Journey to the head

In the 535th year of Jia Shen, in the third month of spring.

In the warm spring breeze, a large airship, covered with thick armor and sharp spikes, soared through the sky. The blue cloud-patterned flag encircling the ship and the dark, thick cannons on the ship were equally eye-catching.

Yunshan Sect - Flying Across the Distant Lands Divine Ship.

Two days ago, this divine vessel left Biluo Peak and Pinghu County, crossed Cangzhou and entered Ningzhou. Now it has arrived at the Ningzhou coast, and the vast and boundless Star Sea is faintly visible on the horizon.

Originally, at the speed of the Zhengyuan Divine Ship, which travels 1,800 li per hour, a day would have been enough. However, the Yunshan Sect is now famous throughout Yuheng, not to mention that in Ningzhou, the Danxia Sect, the Ao Clan, their allies, the Xinghai Sect, and various Nascent Soul sects were extremely enthusiastic and vied to entertain them when they heard that the Yunshan Sect's divine ship was passing through.

Many sect leaders even personally boarded the ship to pay their respects. If it were just some Yunshan disciples passing through, it wouldn't have been such a big deal, but beside the blue flag with cloud patterns, there was also a banner with the character "Wu" hanging on a tall mast.

The eldest disciple of the Yunshan Sect Leader, the closed-door disciple of Jichuan Xuanjun, the one-in-a-million ethereal spiritual root, the ethereal fairy Wu Yan!
With Sect Leader Lu Qian currently in seclusion and refusing visitors, Wu Yan represents the Yunshan Sect.

Therefore, various sects flocked to the event, vying to host banquets. However, this time, the Yunshan Sect was escorting their disciple to the Foundation Establishment stage, and the journey ahead was long and the destination uncertain. The Foundation Establishment opportunity would only last for twenty-one days, and they couldn't waste time here. Therefore, Wu Yan politely declined most of the invitations from the sects.

Only the Ao clan's hospitality was truly hard to refuse. The Ao clan patriarch, Hongze Jun Ao Fang, personally stopped the ship in front of it. Due to her relationship with her master, Jichuan Xuanjun, Wu Yan really couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to accept the Ao clan's invitation and rest for a while at the Ao clan's territory in Bailu County.

The Flying Expeditionary Divine Ship landed under the guidance of the Ao Clan cultivators. Ao Fang and Wu Yan walked forward side by side, and the Ao Clan disciples lined the road to welcome them. Their curious and admiring gazes were not only fixed on Wu Yan, but also on another Nascent Soul cultivator from Yunshan who was a step behind her.

Towards the void.

"Since the Ao Clan was cured of the bloodline corpse poison, it has flourished in Bailu County and is now full of talented people and is thriving." Wu Yan looked around at the gathered Ao Clan disciples and was quite happy. "If Master could see this, he would be very pleased."

The master she was referring to at this moment was naturally Jichuan Xuanjun.

Thinking of the great kindness shown to the Yunshan Sect, Ao Fang was naturally filled with gratitude.

Recalling fifteen years ago, when the Yunshan Sect sent Ao Ting, the Mysterious Lord of Jichuan, many cultivation insights, including the latest version of the "Supreme Primordial Spirit Sea-Suppressing Mysterious Technique," as well as the legendary story of how the Mysterious Lord of Jichuan was resurrected by Lu Qian's supernatural powers and suppressed demons with a flick of his wrist, Ao Fang felt as if he were dreaming.

Unfortunately, this ancestor, whom the Ao clan was most proud of, never returned to see them again.

Ao Fang was deeply moved: "Not to mention the kindness of the Yunshan Sect in the past, which was as vast as mountains and seas, in the past fifteen years, the Yunshan Sect has erected a monument, a statue, and a biography for Jichuan Xuanjun, and has enshrined Xuanjun as one of the sources of the Yunshan Sect's lineage, worshipping him together with the Yunshan Ancestor. This has allowed Xuanjun to clear his name and his heroic deeds to be known far and wide. It has also restored the identity of my Ao clan, allowing us to stand openly and proudly in Ningzhou."

