After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 320 Qingyun Sect

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment without speaking, then looked at the green-leafed Taoist opposite him and asked:

"The Great Xuan Imperial Palace and Qingyun Temple have always kept to themselves, so why would they attack Senior Sister?"

Upon hearing this, the Taoist Qingye remained silent for a moment before sighing and saying:
"This matter involves an extremely important secret of Qingyun Temple, which you, who have been away from the temple for many years, are not qualified to know."

"However, this secret has been leaked for some reason and is now known to the Great Xuan Imperial Palace, so it's alright to tell you."

As he spoke, the Taoist priest Qingye looked at the middle-aged man and then asked:
"Do you know that there is a sect called Qingyun Sect within the territory of Dali?"

The middle-aged man nodded and said:

“I am naturally aware of that. The Qingyun Sect is located in Wanzhou, Dali. As far as I know, it seems to have a considerable connection with the Qingyun Temple in Daxuan.”

"Yes."

Taoist Qingye picked up the wine jar, took a swig of wine, and said:

"The Qingyun Sect was founded a hundred years ago by an old ancestor who returned to his hometown. In just a hundred years, that old ancestor developed the Qingyun Sect into a renowned martial arts sect in Wanzhou."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's expression shifted slightly, and he said:

"Could this matter be related to the Qingyun Sect?"

The Taoist priest Qingye nodded slightly, then looked at the middle-aged man and said:

"Before I came to Dali to find you, I had already visited the Qingyun Sect and met the founding patriarch."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man frowned and looked at the Taoist priest with suspicion.

However, before he could speak, the Taoist Qingye said with a calm expression:
"Aren't you wondering why I can still see the ancestor who founded the Qingyun Sect a hundred years ago?"

The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly and remained silent, clearly waiting for the Taoist Qingye to explain.

"Your temperament remains as calm as ever. Little do you know, what I'm telling you is no small matter. If it gets out, it will cause a bloodbath throughout the martial arts world, and even the God of War will not be spared."

The Taoist priest Qingye's eyes held a strange expression, seemingly playful yet also carrying a hint of caution.

Then, he looked at the middle-aged man and said:

"The reason I was able to meet the founding patriarch of the Qingyun Sect is because he is still alive today. He is over 240 years old, having lived for more than 200 years, and is still very healthy!"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man paused for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"Impossible. Throughout history, the longest-lived person in the world has never lived more than 120 or 130 years. How could there be someone who lives to be over 200 years old?"

"You should know that even Emperor Tianqi, who always sought immortality, searched the world and overseas but ultimately could not find a way to prolong his life."

The Taoist priest Qingye smirked and chuckled:

"Does the fact that the Heavenly Emperor could not find a way to prolong life mean that no one in the world can find it?"

"I'm not afraid to tell you the truth: the person who found the method to prolong life is that old ancestor of the Qingyun Sect."

Immediately, the Taoist Qingye spoke up to explain:

"More than a hundred years ago, when the patriarch of the Qingyun Sect was traveling around the world, he accidentally obtained a Taoist scripture called the 'Longevity Scripture'."

"At that time, the patriarch was the strongest in martial arts in the temple, but he was also old and his lifespan was not long. So he took a gamble and used the last year he had left to cultivate the Longevity Scripture."

"As a result, the more he practiced that scripture, the younger he found himself becoming, and eventually he miraculously returned to his youthful body."

"But this matter is undoubtedly extremely incredible, so that ancestor quietly left the familiar Qingyun Temple, changed his appearance, and then returned to his hometown to establish the Qingyun Sect."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man stared intently at the Taoist priest Qingye, his expression shifting rapidly.

However, he did not speak, seemingly pondering whether the Taoist Qingye was making up a story for him.
"Are there really scriptures and cultivation methods in the world that can extend one's life by more than a hundred years?"

Suddenly, the middle-aged man stood up and stared at the Taoist priest with green leaves opposite him, asking in a very serious tone.

"Of course it's true. If you don't believe me, you can ask her yourself after we rescue her."

"You may not believe me, but you can't disbelieve your senior sister, can you?"

The Taoist priest Qingye calmly gazed at the middle-aged man before him, but soon his expression darkened, and he spoke a warning:
"You can't control me if you're a lackey of the Dali court, but once you leave this room today, you are absolutely not allowed to tell anyone, especially not the Dali emperor."

"The Longevity Scripture was given to Qingyun Temple by the patriarch of Qingyun Sect. Only my senior sister, my two senior uncles and senior masters in the temple know about it."

