Chapter 291: Only His Legend Remains
Seeing the message sent by Niu Ding Tian, Ning Qi’s eyes lit up instantly.
He immediately used telepathic communication with Sword Ancestor and summoned Sword Sect great powers to come to the Sect Leader Hall at once.
Above the hall.
The arriving great powers looked toward Ning Qi and Sword Ancestor; they all had a sense of it.
Now that the sect leader and Sword Ancestor were both present, and so urgently, there must definitely be something big happening.
True Person Ziyang probed, “Sect Leader, could it be that there is news from Ox Demon Upper Sect?”
Ning Qi nodded.
“Exactly. I summoned you all here to discuss this matter. I have already informed you of the details before. Today, I only ask you all—who is willing to go together?”
“Sect Leader, I am willing to go!” Jiang Ruhai directly spoke first.
The Jiang Family great power was the first to respond, immediately shocking all the great powers present.
Many people showed smiles on their faces, only because in these years, the Jiang Family’s power in Boundless Sword Sect had become increasingly weak, and their influence was no longer what it was before Ning Qi became sect leader.
And former sect leader Jiang Baichuan also immediately said, “Sect Leader, please be sure to bring me along.”
There was almost a thirst in his words; there was no way around it—he now fully understood.
What Jiang Family, what Ye Family—that was the old order.
Back then, the two families developing their own clan systems could gain the greatest benefits.
However, now, after Ning Qi became sect leader, the new order he established would not care about Jiang Family or Ye Family.
Everyone in the sect had the opportunity for rapid promotion; it was an extremely fair era, no longer chaotic like in the past.
Hadn’t they seen how strong the other two from their Jiang Family were now?
Jiang Ruhai had already entered Half-step Body Integration Realm, and the next generation’s Jiang Qingxue had also advanced to Mid Void Dao.
Jiang Baichuan even had a feeling that he might not be Jiang Qingxue’s opponent anymore.
All of this was only because Jiang Ruhai and Jiang Qingxue had followed Ning Qi at the first moment, rather than continuing to guard the Jiang Family’s power.
So, even Jiang Baichuan could not sit still anymore.
And the original top ten true disciples, namely Qin Minghao, Jiang Qingxue, and others, exchanged glances with each other and also spoke up one after another.
“Sect Leader Senior Brother, we are willing to go!”
In these years since they became Sword Sect great powers, they were assigned to various peaks of Boundless Sword Sect, helping Ning Qi manage the true disciples below.
But whenever external matters arose, they would always be the first to respond.
Because they knew that only by closely following Senior Brother Ning’s pace would they progress faster.
Sword Ancestor looked at the great powers below who showed no fear, his face full of relief. With Boundless Sword Sect united as one, how could it not prosper?
In the end, Ning Qi still selected Qin Minghao and ten others, plus Ziyang, Jiang Ruhai, and two more great powers who had never gone with them before, and conveniently agreed to Jiang Baichuan’s request.
Jiang Baichuan and the other two great powers were immediately overjoyed.
The other unselected great powers, though somewhat disappointed, still harbored hope.
Because they saw that Ning Qi did not completely only use those who had followed him before; he would also give opportunities to others.
Moreover, every time those who went out returned, they would share some gains with those who stayed behind.
So, as long as they guarded the sect well, they could still obtain benefits—this was much fairer than the previous Boundless Sword Sect.
Before departure, Ning Qi activated the sect protecting grand formation.
In these years, he had made many improvements, even integrating the formation set by a Dao Integration Realm being that he had cracked in Profound True Secret Realm into Boundless Sword Sect’s formations, and at the same time established a one-way teleportation array.
Moreover, he had set up formation way studies within the sect, so even if they, the main forces, left the sect, those left behind could completely resist the attacks of top-tier venerables in Body Integration Realm with this grand formation.
Next, Ning Qi and Sword Ancestor led the way, bringing fifteen great powers aboard the Five-Colored Treasure Boat, using formations to conceal the boat’s shadow, and speeding toward Ox Demon Upper Sect.
