From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 248 The Immortal City of Zhongtian Stands Firm

After cultivating his vital energy and reaching the first level of the Nourishing Vitality Realm, Hu Yan officially embarked on the path of cultivation. At the same time, the righteous energy within his body was awakening.

He clearly felt his senses were being enhanced, and his mind was entering an unprecedented state of clarity.

All worries and stress vanished, leaving me feeling relieved.

This feeling was indescribable, which made him even more immersed in his cultivation. He even felt the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him becoming more active.

In Ji Ya's eyes, wisps of white mist began to appear around Hu Yan, and this white mist inexplicably filled him with awe.

"This is……"

Ji Ya's eyes widened. He could tell that this white mist had nothing to do with the Hunyuan Scripture. Could it be that this junior brother had a special power hidden in his body, just like the Gangyuan created by his third senior brother?
After the initial shock, he developed high expectations for Hu Yan.

And so, Hu Yan began to cultivate under Ji Ya's guidance.

……

Three days later, at noon, the Lingxiao Bell rang, and all the hall masters arrived.

At first, they thought it was to discuss the matter of Zhongtian Immortal City. Zhang Yuchun, who was in charge of this matter, had already begun to issue orders. In a few days, the main force would head north to Zhongtian Prefecture.

After Li Qingqiu recounted the troubles in Beiting, everyone frowned and looked grave.

Lingxiao Courtyard fell silent.

After a long while, Yang Jueding scanned the crowd and said, "We have to take action on this matter. If it were just demons causing trouble, we could ignore it. But now that ghost soldiers are involved, it's obvious that they are transformed from living people. If we let them continue to develop, and the ghost soldiers gain power, no one knows what will happen."

Master Qingxiao echoed, "The land of the Nine Provinces has already come under our control. We cannot use past problems to think. The current trouble is equivalent to demons and monsters appearing near the Taikun Mountains and harming people. Should we take action?"

Others followed suit and expressed their agreement.

Zhu Yan offered a different perspective, saying, "We still need to investigate thoroughly first. Bei Ting is cunning, so it may not be the truth. Even if it is the truth, the actual situation may not be what that person saw with their own eyes."

Xue Jin, Chai Yunshang, and Yandaozong expressed their agreement.

Xu Ning looked at Li Qingqiu and said, "Master, I can go to the Northern Border. I'd like to test my magic."

Jiang Zhaoxia raised an eyebrow and said, "My supernatural powers are not incapable of slaying ghosts."

This was Zhao Zhen's first time participating in such a meeting. Although he did not have any specific authority, no one else had any objections, because Zhao Zhen was already one of the top five strongest members of the sect.

Li Qingqiu, Xu Ning, Jiang Zhaoxia, Shen Yue, and then him. Perhaps the truth is not so simple, but at least most disciples would think of him when they think of the top five in the sect.

Zhao Zhen also wanted to volunteer, but thinking about her past experiences, she felt that she couldn't be rash.

His top priority is to achieve the state of spiritual awareness.

The sect doesn't lack combat power at the Nourishing Essence Realm, but it lacks combat power at the Spiritual Awareness Realm.

Li Qingqiu pondered for a moment and said, "Ning'er, Third Junior Brother, you two are being transferred north..."

"no!"

"No!"

Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia spoke in unison, looking at each other with sharp, confrontational eyes.

The crowd's expressions were strange, and they understood to some extent why the others resisted each other.

These two are invincible when they are alone, but their mission will fail when they are together.

They could all understand that a mission requiring the two of them to work together must be very difficult, and anyone would fail if they were in that situation. However, the story still seemed a bit dramatic.

Li Qingqiu laughed and said, "I'm not asking you two to join forces. You should investigate separately and not act on your own. I just need to find out if this matter is true and whether the ghost soldiers are gaining momentum."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia exchanged another glance, then nodded silently.

The matter was settled. In addition, Li Qingqiu inquired about the Zhongtian Immortal City. In any case, development could not be stopped. He instructed all halls and sects to cooperate with the Zhongtian Immortal City. Those who should be released should be released, and those who should be given power should be given power. He would not let anyone who hindered the development plan off lightly.

Li Qingqiu's words were not unfounded. Obstructing the development of a sect does not necessarily mean someone is a traitor. It could also be a way for someone to gain greater benefits for themselves and delay the process. This kind of situation has already occurred in other matters, and it is difficult to completely eliminate it. What he needs to do is nip it in the bud as soon as he discovers it.

The senior executives repeatedly assured them, while some seemed a little guilty. It wasn't that they were doing this, but rather that some of their subordinates were doing it.

As the sect has developed to this point, no one is alone anymore. They have wives and children, disciples, and powerful families behind them. Emotions bind them, which sometimes makes things difficult for them.

After the meeting, Li Qingqiu asked Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia to stay behind. He told them all the information he had gleaned from the memories of the Ghost King of the Netherworld, so that they would not be completely ignorant of the evil spirits of Ghost King Ridge.

Upon learning this, both Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia felt pressured. Different evil spirits possessed different ghost magic techniques, and their cultivation levels were likely all at the Spirit Consciousness Realm.

Although the two were under pressure, they were not afraid. They were the sect's strongest fighting force and were confident that they could complete any mission.

……

Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia quietly descended the mountain, while Yuan Qi led hundreds of disciples and three thousand miscellaneous disciples to Zhongtian Immortal City. The grand scale of the expedition sparked discussion among the disciples.

