Chapter 541 - 537: Sword Immortal Qian Yuan Eliminated?
For a moment, Qin Feng and Li Miao Zhen were so overwhelmed by the clarity of their Divine Sense that they had sudden insights into the previously obscure laws and principles. They became engrossed in their newfound understanding.
By the time they came back to their senses, they realized that at some point, the sky had cleared and the figure of the Spring and Autumn Ancestor was nowhere to be seen.
They felt somewhat embarrassed under the gaze of the various Great Powers around them. While their epiphanies had deepened their understanding of the laws, it had been somewhat inappropriate to keep all these eminent beings waiting.
“My apologies, esteemed seniors,” they said with a bow.
“Haha, no need, no need!” laughed an elder dressed in a multicolored robe nearby. “And congratulations to you two young friends. Favored by the Heavenly Dao and blessed with Qi Fortune, your future prospects are limitless. Tread the path well, and in a thousand years, perhaps you two will also be sitting in the hall, discussing the Dao with us!”
The two disciples looked up and immediately recognized him as the Five Poisons Ancestor from the Five Poisons Sect, a Golden Immortal Great Power.
They had met this Sect Hierarch back in Lingxiao City, under the guidance of their sect elders.
The Five Poisons Sect had been a staunch ally of the Beast Taming Sect for many years, which is why the Five Poisons Ancestor was the first to offer words of relief.
However, Qin Feng and Li Miao Zhen did not dare to take liberties, and they quickly bowed in gratitude, “Thank you for your gracious words, senior!”
They refrained from saying too much. After all, they couldn’t possibly take the Five Poisons Ancestor’s words at face value and claim they would strive to catch up to his level of cultivation to one day sit as equals.
Other Great Powers, friendly to the Beast Taming Sect and acquainted with the Gui Ling Ancestor, also offered their congratulations.
These two young cultivators, blessed by the Heavenly Dao at their young age, had boundless potential. As long as the Beast Taming Sect could keep them from dying unexpectedly, their eventual proof of Dao was almost certain. This is why the Great Powers were willing to exchange pleasantries with them.
“Hahaha…”
The Gui Ling Ancestor laughed heartily, trying to contain his joy, as he rose to speak. “Please, continue your discussions, my fellow Daoists. I shall take these two disciples to Lingxiao City.
They have suddenly been enhanced by Qi Fortune, making this an excellent opportunity for retreat and cultivation. I shall not delay you any further.”
“Gui Ling Daoist Fellow, please do as you wish!”
All the Great Powers bowed, smiling, as they saw the Gui Ling Ancestor off.
As they watched the Gui Ling Ancestor depart on a cloud with the two disciples, those in the hall finally withdrew their gaze.
A Great Power couldn’t help but sigh. “The Beast Taming Sect has truly prospered this time, not only being the first to capture a world and receive the rewards of the Heavenly Dao, but now their disciples have also secured the titles of two Chosen Sons. The rising tide of the Beast Taming Sect seems unstoppable.
Ah, being a Major Sect like ours, why don’t we have such luck? When will it be our turn to flourish?”
“Hah, Daoist Fellow Xuanhua, that’s where you’re wrong,” chuckled a short, plump elder with a bald crown surrounded by white hair. “The prosperity of a sect depends on the timing, geography, and harmony of people. It’s not something that rotates with the luck of the draw. To prosper, we must all make an effort. We can’t just rely on Heaven to bestow Qi Fortune out of nowhere!”
The Heavenly Cloud Sect’s Great Power looked somewhat embarrassed and quickly waved his hand. “I was just jesting; don’t take it seriously. No offense meant, Daoist Fellow!”
“Hehe, I’m not making fun; but honestly, even though our sects might not have the same fortune as the Beast Taming Sect, we don’t have to worry too much. After all, we don’t have any enemy sects that are developing as swiftly.”
The Golden Immortal paused here, then continued through voice transmission, “Compared to us, some people are truly unable to sit still.”
“What do you mean by that, Daoist Fellow?” asked Sage Xuanhua, looking puzzled.
“Hehe, you, Daoist Fellow, have been cultivating overseas for years and haven’t paid much attention to the affairs of our Southern Domain. You’ve forgotten an old grudge,” said the short, plump elder, nodding towards another direction. “Look over there.”
Sage Xuanhua followed the direction indicated by the plump elder and caught sight of the somber-faced Qian Yuan Ancestor.
The ancestor looked troubled, his brow furrowed, one hand twisting his long white eyebrow and the other tapping lightly on the side table beside him. Though he wasn’t using much force, the keen Sword Qi that unintentionally flowed from his fingertips pierced the table, which should have been protected by prohibitions. He seemed unaware of it.
Realization dawned on Sage Xuanhua, “I almost forgot about the feud between Taiyi Mountain and the Beast Taming Sect. With the Beast Taming Sect climbing steadily in strength, Taiyi Mountain is indeed facing a crisis. No wonder Qian Yuan Ancestor is so concerned.
“Alas, what a pity, the once dashing Sword Immortal Qian Yuan has now achieved even greater refinement in his cultivation, but without stepping into the eternal, it’s difficult to contend with the Beast Taming Sect. If his disciples don’t start showing their worth soon, there will surely be even more worries for him in the future!”
“Heh, what they did back then at Taiyi Mountain was poor, no wonder the Beast Taming Sect resisted.”
The portly elder said with a faint smile, “Back then, Taiyi Mountain was quite overbearing, feeling that their power was immense and somewhat looking down upon the Beast Taming Sect. As a result, the situation has reversed now; the Beast Taming Sect has since risen to prominence with two Great Powers seated at its helm. Now they also have two disciples with boundless potential. Taiyi Mountain will certainly have an interesting time ahead!”