……
Southern True Domain.
The conflict between Ox Demon Upper Sect and Feathered Ascension Upper Sect had intensified, and great battle had begun.
Although the Body Integration Realm old ancestors of both sides had not yet come out to battle, their subordinate great powers and true disciples had all engaged in large-scale clashes.
Today you kill one of mine, tomorrow I kill three of yours.
Today you destroy my spirit vein, tomorrow I wipe out your strongholds and industries.
Important people from both sects had died, but fortunately Niu Man and other demons were still alive.
Multiple battles erupted, but in the end both sects suddenly withdrew their troops, falling into an eerie silence.
Both sects were top-tier upper sects in Southern True Domain; their movement immediately shocked all other sects and rogue cultivators in the entire Southern True Domain.
Everyone believed this was the calm before the storm!
The next move by Ox Demon Upper Sect and Feathered Ascension Upper Sect would probably involve the Body Integration old ancestors.
An unnamed mountain peak in Southern True Domain.
There was a cave in the mountain, where a person had lived alone for several decades. His figure was tall and sturdy, like it was built from stone, yet his body had no energy fluctuations at all, looking just like an ordinary woodcutter.
This person was none other than Fu Chen, who had stolen the Dao Integration Profound Technique and been the first to escape from the Golden Heavenly Tomb in Profound True Secret Realm.
Fu Chen sat cross-legged on a green stone, suddenly opening his eyes.
Under the guidance of his pocket grandpa Wei Wu Ya, plus that Dao Integration Profound Technique, his cultivation had now reached Mid Void Dao.
For decades, he had hidden here and had not been discovered by the great powers and Body Integration Realm giants from North and South Regions who wanted to find him—even those skilled in divination could not detect his whereabouts.
The reason was none other than that Wei Wu Ya was a lingering soul left over from the Xuanzhen Domain era, originally a Dao Integration Realm old ancestor.
With his various pointers and cultivation methods, let alone the small North and South Regions—even Dao Integration Realm old ancestors from other major domains in Mountain Sea Realm might not necessarily find Fu Chen.
The only time Wei Wu Ya had felt fear was when they encountered that immortal seed named Ning Qi in Profound True Secret Realm.
That time, it seemed Ning Qi had seen the anomaly on Fu Chen, so Wei Wu Ya immediately reminded Fu Chen to run away quickly.
Now, decades later, Fu Chen had finally emerged from closed-door cultivation.
He considered himself the heavenly pride of North and South Regions back then; no one was his opponent anymore. He had left everyone behind.
As a mere rogue cultivator achieving such accomplishments, even if Fu Chen did not say it, he was extremely proud inwardly.
For the first time in decades, Fu Chen took out a special communication jade slip and contacted a rogue cultivator he had known who specialized in intelligence trading.
Back then, to gain the maximum benefits in Profound True Secret Realm, before entering the secret realm, he had disguised himself as someone else and made a transaction with that rogue cultivator.
Fu Chen had given a thousand spirit stones, only so that when he contacted the other party, the other party would compile all information before their contact time and send it to him.
Fu Chen sat on the green stone, silently waiting for a reply.
Sure enough, not long after, the other party honorably fulfilled the promise and sent over all the major events that had occurred in North and South Regions during the decades Fu Chen had been in closed-door cultivation, in chronological order.
Just skimming the intelligence, Fu Chen smiled.
Because the earliest recorded intelligence on it was about Profound True Secret Realm.
It mentioned that Profound True Secret Realm had collapsed, and rogue cultivator Fu Chen had taken away the Dao Integration Profound Technique.
Numerous great powers and even Body Integration old ancestors from North and South Regions had specifically searched for his whereabouts, all without success; his whereabouts remained a mystery to this day.
Fu Chen’s actions naturally also drew out Wei Wu Ya’s lingering soul.
“Little Dust, why so happy?”
Fu Chen replied, “Teacher, back then when you and I teamed up to seize the treasure and leave Profound True Secret Realm, with no one able to track our whereabouts—that feat is still being recounted by people even now.”
