Hidden moth

Chapter 330 Shedding the Dust to Pay Homage to the Hidden Emei

Erji bowed to He Kao and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Sect Leader!"

He was much older than He Kao in terms of age, but according to the order of their entry into the sect, he had to call He Kao "senior brother," even if He Kao did not want to act as an elder.

The fact that Erji called out "Senior Brother" meant that he had completely severed his former identity as Zhang Yanfei.

He Kao: "Please wait a moment, there are a few more fellow disciples who will be entering the Colorful Cave Heaven together today."

Erji asked in bewilderment, "Floating Color Cave Heaven?"

He Kao smiled and said, "We'll talk about it after we go inside."

Before long, three more people arrived: Ye Liangcheng, Lan Jiuwan, and Chang Anju. Apart from Gao Xue'e, the "secret disciple," all the members of the Hidden Moth Sect were present.

Since the cave was to be opened for the disciples of the Hidden Moth Sect, He Kao simply invited everyone to come.

According to the tradition of the sect, disciples usually need to break through to a higher level of cultivation before they can enter the cave heaven and receive a second inheritance, but that is the cave heaven summoning mechanism.

Under special circumstances, it's not impossible for low-level sorcerers to have the opportunity to enter the sect's grotto-heaven. The current situation of the Hidden Moth Sect is quite special; there are only a handful of members, both big and small, and in the initial stage of the restoration of the Dharma lineage, everyone is considered an elder.

Since the goal is to re-establish lineage and revive the sect, it is necessary to showcase various aspects of the path, teachings, teachers, companions, and the environment to enhance sect cohesion and solidify the aspiration for spiritual practice.

He Kaoshou first gave a brief introduction to everyone, and also arranged the order of seniority for those who entered the sect.

Besides his senior brother, the sect leader, Ye Liangcheng ranked second, followed by Lan Jiuwan, Chang Anju, and Erji. This can be considered a revision of the sect's disciple register. He Kao used the Dharma name "Huoqing".

When He Kao introduced Erji, he did not mention the name Zhang Yanfei or any past events related to Zhang Yanfei; Erji was simply Erji at present. His focus in introducing Erji was the unique mechanism of the grotto-heaven summoning since ancient times.

After mastering the Hidden Moth Technique and breaking through to a higher level, one can sense the call of the sect's grotto-heaven... The Hidden Moth Sect also has a grotto-heaven, which is the Floating Color Grotto-heaven that we will show you today.

Then He Kao took out the scroll, opened the door, and ordered everyone to enter in turn.

Ye Liangcheng and the others passed through the invisible portal and found themselves amidst towering mountains. They were all speechless with awe. When they looked back, the portal had disappeared, and their senior brother, the sect leader, had not come in with them.

As instructed by the sect leader, the group traversed the winding canyon. Ahead lay a mountain basin with a stream flowing beneath their feet. A three-arched white stone bridge spanned the stream, and a stone archway stood at the other end of the bridge.

The stone archway is inscribed with the two characters "Yin E", and He Kao stands at the bridgehead with a painting scroll in his hand to greet everyone... He rolled up the painting scroll outside and came directly here.

The people He Kao Shou were all peripheral figures in the magic sect, and some were not even formal disciples of the magic sect.

Ye Liangcheng and Lan Jiuwan are "cleaners" secretly trained by the Huiming Shi family, while Chang Anju is a wandering cultivator who lost contact with the sect.

Zhang Yanfei was once a proper disciple of the Subtle Sect, but before his accident, he was just a low-level sorcerer with limited knowledge of the sect's core situation and had never been to the sect's grotto-heaven.

So when these people came in today, everything they saw was new and exciting, and they kept exclaiming in amazement.

They had previously only joined the Hidden Moth Sect and practiced the Hidden Moth Technique, but they felt that it was no different from other independent martial arts sects. Only today did they truly realize that this was a sect.

