Cultivating a family of immortals

Within the Haoran Sect.

Lin Chenbi stood with his hands behind his back in a pavilion atop Huaxue Mountain, gazing at the snowy scenery, a smile playing on his lips.

Behind him, Lin Jinglan knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

Lin Chenbi turned around and laughed, "Why go to such lengths?"

Lin Jinglan's voice choked with emotion as she said, "Sect Master, you promised me a spot, but now that we're about to depart, I'm not included..."

Lin Chenbi gazed at him silently, his mind racing as he thought:

"As the saying goes, there are great hidden ninjas who can endure what ordinary people cannot. After the last battle, Lin Jinglan's cultivation has fallen to the seventh level of Qi Refining, a full five levels away from the peak. Why would he insist on going? Without a doubt, he wants to compete for that spiritual herb and achieve Foundation Establishment. If we let him go and he actually gets it by chance, he will only add another enemy to my list of enemies. What should we do then?"

"However... if he doesn't go and stays in the Haoran Sect, given his former prestige, if he manages to turn some members of the sect against him, it will be another disaster!"

Thinking of this, Lin Chenbi finally spoke:

"We just haven't notified you yet. Don't worry, we've reserved a spot for you."

As they were talking, several disciples entered the pavilion. One of them cupped his hands and said:

"Sect Master, everything is ready, and we can depart at any time!"

Lin Jinglan looked back and saw four disciples in total. Adding Lin Chenbi, that made five!

Just as he was about to speak, Lin Chenbi looked at one of his disciples and said, "This time, I'll give your spot to Lin Jinglan."

The disciple was taken aback and was about to retort, but when he saw the ruthlessness in his sect leader's eyes, he immediately understood and could only nod with a wry smile.

"I will obey the sect leader's orders!"

Lin Chenbi nodded in satisfaction, summoned the spirit boat, boarded it, and turned back to watch Lin Jinglan following the group at the back. He thought to himself:

"Since you insist on going, then so be it. The Ningyuan Zhize is fraught with danger; dying there would be your good fortune!"

With that thought in mind, after everyone boarded the spirit boat, Lin Chenbi waved his hand, and the spirit boat headed towards Luoshui City.

………………

On the jade platform in front of the Chaoyang Sect, Xiang Cangyue, with one arm around Chu Lanwei's waist, looked down at the three disciples and smiled:

"Now that the Chaoyang Sect has deployed its strongest forces, the three of you being chosen is a stroke of good fortune. If you are lucky enough to obtain two of them, one of you will naturally be given a Foundation Establishment Pill. Why don't you quickly express your gratitude?"

The three disciples immediately kowtowed in gratitude.

Xiang Cangyue was extremely satisfied.

Just as they were about to summon the spirit boat and set off, they heard a disciple's unwilling voice.

"Sect Master, I am now at the eighth level of Qi Refining, why am I not given this spot?"

Everyone turned to look, and saw a direct descendant of the Xiang family step forward, his eyes filled with resentment.

Xiang Cangyue looked at the disciple quietly and said calmly:

"Since you want to go, who should replace you?"

Without hesitation, the disciple pointed at Chu Lanwei and said, "Madam... she's only at the sixth level of Qi Refining. She'll only be a hindrance. Sect Master, please reconsider!"

Chu Lanwei remained in Xiang Cangyue's arms, her expression unchanged, ignoring the disciple's words.

She knew that Xiang Cangyue would definitely take her with him.

After all, when someone as crazy as him does things, without a woman by his side watching and cheering him on, he always feels like something is missing.

Over such a long period of time, Chu Lanwei had already figured out Xiang Cangyue's temperament.

As expected, in front of many disciples, Xiang Cangyue calmly reached into Chu Lanwei's bosom and squeezed her tightly.

"Replace the lady? Then who can keep me entertained on the road? You?"

The disciple stared blankly, then shook his head repeatedly. "Sect Master, this concerns the sect's most important matters; how can it be treated so lightly? I..."

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of sword light appeared.

With a snap, the head fell to the ground.

Everyone looked on in shock, only to see that an elder standing to the side suddenly made a move and mercilessly killed the disciple!

