From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 126 Falling from the sky
Xuan Gong's reaction was incredibly fast, yet at that moment, he couldn't keep up with Bai Shu Dao Ren's speed.

As he was shocked, the phantom that looked exactly like the Taoist Bai Shu swept past him, snatched the scroll from his hand, and placed it in front of Zhao Zhi, holding it in one hand.

Zhao Zhi sat cross-legged on the ground, also caught off guard. His pupils dilated involuntarily as he saw the scroll in Bai Shu Dao Ren's hand open. He instinctively tried to get up, but then he saw a sword shadow burst forth from the painting. This sword shadow forced the black energy around him to quickly condense, and a ghostly figure appeared on his body to block the sword shadow for him.

Xuan Gong turned around and reached out to grab it, but his palm brushed right past the illusory image of Bai Shu Dao Ren and he couldn't grasp anything.

He immediately turned around and attacked the Taoist priest Bai Shu below the steps.

The White Taoist was still in the posture of making hand seals, and he made no defensive moves in the face of the attacking Xuan Gong.

boom!
Xuan Gong sent Bai Shu Dao Ren flying out of the main hall with a single palm strike, and the old minister beside him was so frightened that he quickly retreated.

Xuan Gong flashed out of the main hall, turning into a series of afterimages, and arrived at the long white stone steps, where he snapped the neck of the Bai Shu Daoist lying on the ground.

Seeing that his life force was cut off, Xuan Gong turned around and returned to the Qianwu Hall. He saw that the illusory figure of the White Taoist had not yet dissipated, still holding the scroll in one hand. The sword shadow that emerged from the scroll had already pierced Zhao Zhi's forehead. The ghostly figure on Zhao Zhi's body trembled, clearly unable to defend himself.

"His Majesty!"

Xuan Gong cried out in alarm. He was about to step forward when he saw the phantom of the White-Haired Taoist suddenly lunge forward, and the sword shadow in the scroll pierced Zhao Zhi's head, shattering the ghostly shadow.

The old minister was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, staring incredulously at the illusory figure of the Taoist Master Bai Shu, as if he had seen a ghost.

Xuan Gong was also frightened and didn't know what to do.

"You wicked beast, you bring calamity upon humanity, you are unworthy to be a king, your crimes are unforgivable! If Heaven will not punish you, then Fengxia Mountain will!"

Bai Shu Dao Ren shouted sharply, his illusory figure dissipating and transforming into streaks of silver-white light that entered the scroll. Immediately afterward, a strong light burst forth from the front of the scroll, and the sword shadow began to shrink, actually dragging out another Zhao Zhi from Zhao Zhi's body. His figure was the same as Bai Shu Dao Ren's, appearing illusory and not a solid entity.

Xuan Gong appeared out of thin air beside Zhao Zhi, using his palm as a blade to slash at the sword shadows.

This time, he successfully shattered the sword shadow; a flash of bright light, and the scroll fell to the ground.

Zhao Zhi suddenly leaned back and crashed into the dragon throne, his illusory image shrinking back into his body.

The hall fell silent, save for Zhao Zhi's heavy breathing.

Xuan Gong snapped out of his daze, kicked the scroll on the ground, and quickly squatted down to help Zhao Zhi up.

Zhao Zhi's face turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He seemed to have all his strength drained away, and he collapsed like a limp rag doll.

"He He……"

Zhao Zhi said in a trembling voice, his fear evident in his expression.

Xuan Gong hurriedly said, "His neck has been snapped by me, and he is completely dead."

He was equally shaken, never expecting that the White-Haired Taoist had such methods.

Zhao Zhi looked at the old minister, his expression panicked, and gasped for breath while spitting out blood, "Quick...quickly go and invite the Celestial Master..."

……

Li Qingqiu, who was cultivating in the underground spiritual lake, opened his eyes. He suddenly felt that the strange aura in the distance had disappeared, which puzzled him.

