Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Jin Luoheng turned to look outside the hall, gazing at the horizon, and smiled, "Palace Master Long, please be patient, my disciple will be here shortly."

Long Pokong nodded and remained silent, and the hall fell silent once more.

After another hour, Chen Yuan still hadn't shown up. The people in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment, and the atmosphere gradually became restless.

Li Quehan secretly observed the Lingyun Sect cultivators, only to find that they were all calm and composed, seemingly unconcerned.

Long Pokong frowned slightly, then clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Jin Luoheng, asking, "May I ask, Fellow Daoist Jin, when will Senior Chen arrive?"

Jin Luoheng said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Long, please be patient. My disciple will be here shortly."

A hint of displeasure flashed in Long Pokong's eyes, but he did not press the matter further.

Upon seeing this, Li Quehan couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Everyone knows that Long Pokong is violent, arrogant, and intolerant of the slightest disobedience.

Only a Nascent Soul cultivator could make him so restrained, not daring to show the slightest anger, and could only sit and wait in the hall.

Another hour passed, the sun began to set, and dusk fell. A ray of sunlight shone into the main hall, landing not far in front of Luo Jin and Luo Heng.

Chen Yuan still did not appear, and Jin Luoheng made no statement either. He simply sat still with the other Lingyun Sect elders, closing his eyes to rest.

Long Pokong kept turning his head to look outside the hall, his expression quite gloomy, clearly extremely impatient.

Li Quehan had no doubt that if it weren't for Chen Yuan's Nascent Soul Ceremony today, anyone else would not have let Long Pokong wait for so long.

Dao Xuan, who had been silent since entering the main hall, suddenly bowed to Jin Luoheng and slowly asked, "May I ask, Fellow Daoist Jin, when will Senior Chen arrive?"

"If the ceremony is postponed, please let me know, fellow Daoist. I will return to my residence and wait."

Long Pokong was already finding it hard to bear, and when he saw Dao Xuan ask the question, he immediately chimed in, "That's right, Senior Chen can destroy a sect with a single word and has the ability to change the world. We admire him greatly."

"But if Senior Chen has no intention of holding a ceremony today, why make us wait here in vain?"

"It's getting late, Fellow Daoist Jin, please give us a definite answer: when exactly will Senior Chen arrive?"

Everyone looked at Jin Luoheng with inquiring eyes.

In the past two weeks, Wu Zexian, Wei Cifeng, Zhuge Qi, and Bai Yanji personally visited them, delivering invitations to attend the Transformation Ceremony.

When the sect leaders of these medium-sized sects learned that Chen Yuan had achieved the Nascent Soul stage and destroyed the Blood Spirit Sect, how could they not be afraid? Naturally, they dared not be absent, nor did they want to be.

Anyway, their sect is weak, so even if the Lingyun Sect expands in a big way, the four major Xuan Sects and the four major Demonic Sects will be the first to suffer.

Chen Yuan will preach to cultivators from various sects for three days during the Nascent Soul Ceremony.

This is the first time in tens of thousands of years that a Nascent Soul cultivator has preached in Donghua Continent; it is absolutely not to be missed.

With high hopes, everyone arrived in this desolate Gobi Desert and witnessed Chen Yuan's earth-shaking power, which filled them with even greater awe.

But no one expected that Chen Yuan would make them wait in the main hall for several hours without showing up, which inevitably caused dissatisfaction.

Even if Chen Yuan is a Nascent Soul cultivator, high and mighty, why does he invite everyone to his Nascent Soul Ceremony but not attend himself?
Thinking of how Chen Yuan had just achieved the Nascent Soul stage and then wiped out the entire Blood Spirit Sect, a chill ran down his spine.

Could it be that this Senior Chen has already regarded them all as lambs to the slaughter, and therefore does not take them seriously at all?
The crowd was in turmoil, their expressions shifting as they stared intently at Jin Luoheng.

But no one dared to ask any more questions. Tianxuan Sect was the leader of the righteous path, and Moyuan Palace was the number one demonic sect. Daoxuan and Long Pokong dared to question Chen Yuan's actions, but no one else had the courage.

Jin Luoheng remained unmoved by their questioning, and simply smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoists, please be patient. My disciple has left the sect for some business, but he said he would return today and would not miss the Nascent Soul Ceremony. Please wait patiently for a little longer."

