Chapter 323: The Sinister Nature of Human Hearts

“Well done, Shen Yue, how many times have you triggered rewards for me? Why aren’t you a woman?” Li Qingqiu mused to himself. Shen Yue was always able to bring him surprises.

He began to consider whether to send someone to support Shen Yue.

As the Sect Leader, knowing a Disciple of his sect was being hunted, how could he do nothing?

Even though Li Qingqiu trusted Shen Yue deeply, he felt it was necessary to send support.

After much thought, he decided to send Jiang Zhaoxia.

Perhaps Jiang Zhaoxia’s 【Red Dust True Dragon】 could produce miraculous effects and bring even greater surprises to the Qingxiao Sect.

Having made his decision, Li Qingqiu stopped thinking about this matter and began to patiently listen to his Junior Sister introduce her Disciples, while simultaneously checking their loyalty through the dao lineage panel.

In the end, he did not find any abnormalities in the Disciples of Li Sijin and Li Dongyue, which also showed that they were very rigorous in taking on Disciples and did not make decisions recklessly.

After Zhang Yuchun and the other two left, Li Qingqiu took out his Sect Leader token to contact Jiang Zhaoxia’s qingxiao token.

Thanks to the improvements made by Wu Xingyue of the Tiangong Hall, the Sect Leader token in Li Qingqiu’s hand could directly contact other Hall Masters and Elders.

Even Wei Tianxiong praised Wu Xingyue for having great ideas regarding Artifact Refining.

With this Sect Leader token, Li Qingqiu didn’t need to trouble Xiao Wuqing so much, and Xiao Wuqing could also have more time to Cultivate.

Not long after.

Jiang Zhaoxia descended from the sky and landed at the table opposite Li Qingqiu.

“Why did you call for me?” Jiang Zhaoxia asked.

Li Qingqiu spoke up: “Shen Yue might be in trouble. I need you to cross the Western Border, go find him, and assist him in completing his mission.”

He took out the Jade Slip he had prepared earlier, which contained the route, identical to the map Jade Slip that Shen Yue had.

After hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxia directly raised his hand to take the Jade Slip into his hand, then placed it into his Storage Pouch.

“Is it the mission to find your little Disciple?” Jiang Zhaoxia asked curiously.

He felt no pressure regarding Transmigration through the Western Border Dangerous Land; in fact, he was somewhat looking forward to it.

“That’s right. It’s best if you can find him, but if you can’t, you must ensure your own safety. Compared to a destiny that hasn’t happened yet, I cherish you all more,” Li Qingqiu nodded and said.

Jiang Zhaoxia huffed: “You just love saying these nice things to win people over. I’ll go back and pack, and I’ll set off today.”

Having said that, he turned, leaped up, and transformed into a streak of sword light, disappearing outside the courtyard.

Li Qingqiu watched the direction in which he left, his thoughts drifting.

He planned to save the fortune opportunity he had obtained this time and open it when he reached the Heaven-Reaching Sunlight Realm, as it would be of higher value.

He was very curious now: why did Shen Yue provoke a Cultivation School, and what had he done to incite a Cultivation School to hunt him down?

Under the blue sky, a vast river cut across the land like a coiling Dragon. Looking at it from up close, the river waves were surging, resembling ocean waves, possessing an Aura that could swallow everything.

A red wooden boat was moving along the river. Seen from high above, it looked like a leaf, but in reality, it was very large, as if it were carrying a building.

Lin Lingzhou sat leaning against the side of the boat, holding his sword in his arms, with his bundle placed beside him.

After leaving the Tianqing Immortal Sect, he headed east. The journey was more difficult than he had anticipated. Fortunately, although he did not Cultivate, he practiced martial arts, and his skills were barely enough to handle trouble.

At this moment, he was famished, his complexion sallow, looking as if he had been hungry for several days.

A boatman walked over and asked with a smile: “Do you plan to stay hungry forever?”

Lin Lingzhou looked up at him and said: “Once I get off the boat, I will naturally find something to eat.”

The boatman sneered: “Wait until you get off the boat? Look at these waves; they won’t stop for several days.”

