Chapter 286: Standing Alone

At dawn, Li Qingqiu arrived at a courtyard where the ten-year-olds Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin were reading books.

These two youngsters were already at the Nourishing Origin Realm Fourth Layer. On ordinary days, besides cultivating, Li Qingqiu also required them to read more. They didn’t resist this; the stories in the books benefited them greatly.

“Eldest Martial Uncle, the monsters in these books are truly powerful. Like this Candle Shade—legend says that the Candle Shade comes from the north and likes to head south to find people with vigorous blood and Qi. Once it is full, it brings rain to the Mortal world, so some call it a disaster beast, while others call it an Auspicious Omen.”

Li Shoumin held an ancient book, clicking his tongue in wonder.

He loved reading ancient records of ghosts and strange anomalies, while Li Shouzheng preferred books recording the local customs and practices of various places.

Li Qingqiu picked up a wooden sword from the table, examining it while saying, “What is called an Auspicious Omen is merely something the world judges based on its own interests.”

Li Shoumin turned his head to look at Li Qingqiu and asked, “Eldest Martial Uncle, can Xiao Ba become an Auspicious Omen? It’s so big and can speak human language now. We could build it up as a Divine Beast of the Xuan Dynasty and write about its auspicious deeds so it can leave its name in history.”

He became more excited as he spoke, feeling that this would be a very fulfilling achievement.

Li Qingqiu rolled his eyes at him and said irritably, “What are you trying to do?”

“Create a legend of an Auspicious Omen!”

“Whether something becomes an Auspicious Omen should be decided by the hearts of the people, not by fabrications to manipulate them,”

Li Qingqiu snorted. This boy was already beginning to show the destiny of 【Ambition for the World】 and 【Tyrant】.

Hearing Li Qingqiu’s words, Li Shoumin scratched his head and smiled. After cooling down, he also felt he was being a bit frivolous, as if he were playing a joke on the people of the world.

He cast aside his stray thoughts and continued reading the next story.

Li Qingqiu came to accompany them in reading not to supervise them, but because he liked being with them; it made his state of mind exceptionally peaceful.

After possessing 【Vast Righteous Qi】, Li Qingqiu’s heart was no longer restless. Once truly calmed, he could consider the matters of the Qingxiao Sect, big and small, from another perspective and think about his own path of cultivation. He enjoyed this feeling of contemplation.

A knock sounded from the courtyard gate. Li Qingqiu said without turning his head, “Come in.”

The visitor was Li Qingqiu’s second Disciple, Qin Ye.

His current cultivation was already at the Nourishing Origin Realm Seventh Layer. In the current Qingxiao Sect, this wasn’t much; after all, he had delayed many years by going down the mountain for experience.

Since the unification of the world, he had laid down his armor, returned to the mountains, and cultivated in peace.

Qin Ye came to Li Qingqiu’s side, bowed respectfully, and said, “Master, our Qin Family plans to head south to sea. I wonder if you would agree?”

Li Qingqiu put down the wooden sword, turned to look at him, and asked, “Why go to sea?”

Qin Ye replied, “Some in the family want to explore the sea regions to map the oceans for the Qingxiao Sect, and at the same time, they want to find more cultivation resources.”

Although he hadn’t participated in the Lingxiao Hall discussions, he knew more or less that the sect did not allow Disciples to go to sea, so he came specifically to ask.

Li Qingqiu pondered and said, “The ocean is vast and full of hidden dangers. Even with your cultivation, you might end up buried at the bottom of the sea. Think carefully. If you truly want to go, then go. Just remember, once at sea, do not mention the name of the Qingxiao Sect.”

The reason he agreed was that he had recently received news that some secular Aristocratic Families had begun exploring the ocean. The Qingxiao Sect had no reason to stop them, and such a thing couldn’t be prevented anyway; the Qingxiao Sect didn’t have enough manpower to blockade the continent’s coastline.

