Chapter 739 - 739: 733
Ning Wuxu held the jade talisman Qin Feng handed him, gently rubbing it, silent for a while.
Inside this jade talisman was a wisp of Liu Xuanling’s Qi, and it was because the talisman hadn’t shattered that Ning Wuxu hadn’t completely believed his most beloved disciple was dead.
After a long time, he shifted his gaze away from the talisman, sighing softly, “Enough, there’s no need for self-blame in you all. At this point, it’s no one’s fault. After all, no one had expected to be transported to the Abyss World, nor to encounter the pursuit of an Abyss Lord.
Otherwise, with Feng’er’s abilities, he would surely have brought you all back safely!”
Though his words seemed to comfort everyone, there was no sign of ease in his own heart.
Liu Xuanling was his most cherished disciple, and even though Qin Feng had achieved so much, Liu Xuanling remained the most favored in Ning Wuxu’s eyes.
It wasn’t that Qin Feng wasn’t outstanding, but their circumstances under which they joined Ning Wuxu were different.
Qin Feng had emerged prominently during the Inner Sect tests, demonstrating his strength before being accepted as a disciple by Ning Wuxu. By that time, he was nearly an adult and, with a relatively mature disposition, Ning Wuxu didn’t treat him as a child.
Liu Xuanling was different; she had been raised by Ning Wuxu from a young age, their relationship akin to that of father and daughter.
So, naturally, Liu Xuanling’s disappearance was the source of great distress for Ning Wuxu.
Fortunately, the jade talisman gave him a glimmer of hope, not yet confirming Liu Xuanling’s death, which would have distressed him further.
Although the jade talisman didn’t entirely confirm Liu Xuanling’s fate, it was still a hope.
The only regret was that the Abyss Mist was deadly, and even beings from the Immortal Realm might not be able to escape if trapped, otherwise Ning Wuxu would certainly risk exploring it to retrieve her!
“It’s all this disciple’s fault for not protecting my junior sister adequately, nor recognizing the Flame Demon’s schemes in time, otherwise, she wouldn’t have met with disaster!”
Zhao Qiankun was deeply remorseful, “As the eldest disciple, I failed my responsibilities, please punish me, Master!”
“Enough!”
Ning Wuxu sighed deeply, “What’s done is done, blaming you serves no purpose, especially when the fault isn’t yours. If blame is due, it belongs to those Demon Spiders!”
He glanced at Qin Feng, feeling somewhat speechless.
This young disciple really had something, even killing an Abyss Lord, leaving him without an outlet for his frustration!
“Alright, you all may leave now.”
Ning Wuxu waved his hand, speaking somewhat tiredly, “The Sect’s second expedition is about to begin, and everyone is preparing for it with single-hearted determination. Consider well if you wish to join the expedition and let us know beforehand, or else there may be no place for you.
The success of the previous expedition to the Red Flame Demon Realm has greatly stirred everyone in the Sect, especially after Feng’er’s exploits were known, sparking the ambitions of many younger disciples.
Many young ones now wish to gain fortunes in otherworlds, as you did originally, seizing numerous opportunities to rapidly advance Cultivation!”
He couldn’t help but shake his head as he spoke.
Having aspirations is good, but achieving them is another matter. If some impetuous young souls truly try to emulate Qin Feng and infiltrate deep into enemy territory, they are practically courting death.
Everyone’s encounters are different; one cannot simply replicate them, especially not across different worlds!
Ning Wuxu continued, “Because of the previous expedition’s victory, the Sect didn’t have to encourage anyone this time; merely announcing it has already had countless disciples and Elders eagerly signing up to participate. You all should think it over carefully and decide if you want to join!
“I reply to Master, I will not go,”
Hao Shicheng bowed and said, “Since so many fellow disciples are eager to participate, my absence won’t make a difference. I’d rather stay on Heavenly Snake Ridge, Cultivate, and tend to various flowers and Spiritual Medicines.
