From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 193: Catastrophe

As night fell, Li Qingqiu went to the secret hall and found Mo Jiuhong. He ordered Mo Jiuhong to lead his disciples to infiltrate Tianxuan Mountain and investigate what plans Tianxuan Mountain had.

Mo Jiuhong was very excited about this, as the Dark Hall finally had a mission.

He had made up his mind to develop the Dark Hall well. As long as they made enough contributions, they could become the most reliable branch in Li Qingqiu's heart.

Mo Jiuhong has an ambition.

That is to make the Dark Hall superior to the Eight Halls and the Sword Sect.

"Don't always hide in the shadows. You need to go out and explore more often. True concealment is about living in seclusion in the city, understand?"

Before leaving, Li Qingqiu gave a reminder to the disciples of the Dark Hall.

People who stay in the shadows all the time are prone to psychological problems, and Li Qingqiu also does not want the disciples of the Dark Hall to become alienated from the sect.

The disciples naturally agreed, but what they were really thinking was only known to them.

After assigning the tasks, Li Qingqiu left.

Since it was a rare opportunity for him to come down from the mountain, he decided to visit his apprentices.

As the cultivation atmosphere of Qingxiao Sect became more and more popular, the disciples' concept of day and night also broke away from the secular world. Even at night, people could be seen walking around Qingxiao Mountain, and the figures of disciples cultivating could be seen in various forests.

Li Qingqiu arrived at Zhao Zhen's cave, where Zhao Zhen was cultivating.

Currently, the sect has only distributed four cave dwellings, but Mingguang has already led people to build ten more, which are waiting for him to distribute.

Li Qingqiu planned to distribute the cave dwellings to the higher-ups first, once there were enough cave dwellings available.

In a sect, it's impossible for younger disciples to be treated better than the higher-ups. Doing so would cause problems, and the higher-ups also need the sect leader to acknowledge their contributions.

"Master, please sit down, I'll pour you some tea."

Zhao Zhen stood up, bowed, and then walked towards the wooden cabinet next to him.

Looking at thirteen-year-old Zhao Zhen, Li Qingqiu noticed that he had grown quite a bit taller.

Before he knew it, Zhao Zhen had grown from a child into a teenager, shedding his mischievousness and developing a more composed demeanor, which filled him with both emotion and satisfaction.

Li Qingqiu doted on this disciple and kept a close eye on him, frequently sending Yuan Qi to visit Zhao Zhen, fearing he might disappear.

The reason for this is that Li Qingqiu always remembered Zhao Zhen's destiny.

[A life of hardship and setbacks: This person will experience numerous trials and tribulations before the age of sixteen. After sixteen, this fate will dissipate, and their comprehension will increase to a higher level.]

There are only three years left until I turn sixteen.

With Zhao Zhi dead and the world in chaos, all forces that could threaten Qingxiao Sect have been eliminated. Logically, no one should be able to threaten Zhao Zhen, who is located within Qingxiao Sect, but Li Qingqiu is still uneasy.

Lately, every time Li Qingqiu faces Zhao Zhen, she feels like she is fighting against fate.

It seemed as if a giant hand was reaching out to grab Zhao Zhen from the shadows.

Seeing Zhao Zhen pour tea for him, Li Qingqiu asked with a smile, "How long has this tea been sitting? Is it still drinkable?"

Zhao Zhen opened his eyes wide and said, "Of course I can drink it, Master. I brew fresh tea every day, even if you don't come."

Li Qingqiu took the teacup from his hand and smiled, "Why have you suddenly taken a liking to tea?"

"I'm learning from my third senior brother, trying to calm myself down. After all, I'm not a six or seven-year-old child anymore," Zhao Zhen replied earnestly as he sat down.

Li Qingqiu, who was drinking tea, almost choked on his tea upon hearing this.

Li Qingqiu asked helplessly, "Does your third senior brother drink tea?"

“My third senior brother is naturally calm, which I can’t compare to. I can only find external things to calm my temper,” Zhao Zhen replied.

"Then don't participate in the next martial arts tournament."

"No! Master! You can't do this!"

Zhao Zhen immediately became anxious, stood up abruptly, and her face instantly turned red.

Li Qingqiu loved teasing him, and continued to quip, "You're already so amazing, why do you still want to participate?"

"I was too young when I participated before, it's not fair to me," Zhao Zhen said, feeling aggrieved.

He just wanted to prove that he had the ability to compete for the title of the strongest disciple.

"Alright, then I hope you will be strong enough by then, preferably even stronger than your senior sister's previous performance, so that you can set an example for the younger disciples and let everyone know what the strongest disciple of Qingxiao Sect should be like."

Li Qingqiu suppressed her smile and said softly.

