Chapter 195: Yandao Sect

Upon hearing Li Sifeng’s words, the smile on Zhu Xian’s face vanished, and his brow furrowed deeply. Not only him, but his civil and military officials also wore grim expressions.

The Three Great Lords occupied the lands of six provinces, and everyone in the world was waiting for a monumental war. Instead, they had suddenly stopped fighting, which was difficult for the people to accept.

The Great Li Dynasty had been established for decades, and the concept of a unified empire was deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people.

For small lords like them, this was also bad news, because once the Three Great Lords ceased their internal conflict, they would surely turn their attention toward them.

Bang!

One of Zhu Xian’s fierce generals slammed the table and roared, “Cai Shao, Liu Lin, and Pei Zhangzhi are all cowards! Mediocre rulers!”

As soon as he spoke, others immediately chimed in. Curses rang out one after another, throwing the great hall into an uproar.

Li Yang’s second uncle, Li Da, sat beside Li Sifeng. He stood up, drawing everyone’s gaze toward him.

The Li Clan of Linchuan was famous throughout the world; even in these chaotic times, the world could not ignore them.

Zhu Xian also looked at Li Da. They had known each other before the world fell into chaos; back then, Li Da was high and mighty, while Zhu Xian was merely a minor character.

“Since you all believe these three are mediocre rulers, why don’t the Zhu and Li families join forces to defeat them one by one and sweep across the world? The three of them will surely harbor delusions of safety and won’t support each other. This is our perfect opportunity!”

Li Da’s voice was powerful and resonant, expressing the thoughts of everyone present.

The two sides were able to sit down and talk so congenially because they needed each other; it was only for the sake of appearances that no one had pierced this layer of window paper yet.

A strategist under Zhu Xian squinted and asked, “If the Zhu and Li families join forces, who will lead? You wouldn’t be suggesting we split our forces into two routes, would you?”

Li Da smiled and said, “Lord Zhu’s power is great, so naturally, Lord Zhu should be the leader.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the civil and military officials on Zhu Xian’s side softened, and they began to whisper among themselves.

Zhu Xian looked at Li Sifeng and asked in surprise, “Is this truly Worthy Younger Brother Li’s idea?”

Li Sifeng said with a smile, “Lord Zhu, you should know that I come from the Qingxiao Sect and am even a Hall Master there. Looking at this world, even becoming an emperor might not grant me a status higher than that of a Hall Master of the Qingxiao Sect. Do you think the throne is an obsession for me? No, I entered the world only because I wanted to accomplish a great undertaking. Unifying the world would be quite good. I don’t ask for much; I only hope that when future generations speak of this period of history, they cannot bypass me, Li Sifeng.”

These words made Zhu Xian’s expression turn peculiar, as did those of his civil and military officials, yet no one dared to refute him.

Over the past two years, Disciples of the Qingxiao Sect had spread across the world, and they encountered them often. Some Qingxiao Sect Disciples were easygoing, showing the grace of the number one sect under heaven, while others were arrogant, infuriating them to no end. But one thing was certain: they did not dare to provoke the Qingxiao Sect.

Not long ago, a lord had stationed his troops near Tianji Mountain and was forcibly driven away by just three Qingxiao Sect Disciples. Each of them was capable of taking on ten thousand alone; after the news spread, the lords of the world found it absurd.

If those three Disciples had been the likes of Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, or Xue Jin, it would have been one thing, but they were three newly fledged Disciples. This was enough to prove that the Qingxiao Sect was growing at a speed that was inconceivable to the world.

Even if one conquered the world, they might not truly be its master.

Thinking of this, Zhu Xian suddenly understood why Cai Shao and the other two had stopped fighting.

Who could stand serving as slaves to the Qingxiao Sect after unifying the world?

Why not partition the world? At least then there would be some breathing room with the Qingxiao Sect, and they could resist the pressure alongside others.

The moment this thought surfaced in Zhu Xian’s mind, he discarded it.

No, he must unify the world!

He had risen for the sake of the common people. Even if he truly had selfish motives, he could not abandon his ideals; otherwise, how would the people of the world view him?

