Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 530 Tianxing Plans Chongming's Journey
"Want to talk to a few demon school disciples?" Peng Daoren had just forcibly suppressed his injuries when he heard Xiang Tianxing speak. He was distracted and his heart was pounding: "Why doesn't the Star-Picking Tower go through the Two Elements Sect for such dirty business?"

Seeing that Peng Daoren remained silent for a long time, Xiang Tianxing did not make any questioning gestures. Instead, he spoke again in a low voice:
"That old bird is no ordinary person; even Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn't dare to provoke him easily. Don't think I'll have an easy time this time. The jade tablet that broke your formation was borrowed from You Songshangxiu, the Third Master of the Yunze Witchcraft Hall in Huangpi Dao."
The pills that undo the effects on you were a precious gift given to the sect leader by the vice sect leader of the Dragon Tiger Sect when he visited Shannan. As for the spiritual liquid that accompanies the pills, it was also taken from the Cleansing Pool of the Star-Picking Tower.

When Xiang Tianxing finished speaking, his tone suddenly paused, and his face turned solemn. He spoke calmly to Peng Daoren, saying, "I am not saying this to ask you to be grateful, but to let you know how much effort my sect leader has put into this matter."

In fact, Peng Daoren didn't need Xiang Tianxing to speak up. He only needed to hear about the Dragon Tiger Sect and the Cloud Ze Witch Venerable Hall to perk him up again.

The former goes without saying; the Dragon Tiger Sect is the leading alchemy sect in the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, and the number of Nascent Soul cultivators it holds is probably even greater than that of Emperor Wei.

If his family chooses to remain neutral, no matter how much trouble the Wei-Extermination and Bao-Kuang movements cause outside, his house will still be bustling with visitors. It is said that even several demon officers from the Lishan lineage have some dealings with his family.

As for the True Immortals of the Human Race, they are indiscriminate in their righteousness or evil, and all must befriend others. For example, those lewd monks on the Snow Mountain Road might scheme to reduce the meager offerings they make to the Celestial Court, but they will not forget to celebrate the birthday of the Dragon Tiger Sect Master.

However, the Dragon Tiger Sect has indeed become increasingly estranged from the Immortal Dynasty, which is the number one sect of Taoism, Taiyi Temple. Naturally, it has lost a lot of business on the surface, but its position as the leader in alchemy remains unshakable.

As for the Yunze Witchcraft Temple, it is one of the most powerful sects in Huangpi Dao. Although both are located in the southwestern border region of David, Huangpi Dao differs from Shannan and Shanbei Dao.

Zhaixinglou was small but powerful, with fewer than a hundred disciples. Before, it was still able to suppress the three families under its jurisdiction, Liangyi, Yunshui, and Xianyu, and countless cultivators in the region obeyed it.
Although the Five Old Mountain was rife with undercurrents due to the fact that the Moon-Hidden True Man's lifespan was short and there were no outstanding cultivators within, there was still an old order that could be maintained.

However, Huangpi Road is different. There are no major Nascent Soul sects here, and it is full of old battlefields where the founding emperor fought against the True Lords of the previous dynasty. It can be considered the poorest of the twenty-seven roads of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty.

The surrounding Nascent Soul sects were unwilling to fight to the death over such a place. Over the past thousand years, they had developed a tacit understanding that the relatively fertile spiritual land belonged to them. Everyone lived in harmony and made money together.

However, since Huangpi Dao has no Nascent Soul Grandmaster in charge, the turnover of the leading sects in various parts of the Dao becomes much more frequent.

The Yunze Witch Lord Palace is located in the northern border where Huangpi Road and Shannan Road meet. However, it has only been three hundred years since it overthrew the sect that originally served the Liangyi Sect and became the nominal master of the northern border, which is only half the lifespan of a Golden Core cultivator.

There were eleven hall masters inside, all of whom were at the Golden Core stage.

