From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 125 The right time, right place and right people
Xiao Ba acted quickly, returning in just three days. He told Li Qingqiu that Xu Ning and the others had met with Li Sifeng and his two companions and were on their way back, which relieved Li Qingqiu.

However, he could always sense a strange aura coming from the direction of Zhenyang Imperial City, which made it difficult for him to calm down.

With his current strength, he is not afraid of this strange aura, but he doesn't know where it comes from, or whether the Emperor, Master Jiang, and Master Xuan have any other tricks up their sleeves.

The world is vast, and his first priority is to ensure the safety of Qingxiao Sect before considering whether or not to save the world.

Nine days later, Xu Ning and the others finally returned. Everyone looked travel-worn and exhausted. The journey from Zhongtian Prefecture to Qingxiao Mountain was long, and they must have used their vital energy to travel so quickly.

Li Qingqiu summoned all the hall masters on the mountain, and this time, Shen Yue also came.

After everyone gathered, Xu Ning first reported the situation: the Taiwu Sect and the Liyin Sect had been destroyed by them. However, when they went to the Jianji Sect, they found that the Jianji Sect had already withdrawn and disappeared without a trace. They investigated for several days but could not find out the whereabouts of the Jianji Sect, so they had to give up.

Li Qingqiu didn't say much about it; he asked Zhang Yu to recount his previous experiences.

Zhang Yu began his story by recounting how the three of them had fought alongside the army of the Seven States for nearly two months. They finally reached the True Yang Imperial City, only to find a group of strange black-armored soldiers leaping onto the city walls and charging towards the hundreds of thousands of troops.

At first, they didn't pay much attention, but they soon discovered that the black-armored soldiers were incredibly strong and fast, and inflicted considerable casualties on the army of the seven states in a very short time. Li Sifeng and Wu Man'er joined the battle, but they were unable to easily kill the black-armored soldiers. Not only that, the Imperial Guards also quickly joined the battle, and even the emperor came.

The emperor's martial arts skills greatly shocked Zhang Yu and his two companions.

Li Sifeng couldn't help but say, "I feel that the Emperor is even more powerful than Senior Shen. His skill is terrifying. He can seriously injure dozens of soldiers with a single palm strike. Moreover, his movement is very fast. When I fought him, I couldn't hurt him at all. If Xu Ning hadn't arrived in time, I might have been seriously injured as well."

He didn't say one thing: he sensed that the sword spirit of the Emperor Xuan Sword was also uneasy, as if facing a formidable enemy, which intensified his fear of the emperor.

Everyone was surprised, and Shen Yue narrowed his eyes.

Yang Jueding couldn't help but ask, "Are the inner cores of martial arts legends really that powerful?"

“It’s probably not just that inner core. The emperor has been ordering people to refine elixirs for many years, and their skill is unimaginable. No wonder he didn’t stop the armies from various states from gathering. It turns out he really isn’t afraid of worldly forces…” Zhang Yuchun said with a solemn expression.

Xu Ning then spoke up, "The Emperor's martial arts are indeed very high. Although I only exchanged a few blows with him, I could feel that it would be very difficult to defeat him, and one would have to be prepared to die. I was afraid that the other disciples would be sacrificed, so I had no choice but to lead the group to retreat."

Zhang Yuchun nodded approvingly, "Your judgment is correct. Your mission is to destroy the three dynasties that have established the dynasty, not to kill the emperor."

The disciples that Xu Ning brought were all at the third level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. Losing even one of them would be a major loss for the Qingxiao Sect.

“According to what you said, those demon soldiers shouldn’t have taken Martial God Pills or Yin Ghost Pills. The Emperor has even more sinister pills in his possession,” Shen Yue said. When he fought against the Forbidden Martial Guards, he didn’t find the users of Martial God Pills or Yin Ghost Pills particularly troublesome; after all, they were just mortals.

