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Chapter 248 Holy Land of the Sages
"Brother Fang has now entered the inner courtyard; things will be very different between him and us from now on..."

"Needless to say, Brother Fang will surely become a prominent figure in the future. I only hope that you will not forget your friends in the future."

In the outer courtyard of Tianshu Academy, on an autumn day with the first light of dawn.

Fang Jincheng had been cultivating in the inner courtyard for many days. Today, having nothing to do, he came out for a stroll and eventually arrived at the outer courtyard.

Listening to the discussions about him, he couldn't help but stand with his hands behind his back, revealing a profound and unfathomable expression.

The inner and outer disciples are worlds apart in status. In Fang Jincheng’s view, he and his familiar outer disciples are no longer on the same level, so a slight sense of distance is still appropriate.

However, some of the comments soon became things he didn't want to hear, causing him to frown slightly.

"This year, the Heavenly Academy has done something unusual, recruiting Brother Fang and the second young lady of the Lu family into the inner academy together. It is said that this is related to Senior Brother Ji You? I wonder if this is true?"

Fang Jincheng frowned, a hint of malice flashing in his eyes: "How could something as important as the inner courtyard quotas be related to him? Where did you hear that from?"

The speaker was Liu Jian'an, the son of the governor of Fengzhou, who was the one Cao Jingsong affectionately called his "beloved disciple" because he often sent gifts.

Hearing Fang Jincheng's sharp tone, Liu Jian'an couldn't help but shrink back: "There seems to be some wind blowing outside..."

"The reason Lu Hanyan was able to enter the inner courtyard is because my great-grandfather valued her talent. Ji You is just a country bumpkin, how could he have such great power? You should not say such things again, lest you be laughed at."

"So that's it."

Meanwhile, the people surrounding Fang Jincheng couldn't help but exchange glances.

For thousands of years, the inner court of the Heavenly Academy has only admitted one disciple each year without exception. However, this year, two disciples were admitted, an anomaly that has been the subject of much discussion in the outer court, with various opinions and rumors circulating.

The most widely circulated rumor was one related to Ji You.

Rumors say that although the autumn battle ended in mutual destruction, and Fang Jincheng secretly used a magical artifact, it seemed that Lu Hanyan had a better chance of winning. However, because the Fang family had deep roots in the Heavenly Academy, Fang Jincheng was actually the one who was ultimately selected.

The reason why the two of them were admitted to the hospital together in the end was because Lu Hanyan was under Ji You's protection.

However, although this claim is widely circulated, few people believe it.

Ji You was just an inner court disciple, and he hadn't even entered the Immortal Palace yet. How could he protect Lu Hanyan in front of those important figures in the inner court, or even affect the outcome of the Autumn Battle?

Moreover, he is currently in Zhongzhou, participating in the Heavenly Dao Society. Even if Lu Hanyan is his concubine and he does intend to cause trouble, he is powerless to intervene in matters concerning the Heavenly Academy.

In everyone's eyes, Ji You has caused a lot of trouble over the years, and whenever something strange happens at the Heavenly Academy, everyone tends to think of him. Perhaps that's why such rumors have arisen.

However, even fewer people believed Fang Jincheng's explanation.

Regarding the Heavenly Dao Society's preliminary selection, the Elders' Council is almost entirely reserving all the spots for their children and grandchildren. Respect for talent? Not at all.

The only talents they cherish are those born into their own bloodline.

Just as everyone was discussing this, a disciple from the academy suddenly ran over, his energetic and smiling appearance attracting everyone's attention.

"Ji You won!"

"What won?"

"It's the Heavenly Dao Society, of course. It's said that he has already accompanied them to the sacred land of the ancient sages!"

After the words were spoken, there was a moment of silence, followed by an uproar.

The Heavenly Dao Society is the provincial capital where Qingyun Tianxia gathers. Only the top ten can enter the sacred land of the sages. In other words, Ji You's combat strength has already entered the top ten in the Tongxuan realm.

Thinking of this, Fang Jincheng's expression instantly turned quite grim.

The disciple in charge of the academy who arrived here took another breath, and the words he uttered next really made everyone feel dizzy and their scalps tighten.

"Our Tianshu Academy has not produced a top scorer for many years. This year we finally had our moment of glory. How fortunate we are!"

"What did you say?"

"At the top of the list, Senior Brother Ji has already obtained the jade tablet from the deepest part of the Sage's Holy Land. It's all over the place now. Some people say that with his talent, he might be the Yingtian when he comes out of the Tongxuan Realm this time, and he might become the youngest elder of the Heavenly Academy. Others say that at this rate, he might become the chief elder before he turns thirty."