“Should the battlefront later require additional forces to be drawn from the rear, I can serve the Sect then!”
“That’s also good.”
Ning Wuxu nodded, “You have a gentle nature and dislike fighting. If you don’t wish to go, then stay. Continue your Cultivation here at the Mountain Gate with me!”
He would not join the army on the expedition this time either, mainly because Liu Xuanling’s incident made him distressed, and also because he had already participated in the campaign against the Red Flame Demon Realm and had become an Immortal after returning to the Sect.
Having already gained such a great benefit, he naturally wanted to give this chance to other fellow disciples.
“I’ll go back and think it over again!”
Zhao Qiankun remained silent for a moment, not immediately deciding.
In truth, he wanted to go.
Both his temperament and his Cultivation Techniques could greatly contribute to the battlefield, potentially aiding his growth from the experiences gained there.
However, his junior sister’s incident had plunged him into self-reproach, causing some instability in his Daoist Heart, making it inappropriate for him to join the expedition at this time.
“Even if you don’t go this time, it’s alright!”
Ning Wuxu reassured, “This isn’t just an expedition of our three Major Sects. Besides us, there’s also Chaotian Palace, a large Sect from the East Domain friendly with the Ghost Controlling Sect, joining forces with us. Four Sects together, plus many smaller affiliated Sects participating, means the expedition force will far exceed the last once. We will not miss your presence.
Moreover, the Sect intends to fight on two fronts this time. Given the Sect’s vastly superior strength now, we might collaborate with other Sects in a few years to attack other worlds. You can participate then!”
“Two front warfare?”
Zhao Qiankun was initially startled, then quickly realized.
With the current strength of the Sect, achieving this step was indeed not difficult, as it did not require both of the Sect’s Grand Ancestors to join the expedition.
Since it was a joint expedition, there was of course no need to commit all of one’s strength.
The only concern was the potential emergence of beings in the Immortal Realm within those Medium Worlds, which could not be ignored.
In Medium Worlds like the Red Flame Demon Realm, which lacked Top Level Demon Gods, one could only say that their world’s heritage was relatively weaker. Additionally, the fierce infighting among the various demon races, coupled with their severe internal consumption and mutual vigilance to prevent any demon from far surpassing them, might provoke other demon races to jointly target any who showed signs of advancing.
For example, the world Luo Zhancheng and his group had occupied had been controlled by the gods for many years, not only was the World Will crippled, but its internal resources were also extensively plundered, making even ordinary divine beings rarely seen, let alone Top Level divine beings.
However, such worlds were ultimately in the minority; countless worlds existed in the Cosmic Void. In Medium Worlds with slightly stronger heritage, it was not too difficult to produce a Top Level divine being, and the World Will was also inclined to witness the emergence of an existence in the Immortal Realm.
For only with such formidable beings could they possess strong resistance when facing external enemies!
The world that the Sect was about to expedition to was just such a case.
Those two Small Worlds did not need much consideration; with the strength of these Major Sects, just sending out an army of cultivators could conquer those small-scale worlds.
This was the backing of a Great World.
In a sense, a Major Sect could almost contend with a Medium World; the only difference lied in the territory occupied and resources obtained, which were not as vast as those of a Medium World, but in terms of Top Level war power, the difference was not too great.
And if it were some of the more formidable Major Sects, such as Beast Taming Sect, which had two Golden Immortal Ancestors, or even stronger ones like Top Level Major Sects with three to four Immortal Great Powers, directly deploying Top Level forces could easily overwhelm ordinary Medium Worlds.
The only advantage Medium Worlds had was their geographical advantage, relying on the enhancement from the World Will to compete against strong invaders.
However, in this expedition, it was clear that the various Sects would not commit all their strength, after all, they could not leave their own Sects vulnerable for the sake of the expedition, and the Grandmaster Ancestor Taixuan and others would not allow an empty situation within Biluo.