Qingxiao Sect is not afraid of the news of building the city spreading. In the land of Kyushu, no one can stop Qingxiao Sect, and no one dares to do so.

With his exceptional talent for cultivation, Hu Yan reached the third level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm in just three months. His righteous energy also began to take shape and could be used in combat.

Currently, Hu Yan has only learned the Mountain Lord Divine Incantation from Li Qingqiu. His Mountain Lord Divine Incantation has become unique and more powerful due to his righteous spirit.

In mid-March, Zhongtian Immortal City sent word that the city had been completed and all that remained was to transport various cultivation resources.

From now on, disciples of the sect may rest and stay in Zhongtian Immortal City when they are out training.

This happened after noon that day.

Hu Yan arrived at Ziyang Peak to visit Duan Xiaojuan.

On the way, he ran into Zhu Qingling.

Hu Yan had almost forgotten about this woman, but upon seeing her again, he remembered the kindness she had shown him. After hesitating for a moment, he finally decided to greet her.

When Zhu Qingling saw him, she was neither excited nor frowned; her expression remained calm.

The two exchanged a few words and then passed each other, which relieved Hu Yan.

Although his current status is extraordinary, and Zhu Yan, the most powerful woman in the Zhu family, treats him kindly, he remains humble. He feels it's best not to get too close to Zhu Qingling to avoid unnecessary trouble.

It's fine as it is now, like a friendship between gentlemen, as pure as water.

Hu Yan smiled and walked up the mountain.

Zhu Qingling looked back, her eyes filled with complex emotions. In just three months, she had to look up to Hu Yan, a feeling that made her very uncomfortable.

She could tell that Hu Yan's cultivation level was higher than hers; compared to three months ago, he was practically a different person.

No wonder Zhu Yan said that as long as Hu Yan becomes the sect leader's disciple, he will soar to great heights.

Zhu Qingling was also a proud person. She began to take Hu Yan as her target. She did not want to lose to Hu Yan, even though she admired him.

……

Sunlight streamed through the trees and into the Qingxia Sect. After several years of development, the Qingxia Sect had taken shape, with more than a dozen buildings and over forty disciples. They were beginning to gain fame in the foot of the mountain.

Sect leader Qiu Dahu sat cross-legged on the roof, practicing his martial arts. He was practicing the Pure Yang Technique created by his master Zhou Ya, and he had already reached the second level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm.

"Sect Master, the magistrate of Ningyuan County has heard of your deeds and wishes to invite you to his home. He will host a banquet so that the local noble families and powerful figures of the martial arts world can all appreciate your magic."

A voice came from below. Qiu Dahu opened his eyes and saw Qin Yucheng, the deputy sect leader he had appointed, standing in the courtyard, looking up at him.

Qin Yucheng was tall and handsome, and looked more like a cultivator than Qiu Dahu, the sect leader.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Dahu frowned and said in a deep voice, "What does he mean? Does he think I'm a street performer?"

Qin Yucheng said helplessly, "He really doesn't trust the Qingxia Sect. Of course, I think he's more afraid of the Qingxiao Sect. He's thinking of befriending you with other people so that the Qingxiao Sect won't hold a grudge against him."

Mentioning Qingxiao Sect, Qiu Dahu felt immense pressure.

He had grown up and, after descending the mountain many times, had come to understand the immense power of the Qingxiao Sect, which stood above the dynasties and the martial arts world.

His master was just an ordinary disciple of the Qingxiao Sect. When he learned of this, he felt like the sky was falling.

He had also complained to his master about why the burden had fallen on him.

But without his master, he and his junior brothers and sisters would all die. He could have disbanded the Qingxia Sect and left with his junior brothers and sisters, but he couldn't bear to give up this legacy.

If Li Qingqiu could lead his six junior brothers and sisters to achieve such great things, why couldn't he?
"We certainly can't compare to Qingxiao Sect, but we can follow their path. Let's maintain our previous way of doing things, do more good deeds, and wait for our sect to grow stronger."

Qiu Dahu pondered for a moment, then decided to swallow his anger.

Qin Yucheng asked, "Then we're not going to Ningyuan County?"

"Don't go."

Qiu Dahu closed his eyes again.

Qin Yucheng thought for a moment and said, "Recently, a new cultivation sect has appeared in the martial arts world, called Baiyuan Valley. The origin of Baiyuan Valley is very similar to that of Qingxia Sect. Its founder was a disciple of a disciple of Qingxiao Sect. What do you think? Should we befriend Baiyuan Valley? Perhaps in the future, there will be more and more small cultivation sects like ours."

Qiu Dahu opened his eyes, his brows furrowed.

He felt no surprise, but rather anxiety.

If there are more and more cultivation sects in the world, how will their Qingxia Sect rise to prominence?

Qiu Dahu asked, "What do you think we should do?"

Qin Yucheng replied, "Go and meet them. Getting to know them sooner will allow us to exchange ideas and prepare for the future of the martial arts world. If we can form an alliance, that would be even better, so we can advance and retreat together in the future."

Qiu Dahu thought what he said made sense, so he nodded in agreement.

"Shall we set off in three days?"

"no problem."

Qin Yucheng agreed, and the two chatted for a few more minutes before Qin Yucheng bowed and took his leave.

He returned to his courtyard, took out a paper crane from his sleeve, lit it with his spiritual energy, muttered a few words, and then the paper crane turned to ashes, forming a stream of light that flew into the woods and disappeared.

(End of this chapter)