"?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd surrounding Fang Jincheng fell into a daze.

The bloodlines of the seven great immortal sects arrived, and countless scions of noble families gathered for the Heavenly Dao Assembly battle. Ji You, ranked first in the Profound Realm, possessed the strongest combat power in the world.

After they had digested the information brought by the disciple in charge of affairs, everyone looked at Fang Jincheng.

They suddenly began to understand why some people thought Lu Hanyan had entered the inner courtyard under Ji You's protection...

After the Autumn Battle comes the day for visiting relatives, which is a rule of the Heavenly Academy.

Xiang Fu, the daughter of the Prefect of Danshui County, and the daughter of the Prefect of Guiyun County set off yesterday and have now returned to Fengzhou.

After a year of training at the Heavenly Academy, the two women had gradually come to realize the cruelty of this world.

Especially after seeing Fang Jincheng secretly use a magical artifact to blast Lu Hanyan off the stage, and still be able to enter the inner courtyard to cultivate afterwards, they felt even more that it was extremely difficult for people of humble origins to change their fate through their own efforts.

They were sitting in a carriage, approaching Danshui County, and golden wheat fields stretching for thousands of miles gradually appeared before them.

Just then, the two women's eyes suddenly widened, and they began to use their divine sense to look.

In those vast wheat fields, countless cultivators were wielding sickles, working hard to harvest the wheat without complaining of hardship, neatly reaping one crop after another.

This is not surprising, because it was the same last year. What is surprising is that there are a lot more cultivators participating in the joint harvest this year.

Among them was an elderly man with white hair and beard, whom Xiang Fu recognized as the owner of Graystone Immortal Manor.

The Greystone Immortal Manor is closely related to the Sunset Immortal Manor where she was fostered years ago. She had seen him a few times when she was a child, and in her memory, he was a dignified and unsmiling person.

Meanwhile, the owner of Graystone Manor was in the wheat field, holding a sickle, sweating profusely, his expression serious and meticulous, yet without the slightest complaint.

"Master, I am over a hundred years old and am really tired."

"Nonsense, keep going, our Third Brigade must get first place this year."

"?"

Xiang Fu and Cong Yi exchanged a glance, feeling a bit strange.

These outsider immortal estates in Fengzhou did not participate in the joint harvest willingly beforehand, and even among those who did participate, there would be no estate lords or elders.

But this year, the more important the farm owner or elder is, the harder they work in the fields during the autumn harvest.

Xiang Fu's doubts persisted throughout the journey, and she finally received the answer from her father, the Prefect of Danshui County.

"Your senior brother Ji took first place in the Heavenly Dao Association."

“Among the bloodlines of the seven great immortal sects and the sons of thousand-year-old families, more than 360 people, not one could stop his sword.”

"He has already gone to the sacred land of the sages. No one knows how strong he will be after he comes out of there. You think those landowners are harvesting wheat to exchange for taxes, but little do you know that they are only exchanging it for the favor of your senior brother."

At this moment, dozens of families from the Yunzhou Spirit Stone Merchants Association are gathered in the main hall for a meeting to discuss spirit stone mining and decide to reduce the mining volume for next year.

After the Snowfield Demon Stones entered the Nine Provinces, their sales of spirit stones decreased, and now they have a lot of inventory. If they continue to mine according to the previous mining ratio, it will cause a backlog of goods.

Once a spirit stone is mined and removed from its spirit core, the essence of its spiritual energy will naturally begin to dissipate, making it difficult to accumulate.

They knew very well that the cause of this situation lay in Fengzhou.

There is a newly built official road there, and every day carriages loaded with demon stones speed across it. Destroying that road would probably alleviate the current situation.

In fact, several days ago, someone suggested secretly sending people to cut off the official road in Fengzhou and then making an example of them to let them know that the Spirit Stone Merchant Guild is not to be trifled with.

But as the meeting was drawing to a close, the proposal was no longer mentioned, and instead, many people advocated for reducing mining output.

The proposal to reduce mining output was quickly and unanimously passed, and countless families specializing in spirit stones returned home, preparing to reduce their own share.

Ding Mao, the vice president of the Ling Shi Chamber of Commerce, saw everyone off and then fell silent, gazing into the distance.

When they led a group to negotiate with the Imperial Academy, they encountered that reclusive cultivator from the countryside and couldn't help but comment that he was young, arrogant, and didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth.