Wei Wu Ya also smiled.
“They don’t even think that since you could seize the treasure, how could there not be a prepared escape route in advance.”
Fu Chen chuckled:
“Those fools searched for us for so many years without finding anything; they were truly like headless flies. I wonder if they were so angry they spat blood.”
Wei Wu Ya stroked his long beard and said:
“Stop talking nonsense. Read the following events to me. You’ve been secluded here for decades, stepping into Void Dao Realm and condensing blood fire rules.”
“With your current flesh body and nascent soul state, after I possess you, even facing a Body Integration Realm venerable, there would be a chance to escape.”
“So it’s time to go out and see the light of day.”
Fu Chen happily said, “Yes!”
This closed-door cultivation had been the most stagnant time in his life; he had long been restless in body and mind, itching to emerge immediately and defeat those heavenly prides of top-tier upper sects.
His life had been full of ups and downs; he had always had a wish to defeat all his peers from the sects as a rogue cultivator.
Back then in Southern True Domain, he had defeated the first true disciples of all sects except the top-tier upper sects. Now, he was determined to defeat the heavenly prides of the remaining three top-tier upper sects one by one and fulfill that wish.
Wei Wu Ya saw Fu Chen reading the communication jade slip; at first he was very relaxed, but then his expression suddenly became grave.
Wei Wu Ya slightly frowned and asked, “What happened to make you like this?”
Fu Chen murmured:
“Those heavenly prides from back then—Wu Dao, Chu Xiaotian, Ren Zong—have all perished!”
Hearing this, Wei Wu Ya was also shocked.
“What did you say? Weren’t they all still alive and well before we left? Moreover, they were heavenly prides fully cultivated by top-tier upper sects—how could they die so easily?”
Fu Chen swallowed and said, “Teacher, that’s what it says in the message.”
“Continue reading. Isn’t Niu Man the heavenly pride of Ox Demon Upper Sect and the immortal seed Ning Qi of Boundless Sword Sect still alive?”
So Fu Chen continued.
But the more he read, the graver Fu Chen’s expression became.
He had no mind to stop and chat with his teacher Wei Wu Ya; he just wanted to read it all in one go.
By the end, sweat was dripping from his forehead, as if he had just been pulled out of water.
Seeing this, Wei Wu Ya felt something was off.
Although he also wanted to know immediately what exactly had happened in these decades to make Fu Chen like this, Wei Wu Ya held back; Fu Chen would say it eventually.
Moments later.
Fu Chen looked at Wei Wu Ya with empty eyes.
After a good while, he asked suspiciously with a bitter face:
“Teacher, did I remember the time wrong? Was I actually not in closed-door cultivation for decades, but hundreds or thousands of years?”
Wei Wu Ya looked at him, speechless for a long time.
“Tell me, what exactly happened?”
So Fu Chen began recounting the major events of the following decades for Wei Wu Ya.
After Profound True Secret Realm collapsed, immortal seed Ning Qi broke through to Void Dao Realm, purged the sect’s traitors, and succeeded as sect leader of Boundless Sword Sect.
Sect Leader Ning killed over a dozen great powers from Northern Profound Upper Sect and other sects, including one peerless great power who was the first to fall under his sword.
Northern Profound Upper Sect was destroyed without reason……
Feathered Ascension Upper Sect in Southern True Domain plotted against Northern Xuan Region, constantly buying off Northern Region sects, intending to advance north.
Boundless Sword Sect’s Sect Leader Ning broke through to Body Integration Realm……
Feathered Ascension Upper Sect sent out a Body Integration old ancestor and eleven top great powers, intending to eliminate Ning Qi and remove the obstacle of Boundless Sword Sect……
The people of Feathered Ascension Upper Sect, along with Blood Demon Upper Sect, were all slain by Ning Qi and his subordinate great powers!
Feathered Ascension Upper Sect chose to endure and did not send anyone for revenge.