"After ten thousand years of calamities, the clouds have finally parted and the moon is shining. Heaven has bestowed upon us an ally like the Yunshan Sect, which makes my Ao clan both fortunate and proud."

Wu Yan smiled and said, "My sect is from the Jichuan lineage, and the Ao family is related to my master by blood. We are naturally as close as family, so there is no need to be too polite. With the current strength of the Ao family, we will soon be able to expand our territory."

Moreover, this clan chief of the Ao clan has become increasingly mature, and his words and actions are no longer as immature as they were back then. He is now a qualified leader.

Ao Fang also laughed: "Speaking of this, it's probably impossible in the short term. Currently, the Yunshan Sect's six Nascent Soul cultivators are renowned far and wide, and there are also a batch of Nascent Soul seeds growing up. Neighboring sects are all vying to befriend Yunshan."

"Yuheng's integrity is renowned throughout the world. Everyone is certain that a gentleman would not wage war without cause. There is no deep-seated hatred between us. As long as we take the initiative to show goodwill and apologize to the Yunshan Sect, any past grievances can be forgiven."

Fifteen years ago, after the Danxia Sect and the Ao Clan joined forces to launch a war of territorial expansion, the various sects in Ningzhou were roughly divided into three camps: one side supported the Danxia Sect, one side supported the Xingyuan Palace, and the other side remained neutral.

After the chaos of the Hundred Races, the Yunshan Sect not only became famous throughout the world and was recognized as highly valued by the Taiyi Paradise, but also began to grow stronger at an alarming rate. Within fifteen years, it added two Nascent Soul cultivators, and a large number of Golden Core cultivators were undergoing a leap in cultivation under the nourishment of Innate Spirit Pills.

Considering that the Yunshan Sect was a staunch ally of the Danxia Sect and the Ao Clan, even though the Xinghai Sect's Wuliang Xuanjun was in charge of Ningzhou, theoretically the Yunshan Sect could not interfere in Ningzhou's internal affairs. The Xingyuan Palace faction felt completely insecure and had no confidence in defeating the Danxia and Ao Clan, so their camp gradually became divided.

When one of the sects' Nascent Soul cultivators went directly to Biluo Peak with generous gifts to pay respects to Lu Qian and ask for forgiveness, and was accepted by Lu Qian, this faction immediately disintegrated. They no longer tried to fight against Danxia, ​​but instead sought peaceful coexistence with Yunshan, Danxia, ​​and the Ao Clan.

“Apart from Xingyuan Palace being explicitly rejected by Sect Leader Lu, all other sects have established friendly relations with Yunshan Sect. In addition, Xingyuan Palace only has one prefecture left, which is also protected by Wuliang Xuanjun. Even if we want to expand our territory, we don’t have a suitable target.”

The rise of the Yunshan Sect has actually promoted peace in Ningzhou. Wuliang Xuanjun was both amused and exasperated, unsure whether to thank Lu Qian or protest against the influence projected by the Yunshan Sect.

Now, the Yunshan Sect's every move profoundly affects Cangzhou, Ningzhou, and Qingzhou, which makes Wu Yan very proud.

She responded, "Perhaps Danxia and the Ao family should seek their expansion plans from other states."

Ao Fang nodded, then slowed down slightly and gestured for Xiang Kong to proceed.

"Fellow Daoist Xiang Kong, I have long heard of the great name of the 'Four Precepts Vajra,' which is as loud as thunder in my ears. It is a pity that I have missed the opportunity to meet him before. Today, I am finally able to meet him. Although time is short, please have a cup of wine with me so that I can show my hospitality."

He turned the jade prayer beads in the air and said, "Immeasurable Holy Master, all fame is illusory. I only wish that all beings could understand more about my teachings. It is a pity that I have never drunk alcohol. Thank you for your kindness, Chief Ao."

Ao Fang exclaimed in admiration, "Everyone knows that you are low-key. Even when you achieved the Nascent Soul stage three years ago, you did not announce it to the world or hold a grand ceremony. If I hadn't gone to Biluo Peak last year to attend Fellow Daoist Yu Jiao's Nascent Soul stage ceremony, I wouldn't have known that the Yunshan Sect had added two new Nascent Soul Spirit Lords."