Since that was the case, it was better to support the Aristocratic Families within the Qingxiao Sect in their exploration.

According to what Wei Tianxiong said, although Ziyang Island was the closest cultivation sect to the Qingxiao Sect, the distance between the two was actually very far—further than crossing the Nine Provinces Land. For secular Mortals to cross the sea and find Ziyang Island was harder than reaching the heavens.

The vast sea regions would always hide undiscovered islands. Whether it was a blessing or a curse depended entirely on one’s personal fate.

“Thank you, Master, for your blessing,” Qin Ye immediately thanked him with a bow.

Li Qingqiu waved his hand, and Qin Ye bowed again before taking his leave.

This matter was just a small interlude for Li Qingqiu, but it symbolized the general trend of the world.

The Nine Provinces were at peace, the people lived in contentment, and all industries began to flourish. Meanwhile, Aristocratic Families with ambitions for immortality began to flee the Nine Provinces Land in search of dao affinity.

After witnessing the power of Cultivators, most people found it hard to resist and wanted to Cultivate. Against this backdrop, one exciting story after another was unfolding… Autumn passed and winter came, and the Taikun Mountain Range was covered in white snow.

One morning, Li Qingqiu stood at the edge of the cliff outside his Immortal Cave practicing his sword, while Gold Lad practiced its blade nearby. The person and the mantis appeared very harmonious; though their Moves were different, every one of their Moves manifested a certain charm.

A figure passed through the Lingxiao Courtyard and walked quickly toward Li Qingqiu.

It was Cloud Color, dressed in black, wearing a bamboo hat and looking travel-worn.

She came behind Li Qingqiu, raised her hand in greeting, and said, “Sect Leader, the mission is complete. The monster ravaging the Northern Court is a Candle Shade. I have delivered its corpse to the Experience Hall, and its Soul has been sealed by me using a Soul-Binding Bag.”

The Soul-Binding Bag was a Magical Artifact created by Wu Xingyue, specifically for suppressing ghosts. This was something Chu Jing and Wu Xingyue had researched and discussed together, and it had now become the most common ghost-path Magical Artifact in the Qingxiao Sect.

‘One sword and two bags’ was a plan promoted by Li Qingqiu, aiming to ensure every Outer Sect Disciple possessed such equipment.

Developing to this day, the threshold for Outer Sect Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples was also rising. Now, one could only become an Outer Sect Disciple by cultivating a trace of Origin Qi, while Inner Sect Disciples needed to reach the Nourishing Origin Realm Fourth Layer. The threshold for True Disciples had also increased, requiring the Nourishing Origin Realm, Fifth Layer.

Li Qingqiu, with his back to Cloud Color, asked, “What is the origin of this monster?”

He had already passed the Soul Capturing Incantation to Cloud Color and believed she had already searched the Candle Shade’s Soul memories.

Looking at Li Qingqiu’s Disciples, none were as well-rounded as Cloud Color. She was the one who truly inherited Li Qingqiu’s Legacy. Of course, Li Qingqiu didn’t favor her; it was simply because she possessed the 【Thousand Refinements】 destiny.

Teaching the same Spell to other Disciples might delay their cultivation, but teaching it to her, she would surely achieve something with it.

“It comes from the north and has nothing to do with the Demon Land, but it knows of the Demon Land. In its memories, I saw a mountain as high as a natural chasm, lying at the end of the earth. It is said that behind the mountain is the Demon Land. Even monsters like the Candle Shade do not dare to climb that mountain. The reason it came south was that its cultivation had reached a Bottleneck and it needed a large amount of blood and Qi to break through its Realm.”

Cloud Color replied. Recalling that high mountain she saw, a look of wariness couldn’t help but surface in her eyes.

That mountain was truly too high; she had never seen such a tall mountain. It inspired awe and fear. How terrifying must the Demon Land be to require such a high mountain to isolate it?

Li Qingqiu didn’t care much about the Candle Shade; he was more concerned about the Demon Land.

