The Pressure of the Qingxiao Sect
Boom—
The gate of an underground palace collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust. Immediately after, Li Qingqiu stepped inside together with Shen Yue and Mo Jiuhong.
The three of them stopped and looked ahead. Rows of cabinets lined the interior, each filled with porcelain, jade ware, and gold objects. The display was dazzling.
Mo Jiuhong snorted. "The Qi clan really knows how to enjoy life, hoarding so many treasures."
"These barely count as treasures. Later, just throw them to the Heavenly Works Hall and melt them down," Li Qingqiu said casually. At the same time, he swept the area with his Awakening Spirit, afraid of missing any real valuables.
Shen Yue spoke up. "In chaotic times, these things might not be worth much. But once the world stabilizes, they'll be priceless. Qingxiao Sect hasn't fully detached from the secular world yet. We still need money."
"I was just saying it casually. There's too much stuff anyway, and we can't take everything," Li Qingqiu replied. "Each of you take whatever you like. Once we leave, whatever remains here will be left to those destined for it."
After scanning the area and confirming there were no real treasures, Li Qingqiu turned and left.
The Qi clan had built a complex underground city beneath Yeming City. There was more than enough time to search it thoroughly.
Before long, the three split up. With the help of Lin Chuan and Nangong E, Li Qingqiu was always able to locate valuable underground chambers and houses. Along the way, he also rescued some trapped civilians.
When the civilians asked him gratefully who he was, he did not hide his achievements or his name. He directly revealed his identity.
Li Qingqiu was not completely disdainful of worldly wealth. For items with obviously high value, he still stored them in his storage pouch.
This time, he had deliberately emptied his storage pouch before coming out, specifically to load it with spoils of war.
…
Winter snow blanketed the mountains and forests. Deep within the forest, smoke curled above the Qingxia Sect.
Qiu Dahuo was leading his junior brothers and sisters as they cleaned the courtyard. Inside a room, Sect Master Zhou Ya was cultivating.
"May I ask if Sect Master Zhou Ya of the Qingxia Sect is present?"
A voice came from the courtyard, causing the Qingxia Sect disciples to turn their heads. They saw a group of people wearing uniform blue robes walking in over the snow.
Each of them carried an extraordinary bearing. The men were handsome and refined. The women were cold and striking. Qiu Dahuo and the other youths were stunned by the sight.
Qiu Dahuo immediately turned back and shouted, "Master, there are a lot of people here looking for you!"
In these chaotic times, he could not afford to be careless and directly called his master out.
Soon, Zhou Ya's door opened. He stepped out and looked toward the courtyard entrance. When he saw the person at the front, his face changed drastically.
He hurried forward and, upon reaching the gate, bowed deeply.
"Senior Brother Han Lang, why have you come?"
Zhou Ya asked nervously. He did not think his actions had been exposed. He assumed Han Lang and the others had come down the mountain for training.
Seeing their master act with such reverence, the Qingxia Sect disciples were all shocked.
The leading Han Lang stood tall, yet he looked very young, only a few years older than Qiu Dahuo at most. And yet their master addressed him as senior brother?
"What is your name?" Han Lang asked coldly.
In front of Li Qingqiu, he was a somewhat shy junior. But before most disciples, he was the authoritative eldest disciple of the Sword Sect. His performance at the Grand Dao Combat Tournament had made him known throughout the sect.
Zhou Ya quickly replied, "This junior is Zhou Ya, a true disciple. I once had the honor of meeting Senior Brother Han."
A true disciple?
Their master was actually a disciple of another sect?
Qiu Dahuo and the others felt their minds spin. In their hearts, their master had always been the strongest person.
"Outrageous! Zhou Ya!" Han Lang roared in fury, glaring as he shouted. "Who allowed you to betray the sect and secretly establish a sect of your own outside?"
Zhou Ya trembled violently. With a thud, he dropped to his knees.
The Qingxia Sect disciples were also frightened, all of them nervously looking toward Han Lang and the others.
Realizing that the matter had been exposed, Zhou Ya panicked completely. Suddenly, he understood something.
Han Lang was a Sword Sect disciple. Sword Sect disciples did not need to take Training Hall missions. If they came down the mountain, it was certainly to settle accounts with traitors.
Zhou Ya looked up and hurriedly explained, "I did not betray the sect. I only founded a sect to give these children a place to stay. Once they master martial skills, I will return to the sect. I will not remain here forever."
Han Lang's face remained cold. The expressions of the other 10 Sword Sect disciples were no better. Finding this place had not been easy for them.
"Isn't your martial arts inherited from the sect? And your internal cultivation method—who allowed you to privately teach it to others?" Han Lang said in a deep voice.
Zhou Ya's face was filled with bitterness. "The martial arts I teach are all secular techniques. As for internal cultivation, I did not teach the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra. What I taught was a qi-gathering method I created myself. How could I forget the sect rules?"
You didn't teach the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra?
The expressions of Han Lang and the Sword Sect disciples eased. Han Lang looked toward the Qingxia Sect disciples. Seeing that they were all children, he stopped keeping a stern face.
He helped Zhou Ya up and said, "Junior Brother Zhou Ya, you could have reported this matter to the sect. Or you could have brought them back to the Qingxiao Sect."
Zhou Ya said helplessly, "You're not unaware of the sect's current situation. The entry threshold keeps getting higher. And they all carry deep grudges. I didn't want my compassion to bring trouble to the sect. So I taught them martial skills so they could rely on themselves."
"Even if they eventually die on their paths of revenge, that has nothing to do with me, and nothing to do with the Qingxiao Sect."
"Besides, Qingxiao Mountain is far away. Bringing so many children, I simply don't have the ability. In today's world, war and chaos are everywhere."