"To dare to question the sect leader and defy authority is an act of utter disrespect! He deserves to die a hundred times over!"

The disciples were furious and all looked at the elder.

The elder was still preparing to use his power to intimidate others, but then he heard Cang Yue coldly say:

"How could you be so cruel to a disciple of the sect?"

The elder was taken aback and immediately knelt down. However, Xiang Cangyue suddenly burst into laughter.

"But it was well done, well done!" With that, Xiang Cangyue withdrew his hand, made a hand seal, summoned a longsword, and tossed it to the elder. "I will be away for a longer period this time, so you will be in charge of guarding the sect. Whether it is an external enemy or an internal disciple, anyone who dares to disobey or act recklessly can be killed with this sword. You will act together with the other nine elders, and do not fail to uphold justice!"

The moment the word "fairness" was uttered, many disciples of the sect below the jade platform felt a deep sense of sorrow.

If I had known this person was so insane, I shouldn't have made him the sect leader in the first place!

But given the circumstances, he was the strongest person in the sect, and the ten newly elected elders were all his lackeys, leaving the many disciples to live in misery...

The elder, however, gained the upper hand and immediately took the sword, leading the elders behind him to kowtow in gratitude.

Xiang Cangyue thoroughly enjoyed this feeling, laughed loudly, summoned his spirit boat, and boarded it with the others, heading towards Luoshui City.

………………

Xuanyuan Sect is located on the outskirts of Qingxi County, nestled among mountains, in an extremely remote place.

As the spirit boat passed a town in Qingxi County, Xu Changle frowned deeply, looking down through the clouds at the land below that appeared to have been scorched by fire, a pitch-black expanse that seemed to have been the site of a battle between high-level cultivators.

After asking a few questions, Xu Jingheng explained in detail, and Xu Changle finally understood that this place was the city in Chama Town that everyone said had been destroyed by a dragon's breath.

Xu Jingheng sighed and said:

"Father, this kind of high-ranking cultivator... treats life like dirt. I wonder when he will face retribution!"

Xu Changle shook his head and calmly said:

"If there were retribution, then everyone in this world should be extinct. Jingheng, don't rely on external forces. Only when our Xu family has strength will we not be bullied at will. If our Xu family could also produce a... high-level cultivator at the Purple Mansion Realm, we could protect the family members. You and I still need to work hard to cultivate!"

Xu Jingheng stared blankly at Xu Changle for a moment before saying:

"Father, you're just a country bumpkin who's lived in Qingping Mountain Village for almost half your life. How would you know such profound truths?"

Xu Changle was also taken aback upon hearing this, and quietly looked at Xu Jingheng, wondering if the boy was genuinely straightforward or deliberately provoking her.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the fact that he didn't grow up at home from a young age meant he was indeed neglected in his upbringing.

A moment later, a mournful howl came from the spirit boat.

Along the way, the Xu father and son bickered and teased each other... Of course, it was Xu Jingheng who said something shocking, and Xu Changle had no choice but to beat him up. Before they knew it, the spirit boat arrived at the Xuan Yuan Sect.

Breaking through the clouds, the sect's grand formation slowly opened, and the spirit boat sailed in until it reached the highest peak and landed on the cloud platform.

The two jumped down. Green Bamboo had been waiting there for a long time. Upon seeing the two, she first bowed very respectfully to Xu Changle, and then looked at Xu Jingheng.

"Young Master is waiting for you... My goodness, what happened to you?"

Xu Jingheng touched the dark circles under his eyes and his burning ears, gave his father a resentful look, shook his head and said:

"It's nothing, I just tripped and fell."

Xu Changle had only visited the Immortal Pavilion of the Haoran Sect once when he was a child, and had never been to the Immortal Sect again in his life. This was the first time he had come to the summit of the Immortal Sect.

Looking at the pavilions on the mountaintop, all built of white jade, and the large platform outside the pavilions where one could reach out and touch the mountain clouds, one couldn't help but exclaim inwardly how magnificent it was.

Following Xu Jingheng and the maid, they entered the pavilion and arrived at a platform extending from it. There, a young man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing silently at the mountains, and said without turning his head:

"You're finally back! Are you ready?"