Long Pokong's face darkened: "So, Senior Chen isn't even in the sect? Then why hold the Nascent Soul Ceremony and invite us here?"

The Lingyun Sect cultivators all turned cold upon seeing his appearance, except for Jin Luoheng and Jing Shuhan, who remained as usual.

Jin Luoheng said calmly, "If Palace Master Long is impatient to wait, you may leave first."

"However, when my disciple returned later and asked why Palace Master Long did not participate in the Nascent Soul Hall, I could only tell him the truth."

Long Pokong's expression changed slightly, and he immediately changed his words: "Fellow Daoist Jin is too kind. I only admire Senior Chen's divine power and wanted to present him with a congratulatory gift in person. I was a little eager and had no other intentions."

Jin Luoheng ignored him and slowly scanned the room: "Any fellow Daoists who do not wish to participate in my disciple's Nascent Soul Ceremony, please leave as well. I will not stop you."

Everyone shook their heads. Seeing this, Li Quehan lowered his head slightly and sighed inwardly.

Jin Luoheng, a mere sect leader of the Lingyun Sect and a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, dared to show no mercy to Long Pokong, who had killed countless people.

It is truly a case of "when one attains enlightenment, even one's chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

Just then, a calm voice reached everyone's ears: "I, Chen, am a step late, and I apologize for keeping you all waiting."

Li Quehan was startled and immediately looked up at the entrance of the main hall, but he did not see Chen Yuan's figure.

Everyone turned to look, and the setting sun shone into the hall, leaving behind a brilliant golden light and shadow, but there was no sign of the Nascent Soul cultivator.

Jin Luoheng stood up and walked out of the main hall, smiling as he said, "My little disciple has returned. Please, fellow Daoists, come with me to welcome him."

Jing Shuhan, Wu Zexian, and other Lingyun Sect cultivators followed closely behind. Seeing this, everyone else had no choice but to get up and follow them out.

Li Quehan frowned, stood up and walked with the elder of Zhiyuan Sect, with cultivators from the other three major Xuanzong sects beside him, to show that the four major Xuanzong sects would advance and retreat together.

Dao Xuan, Chu Xiao, and Wei Tingyun all had gloomy expressions, as did Long Pokong, Hong Chen, Fairy Chaolu, and Gu Bieren on the other side.

Since Chen Yuan has returned to the sect, he does not come directly to the main hall to hold a ceremony. Instead, he asks everyone to come out and greet him. This shows that he does not take them seriously at all and treats them as disciples, ordering them around at will.

Even a clay figure has some temper, let alone a great cultivator who roams the world of cultivation.

The group exchanged glances, all seeing resentment in each other's eyes, but dared not show it.

The blood of all the cultivators in the Blood Spirit Sect served as a constant reminder that this Senior Chen was an absolute killing god, even more ruthless and cruel than the demonic cultivators.

No matter how strong Chen Yuan was, his rude treatment of everyone still made them very dissatisfied. Even if they didn't say it on the surface, they were far from being truly convinced.

The group walked out of the main hall, but Chen Yuan was still nowhere to be seen.

The Lingyun Sect disciples who were repairing the broken terrain had all dispersed, and there wasn't a single one left.

Li Quehan frowned even more. It was one thing for this Senior Chen to ask everyone to go out and greet him, but did he expect them to wait outside the hall?
Chen Yuan's behavior made Long Pokong, Dao Xuan, and the others look even uglier.

However, with Chen Yuan about to arrive, no one dared to speak rashly. They could only stand outside the hall and wait silently, like junior Qi Refining cultivators in a marketplace who were only responsible for welcoming guests.

The crowd waited for a full quarter of an hour until the sun slowly set behind the mountains, leaving only a lingering glow, and the sky gradually darkened.

Feeling utterly bored, Li Quehan looked up towards the north, then suddenly his expression changed, and he exclaimed, "What is that?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked in the direction of the voice and their expressions changed.

A giant dragon appeared on the horizon, flying over the towering ring of mountains and heading this way. It wasn't moving fast, but its momentum was astonishing, almost obscuring the entire sky.

Since everyone was inside the Lingyun Sect's mountain gate, they couldn't freely use their divine senses and thus failed to discover the object.

As the dragon drew nearer, they could barely make out that it was a stone dragon, about a thousand feet long, made entirely of rock, and bright yellow in color.