After hearing this, Han Lang sighed and said, "Come with us. Go back and see the Sect Master."
He gave a look to the junior brothers and sisters behind him. The Sword Sect disciples immediately understood and stepped forward.
Zhou Ya grew nervous, thinking they were about to silence everyone.
But instead, they only checked whether these children had cultivated the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra.
It was no wonder Zhou Ya overthought things. Qingxiao Sect had done plenty of things where they eliminated trouble at the root.
Zhou Ya turned back to look at Han Lang and could not help asking, "Senior Brother Han Lang, I've never encountered any other fellow disciples, and I've never returned to the sect. How did you discover this matter?"
Han Lang snorted. "The Sect Master sent me. He said there was a disciple privately establishing a sect, and it made me furious. Junior brother, don't ever do this kind of thing again. The Sect Master is an immortal reincarnated. Even if he isn't by your side, if you do something that violates sect rules, he will definitely calculate it."
Hearing that it was the Sect Master who sent Sword Sect disciples over, cold sweat immediately poured down Zhou Ya's back.
He suddenly realized that Qingxiao Sect calling itself a cultivation sect was not an exaggeration at all. Just like now, the Sect Master's abilities terrified him. He could not imagine them and felt lingering fear in his heart.
After a while, the Sword Sect disciples confirmed that Qiu Dahuo and the other children showed no signs of having cultivated the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra. Only then did Han Lang take Zhou Ya away.
"Master!"
The Qingxia Sect disciples hurried after them.
Zhou Ya stopped and looked at them with a smile. "Don't worry. Your master is only returning to the sect. Remember, your martial arts come from Qingxiao Sect. You must always maintain respect and gratitude toward Qingxiao Sect. Understand?"
The more relaxed he acted, the more worried the disciples became.
Qiu Dahuo hurriedly asked, "What will the Sect Master of Qingxiao Sect do to you? If he dares—"
"Enough!"
Zhou Ya glared and cut him off.
Qiu Dahuo noticed that all the Sword Sect disciples were staring at him with unfriendly expressions. Cold sweat streamed down his face as he felt a very real sense of oppression, making him instinctively afraid.
"The Sect Master is the number 1 great hero and the number 1 great champion under heaven. He acts openly and uprightly. His breadth of mind is unmatched. He will definitely handle my case fairly. This matter was my fault to begin with. I should not have harbored a fluke mentality. From now on, you all must rely on yourselves."
After saying this, Zhou Ya turned around and left decisively.
Qiu Dahuo and the other children wanted to chase after him, but 2 Sword Sect disciples drew their swords and blocked them, frightening the children so badly that they did not dare move again.
Their eyes reddened as they watched their master being taken away by Han Lang and the others.
Only then did Qiu Dahuo finally understand the things his master had said to him in the past.
This was his first real contact with Qingxiao Sect. The power of Qingxiao Sect made him feel like he could barely breathe.
…
Qingxiao Mountain, Spiritual Treasury Hall.
Li Dongyue sat on a chair, staring out the window in a daze.
A female disciple walked into the room. It was Li Dongyue's eldest disciple, Liu Yan. Many years had passed, and Liu Yan was no longer thin and weak like before. She fully displayed the bearing of a true disciple of Qingxiao Sect.
Her father, Liu Fanzhou, had supported Qingxiao Sect financially in the early years. Even now, in this chaotic age, with Qingxiao Sect as his backing, his business had grown huge, spreading across the Nine Provinces. He was a world-famous merchant.
"Master, you really need to talk properly with Senior Uncle Zhang. They come asking for money every few days. Even if they're doing proper work, they can't be this frequent. Are they trying to drain the sect dry in one go?"
Liu Yan walked up to the table and complained.
The Spiritual Treasury Hall not only had to strictly audit allocations but also maintain the sect's balance of income and expenses. Their pressure was immense.
With the sect planning to build towns and develop Ziyang Peak, money was needed everywhere. There were also over a hundred true disciples attempting to break through realms and needing Blessed Land slots. The pressure on the Spiritual Treasury Hall surged, and even Liu Yan had been called back to handle affairs.
Seeing that her master did not respond and was still staring out the window absentmindedly, Liu Yan frowned and asked, "Master, what are you thinking about? Is it the tree demon invasion from a few days ago?"
The matter of Li Qingqiu and the others leaving had not been spread within the sect, so Liu Yan naturally did not know about it.
Li Dongyue came back to her senses and said, "No. I was just thinking whether our Spiritual Treasury Hall still has any good seedlings."
Liu Yan raised her brows. "Why focus on cultivating so many disciples? If you ask me, we should concentrate resources on Yang Xuan. Let him reach the level of Zhao Zhen and Li Yang first, so he can support the entire Spiritual Treasury Hall. After that, cultivating other disciples would be better."
Yang Xuan, who possessed the [Human Dao Patriarch] and [Heart of Heaven and Earth] fates, had already begun to stand out. Many people in the sect knew that a peerless genius had emerged from the Spiritual Treasury Hall. His cultivation speed was not inferior to the top 10 of the Grand Dao Combat Tournament, which greatly excited everyone in the hall.
Li Dongyue was about to respond when, at that moment, a disciple rushed in quickly, saying excitedly, "Hall Master, the Sect Master's divine eagle has returned! It actually brought back a section of a giant tree. That tree is really huge. After Hall Master Li Sijin communicated with the divine eagle, she said this giant tree is the true body of the Qi clan's demon. You should come and take a look. It's really huge!"
Hearing this, Li Dongyue sprang to her feet and hurried around the table toward the door.
Liu Yan was also intrigued. She wanted to see just how big that demon tree really was.