That person has now become the top in the Profound Realm, invincible among those in the same realm, and is about to enter the Holy Land of the Sages to cultivate.

Under these circumstances, even the Elders' Council of the Heavenly Academy dared not provoke him, let alone the Spirit Stone Merchant Guild.

Ding Mao then turned and returned to his residence, where he saw his son, Ding Shaojie, sitting silently at the tea table in the courtyard, watching for a long time without making a sound.

The son and Lu Qingqiu were childhood sweethearts and deeply in love. From a young age, the son believed that he would definitely marry Lu Qingqiu. Therefore, when he heard that Lu Qingqiu wanted to become a Daoist couple with Ji You, he hated the name Ji You and cursed it all day long.

But as news of the Heavenly Dao Society arrived, the son remained silent for a long time.

Even Ding Mao was somewhat dazed. He was a rural private cultivator from Fengzhou who had defeated countless immortal sect bloodlines and even influenced the decision of the Heavenly Book Academy Elders.

The second young lady of the Lu family only learned swordsmanship from him for a few days, yet she was granted protection and admitted to the inner courtyard of the Immortal Sect simply because of his name...

"You two clan leaders have suffered."

"Your Highness is too kind. We are merely living on wind and snow. For the sake of the demon race, neither of us feels bitter."

Before the gates of the Frosty Prison atop the Twin Peaks of the Snowfield, the Demon Emperor Ziye Han bowed and clasped his hands, slowly paying homage to the Scale Clan Chief and the Tooth Clan Chief, who had been imprisoned for a year and were now somewhat emaciated.

The Scaled Fang and Scaled Fang tribes launched a night raid on the human race to test them, hoping to make the alliance between the demon and barbarian tribes the only option. After their plan was exposed, they were imprisoned here.

But that was just a show for the human delegation; the Demon Emperor didn't intend to imprison them for long.

Moreover, the demon race's desire to re-enter the Nine Provinces has not changed; they are simply waiting for the right opportunity. Once that opportunity arrives, these two elders will be indispensable generals.

The Scale Clan Chieftain, now freed from his shackles, couldn't help but ask, "Princess Fengyang, do you have any thoughts on our release?"

Ye Han shook his head: "Although Feng Yang doesn't want to see war, she is still soft-hearted. The reason she released the two clan leaders this time is thanks to her pleading with the Emperor."

"Your Highness has mercy."

“Feng Yang has been like this since he was a child, but Ye Han would like to ask the two clan leaders to be more cautious in their actions in the future.”

The chieftain of the Fang Clan frowned slightly: "Actually, we had planned quite meticulously for the last incident. We never expected it to be exposed by a nobody. I heard that the young human was a rural cultivator who came to our Snow Region because he was ostracized by the human immortal sect. It's such a waste that such a big thing was ruined by him."

After listening, Ye Han remained silent for a long time before saying softly, "The Human Race Heavenly Dao Tournament has ended. The person you mentioned defeated countless human geniuses, was the top in the Profound Realm, and had the strongest combat power among those in the same realm."

With the patriarchs of the Scaled Fang and Scaled Fang clans imprisoned in the Cold Prison by the Demon Emperor, the disciples of the two clans, now leaderless, naturally wanted to investigate the matter thoroughly.

Through their investigation, they learned that the night raid plan had been exposed entirely because a human named Ji You had orchestrated it all in advance. They also discovered that Ji You was not a descendant of a prestigious immortal sect among the humans; on the contrary, he was a simple villager from a rural area who was forbidden from cultivating.

In fact, there is a strict hierarchy among the demon race; otherwise, the Demon Emperor City would not be divided into an inner city and an outer city. Therefore, they can understand the hierarchy among the human race.

After learning that Ji You was a third-rate, unskilled cultivator from the countryside, the two clan leaders found it difficult to accept.

It felt like a horde of soldiers, fully prepared for battle, only to be stopped by a single ant.

They could accept that such a momentous event would be ruined by someone of the Immortal Sect's bloodline, but to have it ruined by a nobody would make them seem foolish.

Upon hearing the Demon Prince's words, the patriarchs of the Scale and Fang clans were stunned.

Their eyes flickered with surprise and astonishment for a long time, before a look of solemnity welled up in their eyes.

Ye Han was unaware of the seriousness in their eyes. He placed his hands on his knees and thought to himself that it was fortunate Feng Yang didn't know about this.

After the night raid was exposed, the emperor entrusted Feng Yang with the matter of trade. Then he heard that his sister had collected many picture books from the human race.