The dragon's claws and whiskers were also made of rock, lifelike, and its body was covered with rough stone scales, covered with a layer of lustrous grayish-white light.

Everyone looked puzzled. What kind of monster was this?
Li Quehan slowly opened his eyes wide: "Could this be a ley line?"

The crowd's expressions changed. They were all Nascent Soul cultivators, and most of them had seen what a ley line looked like. After Li Quehan's reminder, they realized that it made sense; this seemed to be a ley line.

But Long Pokong shook his head: "Absolutely impossible! Earth veins are like dragons. If it were truly an earth vein, with four claws and dragon scales all over its body, lifelike, it would be a large spiritual vein. How could it only be a thousand feet long?"

Everyone frowned again. Dao Xuan looked at Jin Luoheng, clasped his hands in a bow, and asked, "May I ask, Fellow Daoist Jin, what is this?"

Only then did everyone realize that Jin Luoheng remained calm and composed after the stone dragon appeared, as if he had expected it and knew the inside story. They all turned to look at him.

Jin Luoheng smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoists, please do not be alarmed. This is my little disciple returning."

Everyone stared wide-eyed and then turned to look at the stone dragon.

Li Quehan had been staring intently at Shi Long from beginning to end, two points of purple light flashing in his eyes. At this moment, his expression changed again: "It really is Senior Chen!"

Everyone was puzzled. Those who possessed the supernatural power of spiritual vision demonstrated it, and like Li Quehan, they all showed expressions of surprise.

As the stone dragon drew nearer, the others finally saw clearly that beneath its thousand-foot-tall body, a person was supporting the stone dragon with both hands, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, flying towards them.

This person has wings on his back, white hair that flutters in the wind, and silver eyes with no pupils, and is extremely cold.

Many of those present had participated in the Demon Realm War and had personally witnessed Chen Yuan's black wings and white hair as he fought against the Demon Lord. They recognized him at a glance as Senior Chen Yuan.

The stone dragon stopped above the main hall, and Chen Yuan lowered his head slightly to look at everyone.

The overwhelming pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator descended from the sky, and everyone trembled slightly as they met those cold, silver eyes.

The Nascent Soul cultivators were secretly alarmed, as if they were facing the might of heaven. A chill ran through them, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to look Chen Yuan in the eye.

Long Pokong took a deep breath, suppressing his fear, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Long Pokong of the Demon Yuan Palace greets Senior Chen!"

Dao Xuan bowed deeply, his voice unusually aged: "Dao Xuan of Tianxuan Sect pays respects to Senior Chen."

Li Quehan looked at Chen Yuan with a complicated expression, then clasped his hands in greeting: "Li Quehan of Zhiyuan Sect pays respects to Senior Chen."

Everyone bowed respectfully, addressing him as "senior," their impatience from waiting in the main hall for several hours vanishing in an instant.

Chen Yuan nodded slightly, then suddenly exerted his strength and threw the stone dragon downwards!
A stone dragon descended from the sky, obscuring the entire heavens. Everyone's expression changed drastically, and they tried to hide. Dao Xuan shouted, "Fellow Daoists, do not panic! Senior Chen is here. What is there to fear?"

Li Quehan was the first to react, and said loudly, "Do you all not trust Senior Chen?"

Upon hearing this, no one dared to dodge anymore. They could only stand still and watch the stone dragon crash down, their eyes filled with terror.

But the stone dragon stopped after falling a hundred feet and remained suspended in the air.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and then they saw Chen Yuan raise his hand and form a hand seal, and a strange fish phantom materialized behind him. It had a bird's head and a fish's body, with wings on its back, and was completely black.

The strange fish let out a long, mournful cry. Chen Yuan pointed his finger, and the gray-white light covering the stone dragon's body flickered.

The stone dragon's body slowly grew to a size of a hundred miles before it stopped.

The sun had already set, but some light still lingered.

But within the towering ring-shaped mountain range, all was pitch black.

The stone dragon's body alone is hundreds of feet thick, winding and twisting, blocking out the sky and the sun.

Wisps of white mist drifted out from the stone dragon's body, transforming into clouds that supported it, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth suddenly became purer.

One of the early Nascent Soul cultivators took a deep breath, his face flushed, and he was already immersed in the intoxicating state.

Several powerful cultivators were dumbfounded. This was a large spiritual vein attached to the earth's veins, and Chen Yuan had actually taken it out and transported it here all by himself.

