waiting in secluded cultivation. The moment the House of the Earth God issued a decree, they would immediately go through Heart Demon Heavenly Tribulation and become the new Divine Sea stage powerhouses. If they successfully passed the tribulation, each occasion would produce two, if not three Divine Sea stage cultivators! These prevailing sects were always the strongest, and there had never been a gap in their strength, not even once throughout their lifetimes. With the huge volume of cultivation resources milked out of the other sects, they were always able to have several Nine-Avatar Greater Lords ready to undergo Heart Demon Heavenly Tribulation at any time! This meant that the strongest prevailing sects practically never had any period of time where there wasn¡¯t a Divine Sea stage existence, aside from the brief time it took for the tribulation to take place. The Shangqing Sacred Sect could certainly be called an overlord sect in the Shan Mountain Territory, but they only had a single Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord with nine avatars, and that was the Sect Master, Greater Lord Qingyuan. The Heart Demon Heavenly Tribulation represented the moment when a living being completely broke free from their predestined fate. It took a few hundred years to pass the tribulation at the very least, but it could take as long as a few thousand years. As soon as someone passed the tribulation, it meant their rank as a living being had undergone a thorough transformation. They would cross the boundary of eternal life, capable of living as long as the heavens themselves, earning themselves the title of Heavenly Lord. CH 202 Chapter 202 ¨C Merely Indulging in Self-Created Illusions TL: Sponsored chapter (7/7). Thanks again everyone for your support recently Red Lotus Primordial Lord¡¯s position was a half-level higher than the other Mountain Masters, causing the other Primordial Lords to turn their gazes towards him to see how he would handle this matter. Many of them were Primordial Lords from other sects who had come to watch the tournament. Their expressions were curious as they watched the rare occasion of two Primordial Lords from the Shangqing Sacred Sect clashing. Red Lotus Primordial Lord¡¯s brows creased slightly. After a moment of thought, he said, ¡°Mountain Master Yangze, although Xu Disheng is a rare unparalleled genius, he has indeed violated the sect rules. There is even conclusive evidence. You saw it, right?¡± Primordial Lord Yangze¡¯s expression was gloomy. He also knew that their fellow cultivators from the Shan Mountain Territory were here, so Red Lotus Primordial Lord couldn¡¯t simply overlook a violation of the sect rules. He gave a cold snort and said, ¡°Since this child has violated sect rules, I will let you handle this matter, Red Lotus Mountain Master.¡± Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord¡¯s face lit up a bit. He came forward and said, ¡°Then Red Lotus Mountain Master, I will take this child back to my place for punishment.¡± Red Lotus Primordial Lord also felt extremely regretful to allow this to happen to Xu Disheng. He gave a light sigh, then flicked his sleeves. All of the layers upon layers of clouds and mist spanning the Luminous Cloud Abyss were dispersed by the flick of his sleeves. The figures of all the Primordial Lords present high up in the sky appeared in the central sea of clouds, becoming the focus of tens of thousands of gazes. ¡°Up there¡­ Those people are the Primordial Lords who came to watch the tournament!¡± ¡°The Mountain Masters of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Eight Mountains are also up there!¡± ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng had to take several Vitality Sustaining Pills in rapid succession before the wound in his abdomen stopped bleeding and slowly began to heal. The profound qi in his body was a dried up well. His Soul Force was also completely exhausted, the black Soul Force flute in his sea of consciousness practically transparent. Pangs of sharp pain assaulted his brain in sickening waves, making him feel as if he would faint in the very next moment. He forced himself to sit up. He heard the clamorous uproar of the tens of thousands of people below and saw the miraculous sight of Red Lotus Primordial Lord pushing away the clouds, revealing all the Primordial Lords present. Off in the distance, he saw a middle-aged Primordial Lord in a black robe looking at him from among them with an avaricious gaze, killing intent hidden deep beneath the surface. A Primordial Spirit stage cultivator wouldn¡¯t expose their intentions so plainly, but due to the nearly twenty years that Xu Disheng had cultivated Soul Song, he was extremely sensitive to the feelings directed towards him, which allowed him to faintly sense that Primordial Lord¡¯s intentions. That black-robed, middle-aged man was definitely the Primordial Lord of the Mountain of Law¡¯s Zhao Clan! Looking down over the central sea of clouds, Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord swept his gaze over the tens of thousands of disciples sitting in seats made of clouds and the few hundred Spirit Masters present. His gaze paused momentarily on Celestial Tide Spirit Master before turning away and speaking in a voice that echoed throughout the entire Luminous Cloud Abyss. ¡°Xu Disheng of Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Morning Dew Peak has slaughtered fellow disciples of the sect in the Zhao Realm, of which there is conclusive evidence. As a Primordial Lord, I possess the authority to bring him back to my domain and inflict punishment.¡± We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Everyone¡¯s faces filled with shock, utterly bewildered by what they just heard. A moment later, a huge uproar erupted forth as people began to talk. ¡°Xu Disheng?! How could this be?!¡± ¡°He violated sect rules?¡± ¡°Who is that Primordial Lord that just spoke¡­?¡± ¡°That was Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord. It¡¯s been a long time since he established a domain in the Yuluo Realm, but he rarely leaves the Yuluo Realm.¡± ¡°The other Primordial Lords aren¡¯t saying anything. Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯ve already acknowledged that Xu Disheng has violated sect rules?¡± ¡°Primordial Lord Yangze is also there. Xu Disheng is a disciple of the Mingxin Mountain Range, but doesn¡¯t seem to be trying to stop him at all!¡± ¡°Only an hour ago, Xu Disheng was a newly risen unparalleled Sea of Qi stage genius of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Hardly any time has passed, but he¡¯s now being charged with violating sect rules? Something seems fishy here!¡± An endless stream of shocked, bewildered murmuring began to spread around as everyone looked up at the Primordial Lords in the sky and the white-robed youth who was seated cross-legged on the floor of the central sea of clouds, his expression grim. Celestial Tide Spirit Master let out a sigh, finally deciding to step off his cloud chariot. He cupped his hands respectfully towards the Primordial Lords in the sky and said, ¡°Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord, is there perhaps a misunderstanding here?¡± Even though it was inappropriate for the occasion, Celestial Tide Spirit Master couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch Xu Disheng be taken away. He couldn¡¯t help speaking up for him, figuring he might as well try, though his attempt might be in vain. ¡°Celestial Tide. You are a Spirit Master with authority in the Mingxin Mountain Range, and yet you were completely unaware that a disciple of yours had slaughtered fellow disciples of the sect in a Mortal Secret Realm. I still haven¡¯t gotten around to punish you for that offense yet!¡± Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord said with a cold snort, flicking his sleeves. He didn¡¯t seem to be leaving any face for Celestial Tide Spirit Master. However, Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord wasn¡¯t a Mountain Master of any Mountain Range, so he was actually overstepping his bounds somewhat by firmly reprimanding an incumbent Spirit Master of a Mountain Range. Primordial Lord Yangze¡¯s expression turned even more darker, his gaze frigid as he glared at Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord. But under the countless gazes present, and for the sake of the face and prestige of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, he couldn¡¯t flare up in anger. Celestial Tide Spirit Master cupped his hands in salute, then silently withdrew to his cloud chariot. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xu!¡± Chu Luo and the others were watching Xu Disheng, who was still seated cross-legged on the ground, through a screen of light projected by a jade slip. Their expressions were anxious. ¡°What a shame, Junior Martial Brother Xu.¡± Mo Yue had already returned to her great hall to recover. As she watched the white-robed youth through a screen of light, she let out a light sigh. Throughout all of this, He Junyu¡¯s expression had been fluctuating dramatically. Several times, he nearly burst out to speak up for him and try to stop them, but the reasoning in his head told him that if even Celestial Tide Spirit Master was firmly rebuked and forced to back off, then a mere Sea of Qi stage disciple like him could do even less to change the situation. At this moment, above the cloud seats where the Ancient Nuwa Sect were, a girl in a moon white dress flew out on a demonic cloud. As she flew, the snow white crest on her head quivered slightly and her black hair fluttered in the wind, bringing out the picturesque beauty of Lu Ling¡¯s features even more. She landed in front of Xu Disheng, then lifted her gaze towards Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord. ¡°Punishment? What punishment?¡± ¡°A younger generation of the demon race?¡± Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord muttered, his expression revealing a bit of surprise. His brows furrowed, and he looked towards Jade Essence Primordial Lord. ¡°Jade Essence Primordial Lord, is this woman a disciple of the Ancient Nuwa Sect?¡± Jade Essence Spirit Master immediately shouted, ¡°Impudent! Lu Ling, hurry up and stand down! The matters of the Shangqing Sacred Sect have nothing to do with us!¡± Among the seats where the Ancient Nuwa Sect was located, Yan Wuji turned to Hong Zhao and ridiculed, ¡°Hong Zhao, it seems that your fianc¨¦e has decided to step up for someone else. It¡¯s really getting interesting now.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng was still seated cross-legged on the ground. He looked up slightly, catching sight of the hem of a moon white dress fluttering in the wind before him. The scent of a gentle, feminine fragrance wafted by him. At the moment, the girl¡¯s back was facing him. Her black hair was bound by the white crest atop her head. It flowed luxuriously down to her waist, and the wind caused it to blow towards him, gently tickling his face. Lu Ling had also awakened a portion of her memories. Demonic qi revolved in her eyes, and her long lashes quivered slightly as she turned to the side and said, ¡°Master, you protected me in my last life. In this life, I won¡¯t allow anyone to harm you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not him,¡± Xu Disheng said, bringing himself to move back a bit to avoid the caress of the girl¡¯s windswept hair. His voice was as cold as a glacier that hadn¡¯t melted for millenia. ¡°This life of mine has only lasted a short twenty years. But from the beginning to the end, I¡¯ve only ever been myself. Even if I die, what do I have to fear?¡± Lu Ling shook her head lightly. An aura seeming to originate from the ancient, untold eras past suddenly began to rise from her body. All of the power of heaven and earth in the Luminous Cloud Abyss began to rush wildly towards her, converging above Lu Ling¡¯s head. CH 203 Chapter 203 ¨C Sink Into Oblivion Xu Disheng lifted his head, catching sight of the girl¡¯s black hair rippling in the wind. She was levitating in the air, her back facing him, only the tip of her feet in light contact with the ground. The hem of her moon white dress lining her two feet transformed into a white serpent tail, unleashing a powerful aura. In Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness, the cyan jade flute began to noticeably tremble. The voice of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda¡¯s artifact spirit rang out in his mind once more. ¡°Master, this girl is just an avatar of her, but her true spirit has already died. Let her help you resist for a little while you quickly release your mind. I will help you awaken a part of your memories. If you awaken your true spirit, these Primordial Spirit stage cultivators will be nothing more than mediocre pushovers.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°And then¡­ naturally, leave the Shangqing Sacred Sect and find an isolated place to cultivate in hiding.¡± Xu Disheng shot back, ¡°You just said that after I awaken my true spirit, these Primordial Spirit stage cultivators would be nothing more than mediocre pushovers, didn¡¯t you? Then why would I have to run?¡± ¡°Master¡¯s true spirit is too ancient and powerful. At this moment, it simply isn¡¯t possible to fully awaken it. There are still a few Clone Avatar stage cultivators of the younger generation within the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Even if you manage to awaken a trace of your true spirit, these people would still be a bit of a threat,¡± the artifact spirit said, its voice starting to take on a more anxious edge. ¡°Quickly, release your mind! I will help you awaken your memories!¡± ¡°Then would I still be myself afterwards?¡± The voice of the artifact spirit grew even more impatient, even taking on a slightly sinister tone. ¡°Xu Disheng! I wanted to leave Master a fully intact soul fraction, but you can¡¯t even tell what¡¯s good for yourself! Take my word, I will erase you completely right this instant!¡± ¡°So now you finally reveal your true self, huh?¡± Xu Disheng said, still seated cross-legged on the ground. He was calm and composed in spite of the desperate situation he was in. ¡°I always had my guesses. With how all-encompassingly powerful that Bodhisattva was, even if he did reincarnate and cultivate from scratch, how could there be something overstepping even his own control?¡± Xu Disheng extended his hand, looking down at his smooth palm. ¡°So my existence must have been outside of your calculations. Even the Soul Song cultivation method was something that you intentionally revealed and had me cultivate so that when that Bodhisattva¡¯s true spirit reawakened, you would have a powerful, complete soul to use.¡± Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ]. ¡°And so what if you guessed correctly?¡± the artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda said, finally doing away with the mask. Any false pretense and extraneous emotions disappeared from its tone, leaving behind only a lofty, frigid indifference. ¡°You truly were just an unforeseen circumstance. At the time when Master reincarnated¡­ that existence in deep slumber within the Sah¨¡ Heaven awakened just a sliver. With the help of the Bodhisattva of Praj?¨¡¡¯s lotus seat avatar, Master managed to break away from Sah¨¡ Heaven and enter the Human Path of Reincarnation.¡± Once the artifact spirit spoke to this point, it suddenly paused, returning the cyan jade flute to its original form as the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda. Its bone-piercingly cold voice rang out in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind once more. ¡°Since you refuse to listen, then I can only give up on this soul fraction and destroy you completely, then escort Master¡¯s true spirit to travel back through the Nine Serenities Realm.¡± The moment it stopped speaking, the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda began to release thousands of rays of light in his sea of consciousness, shining towards the depths of Xu Disheng¡¯s mind! The Soul Force that he had always been able to control like his own arm suddenly stopped listening to him. Wherever the radiance illuminated in his sea of consciousness, the Soul Force remained deathly still. He had also completely lost control over the black Soul Force flute. Xu Disheng was physically unable to move a single inch, and could only watch the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda slowly erase his mind bit by bit, transforming it into pure Soul Force that amassed in the black Soul Force Flute. ¡­ ¡­ Lu Ling was standing in the air, looking up at Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord. Her cherry lips parted as she spoke. ¡°Cold Demonic Lightning.¡± Heaven-sundering lightning erupted forth in the Luminous Cloud Abyss! The vortex of the power of heaven and earth above the girl¡¯s head fully condensed into reality. Countless bolts of green demonic lightning crackled and rumbled threateningly in the vortex. With a blast, several forks of lightning burst out, striking towards Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord! ¡°This girl¡¯s condition¡­ seems a little bit off,¡± Red Lotus Primordial Lord said as he examined Lu Ling, who was floating in the middle of the air. He seemed to have some guesses. ¡°A peak transformation-stage demon race, essentially a peak Dao Foundation stage cultivator, suddenly erupting forth with Primordial Spirit stage demonic force¡­ There is even a trace of divine power present. A scene like this¡­ it seems similar to when an almighty powerhouse from the Heavenly Court reincarnates and awakens a portion of their memories,¡± Primordial Lord Yanghua, the other Mountain Master of the Shangqing Mountain Range, said while nodding, staring at Lu Ling with great interest. A matter like this wasn¡¯t exceedingly rare in the Human Realm. There were some ancient texts that recorded events like these, so the Primordial Lords weren¡¯t overly surprised and simply looked on with heightened interest and curiosity. Jade Essence Primordial Lord¡¯s expression was complex as he watched Lu Ling trading blows with Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord. ¡°Red Lotus Mountain Master, our Ancient Nuwa Sect has caused trouble for you this time.¡± Red Lotus Primordial Lord understood his implied meaning and smiled. ¡°Not at all. A reincarnated deity of the Heavenly Court appearing in the Ancient Nuwa Sect and awakening their memories should be a joyous occasion. What trouble do you speak of?¡± ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Red Lotus Mountain Master,¡± Jade Essence Primordial Lord said, giving a serious bow. His body transformed into a stream of scarlet red divine light and disappeared. A moment later, he appeared right next to Lu Ling. While casually blocking the demonic lightning that was striking towards him, Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord signaled a nod to Jade Essence Primordial Lord. Jade Essence Primordial Lord flipped his palm and a scarlet vortex of demonic force spun and warped into existence. The saturated demonic qi whirled in his hand, and he clapped his hand on Lu Ling¡¯s shoulder. The divine light in the girl¡¯s eyes faded away, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly as her eyelids closed. Her white serpent tail coiled up as she fell limp onto her demonic cloud. Jade Essence Primordial Lord picked up the unconscious Lu Ling, then addressed Red Lotus Primordial Lord off in the distance. ¡°Red Lotus Mountain Master, this matter is rather important, so we will be returning to the Ancient Nuwa Sect right away. Again, I appreciate your understanding.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Red Lotus Primordial Lord said, nodding his head. Practically all the people from the Ancient Nuwa Sect had already left their cloud seats. He watched as they left the Luminous Cloud Abyss, inadvertently narrowing his eyes. It crossed his mind at that moment whether he should take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate the party from the Ancient Nuwa Sect right here and now. A reincarnated being from the Heavenly Court was extremely rare. While rare, a number of instances had occurred across the ages like Lu Ling¡¯s recent experience, where there had been a sudden surge of demonic force tinged with divine power, clearly marking a reincarnated deity¡¯s memory awakening phenomenon. Although she had awakened a portion of her memories, she was still very weak. She had managed to erupt forth with power on par with an early Primordial Spirit stage cultivator, but what was more important was her great potential to improve. She would become a Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord eventually, and she wouldn¡¯t have any bottlenecks in her cultivation whatsoever. The appearance of a future Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord in the Ancient Nuwa Sect wasn¡¯t something that the Shangqing Sacred Sect would be happy to see. However¡­ Red Lotus Primordial Lord looked off at the skies outside the Luminous Cloud Abyss and shook his head. The Sect Master of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, Greater Lord Qingyuan, as well as the other Clone Avatar stage Greater Lords, were all in the their domains in the Pure Spirit Ocean¡¯s Shangqing Spiritual World. Right now, the only Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord in the Shangqing Eight Mountains was Greater Lord Zhuri. Everything that had happened here just now wouldn¡¯t have escaped his immeasurably vast senses. Since Greater Lord Zhuri didn¡¯t have any intentions towards Lu Ling, that meant the thought that just crossed his own mind would only do more harm than good, and wasn¡¯t a good idea. Naturally, even an almighty reincarnated being from the Heavenly Court would have to break through to the Divine Sea stage, and the difficulties they would have to confront in doing so were no different from that of any other living being. They would receive no benefits for being a reincarnated being aside from having a bit of foresight and memories. Ghosts, demons, devils, humans, spirits, monsters¡­ any race that could reach the Divine Sea stage could be called a peerless genius under heaven, fully deserving the title of Heavenly Lord. In the boundlessly vast Human Realm, countless sects and organizations had risen and fallen across the ages. In spite of the transformations of the world, every Divine Sea stage existence deserved to be revered and remembered. It wasn¡¯t about right and wrong, it was about rules and the reverence of the great Dao. Even a sect like the Shangqing Sacred Sect, which had a long legacy of over 100,000 years, had only produced a little over 20 Divine Sea stage beings since their founding. ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng was curled up on the ground on his hands and knees, his long black hair covering his face. His eyes were tightly closed, brows furrowed deeply. His consciousness was gradually turning fuzzy as he sank into the depths of his own mind. The ancient, timeworn aura flooded his mind. A massive golden profound light appeared before his eyes. It produced a halo of dazzling golden light that seemed to contain the countless epochs of time within, spreading an ancient, venerable aura. In the face of this vast, golden true spirit, Xu Disheng felt just how weak his consciousness was in comparison, no more than a drop in the ocean. However¡­ there was a colossal seal on the golden true spirit, covered in patterns resembling a sauwastika. (TL: Sauwastika ¨C …d The sauwastika is actually the left-facing version of the swastika symbol (counterclockwise). It is different from the right-facing symbol, the swastika, which was given a bad reputation in the western world by the Nazi Party of Germany, who adopted it as their symbol during their regime. But in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain countries like Nepal, India, Thailand, Mongolia, etc. the symbol still remains a symbol of well-being, representing the auspicious footprints of Buddha. So in this context, it most likely represents Buddha, please don¡¯t misunderstand or misconstrue it according to familiar modern connotations of the symbol haha.) The seal was emitting an even more brilliant golden Buddhist light, firmly trapping the true spirit. ¡°This is the seal that that Buddha cast on Master when he awoke slightly from his hibernation and found him leaving Sah¨¡ Heaven to reincarnate,¡± the artifact spirit said, a ripple of emotion tinging his cold, indifferent tone. ¡°Thankfully he only awoke slightly. Due to certain circumstances, and in order to revive that woman, Master could only choose to recultivate the Immortal Dao, giving up on the path of a Bodhisattva. He finally managed to completely break free from Sah¨¡ Heaven, and won¡¯t be discovered until that Buddha fully awakens.¡± ¡°If you fully release your mind, I can pass through the weak parts of the seal to help Master awaken a hint of his true spirit so he can occupy this body.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so bad about returning your memories to Master? You are Master, and Master is you. Since you refuse to listen, I can only erase you completely and escort Master to reincarnate once more.¡± The artifact spirit¡¯s voice was cutting in and out, and it sounded as if it was getting farther and farther away. In the last few sentences, the voice was gradually fading away. Xu Disheng¡¯s remaining consciousness was on the verge of shattering. His senses were growing more and more fuzzy. In the next moment, he would fall into everlasting darkness, never to awaken again. CH 204 Chapter 204 ¨C It Was Just a Trap! A bottomless abyss. A calm, tranquil darkness. Xu Disheng¡¯s remnant consciousness gradually sank deeper into the dark oblivion. ¡°Who am I?¡± he murmured to himself inwardly, the moment before his consciousness was completely erased. But¡­ I was just a piece outside the calculations. These 20 years were nothing more than a joke. BOOM! The moment his thoughts reached that point, a deafening clap of thunder seemed to ring out in the depths of Xu Disheng¡¯s consciousness. A heavenly light as white as snow ripped apart the primal chaos, fully awakening his consciousness that was on the brink of winking out. 20 years? Then why did the artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda not reveal its true face until now? Was it because it wanted to wait until I cultivated my soul to a powerful enough level so it could swallow me and awaken? No! According to what it said earlier, it could escort the ancient golden true spirit to reincarnate at any time, and that I wasn¡¯t important at all! Then why did he often try to lure me into releasing my mind? After I refused, the artifact spirit seemed to fly into a rage and revealed that he wanted to completely destroy me! Wasn¡¯t all of that unnecessary if it had the power? The boundless dark chaos swept and engulfed towards him once more. Xu Disheng¡¯s thoughts spun and spun as he tenaciously maintained his last shred of clarity. In the deepest depths of my mind is a massive, ancient golden true spirit. Then¡­ where is my own true spirit? Xu Disheng seemed to be on the brink of grasping something, but he was missing just that last bit that would allow him to completely dispel these layers upon layers of dense fog. In the quiet, desolate darkness, the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda released another glow of profound light, tearing through the gloom. It wanted to completely erase his consciousness. However, a snow white radiance began to gradually shine forth from Xu Disheng¡¯s remnant consciousness. The glow was bright and piercing, thoroughly suppressing the profound light from the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda. That massive, grandiose golden true spirit¡­ it¡¯s not only the true spirit of the Bodhisattva, but it was also his own true spirit! It was impossible for the consciousness of the mind to break free from the true spirit and still exist! The innumerable sauwastika seals on the true spirit weren¡¯t nearly as weak as the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda said. The Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda had no way of harming Xu Disheng because he was its master! The snow white radiance coming from Xu Disheng¡¯s consciousness whorled and transformed into a white-robed youth. He opened his eyes and looked around at the pervasive darkness, illuminated only by the brilliant profound light. But he didn¡¯t have to resist at all. Light and shadows flashed, but not a single ripple appeared in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. When the profound light shone on him, nothing happened. Sure enough, the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda couldn¡¯t do anything to him! All the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda could do to him¡­ was cast illusions on him! When he had lost control over his Soul Force and couldn¡¯t exert any influence over the black Soul Force flute or revolve Soul Song, that was all an illusion laid down by the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda! The artifact spirit¡¯s intention was to entice him to sink into a death of the heart and eliminate him. It was truly venomous and malicious to the extreme! The moment of clarity shattered and smashed the boundless darkness. Xu Disheng¡¯s figure glowed with a white radiance, condensing back into existence next to the massive, ancient golden true spirit in the depths of his mind. In these twenty years, the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda had never taken action against him. It wasn¡¯t because it didn¡¯t want to, but because it simply couldn¡¯t! That Lord Buddha in Sah¨¡ Heaven had been in a deep slumber, but he had still managed to split off a trace of his mind to lay down an inextricable seal on that Bodhisattva¡¯s true spirit during his previous life. The seal was extremely difficult to release! Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. In his past life, while that Bodhisattva had an all-encompassing power of creation, he never thought for even a second that Lord Buddha, who had been in hibernation for tens of thousands of years, would awaken a bit the very moment he was breaking free of Sah¨¡ Heaven. Ever since the nine realms overthrew the Immortal Court and broke free of the principle of predestination, no living being¡¯s fate was able to be ascertained any longer. As a result, several calamities ago, all divination and prophecy techniques lost their effect, and countless mysterious changes occurred. But in his past life, the moment when Lord Buddha cast a seal on that Bodhisattva¡¯s true spirit, it gave rise to a consciousness, which was Xu Disheng. This produced a mysterious phenomenon where there were two consciousnesses simultaneously existing with a single true spirit. However, one of the consciousnesses, which was as vast as the ocean, was under a seal covered in countless …d patterns, submerged in a deep slumber. The other consciousness was as small as a grain of sand. It had only existed for a short 20 years, but it possessed the same true spirit as that enormous ancient golden true spirit! From the beginning to the end, the artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth had been deceiving him! It had no way of erasing Xu Disheng, because he was its master. However¡­ it had exhausted every method at its disposal to harm his mind, trying to force him into a death of the mind. It wanted to completely destroy his consciousness, which had appeared beyond all expectation, and not even leave behind a single trace of his existence. As Xu Disheng perceived the boundless aura of the ancient golden true spirit before him, the white profound light coming from his consciousness grew stronger. He let out a sigh and said, ¡°You really are a loyal mutt, Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda.¡± Soul Force revolved in his sea of consciousness, moving once more like his own arm. His control over the black Soul Force flute was also restored, leaving him with half of his Soul Force. Xu Disheng opened his eyes, looking up at the Primordial Lords and Spirit Masters above him in the skies of the Luminous Cloud Abyss. With a thought, he attempted to move the power of the ancient golden true spirit at the depths of his mind, but he was instantly met with a reaction! The tiny …d symbols shone through with golden Buddhist light, illuminating his mind. Although it was just a hint, Xu Disheng could rely on this sliver of power from the true spirit to control the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda! The innumerable …d symbols were thoroughly sealing that Bodhisattva¡¯s true spirit and consciousness. But a miraculous change had taken place during his reincarnation, giving rise to Xu Disheng¡¯s consciousness. As a result, Xu Disheng¡¯s mind had a deep connection to the origin source of the sealed golden true spirit! Although the ancient golden true spirit was sealed, Xu Disheng could still make use of this mental connection through his consciousness to move a tiny hint of the true spirit¡¯s power and exert some control over the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda! ¡°Artifact spirit. If I have problems, would you be able to escort me to safely leave the Shangqing Sacred Sect with your current abilities?¡± Xu Disheng asked the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda in his sea of consciousness as he watched Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord descending from the highest clouds of the Luminous Cloud Abyss, about to land in front of him. After Xu Disheng had used his unrivaled powers of comprehension to establish a link with a tiny hint of power from the golden true spirit, the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda had fallen completely silent, not making a single sound. And now, under the impetus of the power of the true spirit, it had no choice but to respond. ¡°I can, as long as those Clone Avatar stage youngsters don¡¯t take action.¡± It had lost. It hadn¡¯t met defeat in any other way. It was simply defeated by Xu Disheng¡¯s unparalleled powers of comprehension. No one could have surmised that all of Xu Disheng¡¯s guesses thus far were practically the same as the real facts! After Xu Disheng¡¯s mind had reawakened, the relationship between him and the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda should have gone back to how it was before, with Xu Disheng being unable to control it, and it being unable to do anything about Xu Disheng. But in the artifact spirit¡¯s efforts to sink Xu Disheng¡¯s mind into oblivion, it had revealed the existence of the real golden true spirit at the depths of Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. But after Xu Disheng comprehended the real truth behind everything, he could use that mysterious origin connection to move a hint of the golden true spirit¡¯s power! The true spirit was the master, and the Black Sky Yellow Earth was the artifact. The power dynamic had instantly reversed, and the artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth had fallen to a completely passive position. ¡°Remember, you are nothing more than a dog before me,¡± Xu Disheng said, a hint of glacial coldness flashing through his eyes. He didn¡¯t flare up in anger, but simply revolved his Soul Force to quell his surging emotions back to tranquility. During the struggle to the death at the depths of his mind, only a few breaths of time had passed in the Luminous Cloud Abyss. Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord landed in front of Xu Disheng, a hint of avarice hidden deep in his gaze. CH 205 Chapter 205 ¨C Title¡­ Soul Suppressor! TL: Sponsored chapter (1/2) During the struggle to the death at the depths of his mind, only a few breaths of time had passed in the Luminous Cloud Abyss. Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord landed in front of Xu Disheng, a hint of avarice hidden deep in his gaze. Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord moved the power of his primordial spirit and scanned Xu Disheng¡¯s body repeatedly. When he didn¡¯t sense the aura of any Profound Treasure, doubt appeared in his heart. But he didn¡¯t openly reveal it and declared indifferently, ¡°Xu Disheng of Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Morning Dew Peak, you are charged with violation of sect rules by slaughtering fellow disciples of the sect. Today, I will bring you back to my domain to carry out your punishment. Other disciples, take this as an example and be warned.¡± Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord began to wave his sleeves to take Xu Disheng away. At that moment, Xu Disheng felt a sense of life-threatening danger rise within him. With a thought, he surrounded himself with a shroud of pale yellow profound light, then activated the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda in his sea of consciousness to make his escape. ¡°Wait!¡± A massive tear in space suddenly appeared in the Luminous Cloud Abyss, the externally manifested Secret Realm at the center of countless peoples¡¯ attention. A handsome black-robed youth riding a qilin spiritual beast appeared through the manipulated space. ¡°Chen Xunming?¡± Someone cried out, recognizing the black-robed youth. ¡°What is he doing here?¡± ¡°He¡¯s an unrivaled Rank 3 Spiritual Root genius of the Chen Clan who cultivated to the half-step Primordial Spirit stage within 100 years!¡± ¡°That¡¯s Chen Xunming, the Peak Master of Clearheart Peak!¡± ¡°Clearheart Peak is an extremely special peak in the Shangqing Mountain Range. The Peak oversees all matters regarding the title of Sacred Son across all Shangqing Eight Mountains, and is directly subordinate to Realm Master Kunxu. But for Peak Master Chen Xunming to come here personally¡­¡± A rather quick-witted person muttered, a glint of light flashing in his gaze as he watched the ever-changing situation, not daring to jump to any rash conclusions. ¡­ ¡­ Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord turned to look at the black-robed youth. Brows furrowing, he asked, ¡°Peak Master Chen, what have you come for?¡± Chen Xunming¡¯s gaze was calm as he met Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord¡¯s gaze. He didn¡¯t even get off his qilin spiritual beast. He simply flicked the sleeves of his black robe and said flatly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to act against this youth, Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord.¡± The Primordial Lords all descended to the ground. The gazes of the few hundred Divine Core stage Spirit Masters, the tens of thousands of people atop their cloud seats, and the countless people of the Shangqing Eight Mountains were all watching this scene unfold. Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord didn¡¯t flare up in anger. A hint of a sneer appeared on his face as he said, ¡°You may be the Peak Master of Clearheart Peak, but even though you are directly subordinate to the authority ruling over the Yuluo Realm, you wouldn¡¯t be able to stop me from punishing a disciple that violated sect rules, would you?¡± Chen Xunming shook his head. He looked down and took out a golden scroll from his sleeves, then activated it. The golden scroll unfurled and floated into the air, releasing countless brilliant rays of light. It drifted over to Xu Disheng, stopping above his head. Two words appeared on the scroll. Soul Suppressor! Chen Xunming watched as the golden scroll transformed into a white and golden robe that draped itself over Xu Disheng¡¯s shoulders. When he spoke, his voice reverberated powerfully throughout the entire Luminous Cloud Abyss. ¡°Hear the command of Yuluo Realm Master Kunxu.¡± When these words reached everyone¡¯s ears, every single person watching, regardless of their expression, lowered their heads slightly in respect. Even Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord, who could tell that things were not quite going according to plan, angrily flicked his sleeves and also lowered his head. ¡°The special nomination for the title of Sacred Son raised by Celestial Tide Spirit Master and Primordial Lord Yangze of the Mingxin Mountain Range has passed.¡± ¡°Xu Disheng of Mingxin Mountain Range is hereby awarded the title of Soul Suppressor Sacred Son by Chen Xunming, the Peak Master of Clearheart Peak.¡± Countless people suddenly looked up, revealing expressions of shock and incredulity! A deafening uproar erupted as everyone began to shout at once! Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord¡¯s expression turned gloomy. He lifted his head and said coldly, ¡°Even if he is a Sacred Son, he still violated the rules of the sect! I¡­ have conclusive evidence!¡± Chen Xunming cast him an inexplicable glance and said, ¡°Any matters regarding Sacred Sons of the sect must go through the due process. The way I see it through my own investigations, this matter was instigated by Zhao Leshan of Ghost Controlling Peak and his ambush on Xu Disheng. Now that Xu Disheng possesses the identity of Sacred Son, his act of revenge, while drastic, is nothing worth pursuing.¡± Zhao Leshan¡¯s ambush on Xu Disheng in the Zhao Realm took precedence. This fact was already widely known amongst the Divine Core stage Spirit Masters. But it still wasn¡¯t an excuse for him to slaughter fellow disciples of the sect in the Zhao Realm. However, if he had the title of Sacred Son, an excuse that might have been useless for any ordinary disciple¡­ would be enough to absolve him of all crimes! Not to mention Celestial Tide Spirit Master, even Primordial Lord Yangze never expected this special nomination for Sacred Son to actually come to fruition! The Mountain Masters of every Mountain Range often made special nominations for the title of Sacred Son, but only a scant few had actually received the title. The Yuluo Realm jointly governed all Eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. There were three half-step Clone Avatar stage Realm Masters. Primordial Lord Qingfu was in charge of the Mountain Masters of the Eight Mountains, while Exquisite Jade Primordial Lord presided over the Primordial Spirit stage beings of the sect. Primordial Lord Kunxu had the final verdict over the audit and conferral of the title of Sacred Son, and also was the ancestor of Clearheart Peak¡¯s Chen Clan. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, come with me to Clearheart Peak at once,¡± Chen Xunming said, turning away from the ashen-faced Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord. He urged his qilin spiritual beast into the air, where it glowed with rays of light in sunset hues. By this point, Xu Disheng had already recovered a majority of his profound qi thanks to the golden scroll that had transformed into a robe. The white and gold robe was a peak Psychic Magic Treasure, and had mystical effects! He gazed deeply at Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord, his expression hidden deep in his eyes. After bowing to Primordial Lord Yangze and Celestial Tide Spirit Master, he followed after Chen Xunming. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son!¡± ¡°Xu Disheng actually received the title for Sacred Son through special nomination!¡± ¡°I heard that the requirements for a special Sacred Son were extremely strict. Either their comprehension or talent has to be at an unparalleled level for them to be selected.¡± ¡°Primordial Lord Yangze had actually nominated him a long time ago!¡± ¡°When Xu Disheng first participated in the tournament, he was just an ordinary Sea of Qi stage disciple. But now, he¡¯s risen to become a Dao Foundation stage Sacred Son. His meteoric rise can¡¯t be stopped!¡± ¡°What a dazzling display. Even Zhang Yangui, who is about to be given the title of Sacred Son, dwarfs in comparison.¡± ¡°The Dao Foundation division of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament hasn¡¯t begun yet, but I can¡¯t help but feel like it¡¯ll be dull in comparison,¡± someone said, letting out a sigh as he watched the Primordial Lords leave one after the other. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son¡­ what an apt name! It fits his secret ghost Dao technique very well!¡± ¡­ ¡­ Countless of the Shan Mountain Territory cultivators were leaving the Luminous Cloud Abyss one after the other, making for an extremely rare scene where they didn¡¯t stay to watch the Dao Foundation division of the tournament that would be taking place shortly after. In just a short time, so many unforeseen developments had occurred. A reincarnated deity from the Heavenly Court appeared in the Ancient Nuwa Sect. In awakening a portion of her memories, a Dao Foundation stage cultivator managed to block the attack of a Primordial Lord! There was also conflict between two Primordial Lords of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. They had shed all pretense of cordiality and had a disagreement right in front of all the fellow cultivators from the Shan Mountain territory! Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord tried to capture a trifling early Dao Foundation stage disciple, but he managed to resist for two full breaths of time! Chun Xunming, the Peak Master of Clearheart Peak, appeared at that moment and granted that disciple the title of Soul Suppressor Sacred Son! With all of these events happening in rapid succession, many of the sects and influences felt like there would be nothing interesting worth watching after that and had begun to leave one after the other. However¡­ Zhang Yangui, the real 1st place contestant of the Sea of Qi division, hadn¡¯t even been conferred his title of Sacred Son yet, but the attention of all of the sects of the Shan Mountain Territory had already turned to another newly risen genius. Mingxin Mountain Range, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son. ¡­ ¡­ Cloud Abyss Peak towered majestically at the center of the Mingxin Mountain Range. It wasn¡¯t far from Mingxin Peak, and took up a vast area. Chu Luo¡¯s brows were furrowed. He reprimanded coldly, ¡°Idiot! I told you to buy some agreeable looking maids! Why are the ones you bought all so ugly?!¡± Ma Chen lowered his head ingratiatingly, not daring to speak up against him. These women couldn¡¯t be considered remarkably beautiful, but they were still elegant and graceful. It was just that since his childhood, Chu Luo was too used to seeing beautiful women, and his standards were higher than most ordinary people. Seeing Ma Chen still lowering his head, Chu Luo¡¯s tone eased up a bit. ¡°The Sacred Son has just been granted a Mountain Peak and is searching for maids and disciples to join his ranks. It is a tremendous honor to receive the Sacred Son¡¯s favor, so we must do our best with every matter.¡± Ma Chen raised his head, his expression looking afflicted. ¡°The Sacred Son has given us a lot of spirit stones, but Sea of Qi stage maids that are still virgins are very rare, Senior Martial Brother Chu. Even if we have the money, there aren¡¯t a lot of places to buy maids like that. Junior Martial Brother Liu and I looked through all of the marketplaces in the Mingxin Mountain Range, but these are all we could buy.¡± ¡°Are you both morons? The two of you can¡¯t go to other Mountain Ranges or something?¡± Chu Luo said, growing angry at their lack of ability to meet expectations. As the two of them were talking, several people on flying sword Spirit Tools landed nearby. A mocking voice rang out shortly after. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Chu, what are you doing here? You have to be careful what example you make for others when you discipline your subordinates. If any other of our martial brothers or sisters see, they¡¯ll think that our Cloud Abyss Peak is subpar and we¡¯ll lose face for the Sacred Son!¡± Chu Luo¡¯s expression turned unsightly. He responded coldly, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business, Senior Martial Brother Yuan.¡± The few disciples behind Yuan Qi were loudly poking fun at Chu Luo and Ma Chen, making light of them. ¡°These women aren¡¯t bad though,¡± Yuan Qi said, acting as if he had just seen the Sea of Qi stage maids. He examined them closely, his gaze wandering wantonly up and down their bodies. A hint of obscenity appeared in his gaze. ¡°Last time, the Sacred Son told you to purchase some subordinates to serve the Peak. Don¡¯t tell me these are the maids you bought?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Chu Luo said. Inwardly, he was resentful of a petty person like Yuan Qi who only played up to those in power, but he didn¡¯t let it show on his face. ¡°What, you want to bring some of them away, Senior Martial Brother Yuan?¡± Still looking at the women, a hint of pity appeared in Yuan Qi¡¯s eyes. ¡°On Cloud Abyss Peak, the Sacred Son is above all. I don¡¯t dare to defile the Sacred Son¡¯s maids, but¡­¡± Chu Luo had a bad feeling. ¡°But what?¡± he asked. ¡°But I clearly remember that the Sacred Son had given you 10,000 spirit stones to buy subordinates for the Peak. Don¡¯t tell me these few people cost 10,000 spirit stones?¡± Yuan Qi said. His expression turned dark, but it wasn¡¯t obvious if it was fake or not. ¡°You guys dare to embezzle the Sacred Son¡¯s spirit stones?!¡± Behind Chu Luo, Ma Chen¡¯s face turned red. He came forward impatiently and said, ¡°We didn¡¯t¡ª¡± Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ]. Before he could finish, Yuan Qi gave him a ruthless slap empowered with profound qi, sending Ma Chen flying several meters away. He spat out a mouthful of blood, unable to speak further. ¡°Who the hell do you think you are? You think you can just interrupt when Junior Martial Brother Chu is speaking?¡± Yuan Qi said, lowering his palm with a dark expression. Chu Luo went over and helped get Ma Chen to his feet, then gave him a medicinal pill to recover. After giving Yuan Qi a cold glare, he took the maids with him and left. The other disciples with Yuan Qi didn¡¯t try to stop him. They simply laughed and mocked Chu Luo and Ma Chen as they left. These several disciples were originally disciples from Morning Dew Peak. Because they had seniority and listened well to orders, they were immediately allowed to join Cloud Abyss Peak and were given positions as Deacons and officials. From day to day, their greatest pleasure was pushing around Chu Luo and other disciples who had lower cultivations than them. Even if they weren¡¯t doing anything, they would still find a bone to pick with them nonetheless. CH 206 Chapter 206 ¨C Pure Spirit Lotus Flower TL: Sponsored chapter (2/2). Thanks for your support everyone Cloud Abyss Peak was tall and imposing, standing majestically amidst the pervasive rolling mist. Profound Resonance Hall was the main hall of Cloud Abyss Peak, and was also given to Soul Suppressor Sacred Son by the Shangqing Sacred Sect. The front of the hall was surrounded by a series of beautiful, lofty pavilions that encircled the Clear Resonance Pond. It was filled with duckweed and pure spirit lotus flowers, and when they bloomed, they cast jade-colored reflections across the surface, making for a beautiful sight. ¡°Greetings to Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± Chu Luo and Ma Chen brought in the elegant Sea of Qi stage maids into Profound Resonance Hall and bowed their heads respectfully. The maids were trembling with fear. They spoke their greetings in unison towards the youth in the white and gold robe seated in the hall¡¯s seat of honor, their gentle tones resonating quietly throughout the hall. ¡°Greetings to Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± Xu Disheng put down the dark green jade slip in his hand. He looked up, sweeping his gaze over the few maids. The look in his eyes was calm as he asked, ¡°I asked you to bring some subordinates to handle menial tasks. Why did you come back with these maids?¡± His tone was flat, neither anger nor joy discernible within. Ma Chen¡¯s head was lowered, but beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. Chu Luo was inwardly nervous and it showed a bit on his face. He came forward and said, ¡°We specially handpicked these maids for you. As for subordinates to handle menial tasks¡­ we haven¡¯t gotten around to that yet.¡± Lightly flicking the white sleeves of his robe that were trimmed with gold, Xu Disheng said, ¡°Take these maids away and just assign them off to the disciples of the Peak. Then, go to the Wenyuan Mountain Range right away and purchase some servant workers for Cloud Abyss Peak.¡± ¡°As you wish, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son,¡± Chu Luo and the others said, bowing respectfully before leaving the hall. As Xu Disheng gazed at the few dozen jade slips that were sitting on the table, emitting a dark green glow, his brows creased slightly. Ever since personally taking charge of a Mountain Peak, the amount of cultivation resources he had been given was indeed massive, far more than he could have imagined. But at the same time, the trifling, miscellaneous matters related to managing the Peak that he had to worry about were both varied and overly abundant. If he spent all of his time on these miscellaneous tasks, it would definitely negatively influence his cultivation. His instructions to Chu Luo and the others to purchase some servant workers were also due to the demands of the Sacred Sect¡¯s regulations. A Mountain Peak belonging to a Sacred Son had to have at least a hundred Deacons, intermediary disciples, and servants in total. