Immortality and Cultivation: I Have Too Many Talents

Chapter 418 Sect War (Seeking Subscriptions)

The setting sun melts into gold, and twilight descends in a hazy glow.

Shen Xuan emerged from the cave and stood atop a cliff on Cold Jade Peak, quietly admiring the sunset.

The sunset is infinitely good, just near dusk.

Currently, the Qingyun Sect has 40,000 disciples, with 500 having reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

This is the result of the Qingyun Sect's increased wealth in recent years, which has led to more Foundation Establishment Pills being awarded as rewards.

In the war between the Daoist and Demonic factions of the Song and Liang dynasties, the Qingyun Sect had a clear advantage in the border prefectures and counties.

Instead of weakening its strength, it actually strengthened it.

Some elite descendants of small and medium-sized sects and cultivation families chose to join the Qingyun Sect.

Shen Xuan remembered that forty years ago, when he first joined the Qingyun Sect, he claimed to have 30,000 Qi Refining cultivators and 300 Foundation Establishment cultivators.

At this time, the number and quality of disciples in the sect were significantly higher than before.

Outside the Eighteen Peaks, people came and went, and more and more cultivators at the Qi Refining Realm were coming and going, creating a bustling atmosphere.

However, even among those who join the Qingyun Sect, only a small number are able to establish a foundation for their Dao and become direct disciples of a True Person.

To this day, there are still fewer than 100 people.

These are the people personally trained by the Qingyun Sect, and they are the key individuals they cultivate.

Shen Xuan was certain.

The suddenly missing Hu Xiucheng was the masked cultivator who had plotted to lure him out of the sect at the Lone Peak Treasure House last time.

Late Foundation Establishment stage, core member of the Spirit Pill Hall, second disciple personally taught by the Immortal of Longevity, and one of the few who knows about the Cold Jade Pill.

"Even the soul-sealing technique personally cast by the Immortal of Longevity couldn't seal it off?"

Shen Xuan thought to himself.

At the same time, I was secretly relieved.

If it weren't for his cautious nature and belief in prioritizing safety, he would have stayed within the sect.

They spend most of their time holed up on Hanyu Peak.

Perhaps, the other party has already taken action against him.

……

Mysterious Peak.

The Great Hall for Real People to Discuss Matters.

The True Immortals of the Qingyun Sect sat facing each other, their expressions solemn.

Master Hanyu's face was as cold as frost, and his gaze was like a sword.

Anyone could see that Master Hanyu was in a very bad mood.

He exudes a cold aura that says, "Don't mess with me."

"Everyone knows what happened. Hu Xiucheng of Lingdantang has run away. Let's all talk about it."

"The Mysterious Master said in a cold voice."

"Senior Brother Sect Leader, can you confirm whether Hu Xiucheng ran away on his own or was kidnapped?"

A wise man asked a question.

“Kidnapped? Who in the sect could kidnap him? Junior Brother Ling Xiao, you tell me.”

Lingxiao Zhenren said in a deep voice, "I have examined the sect's protective formation and questioned the people of the Spirit Pill Hall. I can basically conclude that Hu Xiucheng has been preparing for a long time and seized the opportunity to leave the sect."

"That's good. Escaping alone is much better than being kidnapped."

"It's strange, why would he want to leave the sect and flee?"

"That goes without saying, it must be because of the Cold Jade Pill formula."

Upon hearing the mention of the "Cold Jade Elixir Formula," all the True Men looked toward Cold Jade True Men.

On the surface, this was painstakingly developed by Master Hanyu.

In fact, everyone knows that the real researcher is someone else.

However, everyone is pretending to be confused.

Acting is something only old foxes who've been around for hundreds of years can do!
And this moment.

Hanyu Zhenren looked at Changsheng Zhenren.

"Senior Brother Changsheng, Hu Xiucheng is your personally taught disciple, aren't you going to explain?"

"explain?"

The Immortal of Longevity took a deep breath, raised his eyes to scan the crowd, and slowly said, "Gentlemen, what can I explain?"

"Over the years, I have devoted myself to studying the Crimson Gold Elixir. Whether Hu Xiucheng's idea was impulsive or premeditated, I do not know."

"Even if Hu Xiucheng ran away on his own, there is no real evidence to prove whether he was threatened, blinded by greed, or whether it was related to the Cold Jade Pill formula."

"If we can't find the person, there's no point in saying anything."

