Chapter 291
Nine Immortals Cult
Chapter 291 Nine Immortals Sect
Li Qingqiu didn't take the matter of Wenxian Temple to heart. He didn't even inquire about the spirit mine, because there were too many other things for him to think about.
He would only need to personally intervene if his disciples were unable to resolve the issue.
After drinking a pot of wine at Lingxiao Courtyard, Li Qingqiu finally left.
He was preparing to cultivate supernatural powers. Recently, apart from meditation and absorbing qi, he spent the rest of his cultivation time studying the Extreme Movement Technique and the Three Immortal Swords.
Defeating Jian Kui remains his personal goal. He doesn't even expect the inheritance of the Taijue Sect; he simply wants to defeat Jian Kui.
……
Time flies.
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, a year has passed.
It's early autumn again.
Li Qingqiu sat down at the long table in Lingxiao Courtyard again, drinking wine while listening to Chu Jing and Xiao Wuqing report on the sect's situation.
Li Qingqiu rarely intervenes in sect affairs personally anymore; Chu Jing and Xiao Wuqing have become his eyes and ears, acting on his behalf. However, he still personally tours the various peaks every now and then to reassure his disciples.
He had already reached the sixth level of the Spiritual Awareness Realm, but he was still defeated by Jian Kui this morning, which made him feel somewhat depressed.
However, with the [righteous spirit] in him, his mood wouldn't be too low; he was just a little confused.
“Now there are spirit mines all over the Nine Provinces, and the total number has exceeded forty. A steady stream of spirit stones is being sent to the Taikun Mountains. However, the process has been somewhat unsuccessful recently. Someone actually dared to attack our sect when transporting disciples. This is not a good omen.” When Chu Jing spoke of this matter, his eyes behind the mask turned cold and sharp.
Xiao Wuqing sighed, "Our sect is so powerful, yet there are still people who dare to take risks. Human hearts are truly unpredictable. This matter really needs to be investigated thoroughly to see whether it was done by other sects or by our own disciples."
Li Qingqiu remained silent. As the number of disciples increased, the number of disciples with low loyalty also grew. Currently, there are tens of thousands of disciples with loyalty below fifty, and thousands of disciples with loyalty below thirty.
We can't assume that all 1,000 people are potential traitors.
After serving as the sect leader for twenty-five years, Li Qingqiu realized one thing: nothing will always go smoothly. Even if Qingxiao Sect has no external enemies, internal troubles will arise. This is his responsibility to adjust the sect's development direction.
"The Western Yu Immortal City has been completed. Gu Changping hopes to send more true disciples to settle in the Western Yu Immortal City. He said there are more demons there than expected." Chu Jing looked at Li Qingqiu and brought up another matter.
Xiyu Immortal City is a newly built branch city of Qingxiao Sect. It is located in the western border of Yuzhou, outside the territory of Xuan Dynasty, in the endless deep mountains, a place rarely visited by people.
Gu Changping was appointed city lord by Li Qingqiu. As an elite member of the Law Enforcement Hall, one of the top ten in the first Battle Tournament, and with his cultivation at the ninth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, he was worthy of being entrusted with important responsibilities by Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu thought for a moment and said, "Then send another hundred true disciples to stay there permanently, and select from the sixth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. In addition, select six people each from the Qin, Zhu, Ning, Yang, and Gu families."
Chujing is a scenic spot.
Xiao Wuqing continued, "Recently, the palace has been haunted, and the emperor wants us to send someone to exorcise the evil spirits."
"Haunted?" Li Qingqiu asked in surprise.
With the marriage alliance between Lady Zhu and Liu Jing, there were two female disciples of the Qingxiao Sect in the palace. How could such a thing have happened?
Although the two female disciples were not highly skilled, they had already begun to master the ability to identify evil spirits.
“Yes, that’s what he said in the letter.” Xiao Wuqing’s expression was also quite strange.
"Then let Ji Ya go there."
Upon hearing that Li Qingqiu had sent Ji Ya, Xiao Wuqing raised an eyebrow.
Ji Ya is a newly promoted disciple at the Spiritual Consciousness Realm, representing the sect's top-tier combat strength. It seems that Liu Jing holds considerable weight in the sect leader's heart.
Li Qingqiu looked up at the old tree behind the pavilion, where an autumn leaf fell and swayed in the air.
"It's monsters and ghosts again. It seems the world is about to be in turmoil again."
Li Qingqiu muttered to himself, and Chu Jing and Xiao Wuqing's expressions changed slightly upon hearing this.
Even sitting in a high position in the Qingxiao Sect, overlooking the entire land, the world was still shrouded in mystery for Chu Jing and his companion.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
After Chu Jing and the other two left, Zhang Yuchun came into the courtyard and sat down next to Li Qingqiu.
"According to the intelligence I received, the Nine Immortals Sect has spread among the elite circles throughout the Nine Provinces. They venerate nine immortals. Although they are suppressed by the emperor, many elites still venerate them in secret. It is said that believing in the Nine Immortals Sect can eliminate diseases and prolong life."
Zhang Yuchun said with a solemn expression that he was extremely wary of the Nine Immortals Sect.
Li Qingqiu picked up the wine bowl, took a sip, and did not immediately express his opinion.
Zhang Yuchun continued, "In the past two years, the Nine Immortals Sect has developed rapidly and its whereabouts are mysterious. It will surely become a great enemy of our sect."
Li Qingqiu glanced at him and asked, "What do you think the Nine Immortals Sect might be all about?"
"If it came from the Heavenly Nether Sea, there would be no need to be so secretive. Moreover, we can get the answer when Sun Moxing returns. He should be back in about a month. I think it is very likely related to the north. Didn't Yun Cai mention that other demons were heading south when he killed Zhu Yin?"