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t care much for all this, but now it was mandatory for him to comply with these regulations due to his status as a Sacred Son. That was why Xu Disheng went to Falling Moon Peak to see Celestial Tide Spirit Master as soon as he was conferred rule over Cloud Abyss Peak. He asked for some Sea of Qi stage disciples with satisfactory levels of talent to fill the numbers, but it still wasn¡¯t enough. After that, he decided to go to Morning Dew Peak and ended up bringing over quite a few people. Only then did he manage to finally scrounge up over 100 disciples, fulfilling the population quota. These people were actually all very willing to come along. After all, Xu Disheng had just been conferred the title of Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, and he had sole control over the Peak¡¯s share of cultivation resources. They were overall very excited to follow him and ride on his coattails to greater heights. While there were enough disciples in the Peak, subordinates and servants were must-haves. There were many cities in the Wenyuan Mountain Range with quite a few Xiantian stage martial artists. It was only proper for him to buy more servants to round out the Peak¡¯s workforce. As for the spirit stones given to Chu Luo and the others to buy servants, Xu Disheng had never once cared about how much they pocketed afterwards. He was a Sacred Son now, and was single-handedly ruling over a Peak, so it was in his best interest to be generous in grace and authority, leveraging leniency and severity where it was necessary. If he always split hairs and fussed over these worthless matters, how would he have time left in the day to do anything else? In terms of profound cultivation, Xu Disheng was now at the Dao Foundation stage. His eyes were now turned towards the Shan Mountain Congregation, which wasn¡¯t far away. He was now looking towards the presiding Spirit Masters of the Mingxin Mountain Range, the Primordial Lords of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s Yuluo Realm, and the boundlessly vast Human Realm! We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, this is all my fault. I should have guessed that the Sacred Son wouldn¡¯t like this. The Sacred Son was inches away from punishing you!¡± Ma Chen said. He was following Chu Luo out of Profound Resonance Hall. When he regained his bearings, his expression and tone were filled with a lingering fear. Chu Luo shook his head and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You all haven¡¯t been following Senior Marti¡ªSoul Suppressor Sacred Son for very long, but he actually won¡¯t care about these small things. He won¡¯t mind, but we absolutely must arrange for these servants soon, or Yuan Qi and those shameful bastards will make a show of it.¡± Ma Chen nodded in agreement, then turned around to look at the majestically towering Profound Resonance Hall. He sighed emotionally and said, ¡°After the Sacred Son broke through to the Dao Foundation stage in the Luminous Cloud Abyss and now took up his role as Peak Master, his aura has become even more profound. Just now when I was in Profound Resonance Hall, I was captivated by his dignity and didn¡¯t even dare to speak before him.¡± ¡°Cloud Abyss Peak was just established, and the Sacred Son is an unparalleled genius. Although we weren¡¯t the first to follow him, we can¡¯t be considered late either. There¡¯ll be good days for us to come,¡± Chu Luo said, a look flashing through his eyes as if he thought of something. Cloud Abyss Peak was about standard in terms of Mountain Peaks among Sacred Sons, and was already several times stronger than the Peaks of most ordinary Dao Foundation stage Peak Masters. It was still inferior, however, to Mountain Peaks that were home to Divine Core stage Spirit Masters¡¯ domains. In the Mingxin Mountain Range, Cloud Abyss Peak was ranked 21st. Even Morning Dew Peak, where Xu Disheng was before, couldn¡¯t be compared with the strength of Cloud Abyss Peak. The Clear Resonance Pond was Cloud Abyss Peak¡¯s greatest treasure. Morning Dew Peak had a 10,000-year old pine tree native to its soil, which produced dew that could slightly increase one¡¯s lifespan. But on Cloud Abyss Peak, there were extremely precious pure spirit lotus flowers growing in Clear Resonance Pond. These pure spirit lotus flowers had many miraculous effects, such as helping to suppress heart demons, consolidating one¡¯s Dao Path, increasing one¡¯s resistance to illusion-type spells, and allowing one to concentrate and calm their mind. These pure spirit lotus flowers would only grow in Clear Resonance Pond. It was brought to the Shangqing Sacred Sect many years ago by a Peak Master, and through the benefits provided by the Clear Resonance Pond and the pure spirit lotus flowers, he managed to raise the standard of Cloud Abyss Peak by two grades. ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng walked out of Profound Resonance Hall and flicked his sleeves. A spiritual beast appeared in front of him, looking somewhat like a cross between a lion and a tiger, hiding a watery blue glow beneath the surface of its body. It was a suanni spiritual beast, raised in Affairs Hall¡¯s Spiritual Beast Pavilion. It gave a low roar, sending the nearby clouds and mist tumbling away. (TL: A suanni is a mythical creature in Chinese culture that is often depicted as a lion-like animal with scales and horns. It¡¯s often described as being a cross between a lion and a dragon, but here the author says it¡¯s a lion and tiger mix.) Crystal clear blue profound qi shone through the suanni¡¯s body, reflecting its bearing as a divine steed. It was extremely obedient towards Xu Disheng, lowering its head toward him. This spiritual beast was a steed given to him by Clearheart Peak. Its profound cultivation was the equivalent of¡­ a human peak Dao Foundation stage cultivator! When the suanni was standing on all fours, it was around 10 meters tall. It knelt down and let Xu Disheng on its back, then let out a roar. Watery blue profound light flowed around its body as it flew up into the skies. It soared through the clouds in a streak of blue light, disappearing into the mist. Halfway up Cloud Abyss Peak, there were many beautiful pavilions. Bai Zhehua looked up, catching sight of the blue streak cutting across the sky. A complicated look appeared in his gaze. Despite being the son of Bai Honghua, a Dao Foundation stage Deacon of Morning Dew Peak, he had proactively requested to follow Xu Disheng to Cloud Abyss Peak. For the time being, he was an ordinary intermediary disciple on Cloud Abyss Peak. Although there was a colossal difference in his status compared to before, he had hopes of becoming the first Dao Foundation stage Deacon of Cloud Abyss Peak! After all, in the entire Cloud Abyss Peak, Xu Disheng was the only one at the Dao Foundation stage. Even though only a short time had passed since its founding, several factions had already formed. They were often engaged in petty and narrow-minded quarrels, but they all attached themselves to Xu Disheng, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son. If he could break through to the Dao Foundation stage earlier than these people, he would definitely be appointed by Soul Suppressor Sacred Son as the first Dao Foundation stage Deacon. Since the Sacred Son never cared much for miscellaneous tasks, the authority he would hold in Cloud Abyss Peak would be massive, second only to the Sacred Son himself! It was thousands of times better to be here than continue to struggle in Morning Dew Peak, where the share of resources were already completely divided up beyond their capacity! But could Bai Zhehua really accomplish what he desired here on Cloud Abyss Peak? CH 207 Chapter 207 ¨C Outside Profound Resonance Hall, the Pond Ripples The summit of Falling Moon Peak was as misty and ethereal as ever. A watery blue streak of profound light cut across the sky, cutting through layers of clouds as it descended upon Falling Moon Domain. Xu Disheng rode the suanni spiritual beast through the illusion realm barrier surrounding Falling Moon Domain and landed on the small island at the center of the ocean area. ¡°Greetings, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± A youth in a green Daoist robe cupped his hands respectfully. As he lowered his head slightly, he furtively sized up the newly risen Sacred Son that had shaken the Eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Xu Disheng¡¯s body was basked in a halo-like glow intertwined with white and gold, emanating nobly from the Golden Moon Garment. His black hair was tied up behind his head by a pure white jade band. ¡°As you were. A few days ago, Celestial Tide Spirit Master sent me a summons jade slip, but I got held up by some miscellaneous tasks and only managed to come now.¡± He Ziming was somewhat cowed by Xu Disheng¡¯s outstanding demeanor and just led Xu Disheng silently towards the few great halls at the center of the small island. Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s aura was even more immense and ethereal than before. Even though Xu Disheng had already reached the Dao Foundation stage, he still had no way of probing his depth in the slightest. ¡°Greetings, Spirit Master,¡± Xu Disheng said, cupping his hands in a light bow. ¡°At ease. As a Sacred Son and recently a Peak Master, there¡¯s no need for you to be too formal, you know.¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master wasn¡¯t one for empty formalities. Profound light revolved in his intelligent gaze as he looked at Xu Disheng. ¡°Do you know what the Divine Core stage is?¡± Xu Disheng lightly furrowed his brows in thought. After a few moments, he responded, ¡°The Divine Core stage is when the profound law foundation undergoes a thorough change from a foundation to a core.¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master shook his head and said, ¡°You only just broke through to the Dao Foundation stage and are still far from the Divine Core stage, so it¡¯s fine for your understanding regarding it to be shallow.¡± He paused for a moment, then changed the topic. ¡°The path of a profound cultivator isn¡¯t about shutting yourself away in isolation, shut off from the outside reality. While you aren¡¯t short of cultivation resources now, staying in Cloud Abyss Peak in secluded meditation isn¡¯t the way to reach the Divine Core stage.¡± Xu Disheng silently nodded. His original plan truly was to stay at Cloud Abyss Peak and cultivate in Profound Resonance Hall. In the end, this kind of dull and solitary method of cultivation was a form of relieving comfort for him. ¡°Please explain what you mean, Spirit Master.¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master lifted his gaze, seeming to stare off into some unknown distance. ¡°Are you willing to be stationed in the Anxi Province? It¡¯s a border territory under the jurisdiction of the Sacred Sect.¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t hesitate too long and said, ¡°I¡¯m willing.¡± ¡°The Sacred Sect grows many types of spiritual plants in the Anxi Province. There¡¯s a precious type of plant called the 7-Leaved Heaven Origin Herb. I¡¯ll give you 10 years to bring me 30 stalks of this herb.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Xu Disheng replied. ¡°Spirit Master, may I ask if there¡¯s some deeper story behind this?¡± There was clearly something that Celestial Tide Spirit Master hadn¡¯t told him yet. There was no way he would send him all the way out to a remote place like the Anxi Province just for some herbs. Celestial Tide Spirit Master didn¡¯t answer him. He just flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already reported this matter to Mountain Master Yangze. With your status as a Sacred Son, you¡¯ll have discretion over everything there.¡± ¡°Yes, Spirit Master.¡± ¡°This child is He Ziming, a newly risen younger generation genius of my He Clan. You can bring him with you on this trip,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said, indicating the youth in the green robe before him. Xu Disheng looked at He Ziming, who was already looking at him, then exchanged a nod. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com". ¡°You can go then.¡± ¡­ ¡­ As Xu Disheng rode on the suanni spiritual beast, he was deep in thought. This seemed to be some kind of test for him. But what specifically he was being tested on, he had no idea, aside from the fact that he had to bring back 30 stalks of 7-Leaved Heaven Origin Herb. But he knew that if he came back in 10 years and managed to satisfy Celestial Tide Spirit Master and Primordial Lord Yangze¡¯s unknown requirement, then he would truly be regarded with importance, perhaps even being allowed to enter the hierarchy of authority in the Mingxin Mountain Range. He Ziming was following Xu Disheng on a sword light. As they descended upon Cloud Abyss Peak, he let out a sigh of admiration. ¡°Cloud Abyss Peak really is a paradise. It¡¯s only a half-grade inferior to ancestor¡¯s Falling Moon Domain.¡± Xu Disheng looked at the ethereal ripples of profound qi coming from the Clear Resonance Pond and said, ¡°After the previous Peak Master of this place broke through to the Primordial Spirit stage and left for the Yuluo Realm to establish a domain there, this place was sealed up for several decades. The Peak Master of Clearheart Peak really treated me quite well. He stood his ground against the opposing opinions and managed to get this Peak assigned to me.¡± ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son really has an outstanding demeanor. Among all of the Dao Foundation stage disciples in the Shangqing Sacred Sect, you still might be 1st or 2nd place among the unparalleled geniuses at this cultivation realm,¡± He Ziming said. The praise in his tone was seamless, not seeming deliberate or overdone. It was clear from this alone how intelligent he was. Xu Disheng turned to him, sizing him up properly for the first time. He gave a light smile and said, ¡°Are you a descendent of Celestial Tide Spirit Master? What is your relationship to Senior Martial Brother He Junyu?¡± Even with how high his status was as a Sacred Son, he still called He Junyu ¡®Senior Martial Brother¡¯, revealing how close the two of them were. He Ziming cupped his hands in the direction of Falling Moon Peak and said, ¡°Celestial Tide Spirit Master is the ancestor of our He Clan. In terms of generation, Martial Uncle He Junyu can also be considered an ancestor of mine.¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master only had one son, which was He Junyu, but there were still many descendents from the He Clan, inhabiting a large region in the Wenyuan Mountain Range. Among these descendents, He Ziming was a youth who recently rose to prominence. He had a Rank 5 Spiritual Root talent and excellent powers of comprehension. He recently broke through into the Sea of Qi stage, so he was sent by the members of the He Clan to Mingxin Mountain Range¡¯s Falling Moon Peak to cultivate under Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s guidance. There were several Sea of Qi stage intermediary disciples standing guard outside Profound Resonance Hall. When they saw Xu Disheng approaching with He Ziming, they welcomed him respectfully in unison. ¡°Greetings, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± Xu Disheng lightly flicked his sleeves and instructed, ¡°Send out an order to have all intermediary disciples and ordinary disciples convene at Profound Resonance Hall right away.¡± One of the disciples came forward one step and replied, ¡°As you command, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± When He Ziming followed Xu Disheng into Profound Resonance Hall, he saw the back of his tall, slender figure garbed in the Golden Moon Garment and suddenly felt like he was standing in front of an insurmountable mountain. His heart filled with emotion and awe. When Xu Disheng was still at the Sea of Qi stage, He Ziming had just broken through to the Sea of Qi stage. Through the screen of light projected his jade slip, he had watched the entirety of Xu Disheng¡¯s meteoric uprise in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament. And now, Xu Disheng had been granted the prestigious title of Sacred Son, ruling single-handedly over a Peak. His future prospects were immeasurable. Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s intentions behind suddenly sending Xu Disheng to the Anxi Province for 10 years definitely weren¡¯t simple. Although there were sect missions in Sect Affairs Hall that required one to be stationed in some Province as an envoy for a certain period of time, it was completely different from what Xu Disheng was facing now. The Anxi Province was a rare border continent under the jurisdiction of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. It neighbored the Guangxi Province, but it was over three times larger. At the moment, there were two envoys stationed there by the Shangqing Sacred Sect, and in terms of profound cultivation, both of them were at the peak Dao Foundation stage. Over a hundred message jade slips shot out of the summit of Cloud Abyss Peak, leaving behind streaks of profound light in their wake. An hour later, all of the disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak, excluding those that were out on sect missions, had gathered on one side of Clear Resonance Pond and were talking amongst themselves. CH 208 Chapter 208 ¨C The Anxi Province and the Guangxi Province ¡°This is the first time that Soul Suppressor Sacred Son has summoned all of the disciples of the Peak since it was officially established. I wonder if something big is happening?¡± ¡°Who knows? We can only wait and see.¡± Yuan Qi was at the peak Sea of Qi stage. He had several lackeys following him, forming a small group that went around Cloud Abyss Peak bullying the weaker disciples. They had already incurred many people¡¯s loathing. Quite a few disciples were plotting to take advantage of this meeting with the Sacred Son to ruthlessly bring their deeds to light. Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at "pawread dot com" ¡°Disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak, you may enter Profound Resonance Hall,¡± He Ziming announced in a clear, sonorous tone. Unexpectedly, he took over the intermediary disciples¡¯ announcing role. Profound Resonance Hall was majestic and ornate. Even with over a hundred people in the hall, it didn¡¯t feel crowded. All of the disciples looked up at the figure clad in white and gold, dressed in the Golden Moon Garment, and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± There were some less bright disciples who shouted, ¡°Greetings, Soul Suppressor Peak Master¡±, which drew some sidelong glances from the nearby disciples. Although Xu Disheng was indeed a Peak Master, his status as a Sacred Son placed him above an ordinary Peak Master. The smarter disciples wouldn¡¯t call Xu Disheng Peak Master, but rather Soul Suppressor Sacred Son. ¡°At ease,¡± Xu Disheng said, his brows furrowing slightly as he looked around at the hundred or so people in the hall. These disciples were all relying on him, and thus were dispensable to him by nature. But the sect had regulations, and now that he was a Dao Foundation stage Sacred Son, he also represented the sect¡¯s prestige. He had to comply with the regulations or he would bring unnecessary detriment to the title of Sacred Son. Among the dozen or so people standing in the front were Bai Zhehua and Zhang Haobo. These people had the highest cultivations among the disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak as peak Sea of Qi stage cultivators. They had also followed Xu Disheng from Morning Dew Peak. Behind them were Yuan Qi and the dozen or so people that he led. They had also come from Morning Dew Peak, but they were entirely different from people like Bai Zhehua. Yuan Qi had used the fact that he had once been granted a flying sword Spirit Tool by Xu Disheng to win over a group of lackeys. Chu Luo, Ma Chen, and their group consisted of 7-8 people. As someone who came from the Chu Territory, Chu Luo¡¯s group could just barely be considered as a faction in the peak. But their group was extremely weak, devoid of even a single person at the peak Sea of Qi stage. The majority of the remaining disciples were the ones who were requested by Xu Disheng to be brought over from Falling Moon Peak. Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t interested in getting to know all of them one by one. Aside from the times he distributed their share of cultivation resources to them, he never really paid them much mind. Although the Peak only consisted of a little over a hundred measly Sea of Qi stage disciples, they had already splintered into several small factions. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t want to pay attention to these irrelevant matters at all. To him, these disciples were only here due to the requirements of the sect¡¯s regulations. ¡°In the next few days, I will be leaving for the Anxi Province for 10 years,¡± Xu Disheng declared, his voice cold. His calm gaze swept over the disciples, stopping on Bai Zhehua¡¯s face. ¡°Intermediary disciple Bai Zhehua.¡± ¡°Yes, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son,¡± Bai Zhehua responded in turn, stepping forward. ¡°You may not have stepped into the Dao Foundation stage yet, but on Cloud Abyss Peak there must be someone to manage all matters, both large and small. I will make an exception this time and officially promote you from an intermediary disciple to a Deacon. In these ten years, you will oversee all matters on Cloud Abyss Peak.¡± Bai Zhehua¡¯s head suddenly shot up. There was a look of joy and disbelief on his face. The expressions of Yuan Qi and the others all changed drastically as they looked at Bai Zhehua standing at the front of the hall. After a moment of silence, Xu Disheng spoke again. ¡°According to the regulations, since I¡¯m going to be stationed in the Anxi Province, I¡¯m supposed to bring at least 10 disciples with me as a Sacred Son of the sect. Who is willing to go with me?¡± Chu Luo turned around and exchanged a glance with Ma Chen. Then, he gritted his teeth and said respectfully, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, we are willing to go.¡± Bai Zhehua turned to look at Zhang Haobo and the few other peak Sea of Qi stage disciples from Morning Dew Peak and signaled a nod to them. Zhang Haobo¡¯s face went through a series of expressions. In the end, he came forward and said, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, I am willing to go.¡± Now that Bai Zhehua was assuming temporary control of the Peak, Zhang Haobo could easily gain quite a few benefits as someone who was close to him. But now, he chose to leave Cloud Abyss Peak. His thoughts weren¡¯t short-sighted. Several disciples from Falling Moon Peak came forward and said, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, disciple is willing to come along.¡± Xu Disheng casually chose these people and said, ¡°You guys stay. Everyone else can go.¡± ¡°As you wish, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± An incense stick of time later, only a dozen or so people remained in the vast Profound Resonance Hall. Xu Disheng gave several interspatial rings to Bai Zhehua and said, ¡°Inside are 10 years worth of cultivation resources for all the disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak, as well as some spare spiritual items.¡± Clearly, Bai Zhehua still hadn¡¯t fully regained his composure. He was still in a state of disbelief as he received the interspatial rings. ¡°I will definitely live up to Soul Suppressor Sacred Son¡¯s trust,¡± he declared in an even more respectful tone. The share of cultivation resources assigned to every single Mountain Peak was a massive amount. They were issued once every 20 years and were meant for supporting the development of the disciples in the Peak, but only in name. The cultivation resources were under full control of the Peak Master, and as a Sacred Son, the share of cultivation resources that Xu Disheng received was greater than the amount any ordinary Peak Master received by a considerable amount. The cultivation resources in the interspatial rings that he gave to Bai Zhehua were only a small portion of what he had, but it was already more than enough to support these disciples for over a hundred years, if not more. The share of cultivation resources that each disciple received was usually only a few spirit stones per month. Even with how abundant Cloud Abyss Peak¡¯s resources were, the stipend of cultivation resources for each Sea of Qi stage disciple was increased to only 8 spirit stones per month. ¡°The document for the special case appointing you as Deacon of Cloud Abyss Peak has already been sent to Mingxin Peak and Wenyuan Mountain Range¡¯s Directory Hall. In a few days, the official appointment jade slip will arrive. You can go now.¡± Bai Zhehua¡¯s heart was still doing somersaults as he left Profound Resonance Hall. He stared at the ethereal, flowing air surrounding Clear Resonance Pond, unable to hold back the urge to look up at the sky and whoop for joy any longer. Happiness was overflowing within him as he sent out several jade slips, then stepped on a sword light and left the summit of Cloud Abyss Peak, returning to his room halfway up the mountain. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°He Ziming, record the names of each of these people. Tomorrow morning, we will set out for the Anxi Province,¡± Xu Disheng instructed before leaving the main chamber of Profound Resonance Hall for the gorgeous, exquisitely decorated rear hall. ¡°Chu Luo, early Sea of Qi stage.¡± ¡°Zhang Haobo, peak Sea of Qi stage.¡± ¡°Ming Ruoyun, peak Sea of Qi stage.¡± ¡°Yuan Qi, peak Sea of Qi stage.¡± ¡°He Qiwen, peak Sea of Qi stage.¡± ¡­ ¡­ He Qiwen and Quan Hongyu were the people that followed Yuan Qi. Observing people and changing their behavior to their liking was their strong suit. In this sense, the members of this clique were birds of a feather, petty characters that only aimed to curry favor with those in power. They felt that this was a good opportunity to get closer to Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, so they rushed to take the opportunity, declaring their desire to volunteer alongside Yuan Qi. Zhang Haobo came from Morning Dew Peak, and had previously established a friendly relationship with Xu Disheng. Following Xu Disheng¡¯s meteoric rise to prestige and fame, their flimsy friendly relations had gradually faded. He gritted his teeth and gave up on the great opportunity to aid Bai Zhehua in ruling over the Peak, wanting to win better future prospects for himself. After all, if he could return from the Anxi Province 10 years later with Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, then his position in the Peak¡­ As for Chu Luo and Ma Chen, it went without saying that they were Xu Disheng¡¯s most loyal followers. Ming Ruoyun was a woman, and one of the disciples who came from Falling Moon Peak. There were also several men and women by her side who also came from Falling Moon Peak. He Ziming was barely acquainted with these people even though they were also from Falling Moon Peak. After recording the dozen or so names down, he said, ¡°Martial brothers and sisters, you may go now. Tomorrow morning, we will meet at Clear Resonance Pond.¡± In terms of profound cultivation, he was only at the early Sea of Qi stage, but due to his training in Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s domain, he knew how to handle matters and act with propriety in a manner far superior to these ordinary Sea of Qi stage disciples. CH 209 Chapter 209 ¨C Suspicion of Embezzling Tribute In the open, vast azure sky, the clouds and mist stretched onward boundlessly like an ocean. Above the thickly layered clouds, a massive spiritual beast was moving along, traversing the clouds. It was wrapped in a gentle, watery blue profound light, which left behind a dazzling streak of light as it soared through the skies. Ma Chen was sitting cross-legged on a solid part of the suanni spiritual beast¡¯s armored hide, using a piece that was jutting out as a handhold. He let out an emotional sigh of admiration and said, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son¡¯s mount is truly incredible. It can even transform into a massive beast over 60 meters tall. Not to mention only a dozen or so people like us, even if there were twice as many people, it wouldn¡¯t feel crowded.¡± ¡°This beast is called a suanni, a type of mount raised with utmost care in Spiritual Beast Pavilion. Aside from people at the rank of Sacred Son, only Divine Core stage Spirit Masters can have a suanni spiritual beast.¡± Much to everyone¡¯s surprise, the one who spoke was Ming Ruoyun from Falling Moon Peak. Her hair was blowing lightly in the wind, and she turned to him with a light smile, continuing, ¡°This suanni spiritual beast is already at the peak Dao Foundation stage. It¡¯s only one step away from advancing to a Monster Core stage spiritual beast, which is the equivalent of a human race Divine Core stage cultivator.¡± As Chu Luo looked at the picturesquely beautiful woman, a strong sense of interest and curiosity towards her sprang up in his chest. ¡°Senior Martial Sister Ming, you¡­¡± Before he could finish his sentence, he heard Xu Disheng¡¯s voice over the loudly gusting winds. ¡°All of you, come to the head region of the suanni.¡± Chu Luo hurriedly shut his mouth, then stood up. He ate a Qi Boosting Pill, surrounded himself with as strong a profound qi barrier as he could muster, then began to traverse the 30-40 meter distance towards the head region of the suanni with the others. Unlike normal flying-type Spirit Tools, this suanni spiritual beast didn¡¯t have a massive barrier surrounding it to protect from the blasting winds. The passengers could only wrap themselves in a barrier of profound qi or use a barrier from a Spirit Tool to resist the wind. As everyone arrived on the massive, majestically horned head of the suanni spiritual beast, they saw Xu Disheng, seated next to one of the horns. Everyone cupped their hands in salute and greeted, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± Xu Disheng turned to look at them. His black hair, tied up by a white jade band, flowed unperturbed down his back, nearly undisturbed by the strong, sweeping gales. There was a dark green jade slip in his hands. ¡°He Ziming, inform everyone of the contents of this jade slip.¡± He Ziming was on standby at Xu Disheng¡¯s side. He turned around and looked at the people with a hint of disdain hidden deep in his gaze. ¡°In the last 100 years, the tribute paid by the Anxi Province has changed greatly.¡± ¡°The provincial governments under the jurisdiction of the Sacred Sect pay tribute once every 10 years. But there has been a rather large discrepancy in the tribute paid by the Anxi Province over the last 10 occasions.¡± ¡°100 years ago, the tribute they paid consisted of 26,500 spirit stones, 35,330 Golden Feather Flowers, 600 Scarlet Star Flowers, 382 pieces of Icy Silkworm Illusion Essence, and 41 stalks of Heaven Origin Herb¡­¡± ¡°But 10 years ago, the tribute they paid consisted of only 8,532 spirit stones, 4,280 Golden Feather Flowers, 75 Scarlet Star Flowers, 59 pieces of Icy Silkworm Illusion Essence, and not even a single Heaven Origin Herb!¡± After waiting for He Ziming¡¯s words to sink in, Xu Disheng flicked his sleeves and picked up where he left off. ¡°The two envoys currently stationed in this Province, Gou Lezhan and Qin Huamao, are clearly under suspicion of embezzling tribute. What do you all think of this matter? You all can speak freely.¡± While being suspicious of these two for embezzling the tribute was obvious, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t think this matter was that simple. The Shangqing Sacred Sect used the mortal provinces under their jurisdiction to plant low-grade spiritual medicines and plants, so they didn¡¯t place much importance on them. Even the spirit stones and cultivation resources they received from tribute were just icing on the cake. After all, Affairs Hall¡¯s Spiritual Medicine Pavilion had an enormous Secret Realm with countless fertile farms for growing herbs and medicine of high grade and quality in nearly every possible shape and variety. But while these provincial governments under the Sacred Sect¡¯s jurisdiction had a lot of spiritual medicines and fruits planted based on their differing terrain and geography, it was just to make the most of the land. There were usually only one or two Dao Foundation stage Deacon stationed in each Province as envoy. Heaven Origin Herb was somewhat different. It was a rare high-grade herb that only grew on the border of the Anxi Province in the Luo River. Although the people of Spiritual Medicine Pavilion had already plucked some and brought it back to their Secret Realm to be grown, the effect was still inferior to the Heaven Origin Herb grown naturally at the source. As a result, Affairs Hall regarded the Anxi Province with a degree of importance, which is why they dispatched two peak Dao Foundation stage disciples as envoys. These two had already been stationed at the Anxi Province for around 100 years by this point. Yuan Qi¡¯s eyes lit up. Unwilling to let go of this opportunity to show off, he blurted out, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, in my opinion, it¡¯s clear that these two are insatiably greedy! They¡¯re definitely embezzling the tribute!¡± Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com" Xu Disheng was silent, his gaze calm, not giving anything away. The other people all realized that this matter wasn¡¯t this simple, otherwise Xu Disheng wouldn¡¯t have gathered them all at the head of the suanni spiritual beast. They all kept their heads lowered, contemplating deeply on the matter. A hint of disappointment flashed through Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes. He turned around, resting a hand on the suanni¡¯s massive horn. ¡°You all can leave.¡± Although he didn¡¯t have any intention to train these people, he wanted to try and see if there was any talent he could make use of. But in the end, it was just as he expected. At his side, He Ziming hesitated for a moment before speaking up. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, in my opinion, we won¡¯t be able to figure out the whole story right now no matter how we analyze it. We can only slowly get to the bottom of this once we arrive in the Anxi Province.¡± Xu Disheng nodded appreciatively. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he replied. Just now, he asked, ¡®what do you all think about this matter?¡¯. It was an extremely crafty way of phrasing the question. They hadn¡¯t arrived in the Anxi Province yet, and with how little information they had, it simply wasn¡¯t possible to analyze anything out of it. Any smart person¡¯s answer would have been like He Ziming¡¯s, along the lines of ¡®insufficient information, unable to analyze¡¯. But everyone was eager to impress him and tried to rack their brains for an answer, but ended up thinking about the matter in an overly complex way, forgetting that there wasn¡¯t enough information in their possession to make any heads or tails of the situation. The suanni was raised in Spiritual Beast Pavilion, and was specially trained as a flying mount. Its flight speed was shocking, to say the least. He Ziming was holding the map jade slip. He examined the contents, comparing it closely with the surroundings. Then, he walked over to Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, once we proceed another few dozen li, we will enter the borders of the Anxi Province.¡± The suanni gradually reduced its speed, breaking through the thick layer of clouds and hiding itself within. Xu Disheng channeled Soul Force to his eyes, allowing his vision to penetrate through the clouds to the scenery below. Countless fertile fields were arrayed across the land. Mortals were toiling away industriously in the fields, working with deliberate care. These fields held the most common low-grade spiritual crop in Anxi Province, Golden Feather Flower. However¡­ just looking at the scale of these fields, there was no way that 80% of the total production of Golden Feather Flower over the course of 10 years was only 4,200 flowers! Xu Disheng¡¯s gaze was as calm as a still pond. With a movement of his profound qi, the suanni let out a low roar and used an invisibility technique, then flew out from the layer of clouds, landing in a lush and flourishing wooded mountain. Once everyone got off the suanni, its figure gradually shrunk down to its normal size of only about 10 meters tall. Xu Disheng then stored it away in the Beast Handling Ring, a top-grade Magic Treasure. The Beast Handling Ring was a special item crafted by Spiritual Beast Pavilion. Every Beast Handling Ring was eternally linked to one spiritual beast. The enormous dimensional space inside the ring could be considered the suanni¡¯s true home. Xu Disheng¡¯s Dao Foundation stage aura gradually faded away to nothing, until he seemed no different from a mortal. He walked out from the mountain forest and started heading towards the vast, fertile fields of the Anxi Province. The other people followed suit. After using techniques to restrain their auras, they followed closely after Xu Disheng. Aura restraining techniques weren¡¯t rare, being something that was part of the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s most basic incantation, which every Sea of Qi stage disciple knew how to use. That being said, there was ordinarily no use for it. CH 210 Chapter 210 ¨C Rancher, Sheep, Dog, Pasture The three giant golden suns shone in the skies, unabated throughout the millennia. The scorching rays of sunlight battered down on the mortals, but they toiled away in the fields growing the Golden Feather Flowers as if they didn¡¯t feel a thing. Sweat poured down from their bodies in rivulets, but their enthusiasm for labor didn¡¯t show any signs of letting up, nor did they reveal any signs of wishing to stop temporarily to take a break. In his coarse, weathered hands, Old Man Gao was carrying a bucket of spirit-infused water from the Luo River. His hunchbacked figure was accentuated as he squatted down, and he began to water the Golden Feather Flower with utmost care, drop by drop. When Old Man Gao saw the golden flower bud showing signs sprouting, a smile inadvertently rose to his face. Even though his clothes were drenched with sweat, he didn¡¯t seem to notice it at all. A shadow suddenly covered his figure, blocking out the sunlight. In the unexpected shade, Old Man Gao suddenly felt a lot cooler, and set his bucket down. He wiped the sweat from his brow, then looked up. There was a handsome, noble youth standing before him, wearing a robe interweaved in gold and white. His expression was cool and collected as he looked down at him. There were a dozen or so men and women following the youth in a deferential manner. Their clothes were all overbearingly luxurious, and the material of their clothes wasn¡¯t anything he could recognize. Old Man Gao took in their figures, trying to size them up, but was left speechless in the end. ¡°The fields around here all belong to you?¡± Xu Disheng asked the old man, flicking his sleeves to dispel the aura that Zhang Haobo, Yuan Qi, and the others were unconsciously releasing. Old Man Gao instantly felt his body ease up a lot and he stood up. After using his sleeve to mop the sweat on his brow, he said nervously, ¡°Did milord perhaps come from the Anxi provincial government? The fields within 1 square li of this area do belong to me. This old man has never violated any of the laws or orders of the provincial government. Please spare me, milord!¡± It was clear in Old Man Gao¡¯s eyes that only martial artists from the provincial government would be able to wear such luxurious garb and have such powerful auras. Xu Disheng¡¯s gaze remained lowered as he inspected the Golden Feather Flower that Old Man Gao had just watered. ¡°In this 1 square li field, how much can you harvest in one year?¡± ¡°Milord, this old man has been growing Golden Feather Flowers for over 20 years, and even earned a reputation in the village for being meticulous. In one year, this old man can harvest over 200 Golden Feather Flowers!¡± Once the topic was directed in an area he was proficient in, Old Man Gao¡¯s chin lifted a little bit and a hint of pride leaked through in his tone. Xu Disheng nodded, not inquiring any further. He flicked his sleeves as he turned around and left the fields. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, the government of the Anxi Province is too disgraceful¡­!¡± Yuan Qi said resentfully, striding quickly to the front before they had gotten very far away. ¡°In what way are they disgraceful?¡± Xu Disheng said, his feet continuing the trek across the fields. Yuan Qi looked off into the distance where the government of the Anxi Province was located. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°First, that old man¡¯s fields are only 1 square li, but in one year, he can only harvest over 200 Golden Feather Flowers. With how large the Anxi Province is, how can 80% of their harvest over 10 years only be a little over 4,000 Golden Feather Flowers?¡± Xu Disheng was also looking off into the distance in the direction of the Anxi Province government. ¡°And second?¡± This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Second is their crime of rebellion!¡± Yuan Qi said, drawing the gazes of Zhang Haobo, Chu Luo, Ming Ruoyun, and the others following behind Xu Disheng, who still hadn¡¯t managed to think through all the details. Only He Ziming seemed to catch wind of something, his gaze changing somewhat as he looked at Yuan Qi. Yuan Qi turned around, looking pleased with himself as he surveyed the area. ¡°That old man doesn¡¯t even know about the existence of the Sacred Sect! ¡­He even said these fields belonged to him!¡± Behind him, Quan Hongyu, He Qiwen, and his other lackeys suddenly came to an understanding. Suspicion and resentment colored their expressions as they realized the contradictory nature of this matter! All of the provincial governments and all of the fields, no matter how small or worthless they were, could only belong to the Shangqing Sacred Sect! In the eyes of disciples like them, these mortals living in the Provinces were just tools to grow these low-grade spiritual herbs and fruits. For these mortals to blatantly declare these fields as their own was audacious beyond belief! In the other Provinces, the mortals, and even the martial artists, were all aware of the existence of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, although they mostly knew them only by the name ¡®ruling sect¡¯. However, the mortals of the Anxi Province were completely unaware of the existence of the ruling sect, and even claimed the Golden Feather Flower fields as their own private property. The conduct and deeds of the Anxi provincial government were shocking. Ming Ruoyun was extremely smart, and had figured out the key details. She came forward and said, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, there must be some deeper meaning behind why the two envoys stationed here made an order to deceive the mortals over the last hundred years. It would be better for us to first go to the Anxi provincial government before coming to a final conclusion.¡± Clearly, it wasn¡¯t just Old Man Gao who thought the way he did. Over the influence of the last hundred or so years, the mortals in the Anxi Province had all forgotten the existence of the ruling sect. They even claimed the fields as their own, and the role of the Anxi provincial government in this couldn¡¯t have been small. Even the minister of the Anxi provincial government was just a puppet, without much authority at all. The appointment and dismissal of the provincial minister could be completely decided by a single word of the envoys stationed here. Xu Disheng continued to walk through the vast fields, gradually entering the nearby town. On the way, practically all the mortals he had seen had ruddy complexions, wearing contented smiles; every household had abundant food and clothing and were in good health and harmony. Compared to the common civilians in a majority of the Provinces, who were always starving and miserable, it was like the difference between clouds and mud. Over the course of the last half a day, they gradually found out that the Anxi provincial government wasn¡¯t even collecting the Golden Feather Flowers as tribute, they were purchasing them at a high price! They would exchange gold and silver taels, and if a large amount was being traded, they would even use spirit stones to settle the bill! Seeing the situation, all of them, whether it was Yuan Qi, Quan Hongyu, or even Chu Luo and Ma Chen, were filled with rage. As a part of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, they would always work to bring the most substantial benefit to the sect. They wouldn¡¯t tolerate anyone infringing upon the interests of the sect! This situation was analogous to an owner of a ranch raising several little lambs in a corner of their land and using a dog to herd them and keep them in check. And in this corner of the ranch, the grass was abundant and flourishing, growing and renewing as the sheep ate it up, making them fat and plump. When it came time and the owner remembered the sheep, the owner would come over and bring them away for the slaughter. But one day, the ranch owner realized that not only was the dog not helping to herd the sheep and allowing them to graze in the pastures, but it was instead slaughtering them without reserve! With the help of the dog, the power dynamic was reversed, allowing the grass to feed on the blood of the sheep! Under the nourishment, the grass in the pasture grew madly, becoming even more lush and abundant, unlike the grass in the other parts of the pasture that were waiting wave after wave to be grazed into nothingness. Until the owner remembered the sheep, the dog would just send over a bit of the remaining bones and scraps of the sheep, playing the owner for a fool! In this analogy, Xu Disheng and the other disciples with him were the ranch owner, while the civilians were the grass and the spiritual herbs and fruits were the sheep. The Dao Foundation stage envoys, Gou Lezhan and Qin Huamao, were the dog in this scenario! In their fury, no one thought about why these two envoys had done this. Only Ming Ruoyun had caught onto something. Her expression was intrigued as she watched the ordinary commoners living in peace and working happily. Eventually, a hint of praise and approval appeared in the depths of her gaze. Your TL, Crescent here. This marks the end of Volume 1 ¨C Escaping Mortality. Thanks for all the incredible support so far, whether through Ko-Fi donations or comments. If you¡¯re enjoying the story, please consider giving it a nice rating on NovelUpdates or sharing it with your friends, I would appreciate it a ton. Please stay tuned for the story to come in Volume 2 ¨C Supreme! CH 211 Chapter 211 ¨C A Few Pieces of Silver The three bright silver moons hung in the heights of the sky. In the provincial capital below, many colored lanterns were lit, basking the city in the warm glow of fire. Zhang Shun bore the cold, biting wind, wrapping his raggedy cotton jacket tighter around himself. His cotton clothes were covered in numerous patches of varying sizes. While the clothes were shabby, they were clean and the patchwork was meticulous, hinting that the clothes were frequently mended and washed by someone. ¡°I really wonder sometimes, when will these bitter days come to an end?¡± Peng Laosi said, sniffling to keep his nose from running. He was rubbing both of his hands together in a futile attempt to keep the chill of the frosty night at bay. Zhang Shun stayed wrapped up tightly in his cotton jacket for a while to warm himself up. After a while, he took both of his hands back out from his sleeves, exposing them to the icy wind once more. He shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and get to work. If a supervising soldier comes by, we¡¯ll be in for another beating.¡± With that, he hoisted one of the massive, heavy limestone bricks in front of him up and onto the stone platform in front of him. Peng Laosi also tried to lift a limestone brick, but after several attempts, he still didn¡¯t manage to succeed. He sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m getting old, far too old for this. I don¡¯t have as much strength as you youngsters anymore.¡± Zhang Shun kept his head down, laying one brick after the other onto the neatly arrayed bricks on the stone platform. Peng Laosi instead helped him to lather on the glutinous rice-gravel mortar, and they began to set the bricks neatly layer after layer. Zooming out a bit, it was possible to see that this limestone platform was around 40 meters wide, and over 300 meters long. There were countless people dressed in similarly shabby clothes working on the lone stone platform, neatly laying down bricks. Occasionally, someone would collapse from exhaustion. Once a supervising soldier discovered them, they would ruthlessly thrash the fallen workers with a sinister-looking steel-barbed whip, sending flecks of blood flying through the air. ¡°Provincial Lord, the welcome platform will be completed in three days at the current rate of progress,¡± a general wearing black armor said respectfully to the old man standing beside him, his expression cruel and callous. The old man was dressed in a long, ornate black robe. He was standing at the edge of a pavilion¡¯s balcony, looking down at the long platform made from blue brick that was cutting lengthwise across a large majority of the provincial city. When he heard what the general said, he nodded. The young general was sensible, adept at observing expressions and body language. After a moment of hesitation, he said, ¡°Provincial Lord, why do you seem unhappy? Perhaps this one would be able to help relieve any difficulties.¡± The old man looked down at the winking lantern lights densely dotting the city. Most of the residents were already fast asleep, leaving only the people from poorer cities and towns that were drafted into this difficult labor that didn¡¯t pause even throughout the night. The old man flicked his sleeves and turned around, returning to the warm pavilion. With a light sigh, he said, ¡°Five days from now, the ruling sect¡¯s two newly appointed envoys will arrive here in Anxi Province. I¡¯m just a bit uneasy.¡± The young general lowered his head, glancing at the countless people toiling away bitterly below the pavilion. Then, he turned back and followed the old man into the pavilion. He cupped his hands and said, ¡°My lord, there is no need to be nervous. Didn¡¯t Envoy Liu, who just left a few days ago, always place you in high importance? Even if two new envoys come in, they would still have to give Envoy Liu a bit of face, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± The old man frowned, knitting his brow. ¡°Foolish!¡± he rebuked. Inwardly unreconciled, the young general gritted his teeth and spoke once more. ¡°Lord Patriarch has already been at the peak Xiantian stage for over 10 years. As soon as Envoy Liu came here, he immediately appointed Lord Patriarch as the ruler of the province. By now several years have passed, and my Xu Clan is deeply rooted in the provincial capital. Those two new envoys have to overlook a thing or two, no?¡± The old man in the ornate long robe was called Xu Wenxuan. Aside from being the ruler of the Anxi Province, he was also the Patriarch of the Xu Clan. (TL: This is a different ¡®Xu¡¯ character from Xu Disheng¡¯s surname. Just a reminder that it¡¯s a different Xu Clan.) Xu Wenxuan gave the young general a cold sideways glare. ¡°You¡¯ve already been following me for two years. How can you still be so foolish? In the eyes of the envoys from the ruling sect, we¡¯re hardly much more than ants. Before, all of that was just because Envoy Liu disdained any further interactions with us.¡± The young general, Xu Sheng, opened his mouth, wanting to say something. But in the end, he hesitated and quietly closed his mouth. This novel is available on "pawread dot com". Heedless to his inner thoughts, Xu Wenxuan shook his head once more and sighed. ¡°We have no idea what the temper of these two new envoys will be like. We can only hope that they are like Envoy Liu, finding it beneath themselves to interact with us.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Three days passed. There were a few more gaping tears in Zhang Shun¡¯s shabby cotton-padded jacket compared to before. From time to time, some of the cotton filling would come out, along with seeping traces of blood. His body, which was normally as strong as an ox, was battered and exhausted. He was teetering and tottering unsteadily on his feet as he walked through the provincial capital. As he looked at the tall houses lining both sides of the main street, Zhang Shun could hardly hide the envy in his eyes. The people that lived in the provincial capital were almost all scholars or from rich families. Not only did they not have to do any manual labor, but they were also showered in the respect of any onlookers, which was something that he had never had the pleasure of experiencing. Zhang Shun rubbed the few loose pieces of silver he had in his pocket, thinking of his wife and child that was still at home waiting for him. His steps seemed to lighten a bit, and a hint of a seldom-seen smile appeared on his young but weather-beaten face. He walked out from the provincial capital, dragging his weary body down the public road. After a few dozen li, he finally spotted the Zhang family village off in the distance. Zhang Shun hadn¡¯t slept a wink for over 3 days by this point, and all he had to eat or drink was a bit of the watery gruel provided by the provincial government. His swaying, sleep-deprived body threatened to fall to the ground at any moment, where a deep slumber would await him. He pinched himself hard on the arm to keep his wits about him, then resumed his steps towards the Zhang family village. Several days ago, the Anxi provincial capital issued a labor draft to all the surrounding villages under their jurisdiction, initiating the construction of a welcoming platform. The Zhang family village sent out 5 young able-bodied workers, including him. After the others had received their pay, they hadn¡¯t gone to a restaurant to eat to their hearts¡¯ content¡ªinstead, they went to a brothel in the provincial capital to let loose. Only Zhang Shun, completely tired and spent, wanted to return home as soon as possible to see his wife and son that were waiting patiently for him. Zhang Shun patted the pieces of loose silver in his pocket once more, feeling reassured by their presence. He pushed open the wooden gate to the small courtyard, but noticed that it was unusually quiet. ¡°Xiuxiu?