He began to press her about the memories she had seen.

To the side, Gold Lad was undistracted, focusing on practicing its blade, its movements not faltering in the slightest.

Through the Candle Shade’s memories, Cloud Color also learned that many monsters in the north were heading south or west, wanting to distance themselves from the Demon Land. Various signs indicated that the Demon Land would bring disaster to the Mortal world, just like in ancient legends.

Legend said that every thousand years, the Seal on the Demon Land would be undone, and endless demons would rush out to bathe the Mortal world in blood.

Even monsters were spreading such legends, proving that the Demon Land did indeed ravage according to a certain time cycle.

In Cloud Color’s description, the mountain separating the Demon Land was so high that its peak couldn’t be seen, and it stretched for hundreds of miles on both sides, like the end of the world. That was the terminus of the north.

Having a rough understanding of the situation, Li Qingqiu felt relieved. He could now have someone respond to the Northern Court, proving that the Qingxiao Sect had not failed the Northern Court’s trust and offerings.

“By the way, what was the Candle Shade’s strength?” Li Qingqiu asked with concern.

He saw that Cloud Color wasn’t injured, so he hadn’t asked this question immediately.

Cloud Color thought for a moment and said, “Compared to that Great Demon Luo, it was a bit weaker, but it was stronger than the evil ghosts we encountered before.”

Hearing this, Li Qingqiu’s expression became strange.

Since breaking through to the Spiritual Consciousness Realm, Cloud Color no longer engaged in Dharma Battles with others. No one knew her true strength, including Li Qingqiu.

This girl was already close to the strength of the Great Demon Luo?

Li Qingqiu once again felt tempted by her 【Myriad Laws Spirit Eyes】 destiny.

“You performed well this time. I will speak with Xue Jin and have the reward for this mission doubled,” Li Qingqiu said seriously.

“Thank you, Sect Leader!”

A smile appeared on Cloud Color’s face. She raised her hand to wave at Li Qingqiu, then turned and left.

Her leaving just like that actually made Li Qingqiu feel a bit unaccustomed.

In the past, as long as she had the chance, she wouldn’t easily leave his side.

“She’s grown up after all,”

Li Qingqiu lamented. His mood was very good. This mission proved that Cloud Color already had the ability to stand alone; she had become a combat power comparable to Xu Ning, Jiang Zhaoxia, Shen Yue, and Zhao Zhen.

If he encountered big trouble in the future, he would have more cards to play.

Li Qingqiu did not want the sect to always rely on him acting alone.

He turned to look at Gold Lad and smiled, “You also need to work hard and become the number one monster in the Qingxiao Sect.”

Although Gold Lad had previously served Angelica, as Li Qingqiu taught it, its natural talent was fully released. Now it had reached the Nourishing Origin Realm Eighth Layer. Relying on its 【Innate Blade Cultivator】 destiny, its strength could already contend with the Ninth Layer of the Nourishing Origin Realm.

Li Qingqiu held expectations for it as well.

Using Gold Lad as an assassin would definitely be effective.

“I will,”

Gold Lad responded, sounding slightly dull as it remained focused on practicing its blade… A new month arrived, and the Experience Hall posted the Dao Affinity Monthly Rankings. Cloud Color strongly took the top spot, causing a stir.

Since the Dharma Battle Assembly ended, Cloud Color had become low-key, so Disciples didn’t usually talk about her. No one expected that she would either stay silent or amaze everyone in one go.

Many Disciples were curious about what mission she had done to obtain such a massive amount of dao affinity.

Later, news spread that Cloud Color had slain the legendary monster Candle Shade, resolving a calamity for the Nine Provinces Land. The Candle Shade’s strength was extremely terrifying, already surpassing the ordinary Spiritual Consciousness Realm.

Once this news spread, Cloud Color’s prestige soared.

When Xiao Wu Affection reported this matter to Li Qingqiu, he just smiled, hiding his merit and fame.