“Good! In that case, you and I, two brothers, shall join forces to reunite the world of the Nine Provinces!” Zhu Xian said, slamming the table. His lordly Aura manifested, making him seem like a completely different person from his usual gentle self.

Li Sifeng smiled and followed suit by raising his wine bowl.

The civil and military officials in the hall all raised their bowls along with him… Winter snow fluttered as a white-robed man practiced his swordplay on a cliff; his swordsmanship was not fierce, but his Moves were as smooth as flowing water and drifting clouds.

His hair was completely white, yet his face was young and handsome, with an Immortal-like appearance. It was as if an Immortal were wielding a sword on the cliff, with a light, cold wind swirling around his body.

An old man wearing dark-colored Taoist robes approached, looked at the white-robed man, and said, “Senior Brother, Zhao Zhen is late in coming. What should we do?”

This white-robed man was the Sect Master of Tianxuan Mountain, Yandao Sect.

When Yandao Sect heard the old man in Taoist robes speak, his expression did not change at all. He said calmly, “Then wait for him to come.”

“What if he never comes?”

“He will come.”

“The Qingxiao Sect’s expansion is too fast. Sooner or later, they will reach our Tianxuan Mountain. I fear we won’t be able to wait for him.”

“Instead of worrying, it’s better to practice your skills properly. There is no better way right now.”

Yandao Sect’s sword Moves never faltered, as if the affairs of the world had nothing to do with him.

The old man in Taoist robes grew anxious. “What’s the use of practicing? The people of the Qingxiao Sect are cultivating immortality while you are practicing martial arts. How can you compete with them? No matter how hard you work, this path is wrong!”

Yandao Sect did not answer again; he closed his eyes and focused on his sword Moves.

“Never mind Li Qingqiu, we at Tianxuan Mountain cannot even oppose Sword God Shen Yue. Zhao Zhen is our only hope. As long as we get him, we have hope of standing up to the Qingxiao Sect as an equal. Zhao Zhen is, after all, the Disciple with the strongest talent in the Qingxiao Sect.”

Speaking of Zhao Zhen, the old man’s face was full of madness, and his eyes were greedy.

Yandao Sect still did not say a word.

Seeing Yandao Sect’s attitude, the old man in Taoist robes was fuming with rage, but he also knew his Senior Brother’s temperament. Once his Senior Brother decided on something, no amount of talking would help.

“Lately, more and more people have been visiting Tianxuan Mountain. It’s not guaranteed that there aren’t people from the Qingxiao Sect among them. Senior Brother, you had better be prepared. You might have to face a threat from Qingxiao Sect Disciples any day now.”

The old man in Taoist robes left these words behind and turned to depart.

Only after he had disappeared into the vast, flying snow did Yandao Sect open his eyes.

A wisp of Sword Qi burst forth from Yandao Sect’s blade, and a strange cold light shone in his eyes.

“Cultivating immortality, is it…”

Yandao Sect murmured to himself. He closed his eyes again and continued to practice his sword, but his Moves became faster and faster, and the surrounding snow rose up, swirling around him as his momentum grew stronger and stronger… The Qingxiao Sect was also covered in heavy snow.

On this day, Lu Qing arrived at the Lingxiao Courtyard. Although his cultivation was only at the Nourishing Origin Realm, Fifth Layer, his cultivation had progressed rapidly thanks to Spiritual Qi Pills and the Spiritual Qi of the Blessed Land. He felt he had hope of reaching the Yangyuan Realm Sixth Layer, so he was in high spirits.

He came before Li Qingqiu and bowed in greeting.

Li Qingqiu sat in a chair, holding a book in his hand. He said softly, “I heard that Cai Shao is performing Alchemy within the Prefectural City. Go and investigate to see if this Alchemy is harming the people. If he has gone too far, then bring his head to me.”

Lu Qing felt the name Cai Shao was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere.

Yuan Qi stood by the side and smiled. “You can go to the Spirit Control Hall to find Hall Master Zhang to collect his intelligence.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Qing immediately bowed to Li Qingqiu and turned to leave.

