“Feng Ge… Long Qi…”
After seeing off her senior apprentice brother, Wu Qing closed the door of her hermitage and gazed at a painting hanging on the wall, murmuring to herself.
Bearing the destiny of the phoenix and aided by the dragon’s aura, her cultivation had advanced rapidly. Now, as the dragon’s aura grew stronger, even the elders within her sect had begun to covet it.
It could not be said that the elders didn’t require resources.
In truth, at their level, the need for fortune and auspiciousness became even more urgent.
After all, even the Yüqing Daoist had relied upon Ji Yi’s heavenly mandate to successfully break through his cultivation, and subsequently established the Yüqing Blessed Land, becoming the founding patriarch of a sect.
“Therefore, for now, I must obtain the Spirit Pill at this Pill Gathering…”
Wu Qing silently contemplated: “My fortune is sufficient, and my cultivation has already reached a high level. With just a slight opportunity, I can break through my current realm and ascend to the rank of Celestial Master…”
“Within the entire Yüqing Palace, only Patriarch Yüqing has attained the rank of Earth Immortal, while the other senior uncles and masters are merely at the Celestial Master level. With my master’s support and my own attainment of Celestial Master status, if anyone dares to raise objections, I can simply challenge them to the Blood Arena…”
She gazed at the painting, personally inscribed and illustrated by Wu Ming, her eyes softening with tenderness: “Sister Wuzhi’s actions were even swifter than I anticipated. This woman has a strong will; I wonder whether my younger brother has been bullied?”
Suddenly, she gave a bitter smile: “But their married life seems harmonious, and recently I’ve even heard news of a child being born, with divine beings coming to congratulate them. I suppose I was just worrying needlessly…”
…
Yezhou, Shangyun Mountain.
This mountain was shrouded in mist and stretched for dozens of miles, with many tales of immortals and strange occurrences, making it a famous sacred peak.
Deep within the clouds, a sheer cliff suddenly appeared, rising straight up as if piercing the heavens. At its summit was a stone platform, flat and wide like a grand plaza. Due to its steepness on all sides and the bone-chilling gales, even accomplished martial artists found it difficult to climb.
Of course, for cultivators, this was not much of an obstacle.
“Jiu jiu!”
With several crisp cries, several azure great birds flew from the east, their feathers brilliant, and faintly carrying several figures on their backs.
“Is this Shangyun Mountain? The Platform for Receiving Immortals?”
A Daoist girl jumped down first, her face showing disappointment: “It’s completely empty, not a soul in sight… We came too early…”
She pouted: “I had originally hoped to get a glimpse of the Rongcheng Baoguang Heaven!”
“Haha… At such a grand Daoist gathering, with all sorts of people mingling, the blessed lands and caves are the sects’ last refuge. Even a Heaven Immortal would not dare to be careless…”
An elder Daoist descended beside her, his eyes brimming with affection as he looked at the girl: “Besides, both the blessed lands and caves pale in comparison to the world itself. If you really want to talk about divine craftsmanship, it’s this very world that gave birth to Heaven Immortals, which is the most incredible of all…”
“But Heaven is impartial, treating all things as straw dogs. A cave’s master, however, can concentrate the land’s veins and condense spiritual energy into mist… I heard that in the Rongcheng Baoguang Heaven, the pill vapor falls like rain, and even a commoner who inhales it once can extend their lifespan by twenty years!”
The girl sniffled.
Such was the might of a cave’s master. Although blessed lands could also achieve this, their range was smaller, and doing so easily damaged their essence. Hearing this, the elder Daoist’s face briefly showed embarrassment, so he quickly changed the subject: “Although our Huayu Sect also possesses a blessed land, ranking among the seventy-two, in truth our foundation is shallow, and our Daoist techniques have flaws. We have no hope of reaching the Heaven Immortal level, so we came early. Before departing, our Patriarch specifically instructed me not to stand out during this grand assembly and to prioritize forging friendships with other cultivators instead! For example, the Yüqing Sect…”
“I know that already…”
The girl clapped her hands in delight: “The Yüqing Blessed Land was established even later than ours, ranking last among the seventy-two…”
“Shh! Don’t say such things outside!”
