With external threats gone, internal troubles followed. Power struggles among the great families within Qingxiao Sect had already begun. Li Qingqiu did not care much about this. The current strength of those families was still not enough to influence the sect, and the sect's development did indeed require their assistance.
Aside from cultivation, whenever Li Qingqiu left his cave dwelling, he mostly wandered between the Demon-Subjugation Hall and the Heavenly Works Hall. This allowed the disciples to clearly feel how much importance he placed on these two halls.
Mingguang was responsible for researching formations. Under him were dozens of disciples. Wu Xingyue also had many disciples assisting her. Li Qingqiu told her to first focus on researching communication artifacts. For almost all requests made by these two, Li Qingqiu agreed without hesitation.
Unfortunately, formations and artifacts were not that easy to develop.
Instead, the Cultivation Hall saw an explosive surge in results.
Li Sijin created many new talismans. Those talisman papers imprinted with spells had already begun selling within the sect, with very good results.
Chen Huilan also finally refined spirit energy pills. Spirit energy pills could be used for cultivation or for rapidly replenishing vital energy.
These treasures were sold only within the Cultivation Hall. This made the Cultivation Hall extremely popular and the liveliest hall at present. The status of Cultivation Hall disciples rose sharply. Wherever they went, people fawned over them. After all, spirit energy pills and talismans were still rare items. With these two things at hand, traveling the martial world gave one much more confidence.
Even though Qingxiao Sect was an immortal cultivation sect, disciples still went missing or died when traveling the martial world. The martial world remained just as dangerous as ever.
Qingxiao Sect and the rest of the world had already become two completely different worlds.
Summer arrived.
Among the mountains, Li Sifeng sat cross-legged on a massive rock by the river, having removed his armor. The Emperor Xuan Sword floated around him, gently rising and falling, as if some kind of fierce aura surrounded it.
The Prison Qilin drank water nearby. Pei Miao'er sat across the river. One hand supported her body on the ground, while the other rested on her lower abdomen. She looked at Li Sifeng with eyes full of infatuation.
"Husband, since you want to accomplish something great on your own, why didn't you bring those soldiers with you? They followed you through life and death for so many years. They should be trustworthy."
Pei Miao'er asked softly. Even if she had to wander the world with Li Sifeng, she still felt happy.
Li Sifeng kept his eyes closed and said, "If I brought troops with me, what would the people of the world say? That I betrayed the Pei clan?"
"But if you don't bring troops, it'll be extremely hard for you to rise. We have no money and no people. If you want to contend for the world, how many years would that take?" Pei Miao'er asked. She was not worried, only curious about Li Sifeng's thinking.
Li Sifeng replied, "How could we have none? Just watch. Very soon, people will come deliver men and money to us. Even if I don't rely on Qingxiao Sect's power, many will still help me because of Qingxiao Sect. Whether this succeeds or not, they won't be making a wasted effort."
After hearing this, Pei Miao'er could not help recalling her father's words.
"Let him go. As long as you two can have children, the Pei clan will have a way out."
Pei Miao'er felt that Li Sifeng and her father had not truly fallen out. The two of them understood each other without words and were deliberately putting on an act.
Li Sifeng wanted to compete for the world with legitimacy. Her father needed to prepare another escape route for the Pei clan.
Although she did not participate in discussions of warfare, she could sense the Pei clan's troubles. After dominating two prefectures, two separate feudal lords wanted to suppress the Pei clan.
For the Pei clan, the world felt very close, yet also very distant.
Pei Miao'er looked at Li Sifeng and said, "Husband, if you truly have that ambition and are willing to use your identity to act, then I hope you can pacify the world as soon as possible. The longer this chaotic age drags on, the more people will die."
She had always disliked chaotic times, but her dislike could not change anything.
"Don't worry. Once my momentum is established, I'll end this chaos at the fastest possible speed," Li Sifeng replied.
As his words fell, the grass by the river began to tremble, forcing him to open his eyes.
The Prison Qilin and Pei Miao'er, who had been drinking water, also looked toward the distance. They saw a group of people riding horses toward them, followed by carriages swaying back and forth, kicking up rolling clouds of dust.
The leading man held a large banner high. On the flag was printed the character Li.
Pei Miao'er frowned and asked in surprise, "Which Li clan could this be?"
Li Sifeng watched the Li clan's large force approach. Although he could not clearly see how many people there were, he did not panic.
He had now completely mastered the Emperor Xuan Sword. His strength was no longer what it used to be. He even dared to let the Prison Qilin appear openly. That alone proved his powerful confidence.
…
Under the blazing summer sun, heaven and earth were filled with scorching heat.
Early that morning, Li Qingqiu came alone to the seaside harbor. He rode his sword through the air, with the Tianhong Sword in front, carrying him as he skimmed over mountain peaks. He saw that at the junction of forest and sea stood a massive pavilion, with many people around it constructing other buildings.
This was the first harbor built by Qingxiao Sect. Although it was originally meant to conceal that mysterious vortex, Li Qingqiu decided to take this opportunity to develop it properly.
In the future, more disciples could be stationed here to deal with any dangers that the mysterious vortex might bring.
Li Qingqiu only glanced over the construction from the air and did not land. He traced an arc through the sky and flew westward.
After crossing over hundreds of li, he arrived above a dense forest.
The trees here were packed tightly together. Inside the forest, it was dark even in daylight. Even from high above, it made people feel uneasy, as if terrifying creatures might be hidden within.
In fact, there truly were terrifying beings hidden here.