From beginning to end, he did not say a single word. His temperament was cold, and he did not show the fire in his heart.

After Lu Qing left, Yuan Qi stepped forward and said, “Sect Leader, I heard that Cai, Liu, and Pei have reached a truce agreement. They will simultaneously establish their nations and declare themselves emperors next year. Are we really not going to intervene?”

Li Qingqiu looked at the book in his hand and said, “Of course we will. The Qingxiao Sect does not involve itself in the struggle for world hegemony, but it also won’t let anyone stop the trend of world unification. If they won’t do it, someone else naturally will. Yu Chun is keeping an eye on this matter, so you and I need not worry.”

Hearing this, Yuan Qi was somewhat hesitant, not knowing if he should speak.

“Do you have something to say?” Li Qingqiu asked, his gaze not shifting toward him.

Yuan Qi took a deep breath and said, “I heard that a lord has been showing goodwill to Hall Master Zhang.”

“Oh? Who? Tell me.”

“A lord named Zhu Xian. He does not come from a noble background and was originally a Ranger who held a reputation for righteousness in the Jianghu. After the chaotic times began, he gathered a group of brothers and grew larger and larger. I heard that he concealed his identity and personally visited the mountain to see Hall Master Zhang. No one knows what the two of them discussed, but as soon as he left the mountain, a group of Spirit Control Hall Disciples followed him down.”

Yuan Qi spoke cautiously, his eyes fixed on Li Qingqiu, observing his expression.

As it turned out, Li Qingqiu’s expression remained unchanged, as if he did not care about the matter.

“I understand. You have done well. Keep it up, and do not mention this to anyone else.”

“Yes!”

Yuan Qi breathed a sigh of relief. He was also afraid of getting involved in the affairs between Li Qingqiu and his fellow Disciples, which was why he had been so hesitant earlier. In the end, he chose to confess everything he knew to Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu waved his hand, signaling him to withdraw.

After Yuan Qi left, Chu Jing emerged and said, “Master, I think this is a good thing. Let Hall Master Zhang do it. Only by subduing the world sooner can the Qingxiao Sect develop better, and the people of the world can live in peace.”

Li Qingqiu glanced at Chu Jing and asked with feigned surprise, “Oh? You actually care about the common people? How rare.”

Chu Jing coughed awkwardly and said, “Ahem, after all, I truly do feel indebted to the people of the world.”

Li Qingqiu said leisurely, “Indeed, someone needs to do these things. It’s just that when such things are done too often, will the heart change?”

“Are you speaking of Hall Master Zhang?”

“It’s him, but not just him.”

Chu Jing was confused. Could it be that Li Qingqiu, like the emperors he had served, was starting to suspect those around him?

But then he felt that Li Qingqiu was not that kind of person.

Just then.

Shen Yue walked into the courtyard. When he saw Chu Jing, his expression changed slightly.

He had long heard that the Sect Leader had a Ghost Slave by his side, but this was the first time he had seen the Ghost Slave with his own eyes, and this Ghost Slave was an old acquaintance.

Li Qingqiu looked at Shen Yue and raised an eyebrow slightly.

This old fellow is not simple.

How long has it been since he broke through to the Yangyuan Realm Sixth Layer? Yet it feels like his cultivation is progressing by leaps and bounds. At most, he could reach the Nourishing Origin Realm Seventh Layer in another year.

No matter how one looked at it, Shen Yue’s excellent Aptitude seemed much stronger than that of other Disciples with the same Aptitude; his cultivation speed was a large cut above the rest.

Shen Yue came before Li Qingqiu and said, “Someone in the north has entered the Dao.”

“Entered the Dao? What does that mean?”

“That is a legendary Realm. Legend has it that when the Martial Dao reaches its limit, one can enter the Dao. After Entering the Dao, one can transcend mortality.”

Sorry, the update is late. This chapter still counts as yesterday’s third update. Today’s update hasn’t started yet QAQ.

I went out this afternoon, so the update is a bit slow. I’ll strive for four updates tomorrow. This chapter definitely won’t count as one of those four. Everyone, keep an eye on me!