Chapter 606: Returning to the Sect

“Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner. I was unaware two True Men from the Divine Wood Sect would be visiting.”

A Core Formation True Man with frost-white temples and crow’s feet stepped forward. One could tell that he must have been an uncommonly handsome man in his youth.

Qi Yue was once a chosen son of heaven. He possessed a Spirit Body, had extraordinary talent, and was the sole disciple of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Unfortunately, he was captured while traveling and thrown into prison.

Due to the unique properties of his Spirit Body, he caught the eye of Elder Shibi from the No-Life Sect, who forced him to marry one of his descendants and help her reach Core Formation.

He lived in the No-Life Sect for many years, his heart filled with bitterness. He was even caught up in an internal rebellion that nearly left him disfigured.

Only when the two Nascent Soul Ancestors of the Qingfeng Sect became widely renowned did Elder Shibi agree to let Qi Yue return home, hoping to build good rapport.

When Qi Yue and his Dao Companion returned to the Sect after so many years, he discovered that the Qingfeng Sect was vastly different from when he had left.

In the Black Mountain Range, the Tier Three Demon Kings had been all but exterminated. Numerous Tier Three Spirit Veins were now linked together, protecting the Mountain Gate like a fortress.

Meanwhile, the Sect’s core was slowly migrating to Flame Mountain.

It was a Tier Four Spirit Vein, after all, and the domain of the two Nascent Soul Ancestors, making it the natural center of the Sect.

If not for the rampant Earth Fire slowing down development, more than just the Pill Hall, Ancestor Hall, and Secret Hall would have been relocated by now.

Furthermore, the pioneering wars, once dreaded by Sect Disciples and Cultivation Families alike, had now become surprisingly popular.

Five such wars had been launched in the last thirty years alone.

With the Sect’s immense power, the pioneering armies suffered fewer and fewer losses against the Demon Beast Groups.

Every war also represented a massive payout of Merit Points.

For Loose Cultivators, it was practically the only chance to change their destiny.

Spirit Lands for cultivation, Cultivation Resources, Magical Artifacts, Talismans… even the Foundation Establishment Pills that low-level Cultivators would go crazy for, could all be obtained through exchange.

The Qingfeng Sect was also known for its integrity. In the nearly thousand years it had been issuing Pioneer Decrees, not once had it failed to deliver on its promised rewards.

Promised rewards were never reduced or discounted after a war, nor were crucial Cultivation Resources reserved exclusively for their own disciples, barring Loose Cultivators from redeeming them.

In recent years, there had been several cases of Loose Cultivators whose entire families fought desperately in the pioneering wars to earn enough Merit Points, redeem a Foundation Establishment Pill, and achieve a meteoric rise.

As its fame spread, a constant stream of Loose Cultivators from all over flocked to Hejian County, hoping to join the cause.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to go to Black Mountain; rather, the Qingfeng Sect operated the entire Black Mountain Range as its central base, and ordinary Loose Cultivators simply weren’t qualified to enter under normal circumstances.

The rest of Black Mountain County was poor in resources and Spiritual Qi, holding little appeal for ambitious Cultivators.

After understanding the Sect’s current state, Qi Yue realized that the power structure of the Five Halls and Thirteen Chambers had become so entrenched that there was no room for him to wedge himself in.

He had been absent during the Qingfeng Sect’s period of most rapid growth, and the younger disciples didn’t even know he existed.

Regardless, Qi Yue and his wife were both Core Formation True Men, and he was a Direct Disciple of Ancestor Ge Cang. They had to be afforded the respect they were due.

Immediately upon their return, the Sect solemnly convened the Elders in the Ancestor Hall to announce that Qi Yue had become a Core Formation True Man.

His Dao Companion, Qin Zhi, being a True Inheritance of the No-Life Sect, was granted the status of a first-rank Honored Guest Elder.

Qi Yue himself had little interest in managing miscellaneous affairs or vying for power. As Ge Cang’s disciple, he had enjoyed a transcendent status in the Sect since childhood.

His peers had always been polite and respectful, and he had never lacked for Cultivation Resources.

Now back home, he took on a few elegant, high-status but low-responsibility duties, chose a Spirit Land to his liking, and lived a carefree life, indulging in nature and enjoying his days.

Whenever a Core Formation True Man from another sect visited, he was most often the one to receive them.

Among the Core Formation True Men of the Qingfeng Sect, regardless of their internal standing, outsiders naturally viewed the disciples of the two Nascent Soul Ancestors as a cut above the rest.

True Monarch Bai’s two Core Formation Disciples—one skilled in Thunder Skills, the other an expert in Swordsmanship—were both wholly dedicated to the Great Dao and had little experience in worldly affairs.

In contrast, the former chosen one, having been sidelined for years in the No-Life Sect under awkward circumstances, had lost his youthful arrogance and become far more cautious and deliberate in his actions.

The two people before him were unassuming in appearance, yet their True Essence fluctuations were no weaker than his own. The visiting card stated their identity: they were from the Divine Wood Sect, a Nascent Soul Major Sect from the Central Domain.

Since they were being polite and following proper etiquette, Qi Yue couldn’t very well turn them away.

‘Still, I’ve never heard of this Divine Wood Sect. I should send a message to the Sect and have the Law Enforcement Hall stay on alert and prepare some manpower, just in case.’

“I am the elder Daoist Baii Sanqing. My Junior Brother Lin and I were hired by True Monarch Bai to plant Spirit Rice here on Black Mountain… This is our proof.”

Elder Baii cupped his fists, then produced a blank sheet of Talisman Paper and sent it floating over with a capture technique.

“Planting Spirit Rice? Our Sect hasn’t hired any external Spirit Plant Masters…”

Qi Yue froze for a moment. Then, as realization dawned, his expression changed dramatically.

“You say you were hired by Ancestor Bai? Did he return to Black Mountain with you?”

The Talisman Paper bore only a single red imprint: the distinct pattern of Bai Zichen’s Identity Token.

‘Within the Sect, the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall has the mold for these, so it’s not truly secure enough to serve as an official seal.’

‘But how could someone from the Central Domain, tens of thousands of miles away, know the design of an internal Qingfeng Sect Token? As simple proof, this should be enough.’

With the two Ancestors away, the Qingfeng Sect had lost its backbone. Lacking confidence, it had been forced to relinquish many of its interests.

Due to the war between the Human-Demon Races, the Northern Domain’s meager strength was certainly not enough to get involved on the front lines. As a result, contact between the Northern and Central Domains had been almost completely severed.

Aside from Zengguang Immortal City, which hailed from the Moral Sect and had its own private channels, all other sects’ sources of information had been cut off, leaving them completely in the dark.