After cultivating vital energy and stepping into the 1st layer of the Nurturing Essence realm, Hu Yan officially embarked upon the path of immortality. At the same time, the Vast and Righteous Energy within his body began to awaken.
He could clearly feel his senses strengthening, his mind entering an unprecedented state of clarity.
All worries and pressure vanished, as though a heavy burden had been lifted.
The sensation was indescribable, drawing him even deeper into his cultivation. He could even sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him growing more active.
In Ji Ya's eyes, wisps of white qi began to appear around Hu Yan's body. That white qi inexplicably filled him with reverence.
"This is…"
Ji Ya's eyes widened. He could determine that this white qi had nothing to do with the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra. Could it be that this little junior brother harbored some special power within him, just as Third Senior Brother had created his own Gang Yuan?
After his shock, boundless anticipation toward Hu Yan arose in his heart.
Thus, Hu Yan began cultivating under Ji Ya's guidance.
…
Three days later, at noon, the Lingxiao Bell rang, and all Hall Masters arrived.
At first, they assumed the discussion would concern the Zhongtian Immortal City. Zhang Yuchun, who was in charge of that matter, had already begun issuing instructions. In a few days, the main force would head north toward Zhongtian Prefecture.
When Li Qingqiu recounted the troubles in Beiting, everyone frowned, their expressions grave.
Lingxiao Courtyard fell into silence.
After quite some time, Yang Jueding swept his gaze over the crowd and said, "We must take action in this matter. If it were merely demons and evil spirits causing trouble, we could ignore it. But now ghost soldiers are involved. Clearly, ghost soldiers are formed from living people. If we allow them to continue developing and the ghost soldiers form a force, no one knows what may happen."
True Person Qingxiao followed in agreement. "The lands of Jiuzhou have already come under our command. We can no longer think using past considerations. The current trouble is equivalent to demons appearing near the Taikun Mountain Range and harming people. Should we intervene or not?"
The others also voiced their agreement one after another.
Zhu Yan, however, offered a different opinion. "We must first investigate clearly. Beiting is cunning; their words may not be true. Even if they are true, the actual situation may not be something that man personally witnessed."
Xue Jin, Chai Yunshang, and Yan Daozong expressed agreement.
Xu Ning looked at Li Qingqiu and said, "Master, I can make a trip to the northern region. It would also be a good chance to test my spells."
Jiang Zhaoxia raised his brows. "My divine abilities may not be incapable of slaying ghosts."
This was Zhao Zhen's first time participating in such a council. Though he held no specific authority, no one objected to his presence, because Zhao Zhen was already among the top 5 strongest in the sect.
Li Qingqiu, Xu Ning, Jiang Zhaoxia, Shen Yue—after them came him. Whether or not it was strictly accurate, when most disciples thought of the top 5 within the sect, they would inevitably think of him.
Zhao Zhen also wanted to volunteer for battle. But recalling his previous experiences, he felt he could not act rashly.
His most urgent task was to achieve the Awakening Spirit realm.
The sect did not lack combat strength at the Nurturing Essence realm. What it lacked was combat strength at the Awakening Spirit realm.
Li Qingqiu pondered. "Ning'er, Third Junior Brother, you will head north to investigate—"
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia spoke in unison. The two looked at each other, their gazes clashing sharply.
Everyone's expressions turned strange. More or less, they understood why the two resisted being paired.
Separated, they were invincible beneath the heavens. Together, the mission would fail.
In truth, everyone understood. Any task that required the two of them to act together was bound to be extremely difficult. No matter who was sent, failure would likely follow. Still, whenever this was brought up, it felt somewhat theatrical.
Li Qingqiu smiled. "I am not asking the two of you to join forces. You will investigate separately and must not act without authorization. I only want to determine whether this matter is true and whether the ghost soldiers are indeed forming a force."
Upon hearing this, Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia exchanged another glance before nodding silently.
The matter was settled.
In addition, Li Qingqiu inquired about the Zhongtian Immortal City. No matter what, development could not be halted. He instructed all Halls and Sects to cooperate fully with the Immortal City's establishment—those who needed to release personnel must release personnel; those who needed to delegate authority must delegate authority. Whoever obstructed the grand plan of development would not be spared lightly.
Li Qingqiu did not speak without reason. Obstructing the sect's development did not necessarily mean one was a traitor. It could also mean seeking greater personal benefit—delaying the process to gain advantage. Such situations had already occurred in other matters. Completely eliminating them was difficult. What he intended was to extinguish any signs of such behavior at the earliest stage.
The upper echelons repeatedly gave their assurances. Some appeared slightly uneasy—not because they themselves had done so, but because people beneath them had.
As the sect developed to this stage, no one was alone anymore. They had married and borne children, accepted disciples, and had powerful clans behind them. Emotional ties bound them, sometimes making matters difficult.
After the meeting ended, Li Qingqiu asked Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia to remain. He shared all the intelligence he had extracted from the memories of the Desolate Nether Ghost King, preventing them from knowing nothing about the evil ghosts of Ghost King Ridge.
Upon learning this, Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia both felt pressure. Different evil ghosts possessed different ghostly Dao spells, and their cultivation had very likely reached the Awakening Spirit realm.
Though pressured, they felt no fear. They were the sect's strongest combat force. They had confidence in completing any mission.
…
Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia quietly descended the mountain. Yuan Qi led several hundred disciples and 3,000 menial disciples far north to Zhongtian Immortal City. The grand scale of the expedition sparked widespread discussion among the disciples.
