Chapter 313
The Myriad Yin Sect
Chapter 313 The Myriad Yin Sect
Azure Dragon Domain, Heavenly Purity Immortal Sect.
On a mountain path nestled among the mountains, the ethereal Lin Xunfeng and Lin Lingzhou, carrying their packs, walked one after the other, neither of them looking too well.
Lin Lingzhou stopped, a smile spreading across his face. He turned to his master and said with a smile, "Master, I'll stop here. Do you have any messages for my senior brothers and sisters?"
Today, he will leave the Tianqing Immortal Sect and head east to the Nine Provinces.
The reason he went to the Nine Provinces was because he had nowhere else to go. The Heavenly Purity Immortal Sect would not accept him, and the only place he could think of was the Nine Provinces.
Looking at his smile, Lin Xunfeng felt a pang of self-reproach.
At this moment, he recalled the scene when Li Qingqiu called out to him from behind when he descended Qingxiao Mountain.
He was not a good master at all, and he always disappointed his disciples.
Lin Xunfeng opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally could only utter two words: "I'm sorry."
Lin Lingzhou looked at his master, scratched his head and laughed, "Master, why are you apologizing to me? You saved my life. If you have to blame someone, blame me for not having spiritual roots. I'm so grateful for your care over the years, otherwise I would have been expelled from the Tianqing Immortal Sect long ago. Actually, you don't need to blame yourself. Leaving might be better for me."
The more he acted this way, the more distressed Lin Xunfeng felt.
Seemingly sensing Lin Xunfeng's psychological pressure, Lin Lingzhou clenched his fist and said, "Master, you must become an immortal!"
Seeing his apprentice remain as cheerful as ever, Lin Xunfeng was encouraged.
"Remember, on your journey through the Nine Provinces, avoid fog and do not approach any sounds heard at night. The human heart is more terrifying than demons and monsters," Lin Xunfeng said earnestly.
Lin Lingzhou nodded and then asked, "Master, do you really not have anything you need me to pass on?"
The faces of Li Qingqiu and the other six appeared in Lin Xunfeng's mind. It had been almost thirty years since then, and his memories of them were somewhat hazy. He wondered if those little guys still resented him.
"I hope they are alright."
Lin Xunfeng sighed and stepped forward to tidy Lin Lingzhou's clothes.
Looking at the grown-up Lin Lingzhou, Lin Xunfeng felt a pang of sorrow. He secretly vowed never to experience such a thing again.
Lin Lingzhou was also feeling bad. He grinned and said, "I'm leaving now. Master, please wait!"
After saying that, he turned and jogged away.
Lin Xunfeng stood still, watching Lin Lingzhou run into the distant woods.
This must have taken half a day.
At dusk.
Lin Xunfeng turned around, his expression becoming unusually firm.
He abandoned too many people and things; he must walk the path of cultivation to the end. Only by achieving immortality can he be worthy of all the hardships he has endured along the way.
……
With the arrival of the sweltering summer, more than three months have passed since Shen Yue descended the mountain.
Within the Taikun Mountains, in the blessed land of a thousand spirits.
Sunlight streamed through the leaves of the Thousand Spirit Tree, and Li Qingqiu looked up at Xiao Ba, who was as large as a mountain, with a gratified smile on her face.
Xiao Ba is nearly ten zhang tall when standing, not to mention how big his wings are when spread out.
Over the years, Xiao Ba's size has actually shrunk, and now it is about to enter the Spiritual Consciousness Realm, which fills Li Qingqiu with anticipation.
Facing its owner's gaze, Hachiko held its head high and puffed out its chest, appearing arrogant and haughty.
"Master, why hasn't Jinlang returned yet?"
A soft female voice came from the side. Li Qingqiu turned his head and saw a huge snake demon crawling out of the woods next to him.
It is Angelica dahurica.
Bai Zhi's snake body was already over ten zhang long, but it seemed insignificant in front of Xiao Ba.