The elder Daoist was startled and, seeing that no one else was around, finally relaxed: “The Yüqing Daoists have profound techniques; even our Patriarch holds them in high esteem… When you meet members of the Yüqing Sect later, you must not slight them in the slightest!”
“Haha… Children speak without thinking; the elder Daoist won’t mind!”
With a flash of green light, a Yüqing Daoist had somehow already appeared on the Immortal Receiving Platform, followed by several other Daoists, with Wu Qing clearly among them.
“Could it really be the Yüqing Sect’s Patriarch himself?”
The elder Daoist inwardly groaned and quickly pulled the girl to bow: “Greetings to Senior Daoist of Yüqing!”
“Hehe… Enough of that!”
The Yüqing elder stroked his beard: “So the Huayu old ghost didn’t come?”
“My master has recently been deeply immersed in his cultivation and couldn’t attend in person. He sincerely apologizes for this!”
The elder Daoist said, his face briefly showing regret.
“Fine then! Since you are the current leader of the Huayu Sect, you are someone who can make decisions…”
Seeing that only their two sects had arrived at the Immortal Receiving Platform, the Yüqing Daoist said directly: “Let’s go sit over there!”
Since both the Yüqing and Huayu sects ranked near the bottom among the seventy-two blessed lands, and were even replacements after their original lands were destroyed, they now shared a sense of mutual sympathy.
This was driven by interests and the trend of the times. A mere careless remark from an ignorant disciple could naturally change nothing.
“Thank you, Senior!”
The Huayu Sect leader, the elder Daoist, thanked first, then ordered his disciples to feed the azure birds before joining the Yüqing Daoist on a nearby stone platform.
“These are indeed turbulent times!”
The Yüqing elder’s face showed a wistful expression: “On my way here, I saw the struggle for dominance across the land, fiercer even than during the end of the Shang Dynasty. The heavenly signs have also become more chaotic, which makes me feel uneasy!”
“Indeed…”
The Huayu leader deeply agreed: “Even three hundred years ago, during the struggle for dominance, there were no Heaven Immortals falling. But now, the Azure Tortoise Heaven Immortal and the White Lotus Fairy Lady died under mysterious circumstances. Rumors say it has something to do with the golden figures of the remaining Shang Dynasty remnants. The truth remains unclear, which is truly unsettling!”
“Every time I think of the tragic sight of those two great sects collapsing and scattering, I cannot sleep at night, my heart filled with fear. If we consider this, perhaps the proposal by the Absolute Heaven Sage Lord of the Da You Kong Ming Heaven to form a mutual protection alliance may not be without merit?”
“Haha… You old monkey, are you trying to test this old Daoist?”
The Yüqing elder chuckled, his eyes flashing with sharp light.
Seeing this, the Huayu leader naturally hurriedly denied any such intention.
“A mutual protection alliance among great sects indeed has its benefits, potentially even resisting the Divine Path, and further possibilities cannot be ruled out…”
The Yüqing elder sneered: “But we are weak and lack resources. Aren’t you afraid that while they outwardly support each other, they secretly plot to swallow us whole?”
“Even if there’s no outright swallowing, if a supreme leader is set, demanding annual tributes and requiring us to send disciples to serve under their command, would you be willing?”
“Well… naturally not willing!”
The Huayu leader gritted his teeth.
Within the Huayu Blessed Land, aside from the Earth Immortal Patriarch, he was the highest authority, the ultimate ruling class.
Suddenly having a supreme overlord appear, giving orders and even exploiting him in return, who would willingly accept that?
Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix, especially for cultivators.
It could be said that even a Golden Immortal forcefully pushing this idea would face backlash.