According to Zhang Yu, those demonic soldiers combined the effects of the Martial God Pill and the Yin Ghost Pill, possessing immense strength, moving like ghosts, and being impervious to pain. Moreover, their internal energy could devour the internal energy of martial artists.

Such beings are incredibly difficult to deal with, and there are tens of thousands of them.

Zhu Yan frowned and said, "With so many demon soldiers, it seems the emperor has been preparing for a long time. I suspect he may be deliberately waiting for the army of the seven states to reach Zhenyang Imperial City. In addition to soldiers, the army of the seven states has also gathered many martial arts masters. If the emperor really needs martial arts practitioners as medicine, then this is exactly what he wants."

Li Qingqiu remained silent. After listening to the information brought by Xu Ning and the other two, he began to consider whether Qingxiao Sect could resist the power controlled by the emperor.

Those tens of thousands of demon soldiers are not to be underestimated. If he were to lead his disciples there, there would surely be casualties. No matter how strong Li Qingqiu is, he does not know how to create clones.

Zhang Yuchun looked at Li Qingqiu and said, "Senior brother, we must not act rashly in this matter. The world is vast, and the responsibility does not lie solely with Qingxiao Sect. If all the states in the world exert all their strength to resist the emperor, we may not necessarily lose."

The Great Li Dynasty was vast; the strength of its seven provinces was far greater than that of a few hundred thousand troops. Zhang Yuchun believed that once this matter spread, even stronger forces could be gathered across the land.

Li Qingqiu nodded, but he wondered in his heart if dragging it out might be more beneficial to the emperor.

Zhu Yan said, "We really can't act impulsively, Sect Master. I will have people investigate the situation in Zhenyang Imperial City as much as possible."

The others echoed this sentiment, all of them sensing that this situation was different from the previous one in Guzhou Prefecture; they were facing a far more terrifying force.

Li Qingqiu said, "For the next period of time, we will increase the number of patrols and try to reduce the number of disciples going down the mountain."

Everyone nodded; this matter put pressure on everyone.

This is not only because the emperor's current power is too great, but also because they do not know what the emperor is planning to do.

……

Inside the dimly lit Qianwu Hall.

boom--

A corpse rolled down the steps and landed on the hall. Looking around, dozens of corpses lay on the hall, some dressed in prison clothes and others in armor.

On the steps, Zhao Zhi sat cross-legged in front of the dragon throne, his hands placed on his lap with palms facing up. Black energy swirled around him, and his messy long hair danced incessantly, making him appear extremely sinister.

One by one, the Imperial Guards entered the hall and dragged away the corpses. Just as they finished, another group of Imperial Guards escorted prisoners and soldiers into the hall.

"Zhao Zhi, you will die a horrible death!"

"Your Majesty, I was wrong. Please give me a chance, and I am willing to serve you!"

"Zhao Zhi, as the emperor, you are the father of all people. How can you be so utterly depraved? Do you have any respect for the founding emperor and for your people? Are you a human or a demon now?"

"Your Majesty, do not be bewitched by these sorcerers again. There is no one in this world who can live forever!" "You scoundrel emperor, I will haunt you even as a ghost!"

As the prisoners were brought in, the hall erupted in chaos.

Zhao Zhi raised his right hand and pulled a prisoner onto the steps from a distance. He grabbed the prisoner's throat, rendering him unable to speak. This scene stunned the other prisoners, who stared at him in fear and unease.

Under the watchful eyes of the prisoners, Zhao Zhi opened his mouth and breathed through his nose and mouth, drawing out wisps of faint breath from the faces of the prisoners in his hands. The black aura around Zhao Zhi began to surge, forming a terrifying ghostly figure.

"Ghost... ghost..."

A prisoner stared wide-eyed, his face pale, muttering to himself, his eyes filled with despair.

The Imperial Guards, wearing masks, watched all of this with indifference.

Soon, screams of agony rang out from inside the Qianwu Hall, sounding like hell on earth.

About half an hour later, the Imperial Guards began to drag the corpses out one by one.