After arriving at Qingxiao Gate, it found the Demon Control Hall too small, so Li Qingqiu had it move to Qianling Blessed Land. Here, it was accompanied by Xiao Ba, Xiao Jiu, and other demons, and it quickly grew to like the place.
"It's unclear at the moment. The mission it undertakes is long-term and will play a crucial role in the future of Qingxiao Sect. Rest assured, I can sense if anything happens to it," Li Qingqiu replied.
Over the years, Jinlang had occasionally passed on information to him, saying that it was following a fox demon on its way to the land of demons.
Since the group of great demons was killed, the demons in the Nine Provinces either went into hiding or fled, but Li Qingqiu never gave up his attention to the north to prevent a tragedy like that of Zhongtian Immortal City from happening again.
"This mission cannot be revealed at all?" Bai Zhi asked, unwilling to give up.
Do you know the cause and effect?
"I don't know."
"There are some things that, once you say them, the other person can sense them and even calculate them with their fingers. This is the nature of cultivation. The world's magical arts are incredibly diverse."
Li Qingqiu feigned profundity and said something that frightened Bai Zhi, causing her to shrink back and not dare to ask any more questions.
Xiao Ba seized the opportunity and asked, "Master, can you help me when I undergo my tribulation?"
Its voice sounded like that of a boy, only twelve or thirteen years old.
Li Qingqiu looked at it and smiled, "If I were to interfere with your tribulation, it would be terrifying. Believe in your strength, and your sect already has a complete tribulation-crossing formation, so you don't need to worry."
"Okay, I'll try my best." Xiao Ba said with a pitiful look on his face. It was hard to imagine that such a majestic eagle would make such a sound.
Li Qingqiu was looking forward to Xiao Ba's tribulation.
The transformation stages of a demon are not fixed, but upon reaching the Spiritual Consciousness Realm, a portion of its body can be transformed. Of course, many demons dislike human form, believing that their true form is the most beautiful. Xiao Ba, however, wants to transform into human form so that it can easily enter the Qingxiao Sect.
Then, Li Qingqiu turned his attention to the Thousand Spirit Tree.
The Thousand Spirit Tree is actually a tree spirit, but it is aloof and doesn't like to talk. Li Qingqiu has always been curious about how strong it is. Such a huge demon body must contain power that is unimaginable to ordinary people.
Li Qingqiu decided that he would find an opportunity to be alone with Qian Lingshu in the future, have a heart-to-heart talk, and deepen their relationship.
He chatted with Xiao Ba and Bai Zhi for a few more minutes, then turned and left.
He has many things to take care of, so it's already quite rare that he was able to find the time to visit Xiao Ba.
He leaped and disappeared from Xiao Ba and Bai Zhi's sight.
Under the sunlight, the towering Thousand Spirit Trees, which rise above the entire forest and rival the mountains, sway gently, like circles of green waves churning.
……
Li Qingqiu quickly returned to Lingxiao Courtyard, where Zhang Yuchun was already waiting.
As the number of disciples increased, the pressure on the Imperial Spirit Hall grew. Even though Zhang Yuchun devoted all his energy to the Imperial Spirit Hall, he often felt exhausted.
However, thanks to his status and Li Qingqiu's favoritism, his cultivation level still reached the seventh level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, making him the one with the lowest cultivation level among his seven fellow disciples.
As soon as Li Qingqiu sat down, Zhang Yuchun began to report the situation.
"The number of registered disciples has exceeded 50,000 today. I'd also like to report the number of disciples at each level."
Zhang Yuchun paused for a moment, then continued, "Currently, there are 9,764 true disciples. Among them, there are 342, 87, and 34 disciples at the seventh, eighth, and ninth levels of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, respectively, while the number of disciples at the Spiritual Consciousness Realm has reached 19."
He glanced at Li Qingqiu, and seeing that he remained calm, he gave a detailed report on the number of people in each realm.