Li Qingqiu descended from the sky and landed on a treetop. The Tianhong Sword slid smoothly into the sword sheath at his waist, producing a crisp, clear sound.
The forest below began to sway, as if some massive creature was moving within.
Very soon, the leaves in front of Li Qingqiu were pushed apart, and a huge snake head extended out. It was Baizhi.
Baizhi stared at Li Qingqiu, constantly flicking out its forked tongue.
"Looks like you've already made your decision?" Li Qingqiu asked with a smile.
Baizhi replied respectfully, "You honor this little demon by valuing me. How could I fail to know what's good for me?"
Hearing its words, Li Qingqiu could not help feeling curious about the temperament of those two cultivators. They had actually taught Baizhi to speak with such humility.
Li Qingqiu continued, "Bring those three little demons to see me."
Baizhi nodded, then let out a strange sound. Clearly a snake, yet its voice resembled that of some kind of bird.
"Gu-gu—"
As Baizhi's call spread, Li Qingqiu soon sensed a faint trace of demonic qi.
Immediately after, two more strands of demonic qi rushed over from different directions.
Li Qingqiu made a quick estimate. These three little demons were about as strong as Xiao Jiu, roughly comparable to the Nurturing Essence Realm, third layer.
That was already very strong. In the secular martial world, there would probably be very few people capable of dealing with them.
Before long, the three little demons arrived one after another around Baizhi. They climbed onto the treetops and revealed themselves.
A golden monkey, a black leopard, and a mantis.
Li Qingqiu's gaze was immediately drawn to the mantis, which was only about the size of a house cat.
A mantis demon!
Its entire body was emerald green, as if it had grown two blades. Under the sunlight, it reflected a metallic sheen.
"Are you willing to join my Qingxiao Sect?" Li Qingqiu asked.
"We are willing!"
The three demons answered in unison. Their voices were two male and one female. The black leopard was actually a female demon.
Before Li Qingqiu arrived, Baizhi had already explained the situation to them. So when faced with his invitation, they did not hesitate.
Li Qingqiu did not expect that they could also speak human language. As expected of demons that had lived for over one hundred years.
He immediately summoned the Dao Lineage panel and located the avatars of the three demons.
The golden monkey and the black leopard did not have particularly outstanding aptitude, nor did they possess special Fate traits. The mantis demon, however, was extraordinary.
[Name: Jin Lang]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 132 years]
[Loyalty (Sect Master/Sect): 71/44 (Maximum 100)]
[Cultivation Aptitude: Fair]
[Comprehension: Excellent]
[Fate: Suspended Demon Heart, Innate Saber Cultivator]
[Suspended Demon Heart: Extremely fast reaction and speed. As cultivation realm increases, these advantages will continue to multiply. Possesses extraordinary comprehension toward movement techniques, evasion arts, divine abilities, and secret arts.]
[Innate Saber Cultivator: Born with the ability to comprehend saber techniques. Possesses extraordinary insight into the Dao of the Saber. Destined to become a saber cultivator.]
…
Even Li Qingqiu felt the urge to copy this Suspended Demon Heart.
Among all martial arts, speed is supreme. The same applied to immortal cultivation.
And this Innate Saber Cultivator Fate appearing on a mantis was simply absurd.
Destined to become a saber cultivator. Didn't that mean that even if it had never encountered Baizhi, it could still rely on its own talent to step onto the demon Dao?
The more Li Qingqiu looked, the more he liked it. He felt that Jin Lang was highly moldable.
He looked at Jin Lang again. The mantis demon tilted its head, looking a bit dull. Yet in his eyes, it had already become a decisive, ruthless saber wielder.
Li Qingqiu asked, "Baizhi, I want to first bring these three back to Qingxiao Sect. What do you think?"
Baizhi immediately grew nervous and asked, "Then what about me?"
"Once the seaside harbor is completed, I'll bring you back to Qingxiao Sect as well. At most one year. You stay here for now. If the harbor encounters trouble, I'll still need your help."
Li Qingqiu's arrangement made Baizhi relax. It immediately nodded in agreement.
"But… if I reveal myself, will the people of Qingxiao Sect treat me as an enemy?" Baizhi still had concerns.
"I'll take you to meet them now. Do you need to bring anything with you?"
"There's nothing we need to bring."
"Then let's go."
Just like that, Li Qingqiu led Baizhi and the four demons toward the harbor.
He traveled by sword, observing below. The four demons moved swiftly through the forest, each extremely agile.
Jin Lang, in particular, was faintly even faster than Baizhi.
After a long while.
Li Qingqiu landed on the beach in front of the harbor. The moment he appeared, he immediately attracted the attention of the disciples. When they were about to surround him, they were instantly frightened by Baizhi behind him.
"A snake! Such a huge snake!"
"A snake demon! Sect Master, be careful!"
"Sect Master, watch out behind you!"
"My heavens, how can there be such a big snake?"
The disciples cried out in alarm. Several disciples instinctively drew their swords and rushed toward Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu raised his hand and shouted loudly, "No need to panic. These four demons have already pledged allegiance to me."
Hearing this, the disciples all stopped, staring at him in shock.
At this moment, Jiang Zhaoxia rode his sword over and landed beside Li Qingqiu. He had also heard Li Qingqiu's words. His heart was filled with curiosity as his gaze locked tightly onto Baizhi, placing tremendous pressure on it.
Next, Li Qingqiu introduced Baizhi and the four demons to all the disciples. When Jin Lang appeared, the disciples looked at it just like he had, their expressions strange.
A mantis… could actually become a demon?