Lin Lingzhou remained silent. In truth, he was already so hungry that he was dizzy, and he was supporting himself entirely by willpower.

The boatman took a bundle of oil paper from his bosom and tossed it to Lin Lingzhou. He caught the oil paper, opened it, and discovered two flatbreads inside.

He looked up at the boatman, but the boatman turned and left without saying much else.

Lin Lingzhou’s expression became complicated. He said in a voice only he could hear: “Thank you.”

He immediately picked up the flatbread, ready to start eating, but just as the flatbread touched his cracked lips, he stopped again.

He suddenly remembered his Master’s warning: the human heart is the most terrifying thing.

No! He couldn’t be reckless!

Lin Lingzhou glanced in the direction where the boatman had left. Seeing that the boatman had already entered the cabin, he took out the flatbread, stuffed it into his bosom, and then tossed the oil paper aside.

After doing all this, he closed his eyes, trying hard to make himself forget his hunger.

“Master, this journey is so arduous; how did you manage to walk it?”

Lin Lingzhou sighed in his heart. He had already passed the place where his Master had taken him in, but the road ahead was rough, and he still couldn’t find any information about the Nine Provinces Land. He could only follow the direction his Master had indicated, heading east until he reached a dangerous land where high mountains stood like walls reaching the sky; crossing that dangerous land would lead him to the Nine Provinces Land.

Gradually, Lin Lingzhou began to feel drowsy. The boat swayed, which caused him, already feeling sleepy, to quickly fall into a dream.

Not knowing how much time had passed, Lin Lingzhou suddenly felt himself being lifted up. He instinctively wanted to struggle, but he restrained himself. He wanted to see what kind of tricks these people were trying to pull.

With his eyes closed, he could feel two people carrying him. He heard the voice of the boatman who had given him the flatbread, which made him secretly indignant; his Master was indeed right.

Having been on the boat for so many days, he had observed that the boatmen on board all knew martial arts, not to mention the guards of the wealthy and powerful. If it truly came to a fight, he would definitely not end well.

If he were to jump off the boat, given the vastness of this great river, he would be devoured by the savage beasts in the river before he could even swim to the shore. He decided to remain still and play along with their scheme.

Not long after, he felt himself being thrown into a room. He quietly opened his eyes to look and saw the two boatmen closing the door, and then the sound of chains rattling came from outside the door.

After the footsteps of the two boatmen faded, Lin Lingzhou finally crawled up. The room was dim, with only a small hole in the wall letting in a ray of sunlight.

Lin Lingzhou turned to look and discovered that there were several other people in the room, all lying on the floor. There were both men and women, of varying ages, but all were very young.

“What exactly do they want to do?” Lin Lingzhou thought, frowning, his heart filled with confusion.

He wanted to step forward to check if those people were still alive.

“I advise you not to move; lie down honestly and continue feigning unconsciousness, otherwise, if you alert the lackeys of the Wan Yin Sect, there will be big trouble.”

A voice came from the darkness. Lin Lingzhou could not tell who was speaking, but the other person’s words still deterred him. He carefully lay back down, his gaze fixed into the darkness.

“Who are you? Are you in the room?”

“As long as you don’t act recklessly, I will keep you safe. First, wait for them to dock.”

That voice sounded again; judging by the sound, it should be a man. After thinking it over, Lin Lingzhou decided to follow the other person’s arrangements for now.

“What is the background of the Wan Yin Sect?” Lin Lingzhou asked in a low voice.

“A Cultivation School that stands above the secular world, and it is of the Demonic Path.”

A Cultivation School! Upon hearing this, Lin Lingzhou’s heart churned with tumultuous waves. Having stayed at the Tianqing Immortal Sect, he knew deeply how terrifying Cultivators were.

How could he encounter another Cultivation School on the way to the Nine Provinces Land? Why hadn’t his Master encountered one before?

He thought about it again; if his Master had encountered the Wan Yin Sect first, it would likely have been dire, and he wouldn’t have met him later. This was a stroke of fortune.