Friction between Ox Demon Upper Sect and Feathered Ascension Upper Sect intensified; the two sects were about to erupt into great battle. All sects in Southern True Domain dared not act, fearing involvement……
As one message after another was revealed, Fu Chen read in a daze, while Wei Wu Ya listened in repeated shock.
Of course, there were also some minor events mixed in, like Ox Demon Upper Sect’s heavenly pride Niu Man breaking through to Void Dao Realm……
But compared to the other major events, this was nothing.
Wei Wu Ya came back to his senses and glanced complexly at Fu Chen.
He had originally thought that upon emerging this time, Fu Chen would shine brightly in North and South Regions.
Unexpectedly, before even leaving seclusion, Fu Chen was struck down like an eggplant in winter, listless and spiritless.
Was that Ning Qi truly a heavenly human?
In these decades, it was all events about him; each one was shocking to hear.
After a long while, Fu Chen said powerlessly:
“Teacher, I can’t fulfill my wish anymore. What should we do now?”
Wei Wu Ya sighed.
“Let’s go. This Xuanzhen Domain is not worth staying in anymore. Head to the neighboring Fuyao Region.”
“This old man also knows a bit about reading auras. As long as that Ning Qi stays in Xuanzhen Domain for a day, Xuanzhen Domain will only have legends of him left; you have no chance.”
Fu Chen smiled bitterly; Teacher was too direct.
“Moreover, now two top-tier sects are erupting into great battle, and Spirit Realm War is about to begin. If we stay, we’ll be discovered sooner or later.”
Fu Chen had no choice but to agree to Wei Wu Ya’s arrangement.
He walked out of seclusion and overlooked the entire Southern True Domain; unfortunately, he could not fulfill that wish.
Compared to that Ning Qi, he was not a heavenly pride at all……
……
Heavenly Star Upper Sect.
Sect Leader Xia Tianhe sat on the sect leader’s throne, looking down at the various great powers.
“Fellow elders, now that Ox Demon Upper Sect and Feathered Ascension Upper Sect are at war, this is a good opportunity for our Heavenly Star Upper Sect to rise. What should we do? Do you have any ideas?”
Below, an elder immediately replied:
“Since Feathered Ascension Upper Sect’s battle with Boundless Sword Sect of Northern Xuan Region, their strength has already lost a third. Now fighting Ox Demon Upper Sect again, they will likely weaken further. Our Heavenly Star Upper Sect absolutely cannot sit idly by.”
Xia Tianhe glanced sideways.
“Oh? Elder Zhu, continue.”
That Elder Zhu said, “If Ox Demon Upper Sect gains the advantage, they will dominate Southern True Domain alone, and then our Heavenly Star Upper Sect will be in danger.”
“So, we must maintain the power balance among Southern True Domain’s top-tier upper sects. Since ancient times, the weak have overcome the strong in chains; we have reason to negotiate with Feathered Ascension Upper Sect, striving for benefits for our Heavenly Star Upper Sect while checking Ox Demon Upper Sect’s development.”
Elder Zhu’s words drew agreement from many.
Even Xia Tianhe nodded slightly, seemingly inclined to adopt it.
And at this time, the two newly promoted elders in the sect spoke up:
“Sect Leader, I think this is inappropriate. This matter is not that simple at all; this is not just between Feathered Ascension Upper Sect and Ox Demon Upper Sect. Do not forget Boundless Sword Sect, which has enmity with Feathered Ascension Upper Sect.”
Xia Tianhe looked toward the speaker; that person was his nephew, with exceptional talent, an object of Heavenly Star Upper Sect’s full cultivation in these years.
And the other young elder beside him had similar talent.
Now that both had raised objections, they naturally needed attention.
“Xia Xing, are you saying Boundless Sword Sect might also join the battle?”
Xia Xing’s eyes flickered. As a cultivator arranged by Ning Qi to be born in Southern True Domain.
Although Heavenly Star Upper Sect had fully cultivated him, Xia Xing and the young elder beside him were in Cao camp but with hearts in Han.