¡± Zhang Shun called out, worry bleeding into his tone. No response came back. His mother died when he was still a child, and his old man couldn¡¯t stand the hard labor tending the Golden Feather Fields demanded. He died last year, and Xiuxiu was just a frail woman. His mother and father both died young, so where would she take Zhang Xiaoniu, their son who wasn¡¯t even 1 year old yet? ¡°Xiuxiu?¡± Zhang Shun looked high and low throughout the simple wooden 3-room house, but he didn¡¯t find anyone. His voice couldn¡¯t help but begin to tremble. As he stood there racking his brains over where she could be, a loud sound from outside the courtyard suddenly interrupted his thoughts. Zhang Shun¡¯s eyes gradually returned to focus, and he watched as several slave martial artists dressed in short jackets charged into the courtyard. A sturdily built slave was in the lead. When he caught sight of the shoddily dressed Zhang Shun, an ominous glint appeared in his eyes. He leapt forward towards him with a fierce flying kick. Zhang Shun hadn¡¯t slept for 3 days already, and he was overtaxed. Against an opponent like this slave martial artist, he couldn¡¯t put up the slightest resistance. The flying kick slammed into his chest with powerful momentum, directly breaking several of his ribs. He flew back several meters, spraying out a large mouthful of blood and minced viscera. Lying there on his back, he gasped and wheezed for breath. CH 212 Chapter 212 ¨C Give an Inch and They¡¯ll Take a Mile ¡°The husband of that woman is this laborer?¡± A handsome youth wearing a luxurious satin robe walked into the small courtyard, looking much like a nobleman¡¯s son. He glanced down at Zhang Shun disdainfully. ¡°Young Master Ming, this is him,¡± the slave martial artist who unleashed the flying kick just now said respectfully. His expression had done a complete turnaround compared to before, and he was now bowing and scraping before the youth. Zhang Shun struggled on the ground for a while, but was ultimately unable to clamber to his fours. ¡°W-What did¡­ you guys do¡­ to Xiuxiu?¡± he managed to stammer out. The youth revealed a lewd, nefarious smile, smacking his lips with relish. ¡°So her name was Xiuxiu. She actually had quite a pretty face, and her body was really irresistible. At first, she put up quite a fight, but in the end, she started to beg for more¡­ Mm, that delectable taste¡­¡± Zhang Shun¡¯s heart began to tremble with anger. In his fit of rage, his struggling became even more violent. He tried to get to his feet, but the moment he did, the ribs that cracked earlier pierced into his thorax. With anger still burning in his wide eyes, he slowly fell over, dead. The luxuriously dressed youth suddenly found the whole matter very dull. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Toss this guy¡¯s corpse out along with his son¡¯s. We¡¯re leaving.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master Ming.¡± Several of the slave servants came forward and picked Zhang Shun up, then tossed him into an old well outside the small courtyard. Thud! The old well had dried up long ago, and at the bottom of the well lay the corpse of a small boy. Now, another corpse joined its company, landing heavily on top of it. ¡­ ¡­ There were two youths above the clouds. One of them was riding on a flying sword Magic Treasure, and the other was riding a flamehawk spiritual beast. The two of them were watching the events happening below them in the Zhang family village. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Gou, why did you stop me?¡± Qin Huamao asked, a glint of anger flashing in his eyes as he looked over at the youth riding the flamehawk spiritual beast. Gou Lezhan shook his head and replied, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Qin, you¡¯re already at the Dao Foundation stage. Why do you still handle matters so impulsively? Things are like this in every Province under the Sacred Sect¡¯s jurisdiction. You might be able to intervene now in a mortal¡¯s matters, but would you be able to keep doing that for every other mortal in the world?¡± Qin Huamao shook his head. His tone was resolute as he spoke. ¡°As profound cultivators, there are things we do and things we don¡¯t do. In other Provinces, we might not be able to make a difference, but the two of us were given orders to defend this Province for 100 years. I refuse to allow anything like this to happen again here!¡± Gou Lezhan stared at him like he was getting to know him again for the first time, with a gaze that one would only use to eye a complete idiot. There were tens of thousands of Dao Foundation stage disciples in the Shangqing Sacred Sect, but it wasn¡¯t unusual at all for someone like Qin Huamao to appear amongst them. Gou Lezhan no longer tried to stop him, and immediately let him go. A sword light imbued with the power of heaven and earth flashed past. The nobleman¡¯s son and several of his vicious slave servants were still walking in the Zhang family village, but their expressions suddenly froze in place. A moment later, a myriad of radiant sword lights slashed them into ribbons and obliterated the power of heaven and earth in their body, leaving behind no traces of their existence. Many residents of the Zhang family village witnessed the sight. They immediately knelt to the ground and began to silently pray. Still above the clouds, Qin Huamao looked down towards the old, dried-up well where the corpses of the father and son were buried and let out a long sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s just head towards the provincial capital, Senior Martial Brother Gou.¡± ¡­ ¡­ In the spacious Ming Clan compound, it was a scene of mourning, draped in pure white. (TL: In Chinese culture, white is the color for mourning, not black.) Eyes rimmed with red, Ming Xushi kicked open the pavilion door and shouted angrily, ¡°Drag this lowly wench out and beat her to death!¡± In the pavilion, there was a beautiful, delicate woman, also dressed in luxurious attire. She was being dragged out by several vicious slaves without any regard or sympathy for her appearance. They began to beat her with a baton, bringing down blow after blow upon her tender body. It hadn¡¯t even been a year since she gave birth to Zhang Xiaoniu, and her body was still weak. After receiving only two blows, she immediately fainted. Blood began to seep through her clothes. Ming Xushi stormed over and ruthlessly slapped the slave who was staring distractedly at her body. ¡°Filthy slave, who told you to stop? I told you to beat her to death!¡± ¡­ ¡­ She had a dream. In this dream, she and her family, Zhang Xiaoniu and Zhang Shun, were seated in a circle in their run-down but comfortable wooden house. Zhang Xiaoniu didn¡¯t know how to speak yet, and was just gurgling happily as he nestled in Zhang Shun¡¯s arms. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. She picked up a needle and thread, and under the illumination of the pale moonlight, began to sow the cotton-padded jacket in her hands. The cotton-padded jacket was old and shabby, but it was spotlessly clean. There were several places where it had already been patched up, the needlework meticulous and durable. Zhang Shun gave a silly chuckle and reached out his hand to ruffle Zhang Xiaoniu¡¯s hair. He looked up and said to her, ¡°Xiuxiu, we don¡¯t have enough rice at home. Earlier this afternoon, I heard that the provincial capital was recruiting forced labor. I already signed up. Tomorrow I¡¯ll be off to contribute my labor and earn us a few silver taels. That way I¡¯ll be able to buy you some meat so you can eat well and get some nutrition. She gave a quiet nod, turning her head away. Two streams of tears began to soundlessly run down her face. She woke up from that dream, the scene splintering and shattering into fragments. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Junior Martial Brother Qin, if you¡¯re going to keep making trouble like this, I¡¯m going to report this to Affairs Hall. I will record every single one of your deeds. They¡¯ll definitely remove you from your position as an envoy of Anxi Province!¡± Gou Lezhan said, his face dark as he eyed the jade slip that recorded the tributes in Qin Huamao¡¯s hand. ¡°It would have been fine if we just embezzled a bit of the tribute, but you actually dared to reduce the tribute levied on the mortals? You¡¯re courting death!¡± The two of them had already been in Anxi Province for 10 years by this point. Gou Lezhan was just like most of the other envoys in any other ordinary Province who would just search for an area with abundant spiritual energy to cultivate in seclusion. He would occasionally play around with a beautiful woman or two, but aside from that, was never interested in the ordinary affairs of the Province. This time upon leaving seclusion, he found out just how recklessly audacious Qin Huamao had been. He had reduced the percentage of the tribute from 80% of the Province¡¯s harvest down to 60%! Qin Huamao knew that he was somewhat in the wrong. But he was still reluctant to admit to it and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Gou, you know how much those mortals are left with after paying 80% of their harvests in tribute, don¡¯t you? After converting to silver taels, what are they left with? They don¡¯t have enough to feed their own families!¡± Putting away the tribute jade slip, he continued to persuade patiently. ¡°Before we came, do you know how many of the provincial soldiers starved and died because they had to endure the harsh patrol to watch over the Sacred Sect¡¯s spiritual plants and medicines day and night?¡± ¡°If we reduce the tribute from 80% to 60% of the harvests, the difference to us would be negligible, even supposing we only considered the most ordinary Golden Feather Flowers in the calculation. But it would save hundreds, thousands of lives, ensuring that they wouldn¡¯t starve to death!¡± ¡°You and I both came cultivated to this point from mortal origins. There¡¯s no harm in acting in goodwill, and in fact, it can even be considered a good thing. Senior Martial Brother Gou, I don¡¯t want my share of the embezzled tribute anymore. You can take it all, alright?¡± After the Qin Huamao¡¯s tirade ended, Gou Lezhan was left somewhat speechless for a few moments. He finally shook his head and replied, ¡°I won¡¯t interfere in this matter anymore. But you better not go too far! Ten years ago when we first arrived, you immediately executed the entire Xu Clan that was ruling this province, putting dirt on Senior Martial Brother Liu¡¯s name. To this day, I still don¡¯t dare to reply to Senior Martial Brother Liu¡¯s jade slip!¡± ¡°The younger generation of the Xu Clan was acting too tyrannically. They were preying on the people. Their deaths weren¡¯t undeserved!¡± Qin Huamao declared, brushing off his words. ¡°You can go now, Senior Martial Brother Gou. I will oversee everything here properly.¡± Gou Lezhan wasn¡¯t interested in participating in the mortal affairs of the Province. He just wanted to quickly pass these 100 years. He didn¡¯t say anything more, and flicked his sleeves and left. But at this time, he still didn¡¯t know that the phrase ¡°give an inch, and they¡¯ll take a mile,¡± would eventually become all too fitting here. CH 213 Chapter 213 ¨C Monster Core The Anxi Province occupied a vast area, with the Luo River cordoning off the south and east borders. The Guangxi Province bordered it on the north side, while a dense mountainous forest stretched seemingly endlessly off to the west, a wide variety of monsters and ghosts lurking about within. Most mortals born in this Province wouldn¡¯t leave it for their entire lives. The other several hundred Provinces under the jurisdiction of the Shangqing Sacred Sect would occasionally hold a Meridian Measurement Ceremony, but the Anxi Province hadn¡¯t held one in a long time now. These poor border Provinces couldn¡¯t produce much tribute and resources, and there were very few people who were born with meridians on the Spiritual Root Sequence and could become profound cultivators. That meant they couldn¡¯t even provide fresh blood to the sect, so why did Celestial Tide Spirit Master want him to be stationed in a place like this for 10 years? Xu Disheng was standing next to one of the horns of the suanni, watching the capital of the Anxi Province grow closer. His brows were creased slightly as he pondered on Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s true intentions on having him come here. Celestial Tide Spirit Master had even mentioned Mountain Master Yangze when they had spoken, and this was clearly a test for him. But Xu Disheng still couldn¡¯t pick up on the slightest clue as to what he was being tested on. At the moment, he could only head to the provincial capital and meet with the two peak Dao Foundation stage envoys who had already been stationed here for 100 years. Only then might he be able to learn something. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, according to the map in the jade slip, Evening Valley Palace, which is in the rear of the provincial residence, appears to be where Gou Lezhan and Qin Huamao are situated,¡± He Ziming said after approaching him. Xu Disheng nodded, sending a mental command to the suanni spiritual beast. Rays of blue radiance shone down from the sky above the provincial capital. There were ethereal clouds wrapped around the suanni¡¯s enormous body as it gradually descended and landed in front of Evening Valley Palace. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, Ancestor also handed me several jade slips, which he instructed me to give you only after arriving at the Anxi provincial residence,¡± He Ziming said respectfully, taking 3 jade slips out from his sleeves and handing them to Xu Disheng. A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. Xu Disheng already had some ideas. He took the jade slips and sunk his consciousness into them. After a while, he put away the jade slips and looked down at the people standing before Evening Valley Hall. Then, he moved the power of heaven and earth and flew down from the suanni spiritual beast. There were hundreds of luxuriously dressed mortal martial artists waiting respectfully in front of Evening Valley Palace. The two people in the front had peak Dao Foundation stage cultivations, but behind each of them were a dozen or so Cleansed Meridian stage disciples on standby. After Yuan Qi, Chu Luo, and the other ten or so people got off the suanni spiritual beast, its body began to emit an even more dazzling watery blue profound light. A moment later, it returned to its original size of only 10 meters in height, then leapt up into the air and disappeared. ¡°Greetings, Affairs Envoy,¡± Gou Lezhan said, addressing Xu Disheng first. His expression hid a hint of surprise, clearly not expecting Xu Disheng¡¯s cultivation to be so low, at only the early Dao Foundation stage. There was also a strange look in Qin Huamao¡¯s gaze as he spoke. ¡°Greetings, Affairs Envoy.¡± Xu Disheng nodded. ¡°The orders of Affairs Hall dictate that the duration of Gou Lezhan and Qin Huamao¡¯s term in the Anxi Province is to be extended by another 10 years.¡± Qin Huamao and Gou Lezhan exchanged a glance, then both nodded in agreement. The two of them had been stationed here for 100 years, and had very little news from the sect. Information to them was limited, and in the jade slip they had received from the sect, they had not been informed of Xu Disheng¡¯s status as a Sacred Son. As a result, they only knew of Xu Disheng by his identity as an Affairs Envoy. An Affairs Envoy was higher in rank than an Envoy by half a level, but they didn¡¯t have the authority to make decisions without consulting others. What none of them knew at this point was that in the Shangqing Sacred Sect, there were quite a few gazes concentrated on this area, waiting to see what the results would be 10 years later. As it turned out, it appeared that even Xu Disheng was just a pawn in this matter. ¡­ ¡­ 100 years earlier. ¡°The legacy of the Sacred Sect has existed for countless years. It doesn¡¯t need to be changed!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. Let us speak not of the far, distant past¡ªbut just several tens of thousands of years ago, when Heavenly Lord Yu Jing was still present, look at how mighty the Shangqing Sacred Sect was! There were over a thousand Divine Core stage Spirit Masters and over a hundred Primordial Lords, but look at how things are now!¡± ¡°The number of Divine Core stage Spirit Masters has declined greatly. Some of that has to do with the limited lifespan, but it also has to do with the fact that there are less people rising to the Divine Core stage!¡± ¡°At the Primordial Spirit stage, there are various methods to avoid death and extend life, but in the end, one¡¯s lifespan at this stage is still limited. Nowadays, our Shangqing Sacred Sect is becoming weaker and weaker. If we don¡¯t think about how we can change, we will undoubtedly be washed away and made irrelevant in the rivers of time!¡± ¡°Aside from the direct descendents of sect disciples, the sect¡¯s only sources of fresh blood are the several hundred Provinces under our jurisdiction and the 27 Mortal Secret Realms. Don¡¯t tell me we have to start taking in mortals?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Although mortals are as weak as livestock, every profound cultivator starts from mortal beginnings. If we change the living environment of the mortals, we might be able to start producing more people with exceptional Spiritual Roots.¡± ¡°Precisely. Most of the middle and upper class Spiritual Roots were born as mortals. Although there are a lot of lower class Spiritual Roots in the relatives and descendents of the sect disciples, it doesn¡¯t do us any good in raising the sect¡¯s overall strength. ¡°We could first pick a more remote location and try to improve things there, then wait and see the results.¡± ¡°There is the Anxi Province at the border of the Sacred Sect¡¯s lands. It is also on the border of the Shan Mountain Territory, surrounded on the south and east sides by the Luo River. The mortals there are rather cut off from the rest of the world, so perhaps it would be better to start there.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Then let us wait and see how things turn out a hundred years from now.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Although Xu Disheng was a chess piece, he now understood a good amount of the inside story, and knew that he had an extremely important mission. 10 years from now, he had to hold a Meridian Measurement Ceremony in the Anxi Province! The 3 jade slips that Celestial Tide Spirit Master had passed down to He Ziming were only to be given to him after he had arrived at the Anxi provincial capital, which was why Xu Disheng had no idea what the specific objectives were the entire journey here. Now, he was clear that all of this was just an experiment devised in the Yuluo Realm by some of the Primordial Lords and Mountain Masters. It could have been entirely possible that Qin Huamao had been specifically selected for this job due to his righteous and heroic character, but he would naturally be totally unaware of this. In fact, it didn¡¯t necessarily have to be Xu Disheng who came here to orchestrate the Meridian Measurement Ceremony. Zhang Yangui or Mo Yue would have been equally qualified to do something like this, but his recent performance had been too dazzling, which led to the focus of all of the Primordial Lords falling on him. ¡°We have already prepared a palace hall for you, Affairs Envoy. You may head there at any time,¡± Gou Lezhan said, coming forward with a smile. Clearly, he wasn¡¯t that discriminatory of Xu Disheng¡¯s early Dao Foundation stage cultivation. Even if he did look down on his cultivation inwardly, he still wouldn¡¯t show it on the surface. After all, in terms of rank, an Affairs Envoy was undeniably above himself. In the Shangqing Sacred Sect, hierarchy was inviolable. Xu Disheng nodded. He didn¡¯t refuse, but he seemed to inadvertently glance sideways at Yuan Qi. Yuan Qi was quick-witted and immediately stepped forward out of the ranks. He spoke loudly, ¡°Respected Affairs Envoy, disciple has something important to report!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Xu Disheng asked, stopping in his tracks. Yuan Qi¡¯s tone took on a hint of resentment as he declared, ¡°On the journey here, disciple noticed that the tribute that the Anxi Province has been paying in recent years is extremely inconsistent with the actual output!¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Xu Disheng asked, his expression appearing outwardly astonished as he turned his gaze to Gou Lezhan. ¡°Envoy Gou, can you explain?¡± Gou Lezhan immediately took a half step back, then turned to the side to let Qin Huamao come forward. ¡°Affairs Envoy, any matters related to the tribute were handled by Junior Martial Brother Qin. In the last 100 years, I was simply in secluded meditation.¡± Qin Huamao was clearly prepared for this in advance. ¡°Disciple standing next to the Affairs Envoy. You must have seen many fertile fields on your way here, yes?¡± Qin Huamao said, his tone clear. ¡°That¡¯s right. The output of those Golden Feather Flower crop fields was enormous, so why did the Anxi Province only pay 4000 Golden Feather Flowers in the most recent tribute payment several months ago?¡± Yuan Qi was only at the peak Sea of Qi stage, but he spoke in a neither servile nor overbearing manner before a peak Dao Foundation stage cultivator like Qin Huamao. He was able to do this because Xu Disheng was backing him, but it took a considerable amount of courage to do something like that. Qin Huamao glared at Yuan Qi, then turned to Xu Disheng and smiled. ¡°Affairs Envoy, it¡¯s true that there are some reserves of a few kinds of spiritual plants in the Anxi Province, but you may not be aware that several years ago, a monster in the Luo River cultivated to the Monster Core stage. It went on an unbridled rampage, which was why the tribute we paid last time was so little.¡± When his words reached everyone¡¯s ears, the expressions of all dozen or so people behind Xu Disheng changed drastically, and they all looked like they wanted to speak up and retort. Yuan Qi also snorted disdainfully. ¡°¡­You have the cheek to try and deceive¡ª¡± Halfway through his sentence, it suddenly looked like he thought of something and turned around to look at Xu Disheng. He met his cold gaze, then immediately shut his mouth. Xu Disheng flicked his sleeves and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine, just bring me to the palace hall. Also, find suitable accommodation for the people behind me. If you don¡¯t have any business, don¡¯t come find me.¡± Xu Disheng actually acted like he didn¡¯t even hear Qin Huamao¡¯s clearly deceptive words! An Affairs Envoy was only a half rank higher than an Envoy, so he didn¡¯t have the authority to directly punish him. To enact any punishment, he would have to go through a convoluted process involving Affairs Hall and Disciplinary Hall, and he would also need conclusive evidence of his faults. As a result, when Qin Huamao found out that only one Affairs Envoy was coming, he was inwardly relieved, and planned to just feel his way through it. He obviously thought that Xu Disheng was just a hotshot descendent of some powerhouse. After all, Qin Huamao didn¡¯t believe for even a moment that Xu Disheng, with only his early Dao Foundation stage cultivation, could get a reasonably high level position like an Affairs Envoy without a strong powerhouse backing him. Qin Huamao had already thought about how he would resolve the problem with the tribute coming up in 10 years. Although he had already completely waived the tribute levied on the citizens of the Anxi Province and conferred various crop fields to people, he had made preparations in advance. He had stored up more than enough reserves to pay off the final tribute coming in 10 years. CH 214 Chapter 214 ¨C Shall the Two of Us Have a Competition? ¡°This place is so barren and poor. I have no idea how we¡¯re supposed to slog through these 10 years,¡± Quan Hongyu grumbled underneath his breath to He Qiwen. The two of them were walking through the Anxi provincial capital. He Qiwen sighed in agreement and said, ¡°If I knew that we would only be allowed to sit still and cultivate after coming here, I wouldn¡¯t have volunteered to come here with Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, even if it meant crossing Senior Martial Brother Yuan.¡± Quan Hongyu let his eyes wander as he took in the rows upon rows of pavilions and houses in the Anxi provincial capital. ¡°Senior Martial Brother He, what do you say we go look for some fun?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± His interest piqued, He Qiwen turned to look at Quan Hongyu, who was wearing a lustful smile on his face. ¡°What kind of fun is there here? This place isn¡¯t like the Sacred Sect¡¯s Ning¡¯an Province, where there are properly trained female cultivators to mess around with.¡± ¡°Perhaps not as good as female cultivators, but these mortal women wouldn¡¯t be bad either,¡± Quan Hongyu said, his lips parting in a lascivious grin. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen so far in the Anxi provincial city, practically every household here has plenty of clothes to wear and food to eat. There are also some girls and young married women that I¡¯ve spotted around here that look awfully dainty and seductive. There ought to be some kind of special flavor about them.¡± He Qiwen¡¯s brows creased slightly. ¡°There naturally wouldn¡¯t be any problem if we did this in another Province. But this time we came here with Senior Martial Brother Yuan and Soul Suppressor Sacred Son to be stationed here. If we act in this manner, won¡¯t the Sacred Son be unhappy with us?¡± Quan Hongyu seemed to have already thought things through. With an excited expression, he said, ¡°In the end, we¡¯re disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak. As long as we don¡¯t violate sect rules, I doubt Soul Suppressor Sacred Son would find fault with us. We only need to be a bit careful around those old bastards Gou Lezhan and Qin Huamao and we¡¯ll be fine.¡± To access the premium content, go to [ pawread dot com ]. He Qiwen nodded slowly, making up his mind. ¡°Then how about the two of us have a competition?¡± ¡°What kind of competition? Tell me what you¡¯ve got.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s set this small west city wall as the border. I¡¯ll go north, you go south. Whoever can shag more women in four hours wins! I¡¯ll bet 30 spirit stones!¡± ¡°Alright, sure.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Zhang Shi lifted off the warm covers and wrapped a light red muslin cloth around her body. With a languid yawn, she instructed, ¡°Change my clothes.¡± ¡°As you wish, madam.¡± Several maids hastily came forward and tended to Zhang Shi, helping her to change her clothes. The Liu Clan was the family based around a government scholar, Lord Liu. As his primary wife, Zhang Shi had a very high status. Every day, she would sleep until well after sunrise. BOOM! The sturdy, lavish wooden door was suddenly kicked wide open, and Quan Hongyu strode in, his eyes lighting up when he saw her body. Zhang Shi screamed and turned pale with fright, and hurriedly grabbed a nearby blanket to cover up her practically naked body. Suddenly, she found her mouth sealed shut by a strand of profound qi. Before she knew it, Quan Hongyu was standing right in front of her. Her face flushed and she tried to speak, but her voice only came out as muffled squealing. She wasn¡¯t able to utter a single word. ¡°These mortal women really do have a subtle, different flavor,¡± Quan Hongyu murmured excitedly, yanking off the light red muslin cloth wrapped around her body. At some point in time, the maids around her had already fallen over soundlessly. Quan Hongyu had used Shangqing profound qi to disrupt their heart meridian, killing them outright. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Senior Martial Sister Ming, did you hear a scream just now?¡± He Rourou asked. Her face was puzzled as she strained her ears to listen closer. Ming Ruoyun had been astonished by what she had seen on her way here. The Anxi Province was carefree and peaceful, almost to the point that they hardly needed to lock their doors at night. As a result, she was confused. Why would there be such a miserable-sounding scream in a place like this? Without another word, she brought He Rourou and Li Zhao with her. They stepped onto beams of profound light and began to fly in the direction of the scream. ¡°He Qiwen! What are you doing?!¡± Ming Ruoyun shouted angrily, her face ashen when she saw the corpses scattered throughout the large courtyard. With a thought, He Qiwen¡¯s Spirit Tool robe readjusted itself onto his body. He narrowed his eyes and replied, ¡°Ming Ruoyun. What I¡¯m doing is none of your business, you know?¡± He Qiwen was also at the peak Sea of Qi stage. By relying on Yuan Qi¡¯s influence in Cloud Abyss Peak, he had managed to siphon quite a bit of cultivation resources for himself by this point. He already had several high-grade Spirit Tools in his possession, so he wasn¡¯t scared of Ming Ruoyun at all. Li Zhao flew over from another direction and surveyed the scene. He glared deeply at He Qiwen, then said to Ming Ruoyun, ¡°Senior Martial Sister Ming, I just looked over in that direction, and I found over 10 families slaughtered. And¡­¡± Ming Ruoyun¡¯s expression turned even darker. ¡°And what?¡± Li Zhao hesitated for a moment, then turned his gaze back to He Qiwen and said, ¡°And all of the women, girls or young married women alike, were all naked corpses. At their time of death, their bodies were all a ravaged mess.¡± ¡°How could Cloud Abyss Peak have such a terrible degenerate like you among its ranks?!¡± Ming Ruoyun cried furiously, unable to hold back her rage any further. A small seal Spirit Tool appeared in her hand, and she threw it out towards He Qiwen. It smashed down ruthlessly upon him from overhead! Li Zhao wavered hesitantly by the side, unsure if he should attack as well. Although he had come along with Ming Ruoyun from Falling Moon Peak to join Cloud Abyss Peak, he knew that He Qiwen was one of Yuan Qi¡¯s henchmen. And as it turned out, Yuan Qi was rumored to be heavily favored by Soul Suppressor Sacred Son. Hatred darkened He Rourou¡¯s expression. Her talent was ordinary, but she was a part of Falling Moon Peak¡¯s He Clan. At this moment, she brandished a longsword Spirit Tool and unleashed an attack towards He Qiwen. He Qiwen rolled his eyes disdainfully, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled into an evil grin, but he didn¡¯t even bother to retaliate. He took out two defensive-type high-grade Spirit Tools and activated them at full force. As they fended off Ming Ruoyun and He Rourou¡¯s attacks, he simultaneously sent out several message jade slips. Not long later, Chu Luo, Zhang Haobo, and the others flew over on profound lights and tried to stop Ming Ruoyun and He Rourou, trying to ask them what exactly happened that had caused them to resort to blows. Ming Ruoyun was already so furious that her chest was heaving up and down. She came back to her senses somewhat and saw the evil grin that He Qiwen was directing at her. She suddenly had an idea of what was happening, and she began to inwardly regret her impulsive actions. At that moment, Quan Hongyu, who had just finished taking his pleasure in Zhang Shi¡¯s body, received He Qiwen¡¯s message jade slip and flew straight over. After examining the scene, he could already more or less guess what had happened. Yuan Qi and He Ziming were still standing by in Xu Disheng¡¯s hall. As the person with the highest cultivation among them, Zhang Haobo looked at He Rourou, who was still unable to calm herself, and said to them, ¡°Let¡¯s just let this matter go.¡± Ming Ruoyun had already regained her composure by this point, but her heart was still filled with resentment towards He Qiwen. She gave a cold snort, signifying on behalf of the others that they were willing to temporarily let this matter rest. He Rourou pointed at the strewn corpses and was about to say something, but Ming Ruoyun held up a hand to stop her, her beautiful but enraged eyes staring daggers at He Qiwen. CH 215 Chapter 215 ¨C You All Went Too Far An unbridled aura suddenly weighed down upon the area. Qin Huamao¡¯s figure appeared in the sky, and he surveyed the scene, catching sight of the corpses littering the west side of the provincial capital. ¡°Who did this?¡± he asked, his voice as cold as ice. After 100 years of being here, Qin Huamao already considered the people of Anxi Province as his own people. And now, these innocent people had their peaceful lives ruined by the cruel, merciless actions of these disciples. Under the full weight of Qin Huamao¡¯s peak Dao Foundation stage aura, Zhang Haobo¡¯s legs went a bit soft, but he managed to brace himself. He came forward and said, ¡°Martial Uncle Qin, please do not rush to anger just yet, there is a bit of a misunderstanding here.¡± From their journey here, each of them had come to understand that the Envoy Qin Huamao was a bit different from most people, as he deeply cherished the common folk. Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen¡¯s actions were no different from slapping his face, then ripping it off and tearing it to shreds before stomping on it a few times. ¡°A misunderstanding?¡± Qin Huamao uttered coldly as he felt the deathly aura of citizens¡¯ corpses around them, his gaze frigid as he glowered at Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen. He reached out his hand, then an instant later, a massive phantom image of a hand formed out of the power of heaven and earth and grabbed the two of them, lifting them into the air. For the full version, visit pawread dot com. ¡°Martial Uncle, please spare us!¡± Quan Hongyu shouted, his expression changing dramatically. He started begging for forgiveness the moment he realized that the defenses of his few high-grade Spirit Tools were useless in the face of the suppression from the peak Dao Foundation stage power. He Qiwen was unlike him, calm despite being lifted into the air. His expression was still unperturbed, and he secretly activated his Cloud Abyss Peak identity jade tablet. Qin Huamao was a bit hesitant. Originally, he wanted to simply crush these two to death, but he couldn¡¯t help but think twice after remembering that these two came here with Xu Disheng, an Affairs Envoy. If he were to kill them, he would really be overstepping his bounds. Although Qin Huamao was absolutely indignant, he was still holding back somewhat. He looked down once more at the corpses littering the ground, heart torn with grief. He stepped on a flying sword Magic Treasure and flew off in the direction of Evening Valley Palace, his large hand-shaped phantom image still tightly holding onto Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen. Ming Ruoyun, Chu Luo, Zhang Haobo, and the others all exchanged glances, then silently followed after him, a wide spectrum of expressions coloring their faces. BANG! Hong Quanyu and He Qiwen were thrown down to the ground hard in front of Evening Valley Palace. Under the suppression from the power of heaven and earth, they weren¡¯t able to use their Spirit Tools to put up any defenses whatsoever. They collided with the ground hard and practically every one of the bones in their bodies shattered, leaving them on the brink of death. ¡­ ¡­ In a majestic, lofty palace room, Xu Disheng¡¯s long eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes, revealing his resplendent eyes. From his interspatial ring, he withdrew the meteoric iron token representing his authority as Peak Master of Cloud Abyss Peak. He looked down at its scintillating black luster and said softly, ¡°He Ziming, Yuan Qi.¡± ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son,¡± He Ziming and Yuan Qi replied respectfully. They had been standing on attention outside the palace, and they came in hurriedly the moment they heard him call for them. ¡°Come with me to Evening Valley Palace,¡± he said. ¡°As you wish, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son,¡± the two of them said in unison. ¡­ ¡­ Gou Lezhan came out of Evening Valley Palace. His brows furrowed when he saw the miserable states of Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Qin, these two disciples were brought here by the Affairs Envoy. Even if they are guilty of some crime, was there any need to punish them in this way?¡± Suppressing the urge to kill these two outright once more, Qin Huamao replied coldly, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because these disciples were brought here by the Affairs Envoy that I held back and didn¡¯t kill them right away! They entered the bedchambers of girls and married women alike, defiled them and slaughtered their entire families, making rivers of blood flow throughout a smaller part of the Anxi provincial capital! They killed close to a hundred people!¡± Gou Lezhan was already used to Qin Huamao¡¯s unorthodox ideals and bearing, so he just shook his head and sighed. ¡°And so what? They¡¯re just mortals in the end.¡± The moment he finished speaking, a suanni spiritual beast with an astonishingly powerful aura ripped through space as it streaked through the skies above the provincial capital, leaving behind a watery blue stream of profound light. It landed in front of Evening Valley Palace, wrapped in clouds and mist. Xu Disheng was standing front and center between the suanni¡¯s two majestic horns, looking down at the people below. His body was wrapped up in the intertwining white and gold splendor of the Golden Moon Garment, and his long black hair was tied up by a white jade band behind his head. ¡°Soul Su¡ªLord Affairs Envoy! You must help us!¡± He Qiwen wailed loudly. The moment he saw Xu Disheng arrive, he inwardly rejoiced and he finally let go of all reservations, letting the distress show on his face. ¡°Who activated their Cloud Abyss Peak jade identity tablet?¡± Xu Disheng asked, his voice echoing out hundreds of meters. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you all that you were not to seek me out in these 10 years unless something important happens?¡± When he got to the latter half, his tone was imbued with a hint of iciness. Even the peak Dao Foundation stage Gou Lezhan and Qin Huamao couldn¡¯t help but inadvertently shudder in response. They shared a momentary glance, each noticing the shock in the other¡¯s eyes. This ¡®Affairs Envoy¡¯ was only at the early Dao Foundation stage in terms of cultivation, but how was the power of his mind so strong? Just through the emotions contained within his tone, he somehow managed to impact the people around him! Gou Lezhan and Qin Huamao were both at the peak Dao Foundation stage, but they were just ordinary disciples. They weren¡¯t genius disciples or elite disciples in any way, so they couldn¡¯t help but be terrified of the incredible strength of Xu Disheng¡¯s mind. He Qiwen¡¯s expression filled with even greater agony. He took out a recording jade slip and said, ¡°Lord Affairs Envoy, disciple made sure to record everything that happened in this recording jade slip so no one could speak nonsense and make wrongful accusations! I beg you, Lord Affairs Envoy, please take a look and see for yourself!¡± When Ming Ruoyun saw the recording jade slip, her expression shifted dramatically. She suddenly realized why He Qiwen had passively taken the attack when she and He Rourou attacked him earlier! Zhang Haobo, Chu Luo, and the others also looked on with contrasting expressions, but they didn¡¯t dare to stick their heads into a situation like this. Yuan Qi¡¯s expression was ashen as he watched his trusted assistant, who was prone on the ground, dying. Countless curses surfaced in his mind as he went forward and took the recording jade slip, then flew up to the head of the suanni spiritual beast and respectfully handed it to Xu Disheng. After a while, Xu Disheng casually crushed the jade slip and turned his gaze to Qin Huamao. ¡°Envoy Qin.¡± Qin Huamao was convinced that Xu Disheng, this early Dao Foundation stage ¡®Affairs Envoy¡¯, wouldn¡¯t do anything to him. He cupped his hands and replied, ¡°What is it, Affairs Envoy?¡± ¡°As an Envoy of Anxi Province, you certainly have the right to investigate and punish disciples in the Province. But Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen are not disciples of this Province, but are disciples of my Cloud Abyss Peak. And yet, you did as you pleased, heavily injuring the two of them,¡± Xu Disheng said, flicking his sleeves. He turned and said, ¡°He Ziming, according to the sect rules, what is the punishment for harming a fellow disciple more than one cultivation boundary below oneself?¡± He Ziming stepped forward and declared clearly, ¡°Lord Affairs Envoy, the sect rules state that in the Shangqing Sacred Sect, harming a fellow disciple who is not only more than one cultivation boundary below oneself, but is also not under one¡¯s own arbitration, entails punishment marked by crippling their cultivation and severing their Spiritual Root.¡± Qin Huamao scoffed angrily and said, ¡°You wish to play the sect rules card with me over two trifling Sea of Qi stage disciples? Plus, with your early Dao Foundation stage cultivation¡­¡± In his unbridled fit of rage, Qin Huamao ended up letting his inward contempt for Xu Disheng¡¯s early Dao Foundation stage cultivation show. CH 216 Chapter 216 ¨C Punishment According to Sect Rules! Xu Disheng hadn¡¯t even spared him a glance and simply reached out his hand. A mystical green profound light spun in his palm and a small drum appeared, the sounds of endlessly crackling lightning brewing within. It was the Psychic Magic Treasure, the Profound Resonance Drum. As an ordinary Dao Foundation stage disciple, Qin Huamao only had two common Magic Treasures. When he saw Xu Disheng take out something as precious as a Psychic Magic Treasure, he immediately realized that things weren¡¯t looking good. Just as he was about to take out his sword Magic Treasure, he suddenly froze in place. Thud! A low drumbeat rang out, the vibration resounding deeply throughout the entire Anxi provincial capital. The drumbeat wasn¡¯t loud, but it was clear and resonant, penetrating to the depths of each person¡¯s heart. The minds of countless mortals were shaken by the drumbeat, and many of them fainted outright. Even Chu Luo, Zhang Haobo, and the other Sea of Qi stage disciples blanched, each of them quickly activating defensive Spirit Tools to protect themselves. But what they were facing wasn¡¯t even the full brunt of it. Having eaten the full force of the Profound Resonance Drum head-on, Qin Huamao¡¯s face was frozen. Countless drumbeats exploded in his sea of consciousness, bursting all of the meridians in his body and shattering the profound law foundation he had consolidated in his Jianggong meridian point! It was all over in two breaths of time. Xu Disheng put away the Profound Resonance Drum. ¡°Punishment has been issued. Take this violator of the sect rules away.¡± Yuan Qi signaled the others to take care of it. Despite not having any good thoughts towards him, the others didn¡¯t have time to argue with him now. Chu Luo and Ma Chen came forward and dragged the crippled, blank-faced Qin Huamao away, throwing him out of the hall. Gou Lezhan was frightened out of his wits, and his voice was trembling unsteadily. ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡± ¡°I what?¡± Xu Disheng replied nonchalantly, flying down from the crown of the suanni spiritual beast and landing in front of Evening Valley Palace. ¡°Even if he did violate sect rules, you would have to report it through Affairs Hall and Disciplinary Hall, and they would have to do a disciplinary investigation before he can be punished! You may be an Affairs Envoy, but you didn¡¯t have the qualifications to punish him!¡± Gou Lezhan shouted despite being scared. After seeing Xu Disheng use a single move to completely cripple Qin Huamao, two words surfaced in his subconscious. Genius disciple. During the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, Xu Disheng had faced off against unparalleled geniuses and genius disciples alike. But in the Shangqing Sacred Sect, the vast majority of people were ordinary disciples. Genius disciples usually weren¡¯t a common sight in the sect. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son!¡± He Ziming was clever and quick-witted. He knew that there was no need to hide anything anymore, and immediately came forward and knelt before Xu Disheng. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son!¡± The disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak all knelt down before him in a show of great respect. Gou Lezhan¡¯s expression changed dramatically. Several things immediately clicked in his mind, but he hurriedly suppressed his chaotic thoughts and bowed before Xu Disheng. ¡°Gou Lezhan of Anxi Province greets Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± The dozen or so disciples behind him also came forward to pay their respects, calling him Sacred Son. Xu Disheng flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°No need for the courtesies. The sole use of the Anxi Province is the Meridian Measurement in ten years. If Qin Huamao had acted more mildly, I could have tolerated his existence. But now that he openly violated sect rules, I had no choice but to punish him.¡± Now that these 100 years had gone by, Qin Huamao had already exhausted his use. Even if Qin Huamao had sat quietly, Xu Disheng, and even the people higher up controlling the pieces of the chessboard he was a part of, wouldn¡¯t have been able to overlook the fact that he had violated sect rules. In the end, these occurrences were intentionally incited by the sect. Qin Huamao tried to protect the mortal citizens like he had been possessed, and ruthlessly attacked fellow disciples of the sect in the process. As a result, Xu Disheng would naturally punish him according to sect rules. An ordinary Affairs Envoy didn¡¯t have the authority to act at their own discretion and issue punishment, but Xu Disheng had another identity¡ªas Soul Suppressor Sacred Son. Find the original at "pawread dot com". ¡°Without a doubt, you are right, Sacred Son,¡± Gou Lezhan said, rejoicing inwardly that he normally only cultivated in seclusion and didn¡¯t get involved with the Anxi Province¡¯s matters at all. With Qin Huamao making a big mess of things, he had really avoided a disaster. ¡°Ming Ruoyun, He Rourou,¡± Xu Disheng said, turning his gaze towards the two beautiful women. ¡°You two, as well as Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen are all disciples of my Cloud Abyss Peak. Why did you attack them for no reason?¡± Still somewhat deluded, Ming Ruoyun came forward and said, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, just now, the two of us¡ª¡± Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Xu Disheng. ¡°Could it be that the two of you violated sect rules?¡± As if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her head, Ming Ruoyun¡¯s mind settled. She gritted her teeth and looked up at the handsome youth¡¯s cold face. ¡°No,¡± she responded. ¡°He Ziming, record the deeds of Qin Huamao and Ming Ruoyun in a jade slip and send them off to Affairs Hall and Disciplinary Hall,¡± Xu Disheng instructed, turning to He Rourou. After a pause, he continued, ¡°As a member of the He Clan, it would be a bit disrespectful to the name of Falling Moon Peak if I punished you according to sect rules, so I will cripple your cultivation instead. Send a jade slip of this back to Falling Moon Peak as well.¡± He Ziming came forward and said, ¡°The He Clan has received your good intentions, and I will convey them to Ancestor in their entirety, but He Rourou¡¯s violation of the sect rules takes priority. There is no need for misgivings here, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t too concerned and simply nodded. Then, he moved the power of heaven and earth and flew back up to the head of the suanni spiritual beast. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, how will these two women be dealt with in the end?¡± Gou Lezhan asked hurriedly when he saw Xu Disheng was about to leave Evening Valley Palace on the suanni spiritual beast. Gou Lezhan still didn¡¯t completely understand Xu Disheng¡¯s intentions. Clad in the Golden Moon Garment, the youth turned back to look at him. His long black hair fluttered in the wind, and there was a faint black glow in his resplendent gaze. When he spoke, his tone was as frigid as an ancient glacier. ¡°According to sect rules.¡± With that, he flew off into the multicolored sunset cast by the three massive suns, ripping through space and disappearing. Still somewhat hesitant and confused, Gou Lezhan turned to He Ziming and Yuan Qi. As the two had always been closely accompanying Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, he knew that their statuses had to be somewhat special. He Ziming glanced at Gou Lezhan and shook his head. ¡°Martial Uncle Gou, the Sacred Son¡¯s words just now were directed towards you.¡± He Rourou¡¯s face was filled with despair. She began to shout desperately at He Ziming, ¡°He Ziming! Save me! He Ziming! The Sacred Son won¡¯t kill me, will he?!¡± Ming Ruoyun¡¯s face was deathly pale. She turned to her and smiled bitterly, ¡°Rourou, as a member of the He Clan, you would still be able to survive even if your cultivation was wasted. But just now, He Ziming¡¯s words condemned you to death, and yet you still have the nerve to beg him to save you?!¡± Yuan Qi fed Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen several medicinal pills, and the two of them slowly struggled to a standing position. When they looked over at Ming Ruoyun and He Rourou standing before Evening Valley Palace, they laughed in carefree, gloating manner. He Qiwen was pleased with himself, having been the one to activate his Cloud Abyss Peak jade identity tablet. Propping up his weakened body, he smiled evilly. ¡°Senior Martial Sister Ming, now do you understand why I didn¡¯t retaliate when the two of you lowly sluts attacked me earlier?¡± Ming Ruoyun glowered at He Qiwen, who had humiliated her deeply. Rage filled her gaze, and she took out a high-grade sword Spirit Tool, wanting to kill him outright. But before she could unleash her attack, the unstoppable weight of the power of heaven and earth pressed down on them. Several sword lights flashed from Gou Lezhan¡¯s hands, and several breaths of time later, the two women ceased to exist where they stood in front of Evening Valley Palace. They were sliced into a million shreds and swept away with the power of heaven and earth like dust, leaving behind no traces. ¡°We will be troubling Senior Martial Brother He to take care of the matter regarding sending off the jade slips to Affairs Hall and Disciplinary Hall,¡± Yuan Qi said. He came forward with Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen and cupped his hands towards He Ziming, showing an extremely respectful attitude towards him. Although He Ziming was only at the early Sea of Qi stage in terms of cultivation, anyone with a somewhat discerning eye could see that he not only had Celestial Tide Spirit Master backing him, but he was also regarded highly by Soul Suppressor Sacred Son. In other words, his future prospects were truly boundless. He Ziming didn¡¯t try to put on any airs. He simply smiled and said, ¡°No worries, I will handle it.¡± After seeing Ming Ruoyun and He Rourou obliterated by Gou Lezhan¡¯s sword light, Chu Luo, Zhang Haobo and the others had difficulty regaining their composure for a long time. CH 217 Chapter 217 ¨C Luo River System The surging tides of the river roared rapidly along. The waves crashed upon themselves like an avalanche, forming massive eddies that swirled and smashed heavily against the rocks. Frothy white foam sprayed up in its wake, returning to the river system. The Luo River, while referred to as a ¡®river¡¯, was more like a sea, boundless and vast. ¡°Junior Martial Brother Ma,¡± Chu Luo called out, sounding a bit lost as he looked out over the watery expanse that stretched on as far as their eyes could see. The Luo River was not only the border of the Anxi Province, but it was also the very edge of the territory under the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s jurisdiction, dividing the Shan Mountain Territory and the Quicksand Earth Territory. There were countless monsters dwelling in the Luo River System. Even though the Anxi Province was a border Province of the Shangqing Sacred Sect, it was unquestionably still a land under their jurisdiction, so there were practically no monsters in the Luo River System that dared to trespass into their territory. Ma Chen was looking out over the Anxi provincial city, eyeing the soldiers who were overseeing the civilians harvesting Icy Silkworm Illusion Essence. When he heard Chu Luo¡¯s words, he replied dubiously, ¡°What is it, Senior Martial Brother Chu?¡± Chu Luo stared into the raging currents of the Luo River and sighed. ¡°Do you also get the feeling that after Senior Martial Brother Xu became a Sacred Son, despite being more dignified and profound, he seems a little less softhearted?