"I wanted to visit you then, but you were out preaching, so I missed you," Ao Fang asked curiously. "To my shame, I didn't even know your Daoist name?"

Xiang Kong clasped his hands together and said, "Actually, the name Xiang Kong is my Taoist name. All the names people have in the world are just labels, and there's no need to care about them."

The group was talking in front, followed by four Golden Core cultivators from the Ao clan and two Golden Core cultivators from the Yunshan sect.

Late-stage Golden Core cultivator, Wang Ruoyu, the Unbreakable True Man, and mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, Cui Linglong, the Fairy of the Pure Spirit.

Ao Shi Jin Dan was filled with envy upon seeing the two. More than a decade ago, Wang Ruoyu was still somewhat far from the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, and Cui Linglong had just passed through the Heavenly Tribulation to achieve the Golden Core realm. However, in the blink of an eye, their cultivation had made a leap forward, and "rapid" was not even an adequate description.

The Yunshan Sect obtained these wondrous innate elixirs, the Dragon Gate Golden Elixir and the One Yuan Pure Qi Elixir, from the Peaceful Gathering at the Taiyi Paradise. Unfortunately, they were keeping them for their own use, and even with such close ties to the Ao Clan, they couldn't sell them. Thinking back, during the chaos of the Hundred Clans, if the Ao Clan hadn't chosen to guard their sect and preserve their strength, but instead joined the Yunshan Sect's attack, they might have earned a considerable amount of points to exchange for these elixirs.

Just like the various sects in Cangzhou that followed the Yunshan Sect in their northern expedition to exterminate demons, although they suffered some losses, they all obtained many spiritual treasures from the exchange envoys sent by Taiyi Paradise after the war ended. They have flourished in the past fifteen years, which is truly enviable.

The group entered the Ao clan's territory. Ao Fang warmly welcomed them and ordered a banquet to be held, but Wu Yan firmly declined. She then ordered all the other disciples to stay on the divine ship and wait for orders. After a short rest, they set off to continue their journey.

The two sides chatted about the current situation and discussed the Water Element Secret Technique inherited from Jichuan Xuanjun. While they were having a pleasant conversation, a member of the Ao clan rushed over to report something.

"Ao Zhuang and the distinguished guest are fighting!"

The distinguished guest he was referring to was naturally a disciple of Yunshan.

Ao Fang was startled: "How dare this brat be so rude?"

Everyone stood up and hurriedly left the hall. When they arrived at the large training ground of the Ao clan's territory, they realized that what the young man had said earlier was inaccurate. It was not a malicious fight, but a martial arts exchange.

On the vast field stood a shapely woman, around twenty years old, with a beautiful and refined appearance. She wore fish-scale armor, held two magical whips, and had shoulder-length short hair, a rarity among female cultivators, which made her appear even more heroic and dashing.

At this moment, she swung her whips, creating a turbulent torrent and a huge whirlpool that swallowed the screeching Binghuo Divine Crow that was rushing towards her. In an instant, there was a loud bang as water and fire clashed, steam spread, and thick white mist pushed across the field.

Just as Ao Zhuang was about to charge forward, she suddenly frowned and stopped in her tracks. She sensed another mist rising out of nowhere, pushing and shoving against her "Mist Concealment and Sprinkling" technique, neither giving way to the other.

Watching from the sidelines, Wu Yan observed that the Foundation Establishment level battle was completely transparent. After a moment's thought, she nodded and smiled, "Ao Zhuang's secret technique amplified her power so much. It wouldn't be this much just from successfully establishing her foundation. Has she awakened the Fuxi bloodline?"

After the bloodline corpse poison of the Ao clan was cured, not only were the lifespan constraints removed, but the awakening rate of the Fuxi bloodline also increased significantly!

It was only then that Ao Fang learned that the corpse poison had suppressed the bloodline of the Fuxi, making it extremely rare for anyone to successfully awaken their bloodline—only one in ten thousand, appearing only once every few generations. Now that the corpse poison had been cured, the percentage of those who had awakened their bloodline had increased to one percent.

As the Ao clan prospers and its population grows, this one percent chance of awakening will bring the Ao clan a large number of elite cultivators!