Despite the presence of the words "Witch Lord" in its name, its founding patriarch was indeed as pragmatic and down-to-earth as Headmaster Kang. Therefore, from its inception, the lineage of the Yunze Witch Lord Hall has been quite diverse.

It contains not only the four major schools of Taoism—the righteous, the demonic, the Buddhist, and the miscellaneous—but each school also has its own branches. If one were to count them all, it is possible that most of the cultivation sects within the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty could be found in the Yunze Witch Lord Hall.

While the Yunze Witch Lord Palace's method of spreading its teachings can certainly benefit from the ability to embrace all things, it also leads to constant internal strife and the tendency for each party to flee when external threats arise.

In just over a thousand years since its founding, the Yunze Witch Lord Hall has repeatedly relocated due to the destruction of its mountain gate. By the time of the current Hall Master, Master Huang Mijia, there wasn't even a single Golden Core cultivator left in the sect.

After a period of diligent governance, Yunze Witch Lord Palace not only revived, but also became the Lord of the Northern Territory in Huangpi Road, a position that even at its peak dared not aspire to.

To be precise, the Kang family of Chenjiang in Sizhou, who had just come to curry favor with Master Kang, were also within his jurisdiction.

The fact that he could accomplish all of the above over hundreds of years speaks volumes about the high level of skill and shrewdness of this Master Huang Mi.

"It seems that the Star-Picking Tower must be planning something big, otherwise they wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to save my life."

Even though he had only managed to escape the bird's jaws thanks to Xiang Tianxing's help, Peng Daoren felt no gratitude whatsoever. He had already gleaned much crucial information from the former's words, and after carefully considering it for a while, he spoke again to plead his case:
"Sect Leader Xiang, I am currently penniless, but I do have a cave dwelling and a treasure pouch outside. May I go and retrieve them?"

A barely perceptible glint of fierceness flashed in Xiang Tianxing's eyes for a moment, but his words contained no anger, only gentle reassurance:

"Fellow Daoist Peng, please don't be so formal. With me, Xiang, accompanying you this time, there's no need for you to take action. Please rest assured, I'll take care of everything. You should just focus on recovering from your injuries."

Upon hearing this, Master Peng uttered not a single word of advice, nodding repeatedly in agreement. How could someone whose life was comparable to that of a venerable monk in the temple? His temperament was truly docile.

Seeing Peng Daoren's state, Xiang Tianxing finally showed a slight expression of satisfaction. However, he remembered Bai Canhong, the master of Zhaixing Tower, giving him instructions before leaving, so he didn't elaborate further. Instead, he took out several high-quality healing pills and handed them to Peng Daoren. He then boarded his flying boat and headed towards Xiabo Mountain.

Since we are going to the Crow Mountain, it would be more appropriate to start from our own place.

As for whether a path can be found? That should certainly not be a problem for this heretical cultivator, Peng Daoren.

When it comes to the close relationship with those demon schools in Cold Crow Mountain, even among the countless cultivators of the three southwestern regions, it would be difficult to find many who can compare to Daoist Peng.

He had never traveled from Tengwen Prefecture to the Cold Crow Mountains before, yet he always managed to find a way.

As one of Bai Canhong's most trusted disciples, and also holding the crucial position of the head of the Zhaixing Tower's general affairs, Xiang Tianxing could not possibly be unaware of the true extent of knowledge about a peak cultivator like Peng Daoren.

Since the latter gained the trust of Pu Honggu and joined the Liangyi Sect, he has always lived a secluded life and had little interaction with outsiders.

However, even from the little information that Xiang Tianxing had painstakingly obtained through indirect means, he could tell that this Taoist's cultivation was not given away for nothing. It was far from enough that he only knew how to kill people. Taoist Peng's various skills and talent for cultivation were also extraordinary.

How could an ordinary evil cultivator possibly gain the trust of an old fox like Pu Honggu? Evil cultivators who practice blood techniques are as numerous as carp crossing a river, but those who can cultivate to the Golden Core Perfection stage and hope to become Nascent Soul cultivators are extremely rare.