At this moment, Xuan Gong entered the hall, walked all the way to the steps, and raised his hand to greet Zhao Zhi.

"Your Majesty, the array platform is under construction and will be completed in three days at most, but the Celestial Master says we need to wait for an auspicious day," Xuan Gong said.

"Then let's follow the Celestial Master's advice."

"Your Majesty, I suggest that the grand plan to mend the heavens should begin once the array platform is erected. We cannot delay; things have come to this point, and there can be no further mishaps."

Xuan Gong said in a deep voice, his tone somewhat anxious.

"The plan to mend the heavens cannot be rushed. Just as the Celestial Master said, the path to immortality requires the right time, place, and people; none of them can be lacking," Zhao Zhi said calmly, while Xuan Gong cursed him inwardly for being foolish.

Just as Xuan Gong was about to offer some advice, an old minister entered the hall, stopped beside him, and said to Zhao Zhi, "Your Majesty, a man from Fengxia Mountain in Southern Chu has come. He claims to be the Taoist Baishu and carries an imperial edict from the late emperor, saying that he wants to present a treasure to Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhi opened his eyes and said with great interest, "Fengxia Mountain? The two martial arts saints of the past? Back then, the late emperor recruited them, but they refused, so the three sects were established to replace their prestige and status. I didn't expect that today, they would take the initiative to visit me. It is said that Fengxia Mountain can predict the fate of heaven. Could it be that they have already predicted that I will gain immortality? Bring him in."

"Yes!"

The old minister immediately withdrew.

Xuan Gong then cautioned, "Fengxia Mountain's visit this time may not be for good intentions."

"What? In this very hall, does that person dare to assassinate me? Even if Li Qingqiu comes, I am not afraid," Zhao Zhi said disdainfully.

Xuan Gong remained silent. He did not leave but waited in the main hall. Zhao Zhi did not expel him and continued practicing his skills.

after awhile.

The old minister led the Taoist priest Bai Shu into the hall, and Zhao Zhi opened his eyes and scrutinized him.

Bai Shu Daoist, holding a whisk, walked calmly to Xuan Gong's side, bowed to Zhao Zhi, and said, "I am Bai Shu Daoist from Fengxia Mountain. Several months ago, I observed the celestial phenomena at night and foresaw that there would be changes in Dali. I have come here to present this treasure to Your Majesty."

As he spoke, he took out a scroll from his bosom, intending to walk up the steps and present it to Zhao Zhi.

Xuan Gong raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Give it to me."

The Taoist priest Bai Shu glanced at him and handed him the scroll in his hand.

Without asking Zhao Zhi, Xuan Gong opened the scroll and saw a landscape painting inside, nothing special about it.

"What is the value and meaning of this painting?" Xuan Gong asked, staring at the Taoist Bai Shu.

Zhao Zhi sat on the steps, watching them with amusement, without stopping Xuan Gong's questioning.

The Taoist Master Baishu replied, "This painting was left behind by our sect's founder. According to him, only those who have received the Mandate of Heaven can glimpse the secrets within the painting."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhi couldn't help but say, "Xuanqing, hand the painting to me for a look."

Xuan Gong hesitated for a moment, then took the scroll and walked up the steps.

The old minister looked at them curiously, wondering what secrets the scroll held.

When Xuan Gong walked up to Zhao Zhi and blocked his view, Bai Shu Dao Ren suddenly raised his hands, placed them in front of his chest, and muttered something rapidly.

With the sound of a sword being drawn, a cold light flashed in the hall. Xuan Gong subconsciously turned around and saw a blurry figure rushing towards him, trying to pass by him.

Xuan Gong's pupils dilated, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the illusory figure, which was none other than the appearance of Daoist Bai Shu. However, Daoist Bai Shu was still standing below the steps, staring intently at him.

Two Taoist priests?

　Thank you to Sangeng and Shu10096 for the 500 Qidian Coins each, and to Sixu for the 500 Qidian Coins each!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)