The ancestor is incompetent!

Chapter 223 [Crimson]

Towering mountains rise and fall amidst a sea of ​​clouds; vermilion gates open wide, and rows of purple pavilions stand in rows. Ten peaks and a hundred mountains rise and fall, stretching endlessly into the distance.

Disciples in colorful robes moved back and forth among the clouds in the mountains, and all sorts of puppet spirits could be seen everywhere.

Qian Shiyan led the disciples of the Qian family through the mountains. Looking at the scenery, she couldn't help but sigh, "The little Qiling of yesteryear has finally become a major sect of Golden Core cultivators."

The disciples of the Qian family beside her looked curiously at this ancient sect that was rumored to have existed for more than four thousand years. Qian Liuyu followed beside her and said with a smile, "The old patriarch is still nostalgic and still misses Qi Ling."

"Hehe, I was sent to Qiling when I was young, and spent the most ignorant and formative decades of my cultivation journey here. How could I not remember it?" Qian Shiyan shook her head and chuckled as she walked to the front of Fusang Square.

On the bluestone platform, a group of true cultivators and deacons had been waiting for a long time. Sect Leader Wang Chaochen bowed and said, "Greetings, Elder Qian!"

The twenty-odd cultivators behind him all bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Elder Qian!"

Qian Shiyan looked at the group of cultivators in front of her and said with a smile, "Please rise, there's no need for formalities."

Once everyone stood up, she realized that she could no longer find many familiar faces; the cultivators before her were all new generation disciples.

Qian Shiyan couldn't help but sigh, "When I was young, I didn't understand feelings. Now I know what it means to have things changed and people are no longer the same."

The cultivators were astonished to see the woman before them. A person who had only appeared in clan histories and records was now standing alive in front of them, and a woman of exceptional beauty at that.

Sect Leader Wang Chaochen stepped forward and said, "Elder, you have returned home in glory. It is a great honor for us to see you again. Although the old friends are no longer here, the spirit of Qiling is still being passed down from generation to generation."

Qian Shiyan smiled and glanced at him, "The sect leader has quite the ambition, but it is precisely because of you new disciples that Qi Ling has been able to remain vibrant and relevant over time."

Come with me to pay our respects to our deceased friends; we should at least visit them.

"Yes, Elder!" Wang Chaochen replied respectfully.

The group of cultivators behind them followed the two to the ancestral hall. Bai Qi, in the crowd, transmitted his voice to Bai Yun beside him: "Only this elder can be said to be offering condolences. We can only say that we are going to the ancestral hall to pay our respects."

"Of course, this elder is said to be from the same generation as our ancestor, someone from five or six hundred years ago." Bai Yun also sighed, "If one day I could receive such an honor, my life would not have been in vain!"

"Who can argue with that? But we true cultivators are merely stewards; only high-ranking elders should have such an honor." Bai Qi's heart stirred slightly. "Now that there are many spiritual treasures in the sect, it's not impossible for you and me to have one too!"

The two were discussing among the crowd, and the fellow cultivators also had different thoughts. If you mentioned the Golden Core Ancestor to them, they would only think that he was high above them. But if you mentioned the position of the Ancestor, at least as fellow cultivators, they would not feel that he was unapproachable.

In the courtyard of the ancient ancestral hall, Qian Shiyan stood in the ancestral hall, which was not much different from her memory. The candles lit up the dim ancestral hall, and her gaze swept over the memorial tablets.

"Taking control of Wang Xun's spirit"

"The Spirit of True Cultivation Jade Harmony"

……

"The Spirit of Gu Di, a Qi Refining Disciple"

"The Spirit of True Cultivator Li Yunming"

"True cultivation originates from the spirit of the lone wild goose."

"The spirit of the true cultivator Cui Huaiqiu"

……

Beneath the memorial tablets held by Wang Xun, each vivid memory of the deceased had been transformed into a cold, lifeless wooden plaque before her. Qian Shiyan slowly closed her eyes, all the flavors of her life swirling in her heart, incomprehensible to anyone and beyond words.

She raised her head and opened her eyes again, and saw a brand new memorial tablet standing at the very top.

The former Weiyang has disappeared, replaced by the "Spirit of Xuanyuan".

Below the spirit of Xuan Yuan, there are two more spirit tablets: one is the spirit of Ancestor Li Yuan, and the other is the spirit of Ancestor Chen Ming.

For those who attain the Golden Elixir, once they ascend to the position, they no longer return to the mortal world. They must be given an honorific title and placed in the ancestral hall for future generations to worship.

“Qi Ling is no longer the legacy of Tian Qi, but the lineage of Xuan Yuan. So be it, so be it.” Qian Shiyan murmured, “It is only because of the four words ‘legacy of Tian Qi’ that countless calamities have been brought to generations of Qi Ling disciples. Now they can be considered free.”

Outside the ancestral hall, a group of true cultivators stood in the courtyard, watching Qian Shiyan offer incense and pay their respects, none daring to show any impatience.