So this was the true foundation and the basis of the once-powerful Ao clan, which served as the right and left hands of Fuxi more than 10,000 years ago.

The woman before them, Ao Zhuang, possesses the talent of having two spiritual roots, making her an outstanding figure among the current bloodline awakeners in the clan. She is a rising star of the Ao clan.

Ao Fang was quite helpless: "She awakened her bloodline not long after successfully establishing her foundation, which ranks among the top in our clan's history. But this girl is so wild, she doesn't act like a proper young lady at all."

"I never expected her to take this opportunity to challenge me. It seems she's been unwilling to accept defeat after losing a few times before. But now, with only Foundation Establishment cultivation, she's challenging Qi Refining cultivators. What kind of spectacle is that? I'm sure your sect will find it laughable."

Wu Yan smiled and shook her head: "Junior brother and she are about the same age, and they can be considered childhood sweethearts. Over the years, our disciples have had extensive exchanges and cooperation, and the two of them always have a sparring session whenever they meet. Now that she has taken the lead in reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, junior brother is under a lot of pressure."

"Isn't the Yunshan Sect currently escorting him to Foundation Establishment? With his talent, he's bound to succeed. What pressure is there? Besides, even if he hasn't established his foundation yet, Ao Zhuang might not win." Ao Fang sincerely exclaimed, "Sect Leader Lu has chosen a good disciple."

Just then, a sharp whistling sound was heard, and a golden light soared up from the mist. With a flap of its wings, a whooshing sound and a sudden gust of wind arose, which simultaneously scattered the "Mist Concealed Scattered Gravel" and "Sky-Piercing Spirit Mist" that were fighting against each other.

Having done all this, the young Golden-Winged Roc, a savage creature with five toes on its claws, a crest on its head, and golden wings, simply circled in the sky and stopped attacking, instead watching the spectacle from above.

Ao Zhuang swung her double whips, causing the turbid waves to roar and surge. She nodded to the young man at the other end of the training ground.

"It seems you haven't succeeded in subduing it yet, Li Sheng."

Li Sheng, whose appearance was frozen at the age of twenty, held an array diagram in his palm. Several spirit crystals burned fiercely on the array diagram, and a huge amount of spiritual energy was poured into it. The five elements array base of metal, wood, water, fire and earth was spinning rapidly in the field.

Although he had grown much taller, he was still pale and thin. His lead-gray eyes, like cold, tempered iron, glanced at the golden-winged eagle frolicking in the sky and spoke calmly.

"Beasts fear power but do not appreciate virtue, so there's no need to waste energy now. Once I've successfully established my foundation, I can easily suppress it. It's not too late to teach it manners then."

As soon as he finished speaking, without changing his expression, a weak water erosion stream swirled around him, blocking the explosive spray beads that Ao Zhuang had secretly activated as the fog dissipated. Then, with a wave of his hand, a ball of Gui water divine lightning condensed and shot towards Ao Zhuang amidst a buzzing sound.

At the same time, the sound of chains rang out, and the twelve Earthly Branches Xin Metal Divine Locks, like giant pythons writhing, coiled around Ao Zhuang.

Ao Zhuang snorted. Although Li Sheng's methods were within her expectations, she still found him extremely troublesome.

Array cultivators, especially those with ample energy supply and the ability to detect hidden information, are truly troublesome.

No wonder he was defeated in every challenge before he successfully established his foundation. Moreover, after Li Sheng was able to successfully manipulate the three transformations of the Five Elements Grand Array, he was completely outmatched.

It is said that his increase in spiritual awareness is somewhat weaker than that of Tian Yuanzi and Wanfa Zhenren. Legend has it that Tian Yuanzi was already able to defeat cultivators in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage when he reached the peak of Qi Refining.

Geniuses are indeed difficult to fathom.

Li Sheng has now reached the peak of Qi Refining, and his spiritual strength has just reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

But today, I have completed my foundation building and awakened the bloodline of the Fuxi!
Thinking of this, Ao Zhuang raised her double whips, and the water-ripple-shaped Dao patterns were activated.

Ha, genius, me too! (End of Chapter)