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ma Chen blurted out, not expecting Chu Luo¡¯s words. For a while, he wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. Regardless of whether it was before he became a Sacred Son, or how lofty and elevated his status was now, Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t someone that Ma Chen was able to truly get closer to. As a result, he didn¡¯t have any such perception towards him. Chu Luo had grown up in the Chu Territory. He was raised in a royal household, but he still had a soft spot somewhere deep in his heart. Looking back on the matter several years earlier when Ming Ruoyun and He Rourou had violated sect rules, Chu Luo still had difficulty agreeing with Xu Disheng¡¯s cruel, unfeeling way of handling it. To read the uncut version, go to pawread dot com. In his heart, he felt that Senior Martial Sister Ming had a kind-hearted nature, and was a woman as delicate as a flower and refined as jade. But because she had tried to stop Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen from committing the brutal atrocities, she had died a tragic death. Right before her passing, she had been humiliated by the vile He Qiwen. The frustration and unwillingness in her heart at that time must have been unimaginable! In the last few years, Chu Luo thought back to this matter so many times he couldn¡¯t even count. And each time, he regretted inwardly that he didn¡¯t take action himself to stop He Qiwen from humiliating her, and he blamed himself heavily for it! Chu Luo was fond of women and was fickle at heart, but he didn¡¯t think he could ever do what Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen had done. They had casually raped and defiled women, then slaughtered them and massacred their entire families in utterly heartless fashion. Chu Luo didn¡¯t even dare to entertain the possibility of being able to save the lives of the two women back then. The entire sequence of events back then was still vivid in his mind even now. He still remembered the cold gaze of the youth, clad in the Golden Moon Garment, looking down at them quietly from the towering head of the suanni spiritual beast. Chu Luo was absolutely certain that if he had dared to speak up and plead their case to Xu Disheng, he would have met the same fate as the women in the end. But ever since that occurrence, a kind of mental barrier towards Xu Disheng had been erected in Chu Luo¡¯s mind. He was even more resentful of Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen, and thoughts of leaving Cloud Abyss Peak were even starting to surface in his mind. ¡°Ma Chen, would you still choose to follow me if I left Cloud Abyss Peak?¡± Chu Luo suddenly, idly channeling some profound qi to grab an orb of foamy river spume. It floated above his hands, where he began to play around with it, altering its form into an incessantly changing sequence of shapes and forms. Ma Chen glanced over at him, bewildered. He couldn¡¯t grasp the meaning behind Chu Luo¡¯s words, but in the end, he probed, ¡°Why would you do that, Senior Martial Brother Chu? Soul Suppressor Sacred Son treats disciples like us very well. The share of cultivation resources he gives us is higher than that of other Mountain Peaks by nearly 20-30%, and there are many vacant intermediary disciple and Deacon positions. If you chose to leave Cloud Abyss Peak, you would only be bringing yourself harm. There really wouldn¡¯t be any benefits whatsoever, you know?¡± Chu Luo understood what Ma Chen was implying, causing his heart to turn even more restless. He let the ball of river foam dissipate and said, ¡°I may not be a good person myself, but even with my barely adequate level of understanding and common sense, I know that Senior Martial Brother Xu, with his status as Sacred Son, could have easily let Ming Rouyun and He Rourou live, especially with how remote and isolated this Province is!¡± After finally speaking his mind, Chu Luo felt the burden on his heart ease up a bit. There were many nasty characters in the Anxi Province with them. Not only was there Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen, but there was also Yuan Qi, as well as Li Zhao and the others who had subordinated themselves to him. Because of that, he never dared to say what he truly thought. The two of them had been sent to retrieve Icy Silkworm Illusion Essence, and that was why they were now standing here, watching over the torrential current of the Luo River. At this moment, Chu Luo finally voiced his true thoughts, the troubling feelings that he had been keeping bottled up in his heart for the last few years. Ma Chen¡¯s expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly looked around them. Only after seeing that there was no one else around aside from the martial artists and commoners off in the distance did he finally settle down a bit. ¡°Please watch your words, Senior Martial Brother Chu! What if the Sacred Son hears you?!¡± Ma Chen hissed. ¡°I was only speaking the truth. Why are you so frightened?¡± Chu Luo replied, his gaze filling with disappointment as he stared at Ma Chen. ¡°Was what I said wrong? The status of Sacred Son comes with many special privileges. Even after Senior Martial Brother Xu committed such a serious crime in the Zhao Realm, he still emerged safe and sound in the end. In a place as remote as the Anxi Province, someone of his status and strength would have only needed to casually lift a finger and he would have been able to save Ming Ruoyun and He Rourou. What reasons would he even need to give?¡± Ma Chen¡¯s face shuffled through a series of expressions, stopping when he noticed the indescribable look in Chu Luo¡¯s gaze. In the end, he said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chu, are you perhaps not feeling well today? How about we go back a little early after collecting the Icy Silkworm Illusion Essence within these 10 li?¡± Chu Luo shook his head, deciding to stick to the feelings in his heart. ¡°Several years later, when this post is concluded and we return to the sect, I will inform the Sacred Son that I will leave Cloud Abyss Peak and return to Morning Dew Peak.¡± In the past, Chu Luo would always call Xu Disheng ¡®Senior Martial Brother Xu¡¯ when talking about him with others in private conversations, showing their closeness due to their shared roots in the Chu Territory. However, with the way that he now called him ¡®Sacred Son¡¯, it was plain to see how complicated he now felt towards him. But he didn¡¯t notice that as Ma Chen was looking upon him at this moment, his gaze was becoming more and more distant and unfamiliar, as if he was looking at a stranger. ¡°You and the Sacred Son both came from the Chu Territory, and in these past few years, we have really received a lot of favors from him. The high-grade Spirit Tools and the hundreds upon thousands of spirit stones in our storage pouches are all from him. You better not be mistaken!¡± Ma Chen had followed Chu Luo for quite a long time now, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have even bothered to make this one last attempt to persuade him. Chu Luo looked down, reflecting on what he owned. His several Spirit Tools were all high-grade ranked items, and they all came from Cloud Abyss Peak. He gave a wistful smile and said, ¡°I may be greatly indebted to the Sacred Son, and I might never be able to pay him back. But in the end, I can¡¯t bring myself to agree with his methods.¡± Chu Luo turned to look off into the surging tides of the Luo River. A hint of subtle emotion entered his voice as he spoke. ¡°I never considered myself a good person by any means, but I have never seen someone with as indifferent a temperament as Soul Suppressor Sacred Son. Senior Martial Sister Ming¡­ She easily could have been allowed to live!¡± CH 218 Chapter 218 ¨C White Night Paradise, Girl in the Jade-Colored Dress Even Chu Luo himself didn¡¯t realize that deep down in his heart, he held a strong attraction for that gentle, elegant woman. As he stared off into the distance, he thought back to the time when they were on their way to the Anxi Province. He recalled the time they were riding on the suanni spiritual beast, when the stunning woman had thoroughly captured his heart. ¡°This beast is called a suanni, a type of mount raised with utmost care in Spiritual Beast Pavilion. Aside from people at the rank of Sacred Son, only Divine Core stage Spirit Masters can have a suanni spiritual beast,¡± the woman said, turning around with a beautiful smile. Her long, flowing jet-black hair fluttered gently in the wind, accentuating her elegance and fair skin. These memories from when they first met slowly became fuzzy, then shattered into a million pieces. Such a sincere and kind-hearted woman had met a tragic demise due to the cruel rules of the sect. Right before she met her end, she had even been humiliated by He Qiwen! Chu Luo had been suppressing these emotions in his heart for the last few years. He didn¡¯t want to acknowledge that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to forget her when he only had that one memory of her high in the skies atop the suanni spiritual beast. This was the first time he hated himself for his own weakness, and the first time he came to hate the cruel, heartless nature of the sect rules. He hated He Qiwen and Quan Hongyu so much that he wanted to rip their corpses apart piece by piece! It was only Xu Disheng that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to hate wholeheartedly. He didn¡¯t dare to resent him. Xu Disheng had helped him secure a higher position in the sect, and had taken care of him so much. In the end, he wasn¡¯t able to pay these favors back. However, the voice of reason in his heart was constantly telling him that Ming Ruoyun and He Rourou could have easily been allowed to live. All it would have taken was a single, casual utterance from that aloof youth. Chu Luo had passed these few years by, constantly tormented by these complex emotions. And now, as he stood here by the edge of the Luo River, he finally made up his mind. He wanted to break away from Cloud Abyss Peak and return to Morning Dew Peak. When Chu Luo thought of He Qiwen and Quan Hongyu, a hint of deep-seated killing intent surfaced in his gaze. Ma Chen was still staring at him in a daze, stunned by his words, and hadn¡¯t come back to his senses. What Chu Luo had said was simply too rebellious. If the other disciples had heard what he said, it would mean disaster for the two of them. As Ma Chen stared at him, a massive plume of water dozens of meters tall suddenly erupted from the Luo River, releasing a deafening explosion. A girl in a jade-colored dress emerged swiftly from the spindrift, riding on a nimbus cloud. ¡°Huh?¡± the girl in the jade-colored dress muttered in surprise, bringing her nimbus cloud to a stop the moment she caught sight of Chu Luo and Ma Chen standing at the bank of the Luo River. Ma Chen¡¯s expression took a dramatic turn. The being riding that nimbus cloud was a transformation stage monster, which was the equivalent of a Dao Foundation stage human! Chu Luo was a bit more composed than he was, and cupped his hands in salute. ¡°Respectful greetings¡­ young lady.¡± He couldn¡¯t think of a proper way to address her, and at a momentary loss, he ended up simply referring to her ordinarily as ¡®young lady¡¯. The girl in the jade-colored dress couldn¡¯t help but stifle a laugh. She got off her nimbus cloud and examined Chu Luo¡¯s handsome features. With a sweet smile, she said, ¡°Who are you two? What are you two doing dithering about at the edge of White Night Paradise?¡± Ma Chen¡¯s features were ordinary, and the stark contrast between them only brought out Chu Luo¡¯s handsome facial features even more. ¡°White Night Paradise¡­ Isn¡¯t this the Luo River? And the place we¡¯re at¡­ is called the Anxi Province,¡± Chu Luo said, regaining his composure. He didn¡¯t know what the young lady¡¯s temperament was like, so he decided to simply play the fool. The girl in the jade-colored dress had a cute and innocent appearance, but she was still at the transformation stage, so he didn¡¯t dare to treat her carelessly. ¡°This place is the edge of the Quicksand Earth Territory. It¡¯s under the jurisdiction of White Night Paradise. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know about White Night Paradise? White Night Paradise is located at the westernmost border of the Quicksand Earth Territory, and is the most formidable demon race paradise!¡± the girl exclaimed in astonishment, seeing the blank stares on Chu Luo and Ma Chen¡¯s faces, which didn¡¯t seem to be faked. The terms ¡®demon race¡¯ and the ¡®monster race¡¯ only differed by a single word, but were as far apart in meaning as two words could be. After hearing that the girl was of the demon race, Chu Luo let out a long sigh of relief. ¡°We are disciples of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. We came here to¡­¡± Before he could finish, the girl¡¯s green dress swayed lightly and her long barbed tail swung out, penetrating cleanly through Ma Chen from head to toe. ¡°Came here to do what?¡± the girl said, lifting her head and smiling at him. In the meantime, she retracted her long barbed tail and her nimbus cloud moved to envelop Ma Chen¡¯s lifeless body. Fear struck deep into Chu Luo¡¯s heart. A frigid, bone-piercing chill crept up his spine. ¡°C-Came here¡­ came h-here to¡­¡± he stuttered. With a rotation of her demonic power, the girl turned Ma Chen¡¯s body into a concentrated ball of flesh essence, which she tossed casually into her mouth. After chewing for a bit, she swallowed. She extended a lily-white hand and stroked Chu Luo¡¯s face with her slender fingers. She giggled and said, ¡°Came here to do what, why don¡¯t you tell me?¡± As her cold fingers caressed his face, Chu Luo didn¡¯t dare to budge an inch. Despair began to well up in his heart. Eventually, Chu Luo closed his eyes as if resigning himself to fate. In his mind, he thought, ¡°Senior Martial Sister Ming, it seems that I won¡¯t be able to help you wipe away your humiliations.¡± For a long while, Chu Luo didn¡¯t hear any sounds from next to him. He slowly opened his eyes, but that enchantingly beautiful girl was gone without a single trace. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. He took out his Cloud Abyss Peak jade identity tablet and rotated his Shangqing profound qi to activate it. He looked off into the distance at the Luo River, which was still surging and galloping fiercely along as it had always been. His heart dripped with sorrow. Ma Chen¡­ ¡°Huh? You haven¡¯t left yet?¡± the girl¡¯s bewitching voice resounded from right next to him. Chu Luo jumped, his scalp turning numb with fright. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± At such a critical juncture, Chu Luo thoroughly forgot how to conduct himself or speak properly at the girl¡¯s abrupt reappearance. All he could do was stare speechlessly into the girl¡¯s blue eyes. ¡°After escaping from White Night Paradise, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a cute, attractive man like you,¡± the girl said, gazing intently at Chu Luo. Her voice was pleasant and captivating like birdsong, a treat simply to listen to. As Chu Luo stared into her clear, intelligent gaze, the flurry of emotions that had been pent up inside him for so long finally welled up and overflowed. Under a crazy impulse, he lost control and did the unthinkable. In a single movement, he wrapped the girl¡¯s dainty, delicate body in a deep embrace; one hand caressed her silky hair, the other wrapped firmly behind the small of her back. He brought his lips to hers¡ªher soft, cold lips meeting his own. ¡°You¡­!¡± The girl started to revolve her demonic power, but a few moments of silence later, she fell limp in his arms like a small kitten. She let him stroke her hair, greedily relishing in the pleasure. After a long while, the girl lightly pushed him away. Her tender, ice-cold lips had reddened from their communion, accenting her beautiful complexion even further. ¡°You¡­¡± The two of them gazed at each other wordlessly. Eventually, Chu Luo lowered his gaze and said, ¡°You can kill me now.¡± After pouting for a moment, the girl replied, ¡°Why would I want to kill you?¡± Silence ensued once more. An inexplicable atmosphere flowed between the two of them. ¡°I am the granddaughter of Bai Qingyang, the Master of White Night Paradise.¡± Chu Luo seemed to recall what she said earlier and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that you escaped from White Night Paradise?¡± CH 219 Chapter 219 ¨C Moonlight Over Kunlun ¡°Yes. The demon race has existed since time immemorial, but has difficulty reproducing, so descendents with rich bloodlines must intermarry. The Master of White Night Paradise wants to marry me off to Black Tortoise Paradise, but I¡¯m not willing.¡± When Chu Luo heard this, he suddenly felt a headache coming on. ¡°Just now, I was only¡ª¡± ¡°Only what? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not going to take responsibility after taking advantage of me?¡± the girl in the jade-colored dress said, cutting him off. Demonic power began to revolve in her palm, pulsing dangerously. At that moment, a high-ranking provincial officer who was overseeing the harvesting of the Icy Silkworm Illusion Essence approached, interrupting their conversation. They gave the girl a quizzical glance, then said respectfully, ¡°Lord Chu, the harvesting of the Icy Silkworm Illusion Essence is complete.¡± The events that occurred not long ago had happened too far away from the mortals for them to sense what was happening. They only heard an explosion earlier, but they didn¡¯t dare to ask about it. These people of the presiding sect were known to be extremely cruel, and treated mortals like them no differently from livestock. The previous situation where there was no tribute and the Province was even buying spiritual items from the mortals was already no more. Things had returned to how they were in the past, with a harsh 80% tribute being levied on the goods the mortals produced. Under this ice-cold suppression, the people of the Anxi Province came to experience the hardship only their ancestors had once gone through. As for the matter regarding their Spiritual Root Sequences¡­ Xu Disheng had never cared about this. Having lived through these relaxing times, any exceptional Spiritual Roots that should have emerged due to these conditions would have already appeared by this point. Even if they didn¡¯t appear yet, they wouldn¡¯t suddenly appear within these 10 years. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Okay, you can leave then,¡± Chu Luo instructed, taking the large basket of Icy Silkworm Illusion Essence from the officer and storing it in his interspatial ring. ¡°As you command, Lord Chu,¡± the provincial officer said before leaving. The soldiers didn¡¯t seem to be as afraid of Chu Luo as they were of the other ¡®lords¡¯. Instead, they held a hint of respect for him. The other lords had way too much free time on their hands, and many of them found pleasure in slaughtering the ordinary civilians. Only Lord Chu never participated in this and had even saved the innocent provincial soldiers several times, earning their deep gratitude. ¡°Not good! I got too caught up with things here. The people of White Night Paradise should have already caught on that I sneaked out. They¡¯re definitely going to give chase!¡± the girl in the jade-colored dress exclaimed anxiously, repeatedly tugging on Chu Luo¡¯s sleeve the moment she remembered what situation she was in. Perhaps even she herself didn¡¯t realize that subconsciously, she was trying to depend on Chu Luo, who was only at the Sea of Qi stage. Chu Luo was still thinking about the fact that he had activated his Cloud Abyss Peak jade identity tablet not too long ago. Xu Disheng had already been notified, and he explicitly said not to look for him if there were no problems, and now, he¡­ ¡°What is your name?¡± Chu Luo said, his tone unexpectedly already sounding resolute. ¡°Bai Yingxiu.¡± There were no signs of the girl¡¯s Dao Foundation stage level demon aura, and her voice was soft and cute. ¡°Come with me then. I will tell the Sacred Son about this and beg him to help protect you.¡± Chu Luo wasn¡¯t sure if Xu Disheng would interfere with this matter, but Chu Luo had already made up his mind. Even if Xu Disheng threw all regard for their shared roots in the Chu Territory out the window, he would still insist that Xu Disheng at least ensure Bai Yingxiu¡¯s safety. Ming Ruoyun no longer existed in the Human Realm. Chu Luo didn¡¯t want Bai Yingxiu to follow in her footsteps. But what was strange was that Chu Luo had already completely forgotten about the existence of Ma Chen. Did the resolute look in his eyes and the feeling he held inside really originate from his own heart? ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile, in the Quicksand Earth Territory at the edge of the Luo River, in White Night Paradise¡­ A water serpent, around a hundred meters long, shot out of the surface of the river at the border of the Anxi Province, sending massive waves rolling in its wake. Several Transformation stage demon race beings followed closely behind, standing in the air behind the enormous water serpent. ¡°Second Young Master, the scent of the aura suggests that Bai Yingxiu has proceeded deeper into the Shan Mountain Earth Territory,¡± one of the demon race said with an air of certainty, looking off toward the Anxi Province. The water serpent¡¯s body morphed into the figure of a youth dressed in a black robe. After pondering for a moment, he said, ¡°This place is not only the border of our White Night Paradise, but it¡¯s also the border of the Shan Mountain Earth Territory¡¯s Shangqing Sacred Sect.¡± A transformation stage demon came forward and said respectfully, ¡°Second Young Master, the rules of the paradise state that we cannot enter the lands under the jurisdiction of the Shangqing Sacred Sect.¡± The black-robed youth who the group of demons referred to as ¡®Second Young Master¡¯ let out a sigh and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how Bai Yingxiu caught wind of it, but her running away actually almost ruined the Paradise Master¡¯s grand plan. I will go into the Shan Mountain Earth Territory alone and search for her. If I¡¯m not able to pick up on her trail then we¡¯ll have no choice but to give up. Your demonic auras are all too conspicuous, so it would just be a bad idea if we all went together. You all should head back first.¡± ¡°As you wish, Second Young Master.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng stood up and stored the Profound Resonance Drum that he was carrying away. The Psychic Magic Treasure had been given to him by the Peak Master of Clearheart Peak as a reward for him ascending to the rank of Sacred Son. It was incredibly powerful, and just like the White Moon Garment, it was just short of being a Profound Magic Treasure ranked item. The White Moon Garment had great origins, possessing two forms that it could change between¡ªthe Golden Moon Garment and the White Moon Garment. The technique imbued in it was extremely strong. It was called Moonlight Over Kunlun, which included three moves: Golden Moon Demolishing the Shadows, Boundless White Moon, and Moonlight Over Kunlun. Kunlun was the sacred mountain that was rumored to exist in the Heavenly Court. This move, Moonlight over Kunlun, was created by an almighty powerhouse who had the fortune to glimpse a phantom image of the sacred Kunlun Mountain. The power of this move was extraordinary! When the Clearheart Peak Master, Chen Xunming, delivered Primordial Lord Kunxu¡¯s decree, appointing Xu Disheng as a Sacred Son, this Psychic Magic Treasure had transformed from a golden scroll into its current appearance. In other words, it was personally bestowed to him by Primordial Lord Kunxu, one of the three Yuluo Realm Masters. There was deeper meaning behind him receiving it. Back when Xu Disheng had blocked Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord¡¯s attack, practically all of his Magic Treasures had been destroyed. The Profound Resonance Drum came with many marvelous techniques, which meant that Xu Disheng was now countless times stronger than he was when he was at the Sea of Qi stage. He looked over at his Peak Master token, which was emitting a black glow, and his brows furrowed. In every Cloud Abyss Peak disciple¡¯s jade identity tablet was a hidden array that could be activated, meant to be used to request aid in a crisis. The signal would be sent to the Peak Master, who would then be able to sense it. When Xu Disheng was still part of Morning Dew Peak, he had never used this array before. This was because Peak Masters would normally erase this array from the Peak Master token, and Lu Changge, the Peak Master of Morning Dew Peak, was naturally no exception to this. Xu Disheng, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t destroyed the array. After all, if he had done this when Cloud Abyss Peak was first established, it would show complete disregard for the disciples, which wouldn¡¯t draw any good impressions from the higher ups in authority. However, He Qiwen, and now Chu Luo, were treating the array like some kind of plaything to be easily activated at a moment¡¯s notice, leaving Xu Disheng feeling annoyed beyond comparison. At that moment, Xu Disheng picked up the Peak Master token and rotated his Shangqing profound qi, erasing the array completely. CH 220 Chapter 220 ¨C Heart Deluding Mirror ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, Chu Luo brought a Dao Foundation stage demon. He wishes to request an audience with you.¡± He Ziming¡¯s polite voice resounded from outside the gate to the hall. ¡°A Dao Foundation stage demon?¡± The first thought that appeared in Xu Disheng¡¯s mind was actually the Ancient Nuwa Sect. ¡°Is it someone from the Ancient Nuwa Sect?¡± he asked. He Ziming hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°Disciple does not know. But by appearance alone, that doesn¡¯t appear to be the case. There is a concentrated aura of water element demonic qi on their body, so they most likely belong to a demon race that lives in the water.¡± He Ziming had previously served in Celestial Tide Spirit Master¡¯s domain, so he had a very discerning eye despite only being at the Sea of Qi stage in terms of cultivation. ¡°Okay,¡± Xu Disheng replied. ¡­ ¡­ Bai Yingxiu followed Chu Luo into the hall and lifted her head, taking in the white-robed figure of the youth seated deeper within. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, this woman is a demon from White Night Paradise, and she has been continuously pursued and hunted after. Would you be willing to protect her?¡± Chu Luo said respectfully, his gaze still just as resolute as before. Xu Disheng couldn¡¯t help stifling a laugh as he inspected Chu Luo, who appeared to be somewhat out of sorts. He casually tossed out a ball of water element energy, which plopped onto Chu Luo¡¯s head. Plink. The moment the refreshing, bone-chilling water doused his head, a cascade of expressions flashed through Chu Luo¡¯s eyes as he fully returned to his senses and woke up. He rotated his Shangqing profound qi to dispel the icy coldness, then rapidly retreated several steps. He pointed at Bai Yingxiu and said urgently, ¡°Sacred Son! She not only killed Ma Chen, but she also¡­ she also tried to seduce me!¡± How could a trifling Sea of Qi stage cultivator like Chu Luo manage to take advantage of a Dao Foundation stage demon? Before Chu Luo was even aware of it himself, Bai Yingxiu had led his heart astray! The cute, innocent expression that Bai Yingxiu had always worn on her dainty face slowly receded. With a look full of intrigue, she smiled at Xu Disheng. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any way for anyone under the Divine Core stage to see through my Heart Deluding Mirror technique. How were you able to tell?¡± Xu Disheng shook his head and replied simply, ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Bai Yingxiu¡¯s interest was piqued even more. ¡°Then how?¡± ¡°Because what Chu Luo said just now really was too amusing. There was no way that it was his own idea,¡± Xu Disheng said. His gaze gradually took on a cold light. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Bai Yingxiu of White Night Paradise. I fled here to avoid an arranged marriage,¡± Bai Yingxiu said candidly, not hiding anything. She could sense a number of life-threatening auras coming from Xu Disheng¡¯s body, but she had her own hidden trump cards. Her own measure of him told her that she wouldn¡¯t be able to beat him, but she knew that she would at least be able to make an escape, so she had no fear. After a long while passed, devoid of any response, Bai Yingxiu looked up at him. The extremely handsome youth¡¯s gaze was lowered, and he was fiddling with a small, intricate array diagram! ¡°Hello? I was talking to you,¡± Bai Yingxiu snapped, an inexplicable hint of anger flaring up in her heart when she saw the youth ignoring her. Xu Disheng tossed out the small, intricate array diagram and smiled. ¡°White Night Paradise is the western most demon race paradise of the Quicksand Earth Territory. According to the sect rules, any demon race beings of White Night Paradise that trespass into the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s lands can be captured.¡± After his words fell on her ears, the small, intricate array diagram that he had been fiddling with suddenly rose and expanded, shattering the roof of the hall above them. It transformed into a gigantic sword array dozens of meters tall, trapping Bai Yingxiu within. It was the only top-grade Magic Treasure that he still had from the tournament in the Luminous Cloud Abyss, the Demon Punishing Array Diagram! Now that Xu Disheng was already at the Dao Foundation stage, he could finally exhibit the full might of this deadly array diagram. The four-colored swords flashed and revolved wildly in the array, instantly cutting several deep, bloody gashes into Bai Yingxiu¡¯s body. Her figure transformed into that of a 30-meter long water serpent, and she darted left and right in the confines of the Demon Punishing Array Diagram, letting out an ear-splitting roar that shook the entirety of the Anxi provincial capital. ¡°Demon Killing Sword.¡± Xu Disheng urged the Demon Punishing Array Diagram once more, and one of the top-grade Magic Treasure swords blossomed into an incomparably resplendent white sword light. It shot down like a beam of light and pierced into the water serpent¡¯s tail region, sending a massive chunk of flesh flying. ¡°AHHHH!!¡± Bai Yingxiu suddenly realized that turning into her demonic form as a water serpent was an extremely foolish idea. She revolved her demonic power and transformed back into the appearance of a girl in a jade-colored dress, tumbling to the ground. Her bare, milky legs were marred by a deep sword cut that revealed bone. The wound emanated the sword intent of the Demon Killing Sword, rendering it unable to heal. The Demon Punishing Array Diagram consisted of four different top-grade Magic Treasure swords. Back when Kou Zun had used this treasure against Xu Disheng, it had given him a rough time. There was the Demon Trapping Sword, which gave off dark green sword light, and was imbued with corrosion sword intent. The Demon Punishing Sword, with its brilliant red sword light, was clad in killing intent. The Demon Vanquishing Sword, a brilliant, blazing white, was filled with destruction intent. The Demon Killing Sword, which Xu Disheng had just used to heavily wound Bai Yingxiu, flaunted a pale-colored sword light, and the sword intent had the ability to suppress and absorb. ¡°Are human Dao Foundation stage cultivators all this strong?¡± Bai Yingxiu grimaced, smiling bitterly. She hung her head, as if she had given up all thoughts of resisting. Her long, silky hair cascaded down her back, scattering loosely over her jade-colored dress. Under the suppression of the Demon Punishing Array Diagram, she looked frail and delicate, able to evoke any man¡¯s pity. Chu Luo had long known about her underlying cruel and vicious nature. His heart was hot with resentment, and he cried out angrily, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son! As soon as this woman appeared, she killed Junior Martial Brother Ma Chen. She can¡¯t be forgiven so easily!¡± With such a large ruckus, the attention of all the profound cultivators in Anxi provincial city was drawn to their location. They all surrounded the sword array from afar, pointing at Bai Yingxiu and talking amongst themselves. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, White Night Paradise is a large-scale sect, but the demon race of White Night Paradise and the Shangqing Sacred Sect have always had an agreement to not infringe upon each other. But with this woman violating the rules of both sects, it may be possible for us to make something out of this,¡± He Ziming said, his eyes flashing. Xu Disheng pondered for a while, then nodded. He flicked his sleeves, retracting the enormous Demon Punishing Array Diagram. Zhang Haobo sighed with admiration and exclaimed, ¡°When the Sacred Son acts like this, he already gives off the bearing of a Divine Core stage Spirit Master.¡± Li Zhao, Quan Hongyu, and the others looked up at Xu Disheng and nodded approvingly. A look of indescribable vigor flashed in their eyes. ¡°What a useless remark. You¡¯re just flapping your lips! Given Senior Martial Brother Xu¡¯s meteoric rise from Morning Dew Peak to his current status as a Peak Master and a Sacred Son, how could any of that be luck?¡± Yuan Qi said, simultaneously reproaching Zhang Haobo and flattering Xu Disheng without restraint. Behind him, He Qiwen also picked up where he left off, layering on unending praises. Yuan Qi and Zhang Haobo had both been part of Morning Dew Peak for a long time, but they had been stuck at the Sea of Qi stage for a long time. Seeing this petty brown-noser try to one-up him and loudly berate him, Zhang Haobo¡¯s eyes glazed over, and he felt hot anger rising within him. However, he didn¡¯t speak nor try to retort. He simply stared at Yuan Qi coldly, a deeply hidden hint of killing intent flashing through his eyes. Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t paying any attention to them. Instead, his gaze was directed off into the distance at the horizon, a grave expression surfacing in his gaze. Clouds and mist roiled and tumbled. A massive 100 meter long water serpent was soaring through the skies in their direction. Its long, serpentine body, which spontaneously gathered dense water elemental energy around it, carried a remote, embryonic likeness to a flood dragon. After a few moments, it arrived above the Anxi provincial capital. A half-step Divine Core stage existence! Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at "pawread dot com" CH 221 Chapter 221 ¨C Dense Fog and Gurgling Stream The Second Young Master left White Night Paradise and emerged from the Luo River, originally intending to only do some cautious searching. But after discovering that there were no auras above the Divine Core stage, he no longer hid his appearance. He transformed back to his demonic form and swept his senses outward without reserve. Sure enough, he discovered some vestiges of Bai Yingxiu¡¯s aura from not too long ago. He immediately hopped on a nimbus cloud and flew in that direction. Upon arriving, the nimbus cloud faded, and the water serpent demon once more transformed into a black-clothed youth wearing a purple jade crown. He flew down from the billowing nimbus cloud, eyeing Xu Disheng with a sharp and fierce gaze. ¡°White Night Paradise?¡± Xu Disheng muttered, lifting his hand. The Profound Resonance Drum appeared in the hollow of his palm. The black-clothed youth clearly didn¡¯t think very much of Xu Disheng. He flipped his palm over and a blood-red sword appeared in his hand. He charged forward quickly and unleashed a blood red sword light down upon Xu Disheng¡¯s head! The demon race had many body refining experts, generally being less proficient in magic. But for the human race, it was the exact opposite. ¡°Profound Resonance Nine Rotations. First Rotation¡ªDense Fog and Gurgling Stream.¡± After Xu Disheng activated the spell, the small, intricate drum floated from Xu Disheng¡¯s hand up into the air. The gurgling sound of flowing water resounded deeply in everyones¡¯ hearts. The black-clothed youth¡¯s expression changed slightly, and a tiny, cute spiritual beast leapt out of his black robe. With a light sweep of its small claws, a thin barrier of light appeared, blocking the sound wave. After the blood-colored sword light arrived in front of Xu Disheng, it was completely absorbed by the White Moon Garment, disappearing into nothingness. Turning his gaze to examine the small, cute creature on his shoulder, the black-clothed youth finally addressed Xu Disheng properly. ¡°I am Bai Han, a Demon General of White Night Paradise. May I ask who you are?¡± ¡°Xu Disheng of the Shangqing Sacred Sect.¡± At the side, Yuan Qi, Quan Hongyu, and the others who were best at reading the situation, came forward and knelt before Xu Disheng. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son,¡± they greeted respectfully. A look of understanding appeared in Bai Han¡¯s eyes. ¡°I knew that a normal Dao Foundation stage human couldn¡¯t be this powerful. So you were a Sacred Son rank genius. However, this girl escaped from our White Night Paradise, so I would like to ask Soul Suppressor Sacred Son to allow me to take her back.¡± Bai Han extended a hand from his long sleeve and pointed at Bai Yingxiu, who was standing near his group. Xu Disheng raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Not only her, but you also can now be considered to be privately trespassing into the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s lands, violating the mutual agreement of both sects.¡± Hearing the true meaning hidden in Xu Disheng¡¯s tone, he shook his head. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, what do you think of this?¡± A dark green droplet appeared in his palm, emitting a pure aura of life energy. It slowly flew towards Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng casually stored it away and said, ¡°Not enough.¡± ¡°I am already at the half-step Divine Core stage. If I really wanted to take action, it isn¡¯t clear who would emerge victorious in the end!¡± Bai Han declared, his expression taking a turn for the worse. He clearly wasn¡¯t willing to give more. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that it was you two who first violated the mutual agreement of both sects. Plus, if it wasn¡¯t me here, but Gou Lezhan alone, would you have left him any options?¡± Xu Disheng said, gesturing at Gou Lezhan, who was standing silently at the side. Xu Disheng still hadn¡¯t completely grasped Bai Han¡¯s true strength. Although he wasn¡¯t at the Sacred Son level, he was a tried and true half-step Divine Core stage cultivator. They had roughly probed each other¡¯s strength earlier and reached a rough understanding about each other¡¯s power. But if they decided to come to blows, victory or defeat wouldn¡¯t be decided quickly. After a moment of contemplation, Bai Han decided to give up on his plans to fight. He tossed out another half-droplet of dark green liquid, his face ashen. ¡°May we meet again someday, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± With that, he stepped on his massive nimbus cloud and rose into the sky. He wrapped Bai Yingxiu up with him, and they flew off into the distance toward the Luo River. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t stop him, simply putting away the half droplet of dark green liquid. He looked at Chu Luo and said, ¡°Regarding Ma Chen¡¯s death¡­ Draft a jade slip and send it to Affairs Hall for record-keeping.¡± ¡°As you command, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± Wearing a happy expression, He Ziming came forward and said, ¡°Congratulations on receiving nearly two drops of Luo River Primordial Essence, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son!¡± While the others didn¡¯t know what Luo River Primordial Essence was, they weren¡¯t willing to fall behind, and came forward to congratulate him in succession. ¡°You know what this is?¡± Xu Disheng asked, a hint of surprise in his gaze as he looked at He Ziming. Before Xu Disheng had come to the Anxi Province, he had gone to Cultivation Method Pavilion and borrowed quite a few ancient texts. In the last few years, he had been poring over them in his free time when he wasn¡¯t cultivating. He never wanted to be as ignorant as before, when he had first entered the Shangqing Sacred Sect. ¡°The Luo River has existed for a long time, vast and immense. It gathers the essence of heaven and earth, giving rise to countless demons in its waters,¡± He Ziming explained respectfully, speaking frankly with assurance. ¡°Luo River Primordial Essence is a treasure of heaven and earth born periodically from the Luo River. It is extremely precious, and a single drop can extend one¡¯s lifespan by 50 years.¡± Search "pawread dot com" for the original. Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air when they heard what He Ziming said. They all stared at him with incredulous looks. ¡°50 years of lifespan!¡± ¡°That small drop is something so precious?!¡± Gou Lezhan¡¯s expression was complex, as if he wanted to speak up but was hesitating. Xu Disheng happened to notice his expression. He flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°Envoy Gou Lezhan, what makes you frown?¡± ¡°At the moment, I only have around 60 years of lifespan remaining, but I am still far from the Divine Core stage. I was hesitating to be so bold as to beg Soul Suppressor Sacred Son for half a drop of Luo River Primordial Essence,¡± Gou Lezhan said straightforwardly, gritting his teeth. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes flashed. The highly tactful He Ziming came forward and said, ¡°Luo River Primordial Essence is so valuable that there is no price for it. If you really want to talk prices, one drop would be at least 30,000 spirit stones, and half a drop¡­ would naturally be 15,000 spirit stones.¡± Gou Lezhan¡¯s expression turned ugly. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, I only have a little more than 7,000 spirit stones saved up right now. I also have two common Magic Treasures in my possession. Would you please grant me this half drop of Luo River Primordial Essence for me to address my pressing situation for now?¡± 60 years of time really was quite short. The reason why Gou Lezhan previously hadn¡¯t participated in the affairs of the Anxi Province at all was because he didn¡¯t want to waste any time doing anything other than cultivating. However, he was limited by his talent. As a Rank 5 Spiritual Root with ordinary powers of comprehension, it was practically impossible for him to break through into the Divine Core stage. ¡°Impudent!¡± Yuan Qi cried out before Xu Disheng could even speak, leaping forward and pressing his finger up against the Dao Foundation stage Envoy¡¯s nose. ¡°You don¡¯t even have enough spirit stones, and you dare to covet the Sacred Son¡¯s possessions? You shameless bastard!¡± Even He Ziming nodded, showing his implicit agreement. ¡°Envoy Gou, a price of 15,000 spirit stones is actually a rather low price estimate. If the Luo River Primordial Essence were to be put up for auction, even half a drop of it could easily go for over 20,000 spirit stones.¡± Gou Lezhan glared at Yuan Qi. He hated this man to the bones, resenting him for being a dog that threatened others based on its master¡¯s power. He wanted to strangle him to death on the spot, but with Xu Disheng here, he didn¡¯t dare. He could only silently clench his teeth, bottling up his resentment towards Yuan Qi. Boom! A massive palm made of profound qi abruptly appeared, smashing into Yuan Qi. He was sent flying dozens of meters away, spraying out a large amount of blood. When he crashed into the ground, he struggled on the ground, gasping for air. Xu Disheng retracted his snow-white sleeve, directing a cold glare at Yuan Qi. ¡°Even if Gou Lezhan has acted out of propriety, he is still a Dao Foundation stage Envoy of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. With what capacity do you dare to trample on the face of the Shangqing Sacred Sect?¡± Yuan Qi struggled into a half-kneel, forcing out his words between painful gasps. ¡°Soul Suppressor¡­ Sacred¡­ Son¡­ I¡­ admit my¡­ wrongs¡­¡± ¡°Gou Lezhan, you too. You don¡¯t know your place at all. What use did the hundreds of years of cultivation serve if you, a Dao Foundation stage cultivator, don¡¯t even know how to act?¡± The White Moon Garment let out a pale white glow, and Xu Disheng, clearly angered, flew up into the sky and left with a flick of his sleeves. Gou Lezhan hung his head in tacit agreement with Xu Disheng¡¯s words, without any of the bearing that a Dao Foundation stage cultivator should have. The others present were scared witless by the turn of events and didn¡¯t dare to interject at all. When they looked off into the distance at Yuan Qi, who was on the brink of death, a hint of coldness appeared in their hearts. CH 222 Chapter 222 ¨C Offending One¡¯s Superiors, Punishable by Death Gou Lezhan gazed off into the distance where Xu Disheng had disappeared. ¡°Know my place¡­?¡± he muttered underneath his breath. He Ziming was extremely bright. He looked deeply at the severely injured Yuan Qi in the distance, then came forward. In a neither servile nor overbearing tone, he said, ¡°Envoy Gou, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son¡¯s words to you just now had two layers of meaning.¡± Chu Luo, Li Zhao, Quan Hongyu, and the others watched with astonishment, not understanding He Ziming¡¯s meaning. Gou Lezhan furrowed his brows and turned to He Ziming. ¡°Didn¡¯t Soul Suppressor Sacred Son¡¯s mean that if I don¡¯t have enough spirit stones, I shouldn¡¯t make unreasonable requests? What other meaning is there?¡± ¡°Envoy Gou, what cultivation stage are you at? Don¡¯t tell me you would tolerate a Sea of Qi stage disciple being up in your face like that, insulting you so directly?¡± He Ziming swept a glance around him, then continued in a firm tone. ¡°Do you all know why Soul Suppressor Sacred Son got angry? In the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s long, ancient legacy, the only thing that has always been absolutely indispensable is respect!¡± ¡°Even someone as esteemed as Soul Suppressor Sacred Son has always shown utmost respect in front of Celestial Tide Spirit Master, a Spirit Master in authority. But regardless of what kind of character or capability one possesses, Yuan Qi, a mere Sea of Qi stage disciple, had the audacity to point his finger at a Dao Foundation stage Deacon and reprimand him!¡± ¡°The reason why Soul Suppressor Sacred Son got angry was because Yuan Qi had treated someone who was more powerful than him without the slightest shred of respect. Him pointing at you and reprimanding you is not just a slap to your face, it¡¯s also a slap on Soul Suppressor Sacred Son¡¯s face, and even the Shangqing Sacred Sect¡¯s face!¡± ¡°The Sacred Son deliberately left him alive to see if you could match up to your status as a Dao Foundation stage cultivator!¡± As He Ziming spoke, Gou Lezhan¡¯s eyes began to slowly widen, and the light in his eyes rekindled as the Dao Foundation stage aura that had been dormant for a long time began to surge up within him. Gou Lezhan flicked his sleeves resolutely and said coldly, ¡°Thank you for dispelling my doubts, Martial Nephew. May I inquire what the punishment ought to be for disrespecting one¡¯s elders in the Shangqing Sacred Sect?¡± Although He Ziming could tell he already knew the answer, he matched his energy and cupped his hands firmly. ¡°Martial Uncle, according to the sect rules, disrespecting one¡¯s master or elders is punishable by immediate death!¡± He Ziming¡¯s way of addressing him had changed from ¡®Envoy Gou¡¯ to ¡®Martial Uncle¡¯, matching his change. A resplendent blade of sword light appeared in Gou Lezhan¡¯s palm. With a cold, solemn expression, he waved his sleeve, unleashing its might. ¡°Yuan Qi of Cloud Abyss Peak. I, Gou Lezhan, Envoy of the Anxi Province, will put you down according to the sect rules, for insulting a senior of the sect without reason, thereby disregarding your superiors and looking down on the sect.¡± The blazing sword light, imbued with the power of heaven and earth, swept towards Yuan Qi, who was struggling bitterly on the ground. When he saw the sword light approaching, his eyes filled with despair, and he began to shout. ¡°Sacred Son, save me! Sacred Son! Senior Martial Brother Xu! Envoy Gou, I know I was in the wrong! I was¡ª¡± The sword light smashed into Yuan Qi mid-cry, decimating him into smithereens. Under the annihilation of the profound qi, his entire figure burst into countless tiny motes of profound light. His blood, flesh, and mind were extinguished in that instant, dissipating into the air. Behind him, the disciple that Gou Lezhan brought with him had recorded this scene in a recording jade slip, which was to be sent to Affairs Hall, where they would erase the sect¡¯s records of Yuan Qi. The people who used to serve as his trusted lackeys, Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen, lowered their heads silently. They didn¡¯t even dare to breathe too loudly. At this moment, the two of them had come to terms with an extremely terrifying fact. Despite his average, mediocre appearance, Gou Lezhan was a bona fide peak Dao Foundation stage cultivator! Although he had been heavily repressed by Xu Disheng and hadn¡¯t shown any fangs thus far, he definitely wasn¡¯t a figure that Sea of Qi stage disciples of the younger generation like them could lightly insult! Watching this from the side, He Ziming said, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son has a calm, indifferent temperament. He doesn¡¯t have many demands regarding the temperament of the Peak¡¯s disciples. Yuan Qi had a promising future in Cloud Abyss Peak, but he got ahead of himself, daring to scold a peak Dao Foundation stage Envoy. It isn¡¯t surprising in the slightest for him to go out like this.¡± Zhang Haobo spat on the ground angrily. ¡°The one who didn¡¯t know his place was no one but himself. There¡¯s no one he can blame but himself for walking down the road straight to hell!¡± he mocked, sounding pleased about his demise. ¡°As the saying goes, ¡®nothing can be accomplished without rules and customs¡¯. Superior and subordinate, social hierarchy¡­ Those are fundamental concepts to our human race. Daring to overlook these boundaries without regard would only lead to an end like Yuan Qi¡¯s¡­ death without even a burial.¡± ¡°He got what he deserved! He¡¯s not even worthy of pity!¡± ¡°Serves him right!¡± ¡­ ¡­ Among the disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak, there were many who held resentment for him, and were now overjoyed at his demise. Only Chu Luo¡¯s face was filled with grief. He muttered under his breath, ¡°Ma Chen¡­ That bastard Yuan Qi sought out his own death. He¡¯s dead now¡­ but it¡¯s a shame you weren¡¯t here to see it.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Days flew, nights passed, and in the blink of an eye, several years had gone by. In the Anxi provincial capital, there were some rare signs of liveliness. For the last ten years, the commoners of the Anxi Province were subject to heavy oppression. They had endured miserable circumstances worse than hell. Now, a Meridian Measurement Ceremony was being held, which hadn¡¯t taken place in a long time, and it fanned the embers of hope in their hearts. The lords of the ¡®presiding sect¡¯ had personally declared to the commoners that as soon as someone were discovered to have profound meridians, they would not only be allowed to enter the ¡®presiding sect¡¯ to start their cultivation journey, but they would also be rewarded with generous treasures. They would be able to break away from the hierarchy of commoners and even stand above the martial artists of the capital city! ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, all the people under 30 years old in the Anxi Province are gathered in the extended plaza in front of Evening Valley Palace. There are 23,000 people in total.¡± It was He Ziming speaking. He was carrying a jade slip, and wore a respectful expression as he spoke. Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com" If it were an ordinary Meridian Measurement Ceremony, only children from 5 to 10 years of age would be selected to take part. However, the Anxi Province was a place that had been selected for a 100-year experiment where the citizen¡¯s environment was improved upon, to see how it would affect the talents that appeared. As a result, the requirements were much more relaxed, and anyone under 30 years of age was allowed to participate in the Meridian Measurement Ceremony. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Ancestor sent Sacred Son a jade slip, but since Sacred Son was in meditation, I did not dare to disturb you,¡± He Ziming said after a pause. He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a scarlet jade slip, which he handed over to Xu Disheng. Xu Disheng took the scarlet-colored jade slip and examined its contents carefully. After a while, his brows furrowed. The contents recorded within left him somewhat angered, even with his temperament. Even without officially doing the Meridian Measurement Ceremony, Xu Disheng could conclude with just a sweeping glance that among the tens of thousands of Anxi Province citizens, there were many people with profound meridians. Among those, there were probably even people with rare middle class Spiritual Root Sequences, and even rarer, upper class Spiritual Root Sequences. If everything worked out as planned and he was able to bring these seedlings back to the sect with him, his own position would definitely rise greatly! However, in the jade slip that Celestial Tide Spirit Master sent, he informed him that the circumstances had changed! Sacred Son Bai Lu was apparently on his way already, carrying the decree of Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Red Lotus Primordial Lord. The decree stated that he was to replace Xu Disheng in his post at the Anxi Province! This experiment had been set into motion by the Mountain Masters and the Primordial Lords of the Yuluo Province. Having recently received more precise information on the circumstances, Red Lotus Primordial Lord wanted to take all of the people with profound meridians from the Anxi Province into the First Mountain, Shangqing Mountain Range! There were many complex, entangling plots and schemes among the Primordial Lords of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Xu Disheng had no way of glimpsing the bigger picture. The only thing he knew was that he was on the verge of being herded back to the Shangqing Sacred Sect, and the fruits of his last ten years of effort were about to be harvested by someone else. CH 223 Chapter 223 ¨C Higher Knowledge, Killing Heart Beast! Suddenly, Xu Disheng seemed to sense something. He lifted his head and looked off at the distant horizon, where a massive silver white chariot appeared, ripping through space. There were four white deer spiritual beasts pulling the chariot, casting a brilliant trail of white light. Countless silver and white motes of light scattered in its wake, drifting down from the sky¡¯s horizon like snowflakes. In only a few breaths of time, the four white deer pulling the chariot arrived above the Anxi provincial capital, letting out a deafening call. All eyes turned to look at them. A white-clothed youth slowly stepped out, his gaze containing a hint of berserk madness. He stood there in the air, looking expressionlessly down at Xu Disheng. It was Sacred Son Bai Lu, who took first place in the Sea of Qi stage division of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament over 50 years prior. There were a few people accompanying him, who now appeared behind him. Surprisingly, one of them was emanating a powerful Divine Core stage aura! Also among them was a Dao Foundation stage disciple. After scanning over the tens of thousands of citizens from the Anxi Province waiting to have their meridians measured below, he unfurled a silk scroll and announced in a clear voice, ¡°Red Lotus Primordial Lord of Shangqing Mountain Range commands Soul Suppressor Sacred Son to return to the Shangqing Sacred Sect immediately and hand over all matters regarding the Anxi Province to Sacred Son Bai Lu.