"I do not want to face the covetousness of the Emperor of Dali in the future, even after resolving the matter of the Da Xuan Imperial Palace, which may even implicate the Qingyun Sect."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man shook his head and said:
"Don't worry, I'm not sure if what you said is true, so I won't spread it around."

"Moreover, the Longevity Scripture is of great importance, and no one would pass it on lightly."

Taoist Qingye nodded and said:
"I hope you will keep your word. If you spread this matter and bring disaster to the temple, I will kill you even if it costs me my life."

The middle-aged man glanced at the Taoist priest with green leaves, then slowly shook his head and said:
"Senior brother, there's no need for that. Although I've been away from Qingyun Temple for many years, I would never betray the temple."

Then, the middle-aged man pondered for a moment, as if he had thought of something, and said:
"I have a question. Since you have already met with the patriarch of the Qingyun Sect, did you ask him to help rescue your senior sister?"

"That patriarch was already the strongest person in the temple a hundred years ago. Now, a hundred years later, his martial arts strength has probably reached an unimaginable level. With him taking action, rescuing Senior Sister should be a piece of cake."

Upon hearing this, the Taoist Qingye narrowed his eyes slightly, chuckled, and said:
"You're still as cunning as ever, but you've certainly hit the nail on the head with this question."

Then, the Taoist priest Qingye gave the middle-aged man a deep look and said:
"There's one more thing I forgot to tell you about the Longevity Scripture that can be cultivated to prolong life."

"The Longevity Scripture has extremely high requirements for cultivators. Only those who have reached the first level of the Celestial Martial Dao can cultivate it. Moreover, although cultivating this scripture can prolong life, it has a major drawback."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man frowned and asked:

"What shortcomings?"

“Those who cultivate the Longevity Scripture will gradually lose and regress in their martial arts cultivation. The old ancestor of the Qingyun Sect is now even inferior to a martial arts grandmaster. How can I ask him to save my senior sister?”

The Taoist priest Qingye shook his head, then looked at the middle-aged man and asked:
Are you a little disappointed?

"That Longevity Scripture exchanges martial arts cultivation for lifespan. Those who obtain it will likely only be willing to sacrifice their martial arts prowess for a few hundred more years of surviving when their lifespan is nearing its end." Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and said:
Nothing in this world is perfect. For many people, living an extra hundred years is already a blessing from heaven.

After a moment's thought, the middle-aged man looked at the Taoist priest with green leaves and suddenly said:
"Since my senior sister has died, I should, in principle, lend a helping hand; it is my duty."

"As for the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword, I could actually borrow it from His Majesty. Given our long-standing relationship as ruler and subject, he wouldn't refuse me, but..."

At this point, the middle-aged man paused, a troubled look appearing on his face.

Upon hearing this, Taoist Qingye stood up from his chair and said in a deep voice:
"But what? Since you're confident you can borrow the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword, then go and borrow it from the Emperor of Dali. You've been his lackey for so many years, this is what you deserve."

The middle-aged man shook his head, sighed, and said:
"That's not the reason, but... the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword has been lost."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Qingye was momentarily stunned. After realizing what he meant, he said in a deep voice:
"How is that possible? The Imperial Dragon Sword is the national treasure of the Great Li Dynasty. How could the Emperor of Great Li tolerate its loss? Moreover, why is there not a single rumor about such a major event circulating in the martial arts world?"

As he spoke, the Taoist priest Qingye suddenly turned cold, glanced at the middle-aged man, and said:
"Or perhaps, this is just your excuse, and you never actually intended to use the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword to save your senior sister."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man waved his hand, as if he wanted to say something, but then hesitated and stopped.

Finally, he shook his head and said:

"Senior brother, you've misunderstood me. Senior sister has been incredibly kind to me. Even if it costs me my life, I will do everything in my power to rescue her."

"It's just that Senior Brother came at an inopportune time. If you had come to borrow the sword a little over a month ago, I would have been able to help you borrow it. But the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword was stolen a little over a month ago and has indeed been lost."

The Taoist priest Qingye stared intently at the middle-aged man. This time, it was his turn to determine whether his junior brother, whom he hadn't seen for over ten years, was lying and deceiving him.

After a long while, the Taoist Qingye withdrew his gaze and asked:
"Since you say the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword is lost, you must have searched for it. Do you know how the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword was stolen, and who it is now in?"