Qingxiao Sect was not afraid of news of the city's construction spreading. Within the lands of Jiuzhou, no one could obstruct Qingxiao Sect, nor would anyone dare to do so.
Relying on his Exceptional Cultivation Aptitude, Hu Yan reached the 3rd layer of the Nurturing Essence realm in just 3 months. His Vast and Righteous Energy had also begun to take shape, and he could already apply it in spell combat.
At present, Hu Yan had only learned the Divine Curse of the Mountain Lord from Li Qingqiu. Because of his Vast and Righteous Energy, his Divine Curse of the Mountain Lord had become distinct from others', carrying even greater might.
Midway through the third month.
Zhongtian Immortal City sent word that the city had been completed. What remained now was the transportation of various cultivation resources.
From this point onward, when disciples of the sect trained and traveled outside, they could rest and stay at Zhongtian Immortal City.
One noon after that—
Hu Yan went to Ziyang Peak to visit Duan Xiaojuan.
On the way, however, he encountered Zhu Qingling.
He had almost forgotten about her, but upon seeing her, he remembered the goodwill she had once shown him. After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately chose to greet her.
Zhu Qingling, upon seeing him, showed neither excitement nor displeasure. Her expression remained calm.
After exchanging a few simple words, they passed by one another. Hu Yan let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Although his status was now extraordinary, and even Zhu Yan—the most powerful member of the Zhu clan—treated him kindly, he had not become arrogant. He felt it best not to grow too close to Zhu Qingling, lest unnecessary trouble arise.
This was good enough—like the friendship of gentlemen, as light as water.
A smile appeared on Hu Yan's face as he continued up the mountain.
Zhu Qingling turned back to look at him, her gaze complex. In just 3 months, she now had to look up to Hu Yan. The feeling unsettled her.
She could tell that his cultivation surpassed hers. Compared to 3 months ago, he was like a completely different person.
No wonder Zhu Yan had said that once Hu Yan became the Sect Master's disciple, he would soar to the heavens.
Zhu Qingling was also a proud person. She began to regard Hu Yan as her goal. She did not wish to lose to him—even though she greatly admired him.
…
Sunlight filtered through the forest and spilled into Qingxia Sect. After several years of development, Qingxia Sect had begun to take shape. More than a dozen buildings had been constructed, and over 40 disciples had gathered. Down the mountain, their reputation was gradually rising.
Sect Master Qiu Dahuo sat cross-legged on the eaves, practicing his cultivation. What he cultivated was the Pure Yang Art created by his master Zhou Ya. He was now at the 2nd layer of the Nurturing Essence realm.
"Sect Master, the magistrate of Ningyuan County has heard of your deeds and wishes to invite you as a guest. He will host a banquet, allowing nearby noble clans and martial elites to witness your spells."
A voice rose from below. Qiu Dahuo opened his eyes and looked down to see Qin Yucheng, the Deputy Sect Master he had appointed, standing in the courtyard and gazing up at him.
Qin Yucheng stood tall and handsome. Compared to Qiu Dahuo, he appeared more like an immortal cultivator.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Dahuo frowned and said in a deep voice, "What does he mean? Does he take me for a street performer?"
Qin Yucheng replied helplessly, "He indeed does not believe in Qingxia Sect. Of course, I think what he fears more is Qingxiao Sect. He wants to befriend you together with others, so Qingxiao Sect will not hold a grudge against him."
At the mention of Qingxiao Sect, Qiu Dahuo felt pressure as heavy as a mountain.
He had grown up, and after descending the mountain many times, he had come to understand the enormous power that stood above dynasties and the martial world alike.
His master had been merely an ordinary disciple of Qingxiao Sect. When he learned this, it felt as though the sky had collapsed.
He had even once resented his master for placing such a burden upon him.
Yet without his master, he and his junior brothers and sisters would all have died. He could have disbanded Qingxia Sect and left with them, but he could not bear to abandon this foundation.
Li Qingqiu had led 6 junior brothers and sisters to establish such a grand achievement. Why couldn't he?
"Compared to Qingxiao Sect, we indeed cannot measure up. But we can walk the same path they walked. Let us maintain our previous conduct, do more good deeds, and wait for the sect to grow stronger."
After thinking it over, Qiu Dahuo chose to swallow his frustration.
Qin Yucheng asked, "So we won't go to Ningyuan County?"
"We won't."
Qiu Dahuo closed his eyes again.
After a moment of thought, Qin Yucheng added, "Recently, another immortal cultivation sect has appeared in the martial world, named White Abyss Valley. Its origins are extremely similar to Qingxia Sect. The one who founded it is a disciple of a disciple from Qingxiao Sect. What do you think—should we befriend White Abyss Valley? Perhaps in the future, small immortal cultivation sects like ours will become more numerous."
Qiu Dahuo opened his eyes, his brows tightly knitted.
He did not feel joy, but anxiety.
If immortal cultivation sects across the world became more numerous, how would Qingxia Sect rise to prominence?
Qiu Dahuo asked, "What do you think we should do?"
Qin Yucheng replied, "Let's go meet them. The sooner we understand them, the better. We might exchange Dao teachings and prepare for the future structure of the martial world. If we can form an alliance, that would be even better—we could advance and retreat together."
Qiu Dahuo felt his reasoning was sound and nodded in agreement.
"Then in 3 days, you and I will depart?"
"No problem."
Qin Yucheng agreed. After chatting a few more words, he bowed and withdrew.
Returning to his own courtyard, he took a paper crane from his sleeve. He ignited it with vital energy, murmured a few words, and the paper crane turned to ashes, forming a streak of light that shot into the forest and vanished without a trace.