Actually, Ye Han felt gratified to know this would happen.

My younger sister is an anti-war advocate and has always opposed the demon race's return to Kyushu. Now that she has finally become interested in Kyushu, she will inevitably gradually feel how bitter the snowy region is.

But he later discovered that all the picture books his sister had collected came from one of the nine provinces, and it was the most barren one at that.

This puzzled Ye Han. After investigating, he finally found out that Ji You came from Fengzhou.

As the elder brother, he felt as if his own jade cabbage was willingly allowed to be rooted up by a boar, and he couldn't stop it.

So when news about the Heavenly Dao Society came a few days ago, he immediately ordered the news to be blocked, so that his sister wouldn't know a thing.

At this moment, the carriage passed through the inner city of the Demon Emperor City and went through the central long street. Ye Han couldn't help but lift the curtain and look at a small white building with an original roof.

That was his younger sister Feng Yang's clinic. As his gaze followed her upwards, Ye Han saw his sister looking intently at something, and he couldn't help but feel relieved.

[The Heavenly Dao Society, Volume 3 - The Sword Slaying Yan Hao (Part 2)]

The rampaging sword energy roared across the sky, and the scorching heat of the body made one's soul tremble...

Yes, I am a rural hermit, but that is not my dark history, but the path I came from!
Sonorous!

The blood wouldn't stop flowing... Countless people stared wide-eyed...

how so? !

How could a mere hermit cultivator in the countryside, with his sword at his side, be so unstoppable, defeating so many human prodigies?

After slaying Yan Hao with his sword, Ji You suddenly disappeared from the Ancestral Garden, and no one knew where he went...

Why is he running around like this during such a grand event...?

Where did Ji You go? Does anyone know where Ji You went?

He went back to Fengzhou, saying that the wheat in the fields was ripe and he needed to rush back to harvest it.

Yes, it was as if he had been waiting to go home to harvest wheat and had just happened to attend the Heavenly Dao Assembly...

On the white building, Princess Fengyang's gaze swept over the words, and the hem of her skirt gradually rose and fell, creating a fold.

The Heavenly Way Society was already attracting worldwide attention, so it spread extremely quickly and had a profound impact.

Within a day, news spread like wildfire that the rural hermit had topped the list and was on his way to the sacred site of the ancient sages.

At this time, in a desolate mountain range bordering Fengzhou to the north of Zhongzhou.

Countless carriages swept across the sky, flying swords pierced the void, and carriages driven by magical artifacts headed towards the dense mountain forest.

Looking out from afar, the dense vegetation completely covers the area, leaving no trace of soil. Mist hangs in the air, making it appear desolate and uninhabited. However, cultivators who come here can already sense the rich spiritual energy hidden deep within these mountains.

Why is the sacred site of the ancient sages so remote?

"You don't even know this?"

"Could there be some hidden secret within?"

"It's not exactly a secret. It's just that when our human race rebelled against the remnant race, we were ambushed and killed by them. Our people could only follow our ancestors to this desolate mountain to take refuge. Then, the Heavenly Dao Artifact descended from here, and the laws of Heaven changed this place, making it a treasure land."

"I see……"

Ji You was currently traveling with Cao Jingsong and others, along with the Yuan siblings. They were riding on a flying sword controlled by the head of the academy, soaring over the mountains.

There has been a lot of discussion around him these past few days. Most people are focused on how far he will go after entering the Holy Land of the Sages, but no one knows that he is stuck at the threshold of the Fusion Realm.

However, realms and auras are merely for show.

He didn't aspire to ascension, so he didn't crave enlightenment; his only desire was combat power.

As long as his combat strength continues to increase, those immortal estates in Fengzhou will become more and more obedient, and the future will be better and better. He will be able to marry whomever he wants and have as many children as he wants.

Yan Shuyi was riding in a chariot, speeding behind the flying sword of the Heavenly Academy. As she knelt, her beautiful buttocks pressed lightly against her jade feet, and her ten round and smooth toes resembled blooming lotus stamens.

The cultivators who followed her all assumed she was there to see off one of their own disciples, but none of them knew that the person she most wanted to see off was the stranger who had kissed her the night before.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu accompanied the emperor, glancing at the appraiser out of the corner of their eyes, and then exchanging a glance.

For some reason, the appraiser was a little nervous after returning from the son-in-law's room last night. When he woke up this morning, he had a stern face and looked fierce.

They knew that the appraiser's emotions were definitely related to her son-in-law, but they didn't know the specific details.