“As for the past, sigh…”
On the other side, Qian Yuan Ancestor didn’t realize his fingertips had unconsciously released Sword Qi, completely slicing a small hole in the tabletop, until he felt a void under his hand, causing him some embarrassment.
Although the other Great Powers weren’t looking his way, every person in the hall was a being of the Golden Immortal Realm or above. Who among them wouldn’t notice the situation here? They were merely considering his feelings, hence why they hadn’t explicitly mentioned it.
Sitting next to Qian Yuan Ancestor was an elderly man with grey hair. Aside from his grey hair, there wasn’t the slightest trace of old age on his body. Instead, his blood and vitality surged like tidal waves, and his robust body provided a tremendous visual impact as if it contained earth-shattering Divine Power. One look was enough to know he was an immensely powerful being.
This was the Giant Spirit Sect Ancestor.
He glanced at Qian Yuan Ancestor, his rough eyebrows slightly raised, then silently sent a telepathic message, “Daoist Fellow Qian Yuan need not worry. Even if the Beast Taming Sect gains two more Golden Immortals, how will it matter? At our level, we are not so easily killed.
The Beast Taming Sect wouldn’t dare to attack our doors directly. Even if our Sect is not a match for them, they can’t stop you and me from leaving unless they are willing to face our retaliation. They definitely wouldn’t dare to act recklessly.
Whether those two youngsters can successfully grow up is still a question. Even if they do achieve Golden Immortality, how many years would that take?
Master of Qi Luck? Heh, during the Ancient Great Tribulation, weren’t there many favored by the Heavenly Dao who had the title of ‘Master of Qi Luck’? How many of them truly grew up in the end?
Moreover, it is not the time of the Ancient Great Tribulation now. The pressure from warring expeditions to Otherworlds is far from what it was during the Ancient Great Tribulation. Even if those two from the Beast Taming Sect wish to achieve Golden Immortal status, even with smooth sailing, it would probably take thousands of years!
We only need to use the opportunity of these expeditions to greatly cultivate our disciples. If our two Sects can produce one or two more Golden Immortals, then by that time, we won’t need to fear them at all!”
“Your words are reasonable, my friend. I’ve been too concerned!”
As a Great Power who had proven his Dao long ago, Qian Yuan Ancestor quickly gathered his spirit and stopped overthinking. He turned to discuss expedition matters with the Giant Spirit Ancestor.
…
Gui Ling Ancestor took Qin Feng and Li Miao Zhen, riding clouds from beyond the Ninth Heaven, flying straight down towards Lingxiao City.
The trial was not yet over, and he could not leave the Central Region. Not feeling reassured to allow Qin Feng and the others to return to the Southern Domain alone, the only option was to first send them to Lingxiao City. It was convenient since they had just received the Qi Fortune’s blessing and needed to meditate and cultivate for a while.
Although the disciples and Elders of the Beast Taming Sect who came to the Central Region had not yet returned to the Sect, and Ning Wuxu and the Supreme Elder of the Divine Bull Lineage, Zhong Duanshan, were still in the Central Region, they were mostly not in Lingxiao City. They were either traveling across the Central Region or visiting friends, networking with cultivators from the Five Domains.
As cultivators from the major Sects of the East, South, West, and North Domains had come here, they did not lack companions for exchange and communication.
Thus, within the residence of the Beast Taming Sect in Lingxiao City, aside from two Inner Sect Elders who had just returned from visiting friends, there were no others.
Even if Ning Wuxu and Zhong Duanshan were present, Gui Ling Ancestor still wouldn’t rest easy letting them escort Qin Feng and Li Miao Zhen back to the Southern Domain.
The Ancestor had already treated Qin Feng and his companion as treasures. How could he allow two Immortals, at most at the level of Heavenly Immortal Dao, to escort them? What if something unforeseen happened on the way?
Not to mention that the remnants of the Demon Sect had not been completely eradicated, and it would be troublesome if they targeted these two. He also felt uneasy about Taiyi Mountain. Who knew if Qian Yuan Ancestor, in a rush, would make a blunder and send a formidable Sword Immortal to ambush them along the way!
Gui Ling Ancestor was also suddenly concerned upon seeing the two receive the heavenly favor.
Regardless, the Gui Ling Ancestor made a decision: before the trial ended, Qin Feng and his companion were not allowed to leave a ten-thousand-mile radius around Lingxiao City.
Within this area, he could reach Qin Feng and Li Miao Zhen at any moment, with no fear of accidents.
Once the trial was over and the disciples of various factions returned to Biluo, selecting all the Chosen Sons, then, with more targets, he wouldn’t need to worry too much about his own two disciples being targeted anymore. Mainly he would just need to guard against Taiyi Mountain’s Golden Light Cave!
Although he didn’t believe Qian Yuan Ancestor would truly act recklessly, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of some brainless characters in his ranks. Take, for instance, the Taiyi Sword Immortal, Sage Wuji—that man was notoriously impulsive. If someone instigated him, and he silently emerged to assassinate them, killing him afterwards would be of no help!
Upon returning to the Beast Taming Sect’s palace in Lingxiao City, the two Inner Sect Elders were taken aback to see Qin Feng and Li Miao Zhen, almost thinking their eyes were deceiving them.
The Elders rubbed their eyes and, after confirming again, asked with astonished faces, “Weren’t you two off to participate in the trials? It was said to take ten years to complete. How come you’re back so early?
Ah, don’t tell me you were eliminated so soon?”