Chapter 127: Ninth In The Daoist Sects, Used As A Tool?
Ning Qi currently had no concept of the Martial Saint Realm.
Records of Martial Saints in the various classics were truly few and far between, with the scant bits of information being ambiguous, leaving Ning Qi unable to gauge the strength of a Martial Saint.
It was not like the Heavenly Human Realm.
Even though he had never seen the top three experts on the Heavenly Human Ranking, he at least had a rough range in mind.
After all, the limit for an ordinary Heavenly Human Realm cultivator was right there.
Three Flowers of Essence, Qi, and Spirit at Perfection, then mastering some Martial Arts Secret Techniques—no matter how defying heaven, it could not go beyond that.
“To be conservative, I should walk some distance in the Heavenly Human Realm first before considering a battle with a Martial Saint.”
Shaking his head, Ning Qi felt he was thinking a bit too far ahead.
At the very least, there was no need to worry too much about the existence of Martial Saints now—hadn’t the Great Yan Martial Saint appeared only once in a century? As long as no Martial Saint emerged, with his current strength, he was basically invincible.
He continued sensing his fleshly body. After reaching the Core Elixir Realm, the backlash once again elevated his fleshly body to a new level.
Ordinary Core Elixir Realm cultivators would also experience this backlash at this stage, but their backlash effects were actually mediocre at best, merely sufficient to bear power, with the vast majority of their combat power coming from Gang Qi.
But Ning Qi was different. The surging Gang Yuan allowed his fleshly body to successively break through limits, reaching an inconceivable level—even the Buddhist Sect’s Vajra specialists who focused on the Essence Flower could not compare to him.
He casually clenched his fist, and even without mobilizing Gang Qi, he felt as if he could blast apart a great mountain.
The amplification of the fleshly body was not merely an enhancement of strength.
It was also a thickening of the human body’s foundation and a flourishing of vitality.
Ning Qi could feel his lifespan extending once more, perhaps already surpassing a millennium, and not just by a little—this was a height even the Heavenly Human Realm struggled to reach.
The most direct manifestation.
Was that his comprehension had once again soared, reaching the limit of his current life intensity.
“This feeling is truly exhilarating!”
Ning Qi exclaimed sincerely.
The boost in combat power was merely incidental; what truly fascinated him was the successive leaps of life itself—that sense of exhilaration and fulfillment surpassed anything else.
“Next, I should focus on refining the ‘Divine Forging Method’ further. This is content from the Myriad Phenomena Secret Record. I previously thought it perfect, but now I feel there’s still room for improvement—step by step integrating the ‘spirit’ into the Core Elixir to truly control the power of Heaven and Earth.”
Anticipation gleamed in his eyes.
Although he was now borrowing Unity of Heaven and Man and the False Core Unification Technique along with various other secret techniques to preemptively glimpse the power of Heaven and Earth, it was ultimately through mediators, separated by a layer, always feeling like scratching an itch through a boot.
Only when he truly stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm could he clearly touch the essence of the power of Heaven and Earth, conduct some previous experiments and hypotheses. Regarding the Martial Saint Realm, he already had some ideas, just waiting for verification.
“There’s also Tian Sheng’s bloodline and Little Ten’s Innate Sword Bone. If I step into the Heavenly Human Realm, perhaps I can attempt deeper exploration.”
Ning Qi’s lips curved slightly as he slowly closed his eyes, continuing to comprehend beside the Enlightenment Tea Tree.
…
Time passed leisurely.
News from Luo Wentian in Dao State came back: everything was proceeding smoothly, even unbelievably so.
Evidently.
The True Martial Sect congregation had far underestimated the influence brought by a Heavenly Sword True Person.
Rumors held that Heavenly Sword True Person possessed strength in the top twenty of the Heavenly Human Ranking—what did that mean?
Even accounting for the Daoist Sect’s hidden foundation, this placed him among the top five among Daoist Sect experts, and on the surface, even top three!
After all, among the top twenty on the Heavenly Human Ranking, the Great Yan Dynasty already occupied about thirty percent, leaving scant spots for the other Martial Arts Sects. The Daoist Sect had only two publicly known experts in the top twenty of the Heavenly Human Ranking.
Under such circumstances.
The weight of a single Heavenly Sword True Person was naturally sufficient.
Even if Heavenly Sword True Person had little lifespan left, he still had several decades—at least enough to secure a top-tier Daoist Sect’s position during that time.
Coupled with the backing of the True Profound Sect.
The True Martial Sect was directly ranked as the ninth Daoist Sect in the world, entering the sequence of the world’s top-tier Daoist Sects. Moreover, Luo Wentian mentioned that if not for considering the True Martial Sect’s short founding history and shallow mid-layer foundation, it might even advance two more spots.
But even so, it was already quite satisfying.
In the letter, Luo Wentian quietly mentioned that Dragon Mountain Daoist was overjoyed, even uncharacteristically pulling him to drink wine. Ning Qi could not help but smile faintly.
He deeply understood his master’s long-cherished wish.
This was merely a beginning. In the future, the True Martial Sect becoming the world’s number one Daoist Sect, or even the world’s number one Martial Arts Sect, was only a matter of time.