When He Kao led everyone through the basin, he introduced the history of the Hidden Moth Sect and also gave a brief overview of the history and current status of the Technique Sect.

Each of the eight major martial arts sects possesses a unique grotto-heaven, but the Hidden Moth Sect's Floating Rainbow Grotto-heaven is the most distinctive, and everyone has personally experienced it. It is not located anywhere in the world, and the location from which its entrance opens is controlled by the sect leader, Hidden Moth.

Arriving at the natural stone niche at the end of the basin, He Kao set up the incense table and introduced the ritual, holding a second inheritance ceremony for Erji, while the others watched the ceremony.

Currently, only Erji is qualified to perform this ceremony. Although Lan Jiuwan also has a fourth-level cultivation, she is still a fourth-level craftswoman of the Subtle Sect, and her Hidden Moth Technique has not yet broken through to the fourth level.

After the ceremony, everyone sat on the ground, marking the first formal sect council meeting. All the disciples unanimously proposed building a sect ancestral hall.

According to He Kao's introduction, all seven major sects have Ancestral Halls, and the Hidden Moth Sect cannot be without one. The Ancestral Hall is not only a place for ceremonies, but also a place for the Hidden Moth Sect disciples to cultivate and live.

He Kao had similar ideas before, but the obstacle was the lack of manpower and resources. The ancestral halls of the other seven major sects were almost identical in form to the ancestral halls in Fengwei Township, forming a large courtyard complex covering fifteen acres.

This is quite a large project, and He Kao doesn't know much about this field.

But Erji slapped his thigh and said, "If we're going to repair it, then we'll repair it like this! The workload is huge, that's fine, we can take our time, it just takes a few more years..." Everyone had supernatural powers, which could greatly improve the efficiency of construction.

Zhang Yanfei, a former dean of the Academy of Fine Arts, possesses knowledge beyond just calligraphy and painting; he also has expertise in ancient architecture and landscape architecture. Furthermore, two others present have also studied microscopic arts and are skilled in crafting various objects; all they need are the blueprints. Chang Anju, a third-tier sorcerer who has awakened his divine sense and mastered the art of manipulating objects, can also be of considerable help. As for He Kao, a fifth-tier grand cultivator, he can play a crucial role.

With everyone working together, they didn't even need a crane. They could install the heaviest main beams of a building precisely in place by hand.

As for the blueprints, they were handed over to Senior Brother He Kao, who was in charge of the sect. He would refer to the layout of the ancestral halls of other major martial arts sects, and then Er Ji would be responsible for revising and finalizing the draft.

While the form should be consistent, the details need not be exactly the same. After all, this is a modern society. For example, when building the disciples' residences, the kitchen and bathroom facilities can be combined with modern features and magical functions.

There were very few disciples of the Hidden Moth Sect a thousand years ago, and it is expected that there will not be many in the future. Therefore, there is no need to arrange too many other buildings in the cave for the time being. We should concentrate our efforts on building the Ancestral Hall.

As for the building materials, suitable stone can be quarried locally. As for timber, there are plenty of them here, surrounded by mountains.

Erji pointed out that freshly felled timber cannot be used directly for construction. While refining it with divine power can certainly improve the material's properties, that would require too much effort. If suitable timber can be purchased, much effort can be saved.

He asked what kind of wood was best, and Erji said that large pieces of ebony were most suitable, and then explained in detail.

He Kao immediately laughed and said that there was no need to go outside to purchase anything. There were many lakes in the mountains here, and since ancient times, there have been many large pieces of wood that have been washed into the lake bottom by mountain floods. They are all top-quality ebony wood, but it will take some effort to transport them out.

Besides timber and stone, we also need building materials such as bricks and tiles, so we shouldn't open a kiln to fire them here. You know where antique-style cloud-patterned bricks and antique-style cylindrical tiles are produced; we can purchase them in bulk and then process them.