Qian Shiyan dismissed everyone, leaving only the sect leader and the young man beside her. She slowly said, "Sect leader, this is a rare talent of my Qian family, named Qian Chengguang. Not only does he possess a Heavenly Grade Spiritual Root, but he also has a legendary ancient spiritual body called the Li Huo Spiritual Body."

"The Fire Spirit Body?" Upon hearing this, Wang Chaochen was startled and looked at the young man who had been by her side. He had broad eyebrows and deep eyes, and although he was still young, there was an extraordinary air about him.

He himself was a true cultivator of the Five Virtues, so he had naturally read records about the various paths within the Five Elements.

Aside from the ancient records of the Water Virtue, which are quite popular in the sect today, he has also studied the Fire Virtue, which he cultivates himself.

Just like the conflict between Kan and Ren in the Water element, the Fire element has also had many disputes since ancient times.

Legend has it that in ancient times, before the Bing fire appeared, the virtue of fire was divided into three major fire categories: heaven, earth, and man. The Li fire is the earth fire, which is a yin fire. Among all the fires in the world, the Li fire is the most prosperous.

Later, the sun and moon appeared in the world, Taiji declined, and Li fire also disappeared into ancient history. The three fires of heaven, earth and man were transformed into the five fires of fire virtue, namely Bing, Ding, Wu, Si and Zhen.

"Is he truly a Fire Spirit Body?"

Wang Chaochen still couldn't believe it. With the Fire Spirit Body and the Heavenly Grade Spirit Root, wasn't this the reincarnation of a great figure from heaven? Moreover, it was most likely something ancient beyond belief, otherwise it wouldn't have chosen such an almost forgotten ancient lineage as the Fire Spirit.

“That’s right, absolutely true.” Qian Shiyan nodded. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken him with me everywhere.”

The young boy looked up at the ancestral hall, not interested in the conversation between the two. He was only curiously looking at the memorial tablets, his gaze following them upwards until he saw the words "Spirit of Xuan Yuan". His pupils suddenly contracted and he quickly looked away.

But with just that one glance, a light of destiny suddenly emanated from the Heavenly Stone of Fate in the Xuan Yuan Realm, and billowing Yin Li Fire actually ignited on the stone, startling the Primordial Daoist who was resting with his eyes closed on the Law Enforcement Peak.

He looked towards the ancestral hall with surprise in his eyes, clicking his tongue in amazement and saying, "Is this really an era of great strife? Even such ancient things have come to the fore."

Could it be that with the manifestation of Taiji, even the Four Symbols and Eight Trigrams born from Yin and Yang seem unable to contain themselves? It turns out that the Heavenly Palace is not only for governing the world, but also for suppressing those old fogies.

It seems the Heavenly Palace isn't as authoritative as I'd imagined.

Inside the ancestral hall, Wang Chaochen said with a smile, "If that is indeed the case, then it is heaven's help."

Since Ancestor Li Yuan took over the sect, when has Qi Ling ever lacked such a person?

"In the future, he will surely be of great help to the Qian family and Qi Ling!" Qian Shiyan was quite surprised to hear this. Although the young sect leader in front of her was still shallow in cultivation, his ambition was extraordinary. Unlike Wang Xun, Li Yuan, and Chen Guan, who were conservative, he seemed to have a pioneering and enterprising spirit.

"The reason I returned to Qiling's old place this time is threefold: first, to calm my mind; second, to leave a way out for the Qian family; and third, to entrust him to Qiling."

"Of all the places in the world, the only one I can think of that could possibly allow this child to live is Qiling."

Wang Chaochen said respectfully, "Elder, rest assured, since you have entrusted Chengguang to my Qiling, my sect will do its best to care for and raise him, and will not let you down!"

"Alright, with your words, I can finally rest assured." Qian Shiyan nodded with a smile and said, "The Qian family of Lishan and the Qiling Sect have been allies since the beginning, sharing life and death."

I can finally rest easy. Once this matter is settled, I will return to my clan.

"Elder, aren't you going to pay your respects to the Ancestor?" Wang Chaochen asked tentatively.

"It's not that I don't want to go, it's just that it's inconvenient to meet now." Qian Shiyan shook her head and said, "Bing Huo is full of power and virtue. If I were to meet Your Excellency, it would surely diminish its brilliance. If I were to succeed, we would meet naturally."

If I perish, my body will return to the spirit world, and my heart will find peace.

……

Two days later, the Qiling Sect returned to its busy and peaceful state. A group of dozens of Qi Refining disciples from the Qian family arrived and were taken in by the Weapon Peak and Pill Peak for further training.

Meanwhile, Li Yiyan, the peak master of Danfeng, took one of the Qian family disciples as his apprentice and taught him Taoist techniques, which attracted considerable attention.

After all, Li Yiyan is not only the peak master of Danfeng, but also has the affection of the three ancestors who left the sect to go to the outer sea back then.

Even if these three ancestors were placed in the Qiling Sect today, each of them would be second only to the patriarch. In the eyes of other families, this meant that the Qian family and the Li family had formed an alliance.

On this day, the sun rose as usual on Qiling Mountain, and the disciples were busy with their cultivation. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that they realized that the sun seemed a little unusual today.