¡± His voice resonated like lightning throughout the entire Anxi provincial capital. To the side, He Ziming said in a low voice, ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, this is most likely just how the results of the back and forth plotting in the sect happened to turn out. We are powerless to change anything about this. The citizens of Anxi Province will most likely be taken into the Shangqing Mountain Range.¡± Xu Disheng was naturally aware of this. In the jade slip that Celestial Tide Spirit Master sent him, he told him to return to the sect for now and not to participate further in any matters regarding the Anxi Province. With a thought, he tried to mentally call out to the suanni spiritual beast, who was always out frolicking and playing because it never wanted to stay in the Beast Handling Ring. He waited for it to arrive, planning to let go of all matters here and immediately return to the sect. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, I was talking to you. Did you not hear me?¡± the Dao Foundation stage disciple said coldly. Seeing Xu Disheng not paying any attention to him, his face fell. Xu Disheng cast him an extremely impassive glance, as if he was looking at a see-through ball of profound qi. ¡°Sacred Son Bai Lu, this Xu Disheng guy is going too far! His actions are clearly showing that he is making light of you!¡± the disciple shouted hatefully, anger surging in his heart as he turned to the white-robed youth. Bai Lu was also somewhat displeased. With a reproving tone, he criticized, ¡°Xu Disheng, Li Xuanzong was conveying the commands to you with good intentions. Why are you playing deaf?¡± Xu Disheng lifted his gaze to look at Bai Lu, who was standing there in the air. ¡°What is your status even? You dare to speak to me with this kind of tone?¡± Bai Lu¡¯s brows furrowed deeply. ¡°Do all newly risen Sacred Sons nowadays show such neglect for social hierarchy?¡± he shot back coldly. Profound qi revolved around Xu Disheng¡¯s body, and the suanni spiritual beast arrived at that moment, letting out a roar as it flew in from the distance. It picked Xu Disheng up, and his long, black hair fluttered in the wind as they ascended and leveled out to the same altitude as Bai Lu. ¡°How amusing. We¡¯re both Dao Foundation stage Sacred Sons. Tell me, in what way are you more senior than me?¡± he responded. It seemed that no one had treated Bai Lu like this in a long time. He was so furious that he could only let out a scoff. He took out a white folding fan and gave it a light sweep, sending waves of razor-sharp wind shooting out toward Xu Disheng. ¡°Sacred Son Bai Lu!¡± The expressions of the Dao Foundation stage disciples by his side suddenly changed. They wanted to stop him, but they didn¡¯t act in time. Only that person emitting a Divine Core stage aura was silent, his eyes closed as if he wasn¡¯t aware of anything happening. ¡°Profound Resonance Nine Rotations. First Rotation¡ªDense Fog and Gurgling Stream!¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s expression was frigid as the Profound Resonance Drum appeared above his outstretched palm. The murmuring of a flowing stream filled the air, echoing throughout the provincial capital! The invisible sound waves warped and oscillated towards Bai Lu, who cast a blue screen of light in front of him, blocking the sound of the gurgling stream. However, the sound waves transformed into a nebulous white fog, wrapping around and enshrouding Bai Lu¡¯s body. Xu Disheng¡¯s figure turned illusory, and the cutting winds passed right through his body. His figure materialized back into being shortly after, and he glared coldly at Bai Lu, who was wrapped in the dense fog. Golden Moon Demolishing the Shadows! By channeling the power of heaven and earth into the Golden Moon Garment, it was possible to temporarily merge into heaven and earth, which allowed his body to transform from material to illusory and avoid attacks! ¡°You actually have the balls to attack me, Xu Disheng?!¡± An explosion blasted the fog apart and Bai Lu¡¯s figure gradually became visible once more. His tone was icy, filled with an intense rage. With Bai Lu¡¯s shout, the atmosphere above the Anxi provincial capital went deathly still. Neither the disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak in the Anxi provincial capital nor the several Dao Foundation stage disciples that accompanied Bai Lu here dared to interfere at this point. They all stood there, trembling with fear as they watched the confrontation between the two Sacred Sons. Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes, which contained a star-like resplendence, were dyed a deep black the moment he began to rotate Soul Force in his eyes. The soul suppressing evil spirit skull appeared in front of him, its eyes fully opened. The blood-red light beams condensed from Soul-Extinguishing Blood Light shot forth! ¡°Blood Light Illumination!¡± It was the advanced form of the Extinguishing Soul Mantra! ¡°Today, I will make you, a younger generation who only cultivated for a mere 20 years, learn what it means to respect your senior martial brothers!¡± Bai Lu seethed, his expression turning even icier. He put away the folding fan and took out a pure white sword. The glacial aura emanating from it was on the verge of freezing the atmosphere surrounding it! This was a Psychic Magic Treasure known as the Frost Spirit Sword! At some point in time, large snowflakes began to fall from the skies. The Frost Spirit Sword released a brilliant white glow as it swept up all the winds and snow in the heavens, transforming it into an enormous dragon made of ice and snow. It let out a berserk roar and swallowed the Soul-Extinguishing Blood Light in a single gulp! BOOM! Countless motes of crimson light exploded out, and were swept away by the buffeting winds and ice. Only a little less than half of the enormous ice dragon¡¯s body was blasted apart, but the swirling icy winds quickly recondensed the damaged portions of its body. Once reformed, it charged towards Xu Disheng! Explore the extended edition on pawread dot com. ¡°Boundless White Moon!¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s robe turned white, signifying its transformation into the White Moon Garment. The projection of a full moon rose up behind his head, shining down with inexhaustible profound light. It illuminated the enormous dragon, fixing it in place. No matter how it howled and roared, it couldn¡¯t charge out of it. ¡°Profound Resonance Nine Rotations. Second Rotation¡ªDesolate Falling Leaves.¡± ¡°Profound Resonance Nine Rotations. Third Rotation¡ªSilent Falling Rain.¡± Xu Disheng had cast a few extremely complicated spells¡ªthe second and third rotation of the Profound Resonance Nine Rotations made their debut! Two twisting sound waves rippled forth, transforming into a massive green and white pillar made out of sound. It swept up massive amounts of the power of heaven and earth in its wake, ripping through space and piercing towards Bai Lu! Profound qi rotated in Xu Disheng¡¯s palm. The Demon Punishing Array Diagram appeared, expanding outwards exponentially. Four colors of sword lights swept across heaven and earth¡ªDemon Trapping, Demon Punishing, Demon Vanquishing, Demon Killing¡ªthe four swords shot out. They followed closely behind the enormous pillar of sound, leaving sonic booms in their wake as they sliced towards Bai Lu. ¡°Sacred Son Bai Lu!¡± The Dao Foundation stage disciples standing off in the distance couldn¡¯t help voicing their concern for Bai Lu when they saw the swift and fierce onslaught of attacks that Xu Disheng unleashed. The Divine Core stage Spirit Master opened his eyes slightly and looked at Xu Disheng. BANG! A deafening profound qi explosion echoed out. Bai Lu flew out from the heart of the explosion, the Frost Spirit Sword beneath his feet. He was covered in an extremely solid golden barrier of light, but he cut a rather sorry figure. Clearly, he didn¡¯t think that Xu Disheng would attack in such a ruthlessly explosive manner. If it was any ordinary disciple in his position, they would have been a dead corpse a long time ago! After leaving the Taiqing Fantasy Realm, Bai Lu hadn¡¯t engaged in any fights against other humans, living a princely, sheltered life for the last several decades. After being suppressed by Xu Disheng like this, he couldn¡¯t stand it and decided to call out to the Divine Core stage Spirit Master. ¡°Upper Flame Spirit Master, please help out and capture this guy!¡± Bai Lu called out coldly. Upper Flame Spirit Master was a Divine Core stage Spirit Master from the Shangqing Mountain Range. He was also Bai Lu¡¯s Dao Protector! The sect would dispatch a Divine Core stage Dao Protector to protect each Sacred Son. But after the Sacred Son reached the Divine Core stage themselves, they would no longer need a Dao Protector. Xu Disheng also had a Dao Protector, which Celestial Tide Spirit Master had selected for him. His Dao Protector was a newly promoted Divine Core stage Spirit Master from the Zhuri Mountain Range, but would only start accompanying Xu Disheng once he returned to the sect. From then on, he would continue to watch over Xu Disheng until he reached the Divine Core stage. Upper Flame Spirit Master gazed at Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Soul Suppressor, make amends with Sacred Son Bai Lu. I can take responsibility for what happened here and wipe the slate clean.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s gaze remained lowered, as if he didn¡¯t hear what he said. Bai Lu¡¯s face was filled with dissatisfaction. ¡°Upper Flame Spirit Master, look at how vicious this guy is! He doesn¡¯t understand the concept of seniority in the slightest. It would still be best for you to take action yourself and capture him! After we return to the sect, I have justification to bring up his actions with Red Lotus Primordial Lord!¡± Upper Flame Spirit Master wasn¡¯t as impetuous or extreme as Bai Lu. He simply stared fixedly at Xu Disheng, waiting for his reply. At that moment, a scoff echoed throughout the entire Anxi provincial capital. ¡°Make amends? For what reason?¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s long black hair swept up in the wind, revealing his eyes that were as resplendent as the stars. The Profound Resonance Drum revolved madly above the hollow of his palm, and the soul suppressing evil spirit skull flew up and down around him, emitting an inexhaustible killing intent. Upper Flame Spirit Master¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°Soul Suppressor, do not make me force you.¡± ¡°See if I care?¡± The Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda appeared above his head, shining forth with innumerable rays of light. Seemingly endless profound yellow light formed a protection around Xu Disheng¡¯s body. There was a hint of golden Buddhist light hidden within the basking yellow glow, the contrast with his White Moon Garment giving him a peerlessly noble, almost holy air. ¡°This treasure¡­¡± Upper Flame Spirit Master stared at the multicolored radiance given off by the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, and his expression turned serious as an extremely terrifying notion appeared in his mind. ¡°A Profound Treasure!¡± Bai Lu exclaimed, gritting his teeth. ¡°Was this item given to you by Primordial Lord Yangze? Why do we not know of this?¡± ¡°This child has received the favor of Realm Master Kunxu. This item must have been given by him,¡± Upper Flame Spirit Master said, shaking his head. ¡°Mountain Master Yangze¡¯s assets are not this generous.¡± He gazed deeply at Xu Disheng and said, ¡°Let¡¯s call this matter even, and you can leave with the disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak.¡± Xu Disheng stared at him like he was looking at an idiot and replied, ¡°Bai Lu, apologize to me right this instant. Otherwise, I¡¯ll capture you and make sure your reputation hits rock bottom in the Shangqing Sacred Sect.¡± Bai Lu¡¯s rage towered to the skies, and he started to rotate profound qi in his palm. The four white deer that were pulling his chariot let out a call towards the heavens, then transformed into streams of pure white light that merged into a blazing orb in his palm. ¡°Sacred Son Bai Lu, don¡¯t do this!¡± Upper Flame Spirit Master cried out. He immediately distanced himself, but had no time to restrain him. Seeing the coalescence of the blazing white light reach a point of no return, he couldn¡¯t hold back a sigh. ¡°If you won¡¯t take action, then I¡¯ll just have to do it myself, Upper Flame Spirit Master!¡± Bai Lu seethed, rage smoldering in his chest. He looked over at Xu Disheng, who was in the firm protection of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda. ¡°Today, I¡¯ll be the one to crush you!¡± The dazzling white light continued to grow and expand. After a few moments, it finished condensing into a spirit body with the head of a goat and the body of a lion. It emanated an extremely powerful aura as it hovered in the air next to Bai Lu. It was the pure soul body of a Bai Ze, a Divine Core stage spiritual beast! (TL: Bai Ze ¨C a creature in Chinese mythology with the head of a goat and the body of a lion.) It was evident that even Bai Lu had difficulties fully controlling it. An ominous, man-eating glint flashed in the eyes of the Bai Ze as it glared at Xu Disheng. With a bit of difficulty, it began to separate itself from Bai Lu¡¯s body. ¡°Higher Knowledge, Killing Heart Beast!¡± The Bai Ze let out a bray towards the heavens, then transformed into an incorporeal white light that gradually faded into the void. In the next moment, its figure appeared out of nowhere in front of Xu Disheng and dove right into Xu Disheng¡¯s Shenque acupoint at his navel! Genuine Higher Knowledge abilities could only be controlled at the Primordial Spirit stage, but some simplified versions of Higher Knowledge abilities could be used by Dao Foundation stage geniuses. Back when the Vast Ocean Primordial Lord¡¯s inheritance appeared, Jing Xingchen, a Dao Foundation stage genius of the Mingxin Mountain Range, had used his Broken Star Sword to unleash a Higher Knowledge ability called Starstrand. At this moment, Bai Lu had also exhibited a Higher Knowledge ability, Killing Heart Beast, which unleashed the soul body of a Divine Core stage spiritual beast. Its power was more than enough to instantly slay multiple ordinary Dao Foundation stage cultivators! CH 224 Chapter 224 ¨C Scooping the Moon From Its Reflection on the Water Xu Disheng¡¯s Shenque acupoint was permeated with the dazzling white light of the Bai Ze soul body. The aura of destruction it emitted became stronger and stronger, and after a few moments, it erupted! Xu Disheng cast Golden Moon Demolishing the Shadows once more, causing his body to fade into the void. However, he still suffered a blow from a little less than half the power of a Higher Knowledge ability! The Golden Moon Garment blossomed with golden light, blocking 70% of the destructive might from the Bai Ze soul body. If it weren¡¯t for this, this single Higher Knowledge ability would have rendered Xu Disheng completely unable to fight! Xu Disheng¡¯s face was somewhat pale, but his eyes flashed with a cold light. If he had the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda to protect him, he wouldn¡¯t have taken the least bit of damage from this Killing Heart Beast ability! Earlier, when Bai Lu attacked, Upper Flame Spirit Master had unexpectedly unleashed a palm made of profound qi towards him, obstructing the protective power of the profound light from the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda! ¡°What is the meaning of this, Upper Flame Spirit Master?¡± Only by once again reaching out to the power of the golden true spirit did he manage to use the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda to blast apart the palm made from profound qi. The pagoda flew back up above his head, casting down innumerable rays of profound yellow light. ¡°You possess such a valuable Profound Treasure, such that Bai Lu is unable to do anything to you. Do not complicate things further!¡± In Upper Flame Spirit Master¡¯s tone, it was possible to hear his dissatisfaction towards Xu Disheng. Profound qi rotated in Xu Disheng¡¯s palm, and the Demon Punishing Array Diagram spread out, encompassing an enormous area. ¡°Who was the one who said they wanted to capture me just now?¡± Xu Disheng shot back. ¡°Who was the one who said they¡¯d teach me what it meant to respect seniority?¡± Xu Disheng continued. The four-colored swords of the Demon Punishing Array Diagram revolved and sliced dangerously through space, even encompassing Upper Flame Spirit Master within its attack range. ¡°As an early Divine Core stage cultivator of Shangqing Mountain Range, Upper Flame Spirit Master, you are also committing an offense by attacking a Sacred Son of the sect!¡± The moment his words resounded in their ears, a projection of a moon gradually floated up from the White Moon Garment. It was a massive blood moon, surging with an astonishing killing aura! Battles between Sacred Sons of the same cultivation boundary were tacitly approved of by the sect, but Bai Lu¡¯s Dao Protector, Upper Flame Spirit Master, had committed a taboo by daring to interfere! Xu Disheng could now exercise a bit of control over the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda. With this, he didn¡¯t need to shy from fighting an early Divine Core stage cultivator! ¡°Moonlight over Kunlun.¡± As the blood moon rose higher and higher into the heavens, the entire expanse of sky above the Anxi provincial city dimmed. The only thing in the sky was the blood moon, exuding an inexhaustible killing aura as it shone down from above! Upper Flame Spirit Master¡¯s expression turned grave. He waved his sleeve, causing a strong astral wind filled with blazing fire to sweep up. It carried with it a seemingly endless amount of fire and wind element profound qi, which ripped through the curtain of night above the Anxi provincial city and wound around the blood moon. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Xu Disheng smiled and said, ¡°Trying to block a light from shining is as fruitless as trying to scoop the moon from its reflection on the water. You won¡¯t be able to avoid this.¡± With that, the projection of the blood moon burst into countless blood-colored motes of light, piercing through the blockade that was the blazing astral wind. In the next moment, the motes of light suddenly appeared before Bai Lu¡¯s body. An enormous projection of the sacred Kunlun Mountain appeared out of nowhere, emanating a vast, ancient aura as it blotted out the sky. The pressure of the aura bore down upon Bai Lu, along with the myriad of tiny rushing motes of blood-red light! This was the ultimate technique of the White Moon Garment¡ªMoonlight over Kunlun! Xu Disheng had cast the technique using this Psychic Magic Treasure as the means of channeling its power, but if he had cast it using his own power, it would be powerful enough to be considered a fledgling Higher Knowledge ability! Bai Lu¡¯s complexion was ashen. Several protective profound light barriers appeared in front of him, trying to block the might crushing down from the projection of the sacred Kunlun Mountain. But try as he might, the blood-colored motes of light penetrated into his body, unhindered. The peak Dao Foundation stage aura emanating from him began to fluctuate wildly. A moment later, Bai Lu¡¯s cultivation base unexpectedly plummeted to the Sea of Qi stage! The projection of Kunlun Mountain brought about by the Moonlight over Kunlun technique had the ability to attack and suppress, while the projection of the blood moon had the ability to seal the power of one¡¯s cultivation! No technique belonging to any Psychic Magic Treasure should be this tyrannical. With this one move, Bai Lu was sealed up completely! However, due to the support of the Paramount Ancient Bell in Xu Disheng¡¯s Jianggong acupoint, the power of this technique was several times stronger! This was also the underlying reason behind why Realm Master Kunxu had decided to grant Xu Disheng a special Sacred Son title. Such a miraculously powerful profound law foundation was reminiscent of the profound law foundation that Greater Lord Zhuri had formed back in the day. It even allowed Xu Disheng to glimpse a hint of the profound mysteries of the Clone Avatar stage. ¡°Bai Lu, now do you know which of us is the superior, and which is the inferior?¡± Xu Disheng called out. Bai Lu¡¯s face was filled with anger and humiliation. He had been insulted and put to shame by a newly risen Sacred Son who had barely been cultivating for 20 years. At this moment, his heart was ablaze with a raging fury, soaring to the heavens! Upper Flame Spirit Master¡¯s expression was filled with astonishment. He waved his sleeve, releasing the seal restricting Bai Lu¡¯s cultivation base. ¡°Why are all of the techniques and cultivation methods you display so powerful?¡± he asked suspiciously. After a while, he seemed to finally remember something. Muttering to himself, he said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard rumors that Soul Suppressor Sacred Son¡¯s profound law foundation was an ancient bell, and is similar to Greater Lord Zhuri¡¯s profound law foundation. Possessing immeasurable might and many kinds of mysterious capabilities¡­ Raising the power of all of his techniques and cultivation methods must be one of those capabilities.¡± ¡°Have Bai Lu apologize to me and make amends, and we can consider this matter settled,¡± Xu Disheng said, the phantom image of the Paramount Ancient Bell appearing behind his head. All of the power of heaven and earth within over a dozen miles around him suddenly funneled towards him, forming a massive vortex of energy that could only be called a spectacle to behold. Upper Flame Spirit Master was well aware of Bai Lu¡¯s extremely arrogant nature. He let out a sigh before turning to address Bai Lu. ¡°Sacred Son Bai Lu, I have no way of truly acting out against him. It would be better if¡ª¡± Bai Lu had calmed down a bit, his expression back to normal. He took out a token that was clad in an unfathomable aura, and spoke firmly, emphasizing each word. ¡°Use the Yanghua command token from Senior Martial Sister to suppress him right this instant!¡± Bai Lu was a disciple who came from the mortal Provinces. But after entering the Shangqing Mountain Range, he earned first place in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament and was granted the position of Sacred Son. At that point, he had pledged Shangqing Mountain Range¡¯s Peak Shaking Spirit Master as his master. Peak Shaking Spirit Master was the direct disciple of Primordial Lord Yanghua, who was one of the two Mountain Masters of the Shangqing Mountain Range. Seeing the jade token, Upper Flame Spirit Master shook his head. He turned his gaze toward Xu Disheng, then unleashed his powerful Divine Core stage aura, letting it surge to the heavens! With a thought, Xu Disheng sent a mental command to the Demon Punishing Array Diagram, which was still covering an area several kilometers in diameter. The four swords, each emitting a different kind of sword intent, began to send down dazzlingly brilliant sword lights from on high. The array unleashed a dense flurry of attacks that swept towards Upper Flame Spirit Master. ¡°An insignificant display,¡± Upper Flame Spirit Master commented indifferently. He waved his sleeves and an enormous wheel of flame and wind appeared before him, towering hundreds of meters tall. It blocked all of the incoming sword lights, sending them flying back in disarray. BOOM! The sword energies from the Demon Punishing Array Diagram were sent flying every which way. Some of them collided with the buildings of the provincial capital, reducing them to rubble. The few Dao Foundation stage disciples that had come with Bai Lu had long since cast a protective barrier of light over the tens upon thousands of ordinary civilians that had come to have their meridians measured. He Ziming was anxious as he watched Upper Flame Spirit Master genuinely begin to make a move against Xu Disheng. But all he could do was watch as everything unfolded before him. He was absolutely powerless to stop any of this. ¡°Soul Suppressor, you were too arrogant. Even if you are an unparalleled genius, you should not have acted out against a Divine Core stage Spirit Master!¡± As Upper Flame Spirit Master spoke, the wheel of flame and wind grew larger and larger. In the end, it blotted out the whole sky stretching over the Anxi provincial capital. An uncountable number of gigantic balls of fire began to rain from the sky, leaving long tails of eye-catching light in their wake. The sharp, incisive astral winds amplified the blazing, red-hot flames even further, which swept towards Xu Disheng, threatening to engulf him completely. ¡°If I don¡¯t act now, wouldn¡¯t that just be letting you trample on me as you please?¡± Xu Disheng looked up at the spell that he had practically no way of blocking. However, he showed no signs of panic. A moment later, the flame and wind element profound qi engulfed him, inundating him completely. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son!¡± Chu Luo, Zhang Haobo, and the others cried out in alarm, their expressions changing drastically. He Ziming¡¯s brows furrowed deeply as he stared unblinkingly into the devastating tempest of flames, his hands curled into tight fists. Only Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen¡¯s expressions were colored with anxiety. They exchanged a glance, each noticing the alarm and fright present in the other¡¯s eyes. Yuan Qi had already died. If Soul Suppressor Sacred Son was suppressed and captured by Upper Flame Spirit Master, it was true that it might not have much to do with them. But they were only at the Sea of Qi stage, and Upper Flame Spirit Master could easily put them to their deaths. With how remote and isolated the Anxi Province was, no one would care if you had conclusive evidence or not. A Divine Core stage Spirit Master like him could use his identity to casually fabricate any kind of charges for them and condemn them to death a million times over. However, Quan Hongyu and He Qiwen both overestimated their own importance. Upper Flame Spirit Master had hardly spared them even a single glance this whole time. Meanwhile, as Upper Flame Spirit Master watched the profound light from the flames and wind dissipate, his brows creased slightly. Without the impedance of the enormous wheel of flame and cutting wind, large snowflakes began to fall down from the sky once more. Upon that backdrop, Xu Disheng¡¯s figure reappeared in midair. The intricate carvings on the Black Sky Yellow Earth were more pronounced, and gradually began to emit its ancient, timeworn aura once more. Countless rays of profound yellow light shone down from the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, creating a firm defense around Xu Disheng. This was the might of a so-called ¡®Profound Treasure¡¯! Surprisingly, it could withstand the head-on attack of a Divine Core stage Spirit Master. Xu Disheng was completely unharmed! ¡°Impossible! There¡¯s no way you can demonstrate the true protective might of a Profound Treasure!¡± Upper Flame Spirit Master cried out. His expression fell¡ªthis was too far beyond his expectations. In Xu Disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness, the voice of the Black Sky Yellow Earth¡¯s artifact spirit echoed out. ¡°Xu Disheng, you can only form a connection with the power of the true spirit for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. In this time, you will be able to exhibit a hint of its true might. At this moment, you have half an incense stick of time left.¡± Just now, when Xu Disheng had used the power of the true spirit to control the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, it had already been extremely exhausting. After he managed to block the all-out Divine Core stage attack, the backlash jolted his mind, causing it to tremble incessantly. If he didn¡¯t have the robust support of the profound qi from the Paramount Ancient Bell in his Jianggong acupoint, blocking this single attack would have exhausted all of Xu Disheng¡¯s profound qi. The flame and wind element profound qi would have also left him with serious injuries! Bracing his shaking mind, Xu Disheng once again moved the power of the golden true spirit. The Paramount Ancient Bell swallowed and devoured all of the power of heaven and earth, allowing him to activate the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda once more! Although this was just the slightest hint of power from a supreme Immortal Treasure, it wasn¡¯t something that a Divine Core stage cultivator could block. Endless prismatic light shone down from the skies, causing the icy wind and snow in the atmosphere to seemingly come to a standstill. A colossal hand formed from profound yellow radiance appeared out of nowhere and grabbed towards Upper Flame Spirit Master! The moment that Upper Flame Spirit Master saw the enormous hand that towered into the heavens, his expression changed dramatically! CH 225 Chapter 225 ¨C The Makings of a Greater Lord Emanating from the enormous hand was an extremely distinct and ruthless suppression intent. Although it was clear that the force behind it was a bit lacking, it was still incredibly difficult to block! A bell-shaped Psychic Magic Treasure appeared in front of Upper Flame Spirit Master, and he activated it at full force. An extremely realistic projection of a black bell emerged, but it was destroyed by the looming hand with a single grab! Upper Flame Spirit Master gritted his teeth. He was just about to use a genuine protective Higher Knowledge ability, but he suddenly sensed that the profound yellow radiance filling the sky had disappeared without a trace. The merciless suppressing intent also vanished. When he looked up, he saw Xu Disheng, but the aura emanating from him was extremely feeble. The Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda was also gone, without any force to back it. Upper Flame Spirit Master¡¯s expression turned ugly, and he flicked his sleeves heatedly. ¡°Sacred Son Bai Lu, no one could have guessed that this guy could exhibit the full might of a Profound Treasure. I¡¯m afraid it can¡¯t be avoided that we will lose face today.¡± At this point, Bai Lu, and even Upper Flame Spirit Master, had lost all face. Inwardly, they were filled with shame and anger. While it was true that Xu Disheng had a Profound Treasure, he was only at the Dao Foundation stage. Meanwhile, Upper Flame Spirit Master was a genuine Divine Core stage Spirit Master. But in these three exchanges, Upper Flame Spirit Master hadn¡¯t been able to take the upper hand! Even though Xu Disheng wouldn¡¯t be able to stand a chance if this battle continued any longer, Upper Flame Spirit Master still had his face and honor to preserve. If he cut down Xu Disheng at this point when he was unable to resist, he would have cultivated to the Divine Core stage for nothing. As he was now, neither Xu Disheng¡¯s ability to move the power of the golden true spirit, nor his profound qi in his Jianggong acupoint were enough to support the incredible might that the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda displayed just now. Although the artifact spirit of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda told him that he could use the full might of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda for another half incense stick of time, it didn¡¯t take into account Xu Disheng¡¯s profound qi reserves or his mind¡¯s ability to withstand it. It only made that estimate based on the power of the golden true spirit. The Paramount Ancient Bell was constantly working without pause. Xu Disheng¡¯s consciousness was above the ancient, golden true spirit, drawing on its power. He ingested several pills, and several breaths later, his aura started to recover back to normal, no longer showing signs of weakness or instability. ¡°How do you intend to handle this matter, Upper Flame Spirit Master?¡± Xu Disheng said, his face still pale. In the three moves they had exchanged just now, Xu Disheng had taken the upper hand, even though his opponent was a Divine Core stage Spirit Master! Upper Flame Spirit Master was silent, speechless. Sacred Son Bai Lu knew that he had chosen to play Xu Disheng¡¯s game and had suffered utter defeat. His expression was ice-cold as he cupped his fist in apology. ¡°Disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak, return with me to the Shangqing Sacred Sect at once,¡± Xu Disheng announced, turning to the Cloud Abyss Peak disciples below. He didn¡¯t really care about Bai Lu¡¯s attitude. ¡°As you command, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son!¡± The moods and emotions that ran through the minds of Zhang Haobo and the others were complex to the extreme. There was still a look of incredulity hanging on their faces after what they had witnessed. Upper Flame Spirit Master had personally taken action, but Soul Suppressor Sacred Son did not suffer defeat. Instead, he had almost forced Upper Flame Spirit Master to use a protective Higher Knowledge ability! The lofty, arrogant Bai Lu had even cupped his fist to Soul Suppressor Sacred Son in apology! Although Xu Disheng and Bai Lu had both said that they would crush and suppress the other, neither of them would truly do that regardless of who came out on top in the end. At the most, one would make the other apologize and make amends. How could the honor of the title of Sacred Son be something to lightly trample upon? The moment Xu Disheng demonstrated the shocking might of the Moonlight over Kunlun technique, Bai Lu had already lost. However, deep down in his heart, Bai Lu simply didn¡¯t want to admit that a newly risen Sacred Son who had only been cultivating for 20 years had managed to suppress him in such a manner! That was why he took out the command token from Primordial Lord Yanghua and commanded Upper Flame Spirit Master to suppress Xu Disheng. But no one could have expected Xu Disheng to be so peerlessly powerful that he could demonstrate the might of a Profound Treasure. Although it was merely half of a technique, it was still enough to thoroughly shatter Bai Lu¡¯s arrogance! Bai Lu¡¯s expression was gloomy as he watched Xu Disheng and the disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak disappear off into the horizon. A brightly glowing profound light appeared in the depths of his sleeve, and he swung out, ruthlessly slapping Li Xuanzong in the face! ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you directly approaching Soul Suppressor with such an arrogant, domineering attitude, how would I have lost face today?!¡± Bai Lu shouted. Li Xuanzong, who had previously been acting with unparalleled arrogance, didn¡¯t dare to respond. One side of his face was swollen, and he kept his head lowered, making it difficult to see his expression. Bai Lu¡¯s anger still hadn¡¯t subsided. He was just about to raise his hand again to reprimand him once more when the few others nearby began to speak up in an attempt to stop him and assuage his anger. ¡­ ¡­ The news of what happened in the Anxi Province where Xu Disheng, the newly risen Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, had not only steamrolled Sacred Son Bai Lu, but also took the upper hand in a three-move exchange with Upper Flame Spirit Master, caused a huge stir throughout the Eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. The majority of the people were focused on two points regarding this news, one of which was Xu Disheng¡¯s profound law foundation, the Paramount Ancient Bell. Only someone with truly unbeatable powers of comprehension would be able to possess a profound law foundation like Xu Disheng¡¯s, with so many mysterious capabilities. When this news spread, it was confirmed that Xu Disheng¡¯s profound law foundation could multiply the power of his techniques and cultivation methods several times over! The second point was the Profound Treasure that Xu Disheng used to suppress the Upper Flame Spirit Master! Just how unimaginably precious was a Profound Treasure? Even most Primordial Lords didn¡¯t have a Profound Treasure, nor had they ever laid their hands on one. It was evident how precious and rare a Profound Treasure was, given that the Spirit Controlling Primordial Lord had personally made the effort to leave the Yuluo Realm and travel to the Luminous Cloud Abyss during the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament, specifically to target Xu Disheng¡¯s Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda. However, no one knew of any Primordial Lord that had previously owned a pagoda-type Profound Treasure, so most people surmised that it came from Realm Master Kunxu, one of the three Yuluo Realm Masters. Other people might not know, but only Xu Disheng was well aware that this Profound Treasure was definitely not given to him by Realm Master Kunxu. However, Realm Master Kunxu declined to comment on this matter. He remained silent in his meditation in the Yuluo Realm, which many people took as an implicit affirmation that it was he who gave Xu Disheng the Profound Treasure. After this battle, the name of Xu Disheng, Soul Suppressor Sacred Son, caused a huge stir not only in the younger generation disciples of the Shangqing Eight Mountains, but also in other sects within the Shan Mountain Territory. ¡­ ¡­ In the Falling Moon Domain on Falling Moon Peak¡­ Discover the complete story on pawread dot com. ¡°So this Profound Treasure was what you used to slay Zhao Yan and the others in the Zhao Realm,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master commented, his tone indifferent, obscuring the true intent behind his words. ¡°I still must express my gratitude to Spirit Master for helping Disciple to cover up this matter,¡± Xu Disheng said modestly. Despite his rising rank and status, he always treated Celestial Tide Spirit Master with utmost respect. Xu Disheng was referring to the matter where he had been ambushed in the Zhao Realm and turned the tables around on the attackers, which had happened a long time ago by this point. ¡°There is already no need to conceal this matter any longer,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said, his gaze mysterious. ¡°Do you know why Primordial Lord Kunxu dispatched Chen Xunming, the Peak Master of Clearheart Peak, to confer you the title of Sacred Son at such a critical moment?¡± ¡°Disciple does not know,¡± Xu Disheng responded. ¡°Greater Lord Zhuri once said to Realm Master Kunxu that given your unparalleled powers of comprehension, your profound law foundation, and the incredible luck that seems to converge upon you, you have the makings of a Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord,¡± Celestial Tide Spirit Master said, his tone calm despite the shocking meaning behind his words. CH 226 Chapter 226 ¨C Water Yin Lightning Scroll The makings of a Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord! Such a high evaluation would leave anyone shocked beyond belief! Seemingly unaware of Xu Disheng¡¯s fluctuating emotions, Celestial Tide Spirit Master continued, ¡°The fact that you were able to obtain a Profound Treasure from such tiny beginnings shows that you are blessed with outstanding luck. On top of that, you were able to condense a one in millions profound law foundation. What Greater Lord Zhuri said was no exaggeration.¡± As it turned out, the esteemed Greater Lord Zhuri had taken notice of Xu Disheng a long time ago. Back in the Zhao Realm, when Little Sky destroyed his own true spirit to activate the power of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, Greater Lord Zhuri had perceived all of this happening from back in the Shangqing Eight Mountains. In fact, Realm Master Kunxu had only bestowed Xu Disheng the title of Sacred Son because of that one time that Greater Lord Zhuri brought him up. It was at that point that Chen Xunming, Peak Master of Clearheart Peak, received the orders from Realm Master Kunxu. He flew out on his qilin spiritual beast, and barely managed to save Xu Disheng in time from the clutches of Spirit Controlling Spirit Master. If it weren¡¯t for all of this, why would Realm Master Kunxu, in the distant, remote Yuluo Realm, pay any attention to a trifling, seemingly insignificant Sea of Qi stage disciple from the Mingxin Mountain Range? The immensely powerful and far-sighted Greater Lord Zhuri had long since seen through Xu Disheng. With such an almighty powerhouse keeping tabs on him, it was pretty clear that it wasn¡¯t any coincidence that Xu Disheng was able to avoid disaster back at the Luminous Cloud Abyss. However, even Greater Lord Zhuri could have never imagined that the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, which he thought was a ¡®Profound Treasure¡¯, was actually an incredibly ancient, immeasurably powerful Immortal Treasure! Even he could not have guessed that all of the things that allowed Xu Disheng to have the makings of a Clone Avatar stage Greater Lord¡ªhis immense luck and his unparalleled powers of comprehension¡ªwere only because he was a consciousness born from a supremely ancient existence. ¡°Ancestor, I have already made my decision. I wish to join Cloud Abyss Peak and follow Soul Suppressor Sacred Son,¡± He Ziming said respectfully, suddenly stepping forward from his standby position next to Celestial Tide Spirit Master. Celestial Tide Spirit Master nodded. With a smile, he said, ¡°Soul Suppressor, would it be alright to add another disciple to your ranks?¡± ¡°By all means,¡± Xu Disheng replied. ¡°The number of Anxi Province citizens with profound meridians was great. There was even one person with a Rank 3 Spiritual Root. Although this achievement was counted under Peak Shaking Spirit Master and Bai Lu¡¯s merit, the Mountain Range will still grant you a reward.¡± Having said that, Celestial Tide Spirit Master took out a command jade slip. With an inexplicable expression, he continued, ¡°Mountain Master Yangze has prepared a tremendous reward for you. However, you will need to go pick it up yourself.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Cloud Abyss Peak. In the jade ripples of the Profound Resonance Pond, the pure spirit lotus flowers were still in bloom upon the surface, their beautiful petals swaying gently in the wind as they purified and dispelled impurities. Xu Disheng was seated alone in the seat of honor of Profound Resonance Hall. There were several jade slips laid out on the table in front of him. Water Yin Lightning Scroll. Rainbow Transformations Record. Primordial Canon of Supreme Mystery. (TL: Primordial Canon of Supreme Mystery is most likely a reference to the Tai Xuan Jing, an ancient Confucian work, as the titles are made up of similar characters.) Xu Disheng had spent tens of thousands of spirit stones to buy these three complete Dao Foundation stage cultivation methods from the Cultivation Method Pavilion in the main branch of Affairs Hall in the Wenyuan Mountain Range. At the moment, his brows were furrowed as he held the jade slip for the Water Yin Lightning Scroll in one hand. This cultivation method was similar to the Starfire Record that Mo Yue cultivated. It was composed of three elements, and boasted shocking might. What was different was that the Water Yin Lightning Scroll was composed of the water, yin, and lightning elements, and only could be cultivated starting from the Dao Foundation stage. Meanwhile, Xu Disheng¡¯s Azure Ocean was simply a pure water element cultivation method. Practicing this type of cultivation method might be able to produce terrifying might, but doing so had many downsides. It wasn¡¯t really suited for Xu Disheng. The Water Yin Lightning Scroll cost a whopping 19,000 spirit stones. Even among Dao Foundation stage cultivation methods, it was extremely expensive. The reason why Xu Disheng¡¯s brows were furrowed right now was because this cultivation method had a harsh requirement demanding the user to have a minimum of Rank 3 Spiritual Root. He wasn¡¯t sure whether or not he met this requirement at the moment. The incarnation of the Black Sky Yellow Earth Pagoda, the cyan jade flute, was constantly increasing Xu Disheng¡¯s talent. However, he would have to test to see if he had already reached Rank 3 Spiritual Root. After comprehending the Water Yin Lightning Scroll for over 10 days, a hint of extremely pure yin energy flashed in Xu Disheng¡¯s eyes. A clap of low thunder rang out within Profound Resonance Hall as a coil of black thunder began to revolve and entwine unceasingly at the tip of Xu Disheng¡¯s long, white forefinger. This was the first spell of the Water Yin Lightning Scroll, Spirit Subduing Yin Lightning. The fact that this Spirit Subduing Yin Lightning could appear meant that Xu Disheng¡¯s Spiritual Root Sequence had already entered the realms of the upper class. He now had a Rank 3 Spiritual Root! The Rainbow Transformations Record was a simplified version of a Higher Knowledge ability. It originally stemmed from a cultivation method called Seven-Colored Heavenly Rainbow, which could only be cultivated at the Primordial Spirit stage. It was simplified into its current form to allow Dao Foundation stage cultivators to practice it and gain the ability to use a preliminary Higher Knowledge ability. The Rainbow Transformations Record only had one move, but it was very suitable for Xu Disheng. It was a highly effective simplified Higher Knowledge ability with both offensive and defensive capabilities. Xu Disheng was earning the cultivation resources for ruling over a Peak, and he now had tens of thousands of spirit stones amassed. Sitting in the stores of Cloud Abyss Peak¡¯s armory were as many as two Psychic Magic Treasures, several common Magic Treasures, and a few hundred top-grade Spirit Tools. He was free to use these resources as he wished, but they weren¡¯t really helpful to him in any way. He had only taken some medicinal pills and herbs that Dao Foundation stage cultivators could use, as well as one Psychic Magic Treasure called the Painted Heart Paper Doll. He had left practically all of the remaining cultivation resources in Cloud Abyss Peak¡¯s warehouse, completely untouched. There weren¡¯t many people in Cloud Abyss Peak, and among them were a hundred or so Sea of Qi stage disciples who had only been recruited to meet the sect¡¯s quota. If it were any other similarly-sized Peak, the cultivation resources that Cloud Abyss Peak had wouldn¡¯t be nearly enough. In terms of ranking, Cloud Abyss Peak was ranked around 20th or so in the Mingxin Mountain Range, second only to the Peaks containing the domains of Divine Core stage Spirit Masters. The other Peaks that were comparable in terms of ranking all had dozens of Dao Foundation stage disciples and several hundred Sea of Qi stage disciples. The share of cultivation resources distributed to the Mountain Master of each Peak every 50 years was a mind-bogglingly massive amount, especially for the Peaks near the top of the ranking. The share of cultivation resources that a Divine Core stage Spirit Master would receive was naturally higher than the amount that Xu Disheng would get, but the share of cultivation resources that Xu Disheng received due to his status as a Sacred Son was still by no means small. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com". With the support of the Ancient Paramount Bell, any spell or technique that Xu Disheng used was amplified several times in strength. This was also why he was able to crush Sacred Son Bai Lu. But for some reason, the techniques from Soul Song never received the amplification effect of the Paramount Ancient Bell. The Soul-Extinguishing Blood Light, an astoundingly tyrannical soul-targeting spell at the Sea of Qi stage, was surprisingly ineffective at the Dao Foundation stage. Soul Song was the life-accompanying cultivation method that the Bodhisattva, his previous incarnation, had left behind for him. There had been an unexpected mishap at the time of the Bodhisattva¡¯s reincarnation. Lord Buddha had awakened just a sliver and sealed the Bodhisattva¡¯s mind and true spirit. However, this was convenient for Xu Disheng, who had been practicing cultivation incessantly throughout these years, and had already cultivated Soul Song to the fifth scripture, the Extinguishing Soul Mantra. Despite all this, Xu Disheng would never believe even for a second that the might of Soul Song was limited to this degree. After all, this was a technique that even someone as almighty as a Bodhisattva had cultivated. The myriad of powerful mysteries to it were still vivid in his mind. How could it be simple? CH 227 Chapter 227 ¨C Green Jade Light Cicada Perhaps the plateau in the might of Soul Song¡¯s techniques had something to do with the destruction of the Soul Vessel. Thus, Xu Disheng wanted to refine another Soul Vessel. He took the Psychic Magic Treasure, the Painted Heart Paper Doll, from the secret warehouse of Cloud Abyss Peak, and used it as the base for a new Soul Vessel. After placing a consciousness into it, he spent day and night nourishing it. In the command jade slip that Primordial Lord Yangze passed down, he not only allowed Xu Disheng to make a trip to the Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain in the Quicksand Earth Territory, but had also informed him that he had already nominated him for the approaching Shan Mountain Congregation, and to make preparations accordingly. There were quite a few paradises and celestial lands with ancient inheritances in the eastern region of the Human Realm. This congregation, which included participants across the entire eastern region, was for discussing Dao and took place in a celestial land known as the Jade Lake Spiritual World. The force behind the Jade Lake Spiritual World wasn¡¯t a sect, strictly speaking, but it was an ancient organization with a long history. It was similar to the organization behind the Spiritual World protecting Buzhou Mountain, with traditions and inheritances that stemmed from the dim and distant past. To read the uncut version, go to pawread dot com. Even the strongest sect in the eastern region of the Human Realm, the Heavenly Nirvana Sect, had a deep-seated apprehension toward the Jade Lake Spiritual World. There were rumors that the Jade Lake Spiritual World was founded by a force that came from the Heavenly Court a long time ago in the distant past, with the aim of selecting beings that had promise of becoming Divine Sea stage experts and convincing them to join their ranks. Despite all the hearsay, the Jade Lake Spiritual World¡¯s Dao Congregation had never been canceled or stopped before throughout history. The Shan Mountain Congregation, however, was just one infinitesimally small branch congregation. The Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain that was mentioned in Primordial Lord Yangze¡¯s command jade slip was located in the Quicksand Earth Territory, bordering the Shan Mountain Territory. It was near the center of the territory, where there were not only many large demon sects and paradises, but also many ghosts and monsters. Overall, it was an extremely chaotic area. For the sake of this trip to the Quicksand Earth Territory, Xu Disheng had spent well over 10,000 spirit stones to acquire the Primordial Canon of Supreme Mystery and the spells it contained. The Primordial Canon of Supreme Mystery was capable of not only hiding his human race aura, but it also allowed the user to change Shangqing profound qi into other forms of energy like demonic qi, ghost qi, and devil qi. However, the requirements for practicing this cultivation method were stringent, requiring considerable powers of comprehension. Ordinary disciples had no way of practicing this cultivation method. In order to convert one¡¯s energy into a certain type, the user had to have an understanding of the corresponding cultivation methods or techniques. Aside from the human race cultivation methods that Xu Disheng practiced, he had the life-accompanying cultivation method, Soul Song, which could be considered as part of the Ghost Dao and the Soul Dao. In cultivating the Primordial Canon of Supreme Mystery, Xu Disheng could only rely on the soul-suppressing Evil Spirit skull to convert his profound qi to ghost qi. While this cultivation method was indeed profound, Xu Disheng could only hide his identity from cultivators at the early Divine Core stage and lower, due to his own early Dao Foundation stage cultivation base. Even an early Divine Core stage cultivator might be able to see through the guise of the Primordial Canon of Supreme Mystery with some careful examination. After all, this technique only changed the energy flowing through one¡¯s meridians from Shangqing profound qi to ghost qi. It wasn¡¯t possible to change the profound law foundation in one¡¯s Jianggong acupoint. ¡°Deacon Bai Zhehua requests an audience with Soul Suppressor Sacred Son.