Thinking of this, they couldn't help but turn their heads to look at the flying swords that were darting through the mountains and forests not far away.

That was the flying sword of the Heavenly Academy. The young master, his busty instructor, and the Dan Sect siblings were sitting cross-legged on the sword.

In his line of sight, the son-in-law was lost in thought when the busty instructor next to him handed him a watermelon.

Perhaps too lazy to draw his sword, the two saw the young master raise his fist and use his internal energy to "break the melon".

With a snap, the fresh melon broke open, revealing its bloody color.

Perhaps because of the excessive force used, the glistening juice splashed out, making the area wet.

Just then, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu suddenly heard a clatter behind them. Turning around, they saw the teacup that should have been in the appraiser's hand slip to the ground, while their appraiser looked tense, with sword energy whistling around him and his eyes becoming fierce.

Cui'er quickly came to tidy up, lifted the teacup, and wiped away the tea with an embroidered handkerchief.

When her gaze swept over the appraiser's two round breasts, she paused slightly, and couldn't help but imagine a pair of large hands kneading them. She couldn't help but bite her thin lips lightly.

She had been observing the appraiser all morning, noting his words and actions, trying to discreetly find out who was so audacious, but to no avail.

The master was dignified and aloof; a single glance from him could send chills down one's spine. Who would dare to rub him like that?

However, instead of finding her lover, she found someone the appraiser disliked: Ji You, the top-ranked student in this year's Profound Realm, from the Heavenly Academy.

Because every time someone mentions him, the appraiser looks aggressive.

Cui'er could understand the Appraiser's reaction, because their Spirit Sword Mountain originally had two Transcendent Realm cultivators who could enter the Sage's Holy Land, but because of this person, Senior Brother Yan Hao lost his qualification, so it was understandable that the Appraiser disliked this person.

Seemingly sensing the sword energy, Ji You turned to look at the imperial carriage and met Yan Shuyi's sharp gaze.

I scared her yesterday, I didn't expect this girl to really hold a grudge...

The flying sword and the chariot descended slowly after a short while, finally coming to a stop in the desolate forest piled with fallen leaves.

Looking up, between the two low peaks, golden spiritual light condensed into a circular doorway, and a vast aura stirred up ripples all around.

This is the entrance to the sacred site of the ancient sages.

Over thousands of years, countless people have passed through here, creating countless outstanding talents.

All five hall masters of the Heavenly Academy and the chief elders of each sect have entered this place.

After Ji You landed on the spirit sword, he bid farewell to the Yuan siblings and then looked at the young appraiser behind him, only to see that Yan Shuyi still looked wary.

After consulting with experts last night about the idea of ​​endless life, the young appraiser is a little afraid of him coming out.

"My beloved disciple, once you go in, remember to cultivate diligently."

"I try my best."

As soon as Ji You finished speaking, he saw that some people had already walked in impatiently.

First came the two direct disciples of the Chen Clan, then Chai Ze, followed by Li Yunlang, Zhuang You, and Zhuang Zixin.

As these people walked past him, Ji You suddenly reached into his pocket and took out a letter.

Last night, after he kissed Yuan Caiwei, a girl came along in the night and handed him a letter. He thought it was another invitation to cultivate together, so he didn't pay any attention to it.

Back in the house, he kissed the young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain and kneaded Yuanyuan. Not caring too much, he casually placed the thing on the tea table.

I only really noticed it this morning.

This was not actually a letter, but a thick missing person notice with twelve portraits drawn on it, all of whom were scions of noble families or immortal sects who had disappeared one after another over the course of a year.

Several of them came from the Li, Zhuang, and Zhu families.

When Ji You first saw these portraits, Cao Jingsong was also present. After looking at them, Cao Jingsong looked at him with some doubt and said, "How come you also encountered them?"

Ji You was quite puzzled at the time, and then he heard Cao Jingsong talk about what was happening in the county town.

It is said that the girl who delivered the letter was a concubine kept outside the home by the second son of the Li family. She was an ordinary person without any cultivation, and had been searching for her lover for half a year. Knowing that there were many cultivators in the Heavenly Dao Society, she came here to try her luck.

During this time, we met a few other people who were looking for someone, so we got together, but we didn't find anything.

Ji You felt that cultivators were quite indifferent, not reacting much even when their family members went missing. But at the same time, she found it strange, wondering if those people were really missing or something else, just like Bai Rulong's lost younger brother, which made her feel concerned.

After pondering for a long time, Ji You came to her senses, then waved goodbye to the person behind her and stepped into the gate of mysterious light.

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)