If it weren't for the unexpected encounter with the Fei family's old bird, Pu Honggu of the Liangyi Sect, who is currently in seclusion to save his life, would probably have already fallen victim to his poison.

As for the Liangyi Sect, the most prosperous sect under the jurisdiction of the Zhaixing Tower, even though it was later usurped by them, in Xiang Tianxing's eyes, it was not a shocking thing.

Thinking about it this way, even an outsider like Xiang Tianxing felt a little sorry for Peng Daoren: "With such cunning and skill, he almost had his future completely ruined by Fei Tianqin and ended up as a fish on the chopping block. How could this Daoist not hate him?" The former glanced at the evil cultivator again and saw that the latter was indeed healing his injuries and recuperating his internal energy. However, he did not even speak up to ask Xiang Tianxing for the simplest protective array plate that cultivators often use during cultivation. This showed that he was indeed obedient.

Xiang Tianxing withdrew his gaze, and as he made a hand seal, the spiritual light at his fingertips gradually brightened. After the speed of the flying boat visibly increased significantly, he recited in his mind:

"He's a bit old, but he's still useful. If this matter is resolved satisfactorily, the sect leader might not necessarily want to take this Taoist's life. He could be given some men and resources, or asked to establish a sect or family to protect my Star-Picking Tower. If he harbors any further disloyalty, then we can just kill him without much effort."

Xiang Tianxing was very confident. Although his fighting skills were far inferior to Fei Tianqin's, he did not need to use any of the restrictions that Fei Tianqin had placed on Peng Daoren.

This was naturally due to the arrogance he had developed after nearly a century of unbridled rule in Shannan Road, having held a high position. It was understandable that Xiang Tianxing, being a Nascent Soul cultivator, didn't act with the same maturity and prudence as Fei Tianqin.

After all, with the Star-Picking Pavilion Master, the number one master of all the sects in the Southwest, as his backing, Xiang Tianxing's confidence was far superior to Fei Tianqin's.

Peng Daoren was unaware that Xiang Tianxing was still plotting against him, but he probably already knew. This blood cultivator, who had long since become ruthless and heartless, was unlikely to harbor any other thoughts.

The healing pills that had just entered his stomach transformed into grains of starlight, rapidly seeping into his meridians and nourishing his internal organs. The Taoist was not overwhelmed by this invigorating feeling from within; even at this moment, he still managed to spare a portion of his attention for the already damaged Ten Thousand Soul Banner, which was still being nurtured in his dantian.

At this moment, a soul inside the banner was recklessly devouring its comrades, yet Peng Daoren did not seem to stop it in the slightest, as if he were completely unaware of it.

—————More than a month later, Chongming Sect, Xiaohuan Mountain
Kang Rongquan's cultivation this time was not short; he spent a full year sitting in this quiet room. However, his cultivation was not due to encountering a bottleneck, but rather because he was working on changing his cultivation method.

In recent years, Sect Leader Kang has acquired many cosmic-level inheritances from various places, and naturally many disciples have developed the idea of ​​switching to this cultivation. However, there are still not many disciples in the sect like Kang Rongquan who have contributed merits and put them into practice.

After all, most of the eighth-generation disciples did not have high cultivation aptitude. Disciples with three spiritual roots, such as Kang Rongquan and He Yuanyi, were considered outstanding among them.

Therefore, the fact that several true cultivators have emerged from this lineage is a result of the combined efforts of the teachers' guidance, the disciples' diligent practice, and the restoration of the Ming Sect's spirit.

As a result, it is understandable that some disciples, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, become complacent and lose their ambition.

It was only after the sect leader Kang, who also possessed one of the four spiritual roots, achieved the Core Formation in Yingzhou, was granted a title, and became famous throughout the southern mountains, that the timid and lazy atmosphere within the sect was finally curbed.