Has something unexpected happened?
Xu Ning, who was sitting on the opposite side of the lake, also opened her eyes. She could also feel that strange aura, but her perception was not as clear as Li Qingqiu's.

Xu Ning said, "Master, on the way back we met a Taoist priest named Bai Shu Dao Ren. He came from Fengxia Mountain in Nan Chu Prefecture. He was skilled in martial arts and was heading towards Zhenyang Imperial City alone. Could it be that he succeeded?"

"Fengxia Mountain?"

Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow and said, "It's hard to say for now; we'll have to wait a few more days to confirm."

As the sect leader, he naturally needed to understand the martial arts sects of the world. He had seen relevant records about Fengxia Mountain, the land of two saints before the founding of the Great Li Dynasty, which had a rich historical heritage. It was said that Fengxia Mountain not only had martial arts traditions, but also strange arts, and even knew alchemy. He had previously considered whether to send his disciples to visit Fengxia Mountain and learn about its alchemy through establishing a relationship.

Xu Ning nodded. She wasn't sure if Bai Shu Dao Ren could succeed. In her opinion, Bai Shu Dao Ren was not as strong as her, so it would certainly not be easy for him to kill the emperor.

Her encounter with the emperor fueled her desire to reach the eighth level of the Nourishing Essence Realm.

Since reaching the seventh level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, she felt that no one except her master could rival her. However, the emperor's strength shocked her, as did those demonic soldiers. For the first time, she felt powerless and realized that she could not possibly thwart the emperor's conspiracy.

She couldn't help but ask, "Master, how many levels must one cultivate the Hunyuan Sutra to be able to single-handedly reverse the course of the world?"

Li Qingqiu looked at her and said, "Perhaps reaching the ninth level will suffice."

"Perhaps..."

Xu Ning was feeling a little down.

Li Qingqiu didn't comfort her. After all, she was grown up and could figure things out on her own. Tribulations and predicaments were sometimes a form of enlightenment for cultivators. Of course, he himself was also pondering this question.

Does he have the ability to thwart Zhao Zhi and Xuan Gong's conspiracy?

……

Not long after Xu Ning and the others returned, news of the Seven States Alliance's defeat spread like wildfire throughout the land, with carrier pigeons from aristocratic families flying everywhere, and the news also spreading within the Qingxiao Sect.

The emperor and the demon soldiers became the most pressing topics for the disciples. Many disciples were eager to get started, waiting for the sect leader to give the order, just like when they saved the prefecture, to lead them down the mountain to save the world.

However, as more news reached the mountain, the disciples' fighting spirit was dampened. Xu Ning had actually fought with the emperor, and it could be inferred from her retreat that the emperor's martial arts were superior to hers.

Li Sifeng was also a big mouth, telling his disciples about the power of those demonic soldiers.

Impervious to blades and spears, possessing immense strength, swift as a leopard, feeling no pain, and capable of devouring the inner energy of others—how can such a demonic soldier be defeated?
What's most terrifying is that the emperor had tens of thousands of such demonic soldiers under his command!
A true disciple at the third level of the Qi Nourishing Realm personally admitted that even in a one-on-one situation, it would take him time to kill a demon soldier, and he would have to fight with all his might. However, on the battlefield, he would never be given a one-on-one opportunity.

As this intelligence spread, more and more disciples realized how terrifying the emperor and his demonic army were, and at the same time, they were filled with anxiety about the world.

Since ancient times, evil has never prevailed over good. Why then has evil not been eradicated in the world today?
If Qingxiao Sect is in such a state, one can only imagine how many more people, merchants, and martial arts sects across the land are fleeing their homelands and leaving Zhenyang Imperial City.

While cultivating, Li Qingqiu noticed that the strange aura in the distance had disappeared for several days but then reappeared, indicating that the emperor was safe and sound.

This day, noon.

Halfway up the mountain, the arena was surrounded by a huge crowd. On the newly renovated arena, Shen Yue stood with his hands behind his back, eyes closed, resting. He did not bring his sword.