Now that Heavenly Star Upper Sect wanted to participate in the battle between the two sects, he naturally had to stop it.
“Boundless Sword Sect will definitely join the battle. That Ning Qi advanced all the way to Body Integration Realm and has never tolerated insults; he will surely participate, so our Heavenly Star Upper Sect must consider this situation.”
The other young elder beside him also said:
“Please think thrice, Sect Leader. If we help Feathered Ascension Upper Sect and plunge ourselves into war, it would be most unwise.”
“Moreover, Spirit Realm War is about to begin; at this critical juncture, we must be extremely cautious. This subordinate thinks it best to watch from the sidelines. As they fight each other, they will surely weaken each other; our Heavenly Star Upper Sect not participating can instead preserve our strength.”
Everyone hearing this felt it made sense.
Joining the battle was to check the balance, but not joining was also a form of wisdom, especially at this juncture.
Feathered Ascension Upper Sect still had two Body Integration Realm beings, after all; better to let them fight to the heavens and earth upside down, then clean up the aftermath.
In the end, Xia Tianhe heeded Xia Xing and the other’s arguments and decided to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.
……
The Five-Colored Treasure Boat stopped within Ox Demon Upper Sect.
Decades had passed, and this was still Ning Qi’s first time coming to Ox Demon Upper Sect.
Ox Demon Upper Sect lived up to being one of Southern True Domain’s overlords; it covered an extremely vast area, with all kinds of terrain within the sect.
Vast grasslands, towering mountains deep in woods, endless rolling hills……
Various demonic beasts roamed within, looking toward their arrival.
Niu Ding Tian immediately led the demons in the sect to welcome Ning Qi and the others.
Looking at one after another burly figures, the shortest a zhang tall and the tallest dozens of zhang, Ning Qi and the others always felt like they had come to a primordial world.
Being welcomed by so many demonic beasts, although both sides had already formed an alliance with heavenly dao oaths, it still felt a bit strange.
Seeming to see what Ning Qi and the others were thinking, Niu Ding Tian proactively shrank his demon body and gestured to the crowd of demons.
The demons immediately understood and each shrank to a height equal to Ning Qi and the others.
In Ox Demon Upper Sect, actually, the ones who had truly interacted with Ning Qi were only Niu Ding Tian, Niu Man, and a few demons.
The other demonic beasts had not seen Ning Qi and the others.
However, they trusted Old Ox and Little Ox’s judgment; the two oxen were famously shrewd in the sect, and they were very convinced.
This time, it was the first time the demons had seen the real Ning Qi, whether Ning Qi himself, or Sword Ancestor, or the many great powers following behind them.
Each one had a full nascent soul, and the aura emanating from their bodies was extremely steady.
Although the demons had the advantage in physique, facing the aura emitted by Ning Qi’s group, they inwardly felt somewhat suppressed.
Only then did Ning Qi and the others feel much better; they also retracted their auras and treated them equally.
“Brother Niu, your Ox Demon Upper Sect is truly prosperous. Probably many demon cultivators from both regions and even nearby regions have joined your Ox Demon Upper Sect.”
Niu Ding Tian smiled honestly.
“After all, the human race is powerful; we demon race must unite and have our own sect.”
The two did not dwell on this issue and immediately turned the topic to the current situation.
Niu Ding Tian said:
“We have thoroughly provoked Feathered Ascension Upper Sect’s fury; this battle can no longer stop.”
Ning Qi asked, “How are the casualties on both sides?”
Niu Ding Tian licked his lips and laughed:
“They killed one of our great powers, but we killed Fang Xiandao’s young son, so we came out ahead.”
He pointed to Niu Man and other demons. “As long as these talented juniors are still alive, Ox Demon Upper Sect’s foundation will not shake. But with Spirit Realm War imminent right now, we must fight quickly and decisively!”
Ning Qi nodded. “Naturally.”