Wei Tingyun murmured, "Moving mountains and overturning seas, it's nothing more than this..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Yuan changed his hand seals again and shouted, "Go!"

The grayish-white light enveloping the stone dragon flashed and then completely merged into its body.

The stone dragon swayed its body and slowly descended, quickly arriving above the main hall, no more than a hundred feet away from everyone.

Li Quehan's expression changed, but when he saw out of the corner of his eye that Jin Luoheng and the others were not dodging or avoiding him, he forced himself to calm down.

Everyone was terrified as the stone dragon drew closer and closer, and they could even see the dust falling from its body.

The stone dragon slowly descended onto the main hall, but the hall did not collapse. Instead, it passed through the hall, as if the stone dragon existed in another dimension.

The stone dragon then descended to the ground, passed through the group, and slowly merged into the earth.

Li Quehan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had survived a calamity.

After a while, the ground began to tremble slowly.

Li Quehan clearly felt that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him had become much purer.

About fifteen minutes later, the earth stopped trembling.

Li Quehan glanced around and saw that the gullies on the ground had healed on their own, and the rugged ground had become flat.

Those broken mountain peaks can no longer be restored to their original state, but they have become majestic, as if they have risen hundreds or thousands of feet in an instant.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is more than twice as rich and pure as before, and it continues to become pure at an astonishing rate, already surpassing the large spiritual veins of the Zhiyuan Sect.

The strange fish phantom behind Chen Yuan disappeared, his black wings folded, the silver light in his eyes faded, his white hair turned back to black, and his divine transformation pressure subsided as he slowly landed on the ground.

His gaze swept over everyone, and he said indifferently, "I brought this ley line from Qin State, but it turned out to be quite heavy, which took some time. I apologize for keeping you all waiting."

Dao Xuan bowed and said in a deep voice, "Senior Chen, you flatter us. We are fortunate to have witnessed your supernatural powers, which can change the world, extract the essence and merge the spirit. Your divine power is unparalleled and has never been seen before. We are truly blessed."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "Sect Leader Dao Xuan, there's no need for such formalities. Fellow Daoist has always been a leader of the righteous path, and is highly respected. I was also greatly grateful for your help in resolving the disaster in the Demon Realm."

"Although I have now achieved the Nascent Soul stage, my respect for you, fellow Daoist, has not diminished in the slightest. You are a junior cultivator, so we can treat each other as equals."

Upon hearing this, Dao Xuan bowed again: "Senior is too kind. Although I have a long lifespan, I am only at the Nascent Soul stage."

"Senior has achieved the Nascent Soul stage, making him the first person in Donghua Continent in tens of thousands of years. How dare I, a junior, compare myself to him?"

"If word gets out, the cultivation world will think that I am a junior who is arrogant and ignorant of etiquette, and they will curse me behind my back. I hope that you will have mercy on me, senior."

Chen nodded slightly: "In that case, I will not force you, fellow Daoist."

He turned to look at Long Pokong and said calmly, "I am a step late and have kept Palace Master Long waiting. If Palace Master Long is not feeling well, you may leave now and there is no need to attend the ceremony."

Long Pokong's expression changed, and he quickly clasped his hands and bowed: "Senior, you have misunderstood. I only admire you and have no other intentions. I hope you will forgive me."

Chen Yuan stared at him, remaining silent for a long time.

The air seemed to freeze. Long Pokong bowed deeply, motionless, a bead of cold sweat slowly trickling down his temple. Chen Yuan spoke slowly: "Fellow Daoist Long, remember, trouble comes from the mouth. In the future, when you encounter problems, do not be hasty. If you cause any misunderstanding and bring disaster to the Demon Yuan Palace, it will be too late to regret it."

Long Pokong bowed even lower and respectfully replied, "This junior will certainly remember Senior Chen's teachings and be careful in my words and deeds."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly, turned around and bowed to Jin Luoheng with clasped hands: "This disciple has lived up to expectations and has retrieved the Blood Spirit Sect's spiritual vein. Now we can hold the ceremony and rebuild the sect."

Jin Luoheng smiled and turned to look at everyone: "Fellow Daoists, please."

Having said that, he took the lead and walked into the main hall.

Everyone readily agreed, their eyes filled with envy.