¡± He Ziming¡¯s resonant voice rang out from outside Profound Resonance Hall. Xu Disheng put away the jade slips on the desk before saying, ¡°Let him in.¡± Bai Zhehua strode quickly into the hall, a look of hatred and anger on his face. As soon as he caught sight of Xu Disheng, he bowed respectfully. ¡°Soul Suppressor Sacred Son,¡± he greeted. ¡°What makes you so anxious and in a hurry?¡± Xu Disheng asked, looking down with a calm, profound gaze at Bai Zhehua. The glow from the Golden Moon Garment intensified as he stood up. ¡°Quan Hongyu, He Qiwen, Li Zhao, and their lot brought several female disciples from Cloud Abyss Peak and some Sea of Qi stage maids to their courtyard to engage in dirty acts. They¡¯re utterly despicable!¡± Bai Zhehua continued, his anger still unappeased. ¡°I tried to reprimand them and stop them, but they instead just taunted me and humiliated me. The cultivation bases of Zhang Haobo and I, along with the few other disciples, were insufficient. We weren¡¯t their opponents, and they just shooed us away!¡± Although Bai Zhehua was now a Deacon, he was still at the peak Sea of Qi stage in terms of cultivation. He had no way of intimidating Quan Hongyu and his group into submission. Quan Hongyu, He Qiwen, and their lot had volunteered to follow Soul Suppressor Sacred Son to the Anxi Province, where they were stationed for 10 years. They earned quite a bit of contribution and recognition for this, but after they came back, they became even more rampant. They often mingled with sleazy female disciples of the Peak, and they even showed complete disregard for Deacon Bai Zhehua. Xu Disheng shook his head. ¡°There are both good and bad disciples abound in this Peak. In the first place, they were all recruited for the sake of meeting the sect¡¯s quota. It isn¡¯t that surprising for such a ridiculous situation to occur eventually.¡± Bai Zhehua was clearly dissatisfied with Xu Disheng¡¯s words, but he didn¡¯t dare to openly defy Soul Suppressor Sacred Son. He could only grit his teeth and reply, ¡°Then we do nothing about it?¡± As if he was astonished at Bai Zhehua¡¯s stupidity, Xu Disheng examined him closer and said, ¡°You are now a genuine Deacon of Cloud Abyss Peak. If the ordinary disciples and intermediary disciples of Cloud Abyss Peak refuse to listen to your command, all you need to do is suppress them and arrest them, then send them to Disciplinary Hall to discuss their wrongdoings.¡± ¡°But I¡­ I don¡¯t stand a chance against them.¡± ¡°As a Deacon, you have access to tens of times more cultivation resources than the ordinary and intermediary disciples. Why would you be unable to face them in a fight?¡± Xu Disheng responded. After these words echoed in Bai Zhehua¡¯s ears, Xu Disheng didn¡¯t look at him anymore. He strode right out of Profound Resonance Hall and stopped by Profound Resonance Pond, where he collected several clear spirit lotuses. Upon putting them away, he summoned the suanni spiritual beast, then tore through space and left. ¡­ ¡­ The Quicksand Earth Territory, which bordered the banks of the Luo River, was adjacent to the Anxi Province. Violent waves surged in the Luo River all year long, forming a sturdy barrier between the Shan Mountain Territory and the Quicksand Earth Territory. At the very center of the Quicksand Earth Territory was the vast, seemingly boundless Quicksand Sea. It was at this point that the Luo River and its tributaries converged, flowing to an end. Several streaks of extremely powerful profound light shot up out of the surface of the Quicksand Sea. The originally calm waters were sent surging up into waves dozens of meters tall. Monster power spells collided from time to time above the surface, exploding out with deafening potency. One was an extremely beautiful woman in a white dress, whose expression was colored with anxiety. In her hand was an orb of jade green profound light, and she cut a rather sorry figure as she fled over the surface of the sea. Behind her were several men in scale armor, in hot pursuit. They were all Transformation stage monsters, and would occasionally fire monster spells at the white-dressed woman as they gave chase. She would have to dodge left and right to evade them, which gradually allowed the men to catch up. ¡°Luo Xue, hand over the Green Jade Light Cicada and we¡¯ll spare your life,¡± the black-armored man in the lead said, his expression cold and serious. His voice resounded in the woman¡¯s ears, but she turned a deaf ear. The woman in the white dress gritted her teeth and took out several precious pills, which she ate in rapid succession. After casting a secret technique, she suddenly accelerated. The men watched as the distance between them quickly grew, and it seemed that in the next instant, she would disappear off into the horizon and they would lose track of her. Further up ahead, a handsome youth in a gold and white robe was standing there in the air above the Quicksand Sea. The look in his eyes was cold as he watched the scene taking place. The moment Luo Xue caught sight of him, her face lit up. She shifted her direction slightly, heading for the youth¡¯s location with the fastest speed she could muster. As she flew rapidly along, she called out and tried to plead with him. ¡°Good-looking sir, please, as a fellow human, would you be so kind as to help this woman hold off a few monsters?¡± The youth remained silent, but his gaze paused for a moment when it landed on the Green Jade Light Cicada. CH 228 Chapter 228 ¨C Why Are You So Weak? The expression of the man in the black armor fell, turning unsightly. He yelled out from afar, ¡°Damn human, if you dare to help that woman and block us, I¡¯ll let you know what¡ª¡± Before he could even finish, endless water yin lightning burst forth from the youth¡¯s body with a deafening roar. Black lightning crackled across the water in serpentine fashion, impaling through Luo Xue¡¯s body in an instant. Water Yin Lightning Scroll, Spirit Suppressing Yin Lightning! Xu Disheng waved his hand and sent out a stream of profound qi. In one smooth motion, he sent the lifeless woman slamming down into the Quicksand Sea and snatched the Jade Green Light Cicada. The black-armored man hadn¡¯t even finished his sentence, but his jaw dropped as he gaped in shock. The other monsters behind him stopped in their tracks, hovering above the sea, completely dumbstruck. Luo Xue, a peak Dao Foundation stage cultivator, was exterminated in the blink of an eye, before she even had time to react! A few moments later, the monsters finally regained their composure. Looks of terror appeared on their complexions, and they swallowed hard. Having made up their minds, they all turned tail and fled. ¡°Get back here.¡± The youth¡¯s icy voice echoed in their ears. As the black-armored man thought of the terrifying might of the all-encompassing water yin lightning that appeared just now, his face contorted into a smile that looked even worse than a crying expression. He slowly flew back over and gave him a bashful smile. ¡°Respected sir, this is a misunderstanding. It¡¯s really all just a misunderstanding.¡± Xu Disheng stifled a laugh and replied, ¡°What misunderstanding?¡± The black-armored man was at a momentary loss for words and looked somewhat beseechingly to his left and right for help. Who would have thought that the other Transformation stage monsters with him all had their heads lowered, looking at the surface of the Quicksand Sea as if they hadn¡¯t heard a word. ¡°This¡­¡± Xu Disheng wasn¡¯t intentionally trying to put him in a difficult spot. He put away the Green Jade Light Cicada and said, ¡°Do you know where Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain is located? The map jade slip I possess only indicates that it¡¯s in these whereabouts, but the only thing here is the boundless Quicksand Sea. No Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain or anything of that sort.¡± ¡°Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain?¡± the black-armored man echoed, looking completely confused. His expression didn¡¯t look feigned in any way. ¡°I won¡¯t hide anything from respected human sir. I was born here in the Quicksand Sea region, and in all my 500 years residing here, I have never heard of a place called Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain.¡± Xu Disheng merely nodded in response, not paying these Transformation stage monsters any more attention. He transformed into a beam of light and shot off into the distance, disappearing beyond the horizon. ¡°Lord General, I don¡¯t suppose the Green Jade Light Cicada just¡­¡± a bungling, somewhat dimwitted-looking Transformation stage monster started, coming forward. Before he could finish his sentence, he received a ruthless slap from the black-armored man. ¡°Pitiful disgrace! You want me to die? That human was clearly a Dao Foundation stage genius from a large-scale sect in another Territory. Even if a bunch of tiny rogue cultivator monsters like us were to swarm him all at once, we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance!¡± ¡°Then why did he kill Luo Xue, but not us?¡± The black-armored man glanced at the spot where Luo Xue had plummeted into the sea. When he spoke, his tone unexpectedly carried a hint of sympathy in it. ¡°Luo Xue was a famous human Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator from these waters, similar to us. If she had simply run, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch up. But she took the wrong path and got that genius wrapped up in the matter. He casually swatted her down like a fly, but she can blame no one but herself for her demise.¡± An incredulous look on his face, the doltish monster that spoke earlier exclaimed, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me a genius from a large-scale sect is that strong?! Luo Xue, who also had a human Dao Foundation stage cultivation, couldn¡¯t do anything against him!¡± ¡°If my guesses aren¡¯t wrong, I would say that based on his demeanor and aura, rather than being a Dao Foundation stage genius from a large-scale sect, he¡¯s actually from an overlord sect!¡± ¡­ ¡­ Green Jade Light Cicadas were extremely rare in the Shan Mountain Territory. Xu Disheng had recently been studying many ancient texts, so he recognized it. In any body of water, there would be Green Jade Coral. It was extremely common, and it was usually the lowest level spiritual life form in any body of water. For the full version, visit pawread dot com. However, under extremely rare circumstances, Green Jade Coral could produce a highly precious spiritual life form called a Green Jade Light Cicada. A single Green Jade Light Cicada was worth at least several thousand spirit stones. Xu Disheng didn¡¯t really care much about the Green Jade Light Cicada. The reason why he had slain Luo Xue was because she was clearly harboring schemes to use him. He didn¡¯t expect a human rogue cultivator like her to be so weak to the point that she wasn¡¯t even able to block a single move of his Water Yin Lightning Scroll. Xu Disheng rarely left the Shangqing Sacred Sect, so he had no idea what kind of reputation the disciples of the Shangqing Sacred Sect had in the Shan Mountain Territory and the neighboring Territories. There were many rogue cultivators in the eastern region of the Human Realm. Wandering ghosts, little monsters that had acquired spiritual awareness, and human rogue cultivators could all be considered under the blanket term of rogue cultivators. They were generally the bottommost rung in the world of profound cultivators. One step above them were the small-scale sects or the small clans. These kinds of groups usually had a few Divine Core stage cultivators in their ranks as their strongest fighters. Another step up was the medium-scale sects, the medium-sized clans, the large-scale sects, and the large clans. They usually possessed fighting prowess at the Primordial Spirit stage. The vast majority of organizations at this level were subordinate or branch sects of an overlord sect. The apex existences in most Territories were overlord sects like the Shangqing Sacred Sect, with long histories and ancient inheritances. Organizations at this level had produced Divine Sea stage beings in the past and even had Clone Avatar stage existences in their ranks. They often possessed incredible might that allowed them to reign over an entire Territory with an iron fist. The entire eastern region had been lifted to its current heights by the many overlord sects of the various Territories occupying the region. Setting aside the extremely rare demon paradises, celestial lands, and peak-level sects, most of the disciples from overlord sects could casually steamroll any rogue cultivators at the same cultivation realm. Luo Xue, that woman in the white dress, was a Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator, and she didn¡¯t even have any common Magic Treasures. It went without saying that even if there were 20 of her, she still wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance against Xu Disheng, a Sacred Son ranked genius. In the end, she was fated to be crushed. Although the ordinary Sea of Qi stage disciple in the Shangqing Sacred Sect only earned several spirit stones per month in cultivation resources, they would never know the harsh reality that human rogue cultivators had to endure. Being at the lowest rung of cultivators, rogue cultivators were often hard-pressed to scrounge up a measly 10 spirit stones, even after an entire year¡¯s worth of intense hardship. In a field of Green Jade Coral that could be just about found anywhere, Luo Xue had inadvertently stumbled across a Green Jade Light Cicada! The value of this Green Jade Light Cicada would have allowed Luo Xue to safely cultivate for decades. She would have no longer had to use her poor, deprived body to solicit other people! However¡­ she was a bit too clever for her own good. Too clever, one might say, to the point that she had thought of the idea to use Xu Disheng as a shield. However, while she could come up with such a scheme, she could have never imagined the result for trying. ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng¡¯s brows furrowed as he allowed the trembling half-Transformation stage monster before him to flee into the depths of the sea. This was already the seventh monster he had asked, but he still hadn¡¯t been able to find the slightest lead about Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain. However, there was no way that Primordial Lord Yangze would possibly have him go to a place that didn¡¯t exist. Xu Disheng crushed the vague, imprecise map jade slip between his fingers. He was just about to proceed forward when he heard a grating voice from the sky. ¡°A human? A human rogue cultivator actually dared to come to the gate of the Quicksand Sea Paradise?¡± Several Transformation stage monsters with powerful auras flew over from the distance. Astonishment played on their faces as they sized up Xu Disheng. CH 229 Chapter 229 ¨C Red Silk Monster General In the Quicksand Earth Territory, there were many demon paradises, but also monster paradises as well. However, there were no human sects, so practically all of the humans that appeared in the Quicksand Earth Territory were rogue cultivators. Xu Disheng had somehow arrived unknowingly at the gate of Sandsea Paradise. The man in the lead was a straightforward man. He was descending on a nimbus cloud, brows furrowed as he spoke coldly. ¡°Sandsea Paradise doesn¡¯t welcome humans or demons. Hurry up and leave, otherwise don¡¯t blame us for being discourteous!¡± The other people accompanying him also had threatening expressions, as if they were prepared to immediately unleash attacks at him. The straightforward man, who was at the half-step Monster Core stage, perhaps wouldn¡¯t feel such deep-seated apprehension towards Xu Disheng if it weren¡¯t for the powerful, domineering aura emanating from his body. These Monster Generals would have attacked a long time ago, and they wouldn¡¯t have even bothered exchanging words with him. Sandsea Paradise was a monster paradise, which consisted not only of several Monster Core stage Monster Generals, but also even Primordial Monster stage Monster Kings. These kinds of existences couldn¡¯t be lightly insulted by a mere Dao Foundation stage cultivator like Xu Disheng. ¡°Would you happen to know where Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain is located?¡± Xu Disheng asked the straightforward man and the other Monster Generals, not showing any signs of hostility. The difference between the cultivation boundaries was similar for the demon race and human race, for example the Dao Foundation stage and Divine Core stage. The names for the different cultivation realms for monsters were different from that of the humans and demons. Ordinary Transformation stage monsters were called Monster Generals, which were analogous to the human and demon race Dao Foundation stage. Those at the Monster Core stage were referred to as Great Monster Generals, which were analogous to the human and demon race Divine Core stage. ¡°Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain?¡± the straightforward man repeated, his expression altering slightly. He seemed to know something about this place. ¡°What are you planning to do at Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain?¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± Xu Disheng asked. Faint black lightning rippled around his body as he released a shocking aura. When the straightforward man sensed the surging aura erupting from Xu Disheng¡¯s body, some guesses about his status formed in his mind. He wasn¡¯t willing to complicate things further, so he pointed in the direction of the heart of the Quicksand Earth Territory, where the Quicksand Paradise was located. ¡°In Quicksand Paradise, which is ruled by the Quicksand Sea Deity, there is a Divine Palace. The name of this palace is very strange¡ªTen Thousand Ghosts Mountain.¡± Xu Disheng nodded, then left in a beam of light, leaving behind sonic booms in his wake. ¡°Old Black, this is the gate of our Sandsea Paradise. Why were you so lenient towards that human brat? That¡¯s so unlike you!¡± ¡°Use your eyes a bit, will you? If my guesses aren¡¯t wrong, given that brat¡¯s aura and demeanor, he¡¯s probably from an overlord sect! Inviting disaster upon Sandsea Paradise is the last thing I would want!¡± ¡­ ¡­ There was a sea deity in the Quicksand Sea who had been appointed as a deity by the will of heaven and earth. This sea deity wasn¡¯t like the lake deity of Jade Water Lake, Bai Tong, who had been a rank 9 deity. This was a rank 6 deity of heaven and earth, ruling over an entire sea region! The divine power of a deity, in terms of the human race¡¯s profound qi cultivation, was analogous to the terrifying Clone Avatar stage! The Quicksand Earth Territory was an aquatic territory. It couldn¡¯t be considered extremely powerful, and it was lacking in comparison to the Shan Mountain Territory. Although there were numerous large-scale sects and large paradises in the Quicksand Earth Territory, there was no overlord sect. The only organization that could be considered half of an overlord sect was Quicksand Paradise, which had a rank 6 deity. In the entire Quicksand Earth Territory, the Quicksand Deity was the sole Clone Avatar level existence. Although the Quicksand Deity referred to as a deity, it was really a monster. Even though there were many Monster Kings and Great Monster Generals in Quicksand Paradise stationed to protect the Divine Palace, nothing could change the fact that they were all still monsters. ¡­ ¡­ Xu Disheng turned over the jade slip containing the Water Manipulation Monster Technique in his hands, his brows furrowed lightly. Monster cultivation methods were usually innate, and only some rare, powerful monster techniques could be acquired through cultivation. It took a full day, but Xu Disheng managed to obtain this Water Manipulation Monster Technique from a water mussel monster. He had used a jade slip to record down the details of the technique. However, it would be a bit of a stretch if he relied on this exceedingly simple Water Manipulation Monster Technique to fuel the Primordial Canon of Supreme Mystery¡¯s shape-shifting capability. He gave it a try, but the most it could do was convert his Shangqing profound qi into water elemental energy with a hint of faint monster qi to it. It might work against a Monster General, but a Monster Core stage Great Monster General would immediately be able to discover the human nature of his body. The moment he finished transforming all of the profound qi in his meridians into monster qi, he sensed a handsome green-clothed man flying toward him from up ahead. When he passed by Xu Disheng, he subconsciously inhaled, taking in the surrounding smells. His brows suddenly furrowed, and he stopped in his tracks. ¡°What subspecies of monster are you?¡± he asked. Monsters and demons were distinct races. The demon race stemmed from an ancient, noble bloodline and had special characteristics depending on their subspecies. Any other subspecies of demon race were usually considered outsiders. Take the demon race of the Ancient Nuwa Sect for example, who possessed human upper halves and serpent lower halves. All living beings in the world knew that after the monster race cultivated to the Transformation stage, they would take on a fully humanoid appearance, making it extremely difficult to distinguish by appearance which subspecies they were originally. Xu Disheng peered at him and replied, ¡°Water monster.¡± The green-clothed man looked even more confused. He shook his head and laughed, ¡°What piddling water monster? If it weren¡¯t for the purity of the monster qi coming from your body, I would have taken you to be a human rogue cultivator.¡± ¡°Where are you headed at the moment?¡± The green-clothed man responded, ¡°I¡¯m off to pay a visit to Red Silk Monster General, to attend his banquet. What is it to you?¡± Xu Disheng waved his sleeve, causing a few dozen spirit stones to appear in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ve always greatly admired Red Silk Monster General. Would you be willing to bring me with you? I hope this small tribute could serve as an expression of my gratitude.¡± Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com" Spirit stones were an amalgamation of the essence of heaven and earth. Aside from ghosts, who couldn¡¯t use them, they were used by practically every race. The green-clothed man wavered for a moment. After sensing the frightening aura Xu Disheng possessed, he swept up the spirit stones and tucked them away. ¡°Fine then. I¡¯ll say that you are¡­ my clan brother.¡± Xu Disheng¡¯s curiosity was suddenly piqued. ¡°What subspecies of monster are you?¡± The green-clothed man¡¯s face stiffened as he replied, ¡°I am a transformation of the sea turtle race.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Xu Disheng lifted his gaze slightly and asked, ¡°What cultivation realm is Red Silk Monster General at? Why did he invite you to his banquet?¡± ¡°Red Silk Monster General is at the half-step Monster Core stage. His invitation is naturally because¡­¡± the green-clothed man¡¯s words trailed off, and his gaze suddenly turned doubtful as he gazed at Xu Disheng. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you admired Red Silk Monster General for a long time? But why do you not even know his cultivation realm?¡± CH 230 Chapter 230 ¨C Monster Mansion Banquet As Xu Disheng and the green-clothed man were speaking, a few streams of extremely pure monster qi and profound qi tore through the horizon, landing in front of them. A voice rang out, carrying a somewhat mocking tone. ¡°Gui Yuanhua. Before I came here, I saw Yuan Mochou enter your cave abode, and it was your wife that came out to personally invite him in.¡± The expression of the turtle-transformed monster who was speaking to Xu Disheng turned ashen, interrupting his line of questioning toward Xu Disheng. He turned his gaze to the person who spoke just now and said coldly, ¡°Liu Tongbai. If you slander my wife¡¯s name one more time, I will throw away these few hundred years of cultivation and put my life on the line to slaughter you right here, right now.¡± Before the human rogue cultivator Liu Tongbai could respond, the several Transformation stage monsters next to him began to roar with laughter. One of them, a water scorpion-transformed monster called Lai Zishi, came forward and patted Gui Yuanhua on the shoulder. ¡°Brother Liu might¡¯ve been a bit blunt, but in the end he was looking out for you. Brother Gui, you must already know about all this deep in your heart.¡± Several decades ago, Gui Yuanhua had taken a half-transformed water serpent monster as his monster companion. But he never expected this water serpent monster to have such a promiscuous disposition. Every time Gui Yuanhua left, she would take advantage of his absence to seduce all kinds of powerful monsters to come to their cave abode, where they would engage in lustful pleasures. A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. There was one time when Gui Yuanhua had returned to their cave, only to catch her in the act, red-handed. In the end, the powerful half-step Monster Core stage monster beat Gui Yuanhua until he was severely injured, then swaggered off. If it weren¡¯t for that water serpent monster having a bit of conscience and speaking out for him, that powerful monster would have probably beat Gui Yuanhua to death on the spot. After that, the water serpent monster¡¯s behavior became even more unrestrained. Gui Yuanhua was completely aware of what was going on, but to hear Liu Tongbai directly bring it up was still shameful to the extreme, causing him to fly into a rage. ¡°Who is this?¡± Liu Tongbai asked suspiciously, eyes drawn to Xu Disheng and his important-looking, elegant bearing. Although Liu Tongbai was a human rogue cultivator, he cultivated in these waters and was extremely close with these monsters. He had frequent interactions with them, and he was also on his way to Red Silk Monster General¡¯s banquet along with Lai Zishi and the other monsters. ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± Gui Yuanhua shot back. His anger from before still hadn¡¯t completely faded, and he didn¡¯t spare Liu Tongbai any cordialities. Lai Zishi came forward and stood between them, mediating between the two. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not quarrel here any longer. It would be more suitable for us to hurry along to Red Silk Monster General¡¯s banquet.¡± The other monsters simply parroted in agreement, and the party of humans and monsters entered the water, making their way toward Red Silk Monster General¡¯s cave abode. Red Silk Monster General was a half-step Monster Core stage Monster General. He was only a little bit away from being a Monster Core stage Great Monster General, and he held a position in Quicksand Paradise as a nautical patrol guard, possessing broad connections and relationships in the area. By this point, Liu Tongbai and their party already saw a good number of half-step Monster Generals show up one after the other in Red Silk Monster General¡¯s cave abode. ¡°I wonder what the objective of the Red Silk Monster General¡¯s banquet is this time?¡± a wolf monster named Shao Hun said, his wandering gaze filled with envy as he looked around at Red Silk Monster General¡¯s impressive, grand cave abode. ¡°We are both Transformation stage Monster Generals, but compared to Red Silk Monster General, I am completely broke.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just rogue cultivator monsters while Red Silk Monster General is a nautical patrol guard of Quicksand Paradise. How could we even begin to compare?¡± Lai Zishi said, unconcerned. He repeatedly urged them, ¡°Come on now, let¡¯s hurry up and go in. With how rich and powerful Red Silk Monster General is, this banquet ought to be extravagant. I¡¯m already totally famished.¡± Liu Tongbai deliberately lagged behind a few steps, pulling up next to Xu Disheng. He smiled and asked, ¡°If I may ask¡­ what should I call you?¡± Xu Disheng was sizing up the dignified, imposing appearance of Red Silk Monster General¡¯s cave abode. When he heard himself being addressed, he turned and glanced at Liu Tongbai. ¡°Soul Suppressor,¡± he responded. ¡°Soul Suppressor¡­¡± Liu Tongbai muttered to himself, seemingly unable to come up with any Monster General that went by the title ¡®Soul Suppressor Monster General¡¯. His brows furrowed in thought for a moment before someone tapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Brother Liu, what are you standing around for?¡± It was Lai Zishi, who appeared behind him with a questioning look on his face. His appearance immediately interrupted Liu Tongbai¡¯s deep train of thought. ¡°Ah¡­ Nothing, I just felt like this monster that was traveling with Gui Yuanhua seemed a bit unfamiliar, that¡¯s all.¡± Lai Zishi didn¡¯t seem to mind, replying nonchalantly, ¡°The Quicksand Earth Territory is so vast. Even in our small pond, dozens of Transformation stage Monster Generals appear every year. How is it strange at all for him to be unfamiliar?¡± Liu Tongbai didn¡¯t respond. He simply followed Lai Zishi, and after answering the questions of the small monster guarding the gate to Red Silk Monster General¡¯s cave abode, he went in. Strange, curious rocks were interspersed throughout the cave abode, emitting crystalline light. There were ornate, magnificent pavilions filling the spacious cave, and the grand, towering Monster Mansion at the very center emitted a profoundly striking aura. It was embedded in the sea floor, seeming to suppress its surroundings with its impressive demeanor. ¡°I heard that the enormous Monster Mansion over there is where Red Silk Monster General¡¯s ancestor stays in secluded meditation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Not to mention his noble, inspiring Monster King ancestor, apparently even Red Silk Monster General is on the verge of breaking through to the Monster Core stage!¡± The living beings who came to attend the banquet were a diverse lot. Over half were half-transformed monsters from the nearby waters, while the rest were like Gui Yuanhua, Lai Zishi, and the others, who were rogue cultivator Monster Generals. There were also some rogue cultivators like Liu Tongbai, who had been cultivating in these waters for a long time and had managed to receive an invitation to the banquet. An ordinary monster paradise consisting of only monster race like the Sandsea Paradise were extremely xenophobic toward the human and demon race. Quicksand Paradise was also a monster paradise, but it was completely different from other monster paradises. The Divine Palace of the Quicksand Sea Deity was located in Quicksand Paradise. Since their deity was appointed by the laws of heaven and earth, Quicksand Paradise did not discriminate against any races, so there were quite a few human rogue cultivators who joined their ranks. As a nautical patrol guard belonging to Quicksand Paradise, Red Silk Monster General also held no discrimination towards human rogue cultivators. As a result, the monsters and humans here in the Monster Mansion acted as equals, laughing and chatting together. Xu Disheng¡¯s party, consisting of Dao Foundation stage humans and Monster Generals, was brought to the main hall right beneath the majestic Monster Mansion, where they were allowed to take their seats. By this point, dozens of rogue cultivator Monster Generals had streamed into their hall in succession. There were four or five human Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivators among them who seemed to be well-acquainted with the others present. Since Red Silk Monster General hadn¡¯t arrived yet, they took the opportunity to greet them and exchange pleasantries. A little while later, the high-pitched and resonant voice of a sea snail monster rang out from outside the hall. ¡°Respectful greetings to Red Silk Monster General!¡± A young man in black and red armor strode into the hall with a smile on his face. Trailing behind him were several Monster Generals with powerful auras, clearly much stronger than the riff-raff monster rogue cultivators present. ¡°Greetings, Red Silk Monster General!¡± All monsters and humans alike present in the hall cupped their fists in salute, showing their respects. The rogue cultivator Monster Generals were at the same cultivation realm as Red Silk Monster General, but the difference between their status was like that of an ordinary Dao Foundation stage disciple from the Peak Destroying Sword Sect and a genius disciple from the Shangqing Sacred Sect. The two couldn¡¯t even be compared! ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, as you were!¡± Red Silk Monster General announced, his face beaming with a cordial smile that seemed to never fade. ¡°I have gathered the rogue cultivators of the nearby waters to share this grand, joyous occasion with you all!¡± In the front row of seats, a half-step Monster Core stage rogue cultivator stood up and cupped his hands. ¡°Red Silk Monster General, what special occasion is it?¡± he asked bluntly. ¡°Mountain Traversing Monster General, there is no need to rush. It won¡¯t be too late to mention it once the banquet begins! Come forth, servants. Start the banquet!¡± The moment that Red Silk Monster General gave the order, dozens of female fish-tailed monsters in airy, half-transparent red muslin lingerie filed into the hall, each one carrying an exquisite silver platter. Once they entered the hall, they placed the dishes down on the banquet table. ¡°Blood Jade Elixir! Water Origin Herb! Bright Heart Fruit! As expected of the wealth of Red Silk Monster General!¡± Lai Zishi exclaimed, eyeing the precious spiritual fruits and herbs laid out on the platters. His gaze was filled with greed, and he almost couldn¡¯t control himself. Most of the other rogue cultivator Monster Generals were much the same. When they laid eyes on the luxurious variety of precious spiritual fruits and herbs before them, they longed to dig in and gorge themselves voraciously, but they did everything they could to keep themselves in check. CH 231 Chapter 231 ¨C Divine Excellency Quicksand Red Silk Monster General narrowed his eyes and looked around the hall filled with rogue cultivator Monster Generals. He smiled and said, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please don¡¯t just stand there on ceremony. A meager feast it may be, but please do feel free to help yourself. Mountain Traversing Monster General, the person with the blunt and straightforward voice who spoke earlier, seemed a bit unhappy. ¡°Red Silk Monster General, why¡¯s it all vegetarian spiritual food? This Mountain Traversing Monster General wants to eat flesh!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Red Silk Monster General said, looking around the hall at the rogue cultivator Monster Generals present. ¡°Are there any other Monster Generals that would like to eat flesh?¡± Several rogue cultivator Monster Generals immediately stood up, cupping their fists to Red Silk Monster General. After a moment of thought, Red Silk Monster General turned to the side and instructed, ¡°Bring some fresh humans here for these Monster Generals to eat.¡± ¡°As you command, Red Silk Monster General.¡± One of the accompanying Monster Generals with a powerful aura immediately obeyed and withdrew. A little while later, he came back into the hall with a dozen ordinary mortals, all of them bound tightly. These mortals were captured and brought here from Mingyang Province, which was located at the border of the Quicksand Earth Territory. They were usually kept and raised in halls without water in them. When it came time for them to be eaten, they would immediately be brought out. ¡°Crude bastards!¡± Lai Zishi sneered. He was disdainful of these Monster Generals who liked flesh. He turned to Xu Disheng and the others and said, ¡°These spiritual fruits and herbs are hundreds of times better than flesh. Slaves to their own stomachs, utterly pitiful.¡± Liu Baitong¡¯s face was a bit stiff. He was a vicious and ruthless person, but even he could only stare blankly as he witnessed these fellow members of the human race meet such tragic fates. Inwardly, it made him feel out of sorts. Most of the rogue cultivator Monster Generals in the hall looked down on these uncouth Monster Generals who liked flesh. As they ate from the platters in front of them, they gazed at the mortals in the hall. Among them was a mother and child pair who had been captured not too long ago. The boy, who looked to be only a little over 10 years old, had puffy, tear-filled eyes. He was seized by a half-transformed fish monster and placed on the banquet table. The fish monster smiled at Mountain Traversing Monster General and said, ¡°Lord Mountain Traversing Monster General, from my years of experience, human flesh has the best mouthfeel and freshness when they are suffering.¡± With that, the fish monster flipped its palm over and a sharp dagger appeared, which seemed to be for scraping bones. It glittered with a cold sheen as he casually twirled it around in his hand. ¡°But physical suffering can¡¯t beat emotional suffering. As the saying goes, mother and son are of one heart, and these two right here are precisely mother and son¡­¡± When his words reached that point, the fish monster suddenly waved the dagger, carving off a piece of skin and flesh from the boy¡¯s body. The boy was being pressed down on the table, and there was a wad of cotton shoved in his mouth, making him unable to cry out. His body shook intensely as he endured the excruciating pain. The woman to the side wanted to tear her eyes out as she watched. Tears flooded her eyes, but her mouth and nose had already been sealed. She was powerless against the overwhelming despair. There was also no water present in this hall, so these mortals could be moved out of their pen without drowning. Due to the barrier made from monster power, the water had been kept at bay outside of the hall, unable to enter. The rogue cultivator Monster Generals all looked on broodingly. Mountain Traversing Monster General swallowed his saliva, his eyes turning red with gluttony. All he wanted was to pick that boy up and toss him into his mouth to revel in the taste. There were several human Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivators in the hall. One of them stood up and said coldly, ¡°If you want to eat human flesh, then just kill them right away. Why must you torture them?¡± Mountain Traversing Monster General turned to look at him. He gave a deep huff, expelling a puff of monster qi from his large nostrils. ¡°This is what I prefer. I love to watch humans suffer in misery before gobbling them up. What does that have to do with you? Could it just be that you, Zhao Jianxin, can¡¯t stomach seeing your own race getting eaten?¡± Monster Traversing Monster General sneered crudely. Zhao Jianxin was disinclined to argue with him. He directly tossed out a furtive stream of profound light, which landed on the bodies of the mother and son pair. Mountain Traversing Monster General looked over at the mother. Seeing that she was limp and lifeless, he slammed the table and flew into a rage. ¡°Zhao Jianxin, you¡¯re courting death!¡± Zhao Jianxin wasn¡¯t scared of him in the slightest. Profound light began to revolve around him, as if he was planning to unleash an attack at him in the next moment. ¡°For now, please calm down, the two of you,¡± Red Silk Monster General interrupted. He lightly flicked his sleeves, sending an invisible ripple through the hall. ¡°It¡¯s not worth making a big fuss over a bit of flesh.¡± Countless astonished gazes turned towards Red Silk Monster General. With that flick of his sleeve, Red Silk Monster General had calmly suppressed both the monster qi of Mountain Traversing Monster General and the profound qi belonging to Zhao Jianxin! Clearly, he was already on the very brink of the Monster Core stage. Mountain Traversing Monster General opened up his gaping maw and casually tossed the mother and son pair into his mouth. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I need to save face for Red Silk Monster General, I would definitely have expunged you from these waters today, Zhao Jianxin!¡± he said, his words sounding muffled due to his mouth being full as he chewed. Zhao Jianxin gave a cold snort, ignoring him. Just now, he attacked and killed the mother and son pair because he really couldn¡¯t bear to see the fish monster deliberately torturing them like that. He wanted to reduce their suffering as much as possible. This matter was only a minor disturbance in the banquet. After that, even more precious delicacies and rare, exotic fruits were served up. They had even opened a few dozen jars of spirit wine, which the attendees could help themselves to. The banquet went on, the guests and hosts all thoroughly enjoyed the occasion. After a long while, Red Silk Monster General put down the wine cup in his hands and cleared his throat with a smile. ¡°Perhaps you all may have previously heard of the matter, that Divine Excellency Quicksand wished to thoroughly unify the Quicksand Earth Territory?¡± When the Monster Generals present in the hall heard what he said, their expressions flickered and they began to whisper among themselves. Not long ago, news came from the Quicksand Paradise saying that Divine Excellency Quicksand, the Rank 6 deity of this body of water, wished to fully consolidate the immense Quicksand Earth Territory to make an advancement in the Divine Path and thereby step into the almighty Divine Sea stage. Find the original at "pawread dot com". Divine Sea stage beings could become Rank 5 Heavenly Generals in the Heavenly Court! If a Rank 6 deity could advance in the Divine Path, it was not only possible to break through to the Divine Sea stage, but it was also possible to receive the title of Heavenly General in advance. This would allow them to break away from the Human Realm immediately, so they wouldn¡¯t have to wait for the conferral of titles that only happened for the Divine Sea stage beings once every few tens of thousands of years. They would be able to have their name recorded in the Heavenly Record of the House of the Earth God right away! Although this matter was often mentioned, no one knew if it was true or false. After all, Divine Excellency Quicksand had already existed for well over 10,000 years, but had never shown any desire to control any of the demon or monster paradises in the Quicksand Earth Territory. But was what Red Silk Monster General said really the truth? Seeing the bewilderment on the faces of all the guests in the hall, he gave a satisfied smile. ¡°Naturally, we don¡¯t need to worry about such lofty, distant matters. But I am on the verge of breaking through to the Monster Core stage, and when that happens, I will be promoted to a Great Monster General of Quicksand Paradise. I would need to leave this monster mansion and become truly independent, possessing a cave abode of my own.¡± Actually, this place didn¡¯t belong to Red Silk Monster General. The monster mansion belonged to Black Sea Monster King, but he often went into secluded meditation for dozens to hundreds of years at a time and was too busy to take care of the monster mansion. Thus, he handed off this authority to Red Silk Monster General, who was the most excellent of his descendents. But with Red Silk Monster General being on the verge of breaking through to the Monster Core stage and becoming a genuine Great Monster General, it would be somewhat inappropriate for him to continue residing in this monster mansion. CH 232 Chapter 232 ¨C Clues Regarding Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain The rogue cultivator Monster Generals who were quick to wrap their thoughts around the matter began to loudly voice their congratulations with joyful expressions on their faces. ¡°Red Silk Monster General, congratulations on your imminent promotion to Great Monster General! We are willing to render our humble services to you!¡± Red Silk Monster General¡¯s expression was as mild and cordial as before. He smiled as he looked around the room and said, ¡°You are all rogue cultivator Monster Generals belonging to these waters. If you continue to cultivate independently, the Monster Core stage may be too distant of a goal for many of you to achieve. As I am about to establish my own monster mansion, you all may feel free to join my influence. Not only will you always have cultivation resources to use, but you may also be able to receive a position in Quicksand Paradise as a nautical patrol guard!¡± At this point, his ambitions were now clear for all to see! He wanted to take these several dozen Transformation stage rogue cultivator Monster Generals as his own subordinates! Regardless of whether their interest was in the convenient abundance of cultivation resources that they would receive after Red Silk Monster General established his own monster mansion, or the promise of a position as a nautical patrol guard of Quicksand Paradise, it made the expressions of the rogue cultivators stir excitedly. Many of them immediately voiced their assent! When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Being a rogue cultivator was an extremely arduous path. If they could take advantage of this opportunity to join Red Silk Monster General¡¯s influence when he was just about to move to a new cave abode, there was a good chance that they would be able to rise up in the world! Red Silk Monster General¡¯s thoughts were meticulous. He turned to look at Zhao Jianxin and the other human rogue cultivators with a warm smile. ¡°Brother Zhao, your cultivation base is incredible. You are already at the half-step Divine Core stage, and are on the very brink of becoming a bona fide Divine Core stage cultivator. If you would like to join my cave abode, I would be willing to reserve for you a position as a Mansion Protector.¡± In every Great Monster General¡¯s cave abode, there were usually several positions reserved for Monster Generals to serve as Mansion Protectors. They were involved in everyday tasks and could represent the Great Monster General in overseeing all kinds of different matters, possessing enormous authority! If we were to liken the cave abode of a Great Monster General to a Mountain Peak established by a Divine Core stage Spirit Master, then the position of a Mansion Protector would be like a Vice Peak Master! A Vice Peak Master had authority above everyone else aside from the Peak Master, and could decide on practically all matters with a single word! Zhao Jianxin was moved. He suddenly remembered something, and cupped his fist in salute. ¡°Red Silk Monster General, if I may be so bold as to inquire¡­ the rumors about Divine Excellency Quicksand, are they¡­¡± Red Silk Monster General¡¯s expression became a shade more solemn, and he turned to the enormous, majestic Monster Mansion and humbly clasped his hands. ¡°This matter is true. My ancestor, Lord Black Sea Monster King, has already issued several orders. Many of the Monster Mansions belonging to the nearby Great Monster Generals have been forced to capitulate and were assimilated into Quicksand Paradise. However, this isn¡¯t something that mere Monster Generals like us need to worry about¡ªit is simply too distant of a matter from us for it to be consequential.¡± The powers within the Quicksand Earth Territory were numerous, and also extremely disjointed and chaotic. The most powerful of them, Quicksand Paradise, had the reigning Quicksand Sea Deity, allowing them to stably occupy the centermost region of the Quicksand Earth Territory. There were also several large demon race paradises. The White Night Paradise at the border of the Quicksand Earth Territory was one such demon paradise. They usually had several Primordial Spirit stage cultivators among their ranks, possessing power on par with a large-scale human race sect. There were several monster paradises as well, such as the Sandsea Paradise that Xu Disheng had passed by before. They normally had a Monster King level existence leading them. The most numerous were the practically countless rogue cultivator monsters. A portion of the powerful rogue cultivator monsters had already been taken into the influence of Quicksand Paradise, where they would be given titles as Monster Kings, Great Monster Generals, and so on, ruling over a region within the Territory. The vast majority of rogue cultivator monsters were still struggling to scrape by as the lowest stratum in the Quicksand Earth Territory. At this moment, Red Silk Monster General, who was about to establish his own cave abode, wanted to bring together these scattered Transformation stage Monster Generals and ensign them to his influence. As for the half-transformed monsters below the Monster General rank, they were practically endless in number, so it wasn¡¯t worth paying them any special attention. ¡­ ¡­ Through the effects of the Primordial Canon of Supreme Mystery, the profound qi in Xu Disheng¡¯s body was being converted to monster qi, but that only made him appear at the early Transformation stage in terms of cultivation base. Sitting among those several half-step Monster Core stage and dozens of Transformation stage Monster Generals, there was no way he would be able to attract any attention. It was only Liu Tongbai who paid him any heed. He turned to Xu Disheng and asked, ¡°Brother Soul Suppressor, why are you not helping yourself to the spirit fruits and herbs?¡± Ignoring Liu Tongbai¡¯s strange way of addressing him, Xu Disheng shook his head and replied, ¡°These rare delicacies are indeed quite good, but their effect is very minimal for me.¡± Liu Tongbai gave a playful smile and said, ¡°It couldn¡¯t be that you prefer flesh, do you, Brother Soul Suppressor?¡± Xu Disheng glanced at the few remaining mortals at the corner of the hall before saying, ¡°These spirit fruits and herbs are useful for the cultivation base, but what use is the flesh of humans aside from satisfying the crude impulses of a monster¡¯s appetite?¡± Liu Tongbai nodded slowly and responded, ¡°That¡¯s exactly right. But these humans are really too pitiful.¡± ¡°Humans raising livestock for food, and monsters eating people¡ªthe two races act the same way in that sense,¡± Xu Disheng said, lightly flicking his sleeves. He seemed to glance inadvertently at Red Silk Monster General as he continued, ¡°Have you heard of Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain in Quicksand Paradise?¡± Liu Tongbai revealed a look of astonishment. ¡°Ten Thousand Ghosts Mountain is the mountain peak on the seabed where Divine Excellency Quicksand¡¯s Divine Palace is located. It is also the deepest part of the Quicksand Sea. What about it?¡± Xu Disheng didn¡¯t respond to him. He picked up a Bright Heart Fruit from a platter on the table and tossed it into his mouth. When he lowered his gaze, resplendent black light glittered within. ¡­ ¡­ Over the frozen, icy expanse, snowflakes filled the air. Bone-piercing cold wind howled, but Azure Night Island was silent, seemingly devoid of any traces of life. CRASH! A dozen overbearing streams of monster qi broke through the ice, arriving at the edge of Azure Night Island in rapid succession. They coldly examined the massive island, of which there were only a few in the Quicksand Sea. All of these beings were Transformation stage Monster Generals! From the space where they had blasted through the ice, a few hundred half-transformed monsters swarmed out, landing in neat formation behind the Monster Generals. Leading the group was an elegant, demure woman clad in white armor, her expression solemn. Her voice resonated through Azure Night Island, imbued with monster qi. ¡°Azure Night Lord, stop playing dead and get out here.¡± An aged sigh echoed in the ears of the Monster Generals as the figure of the Azure Night Lord appeared in the middle of the air. As he looked over the crowd of Monster Generals and monsters below, he said flatly, ¡°In the thousands of years of my Azure Night Island¡¯s existence, we have always acted benevolently, sheltering human rogue cultivators. Even the Great Monster Generals around these waters treat my master well. At this time, the order has already come down, sealing Azure Night Island off. Why have you all come to make things difficult?¡± The woman snorted derisively at the Azure Night Lord¡¯s words, smiling coldly. ¡°Stop spouting useless drivel. No one, not even a demon paradise with ancient roots, a Monster King, or a Great Monster General can escape this. Aside from capitulating to Quicksand Paradise, the only other path is extermination!¡± The Azure Night Lord seemed to have expected this response long in advance. The gaze that he swept over the monsters below turned even icier. ¡°I may have lost face for my Ancestor, having been trapped at the half-step Divine Core stage for several hundred years without being able to break through, but how can a few Transformation stage monster minions like you dare to speak so boldly, saying you wish to exterminate my Azure Night Island?