Niu Ding Tian led Ning Qi and the others to tour the scenery within Ox Demon Upper Sect while saying:
“Brother Ning, since you have come, our Ox Demon Upper Sect is prepared to go all out in this battle, striking straight at Feathered Ascension Upper Sect’s heart until victory.”
Ning Qi said: “Boundless Sword Sect’s idea is the same as Ox Demon Upper Sect’s; we are not here for a mere formality.”
One person and one demon’s gazes met, both seeing intense battle intent in each other’s eyes.
“Then Brother Ning, you rest for a day, and we will head to Feathered Ascension Upper Sect together, how about it?”
Ning Qi nodded. “That works.”
As cultivators, they would not be fatigued from travel.
But to truly attack Feathered Ascension Upper Sect, they still needed to wait for Ox Demon Upper Sect to scout again; choosing the right timing was very important.
So this one day of rest was also extremely necessary.
……
Three days later.
To find a suitable battle opportunity, Ning Qi and the others stayed two more days in Ox Demon Upper Sect.
During these few days, the people of Boundless Sword Sect had brief sparring with the demons of Ox Demon Upper Sect, arranged troops and formations, and rehearsed the battle situation.
Undoubtedly, the quality of everyone on Boundless Sword Sect’s side far surpassed the demon group of Ox Demon Upper Sect, even though the demon race’s flesh bodies were stronger.
The demons were immediately convinced; no wonder Ox Ancestor valued Boundless Sword Sect so much.
They had even more confidence in this battle.
The two sects’ forces concealed their figures and headed toward Feathered Ascension Upper Sect.
Ning Qi said: “Brother Niu, Feathered Ascension Upper Sect’s sect protecting grand formation is mine to handle. I also have insights in formation breaking.”
Hearing this, Niu Ding Tian was immediately delighted.
He had heard back then how Ning Qi had broken Blood Demon Upper Sect’s sect protecting grand formation with one sword, and also heard from Niu Man how Ning Qi had helped them open Hundred Demon Palace in Profound True Secret Realm to obtain spiritual blood.
Even that Wu Dao, rumored to have unparalleled formation way talent, was far inferior to Ning Qi.
So, for their Ox Demon Upper Sect to truly attack Feathered Ascension Upper Sect, they must invite Ning Qi to act.
Without the sect protecting grand formation, Feathered Ascension Upper Sect’s threat would drop far too much; the demons were all excited.
After all, in past battles, the demon race had always used their flesh bodies to withstand formations; they were too unskilled in formation way.
Not long after, the group had already reached the halfway point.
Below was a deep ravine with misty fog flowing, unable to see the conditions inside.
Suddenly, Ning Qi felt an alert in his heart.
As the core controlling the concealment array, he was the first to detect something wrong.
“Careful, there’s something unusual below!”
Everyone hearing this, human and demon coordinated; the formations between them immediately changed, forming a thick and heavy Black Tortoise formation.
As early as in Ox Demon Upper Sect, Ning Qi had enlightened the demons, rehearsing in advance what situations might occur in this battle.
So for the sudden anomaly, with Ning Qi’s one command, the two sects’ forces immediately acted in an orderly manner.
Only to see fog dragons rolling in the deep ravine below.
Like the void had been opened, with space folding, several powerful figures directly flew out from it.
As soon as these figures appeared, they landed in various places in the void, joining hands to form seals, instantly forcing Ning Qi and the others out of the stealth formation.
Ning Qi involuntarily scanned the arrivals—six Body Integration Realm beings had appeared here!
Among them, two were the remaining Body Integration Realm from Feathered Ascension Upper Sect, while the other four, judging by their attire, were not from North and South Regions.
Four in blue robes, among them two ordinary venerables and two top-tier venerables.
Sword Ancestor slightly frowned and said to Ning Qi: “These arrivals are hostile. They should be from Qing Xuan Sect in the neighboring Fuyao Region.”
Ox Demon Upper Sect’s three Body Integration Realm were also stunned.
The situation before them was not right.
Feathered Ascension Upper Sect had actually learned of their plan in advance and invited powerful reinforcements from Fuyao Region.