Li Quehan sighed inwardly, thinking that Jin Luoheng was truly lucky to have such a fine disciple.

Those present, representing eighty percent of the Nascent Soul cultivators in the Donghua Continent's cultivation world, all lagged behind.

Chen Yuan followed half a step behind Jin Luoheng, followed by the sect leaders and elders of various sects, and finally the Nascent Soul elder of the Lingyun Sect, all of whom entered the main hall together.

As night fell, the Lingyun Sect disciples lit half-person-high brass lamps and candles in the hall, and luminous pearls were embedded in the four walls and the ceiling, making the hall brightly lit.

Chen Yuan sat on the main seat on the high platform, while Jin Luoheng, Jing Shuhan, and the Lingyun Sect cultivators sat in the first row. After that, everyone took their seats in order of sect size and cultivation level.

Wu Zexian stood up, clasped his hands in a bow to Chen Yuan, then turned around and bowed to everyone, saying loudly: "Our sect's Supreme Elder Chen Huiyuan is a man of extraordinary talent, with a firm Dao heart and diligent cultivation. In just over three hundred years since entering the Dao, he has achieved the Nascent Soul stage and rebuilt the sect, laying a foundation for our sect for all ages. I would like to invite all fellow Daoists to celebrate this event together."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dao Xuan stood up and bowed to Chen Yuan with clasped hands: "This junior, Dao Xuan, the sect leader of Tianxuan Sect, has prepared a small gift, presenting one three-thousand-year-old spirit herb, ten thousand-year-old spirit herbs, three kinds of top-grade spirit materials, and one hundred top-grade spirit stones to congratulate Senior Chen on achieving the Nascent Soul stage and living to two thousand years old, and to congratulate the re-establishment of Lingyun Sect."

As he spoke, he took out a mustard seed ring, bowed slightly, and presented it with both hands.

Chen Yuan nodded slightly, Wu Zexian took the Mustard Seed Ring into his hand, and Dao Xuan sat down again.

Then Chu Xiao, Wei Tingyun, and Li Quehan stood up to offer their congratulations, presenting gifts that were exactly the same as Dao Xuan's.

Next, it was the turn of the four major demonic sects. Long Pokong was the first to stand up, grit his teeth, clasp his hands and bow: "Junior Long Pokong, the sect leader of the Demon Yuan Palace, has prepared a small gift, presenting one three-thousand-year-old spirit herb, ten thousand-year-old spirit herbs, three kinds of top-grade spirit materials, one hundred top-grade spirit stones, and... one five-thousand-year-old spirit herb, the Sun-Holding Crimson Scale Flower, to wish Senior Chen to achieve the Nascent Soul stage and live for two thousand years, and to congratulate the Lingyun Sect on its re-establishment!"

Li Quehan was startled and turned to look.

The amount of gifts to be sent was discussed and agreed upon by the four major sects and also communicated with the four major demonic sects to prevent them from acting independently and giving different amounts of gifts.

Long Pokong was actually willing to take out a five-thousand-year-old spiritual herb as a congratulatory gift, but Li Quehan had never heard of this Sun-Holding Crimson Scale Flower before.

Everyone was extremely surprised. A three-thousand-year-old spiritual herb was considered a treasure, and ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators could not obtain even one in their entire lives.

Five-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs are legendary divine objects, rarely seen even by great cultivators. It was truly unexpected that Long Pokong would use them as a congratulatory gift.

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he smiled, "This gift is very generous. This Sun-Holding Crimson Scale Flower is exactly what I need. May I ask where you obtained it?"

Long Pokong breathed a sigh of relief and said respectfully, "This flower was obtained by chance by the third generation of our sect leaders, but it was only a little over eight hundred years old at that time."

"After being moved into the Spirit Herb Garden by three generations of sect leaders and carefully cultivated, it finally matured after more than four thousand years."

"However, this flower's spiritual energy is violent and fierce, which is incompatible with our sect's cultivation methods, so it has remained in the spirit herb garden."

"Now that you have achieved the Divine Transformation Realm, you proclaim to the world that the road ahead is not yet over, inspiring countless fellow practitioners. I, your junior, offer this flower to express my gratitude."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "Fellow Daoist Long is very thoughtful."

He secretly transmitted his voice, saying, "I will forgive your rude words just now, but this will not happen again."

After saying that, Chen Yuan raised his hand and personally took the Mustard Seed Ring into his hand.