Therefore, dealing with a Medium World with a Top Level divine being in residence was not an easy task.
Certainly much more difficult than handling the Red Flame Demon Realm; otherwise, the Ghost Controlling Sect would not have specifically invited Chaotian Palace to join the expedition.
This included both the intention to win allies and also to rely on the strength of Chaotian Palace to alleviate the pressure on their own side.
As for the Top Level divine beings in the Medium World, it was up to the Grand Ancestor of the Ghost Controlling Sect, the initiator of this expedition, to personally handle.
Qin Feng pondered slightly and then said, “Disciple will still join the expeditionary force and see the different forms of other worlds!
Although the Cultivation speed is faster in Biluo, precisely because it is too fast, Disciple needs more battles to temper himself.
Otherwise, with little strife within Biluo World, if I keep progressing like this without finding a match to fight, it is very easy for my Cultivation to become inflated!”
He truly felt a bit helpless in his heart.
His master had previously gone to the East Domain to discuss the expedition, coordinating the affiliated Sects’ manpower for the war, and it had taken almost a year before he returned to the Sect from the East Domain.
And he had returned from the Red Flame Demon Realm several months ago.
During these past few months, although he felt some sadness about his senior sister’s situation, his Cultivation had not lapsed and even progressed faster than imagined.
Once, he took out the Red Lotus Sword Technique for contemplation, and because of his sadness for his senior sister’s plight, he fell into Sudden Enlightenment, surprisingly gaining an understanding of a sorrowful Sword Intent. Such a bizarre Enlightenment experience also left him speechless.
Indeed, he was favored by the Heavenly Dao as a Master of Qi Luck; but the level of favor from the Heavenly Dao seemed a bit excessive!
Falling into Sudden Enlightenment even while feeling sad about his senior sister’s circumstances, was there an even more absurd way to Enlightenment?
Moreover, he was not a Sword Cultivator, so what use was understanding such a Sword Intent for him?
His situation still had some reasoning, but what happened with Li Miaozhen was even more bizarre.
According to Li Miaozhen’s account, she had realized the ‘Absolute Killing Saber Technique’ while watching flowers and even fell into Sudden Enlightenment when listening to the rain in a pavilion!
Such opportunities, if known, would surely make over ninety percent of cultivators in the Cultivation World green with envy.
This was Sudden Enlightenment after all, how could it be so easy?
Even if the Heavenly Dao favored them as Masters of Qi Luck, this was a bit too much, wasn’t it?
Or was it that the Heavenly Dao felt pressured and thus crazily elevated the Dao Cultivation of the Masters of Qi Luck to deal with future crises?
“Indeed, that’s good!”
Ning Wuxu had no particular objections regarding the choice of his several disciples. He would naturally not hinder Qin Feng, who was willing to actively participate in the expedition to expand and colonize for the Sect, and instead nodded, “Leaving Biluo to go to the Otherworld, although there is no protection from the Will of the Heavenly Dao, as long as you can achieve merits and avoid losing Qi Fortune when you return to Biluo, it’s good to consider it a period for settling your experience!”
Clearly, he too felt that Qin Feng’s progress in Cultivation was a bit too fast.
Continuing at this rate, he might one day prove the Dao and become a Heavenly Immortal, leaving him, the master, far behind.
Such a thought actually made Ning Wuxu’s heart feel somewhat uneasy!
Having an outstanding disciple indeed brought him glory, but if the disciple’s excellence far exceeded expectations, that would put considerable pressure on him as the master.
It seemed that he could not stay too long in the Sect anymore. In some time, when the Sect departed for another expedition, he would also need to participate to leverage the expedition to practice his own Dao Cultivation!
Even though he knew that Qin Feng, as a Master of Qi Luck, would sooner or later surpass him in Cultivation, if he as a master performed too poorly, being far outperformed by his disciple, it would indeed be somewhat shameful for him!