Ning Qi was also very pleased.
Being ranked ninth among the world’s Daoist Sects was not just a matter of face.
It came with tangible benefits.
First, the Daoist Scriptures.
As fellow Daoist Sects.
The top nine top-tier Daoist Sects in the world would share portions of their Daoist Scriptures. Though lacking some rare books and secret collections, the sheer volume was overwhelming, sufficient to greatly enrich the True Martial Sect’s Scripture Depository foundation. Plus, the Daoist Scriptures copied by King Zhenbei had already arrived, so Ning Qi estimated he would not worry about lacking Daoist Scriptures to read during his Heavenly Human Realm stage.
His speed in perusing Daoist Scriptures was increasing ever faster.
One reason was his comprehension steadily rising, and the other was his foundation growing ever deeper. For Daoist Scriptures with somewhat superficial insights, he could quickly glimpse their essence and make it his own.
Secondly, the exchange of insights among top-tier Daoist Sects.
If encountering any trouble, the other top-tier Daoist Sects would not stand idly by—it was like a mutual defense alliance, sufficiently elevating the True Martial Sect’s safety margin once more.
Of course, the reason the other Daoist Sects allowed the True Martial Sect to so smoothly enter the top-tier Daoist Sect sequence was precisely this—the sense of security provided by a Heavenly Sword True Person was too strong, even if just as a deterrent, it was a huge profit.
Ning Qi was naturally aware of this.
But it did not matter.
At the present stage, such a deal was even more worthwhile for the True Martial Sect.
Beyond Luo Wentian’s smooth journey in Dao State, True Martial Mountain was also thriving vigorously. Under Xiong Shi and the many new Elders’ joint efforts, True Martial Mountain had undergone a great transformation, with one pavilion after another rising from the ground, gradually spreading toward various positions on True Martial Mountain’s waist.
The disciples too had exchanged various Martial Arts from the Scripture Depository and begun diligent training, merely awaiting a suitable opportunity to shine brilliantly.
In addition.
News that the True Martial Sect would broadly recruit disciples next month had thoroughly spread, with many people looking forward to it, having already arrived early in True Martial City—mostly Swordsmen or Martial Artists aspiring to the Sword Dao in the future.
The allure of the True Martial Sword Stele was simply too great.
They had heard that due to too many people comprehending the True Martial Sword Stele, the True Martial Sect’s new Sect Leader Luo Wentian planned to further control the time and number of people comprehending the Sword Stele, even possibly setting certain standards.
Under such circumstances, naturally joining the True Martial Sect was best—the principle of proximity to the water getting the moon first was understood by all.
Xiong Shi and the others felt both joy and worry about this.
The higher the enthusiasm, the better, increasing the chances of recruiting prodigies and elites, but it also raised the probability of recruiting those with crooked hearts or ill intentions—especially since many were coming for the True Martial Sword Stele and the Scripture Depository’s Martial Arts, making it even more so.
Regarding this.
They had already considered some selection methods, but still felt them insufficiently secure.
After learning of this, Ning Qi gradually formed an idea in his mind.
…
While the True Martial Sect was bustling with activity.
Baizhou.
This was the place in Great Yan closest to the Hundred Thousand Mountains, with continuous great mountains within the state borders. Many state folk relied on the mountains for livelihood, skilled in hunting, thus fostering fierce folk customs and producing Martial Artists in abundance.
Atop a perilous mountain peak, surprisingly stood several luxurious palaces.
This was a stronghold of the Demonic Sect.
Qin Yun and Ghost Mask and the others had long been waiting here.
Today was the day to sit down for peace talks with the Southern Border Alliance.
Of course, if the talks went poorly, there might be a great battle, so the several Demonic Sect experts had not relaxed.
Ghost Mask secretly telepathically communicated with Qin Yun, chuckling:
“Rumor has it the Southern Border Saintess is an absolute beauty unmatched in a millennium, with exceptional Martial Dao talent too. You’re not bad-looking yourself, lad—if you can take her down, your Holy Son position will have no doubts, and even the Sacred Sect Sect Master position in the future will inevitably be yours!”
Qin Yun was speechless.
He found that his Vice Sect Master really liked playing matchmaker—previously urging him to take down Vice Sect Master Lin Xueshuang’s daughter Lin Ruhua, and now the Southern Border Saintess. Did he really think he was universally loved?
Speaking of Lin Ruhua, he felt somewhat depressed.
Only after seriously investigating her intelligence did he discover that this Vice Sect Master’s daughter had always been erratic in whereabouts, frequently vanishing for months or even over half a year, no one knowing what she was doing.
There were rumors within the Demonic Sect that she was off rendezvousing with a lover—someone had once seen this Vice Sect Master’s daughter fondling a Mandarin Duck Jade Pendant, her eyes full of affection.
So it was to make him steal another’s love?
But ten days ago, in their brief meeting, Lin Ruhua’s disdainful gaze still left him puzzled.
Even if she looked down on him, was that gaze necessary?