Long Pokong secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Chen Yuan before taking his seat.

Before leaving the sect, he impulsively took this five-thousand-year-old spiritual flower from the spiritual herb garden, never expecting it would actually come in handy.

Next, the other three major demonic sects presented their gifts, but like the four major mystic sects, none of them had Long Pokong's five-thousand-year-old spiritual herb.

The eyes of Fairy Morning Dew, Hong Chen, and Gu Bie Ren all revealed dissatisfaction when they looked at Long Pokong, but they dared not question him during this grand ceremony.

He sent such a generous gift all by himself; what about the three sects?
Afterwards, the Nascent Soul cultivators from various sects presented their congratulatory gifts, which were all similar: either two or three thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, or a top-grade spiritual material.

There were also those who were poor and could only offer top-grade spiritual materials and eight-hundred-year-old spiritual herbs, looking quite apprehensive.

However, no one dared to be perfunctory with the congratulatory gifts. This was the first Nascent Soul cultivator in tens of thousands of years in Donghua Continent. These gifts were a heavy burden for a medium-sized sect, but they could only grit their teeth and bear it.

No matter what treasures they brought out, Chen Yuan would not rebuke them, but simply watched as Wu Zexian accepted the gifts.

Two hours had passed by the time the last person presented their gift. The night was deep, the moon hung high in the sky, and the stars twinkled.

However, everyone present was a Nascent Soul cultivator, for day and night had no meaning, and they were all full of energy.

Over the next three days, Chen Yuan preached and taught the people, pointing out the pitfalls of cultivation, and even briefly shared some of his experiences in breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Everyone was eager and focused, afraid of missing a single word.

Chen Yuan's words were simple, but to receive instruction from a Nascent Soul cultivator in person was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Especially for great cultivators who had given up hope on their path to enlightenment but whose resolve had been rekindled, even a few words about the Nascent Soul stage were incredibly beneficial.

Only Dao Xuan remained calm. His lifespan was nearing its end, and he was merely prolonging his life through methods that would only prolong his existence. His path to immortality was already closed, and no matter how profound Chen Yuan's words were, they were of no use.

Three days later, Chen Yuan finished his lecture. Everyone had gained a lot. Some cultivators who had been stuck in the early Nascent Soul stage for over a hundred years even felt that their bottlenecks had loosened and that a breakthrough was possible. They were overjoyed.

Chen Yuan looked around and slowly said, "From this day forward, our sect will be the fifth largest Xuan Sect in Donghua Continent. Do any of you fellow Daoists have any objections?"

Everyone naturally agreed without objection.

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "Although I have already achieved the Nascent Soul stage, I will not bully the weak or oppress the small."

"The Blood Spirit Sect was destroyed because its elder, Liu Fan, had a life-and-death feud with me, which could not go unavenged."

"However, when Chen came to seek revenge, Yan Zhang insisted on protecting Liu Fan, and for this he did not hesitate to use the strength of the entire clan to fight against Chen."

"Having no other choice, Chen had to exterminate the entire Blood Spirit Sect and kill Liu Fan to avenge his great grudge."

"As long as you fellow Daoists do not become enemies of the Lingyun Sect, I, Chen, will not take action."

"The Lingyun Sect will not expand extensively, but the Qi Kingdom will not allow other sects to interfere. If anyone violates this rule, please do not say that you were not warned. I hope you will all act accordingly."

Everyone secretly grumbled, wondering why Yan Zhang would offend a Nascent Soul cultivator for the sake of a mere Liu Fan. They thought that this Senior Chen must have provoked Yan Zhang with words, waiting for him to take the bait before revealing his Nascent Soul cultivation and annihilating his entire sect.

But they dared not show it on their faces, and instead bowed and expressed their gratitude.

Dao Xuan, Long Pokong, and the others were relieved. Ever since the Blood Spirit Sect was destroyed, they had all been filled with worry, fearing that their own sect would be next.

Today, Chen Yuan retrieved the Blood Spirit Sect's ley line and publicly established his authority, which made the group even more fearful.

However, Chen Yuan made it clear that he would no longer destroy sects at will, and the Lingyun Sect had no intention of expanding, which was the best outcome.

However, this means we must be careful with the Lingyun Sect from now on, and we must not give Chen Yuan an excuse to take action.