Li Qingqiu was not unmoved; in fact, he was filled with emotion.
Qingxiao Sect makes great strides every year, progressing at an extremely rapid pace. In Wei Tianxiong's words, Qingxiao Sect could survive even if placed in Tianming Sea, but it would not be able to compare with major sects like Ziyang Island.
The Imperial Spirit Hall is mainly responsible for the disciple roster and personnel management, so Zhang Yuchun only mentioned the number of Qingxiao Sect disciples and their cultivation levels. Even so, one could feel the power of the Qingxiao Sect.
Afterwards, he talked about the third magical duel tournament.
Even though the number of disciples participating in each tournament is limited, the number of participants is still much higher than the previous one. The third tournament is still two years away, so Zhang Yuchun needs to prepare in advance to avoid chaos.
To prepare for the martial arts tournament, one needs a venue, spirit stones, money, and personnel to look after the participants. This requires the cooperation of other departments, but each department also has its own affairs. Therefore, Zhang Yuchun could only turn to Li Qingqiu to coordinate the arrangements.
The two talked for a full half hour before finalizing all the details of the martial arts tournament.
Zhang Yuchun joked, "Is the winner of this year's martial arts competition going to be your apprentice again?"
The first winner of the first magical combat tournament was Xu Ning, and the first winner of the second magical combat tournament was Yun Cai. Both of them were geniuses personally cultivated by Li Qingqiu.
Even before the third martial arts tournament began, Hu Yan had already been recognized as the number one, even though Hu Yan rarely appeared on the martial arts stage and had never shown his true strength.
"Who knows?"
Li Qingqiu casually replied that he no longer cared about the first place winner of the martial arts competition.
When he restricted the martial arts tournament to those below the Spiritual Consciousness Realm, it became a grand event for the lower-level disciples. He wouldn't demand that his disciples win first place, but he wouldn't stop them either. Everyone has vanity and wants to achieve something; he just needed to watch.
Just then.
Chu Jing strode into the courtyard, quickly approached the long table, bowed, and said, "Sect Master, news has arrived from the Ghost City mission: the disciples have breached Ghost City."
Li Qingqiu smiled upon hearing the news.
Zhang Yuchun remarked, "The difference is just that when Xu Ning, Yuan Li, and Jian Du lead the team."
This mission sent a total of twenty disciples, all of whom were the sect's elite.
Because it was a ghost town, Li Qingqiu specially dispatched Xu Ning and Yuan Li, plus Bai Ning'er, the "lucky one," and he didn't believe they couldn't conquer it.
Therefore, Li Qingqiu was not surprised by this news.
Chu Jing continued, "They discovered some intelligence in that ghost city, learning that it was left behind by a cultivation sect called Wanyin Sect. The exact age of the ghost city is still unclear. Xu Ning hopes that Wei Tianxiong can make a trip there."
Upon hearing this, Li Qingqiu realized it involved other cultivation sects, so he immediately sent a telepathic message to Xiao Wuqing, who was meditating outside the courtyard, instructing him to summon Wei Tianxiong.
Zhang Yuchun asked in surprise, "Could there really be a vast land beyond the dangerous western region?"
Li Qingqiu recalled the route he took to find Yin Jingxing. He did see the scene of the dynasty's cities, and there were quite a few of them, which looked very prosperous.
“Of course there are, but the dangerous land to the west is a natural barrier. There are no traces of living people in that ghost city. Xu Ning is just worried that if they activate the restrictions, it will disturb the Wanyin Sect in the distance,” Chu Jing replied.
His tone became serious when the matter was brought up.
Qingxiao Sect has been attacked by demons and monsters, but has not yet truly clashed with other cultivation sects.
In his heart, he both longed to encounter a sect of immortal cultivators and was afraid.
If such an event occurs, annexing a cultivation sect is a faster way to develop; of course, one might also be annexed by another sect.
(End of this chapter)