Shaking his head to dismiss the distractions, Qin Yun turned to the main matter:
“Vice Sect Master, don’t joke. The Southern Border Saintess is the future pillar of the Southern Border Alliance—how could she marry an outsider.”
“Today’s peace talks are mainly to clarify the mastermind behind the scenes. Otherwise, if we and the Southern Border Alliance fight to the death, wouldn’t it just benefit others?”
Ghost Mask’s expression sharpened, sneering:
“The Southern Border Alliance thought they acted secretly, but we uncovered the Blood King Gu cultivation matter. If we can find out, naturally others can too.”
Qin Yun’s eyes narrowed:
“You mean… the Great Yan Dynasty?”
The telepathic message had just ended.
Everyone looked toward the distant void. That undisguised fluctuation made them secretly raise their vigilance.
Only to see a massive centipede with a thousand legs flying through the sky, its speed faster than most Heavenly Human Realm void traversal flights. Several figures with powerful auras stood atop it, led by a woman veiled in black gauze, her waist slender as a willow, her eyes carrying coldness and indifference.
Behind her followed Snake Granny and two other Elders.
Qin Yun’s eyes narrowed slightly, sensing a thread of threatening aura from this Southern Border Saintess.
The flying centipede landed on the mountain peak. Ghost Mask’s eyes flashed as he laughed and went forward to greet:
“I’ve long heard the Southern Border Saintess is a peerless prodigy unseen in a millennium. Seeing you today, the rumors are true.”
The Southern Border Saintess’s gaze lingered an instant on Qin Yun’s white hair, seemingly slightly astonished, then turned to Ghost Mask:
“Southern Border’s Nan Xian cannot bear such praise from the Vice Sect Master. Your esteemed sect likewise produces talents in droves—small wonder it has entangled with Great Yan for a millennium.”
The two mutually flattered.
No trace of tension was apparent.
Yet the numerous experts behind both showed cold solemnity. Everyone knew this was mere facade—if no agreement was reached, a great battle might erupt.
“Please!” Ghost Mask chuckled lightly.
The Southern Border Saintess stepped into the grand hall without changing expression.
“What bold demeanor!”
Hearing Ghost Mask’s praise, the Southern Border Saintess said indifferently:
“I’ve come today only to resolve the conflict between Southern Border and the Demonic Sect—let’s get straight to the point.”
“It’s the Sacred Sect!” Ghost Mask emphasized.
The Southern Border Saintess neither affirmed nor denied, unwilling to waste time on this.
Qin Yun stepped forward, calmly saying:
“Since it’s to resolve the issue, surely the Saintess has come with sincerity. In the recent half-year-plus, your Southern Border Alliance experts have repeatedly attacked our Sacred Sect, with seven minor strongholds assaulted, two branch divisions hit, causing two of our Sacred Sect Heavenly Human Elders to perish, four injured, and numerous Gang Yuan and Inner Yuan Martial Artists fallen or wounded. How do you plan to compensate?”
His words ended.
Killing intent surged from the Demonic Sect congregation.
The Southern Border Saintess remained unmoved.
Snake Granny sneered:
“You Demonic Sect the only ones with losses? Our Southern Border has suffered massively too—fully four Heavenly Human Elders perished, three injured, and fallen Gang Yuan Martial Artists far more than yours. So how do you plan to compensate?”
The two sides’ argument intensified, conflict escalating ceaselessly, gradually spiraling out of control—this was precisely why both wanted to sit for talks; continuing the fight brought no benefits.
Qin Yun was about to speak.
But Ghost Mask frowned:
“Wait! When did our Sacred Sect kill four of your Southern Border Heavenly Human Elders? Wasn’t it only two?”
The Southern Border Saintess’s gaze flashed:
“Regarding the annihilation of our Southern Border stronghold in Qingzhou, do you intend to deny it? Our Southern Border’s Fat and Thin Elders, along with dozens of Gang Yuan Realm Martial Artists, were all brutally slain, bodies utterly gone. Do you claim it wasn’t your Demonic Sect?”
Snake Granny behind her could not help but narrow her eyes.
They had speculated on the way here, and from the Demonic Sect congregation’s reaction now, it seemed their speculation was true—but naturally, they could not yield in momentum at this moment.
Ghost Mask stood up, resolutely declaring:
“Our Sacred Sect acts openly and upright, but why pin uncommitted matters on our Sacred Sect’s head?”
The Southern Border Saintess said nothing.
Snake Granny behind her understood. She communed with the blue Exotic Snake around her neck, then once more simulated the green poisonous mist power. She said coldly:
“Dare you say this isn’t your Demonic Sect Elder’s signature unique skill? The Qingzhou stronghold was precisely destroyed by this power!”
The Demonic Sect congregation all shuddered.
They were naturally familiar with this power—it was Elder Wang’s signature unique skill, yet used by this old woman?
Ghost Mask’s gaze grew heavier:
“This is indeed a unique skill of one of our Sacred Sect Elders, but—”
He stared into the Southern Border Saintess’s eyes, exhaling deeply:
“He has already perished.”
For a moment.
The grand hall fell silent. Everyone was intelligent and knew what this meant.
They had all been used as guns by someone.