The sect leaders of other medium-sized sects, however, were somewhat gloating. In the past, it was the Four Great Profound Sects and the Four Great Demonic Sects that ran rampant, but now it's just that the Lingyun Sect has taken over, which doesn't make much difference. On the contrary, they will suffer a lot.

Chen Yuan then looked at Long Pokong, Dao Xuan, and the others, and said, "The ceremony has ended. Fellow Daoists, please make yourselves at home."

"Please, Palace Master Long, Sect Master Hong, Sect Master Gu, Fairy Chaolu, Sect Leader Daoxuan, Sect Master Li, Fairy Chu, and Sect Master Wei, stay at Yuzhi for now. I have something to discuss with you fellow Daoists."

Everyone rose to take their leave, while the members of the Four Great Profound Sects and the Four Great Demonic Sects remained in the hall.

After everyone left, Chen Yuan looked at Long Pokong and the other three, and got straight to the point: "With the Blood Spirit Sect destroyed, the Qin Kingdom will be divided equally among you. However, you will need to give half of the output of each spiritual land to our sect within ten years. What do you four think?"

The four immediately agreed, having already secretly divided up the Qin Kingdom before arriving here.

After discussing it, they concluded that after Chen Yuan destroyed the Blood Spirit Sect, he only had three options.

Firstly, the Lingyun Sect could directly occupy the Qin Kingdom, but the Lingyun Sect has few cultivators and is already short-handed. Moreover, the Qin Kingdom is located in the heart of the demonic realm, so Chen Yuan is unlikely to do so.

Secondly, the various factions were to submit bids to compete for the spiritual veins and mines left behind by the Blood Spirit Sect.

The four major demonic sects have already set prices for each spiritual site and agreed on how to allocate them.

If Chen Yuan really does this, then just put on a show in front of him, and there will be no fighting or struggle that would benefit the Lingyun Sect.

As for the Blood Python Mountain Range, it is divided equally among the four families.

Large spiritual veins are indeed tempting, but the righteous path has already produced Nascent Soul cultivators, and the demonic path must not fall into internal strife again.

Thirdly, they could support another demonic sect as a puppet of the Lingyun Sect, which is the most likely option.

The four major demonic sects do not want to follow in the footsteps of the Blood Spirit Sect. If Chen Yuan really does this, they will have no choice but to abandon Qin Kingdom and at most secretly hinder him. They would never dare to directly confront the demonic sect supported by the Lingyun Sect.

However, after Chen Yuan obtained the Blood Spirit Sect's spiritual vein, the four of them were no longer worried about this matter, but they also lost most of their interest in the Qin Kingdom.

Chen Yuan didn't let them bid; he only asked for 50% of the cultivation resources for the next ten years, and the four of them naturally had no objections.

After the matter was settled, Chen Yuan turned to Li Quehan and asked, "I have heard that your sect's cultivators are preventing our disciples from entering the Southern Wilderness to hunt demonic beasts. Is that true?"

Li Quehan sighed inwardly, clasped his hands in a bow, and said respectfully, "This is indeed the case, but it was done privately by a disciple of our sect and was not at the behest of this junior."

"Before coming here, I had already severely punished these disciples, as I had promised Fellow Daoist Wu."

“Anyone who injures or kills a Lingyun Sect disciple will be executed. Those who did not participate will be sent to the spirit mine to serve hard labor for twenty to fifty years without any preferential treatment.”

"This is the list of disciples who have been punished. Please take a look, senior."

"Tomorrow, when I return to the sect, you may send someone to accompany me to examine the bodies of the executed disciples and to the spirit mine to check on the service of the other disciples."

"I have also prepared a sum of spirit stones and pills for the disciples of your sect who were once obstructed. I will hand them over to Elder Wu after the ceremony."

"In the future, your disciples will be able to travel freely in the Southern Wilderness without any obstacles."

In recent years, the art of beast taming has suddenly become popular in the Lingyun Sect.

The cultivators of the sect even traveled thousands of miles to the Southern Wilderness to search for spirit beasts.

The Zhiyuan Sect controls the trade of demon materials and demon cores in the Southern Wilderness, and is naturally very dissatisfied with this.

However, Li Quehan had fought with Chen Yuan before and knew that Chen Yuan's strength was far superior to his own.

He dared not offend the Lingyun Sect openly, so he secretly instructed the sect's cultivators to obstruct Lingyun Sect disciples from entering the Southern Wilderness.