Originally, Qingye Daoist had only asked this casually and did not expect the middle-aged man to give him a reply.

After all, if the other party knew who had the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword, the Emperor of Dali would probably have already sent experts to retrieve it, so there would be no need for him to worry about chasing after the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword.

However, after a moment's hesitation, the middle-aged man spoke:

"To avoid you misunderstanding that I'm lying, senior brother, I can tell you the identity of the person who took the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword."

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest Qingye paused, then frowned and asked:

"Who is it? Since you know who has the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword, why don't you take it back?"

The middle-aged man shook his head and said:
“It’s not that we are unwilling, but that we cannot and dare not, because… it was His Highness the Eighth Prince who took the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword.”

Upon hearing this, the Taoist Qingye was taken aback, then looked at the middle-aged man to confirm:

"You mean, the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword is now in the hands of that Eighth Prince?"

The middle-aged man nodded slightly and said:
"This was witnessed by the palace eunuchs who guarded the Imperial Dragon Sword. At the time, a group of remnants of the Great Qi also tried to seize the Imperial Dragon Sword, but obviously no one was a match for the Eighth Prince, so the sword fell into his hands."

At this point, the middle-aged man glanced at the Taoist priest Qingye and continued:

"However, according to the intelligence of the Hidden Intelligence Bureau, after the Eighth Prince obtained the Imperial Dragon Sword, he did not use it himself, but gave it to one of his subordinates."

Upon hearing this, the Taoist Qingye frowned and said:
"The eighth prince seized his own family's national treasure, but instead of using it himself, he gave it to a subordinate?"

The Taoist priest Qingye was clearly unable to understand Li Musheng's thinking for the time being. The Imperial Dragon Divine Sword was a divine weapon that had made it onto the list of the world's best weapons, a weapon that countless people in the martial arts world dreamed of.

Even if the other party possesses exceptional martial arts skills, they wouldn't be so dismissive as to simply give it away.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man slowly shook his head and said:

"That eighth prince's martial arts talent is unprecedented, and some of his own ideas are like a gazelle's horns hanging from a tree, making them difficult to fathom."

As he spoke, he looked at the Taoist priest Qingye and said:

"This matter is a top secret to the royal family of Dali. I should not have told my senior brother about it, but for my senior sister's sake, I can only make an exception this time. I hope my senior brother will not spread it."

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest Qingye raised an eyebrow, then seemed to understand the middle-aged man's meaning, and immediately asked with a suspicious look:

"Why don't you go to the Eighth Prince to get the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword back, but instead tell me about this? Do you want me to go and take back the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword?"

The middle-aged man neither admitted nor denied it, saying:

"Senior brother, please don't misunderstand me. I didn't mean for you to take back the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword. With the Eighth Prince's martial arts prowess, doing so could very well bring you death."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly and said:

"However, forcibly taking it won't work, but could you consider borrowing a sword from the Eighth Prince, Senior Brother?"

"Borrow a sword? I have no prior acquaintance with this person and have no connection with him whatsoever. Would he be willing to lend me the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword?"

The Taoist priest Qingye suddenly felt that his junior brother was talking nonsense.

However, the middle-aged man waved his hand and said:

“When you go to borrow the sword from the Eighth Prince, you should naturally cater to his preferences. If you can offer something that will tempt him, given that he doesn’t value the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword much, there’s a good chance you can succeed in borrowing the sword.”

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest Qingye's eyes flickered, and then he looked thoughtful, as if he was considering the middle-aged man's suggestion.

After a moment, the Taoist Qingye pondered and spoke:

"That is indeed a method, but I am not familiar with that Eighth Prince. How can I get him to agree to borrow the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword?"

The middle-aged man glanced at the Taoist priest with green leaves and shook his head, saying:
“It’s alright. Senior brother doesn’t know much about that Eighth Prince, but junior brother has looked into all of his information and knows that he has some unusual preferences.”

"For example, he was very interested in the key to the Apocalypse Treasure and some ethereal things such as the divine beast Fire Qilin."

Then, the middle-aged man changed the subject, saying:
"There's no need for you to worry about this, Senior Brother. I happen to know something he's interested in, but I can't do it myself. I'll have to trouble you to make a deal with the Eighth Prince and get the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword."

"If possible, it would be even better if Senior Brother could persuade the Eighth Prince to personally lend a hand."

"Of course, this is a rather slim chance, and if it is impossible, we should not force it."

(End of this chapter)