¡± Azure Night Island was a gathering place for human rogue cultivators that had existed for thousands of years. Every Island Master assumed the title of Azure Night Lord, but this particular Azure Night Lord had been unable to break through to the Divine Core stage for a few hundred years due to the limited cultivation resources. Because of this, he often had to put up with the bullying from monsters of the surrounding waters. In the past, the previous Azure Night Lord had established friendly relations with each of the Great Monster Generals in the region. If it weren¡¯t for these mutual friendships, the few hundred rogue cultivators of Azure Night Island would have long since been suppressed and annihilated. Recently, the Quicksand Earth Territory had undergone shocking changes. Quicksand Paradise suddenly began to expand outward madly, and many overbearingly powerful Great Monster Generals and even Monster Kings were deployed, taking personal action in the conquest. With their subordinate Monster Generals in tow, they gradually began to annex the influences surrounding Quicksand Paradise. CH 233 Chapter 233 ¨C Yao Punishing Four Swords, Exterminate! TL: ¡°Demon Punishing Array Diagram¡± will henceforth be known as ¡°Yao Punishing Array Diagram¡±. I have also gone back to change it accordingly. In this novel, the word Ñý ¡®yao¡¯ is associated with both the demon race (Ñý×å) and monster race (ÑýÎï), and is used to describe both of their qi and abilities; what I have been translating as ¡°monster qi¡± and ¡°demonic qi¡± are actually the same Chinese characters in this novel: ÑýÆø ¨C which I felt was a necessary distinction to make. In mythology, a yao is a type of creature/demon/monster, which is born from anomalies in the qi that pervades the material world, or due to human activity that disrupts natural order. This concept exists in both Chinese and Japanese folklore, and in this novel, it has appeared many times in the form of some material object gaining spiritual awareness after many years of existence. Thus far, the author hadn¡¯t clarified on this point, but I decided to change it now since the English translation, ¡°Demon Punishing Array Diagram¡± doesn¡¯t make much sense anymore given the status of the demon race in this novel. In the end, Azure Night Lord was unwilling to abandon this ancestral estate. Now that he had learned of the true state of affairs, it was already too late for him to leave. Profound light rotated around him, and surprisingly, a Divine Core stage aura erupted from his body! At that moment, Azure Night Lord made a daring, bold choice. In order to give all of the human rogue cultivators on the island enough time to flee, he didn¡¯t hesitate to ignite his own lifeforce in exchange for a brief moment of Divine Core stage power! If he really was able to exert control over this Divine Core stage power, he would be able to slaughter a path through all of these monsters without facing the least bit of resistance, even if there were some half-step Monster Core stage Monster Generals among them. ¡°Your excellency!¡± ¡°Azure Night Lord!¡± ¡°Your excellency, don¡¯t do this!!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put our lives on the line and charge at them all at once!¡± Countless sorrowful cries suddenly began to ring out from Azure Night Island, breaking its tranquil atmosphere. Hundreds of Sea of Qi stage and Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivators rushed out of the island, expressions filled with grief and indignation. Someone bellowed out, ¡°There are only around a dozen transformed Monster Generals here! They won¡¯t stand a chance against us! Let us join hands and slaughter them where they stand!!¡± The aura surging from Azure Night Lord became even more fierce as he turned around and roared, ¡°NO! The nearby waters have already completely been taken over by Quicksand Paradise. There is definitely a Great Monster General headed this way at this very moment! Hurry up and run away, before the Great Monster General appears! I will stay behind and slaughter these small fries, then hold the Great Monster General back. Don¡¯t waste anymore time, RUN!!¡± ¡°Azure Night Lord!¡± All of the rogue cultivators wore pained expressions. But under Azure Night Lord¡¯s firm gaze, they all began to slowly retreat before dispersing in all directions in an attempt to escape from the entrapped Azure Night Island. The beautiful woman in the white armor sneered coldly. ¡°A bunch of rancid small fries like you don¡¯t even warrant the presence of a Great Monster General!¡± Having ignited his lifeforce, Azure Night Lord felt the tyrannically powerful Divine Core stage power surging from his sea of qi. He felt as if all of the vast power of heaven and earth was under his full control, as if he would break through to the Divine Core stage in the next few breaths. Although it was short and fleeting, this was the moment in his life when he was shining the brightest. Azure Night Lord suddenly glanced down at the weak Monster Generals below him, his expression turning strange. Even if there were twice as many Monster Generals here, he would still be able to slaughter them all with a flip of his palm. And yet¡­ why did they not look scared at all? A bad feeling rose in his heart. Was the Great Monster General already here? As he felt terror slowly overcoming him, a streak of watery blue profound light suddenly ripped through the airspace above Azure Night Island! A deafening roar shook all of Azure Night Island. A suanni spiritual beast appeared, fully 30 meters in height as it treaded upon the clouds. A youth in a white robe was standing there quietly between the horns on its head. A small array diagram floated above his palm, within which were four fiercely incisive sword intents. ¡°Soul Suppressor Monster General!¡± ¡°Respectful greetings, Soul Suppressor Monster General!¡± The dozen or so Transformation stage Monster Generals and the hundreds of monsters behind them all bowed, gazes bordering on fanatical veneration present in their eyes. The white-robed youth didn¡¯t even spare the monsters a glance. He casually tossed out the Yao Punishing Array Diagram, and a moment later, it expanded exponentially, covering all of Azure Night Island! ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t we leave the island¡­?!¡± When the human rogue cultivators suddenly saw the borders of the array diagram appear before them, their faces filled with despair. They were only separated from the peaceful surface of the ocean by a paper-thin sword array barrier, but to them, that barrier was an eternally insurmountable obstacle! Large snowflakes fluttered down from the skies, filling the air. In contrast with the dancing snowflakes, the youth¡¯s appearance seemed even more fair and handsome. Profound light revolved in his palm and the four-colored sword lights disappeared. ¡°Yao Punishing Four Swords, exterminate.¡± The moment the words left his mouth, sword energy began to sweep up, causing sharp gales to howl! Four massive sword projections appeared above the island-encompassing Yao Punishing Array Diagram. Countless dazzlingly resplendent sword lights began to blossom forth, commencing an indiscriminate massacre! Azure Night Lord¡¯s eyes trembled with rage as he watched the sword energy obliterating the rogue cultivators one after the other. He was overcome with bitterness, but there wasn¡¯t anything he could do. He could only turn his gaze, which looked like it could outright kill, toward the white-clothed youth. Two breaths! In another two breaths of time, Azure Night Lord could make a full break through to the Divine Core stage! Even if it meant that he had to risk destroying his soul and being unable to reincarnate, he absolutely had to put this white-clothed Monster General to death! But at that moment, a small, ornate drum suddenly appeared in front of the white-clothed youth. A terrible apprehension suddenly rose in Azure Night Lord¡¯s heart. And yet, the more he feared it, the worse it would come to be. ¡°Profound Resonance Nine Rotations. Third Rotation¡ªSilent Falling Rain.¡± Utter silence reigned. At that moment, Azure Night Lord lost all ability to hear. He looked down at the bloodbath below, watching powerlessly as the sword lights cut down the hundreds of rogue cultivators without giving them any chance to resist. He couldn¡¯t hear their miserable screams or indignant roars anymore. He could only stare as the organization he had worked to build for his entire life was crushed into pieces before his very eyes. Under the incessant rumbling of the Profound Resonance Drum, Azure Night Lord¡¯s meridians had already been completely ruptured. His vision gradually turned fuzzy¡­ In the end, he hadn¡¯t been able to put the power of the Divine Core stage to use. Azure Night Lord cast a final glance down at the island below him with a look of heart-wrenching grief. Powerless to put up a fight any longer, Azure Night Lord slowly closed his eyes. In the next moment, he was diced into smithereens by the sword lights that filled the skies. Within the area encompassed by the Yao Punishing Array Diagram, countless sword lights of four different colors rotated and swept through the air, unleashing utter carnage upon every nook and cranny of the island. A few breaths of time later, the island was still. ¡°Soul Suppressor Monster General!¡± ¡°All praise Soul Suppressor Monster General!!¡± The zealous look in the other Monster Generals¡¯ eyes grew more fervent. Many of them directly prostrated themselves before him and kowtowed. ¡°Clean this place up. Turn in any resources you find and make a record of them,¡± the white-robed youth commanded. He flicked his sleeves, causing the boundlessly majestic Yao Punishing Diagram encompassing the entire island to shrink down. In the end, it landed lightly in the youth¡¯s palm and was stored away. ¡°As you command, Soul Suppressor Monster General!¡± Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Xue Ling, with how tyrannically powerful Soul Suppressor Monster General is, how do you think he would measure up to a Great Monster General?¡± a Transformation stage Monster General said to the woman in the white armor, sighing emotionally as he watched the suanni spiritual beast gradually disappear into the horizon in a streak of watery blue light. Xue Ling seemed to pause blankly. After a moment of thought, she replied, ¡°Soul Suppressor Monster General is a human rogue cultivator. His strength is unfathomable, and even Red Silk Monster General holds him in high regard.¡± She didn¡¯t directly answer his question. ¡°As a human rogue cultivator, how could he be this strong? In my eyes, even the recently promoted Red Silk Monster General might not be Soul Suppressor Monster General¡¯s opponent.¡± ¡°You had best watch your words!¡± CH 234 chapter 234 ¨C mirror bodhi tl: this chapter was more than twice as long as most chapters, hence only one release this week (also been really busy lately unfortunately). thanks for your understanding. black sea monster mansion. ¡°red silk great monster general!¡± the several monster generals standing guard in front of the hall called out respectfully, putting their weapons away as soon as they saw him. ¡°no need to go overboard with etiquette. is ancestor still in meditation?¡± red silk great monster general said, wearing a gentle smile. even though he had already reached the monster core stage, he still treated the transformation stage monster generals extremely well. ¡°yes, his excellency black sea monster king has been in secluded meditation this whole time, and hasn¡¯t left the hall,¡± one of the monster generals guarding the hall reported. he looked somewhat surprised as he looked behind red silk great monster general at the white-robed youth standing there. it was a dao foundation stage human cultivator. perhaps this is the rumored soul suppressor monster general that he had been hearing so much of lately? he thought to himself. red silk great monster general turned to xu disheng and said, ¡°soul suppressor, come on in with me.¡± xu disheng nodded. red silk great monster general then took out a command token imbued with monster qi and activated it. the black gates of the hall swung open, and xu disheng followed red silk great monster general into the hall. from the outside, the black hall seemed dark and gloomy. but upon entering, it was like passing through a veil that separated the interior from the exterior. their surroundings blurred, and in the next instant they seemed to have entered a private realm. the power of heaven and earth here was overflowing and abundant. rare and precious spiritual herbs could be found all over, and there were yao birds and beasts scattered throughout. unexpectedly, they were on a floating island! ¡°red silk requests an audience with ancestor,¡± red silk great monster general declared respectfully, unfazed as he spoke into the command token in his hand. after a while, the voice of a young man echoed in their ears. ¡°come on up then.¡± having received permission, red silk great monster general stepped on a nimbus cloud and flew up to the monster palace atop the floating island. xu disheng¡¯s eyes flickered, and he also hopped on a nimbus cloud, following after him. the monster palace was grand and majestic. from here, it was possible to get a full view of the small private realm. this location was also where the power of heaven and earth converged. as a result, any technique, cultivation method, or spell practiced here would yield twice the progress with only half the effort. before the gate of a palace sat a striking young man with a head full of white hair. he was holding a fishing pole and appeared to be fishing for spirit birds among the clouds. the young man¡¯s eyes were pitch black. if one were to gaze into his eyes, it would be much like staring into a deep, bottomless abyss that seemed to engross any who had the nerve to look into his eyes, rendering them unable to tear their gaze away. ¡°red silk respectfully greets ancestor,¡± red silk great monster general said, lowering his head in a bow. ¡°respectful greetings, lord black sea monster king,¡± xu disheng said, clasping his fists and bowing. he didn¡¯t show any signs of disrespect whatsoever. the white-haired young man swept a casual glance over the two of them and then said in an indifferent tone, ¡°a disciple from the shan mountain territory¡¯s shangqing sacred sect?¡± xu disheng¡¯s pupils constricted, but he didn¡¯t refute him. ¡°as expected of the keen sight of one as astute as lord black sea monster king.¡± black sea monster king put down the long fishing pole that he was holding. as he gazed down at the dozens of spirit birds flying below the monster palace, he said, ¡°in this private realm, the shangqing profound qi in your jianggong meridian is like a blazing bonfire in the middle of a dark night.¡± red silk great monster general glanced at xu disheng out of the periphery of his vision. slightly hesitant, he came forward and said, ¡°ancestor, soul suppressor may be a disciple of the shangqing sacred sect, but he has joined my monster mansion for the time being. he has recently helped our black sea to expand its influence by a lot. in this red silk¡¯s humble opinion, he is deserving of a reward.¡± ¡°and the reward that this soul suppressor asked for was an audience with me?¡± black sea monster lord replied, getting to his feet and stretching contentedly. he seemed to have expected all of this long in advance. ¡°if there is something you would like to request, please speak your mind.¡± xu disheng paused for a moment before saying, ¡°i only request to be able to enter ten thousand ghosts mountain once.¡± with a snap of black sea monster king¡¯s fingers, the fishing pole on the ground disappeared without a trace. he turned to look at xu disheng with a contemplative gaze. ¡°it¡¯s surprising that a human dao foundation stage genius like you isn¡¯t scared of entering the depths of the chaotic fray of the factions in the quicksand earth territory all by yourself. and for you to then come straight into my private realm¡­aren¡¯t you scared that i¡¯ll just reach my hand out and crush you to death?¡± ¡°lord black sea monster king surely possesses the strength to do so, but i believe in red silk great monster general,¡± xu disheng said. in the face of such a threat, his expression was indifferent, without the slightest hint of fear. when red silk great monster general heard these words, he felt inwardly pleased. when red silk great monster general first established his own monster mansion, there were many weak shrimp and small fries among the ranks. most of the transformation stage monster generals had been stuck at bottlenecks in their cultivation base, unable to make any more advancements. only xu disheng had been truly useful, and red silk great monster general naturally wanted to reward him for his contributions. however, xu disheng said that he didn¡¯t want any reward. instead, he said that he only wished to meet with black sea monster king. having reached this point, red silk great monster general¡¯s heart leapt to his throat, scared that black sea monster king would really crush xu disheng to bits. he immediately spoke up, saying, ¡°ancestor, soul suppressor is¡ª¡± before he could finish, he was interrupted by a sigh from black sea monster king. ¡°divine excellency quicksand had already passed down the order, saying that if one of us ran into a somewhat special dao foundation stage disciple from the shangqing sacred sect, to bring him directly to ten thousand ghosts mountain. if you did not have any shangqing profound qi in your jianggong meridian, i would have swatted you to death the moment you entered my private realm.¡± as for what he meant by ¡®special¡¯, he didn¡¯t specify. what xu disheng had said about believing in red silk great monster general had been a lie. black sea monster king¡¯s cultivation base was equivalent to a human primordial spirit stage cultivator. now that xu disheng could channel the power of his true spirit to control the black sky yellow earth pagoda, he was confident that if he used his full power, he would be able to escape even from a primordial spirit stage existence. that was why xu disheng dared to enter this private realm alone to meet a monster king level powerhouse. even if he didn¡¯t have the black sky yellow earth pagoda to rely on, xu disheng could still rely on his status as a ¡®special¡¯ shangqing sacred sect disciple to avoid any potential danger to himself. despite all this, xu disheng would by no means casually reveal himself in a territory with such loose terms of control. ¡°many thanks, lord black sea monster king,¡± xu disheng said curtly, clasping his hands in gratitude. black sea monster king waved his sleeves, turning back to red silk great monster general. ¡°red silk, the monster mansion you established is far too weak. how about i just hand the black sea monster mansion over to you completely? the quicksand earth territory is about to undergo huge changes. the forces of this monster mansion are already useless to me.¡± the black sea monster mansion had several great monster generals among its ranks. and yet, now black sea monster king wanted to hand it all over to red silk great monster general! red silk monster general felt a hint of stubborn pride. after all, no matter how good a house made of gold or silver was, it would never be able to beat the comfort of your own home. perhaps he had been receiving too much exaggerated brown-nosing lately, but in the end the confidence that he had in the monster mansion that he established was nothing more than false self-confidence. ¡°ancestor, i¡­¡± black sea monster king saw through his thoughts with a single glance. flicking his sleeves, he said firmly, ¡°you two can withdraw now. soul suppressor, in three days, i will bring you to ten thousand ghosts mountain to meet our divine excellency.¡± ¡°then ancestor, we will see ourselves out at once.¡± ¡­ ¡­ quicksand paradise was the strongest paradise in the entire quicksand earth territory, but it was different from an ordinary monster paradise in quite a few ways. the spiritual essence of the entire quicksand sea had given rise to a rank 7 deity, who had a cultivation base equivalent to a primordial spirit stage human cultivator. hundreds of thousands of years had passed since the deity¡¯s birth, and a little over 40,000 years ago, it had ranked up once. right now, it was a rank 6 deity, which was equivalent to a clone avatar stage greater lord in terms of cultivation base. due to the existence of the shangqing sacred sect and ancient nuwa sect in the neighboring shan mountain territory, the originally enormous mountain deity spiritual essence of the region had been divided up into countless fragments. under the movement of luck and destiny, these fragments had transformed into the countless big and small mountain and river deities that now populated the shan mountain territory. ten thousand ghosts mountain was located at the lowest depths of the quicksand sea, and it was also the domain of the quicksand sea deity. as a result, there was a vast, majestic divine palace located there, quelling the spiritual essence of the entire quicksand sea region. ¡°this opportunity to have an audience with divine excellency quicksand wouldn¡¯t have arisen without you,¡± black sea monster king said, enveloping xu disheng and himself in a protective barrier of monster qi. ¡°even a monster king with authority in quicksand paradise like me hasn¡¯t been able to meet with divine excellency quicksand in hundreds of years. even all the matters i had to carry out on behalf of the quicksand paradise recently were all simply orders passed down from the divine excellency.¡± xu disheng was standing inside the protective barrier of light, sinking down into the depths of the ocean with black sea monster king at his side. as he saw ten thousands ghosts mountain at the bottom of the sea drawing closer, his gaze trembled. only after reaching this point was he able to finally get a good picture of just how imposingly magnificent divine excellency quicksand¡¯s divine palace domain was. fine grass sprouted from the slopes, sacred lichen and flora lined the seafloor; towering and exquisite was the palace, suffused with a divine glow. the peak of the mountain was precipitous, lined with sharp crags and towering rocky bluffs. in spite of the word ¡®ghosts¡¯ blemishing its name, ten thousand ghosts mountain was a genuine divine palace belonging to a rank 6 deity. the two of them landed atop ten thousand ghosts mountain. even black sea monster king didn¡¯t dare to speak loudly in this place. he simply clasped his fists to the two great monster generals standing guard outside the divine palace and said, ¡°black sea is bringing the disciple from the shangqing sacred sect for an audience with the divine excellency.¡± one of them, a monster core stage great monster general who looked like a young man, nodded his head and responded, ¡°go on in then, black sea monster king. the divine excellency has been expecting your arrival.¡± ¡°many thanks,¡± black sea monster king said, clasping his hands in salute once more. the great monster general didn¡¯t pay him any more attention, simply closing his eyes and minding his own business. black sea monster king didn¡¯t mind. he and xu disheng entered the premises of the majestic divine palace, passing through the gate that stood around 100 meters tall. the inside of the divine palace seemed to be brightly lit by a boundless glow that shone through the lustrous jade. in front of the looming, venerated spirit tablet, there was a simple prayer mat, seated upon which was a person in a long, pale blue robe. his back was currently facing the two of them. (tl: a spirit tablet is basically like the shrine part in a chinese temple). ¡°black sea greets divine excellency quicksand.¡± even a powerful primordial monster stage monster king like black sea monster king ended up prostrating himself before this figure, showing his utmost respect. after a pause, xu disheng only clasped his hands in salute. ¡°xu disheng of the shangqing sacred sect greets greater lord quicksand.¡± in referring to the quicksand deity, xu disheng decided to use the greater lord honorific, which would have been the norm in the shangqing sacred sect. light and shadow seemed to shift as xu disheng¡¯s vision warped. before he even realized it, the man had already turned around to face them, but his face was blurry and unclear. all he could see was the passing of the countless vicissitudes of time in the divine light radiating from the figure¡¯s eyes. when xu disheng met the figure¡¯s gaze, his heart pounded wildly. it was just like that time he met greater lord zhuri in the luminous cloud abyss. the fear that rose within him came from the depths of his soul¡ªit was a sensation of the soul, engendering a reverence toward an existence more powerful than oneself. only with a slight burst of power from the ancient golden true spirit could xu disheng finally regain his composure fully. with that, the pounding and trembling of his heart disappeared without a trace. ¡°tens of thousands of years ago, heavenly lord yu jing showed me kindness. after he left, i continued to refine this treasure for over 30,000 years to give to one of his future generations and settle the karma between us,¡± divine excellency quicksand muttered quietly, sighing with emotion. ¡°it would have been better if you had come to retrieve the item after i reached the divine sea stage.¡± there seemed to be a hint of regret in his tone, as if he felt it a shame that the item he had been refining to settle their karma had not yet been refined to its utmost peak. a nine-petaled lotus seat appeared before xu disheng, imbued with green light. divine excellency quicksand¡¯s figure disappeared, erupting into motes of light. all that remained were his indifferent-sounding words, echoing in xu disheng¡¯s ears. ¡°this nine-petaled lotus seat is called the mirror bodhi. it can serve as your dao protecting item until you reach the clone avatar stage. with this, the karma between me and heavenly lord yu jing is now settled.¡± (tl: bodhi ¨C a pretty complicated concept in buddhism which i won¡¯t attempt to describe here. unless you already understand what it means, it would probably be best to give this definition of it a short read to reach your own understanding.) off to the side, black sea monster king was dumbstruck. he stared wide-eyed at xu disheng and the nine-petaled lotus platform rotating slowly in front of him, his gaze full of disbelief. ¡­ ¡­ after heavenly lord yu jing reached the divine sea stage, there was a period of time when he had the liberty to act in a free and unrestrained manner under the heavens. even though the rise and fall of the shangqing sacred sect rested solely on his shoulders, he had a headstrong, uninhibited temperament. he not only had the guts to go to the heavenly nirvana sect to demand their tribute back, but he also frequently flirted and fooled around with greater lord qiansu of the ancient nuwa sect, indulging in her affections. in the several territories surrounding the shan mountain territory, there were also countless people who had received his kindness in the form of advice and pointers in cultivation. at the time, the quicksand deity was only a rank 7 deity when he had received enlightenment from heavenly lord yu jing, comprehending the divine dao that existed within himself. this allowed him to break into the clone avatar stage and ascend one divine rank, which allowed him the prospects of one day reaching the almighty divine sea stage. after heavenly lord yu jing left, these threads of karma that he sowed were handed to each of the clone avatar stage greater lords of the shangqing sacred sect. and the thread of karma that greater lord zhuri had ownership of was tied to the greater lord quicksand and the supreme treasure that he had been continuously refining for tens of thousands of years! xu disheng never expected even for a moment that this was the ¡®tremendous reward¡¯ that celestial tide spirit master was referring to, nor could he have fathomed the weight of it. this meant that realm master kunxu¡¯s influence, headed by greater lord zhuri, as well as primordial lord yangze¡¯s influence, headed by greater lord mingxin, were all completely placing their bets on this youth who they called soul suppressor sacred son. search bit.ly/3ibfjkv for the original. CH 235 chapter 235 ¨C clear pond, dreaming of a flower wind whistled by as the suanni spiritual beast shot through the hazy mist in a streak of azure light. its four paws leapt off the clouds with each bound, causing the scenery filled with mountains and rivers to flit by. despite the strong, sweeping gales, the long black hair of the youth standing atop the suanni spiritual beast only fluttered lightly. his lengthy hair hung down from his forehead, which somewhat masked the resplendence in his eyes, but that only served to accent his good looks. feeling the incredible willpower shown by the two clone avatar stage greater lords, even someone with as calm a temperament as xu disheng could only give repeated emotional sighs. inwardly, he felt a bit of pressure from the weight of the trust they had put in him. after heavenly lord yu jing had left, each clone avatar stage greater lord had been designated a thread of karma from him. but greater lord mingxin and greater lord zhuri had both staked so much on him simply because of his miraculous profound law foundation. greater lord zhuri had gone so far as to use the thread of karma he had in his possession to bequeath him with a supreme treasure like this nine-petaled lotus seat, which could serve as a dao protecting treasure! these two greater lords weren¡¯t necessarily staking everything on him, but it was rather that they didn¡¯t have much time left to carry out matters for the shangqing sacred sect! although the congregation of divine sea beings held by the house of the earth god on the buzhou mountain was only a few years ago, the strongest sect in the eastern region, the heavenly nirvana sect, already had several peak clone avatar stage greater lords with nine avatars that were starting to transcend the heart demon heavenly tribulation. there were also other paradises and celestial lands in the eastern region that had nine-avatar greater lords that were beginning to transcend heart demon heavenly tribulation, all so they could reach the truly undying divine sea stage. there were celestial lands that had long heritages stemming back to ancient times, like the turquoise pond celestial land, the mountain protecting celestial land, and the yao mountain domain, who never took part in the disputes that occurred in the eastern region, but still were able to produce divine sea stage beings using their deep reserves accumulated throughout their long histories. for them, it was usually just a matter of time before they could produce a divine sea stage being. it was easy to predict that the moment the heavenly nirvana sect produced the eastern region¡¯s first divine sea stage being, they would make a huge killing by demanding tribute from the shangqing sacred sect, the ancient nuwa sect, and the other overlord sects of each territory. it would essentially be a repeat of history, a do-over of the previous humiliation that they had faced. the duration of the heart demon heavenly tribulation varied. for some, it was long, lasting thousands of years, while for others it was short, lasting only a few hundred years. the chances of passing this kind of tribulation were incredibly small. it wasn¡¯t so easy to produce divine sea stage experts. there was a hint of gloomy apprehension in the hearts of all the clone avatar stage greater lords in the shangqing sacred sect¡¯s pure spirit ocean due to this. in the tens of thousands of years after heavenly lord yu jing had left, the most powerful sect, the heavenly nirvana sect, had been the first to produce a divine sea stage expert two times in a row. but due to some secret, unknown reason, they had not levied any tribute on the other forces in the eastern region. with the house of the earth god suddenly doing a premature conferral of divine posts several years ago, the eastern region of the human realm was suddenly plunged into another loop of the cycle, where there were no divine sea stage beings present. theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3ibfjkv. as a result, in the last 100,000 years, the shangqing sacred sect had only paid tribute once, not including the time when heavenly lord yu jing had gone and taken back the 50% tribute they previously paid to the heavenly nirvana sect. meanwhile, the demon race ancient nuwa sect had not produced any divine sea stage beings in the last 100,000 years, and had paid the tribute twice, causing massive setbacks to the sect¡¯s vitality. they had practically been unable to recover from this setback, and now they didn¡¯t even have a single nine-avatar greater lord, let alone any chances of producing a divine sea stage being. some flourish, while others decline. the strong become stronger, while the weak become weaker. with the ancient nuwa sect¡¯s circumstances, they were gradually walking down the road to destruction. in the passing of untold ages, countless mighty sects had fallen at the hands of exploitative tributes. they would eventually become unable to produce any more divine sea stage beings, and the vicious cycle would continue ad infinitum as they descended to ruin. and when they finally reached their most fragile point, they would finally collapse. the shangqing sacred sect was able to give rise to heavenly lord yu jing, which enabled them to flourish for several tens of thousands of years, but at this point, their circumstances left them not much better off than the ancient nuwa sect. although it took a very, very long time for a sect to gradually weaken to its demise, the most telling sign was when a sect didn¡¯t have any nine-avatar greater lords ready to immediately begin transcending heart demon heavenly tribulation following a congregation of the house of the earth god. the sect master of the shangqing sacred sect, greater lord qingxuan, was the only nine-avatar greater lord in the entire sect. he had immediately entered heart demon heavenly tribulation after mirage spirit greater lord left the pure spirit ocean. (tl: mirage spirit greater lord went to visit pure spirit ocean and met with sect master qingxuan in chapter 194.) ¡­ ¡­ after being selected by a clone avatar stage greater lord, disciples like xu disheng who had a small chance of reaching the clone avatar stage in the future would be given the extremely rare title of ¡®shangqing sacred son¡¯. even nowadays, with how enormous the shangqing sacred sect was, there were only around a dozen shangqing sacred sons. each of these shangqing sacred sons had been selected by some greater lord in the sect, who was putting increased efforts into supporting their cultivation. after xu disheng publicly displayed the miraculous power of his profound law foundation, the paramount ancient bell, greater lord zhuri had noticed his talent. during his time at the anxi province, xu disheng had scrupulously abided by the sect rules, which made greater lord zhuri feel very content with his performance. greater lords always held great honor and respect for the rules of the sect. although greater lord zhuri had never met xu disheng in person, he had supported xu disheng from afar, designating him as the shangqing sacred son that he chose to nurture. as for the other shangqing sacred sons, the weakest of them was at the divine core stage, and there were even a few who had already reached the primordial spirit stage. they normally spent their days in secluded meditation within the yuluo realm and seldom made any public appearances. the sole point of commonality among the shangqing sacred sons was that they all had incredible, heaven-defying profound law foundations! this showed how important one¡¯s powers of comprehension were, especially in fully comprehending one¡¯s dao path. this was also the most crucial aspect when it came to breaking through from the primordial spirit stage to the clone avatar stage! having unrivaled powers of comprehension wasn¡¯t that big of an advantage beneath the primordial spirit stage. as long as you had superior talent, possessing an upper class spiritual root sequence, breaking through to the primordial spirit stage was simply a matter of time. but if you wanted to peek into the realm above the primordial spirit stage, and peer into the miraculous wonders of the clone avatar stage, it was absolutely necessary to have heaven-defying powers of comprehension and gain full enlightenment of one¡¯s dao path! without the dao path being clear in one¡¯s mind, how could one create clones? greater lord mingxin had never paid much attention to matters regarding the sect. even though xu disheng belonged to the influence of his mingxin mountain range, he had never really paid him much attention. it was only because greater lord zhuri had already made up his mind that greater lord mingxin also issued a decree to the three realm masters of the yuluo realm. once xu disheng retrieved the thread of karma that was under greater lord zhuri¡¯s control, he would officially receive the title of shangqing sacred son! ¡­ ¡­ on cloud abyss peak in the mingxin mountain range¡­ the jade waters of the profound resonance pond rippled quietly. a pure spirit lotus flower petal was floating upon the surface at the edge of the pond, rocking gently with each passing lull. it was suffused with spiritual energy, but a fair, slender finger suddenly reached out towards it, plucking it from the surface of the water. the figure sniffed it lightly and gave a gentle smile. ¡°this lotus flower¡­¡± ¡°insolence! who are you? how dare you take the pure spirit lotus flowers of our cloud abyss peak?!¡± an indignant shout rang out, and in the next moment he ziming appeared from the skies, bringing several peak sea of qi stage disciples with him. they landed in front of profound resonance hall, expressions cold. the pretty girl in the red dress standing there turned around, revealing a face blessed with elegant beauty. she was still holding the pure spirit lotus flower petal in between her fingers, and she maintained that gentle smile as she fixed her gaze on he ziming. when he ziming felt her angelic gaze upon him, his heart throbbed, making his words come out a bit hurried. ¡°y-you¡­ w-who are you exactly?¡± his aura and tone were a huge contrast to the last words he spoke. ¡°i don¡¯t think i came to the wrong place, did i? is this place not profound resonance pond, on cloud abyss peak?¡± chai wenxuan, an intermediary disciple who arrived on the scene with he ziming, came forward, his expression unflustered. ¡°that¡¯s right. this is soul suppressor sacred son¡¯s domain. you are¡­¡± ¡°i am here waiting for soul suppressor.¡± the girl in the red dress let go of the pure spirit lotus flower. it fluttered off into the wind, transforming into motes of green light that filled the air and gradually dissipated in front of profound resonance hall. ¡°impudent! how dare you refer to the sacred son like that!¡± he ziming cried out sternly, his expression falling. although he was taken with the girl¡¯s beauty, he had already regained his composure somewhat. ¡°so what if i refer to him as such? well¡­ in a few days from now, even i will have to refer to him politely as exalted sacred son,¡± the girl said, her eyes shining brightly. the words that she uttered were shocking. exalted sacred son! only a scant few, the shangqing sacred sons with sublime statuses within the sect could be called exalted sacred sons! CH 236 chapter 236 ¨C heart demon heavenly tribulation he ziming and the others accompanying him stared on with bewildered looks on their faces. they clearly didn¡¯t know who this girl was, nor did they dare to wildly believe whatever she said. chai wenxuan spoke up once again. ¡°senior martial sister, you came at an inopportune time. at the orders of mountain master yangze, soul suppressor sacred son went to the quicksand earth territory, and still hasn¡¯t returned.¡± ¡°well, isn¡¯t that him?¡± the girl in the red dress said with a giggle, turning to look off into the mist and clouds on the horizon. as she lifted her head to look into the sky, the long, black hair flowing down past her ears like a waterfall fluttered lightly in the wind, imparting an even better view of her gorgeous facial features. her picturesque beauty was gifted with the tenderness of delicate, falling flower petals. a few breaths of time later, sure enough, a stream of watery blue profound light broke through the mist and clouds on the horizon. it swept over the peaks of the mingxin mountain range, ripping through the void as it sped rapidly towards them. although the body of the suanni spiritual beast was massive, it was extremely nimble as it dominated the surrounding wind currents and tread upon the clouds. its body was surrounded in a dazzling, dark blue halo as it descended, landing by the profound resonance pond in front of the great hall. ¡°soul suppressor sacred son!¡± ¡°greetings, soul suppressor sacred son!¡± because of the matter between he ziming and the girl in the red dress, there were already quite a few cloud abyss peak disciples gathered by profound resonance pond. they all lowered their heads in respect and called out their greetings. ¡°as you were.¡± xu disheng alighted from his perch between the suanni spiritual beast¡¯s towering horns, flicking his sleeves. ¡°you¡¯re soul suppressor?¡± the girl in the red dress asked. she hadn¡¯t bowed like the others, and was carefully sizing up the handsome youth in the white moon garment before her. there was a hint of curiosity in her gaze as she examined him. although this girl in the red dress was extremely beautiful, when xu disheng swept his profound qi sense over her, he could tell that her profound qi aura was completely restrained, and she wasn¡¯t letting the least bit leak out. but when he tried to probe her with his soul force, he found that the girl had an astounding level of spiritual power! her true age couldn¡¯t be more than 100 years or so, but she was a bona fide divine core stage spirit master! ¡°greetings, spirit master.¡± after xu disheng got an idea of her cultivation base, he didn¡¯t choose to act irreverently. he clasped his hands, not showing the least amount of disrespect. at this moment, the expressions of he ziming, chai xuanwen, and the other disciples present changed slightly as they realized her identity. they immediately followed suit and bowed respectfully, not daring to neglect decorum. the lot of them never expected that this girl in the red dress was actually a lofty divine core stage spirit master! after all, there were only a dozen or so divine core stage spirit masters in the entire mingxin mountain range. aside from he ziming, who had once served in the falling moon domain, these ordinary disciples normally didn¡¯t have the opportunity to see even a single divine core stage spirit master. the girl in the red dress looked shocked. ¡°that¡¯s no fun! i was hiding my cultivation base so well. how did you find out?¡± xu disheng didn¡¯t respond to her question. when he spoke, although his voice had the hint of cordiality befitting someone talking to another person of higher cultivation base, his tone sounded neither servile nor overbearing. ¡°spirit master, for what business have you come to cloud abyss peak?¡± ¡°realm master kunxu was aware of your arrival, so he ordered me to come here and call you over to the yuluo realm for an audience with him.¡± with the way she said ¡®call you over¡¯ instead of ¡®summon¡¯, there was an apparent hint of casualness to her words, which also subtly detracted from the sense of rigidity connotated with the rules of the sect. ¡°thank you for personally coming all the way here, spirit master,¡± xu disheng said, waving his sleeve to store away the suanni spiritual beast. ¡°shall we go now?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll bring you there. your method of travel is too slow,¡± the girl said, a foxy look in her eyes. before xu disheng could even respond, she reached out a hand as delicate as petals of a white rose, latching onto his arm. a scarlet profound light enveloped the two of them, and an instant later they were tearing through the void on the horizon in a torrent of light, smashing through the layers of mist and clouds. chai wenxuan and the others exchanged glances. one of the cloud abyss peak disciples stuttered, ¡°the sacred son¡­t-the sacred son and that spirit master¡­¡± he ziming collected himself, returning to his normal solemnity. he shot that disciple a cold glance and said, ¡°watch your tongue!¡± ¡°yes, sir¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ as they flew along, xu disheng could feel the warmth of the girl¡¯s hand on his wrist even through the white moon garment. his brows furrowed lightly as he rotated his shangqing profound qi, but he was completely unable to resist. considering the girl¡¯s divine core stage cultivation base and her connection to realm master kunxu, xu disheng forced down any ideas of using the black sky yellow earth pagoda to free himself. ¡°with how unfathomable your scarlet profound light is, spirit master, there should be no need to pull disciple along like this,¡± said xu disheng finally. the moment the words left his mouth, xu disheng felt the grip on his wrist disappear. for some reason, the girl immediately complied, releasing him from her grasp. find the original at "pawread dot com". just as xu disheng was about to speak, he was suddenly hit with a wave of exquisite fragrance. the girl turned towards him and unexpectedly put her hand in his! a soft, gentle feeling of warmth was transmitted to him from his hand, and his nose was inundated with the smell of the girl¡¯s long black hair. he inadvertently turned to look at her, meeting her gaze. her eyes seemed to be holding back a hint of laughter and mischief, and his heart suddenly throbbed as a sound like rumbling echoed in his mind. the black sky yellow earth pagoda suddenly burst forth with light, blasting the girl away from him. xu disheng broke free of the scarlet profound light, and he stood there in the middle of the air, a cold glint in his eyes. stopping their rapid soaring of the scarlet profound light through the clouds, the girl twirled a lock of her hair around her porcelain finger, a mischievous pout on her face. ¡°hm? i¡¯m just having a bit of fun with my future husband, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± the coldness in xu disheng¡¯s eyes intensified. ¡°what do you mean by that, spirit master?¡± ¡°greater lord mingxin has already issued the command to the yuluo realm, granting you the title of shangqing sacred son. and¡­¡± she paused, her divine core stage cultivation base still suppressed. the tips of her ears turned red as she continued, ¡°a-and ordering the two of us to be joined as cultivation partners.¡± the three great suns were on the verge of descending out of view. before they dipped over the horizon, they shone through the mist and clouds, dying the lands in beautiful, ethereal shades of gold and crimson. ¡­ ¡­ pure spirit ocean, the shangqing spiritual world. ¡°zhuri, the thread of karma you possess is extremely important. are you sure about this?¡± greater lord qingxuan said, his cold voice reverberating throughout the vast heaven and earth. ¡°yes, sect master.¡± at this moment, greater lord zhuri, who had appeared once in the luminous cloud abyss, was standing alone in front of greater lord qingxuan¡¯s domain. his eyes were shuttered, but what could be seen of his gaze seemed to contain the life and death of all living things within them. the aura that surrounded his body was shocking and boundless. ¡°if you¡¯re sure, then you can make the decision. i am soon to start transcending the heart demon heavenly tribulation. if i cannot attain the divine sea stage, the only path left for me is to return to the cycle of reincarnation. you will need to oversee all matters regarding the sect,¡± greater lord qingxuan said. a rare hint of grief and sorrow flickered through greater lord zhuri¡¯s eyes, but he remained silent. after a long while, his figure transformed into light and disappeared. in a quiet, desolate palace hall within a domain of unknown whereabouts¡­ greater lord qingxuan was standing there alone, his lonely figure cutting a contrast to the enormous hall. he heaved what sounded like a self-derisive sigh, which echoed emptily throughout the hall. in the past tens of thousands of years, this man, who was known to all as the sect master of the shangqing sacred sect, had already practically given up on himself. as the only nine-avatar greater lord in the shangqing spiritual world, it felt like the burden of the entire shangqing sacred sect was weighing down solely upon his shoulders. the heart demon heavenly tribulation was merciless. out of 10,000, maybe only one person would survive it. if he met his end while trying to transcend the tribulation, his mind and consciousness would be annihilated, leaving behind only a bit of his true spirit, which would enter the cycle of reincarnation. if greater lord qingxuan had another 100,000 years to solidify his cultivation base, then he might have had around a 50% chance of transcending the tribulation. but time flew by mercilessly as nights fell and days rose without end. and yet, the humiliation the sect faced a few tens of thousands of years ago still remained vivid in his mind. with the threat of such a humiliation looming imminent once more, how could he dare to wait? how could he even bring himself to wait any longer? the scenery that composed the hall suddenly shattered into a million pieces, and the handsome, striking visage of greater lord qingxuan cracked and splintered like the broken surface of a mirror. the entire domain was plunged into a deafening silence. at that moment, greater lord qingxuan¡¯s aura vanished, becoming undetectable by any of the other clone avatar stage greater lords in the shangqing spiritual world. the heart demon heavenly tribulation had begun. ¡­ ¡­ the dao of karma was extremely mysterious and profound. the nine-petaled lotus seat, which was known as the mirror bodhi, was slowly revolving in xu disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness. even the black sky yellow earth pagoda, which had been truly awakened just a sliver, felt a slight hint of suppression from it. xu disheng¡¯s gaze was lowered, but resplendent black light spun in his eyes, forming rotating vortices within. he looked at the girl in the red dress, against the backdrop of the sunset-tinted sky. ¡°spirit master, are you just pulling my leg?¡± the girl gazed at him, but didn¡¯t reply to his question. instead, she said, ¡°my name is¡­ yao tan.¡± the moment her voice reached his ears, she transformed into a scarlet-colored profound light and shot off towards the yuluo realm in a streak of brilliance. CH 237 chapter 237 ¨C venus ruins as the three great suns gradually descended beyond the horizon, the clouds were painted in shades of rose, crimson, and gold. xu disheng¡¯s gaze was calm as he watched the scarlet beam of light disappearing off into the distance. shangqing profound qi revolved around his body, and he also transformed into a beam of pale white light and shot forward towards the yuluo realm, breaking through the clouds and mist. in the shangqing mountain range, the yuluo realm¡­ xu disheng stood there in midair in front of the majestically towering border of the yuluo realm, which seemed to ripple with heaven-defying power of creation. he craned his neck, examining it for a moment. before he had the chance to go in, a cold and solemn voice resounded in his ears. several streaks of profound light shot over from afar, stopping in front of the realm border. the one in the lead was a peak dao foundation stage patrol disciple. as he gazed at xu disheng, his brows furrowed and he spoke up. ¡°which peak¡¯s disciple are you, wishing to trespass into the shangqing yuluo realm?¡± one of the other patrol disciples took a close look at xu disheng, his expression changing when he recognized him. he came forward and said, ¡°senior martial brother zhao, it appears to be soul suppressor sacred son of the mingxin mountain range.¡± zhao zonghai nodded and waved his sleeve, signaling the other disciples to fall back. when he spoke next, his tone sounded more mild. ¡°soul suppressor sacred son, you cannot enter the yuluo realm without permission, even with your title as a sacred son.¡± xu disheng glanced off past the realm border, where the scarlet beam of light had already disappeared into the depths of the yuluo realm. ¡°i am here for an audience with realm master kunxu, at his command.¡± ¡°where is your proof?¡± zhao zonghai said, seeming to have already expected this. the yuluo realm was the location of many primordial lords¡¯ domains, so the grand majority of disciples who came here had been summoned by one of the primordial lords. xu disheng paused for a moment before replying, ¡°that person in the scarlet beam of light just now was the person who brought me here.¡± ¡°sacred daughter yao tan?¡± zhao zonghai had his wits about him and had already more or less felt out the situation. but a trace of doubt still remained on his face. ¡°since sacred daughter yao tan was the one who brought you here, then why¡­¡± ¡°let him in.¡± a girl¡¯s enchanting voice as lustrous as pearls and as soothing as cool jade echoed in their ears. the hem of her red dress fluttered gently in the wind as she descended in front of the realm border. ¡°greetings, sacred daughter yao tan,¡± zhao zonghai and the other patrol disciples lowered their heads, bowing with extreme respect. ¡°as you were.¡± she didn¡¯t pay them any more attention and simply waved her sleeve. a stream of scarlet profound light wrapped xu disheng up as she brought him into the yuluo realm. ¡°realm master kunxu is one of the three venerated realm masters of the yuluo realm. his domain is called the venus ruins, and is located in the uppermost region of the yuluo realm, adjacent to realm master qingfu¡¯s domain,¡± yao tan explained properly, nothing like the way she had been acting before. the surroundings blurred past them, but xu disheng was still able to glimpse the grand, magnificent appearances of the primordial lord domains in the yuluo realm. countless dauntingly powerful auras swept over him, and from time to time divine core stage spirit masters flew by, tearing through the void in beams of all different colors, but they never spared xu disheng and yao tan a single glance. only a few early divine core stage spirit masters would pause upon seeing yao tan, respectfully clasping their hands in salute. ¡°haven¡¯t you ever thought it strange, wondering where all the sacred sons and sacred daughters who entered the yuluo realm to go into secluded meditation throughout the countless ages went off to?¡± yao tan asked, turning to look at xu disheng. ¡°most of the divine core stage spirit masters you saw so far had once received the title of sacred son or daughter.