He also restrained the cultivators in his sect, only preventing Lingyun Sect disciples from entering the Southern Wilderness, but forbidding any deaths or injuries.

However, over time, accidents are bound to happen.

Jin Luoheng once sent people to Zhiyuan Sect to demand an explanation, but few disciples were killed or injured. Over the decades, only a handful were killed or injured, and they were all Foundation Establishment cultivators. Zhiyuan Sect shirked responsibility for all of them.

They only gave a superficial scolding and said they would severely punish him, but after the Lingyun Sect cultivators left, they ignored him.

Previously, when Wu Zexian went to Zhiyuan Gate to deliver the invitation, he had mentioned this matter. Li Quehan dared not be perfunctory any longer and immediately proposed to severely punish these disciples.

Now that Chen Yuan had asked about this matter, Li Quehan was very uneasy, fearing that Chen Yuan would use this as an excuse to take action against Zhiyuan Sect. He could only bite the bullet and explain.

Chen Yuan took the jade slip, glanced at it, and handed it to Wu Zexian, saying indifferently, "Sect Leader Li is very thoughtful, but this matter has been going on for many years and has happened frequently."

"It shouldn't just be the work of lower-level disciples on their own; perhaps an elder from your sect was involved."

"I hope that Sect Leader Li will not try to stop the fire by adding more water, and will not let anyone who intends to undermine the friendship between the two factions get away with it. If there is even one, then punish that person."

Li Quehan felt a chill run down his spine and immediately replied, "Senior's insight is remarkable, and so is mine. However, in such a hasty situation, it is difficult to get to the bottom of things."

"I implore you, senior, to allow Fellow Daoist Wu to return to the sect with me to thoroughly investigate this matter. If any elders of our sect are involved, we will not tolerate it!"

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "I will follow Sect Leader Li's advice and trouble Junior Brother Wu to make the trip."

Wu Zexian clasped his hands in agreement, and Li Quehan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Chen Yuan was not making any more demands, which meant that this hurdle was over.

The mere thought of sacrificing the life of a Nascent Soul Elder made Li Quehan's heart bleed.

When everyone saw that Chen Yuan had killed a Nascent Soul elder of the Zhiyuan Sect with just a few words, they were all chilled and their awe deepened.

Chen Yuan then looked at Chu Xiao and Wei Tingyun and said calmly, "In the past, it seems that there have been cases of disciples from Jiangxian Mountain and Baihe Sect injuring or killing their own disciples, is that right?"

Chu Xiao and Wei Tingyun exchanged a glance, clasped their hands in a bow, and replied, "After we return to our sect, we will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and give your sect's disciples an explanation."

Although Jiangxian Mountain and Baihe Sect did not deliberately target Lingyun Sect cultivators like Zhiyuan Sect did.

However, over the past hundred years, the cultivators in the sect have had many conflicts with the disciples of the Lingyun Sect, and there have been deaths and injuries.

Although the issues have been resolved, most of the Lingyun Sect disciples were the ones who suffered losses.

This was inevitable. The disciples of the four major sects were used to acting recklessly, while the disciples of the Lingyun Sect were also arrogant because of Chen Yuan. When the two sides met, it was easy for them to fight.

With both sides protecting their own, the weaker Lingyun Sect naturally found itself at a disadvantage.

Chen Yuan is now settling scores, and they have no choice but to back down.

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "In that case, I would like to invite Junior Brother Zhuge and Junior Brother Bai to accompany you two fellow Daoists on this trip, shall we?"

Chu Xiao and Wei Tingyun naturally dared not refuse and respectfully agreed.

They had already decided that upon returning to their sect, they would strictly prohibit their disciples from fighting with the Lingyun Sect disciples.

Chen Yuan then had the Lingyun Sect cultivators send everyone away, leaving only Dao Xuan behind.

Before Chu Xiao, Wei Tingyun, and Li Quehan left, they all looked at Dao Xuan with admiration in their eyes.

Among the three major sects, only the disciples of the Tianxuan Sect and the Lingyun Sect rarely have conflicts. Even when conflicts do occur, they are handled fairly, which is why Daoxuan is able to remain uninvolved.

Indeed, the nature of ginger and cinnamon becomes spicier with age; the leaders of the righteous path ultimately act with far greater prudence than they do. (End of Chapter)