The council hall fell into a deathly silence.

a long time.

Someone asked, "Senior Brother Changsheng, when you bestowed the formula for the Cold Jade Pill, did you place a soul restriction on Hu Xiucheng to prevent him from revealing it to outsiders?"

“I placed a soul restriction on him, and the sect leader was present.”

"Immortal Changsheng said solemnly."

This was also a requirement of the Master of Lost Tracks.

"If that's the case, why did he dare to desert the sect and flee?"

The Mysterious Master coughed lightly.

“Soul restrictions are not omnipotent. If someone’s cultivation level is higher than Junior Brother Changsheng’s, they can remove the restriction for him.”

As soon as these words were spoken, some people immediately realized what was going on.

"Yes, someone must have promised to remove the restriction for him. And this person's cultivation level is even higher than that of Senior Brother Changsheng."

One of the real people realized what was happening and said quietly.

"Not necessarily. What if he was originally a spy planted in the sect by the enemy? For example, Medicine God Valley."

"I am Master Hanyu," he said in a cold voice.

The true men fell silent.

Compared to the former, it is more likely that Hu Xiucheng himself was a spy for Medicine God Valley.

Previously, when the giant furnace for alchemy first came out, one of the alchemists from the Spirit Pill Hall defected to the Medicine God Valley and informed them of this matter.

At this moment, Hu Xiucheng, who had just emerged, was of a much higher status than the alchemist.

If he hadn't defected, Hu Xiucheng would have become a potential Core Formation cultivator for the Qingyun Sect, rewarded with the achievement of Golden Core, and given strong support in his attempt to break through to Core Formation.

Thirty years of war between the Dao and the Demons, thirty years of recuperation and rest.

In the entire Qingyun Sect, only ten Transformation Pills have been awarded as a reward in sixty years.

As it turned out, Hu Xiucheng was actually a spy for the enemy!
When that time comes, it won't just be immortal beings.

All the True Persons of the entire Qingyun Sect were utterly humiliated.

"Is there no way to track him down?"

A wise man asked a question.

"It can't be tracked down; someone deliberately erased all traces."

Lingxiao Zhenren added, "He should be a Golden Core cultivator."

These words made the atmosphere in the council hall even more somber.

In the entire Song Kingdom, there were very few families that could send out Golden Core cultivators.

"If—and I mean if—we confirm the other party's sect, what should we do then?"

The True Immortals fell silent once more. The Lost Immortal let out a cold laugh.

"There was a long-standing agreement among all factions that True Immortals should not act rashly. Since the other side has broken the agreement, if we do not retaliate forcefully, who will respect our Qingyun Sect in the future?"

"Junior Brother Lingxiao, when will we have accurate information about Hu Xiucheng?"

Lingxiao Zhenren solemnly replied, "Within one month."

"If no intelligence is received, we can purchase directly from Tianxiang Pavilion."

"Then we'll await Hu Xiucheng's accurate intelligence. However, Junior Brother Lingjian, the War Hall should prepare for war mobilization."

……

Shen Xuan quickly learned what had happened in the Great Hall of True Persons from True Person Hanyu.

That night.

Inside the cave, in the secret chamber.

Shen Xuan hung up a power structure diagram of the Qingyun Sect.

At the very top is the legendary Nascent Soul cultivator, True Monarch Qingyun.

It is said that he is 700 years old and in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul stage.

Looking at the entire Song Kingdom, they are among the top five in terms of combat strength.

The first level contains the five Golden Elixir Pills.

The Sect Master of Lost Tracks, the Dharma Transmission Pavilion Master of Hidden Appearance, the Battle Hall Master of Spiritual Sword, as well as the Heavenly Wind Master and the Heavenly Thunder Master.

These five individuals hold the core power of the Qingyun Sect.

Many things are decided through discussions among these five people.

The second level consists of the thirteen True Pill Masters.

At the top of the list is Lingxiao Zhenren of the Law Enforcement Hall, who is also the only Golden Core Zhenren among the outer peaks.

Shen Xuan stared for a long time, then put a small question mark on the spot where Lingxiao Zhenren was.

In other words, he couldn't be sure whether Lingxiao Zhenren was truly trustworthy.

As a Golden Core cultivator, I associate with True Core cultivators but haven't entered the inner circle of power, so I don't know what they're really thinking.

Moreover, Master Lingxiao was originally a rogue cultivator.