¡± xu disheng glanced at her and shook his head. soul force rotating in his eyes like black vortexes, he looked up at the venus ruins, which they were fast approaching. once they entered the venus ruins in the upper area of the yuluo realm, xu disheng once again felt a sense of danger welling up in his mind. he felt his chest pounding, but the sensation was not as intense as the time when he met greater lord quicksand. in terms of cultivation base, realm master kunxu was already extremely close to the clone avatar stage. even if xu disheng wanted to use the black sky yellow earth pagoda to flee, it wouldn¡¯t be an easy task. yao tan originally wanted to give him the cold shoulder regarding what was going on, but when she noticed xu disheng¡¯s apparent disinterest in her question, she felt a bit disheartened. she huffed softly and said, ¡°several tens of thousands of years ago, heavenly lord yu jing personally attacked and destroyed a large-scale aristocratic family based on the border of the eastern region of the human realm. they had already long since weakened and decayed, so heavenly lord yu jing occupied their celestial land, where he established the shangqing yu jing sect. he dispatched a clone avatar stage greater lord to stand guard over the sect, and at that time had sent over many disciples as well.¡± ¡°in the tens of thousands of years after that, many divine core stage spirit masters, after relying purely on bitter, secluded cultivation to break through to the primordial spirit stage, were left without any prospects of further breaking through. one after another, they began to leave for the shan mountain territory¡¯s shangqing yu jing sect to search for destiny and inheritances. that¡¯s why the yuluo realm seems somewhat empty.¡± ¡°thank you for the explanation, spirit master,¡± xu disheng responded. over the course of their conversation, yao tan and xu disheng arrived outside the venus ruins domain. above the upper boundaries of the yuluo realm, there was a massive, immaculately white mirror made of water that spanned nearly the entire sky of the yuluo realm. it radiated with bright light and blossomed with a divine glow, illuminating every corner of the yuluo realm. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°lord yu jing, do you really have to respond to the conscription of the house of the earth god?¡± there was a gorgeous woman in palace garments standing before heavenly lord yu jing. her eyes were filled with admiration and reverence as she beheld him, obscuring the sentiments she harbored for him. ¡°red nacre, your cultivation base is already at the clone avatar stage. why do you still act so naive, asking such a silly question?¡± heavenly lord yu jing was slender and tall, sculpted like fine jade. his gaze, which seemed to see through the permutations of all living things, unexpectedly contained a hint of a doting smile as he examined her face. naturally, she knew that the question was silly. but the yearning, the feelings she had for him, seemed to completely swallow up any sense of reason when it came to him. when she was with him, she truly felt like an ordinary woman, without the slightest cultivation base. simply gazing upon his figure was enough to set her mind at ease and allow her forget everything. out of all the clone avatar stage greater lords, red nacre was not only the last person to reach the clone avatar stage, but she was also the youngest. furthermore, being the only woman, heavenly lord yu jing always took special care of her. however, this being, who currently held some prestige in the eastern region of the human realm, was undoubtedly a romantic at heart. not to mention his previous companion, heavenly lord yun ling, who accompanied him that time to the heavenly nirvana sect; even the ambiguous relationship he had with greater lord qiansu from the ancient nuwa sect was enough to make red nacre feel inferior. that was why although red nacre had long harbored deep feelings for him, she had never revealed a hint of it. it wasn¡¯t until after the heavenly bell of the house of the earth god rang far and wide throughout the human realm that she couldn¡¯t stop herself from personally coming here, all to ask such a silly question. ¡°lord yu jing, all the beings who have left the human realm over the years have never returned. you¡­¡± red nacre said, her voice trembling somewhat. she turned her face away so heavenly lord yu jing couldn¡¯t see the tears welling up in her eyes. heavenly lord yu jing had long reached the divine sea stage, with the power to overturn heaven and earth with a mere thought. how could he not be aware of red nacre¡¯s feelings? however, he had too many emotional debts and couldn¡¯t bear to hurt another woman who had admired him for a long time. at that moment, a white divine light appeared in his palm, and he uttered, ¡°mirror image.¡± as the words were spoken, endless torrents of the power of heaven and earth swept down, and after a short moment, the white divine light finished coalescing. a white mirror treasure appeared, scintillating with countless beams of divine light. ¡°red nacre, i give this mirror to you. it can protect you completely until you reach the divine sea stage.¡± red nacre suddenly turned her head back, the misty tears in her eyes gone, replaced by a look of astonishment and joy. heavenly lord yu jing withdrew his palm, letting the white mirror of water float there, the center of all the divine light. his form was about to turn into motes of light as he prepared to leave. ¡°lord yu jing.¡± a soft body hugged him from behind. ¡°in what way do i not measure up to qiansu?¡± we are bit.ly/3ibfjkv, find us on google. this was the first time red nacre dared to be so bold. her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist from behind. her soft lips were slightly parted, and the words she murmured were like the beguiling whispers of a girl in her boudoir. heavenly lord yu jing lightly shook himself free of her embrace, but he didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°red nacre, you¡­¡± she mustered her courage again, resting her head lightly on his shoulder, and said tenderly, ¡°lord yu jing, take me.¡± the moment these words left her mouth, red nacre¡¯s fair face turned crimson, and her nearly translucent ears were completely dyed red. but she received no response. the man¡¯s shoulders and eventually his entire body disintegrated into countless white motes of light, dissipating. red nacre¡¯s arms grasped at thin air as he disappeared. she was powerless to make him stay. the divine light receded, and she was left tightly gripping the white mirror treasure in her hand. a single clear tear rolled down her face and fell upon the mirror¡¯s surface, where it disappeared without a trace. CH 238 chapter 238 ¨C exalted sacred daughter yao tan ¡°greetings, exalted sacred daughter yao tan.¡± several disciples with extraordinary bearing flew out from the venus ruins domain, casting a mysterious glance at xu disheng before respectfully bowing to yao tan. ¡°rise,¡± yao tan said, lightly waving her sleeve. just as she was about to head into the venus ruins domain, she noticed xu disheng was still observing the venus water mirror that spanned the sky of the entire yuluo realm. she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and also looked off into the sky. ¡°this mirror was discarded here by greater lord hong yao to suppress the aura of the yuluo realm,¡± she explained, emphasizing the word ¡®discarded¡¯. ¡°exalted sacred daughter yao tan, is this young man soul suppressor?¡± a man in purple robes floated out from the domain of taibai. his aura, at the peak divine core stage, surged around him. his tone was inquisitive, but he was fixing a piercing gaze on xu disheng. yao tan frowned, releasing a red light to suppress the man¡¯s aura. her voice turned colder as she said, ¡°purple sun spirit master, soul suppressor is soon to be named a shangqing sacred son and is my future husband. how dare you act so presumptuously?¡± purple sun spirit master¡¯s face revealed a trace of unwillingness. as he gazed at yao tan, his eyes were filled with salacious desire. ¡°this young man is merely at the dao foundation stage. apart from his good looks, what merits does he have to be worthy of you?¡± he looked at xu disheng with a mocking expression and said snidely, ¡°soul suppressor, do you only know how to hide behind a woman? do you think you¡¯re worthy of the title of shangqing sacred son?¡± ¡°purple sun!¡± the look in yao tan¡¯s eyes turned icy. she flipped her fair, slender hand, and a blood-red sword with an imposing aura appeared. the sword vibrated incessantly, emitting a deadly droning noise. ¡°exalted sacred daughter yao tan, don¡¯t try to take out the spirit exterminating blood sword to try and intimidate me. do you truly dare to attack me outside the domain of realm master kunxu?¡± fully aware of the current circumstances, purple sun spirit master was fearless. his peak divine core stage aura rose again, pressing down directly on xu disheng. in his mind, soul suppressor sacred son was merely at the dao foundation stage. even if he possessed a profound treasure, he was no match for his peak divine core stage cultivation. yao tan bit her lip, the vibrating of the spirit exterminating blood sword in her hand intensifying. echoes of screams and roars seemed to echo out from within, its red halo becoming even more vivid. boom! before yao tan could decide whether to act, xu disheng floated into the air. the black sky yellow earth pagoda cast forth thousands of rays of light, not only dispersing the weight of purple sun spirit master¡¯s suppressing aura, but also manifesting a giant hand of profound light that shattered the man¡¯s protective profound qi shield. the collision resulted in a deafening explosion, scattering rays of profound qi light everywhere. merely a brief moment after activating the black sky yellow earth pagoda, xu disheng was already a match for a peak divine core spirit master! xu disheng¡¯s expression was cold, his soul force was rotating at full power. the light emanating from the black sky yellow earth became even more intense. even though he was facing a peak divine core spirit master, he still chose to act decisively! to his surprise, purple sun spirit master suddenly withdrew all his aura, revealing a mysterious smile. ¡°exalted sacred daughter yao tan, soul suppressor has violated the sect rules by attacking a spirit master of the divine core stage without reason. i will report this to realm master kunxu!¡± purple sun spirit master was extremely sinister and cunning. he had merely released his aura indiscriminately. if one really tried to split hairs, it couldn¡¯t be said that he had been specifically targeting xu disheng. ¡°yao tan, bring soul suppressor inside.¡± an elderly voice, devoid of emotion, echoed outside the venus ruins domain. both the previously arrogant purple sun spirit master and exalted sacred daughter yao tan, along with the several other genius disciples present, immediately lowered their heads in respect. ¡°yes, realm master kunxu.¡± yao tan sheathed her sword and shot a glare at purple sun spirit master, ¡°you must feel disappointed. unfortunately for you, realm master kunxu doesn¡¯t care about your ridiculous act.¡± purple sun spirit master snorted coldly. he had only wanted to suppress xu disheng with his aura, taking advantage of the fact that he had not yet been officially named shangqing sacred son, to teach him a lesson. however, he hadn¡¯t expected that xu disheng would act so boldly and directly attack with his profound treasure, nor that realm master kunxu would have no intention of pursuing the matter. we are "pawread dot com", find us on google. could this really not be changed? purple sun spirit master¡¯s face darkened further. he possessed a noble status, being a direct bloodline descendent of realm master biqiong and having been named as a sacred son when he was at the dao foundation stage. he was a top genius with a rank 4 spiritual root, and in only a little over 200 years, he had reached the peak of the divine core stage. even though he was truly outstanding, he still wasn¡¯t able to reach the level of prestige characteristic of a shangqing sacred sons. he heard that greater lord mingxin had passed down a command to the three realm masters, not only ordering them to bestow xu disheng with the title of shangqing sacred son, but also to have yao tan, the shangqing sacred daughter who had risen to great heights in the past century, betrothed to him as cultivation partners. and apparently, all of this was simply because of xu disheng¡¯s extraordinary profound law foundation! purple sun spirit master had always had special feelings for yao tan, but due to her status as a shangqing sacred daughter and her direct bloodline relation to greater lord mingxin, he couldn¡¯t force anything. now, a mere dao foundation stage sacred son was about to take both things he had always longed for. it could be imagined just how intense his resentment and jealousy was towards xu disheng because of this. the title of shangqing sacred son was not only extremely noble but also rare. even in the vast shangqing sacred sect, there were only a little over ten at the moment. ordinary sacred sons were only at the sea of qi or dao foundation stages, but a shangqing sacred son represented the potential to reach the clone avatar stage greater lord. in terms of status, the title was comparable to an ordinary primordial lord at the primordial spirit stage. this extremely noble status would last until their lifespan was expended or until they broke through to the clone avatar stage! xu disheng put away the black sky yellow earth pagoda and gave purple sun spirit master a dismissive glance before following yao tan into the venus ruins domain. however, the killing intent in the depths of xu disheng¡¯s soul only grew more intense. not just towards the purple sun spirit master who had just tried to humiliate him, but also the zhao clan of the mountain of law, and even¡­ the zhao clan¡¯s patriarch, spirit controlling primordial lord. as soon as they entered the domain, yao tan turned her head to look at him, her voice tinged with concern, ¡°are you alright?¡± ¡°i¡¯m fine,¡± xu disheng glanced at her nearly perfect, fair face and hesitated for a moment, ¡°thank you for just now, spirit master.¡± hearing this, the icy exterior that yao tan had put on outside the venus ruins domain melted away like snow, revealing a beautiful, radiant smile. her eyes, shimmering like sunset waves, were fixed on xu disheng, ¡°we are soon to be cultivation partners, there¡¯s no need for thanks.¡± ¡°greetings, exalted sacred daughter yao tan.¡± before xu disheng could respond, a handsome young man riding a beam of green light flew up and greeted yao tan. after bowing to her, he looked directly at xu disheng, ¡°this is¡­ soul suppressor sacred son?¡± xu disheng nodded slightly, and the handsome young man laughed, ¡°patriarch kunxu mentioned to me earlier that our sect has birthed another genius with the potential for the clone avatar stage. seeing you now, it seems to be true.¡± even though his words contained a hint of flattery, it felt incredibly natural and not awkward in the slightest. this handsome young man referred to realm master kunxu as his patriarch, clearly indicating that he was a direct descendant. moreover, he was at the peak of the dao foundation stage. xu disheng didn¡¯t act arrogantly in front of him and said, ¡°realm master kunxu is too kind.¡± ¡°exalted sacred daughter yao tan, let¡¯s go see realm master,¡± said the young man, leading the way on his green beam of light. xu disheng followed, taking in the sights of the venus ruins domain. dozens of floating land fragments of varying sizes were suspended in the domain of taibai. the larger ones spanned thousands of meters, with palaces and misty clouds, appearing grand and luxurious. even the smaller ones were hundreds of meters wide, each with differently-sized palaces erected on them. clearly, these palaces were where the many disciples in the venus ruins domain practiced cultivation. upon reaching the largest piece of land, the handsome young man stopped and said with a smile, ¡°realm master kunxu is currently in venus spirit hall. exalted sacred daughter yao tan and soul suppressor sacred son, you may go in directly to meet him.¡± ¡°junior martial brother jingyuan, thank you for your trouble,¡± yao tan said gently, thanking him. then, she led xu disheng into the venus spirit hall.. the hall was incredibly spacious, with several extremely powerful auras present. as soon as yao tan and xu disheng entered, several gazes immediately turned towards them. ¡°yao tan pays her respects to realm master kunxu.¡± ¡°soul suppressor pays his respects to realm master kunxu.¡± ¡°rise, soul suppressor. come closer,¡± said realm master kunxu, an elderly-looking man dressed in a black and white daoist robe. with a wave of his sleeve, a divine light swept out, and xu disheng felt his vision blur. when his eyes refocused, he found himself in the very center of the hall. ¡°soul suppressor, you must have heard about yao tan. were you surprised?¡± a somewhat familiar voice resounded in xu disheng¡¯s ears. he looked up to see a handsome young man in black standing beside realm master kunxu, his eyes teasing a hint of mischief as he looked at xu disheng. this young man was none other than the peak master of clearheart peak, at the half-step primordial spirit stage, a genius known as chen xunming. ¡°peak master,¡± xu disheng acknowledged. chen xunming flicked his sleeves and said, ¡°you are about to be bestowed the title of shangqing sacred son. in terms of status, you would be higher than me by one level. you would be on equal footing with primordial lords, so there would be no need to pay me your regards.¡± the divine glow radiating from realm master kunxu¡¯s black and white daoist robe was sufficient to illuminate the entire hall. he waved his sleeve, causing a tapestry of golden embroidered silk to appear above his palm, where it floated in midair. CH 239 chapter 239 ¨C bodhisattva, have you truly awoken? ¡°soul suppressor of the mingxin mountain range, cloud abyss peak.¡± xu disheng stepped forward half a step and said, ¡°disciple is present.¡± realm master kunxu glanced at him and said, ¡°greater lord mingxin has passed down a greater lord decree, conferring you as the twelfth shangqing sacred son of the shangqing sacred sect. henceforth, you must prioritize the shangqing sacred sect in all matters. if there comes a time where you do not act to the greatest benefit of the sacred sect, you will suffer the punishment of the purple thunder heart oath tribulation.¡± xu disheng said, ¡°disciple is willing to accept the conferment.¡± the golden silk brocade floated up into the air and transformed into countless motes of light, which entered xu disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness, streaming into the mirror bodhi, the nine-petal lotus platform. a faint halo rose from the mirror bodhi, and xu disheng had an inexplicable feeling that he could now slightly utilize this dao-protecting treasure, which was personally refined and nurtured by greater lord quicksand, without any hindrance. realm master kunxu¡¯s palm once again produced a golden silk brocade, but this time when he spoke, his tone hinted at a fluctuation in his mood. ¡°at greater lord mingxin¡¯s decree, shangqing sacred son soul suppressor and shangqing sacred daughter yao tan are to become cultivation partners. the chu territory, where soul suppressor was born, will be conferred to him as his fief. greater lord mingxin will personally utilize his higher knowledge ability to somewhat refine and perfect the laws of the realm, elevating it from a mortal secret realm to an ordinary secret realm.¡± greater lord zhuri was the one who had selected xu disheng to become a shangqing sacred son, but xu disheng was someone from the mingxin mountain range. between the balance of power of greater lord mingxin and greater lord zhuri, it was decided that xu disheng was to take yao tan, a direct bloodline descendant of greater lord mingxin, as his cultivation partner, inextricably intertwining their karma. yao tan possessed a rank 3 upper class spiritual root and had cultivated an extremely miraculous profound law foundation, giving her potential to become a clone avatar stage greater lord in the future. but despite all that, she still fundamentally could not resist a clone avatar stage greater lord at the very pinnacle of the shangqing sacred sect. since this matter couldn¡¯t be changed, yao tan naturally would not act like a mundane woman and try to put on airs. her previous abnormal behavior towards xu disheng previously was because she already truly regarded him as her future husband. even if greater lord mingxin asked her to marry a man other than xu disheng, she would still do this. after all, there was nothing she could do but accept it. this time, xu disheng did not directly accept the conferment. instead, he lifted his gaze, looking at this half-step clone avatar stage primordial lord. ¡°realm master kunxu, about this matter of cultivation partners¡­¡± a primordial lord standing to one side in the hall directly interrupted him: ¡°soul suppressor sacred son, this matter of cultivation partners was personally decided by greater lord mingxin. there is no possibility of any change regarding this matter.¡± his tone was very gentle. after xu disheng was officially conferred as shangqing sacred son, his status ended up rising a lot compared to an ordinary sacred son. now, his status was on par with a primordial lord. chen xunming also spoke up. ¡°soul suppressor sacred son, exalted sacred daughter yao tan is the only one among the many descendants of greater lord mingxin who has the qualifications to reach the clone avatar stage. plus, the entire chu territory, where you were born, is serving as the dowry. what is there to hesitate about?¡± xu disheng gently shook his head, saying: ¡°realm master kunxu, about this matter of cultivation partners, what if disciple is unwilling?¡± as soon as these words came out, the faces of the several primordial lords in the hall flashed through a series of expressions. yao tan¡¯s eyes were also filled with frost, coldly looking at this young man in the hall. defying the order of a clone avatar stage greater lord¡­ they had never thought he would choose to do something so disgraceful! only realm master kunxu¡¯s face was indifferent, saying: ¡°if you really are unwilling, then you will be stripped of the title of shangqing sacred son, and you will be returned to the cycle of reincarnation.¡± although his tone was calm, it was filled with an irresistible, domineering coldness. this matter was very normal. xu disheng now bore the ponderous weight of the thread of karma from greater lord zhuri, and he also had some karmic connections with saint lord mingxin of the mingxin mountain range, to which he belonged. the thought process behind the compromise between the two greater lords was to let yao tan and xu disheng become cultivation partners, so they could then pool the resources of both of their influences to nurture the two, which would provide a bit more certainty for the two of them to break through to the clone avatar stage. xu disheng¡¯s mind moved slightly, and in his sea of consciousness, the theory of causality appeared again. under the observation of his soul force senses, there were countless illusory yet seemingly corporeal threads extending from his body, which stretched off into the distance. as it turned out, he had hundreds of illusory threads entwined with the girl in the red dress at his side. opening his eyes, xu disheng said: ¡°realm master kunxu, disciple is willing to accept the conferment.¡± realm master kunxu was not surprised in the least. after all, only a fool would choose otherwise. the golden silk brocade in his hand floated up into the air just like last time, transforming into motes of light that channeled into xu disheng¡¯s sea of consciousness. ¡°refining heart mountain lord, pass down my decree to the mountain lords of the eight mountains at once. soul suppressor sacred son of morning dew peak is the twelfth shangqing sacred son of the shangqing sacred sect, with the chu territory as his fief. after the chu territory is promoted from a mortal secret realm to a common secret realm, he and exalted sacred daughter yao tan are to become cultivation partners.¡± the primordial lord who spoke earlier stepped forward and bowed slightly. ¡°as you command, realm master kunxu.¡± this primordial lord was none other than the mountain lord of the second mountain, the refining heart mountain range! ¡­ with the decree of realm master kunxu being passed down from the yuluo realm, the eight mountains of the shangqing sacred sect were shaken! the most recent conferment of an exalted sacred son or daughter was over 130 years ago, with the emergence of exalted sacred daughter yao tan. if one were to trace back to the previous shangqing sacred son or daughter before her, it would be hundreds of years ago. after more than a hundred years, the shangqing sacred sect once again produced a disciple with the qualifications to reach the clone avatar stage. and it was not the blood descendant of any clone avatar stage greater lord, but a native from a mortal secret realm! the position of a shangqing sacred son or daughter was extremely rare. if a shangqing sacred son or daughter was killed or their lifespan was expended, or if they broke into the clone avatar stage greater lord, their title of shangqing sacred son or daughter would be revoked. thus, at this time, there were only twelve shangqing sacred sons in the entire shangqing sacred sect. before breaking into the clone avatar stage, greater lord zhuri and red nacre greater lord had also been respectively conferred the titles of shangqing sacred son and shangqing sacred daughter. and among the clone avatar stage greater lords, only two people had not been conferred the title of shangqing sacred son. these two people were the current sect master greater lord qingxuan and the realm spirit of the mirage sea illusion realm, mirage spirit greater lord. ¡­ ¡°exalted soul suppressor sacred son, li daoming, the hall master of the spirit origin hall on the wenyuan mountain range, has come to visit.¡± ¡°exalted soul suppressor sacred son, chen junsheng of the wenyuan mountain range has come to visit.¡± ¡°exalted soul suppressor sacred son, burning heart sacred son from the shangqing mountain range has come to visit.¡± chu luo, zhang haobo, quan hongyu, and the other disciples of the cloud abyss peak were all excited, welcoming one high-ranking figure after another to cloud abyss peak. not long after, they would respectfully send them away. such a situation continued for several days, and many talented and exceptional sacred sons and sacred daughters came and went from cloud abyss peak. the gifts xu disheng received from these people, congratulating him on ascending to the position of shangqing sacred son, were enough to fill dozens of high-grade interspatial rings. apart from these ordinary sacred sons and sacred daughters and talented disciples from the eight mountain ranges, the divine core stage spirit masters of the mingxin mountain range also came to the cloud abyss peak. they all left him with precious and rare cultivation resources as congratulatory gifts. after a few more days, peace was restored on cloud abyss peak, and xu disheng sat alone in the back hall of the profound resonance hall. but in the depths of his soul, there was an inexplicable sense of fatal danger approaching, as if a great terror was about to descend. read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com" an extremely noble aura suddenly surged from the ancient, golden true spirit! xu disheng¡¯s soul trembled, and under the weight of this powerful aura, even his consciousness began to blur. forcing his mind to remain calm, he found that the black sky yellow earth pagoda had rushed out of his sea of consciousness. it was now floating in the air in front of him, and it was completely out of his control! ¡°master!¡± the immortal treasure trembled, filled with indescribable joy, ¡°master, have you awakened?¡± the dazzling, golden buddhist light tried to break free from the countless …d character seals, but it could not free itself from the restrictions. however, the ancient and noble aura was growing stronger and more powerful. ¡°mere ant.¡± an incomparably cold voice resounded in xu disheng¡¯s mind, and a ray of golden buddhist light suddenly burst through the endless …d seals. after escaping from the constraints of the seals, this singular ray of buddhist light instantaneously splintered and blossomed into ten thousand rays of buddhist light, engulfing xu disheng¡¯s entire sea of consciousness. excruciating pain became the only thing in xu disheng¡¯s world, and he instantly lost all consciousness. just before xu disheng¡¯s mind was completely annihilated by the golden buddhist light inundating his sea of consciousness, the mirror bodhi furtively transformed into a very faint, well-hidden ray of cyan light, which wrapped up xu disheng¡¯s soul and disappeared. a moment later, ¡°xu disheng¡¯s¡± eyes opened, and resplendent golden light shone from his eyes, dyeing the entire profound resonance hall in a dazzling shade of gold. CH 240 chapter 240 ¨C three realms of the yin wheel, destruction of the deep night realm ¡°master, you are awake!¡± amidst the transformations of the black sky yellow earth pagoda, a young man with white hair clad in golden robes materialized into being. he knelt on the ground, face glowing with excitement as he looked at ¡®xu disheng¡¯, whose eyes were filled with golden light. ¡°the heavenly …d character sealing mantra cast by lord buddha of sah¨¡ heaven contained boundless restrictive laws. at the moment, i cannot truly awaken. only a sliver of my consciousness has managed to shake free of the restrictions,¡± the young man said as the golden light in his eyes gradually dispersed, leaving only a cold, aloof gaze in his resplendent eyes. ¡°but it will only delay my awakening by a little bit. that nine-petal lotus platform managed to protect the remnants of that ant¡¯s soul and even carried away a bit of the power of my golden true spirit.¡± fear appeared on the face of the young man in golden robes, and he knelt to the ground, admitting his guilt. ¡°master, it was due to my inability that that nine-petal lotus platform managed to escape. please inflict punishment upon me.¡± ¡®xu disheng¡¯ gently waved his sleeve, enveloping the white-haired, golden-robed young man in a stream of golden buddhist light. ¡°rest assured. you are also not fully awakened at the moment. your rank is too low to stop that fully intact peak profound treasure. your failure was within reason.¡± as the buddhist light permeated his body, the aura around the white-haired young man surged. the glow surging from the black sky yellow earth pagoda intensified, even leaking out of the profound resonance hall and illuminating the entirety of cloud abyss peak. ¡®xu disheng¡¯ swept his senses throughout his body and found that his sea of consciousness was completely empty. his jianggong meridian point was also devoid of any profound qi, causing him to frown slightly. he reached a hand out into the void and gently clenched his fist. a mote of golden buddhist light instantly appeared within his sea of qi, which transformed into a slowly rotating golden lotus flower. the golden light permeated his body, and within a few breaths of time, his shenque acupoint, the sea of consciousness in his baihui acupoint, the sea of qi in his jianggong acupoint, as well as the other meridians forming the 36 meridians, became filled with golden profound liquid. if others were here, they wouldn¡¯t dare to believe what they were seeing, and would be utterly rocked beyond belief! within moments, a supreme, unsurpassable golden lotus dao foundation was rebuilt! what was flowing through his meridians wasn¡¯t profound qi, but golden profound liquid! this phenomenon was so beyond the ordinary that it would be enough to cause a storm throughout the human realm! a dao foundation stage aura surged from the body of ¡®xu disheng¡¯, but the frown on his face remained. dazzling light was blossoming forth from the golden lotus in his sea of qi, and a massive buddhist halo appeared behind his head. at that moment, the golden lotus melted down, transforming into pure golden core liquid! as the core liquid began to coalesce, a shocking aura spread out from his body, enveloping all of cloud abyss peak. within dozens of miles, all the power of heaven and earth flocked towards him, forming a huge vortex that ravenously devoured all the energy! under the crushing pressure of the oppressive aura, all the disciples on cloud abyss peak were pressed to the ground, unable to rise. they were forced to go all out, using their spirit tools to protect themselves. there were several disciples with insufficient cultivation bases who were overwhelmed by the unrestrained aura and spewed out mouthfuls of blood as they were blasted out of the range of cloud abyss peak. the divine core stage! a golden buddhist core was formed, bursting forth with brilliant golden radiance. it floated in ¡®xu disheng¡¯s¡¯ sea of qi, where a lotus flower projection flickered in and out of existence. search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. a figure floated in the high clouds, looking down at cloud abyss peak. it was primordial lord yangze, one of the two mountain lords of the mingxin mountain range. the astonishing, heaven-shocking changes on cloud abyss peak had alarmed nearly the entire mingxin mountain range. countless disciples flew towards the area, and over ten of the divine core stage spirit masters were gathered in the air, their faces filled with disbelief as they discussed among each other. everyone knew xu disheng¡¯s cultivation level¡ªhe was genuinely at the early dao foundation stage. how could he possibly break through to the divine core stage in just a few days? even the most talented monstrous genius couldn¡¯t break through from the early dao foundation stage to the divine core stage in such a short time! sensing the skyrocketing aura exploding out of profound resonance hall, all of the spirit masters, even severing meridian spirit master feng simiao and celestial tide spirit master, who knew xu disheng well, couldn¡¯t hide the shock and apprehension on their faces. primordial lord yangze¡¯s figure appeared in the air, and the disciples who had crowded around cloud abyss peak all looked amazed and shocked. they bowed in unison and greeted, ¡°respectful greetings, mountain master yangze.¡± primordial lord yangze just gently waved his sleeve, gazing at cloud abyss peak with an inexplicable look in his eyes. he muttered, ¡°this matter is extremely strange. greater lord zhuri has arrived; we should not go for now.¡± sure enough, light and shadow flashed outside the profound resonance pond, condensing into the figure of a man, who immediately entered profound resonance hall. ¡°how can this be possible?! exalted soul suppressor sacred son broke through to the divine core stage!?¡± ¡°this is absolutely impossible! when the exalted soul suppressor sacred son was just conferred as a shangqing sacred son, i went to visit him. his cultivation base was truly at the early dao foundation stage!¡± ¡°did the exalted soul suppressor sacred son come across some unrivaled opportunity, allowing him to somehow break through overnight?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know, but even the eminent greater lord zhuri has appeared here. this matter is probably not that simple.¡± the countless disciples present were whispering amongst each other, and many more came from other mountain ranges after hearing the news. the air outside cloud abyss peak became packed with people, and all eyes were on profound resonance hall atop cloud abyss peak. ¡­ ¡®xu disheng¡¯ stretched out his hand. the artifact spirit in his form as a white-haired young man in golden robes faded away completely, and the black sky yellow earth pagoda flew straight into his hand. compared to before, the pagoda had undergone great physical changes. it was now engraved with ancient, desolate patterns and was enveloped in golden buddhist light. under the awakening of ¡°xu disheng¡¯s¡± buddhist power, it had completely recovered to being a peak profound treasure within mere moments! ¡°you are not soul suppressor.¡± a somewhat surprised man¡¯s voice entered ¡®xu disheng¡¯s¡¯ ears. he looked towards the gate to the hall, where greater lord zhuri stood quietly, staring at him fixedly. in a short moment, ¡®xu disheng¡¯ branded the short twenty years of memories belonging xu disheng¡¯s mind onto his sliver of soul. the golden buddhist light reappeared in his eyes as he said, ¡°soul suppressor? just a tiny ant born by accident.¡± greater lord zhuri detected a hint of an ancientness in ¡®xu disheng¡¯s¡¯ aura, which made even his primordial spirit tremble slightly. his tone turned serious. ¡°may i ask¡­¡± greater lord zhuri had some guesses as to what was happening. he had the feeling that this phenomenon was similar to what had happened to lu ling of the ancient nuwa sect back at the luminous cloud abyss. it was clearly the reincarnation phenomenon of some supreme being, a reawakening of their memories. ¡°middling clone avatar stage junior,¡± the youth said, his tone remaining indifferent despite facing a greater lord of the clone avatar stage, ¡°you are not worthy of knowing my name.¡± greater lord zhuri, a powerful figure in the clone avatar stage, was thus belittled by ¡®xu disheng¡¯, but he did not refute. his expression only became more grave. ¡°may i ask¡­ where will you go hereafter?¡± ¡®xu disheng¡¯s¡¯ cultivation base had now stabilized at the peak of the divine core stage. he murmured, ¡°human realm, eastern region, shan mountain territory¡­¡± after a moment, his eyes flashed with golden light. he gazed at greater lord zhuri in front of him and said, ¡°at this time, i have still yet to fully awaken. if i can free up a bit more of my consciousness, i can directly recover to the divine sea stage. at this point, that would take me about two hundred years.¡± ¡°offer all the cultivation resources of the shangqing sacred sect to me, and i will allow the shangqing sacred sect to unify the eastern region of the human realm.¡± upon hearing this, greater lord zhuri¡¯s eyes flickered with an intense, extraordinary light, but it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. his tone, however, was not calm at all. ¡°why should we believe you?¡± ¡®xu disheng¡¯ just smiled indifferently. ¡°before i reincarnated, i could casually speak a word and my word would be carried out, in a way that the all three heavens and nine realms would feel its effects. although i may be weak now, you piddling clone avatar stage juniors are not worth me deceiving.¡± his original plan before reincarnating was to find a powerful sect and use its resources to accelerate his cultivation. upon reaching the divine sea stage, he planned to change from the buddhist path to the immortal path and ascend to the highest heights, reversing the fate of all living beings and gathering the incomplete true spirit of divine elder lu ling to fully revive himself. divine elder lu ling was once a rank 3 deity in the heavenly court. when he left the heavenly court and entered sah¨¡ heaven, she followed without hesitation, and even accompanied him on the path of the bodhisattva. if the soul was destroyed, the true spirit could still enter the nine serenities realm and be reincarnated. but if the true spirit was completely shattered, it would truly be the end, and there would be no remaining traces. even with the heaven-toppling cultivation base he had in his previous life, he could not violate this fundamental principle of heaven and earth. although he had utilized the power of creation to try to somehow protect the incomplete true spirit of divine elder lu ling, he was unable to revive her. the result almost caused his buddhist heart to collapse, nearly driving him mad. in the long since overturned immortal court, it was rumored that there was a forbidden immortal technique that could draw on the endless life spans of living beings and overturn heaven and earth. this technique could not only completely revive the incomplete true spirit of divine elder lu ling, but also restore all his memories and reconstruct his immortal body. greater lord zhuri showed a hesitant expression, seemingly waiting for something. after a moment, red nacre greater lord, greater lord mingxin, and a few other greater lords appeared in the small profound resonance hall, their faces serious as they looked at ¡®xu disheng¡¯. ¡°although this body is only at the trifling divine core stage, you all would be unable to stop me if i wanted to leave,¡± ¡®xu disheng¡¯ said, gently shaking his head. the black sky yellow earth pagoda in his hand emitted a dazzling buddhist light that shot straight into the sky. all eight mountains of the shangqing sacred sect could see this beam of light that pierced the sky. ¡°what i said before remains unchanged.¡± the remaining half of the sentence went unspoken. but all the clone avatar stage greater lords understood. if they did not agree, he would leave at once, and when he reached the divine sea stage, it might spell the destruction of the shangqing sacred sect. these supreme reincarnated beings never had any regard for the rules, and in the human realm, they were even less concerned. they would definitely not be bound by the unspoken rules of the sects and influences in the eastern region of the human realm. ¡°fine.¡± as for the real exalted soul suppressor sacred son, who had disappeared, neither side mentioned it. in the eyes of the clone avatar stage greater lords, he must have been devoured by the recently awakened supreme being before them, and assimilated. and ¡®xu disheng¡¯ here, did not even deign xu disheng worthy of his regard. he clearly did not consider a consciousness born by mere coincidence to be worth thinking twice about. ¡­ the news of exalted soul suppressor sacred son¡¯s sudden breakthrough to the divine core stage due to some heaven-defying opportunity spread like a wildfire throughout the entire shan mountain territory. he even changed his title to ¡°origin immortal¡±. after establishing a domain in the shangqing spiritual world above the pure spirit ocean, he settled down. with the rise of origin immortal sacred son, the word ¡°immortal¡±, which had been classified as taboo for countless years, reappeared once more in the minds of the people. ¡­ heavenly court, house of the earth god¡­ ¡°what is happening with the human realm?!¡± ¡°it¡¯s simply a mass of fog! i can¡¯t see anything clearly anymore!¡± several rank 3 deities¡¯ expressions flickered with shock, and they all felt a sense of unease. they exchanged glances and immediately transformed, flying off into the distance. ¡°we must go see the chief god and report this right away!¡± ¡­ chan held the immortal treasure known as the floating life wheel as she looked down at the deep night realm below. the realm was now devoid of life, and she revealed a hint of a smile filled with unparalleled beauty. (tl: this name, chan, consists of only one chinese character, æ¿, which means ¡®beauty¡¯ or ¡®grace¡¯.) the deep night realm, one of the three realms of the yin wheel, had been completely destroyed. in the span of a few breaths, the billions of living beings residing in the deep night realm had been completely eradicated, and the chief god stationed here, the rank 2 deity divine lord nightspan, was unable to put up a fight against chan¡¯s floating life wheel and died, returning to the cycle of reincarnation. at that moment, the void trembled, as if a figure was about to appear in the deep night realm. chan frowned, and the immortal treasure in her hand shot out a stream of pale white immortal light. the glow completely suffused her body and her surroundings as she faded away and departed. CH 241 chapter 241 ¨C profound depth palace, sea of clouds tl: your tl, crescent, here! i¡¯ll be on vacation starting tomorrow and will be away for the next 3 weeks. i will still upload, but will release only 1 chapter per week on thursday. thanks for your understanding! an intensely familiar feeling. in the warm darkness, xu disheng awakened. golden spiritual light swirled continuously around him, and above his head floated the nine-petaled lotus platform, the top-grade profound treasure known as the mirror bodhi. his consciousness, which had been severely damaged earlier, was now slowly recovering, nourished by the cyan light shed by the mirror bodhi. the projection of the paramount ancient bell gently rotated in the depths of his consciousness, releasing a light golden halo. also present were the projections of the seven mantras of the soul song and the theory of causality, faintly discernible beneath the ancient, golden bell. if xu disheng could operate his soul force at this time, he would find that the dense bundle of illusory karma lines extending from his body had almost all been broken and dissipated, leaving only one faint karma line which stretched off into the unknown. that mote of golden spiritual light now completely belonged to him as his true spirit! despite his consciousness being minuscule compared to the bodhisattva¡¯s, his was still a consciousness born from the ancient true spirit, sharing the same origin. when the nine-petaled lotus platform mirror bodhi had taken him away to flee, his soul had also carried away a tiny amount of the power of the bodhisattva¡¯s ancient golden true spirit. under the nourishment of the green light from the mirror bodhi, this portion of the golden true spirit¡¯s power had now completely fused with his soul, mysteriously transforming into his own complete true spirit! the paramount ancient bell was a result of enlightenment brought about by his own consciousness, and even though he had lost his cultivation base and even his body, his profound law foundation still existed in the depths of his consciousness. when he recovered to the dao foundation stage in the future, he would be able to reconstruct his profound law foundation, and the paramount ancient bell would be born anew! under the entwinement of the golden spiritual light surrounding him, and the protection of the nine-petaled lotus platform, he was headed toward the dark, unknown depths of the nine serenities realm. search "pawread dot com" for the original. dawn creek city. in front of the black and white vortex of the human path of reincarnation, countless true spirits continuously entered, and xu disheng¡¯s true spirit, emitting a mixture of golden and cyan light, also entered the vortex along with the endless torrent true spirits. ¡­ in the central region of the human realm¡­ profound depth celestial world, profound depth palace. xu disheng opened his eyes to see a giant cyan stone platform suspended in the air, surrounded by an expanse of roiling clouds and mist that formed what seemed like a never-ending sea of clouds. up above, the three yin moons hung high in the sky. they loomed impressively, looking incredibly large, as if one could reach out and touch them. one of the yin moons was darker than the rest, as if it were covered in a layer of blood. it was emitting an immeasurable aura of death. the vast sea of clouds suddenly split open, interrupting his thoughts. a slender figure condensed from the mist, which gave xu disheng a glance, and sent a stream of clear qi into his consciousness. countless scenes and images flitted rapidly through xu disheng¡¯s consciousness. after a few breaths of time, he fully understood where he was. the human realm was boundlessly vast, and there were dozens of races. the two largest and most influential of these races were the human race and the demon race. although he had been reincarnated into the human realm, he had been reincarnated into the central region of the human realm as part of the spirit race. he was no longer part of the human race as he was before. the spirit race was different from the human race. they weren¡¯t born from the womb and were extremely few in number. they were born from the nascent spirit stones above the genesis sea of clouds. once a true spirit passed through the human path of reincarnation, these naturally generated gestational spirit stones, produced naturally by heaven and earth, would help the true spirit construct a spirit body, giving birth to a being of the spirit race. despite their paucity, the spirit race had occupied the profound depth spiritual world, which was located in the central region of the human realm, for countless years. all members of the spirit race were considered disciples of profound depth palace. after a few moments, that figure instructed him to follow. a snow-white bridge made of clouds formed under his feet, stretching off into an unknown place in the distant horizon. xu disheng followed without hesitation, stepping onto the bridge of clouds. whether it was the golden true spirit in his sea of consciousness or his freshly born spirit race body, both were completely his and under his complete control, without any hindrances whatsoever. when members of the spirit race were born, they had the outward appearance of teenage youths, and their bodies were filled with the spiritual qi of the nascent spirit stones. they were born with an innate cleansed meridian stage cultivation base, with lifespans that easily spanned thousands of years. aside from the disadvantage that they were extremely few in number, they were head and shoulders above the human and demon races in almost all aspects. he treaded slowly along the bridge of clouds, a hint of confusion in his eyes. due to the previous influence of the ancient golden true spirit deep within his consciousness, his demeanor had become indifferent and cold. he looked down upon almost everything, and he was often unwittingly pulled into illusions created by the black sky yellow earth pagoda. the dao path and firm dao heart that he had comprehended and gained enlightenment of, now seemed uncertain to him. he wasn¡¯t sure if they truly stemmed from his own heart. subconsciously, the projection of the paramount ancient bell within his consciousness began to rotate slowly, releasing a faint golden halo that gradually calmed the turmoil within his mind. when he thought back to the disdainful words, ¡°mere ant¡± that he had faintly heard before losing consciousness, a hint of unsuppressable killing intent appeared in xu disheng¡¯s mind. since the projection of the paramount ancient bell hadn¡¯t completely dissipated, that meant that his dao path hadn¡¯t changed, and it truly stemmed from his own heart! the mysteries of his past life and reincarnation had mostly been uncovered, but xu disheng¡¯s killing intent towards that bodhisattva surged like a tidal wave and could not be calmed. an icy light flashed in xu disheng¡¯s eyes. he was unsure what would happen in the shangqing sacred sect after that bodhisattva awakened a sliver of his consciousness, but there was an insurmountable realm barrier between the eastern region and the central region of the human realm. only clone avatar stage greater lords and divine sea stage heavenly lords could cross it, so there was no need to be on guard against him for now. you wish to resurrect the divine elder lu ling? since you are willing to abandon your everlasting bodhisattva cultivation to resurrect this woman, then i, xu disheng, will utterly shatter your hopes! moreover, i will suppress you and the artifact spirit of the black sky yellow earth pagoda in the bottomless abyss of darkness, where you will never be released for countless eons! the immortal dao was a dao of the heart. any being of any race who reached the divine sea stage could become a new immortal being if their cultivation of the mind could achieve the will of heaven psyche. thus they would enter floating immortal heaven, and rule over heaven and earth along with the other immortal beings. however, this was the way to achieve the immortal dao several eons ago. since the destruction of the floating immortal heaven and the dethronement of the immortal court, this method had long been sealed. no one knew the cultivation method that allowed one to attain the will of heaven psyche. but xu disheng had learned this method from the ancient golden true spirit. his previous aloof indifference was an influence of the ancient golden true spirit, whose indifference stemmed from being a supreme powerhouse of sah¨¡ heaven that subconsciously looked down upon everyone else as weak, puny creatures. now, the indifference in xu disheng¡¯s eyes truly stemmed from his own heart. he was already beginning to show signs of the fledgling stages of the will of heaven psyche. the will of heaven psyche belonging to the immortals from many eons ago was an extremely cold and ruthless frame of mind, but still held a trace of tolerance for their own kind. but xu disheng¡¯s will of heaven psyche was different from even the immortal beings of old, being utterly indifferent and selfish to the extreme! under heaven and earth, only i can live forever. no other being will be permitted! under heaven and earth, only i can transcend. no other being will be permitted! under heaven and earth, i, alone, am immortal. aside from me, no other being can become an immortal! in this world, i will personally create the shackles of fate, firmly tying down countless beings with the lock of destiny that i have established. these countless beings will be suppressed for eternity, and they will never have any chance of rebellion. no being¡¯s lifespan can exceed 100 years, and the rest of their lifespans will serve as my sustenance for countless eons! suppressing countless beings in the three heavens and nine realms, depriving them of their lifespan, reestablishing the order of heaven and earth, and returning everything in this world to the predestined fate that i have established, from which they will never be freed. this is the true path of xu disheng! no one would have thought that this consciousness, born due to an accident and reincarnated as a spirit race after death, would experience the unique convergence of coincidences and opportunities that would allow him to become a true immortal.