Ye Liangcheng was originally in the engineering business, so these matters were entrusted to him. The purchased materials could be transported to the abandoned park in the northern suburbs of Nanhua, where there were ready-made warehouses.

Finally, the issue of funding was discussed. The only existing industry of the Hidden Moth Sect is Jiuliang Manufacturing, and the profits can be used to support the sect's development.

Those present were all sect masters and elders who had rebuilt the Hidden Moth Sect. With such a thing to do, they no longer cared much about other material enjoyments in the secular world and were all willing to take out their remaining wealth.

As the sect leader, He Kao had many more things to consider. He believed that the rules should be clear from the beginning, otherwise it might develop into the sect demanding money from its disciples under the guise of voluntary donations.

Therefore, he decided that Ye Liangcheng, Lan Jiuwan, and Erji would be spared, and he and Chang Anju would each contribute a sum of money for the purchase of bricks, tiles, and other materials. Moreover, this money would be lent to the sect and would be repaid when the sect had the money in the future. In any case, donations could not be made to the disciples.

The land is readily available, and many materials are free. We only need to purchase some antique-style bricks and tiles from outside sources. We don't need too much funding for now, and we don't expect to complete the project in the short term anyway.

As for the manpower contributed by everyone, that can be considered a sect task for the near future: to jointly create a blessed land! A place created by one's own hands will bring a greater sense of accomplishment and belonging.

Creating a grotto-heaven facility requires a great deal of supernatural power and magic, and the use of various techniques. It is also a very good way to cultivate... The group discussed it enthusiastically.

He Kao was already very familiar with the environment of Piaocai Cave. He told everyone that there was a very good quarry in the mountain on the west side of the basin.

According to his observation, the rocks of the mountain are of the same material as the white stone bridge and the stone archway, making them excellent building materials. He could choose a section of the mountainside and carve it inwards, quarrying stone while simultaneously building a cave dwelling for his disciples to use in seclusion.

Lan Jiuwan also excitedly suggested that the basin in the mountains directly in front of the main gate of the Ancestral Hall could be appropriately transformed into a garden that blends into the natural mountain scenery.

In many places, the natural vegetation can be preserved in its original location. Various exotic flowers, rare herbs, and spiritual plants naturally grow here. Intersecting walkways are built, interspersed with various medicinal fields and garden landscapes.

We can also dig lakes to create water features by introducing natural water sources, raise some birds, and transplant various fruits and vegetables into the garden, even the vegetables we usually eat...

Lan Jiuwan spoke with a smile that seemed to come out of nowhere, and her eyes seemed to shine with light.

She used to be a very cold person, even indifferent to her own life and death. Now, regardless of whether her proposal can be realized in the short term, it represents her love and hope for the future.

Ye Liangcheng immediately clapped in approval. He loved doing these kinds of things the most. He even planted various fruit trees and vegetables in that abandoned industrial park and raised a flock of free-range chickens.

He Kao did not dampen everyone's enthusiasm for life, and immediately approved the construction plan in his capacity as sect leader.

The construction plan for Piaocai Cave is divided into three steps. The first step is to produce blueprints for a courtyard complex covering 15 acres, and to build the central pavilion and the courtyard in the northeast corner.

The Central Pavilion is a building constructed against the mountainside, enveloping this stone niche. The courtyard in the northeast corner serves as the living quarters for the disciples. The necessary stone is quarried within the cave, which also serves as a secluded retreat within the mountains.

The second step was to build the outline of the entire Ancestral Hall, including the foundation, the central altar, and the surrounding walls. The third step was to gradually construct the remaining buildings and create this mountain basin.

He Kao's cultivation of the Divine Art is still shallow, and he has only just entered the beginner level. However, he can sense the various emotions that naturally flow from everyone's hearts through their expressions and tones.

From initial shock and curiosity to admiration, and then excitement and anticipation... He initially focused on Erji, but later found that everyone was in the same boat.

**
(End of this chapter)