It now appears that how the head of a sect acts can indeed greatly influence the atmosphere among the disciples.

However, Kang Rongquan, who had always been highly regarded by the sect leader, was never a coward. Because he had not yet broken through the threshold of the "Mysterious Purity and Decline Secret Manual", he consulted with the sect leader Kang and then switched to the "Annual Ring Divination Manual", a low-grade cosmic-level manual, for cultivation.

In the past, Lang Yi was able to win Fei Nanying's favor and secure the title of the number one rogue cultivator in Yunjiao Prefecture with his mastery of wood magic, attracting aspiring cultivators like Kang Dabao to come to him with generous gifts to seek his guidance.

The current headmaster of the Kang Sect has already surpassed Lang Yi in the art of wood magic by a great margin, and has also acquired educational treasures such as the Spring and Autumn Annals Pen, which can help his disciples dispel confusion and attain enlightenment.

Therefore, by giving Kang Rongquan guidance, he can avoid many detours.

The "Annual Ring Divination Classic" contains complete and detailed annotations, and it perfectly suits Kang Rongquan's needs. After several blessings, he was able to complete the practice in just four or five years.

While this cultivation technique is not as high-ranking as the "Mysterious Purity and Prosperity Secret Manual" which comes from a Nascent Soul sect, it is still far superior to the "Azure Wood Treasure Light Guide," which is now rarely practiced even by inner disciples and above in the Chongming Sect.

Kang Rongquan remembered his teachers' earnest teachings and did not memorize them by rote. He quickly grasped the principles in the scriptures, and it was only a matter of time before he broke through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

To be honest, within the Chongming Sect today, Kang Rongquan's cultivation level is only below that of Headmaster Kang and Third Master Jiang, surpassing all other masters and elders.

Years have passed, and this young man's temperament has improved immeasurably since then. Even though his hardships have now subsided, he simply suppressed his joy and didn't think about it any further.

He reached out and pushed, but before his palm print could land on the door, the restriction on it was broken, allowing him to step out.

In his youth, Kang Rongquan, like He Yuanbing, had a fondness for luxury, but now that he is older, he has become more indifferent to it.

In the past, everyone in the sect thought that Duan Anle was most like his master, Headmaster Kang. However, after experiencing several life-and-death changes, many masters and elders in Chongming Sect felt that Kang Rongquan, who had become more composed, seemed to have a more pragmatic and down-to-earth attitude.

There was only a sweeping puppet in the courtyard, which was given to Xiu Ming a year after he became a disciple of Qiaogongbao, carrying a letter from Kang Dabao.

Upon closer inspection, this puppet had only just entered the ranks and, in theory, was not worthy of a true cultivator's status. However, Kang Rongquan had used it for many years without noticing anything amiss.

Logically speaking, at his age, Kang Rongquan should already have a wife. Fei Shuhe thought so too. Now, as a member of the Kang family, she naturally knew she should consider her own family more.

Sons like Kang Changxi, who are born of the principal wife, should seek out noble ladies, but since the Fei and Kang families are now on good terms, this has not been considered. However, it would be a good thing for sons like Kang Changyi, who are born of a concubine, and Kang Rongquan, who are born of a concubine, to marry ladies from the Fei family and bring honor to both families.

However, Kang Rongquan had previously declined Fei Shuhe's kind offer, prioritizing his cultivation, but now it seems he wasn't lying.

As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, Kang Rongquan saw a disciple hurrying towards the sect's exit. He reached out to stop him and asked, "What brings you here?"

"Disciple greets Martial Uncle. The Sect Leader is summoning some core disciples to Sizhou. Disciple was not selected and is going to see off my Daoist partner."

"So that's how it is, heading to Sizhou?!" Kang Rongquan muttered to himself, completely unaware of Kang Xiangyi's visit. He abandoned his disciples and headed straight for the archway.

(Thanks to julian1983 for the 5,000 coins and 祈菲岚 for the 3,000 coins, thank you!)
(End of this chapter)