Just at this moment, footsteps came from outside the door, scaring Lin Lingzhou so much that he didn’t dare to speak again, and the room fell into silence.

One month after Jiang Zhaoxia left, a major event occurred in the Qingxiao Sect: Yuan Li was Undergoing Tribulation.

Undergoing Lightning Tribulation was no longer a rare occurrence; every once in a while, Disciples would Undergo Tribulation and step into the Spiritual Consciousness Realm. As the number of people Undergoing Tribulation increased, the Disciples of the School gained a certain understanding of the Heavenly Tribulation. — It seemed that the stronger a person was, the more terrifying the Heavenly Tribulation they encountered during the process.

Yuan Li completely proved this point, because Yuan Li endured a full ninety-nine bolts of Heavenly Tribulation lightning, and the Aura of each bolt was extremely terrifying, as if it were going to shatter the entire Lixue Peak.

Ninety-nine bolts of Heavenly Tribulation lightning were enough to prove the gap in talent between Yuan Li and the other Disciples. Some even thought of the Sect Leader; it was said that when the Sect Leader stepped into the Spiritual Consciousness Realm, he also underwent ninety-nine bolts of Heavenly Tribulation lightning.

For a time, discussions about the Lightning Tribulation erupted within the School. Yuan Li’s Undergoing Tribulation had the greatest impact on the Spiritual Consciousness Realm circle; the Disciples in the Spiritual Consciousness Realm only then realized that the terrifyingly strong Yuan Li had previously only been at the Nourishing Origin Realm.

No one dared to challenge Yuan Li, because they had already heard that Jiang Zhaoxia had been defeated by Yuan Li’s fists. With such a precedent, who would dare to challenge Yuan Li?

Time arrived at early autumn. There were only a few months left until the start of the Dharma Battle Assembly, and the School had already become lively. Many Disciples who were training outside had returned early, not wanting to miss this grand event.

On this day, news came from the Demon-Rejecting Immortal City located in the Northern Border, saying that the tracks of a Demonic Beast had been discovered, and Li Yang had not yet caught up.

Upon learning of this, Li Qingqiu immediately had Xiao Wuqing ring the lingxiao bell. The Hall Masters quickly gathered, and Li Qingqiu shared the news, letting everyone discuss countermeasures together.

“We cannot be careless. I suggest sending additional True Disciples of the Spiritual Consciousness Realm,” Zhu Yan said first.

In the tragedy of the Zhongtian Immortal City, the Zhu Clan had suffered heavy losses. Because the Zhongtian Immortal City was the first branch city, the Zhu Clan had put in a lot of effort and stuffed many people into the Zhongtian Immortal City. As a result, due to that disaster, more than twenty clansmen were sacrificed.

Naturally, there were complaints within the Zhu Clan, but they also knew they couldn’t blame anyone, so they could only resort to Endurance and comfort the families of the deceased.

“We indeed need to send additional Spiritual Consciousness Realm Disciples. The Qingxiao Sect is different from before; we can send out more strength,” Xue Jin responded; he even volunteered to go north.

Other Hall Masters spoke one after another, none of them showing fear, choosing to confront the Demonic Beast head-on.

Wei Tianxiong did not speak; after all, he was only a Deputy Hall Master. Being able to attend this meeting was already giving him a lot of Face.

Although he had already decided to do his best to help the Qingxiao Sect develop, he knew that the power-holders of the School needed to experience one choice after another to truly grow.

Seeing that no one had any other opinions, Li Qingqiu immediately called out names, selecting fifteen Spiritual Consciousness Realm Disciples in one go, including Zhao Zhen and Ji Ya.

“Deputy Hall Master Wei, can the Teleportation Formation be used?” Li Qingqiu looked at Wei Tianxiong and asked.

Wei Tianxiong nodded and said: “It can be used; I will have people prepare the Spirit Stones.”

Once the matter was settled, Li Qingqiu told them to go down and execute it immediately.

This was the first time the Qingxiao Sect had used the Teleportation Formation for reinforcements, and Li Qingqiu was also very much looking forward to the result.