The sun, which usually appears as large as a jade plate, looked unusually big today.

Wisps of fire energy rose up, melting even the eternal ice and snow of the Tianxia Mountains into flowing streams.

Gong Hanyu, standing in the middle of the snowfield, looked north with surprise at this scene, his brows furrowing involuntarily. "How dare someone try using Bing Fire?"

On the Southern Continent, all the Golden Core cultivators raised their heads to look at the Li Mountain, which was extremely easy to overlook.

The Golden Core cultivators of various lineages, including the Samsara Realm, the Illusory Sea Realm, the Formless Bone Land, the Ten Thousand Curses Mountain, and the Corpse-Eating Yin Cave, all had gloomy expressions, since most of them were restrained by the Bing Fire.

Although sinister and mysterious methods are unpredictable and mysterious, they cannot hide from the vast radiance of the sun.

And this Bing Fire is the most magnificent manifestation of the sun's brilliance!

Although they were all very unwilling, Binghuo was involved in the position of the sun and had a deep entanglement with the Taixuan Immortal Sect, so no one dared to stop them for the time being.

After all, the True Yang Sect, a branch of the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect in the Southern Continent, has the Sun True Lord descending to earth.

This is not something they can interfere with.

If the sun wants it to come to fruition, it will naturally come to fruition.

If the sun doesn't allow it, no one can help it succeed.

On the peak of law enforcement, the Primordial Daoist watched the distant fire grow ever brighter and said softly, "What a clever scheme. They've put all the difficulties and tricks on me."

As the most senior member of the Qiling Sect, once Qian Shiyan becomes Binghuo, she can shake Li Yuan's influence and the position of the patriarch, and even shake Xuan Yuan's status.

Yuan Chu knew that the sun was waiting for him; he only needed to bestow a wisp of life upon it, and the sun would help Qian Shiyan ascend the throne.

This could even be an open conspiracy, as Taiyang knows that Li Yuan is not a heartless person and will definitely help Qian Shiyan ascend the throne.

Once Qian Shiyan becomes a Binghuo Golden Core cultivator, her will and even the destiny and fortune she carries may guide Qi Ling's fortune towards the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect and even the Sun.

Li Yuan was well aware of the history of religious sects, and he was very clear about the consequences of such an action.

However, the Primordial Daoist still stood up, activated the Heavenly Stone of Fate, and chanted, "Mysterious Origin bestows a mandate!"

The light of destiny on the Heavenly Stone of Fate turned, and the name "Qian Shiyan" appeared.

The next moment, the radiance of the sun from the heavens above poured down, and the blazing sun rose into the sky. On Mount Li, the Ascension Path appeared, with steps spreading out from Qian Shiyan's feet.

She raised her head, looked directly at the dazzling, magnificent light, and resolutely climbed the steps.

She had dreamed of this path countless times, and now it had finally become a reality.

The entire Qian family, standing at the foot of the mountain, looked up at her with immense excitement, and the wind chimes hanging in the dilapidated palace jingled in the wind.

Qian Shiyan was awakened by the sound of the wind chimes. She looked back at Lishan Mountain and knew very well that the ancestor could not escape, even after becoming a Golden Core cultivator and ascending to the throne...

Now, do I have to repeat the same mistakes?
Qian Shiyan abruptly stopped in her tracks as she ascended the steps. It was as if she were standing at the center of the world, with the radiance of the sun behind her so dazzling that it dyed everything red.

She recalled the unfathomable junior brother Li Yuan under the moonlight of yesteryear, and the resilient yet sorrowful woman Wang Qianli. She had read the clan's secret history; she was a party involved who knew all of this.

Qian Shiyan stopped in her tracks, much to the surprise of the Golden Core cultivators. Even the Sun had granted her the right to ascend to the throne, so what was there to hesitate about?
Can't someone who isn't valued by the sun even see through their own inner demons?
The disciples of the thousand families below the mountain were also filled with worry. Why hadn't the old patriarch ascended? He had clearly completed the path to enlightenment; the path was right beneath his feet, right before him...

After pondering for a long time, the figure of the Qian family patriarch gradually became clear in her mind. The ancient statue hidden behind that dilapidated palace seemed to have imprisoned the patriarch for his entire life.

She suddenly burst into laughter, her vibrant and passionate beauty like fire, transforming into a magnificent flame in the sky above the Southern Continent at that moment.

"Since it is already old and damaged, why bother to preserve it?"

On the long steps illuminated by the sun, the woman in red resolutely leaped down from the sky, transforming into a magnificent stream of flames that rushed towards Li Mountain.

The group of Golden Core cultivators had different expressions, some scoffing at someone who hadn't even seen through his inner demons yet dared to dream of ascending to the throne.

It's a pity that such a Bing fire could have helped him gain some strength.

The light of the Bing Fire was magnificent and intense, like a rainbow and a rosy cloud, dyeing the sky red, descending upon Lishan, and shattering the dilapidated old palace along with it. The wind chimes were silent, and the crimson sky was filled with light.

(End of this chapter)