“Still… the Da You Kong Ming Heaven is the foremost power in the Daoist world, and the Absolute Heaven Sage Lord is said to have already attained the Golden Immortal realm… If we refuse, what will become of small sects like ours?”
The Huayu leader’s face showed hesitation.
“Therefore… this time, we will merely observe and remain silent… The other Heaven Immortals will surely reach a conclusion, and then we can decide accordingly!”
The Yüqing elder shook his head.
Their small sect’s actions, put nicely, were clever and adaptable; put bluntly, they were fence-sitters, but such was the sorrow of the weak.
Suppressing his inner bitterness, the Huayu leader forced a smile: “Who doesn’t know that your venerable ancestor has deep ties with the Yunshan Immortal Lord of the Divine Radiance Heaven… His venerable status and virtue are widely recognized, and he is one of the key organizers this time. If you hear any news, please don’t forget to inform this humble Daoist!”
“This truly puts an old man like me in a difficult position…”
The Yüqing elder chuckled bitterly: “Among the seventy-two blessed lands, which one doesn’t have connections to the higher heavens? My relationship is likely the weakest of all… If you’re asking me, you might as well go ask the leader of the Huayu Sect’s leader, the master of the True Ascension Dragon Heaven Sect!”
The Huayu Sect’s patron was indeed the True Ascension Dragon Heaven Sect, and was practically a branch of it.
The ruler of this heavenly realm cultivated the method of dragon aura, possessing unique secrets in aiding dragons, and possessed extraordinary divine abilities.
“Haha… Senior Patriarch is joking…”
The Huayu leader was about to brush it off with laughter when he suddenly saw a flash of light from the horizon. Recognizing a potential savior, he quickly said: “It seems another Daoist friend has arrived; we should go to greet them!”
“Hmm… It seems to be another Earth Immortal friend? Hmm?”
The Yüqing elder was surprised.
Looking in that direction, the Huayu elder saw a golden glow approaching—a flock of rare golden eagles flying toward them, arrogant and domineering, exuding a fierce and ferocious aura so intense that even the azure birds shrank back, hiding their heads beneath their wings.
“Could it be… the Golden Eagle Sect?”
The Yüqing elder’s face showed surprise: “Didn’t they used to be a vassal of the Da You Kong Ming Heaven? Why would they come here?”
The Huayu elder and others exchanged glances, a single thought arising in their minds: “Trouble is coming!”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As the golden eagles landed, their wings stirred up fierce winds. With no choice, the Yüqing and Huayu elders had to step forward.
From the lead eagle dismounted a figure dressed in golden noble robes, wearing a golden crown with a large, shining pearl atop it.
This Daoist had eyes like a hunting hawk and a nose curved like a hook, resembling a transformed golden-winged roc. Unlike ordinary Daoists, he radiated a fierce and murderous aura.
“It’s actually Elder Jin Yuan himself! This humble Daoist greets you!”
The Yüqing and Huayu elders stepped forward to bow first, for the Golden Eagle Sect’s blessed land ranked among the top of the seventy-two, and they were closely tied to the Da You Kong Ming Heaven—far superior to themselves.
“Are you surprised to see me here?”
Jin Yuan chuckled: “Perhaps you think this Pill Gathering has restrictions, allowing only nearby sects to attend? If that’s the case, I’ll turn around and leave immediately, without a second word!”
This was an unspoken rule, something that could not be openly discussed.
The Yüqing elder inwardly sighed bitterly but outwardly hurriedly denied any such thing.
“Exactly… This sect has recently taken in several promising disciples, and I’ve brought them along to gain experience in the wider world!”
Jin Yuan’s hawk-like eyes swept over the members of the two sects, and his gaze brightened slightly: “Young Master Huayu, your sect’s current generation seems rather underwhelming. Only this young lady from Yüqing Elder’s group is impressive. Come here, let this Sect Leader take a closer look!”
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