Long before Xu Ning and the others returned, the competition had already been finalized. After discussions among the higher-ups, it was decided not to cancel the competition. This competition would give the disciples confidence, showing that even if Qingxiao Sect couldn't save the world, it would be more than capable of protecting itself.

Shen Yue took this battle very seriously, and he arrived at the martial arts arena early to wait.

The seven hall masters, deputy hall masters, elders, and other high-ranking officials all arrived, and there were even many dignitaries waiting in the crowd. However, besides discussing who was stronger, the Sword God or the Qingxiao Sect Master, they also mentioned the Emperor.

With the army of the seven states routed, no one knows what the future holds for the world, nor does anyone know who will be able to assassinate the emperor.

Although many disciples did not say it outright, they secretly hoped that the sect leader would take action, because in their hearts, the sect leader was the best in the world.

Upon hearing of the battle, Bai Ning'er rushed back from the spirit mine and was standing with Han Lang, Jiang Zhaoxia's apprentice, chatting excitedly.

Zhao Zhen, Li Yang, Yuan Li, and Zhao Linglong stood side by side, also discussing. Zhao Zhen and Li Yang were basically talking, while Yuan Li and Li Yang were listening.

Ji Ya and Yang Lin, along with three others, stood on the other side, eagerly awaiting Li Qingqiu's arrival.

Li Sifeng was with Pei Miao and Li Sijin. He glanced around and saw Cheng Xiu and Cheng San in the crowd. Cheng San was waving at him excitedly.

Seeing this, Li Sifeng smiled and nodded at Cheng San. His gaze met Cheng Xiu's, and Cheng Xiu smiled faintly, like a blooming flower in the crowd.

Li Sifeng felt a little lost. In fact, he knew Cheng Xiu's feelings for him, but he felt that they were not suitable. He could not give Cheng Xiu a stable life. He wanted to live a passionate life, and he could not let romantic love hold him back.

Things are fine now. Cheng Xiu and the other two have already joined the Qingxiao Sect. He believes that even if he is not there, his senior brother will take good care of them.

Li Sifeng withdrew his gaze and chatted and laughed with the beautiful woman beside him.

Cheng Xiu also withdrew her gaze. She knew that the connection between the two of them had ended. Although she felt a little disappointed, she was not sad. She had her own goals to achieve, which were more meaningful to her.

Zhang Yuchun walked over with a group of aristocratic families, chatting and laughing. He was escorted by disciples of the Imperial Spirit Hall, and many disciples made way for him when they saw him.

Xu Ning walked off the stage, looked at Shen Yue, and said, "Senior Shen, how about I spar with you first?"

Shen Yue did not open his eyes and calmly said, "My opponent is your master. I will spar with you again in the future."

Xu Ning pouted. She felt that Shen Yue was afraid of the fight. After all, if he lost to her, he would not have the courage to challenge her master. On the contrary, if he lost to her master, it would only be a second failure and would not have any impact.

As more and more people arrived, even the woods on both sides of the mountain path became noisy. Even though they could only see Shen Yue's blurry figure when looking at the martial arts arena from afar, the disciples were very happy and excited. Qingxiao Sect rarely had such a lively atmosphere.

Many geniuses looked at Shen Yue with not only respect but also fighting spirit. Today's grand occasion filled them with anticipation, and they also wanted to challenge the Sword God here in the future.

Zhang Ping stood inconspicuous in the crowd, with no other disciples around to chat with. Ever since he learned that Chu Jing was a member of the Demonic Sect, he dared not easily form deep friendships with his fellow disciples.

Chirp—

A shriek echoed through the sky, startling everyone who looked up. They saw a huge black shadow hovering high in the air, followed by a sword descending from the sky, its light mingling with the sunlight.

Clang!
The sword landed on the martial arts arena, creating waves of air, and a figure followed, landing right on the hilt of the sword.

It was Li Qingqiu!
Li Qingqiu's appearance caused a deafening roar of cheers around the martial arts arena, startling many birds from the distant mountains and forests.

　Third update~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)