Zhang Yuchun said in a deep voice, "If it is related to the demons in the north, then we have to consider the threat from the demon lands."
Li Qingqiu nodded and said, "Have Zhen'er and Elder Shen go down the mountain to investigate the Nine Immortals Sect. This is a secret mission and no one else should know about it."
Upon hearing that Li Qingqiu had sent out these two men, Zhang Yuchun smiled, proving that Li Qingqiu had taken the matter to heart.
“Elder Shen is reliable, but what about Zhao Zhen…” Zhang Yuchun hesitated, feeling that Zhao Zhen lacked experience in the martial arts world.
Li Qingqiu said calmly, "People always have to grow up, and he is no longer the person he used to be."
Zhang Yuchun opened his mouth, but seeing his resolute attitude, he had no choice but to give up.
After talking with Zhang Yuchun, Li Qingqiu returned to his cave.
He sat cross-legged on the bed and began to comprehend the Taiqing Hunyuan Scripture. Yun Cai gave him inspiration. He learned the Taiqing Hunyuan Scripture through the lineage of Daoist tradition and cultivated step by step. Although it went very smoothly, this might not be the limit of the Taiqing Hunyuan Scripture.
Moreover, while comprehending the Taiqing Hunyuan Scripture, he can also create sword spirits to cultivate by absorbing qi.
As he closed his eyes, wisps of sword energy emanated, forming a sword aura that sat beside him, its form identical to his.
It must be said that Shen Yue's sword soul cultivation method is really useful, allowing Li Qingqiu to have more time to study techniques and supernatural abilities.
The cave fell silent.
Nangong E, Lin Chuan, and Jin Lang were also cultivating, hoping to take on more responsibility in future battles, rather than just gathering intelligence.
The moon sets and the sun rises.
A new day has begun.
Li Qingqiu opened his eyes and began absorbing the sword soul's vital energy.
[Given that Qingxiao Sect has encountered its first full-scale invasion by demonic forces, proving that the development of the Daoist tradition has entered a completely new competitive environment, you have been granted a chance for good fortune.]
The sudden notification that appeared in front of him made Li Qingqiu frown.
Demon forces?
A full-scale invasion?
His first thought was the Nine Immortals Sect, which had already covered the entire land of Kyushu, essentially infiltrating the territory of the Qingxiao Sect.
The presence of demonic forces indicates that a demon is leading the charge.
According to Zhuyin's memories, although there are many demons in the north, there is no true demon king.
In other words, this demon king either came from the west or escaped from the land of demons, and gathered a demon force in just a few years.
It seems he underestimated the threat posed by the Nine Immortals Sect.
Li Qingqiu absorbed the sword soul's energy while thinking.
After absorbing the vital energy, he did not leave the cave, but instead chose to activate his fortune.
[Claim your Fortune Reward]
[Open the door to good fortune]
[Start testing your fortune]
[You've caught a glimpse of good fortune and discovered the Demon Lord's Immortal Palace. Will you accept the guidance of this good fortune?]
Demon Lord's Immortal Palace?
Such a coincidence?
Could it be related to the invasion by the demon race?
Many guesses flashed through Li Qingqiu's mind before he chose to accept them.
His consciousness quickly drifted into a dream.
……
Zhao Zhen and Shen Yue quietly descended the mountain without alerting anyone.
After learning of the invasion by the demon race, Li Qingqiu did not immediately summon the sect's high-ranking members to discuss the matter.
He called Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia over.
Jiang Zhaoxia had already reached the second level of the Spiritual Awareness Realm, while Xu Ning was even higher, having reached the third level of the Spiritual Awareness Realm.
When the two were admitted to the hospital, they did not see Li Qingqiu. After they sat down, they did not speak, and the atmosphere was slightly awkward.
After a while, Jiang Zhaoxia couldn't help but ask, "What if Senior Brother sends us on another mission?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Ning's expression turned unnatural. She said, "Now that we've reached the Spiritual Consciousness Realm, we shouldn't be failing like we used to, right?"
As Zhao Zhen and Yun Cai rose to prominence, the two of them were rarely mobilized and remained in seclusion for cultivation.
They guessed that Li Qingqiu had summoned them this time because he had something important to do.
"I'm full of confidence now. I can handle anything without fail," Jiang Zhaoxia said with a triumphant smile.
Xu Ning raised an eyebrow, but did not question him.
She had long heard that Jiang Zhaoxia had acquired supernatural powers, and she had felt the pressure. However, her competitive spirit did not allow her to be inferior to Jiang Zhaoxia. Over the years, she had not wasted any time, and she was equally confident.
Even now, if she were to fight Jiang Zhaoxia, who has mastered supernatural powers, she would be confident of victory.
Just then, Li Qingqiu walked into Lingxiao Courtyard from the back mountain.
Upon seeing him approach, Jiang Zhaoxia and the other person immediately stood up.
"There are only the three of us, so there's no need for formalities. Please sit down."
Li Qingqiu walked over and said, "I sit down in my chair, then take out two jade slips, place them on the table, and push them to the two men respectively."
This is a restriction technology brought by Wei Tianxiong, which allows people to draw maps in jade slips using their spiritual sense. It is extremely convenient, but the threshold is very high, and only those at the spiritual sense realm can use it.
Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning took the jade slip and looked at Li Qingqiu with confusion.
"I need you to find an underground palace called the Demon Lord's Immortal Palace, located in a dangerous place in the west. Each of you should select ten reliable disciples to go there. After you find it, investigate the situation inside the Demon Lord's Immortal Palace and then send someone back to report to me."
Li Qingqiu said with a serious expression, then paused and said, "You may encounter attacks from powerful demons on this journey, so be prepared."
(End of this chapter)