This also means that he has no family background and his origins are complicated.

Following them are the Alchemy Hall's Longevity True Man, the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall's Profound Understanding True Man, the Array Formation Hall's Void Cultivation True Man, and the Weapon Refining Hall's Jade Yang True Man.

Shen Xuan marked each one with a question mark.

However, the question marks vary in size.

The immortal being's is exceptionally large.

The figures of Tongxuan Zhenren, Chongxu Zhenren, and Yuyang Zhenren are smaller.

In Shen Xuan's understanding, these three senior uncles were relatively more credible.

One was well-versed in human relationships, while the other two were skilled cultivators.

There's no need to collude with the Demonic Sect.

Shen Xuan ticked the box next to the sixth-ranked Master Gufeng, indicating that he could be trusted.

Master Gufeng was born into the prestigious Yang family, a powerful sect, but he was not proficient in any of the arts of cultivation and remained outside the authority of the sect.

Shen Xuan felt that even if the Demon Sect had poor judgment, they wouldn't try to bribe her.

Following closely behind was Master Hanyu, whose ranking had improved slightly.

This is without a doubt; check the box, and you can trust it completely.

Next came the five city lords.

Guangwei Zhenren of Qingyun Immortal City, Ziqi Zhenren of Zixia Immortal City, Duobao Zhenren of Tianbao Immortal City, Mingxin Zhenren of Haiyue Immortal City, and Xuanling Zhenren of Beicang Immortal City.

Qingyun Immortal City is located at the foot of Qingyun Mountain and is the most prosperous city.

The other four immortal cities are actually the four barriers protecting the areas directly under the jurisdiction of the Qingyun Sect.

Apart from Guangwei Zhenren who checked the box, Shen Xuan marked the other four city lords with question marks.

The third-tier spiritual plant, Master Changchun, is ranked last.

Shen Xuan, on the contrary, put a big checkmark on the position of Changchun Zhenren.

He had dealings with the Changchun Master.

People who don't even care about their sect's ranking are relatively more trustworthy.

What truly troubled Shen Xuan were the sect's five Golden Core cultivators.

He only checked the boxes for "Mysterious Master" and "Hidden Appearance Master".

The other three were all big question marks.

Shen Xuan stared at the portrait of the Eighteen True Men of the Qingyun Sect for a long time.

With a wave of my hand, I utterly destroyed it.

Hu Xiucheng's defection was a good thing for him.

This also means that the hidden forces that had been lying in wait for him could no longer wait and chose Hu Xiu as their breakthrough point.

"Fortunately, I have no bloodline or offspring, so they cannot be tracked down or threatened."

The Shen family in Qingyun Immortal City were only adopted.

Some demonic sects use secret techniques to track the whereabouts of their close relatives using their bloodline offspring.

Since discovering the purpose of the mysterious jade talisman, Shen Xuan has resolved to achieve immortality and attain the Dao, and will no longer marry a Daoist partner.

A fleeting romance is acceptable, but a formal marriage is not.

Once you have a family and children, you have many worries and responsibilities.

Not only would it consume a lot of his energy, but it would also become a weakness that the enemy could attack.

Shen Xuan did not believe that his path would be smooth sailing and everlasting.

Those who achieve great things in ancient times not only possessed extraordinary talent, but also unwavering determination.

Nothing goes smoothly.

The world's heroes are as numerous as carp crossing a river. Even the most outstanding individuals find it difficult to take their first steps.

Shen Xuan, a rogue cultivator with no family background, has walked on thin ice to get to this point.

This is even with him having cheat codes.

Without any attachments, one is destined to live the life of an ox or a horse.

"Now, we can only wait and see."

"It is estimated that the Qingyun Sect will launch a strong counterattack against the Medicine God Sect!"

These True Men who have lived for hundreds of years and controlled the power of their sects are all exceptionally intelligent.

Foolish people, those with bad luck, no matter how good their family background, will never get to this point.

One month later.

The news came.

The Enforcement Hall confirmed that Hu Xiucheng had entered the Valley of the Medicine God.

The Immortal of Longevity reported that the restriction on Hu Xiucheng's soul had been lifted by a master.

As a result, he suffered a significant backlash to his soul.

The mysterious master was furious.

At the council meeting of the real people, the eighteen real people reached a consensus.

The Qingyun Sect has officially declared war on the Medicine God Valley.

(End of this chapter)