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Master, I will soon reach the sixth level. My goal is to reach the eighth level before the next martial arts tournament."

Li Qingqiu had no doubt that Zhao Zhen's diligence was no less than Xu Ning's.

Qin Ye has already gone down the mountain and is busy working for his family.

Although Ji Ya possessed the Hundred Refinements Demon Body, his mind was unsettled, and he always hovered around his companions.

Zhao Zhen is different; he is a pure cultivation fanatic. If he hadn't had to find the time to create unique skills, he would already be at the sixth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm.

“You may encounter calamities in the next three years. You’d better stay on Qingxiao Mountain and not go anywhere else. If anyone contacts you and tries to lure you down the mountain, you must tell me immediately. Don’t trust anyone easily.”

Li Qingqiu stared at Zhao Zhen and said with a serious expression.

After much deliberation, he decided to reveal the secret to Zhao Zhen.

No matter what, this kid has to survive until he's sixteen.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhen thought of the letter his mother had sent, and his expression became unnatural. He asked, "Master, what are you worried about?" Li Qingqiu pretended to be profound and said, "I know some fortune-telling techniques and can occasionally see some future events. You are destined to face a calamity, but as long as you stay on Qingxiao Mountain, you can overcome it."

The cave dwelling Zhao Zhen obtained during the martial arts tournament was on another mountain. For his safety, Li Qingqiu specially asked Mingguang to rebuild a cave dwelling on Qingxiao Mountain for him to move to. Fortunately, he was obedient and never went down the mountain.

"A calamity in my destiny...?"

Zhao Zhen's face darkened, and he fell silent.

Li Qingqiu could understand him; anyone would be flustered if suddenly faced with such a situation.

Three years is neither short nor long; as long as you get through it, it will be fine.

Li Qingqiu then continued to inquire about his cultivation progress, and Zhao Zhen answered truthfully.

Next, Zhao Zhen planned to focus on his cultivation. As he grew older, his cultivation speed increased. He had only one goal in cultivation: to transcend tribulation as soon as possible, just like Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu stayed in Zhao Zhen's cave for half an hour before leaving.

Zhao Zhen returned from the entrance of the cave to the stone table and sat down. His face was pale and his eyes were darting around.

He did not tell his master about his mother's message, fearing that his master would deal with his mother. However, he could not pretend not to know what his master had said.

Is he truly destined for a calamity?
Was it Tianxuan Mountain that wanted to deal with him, or was it his mother who wanted to scheme against him?

Zhao Zhen suddenly felt a little envious of the three Xiao brothers, who were able to make decisions when faced with family ties that were not in their best interest.

Only when he truly faced this situation did he realize how difficult it is to sever family ties.

He took a deep breath and decided to focus on practicing his skills. As long as he was strong enough, he would not be afraid of the so-called tribulation.

……

time flies.

Before we knew it, it was early June. Spring had turned to summer, and the temperature between heaven and earth was rising.

On this day, Li Qingqiu brought Jinlang to Yuantie Port Town. After a year of construction, the port town has been initially established, with hundreds of pavilions, most of which are warehouses used to store ancient Gengjin Yuantie.

Li Qingqiu has opened the Yuan Tie Blessed Land to the public, and currently more than a hundred true disciples are cultivating there. When they are not cultivating, these disciples will come to Yuan Tie Port Town to rest.

Upon hearing that Li Qingqiu had arrived, Yu Lin immediately came to meet him.

As the second of the Seven Masters of Qingxiao, Yu Lin has become the ruler of Yuantie Port Town and Yuantie Blessed Land. With his seniority, his disciples respect him and there has been no trouble for the time being.

When Yu Lin arrived, Li Qingqiu was standing in a large hall. In front of him was a pool with a whirlpool in the middle.

The mansion is situated on a shallow beach, perfectly concealing the whirlpool.

The port was originally built to cover this whirlpool. In the past year, strange fish have been emerging from the whirlpool from time to time, and it even damaged the mansion at one point, forcing Yu Lin to send his disciples to take turns guarding the place.

"Sect Master, what brings you here today?"

After bowing, Yu Lin asked, "In terms of relationship, Li Qingqiu is my senior uncle, but I can only address Li Qingqiu that way in private."

Li Qingqiu said, "I'm going to investigate what's going on beneath the whirlpool. It's not good to just leave it like this."

Upon hearing this, Yu Lin immediately became nervous and hurriedly said, "Sect Leader, please don't go down there yourself. This whirlpool is very strange. A fish came out earlier, but we couldn't catch it. After watching it cause some damage, it slithered back in. We suspect that it has become a spirit."

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, "Of course I won't go down rashly. I have the means to investigate thoroughly."

"What kind of method is it?" Yu Lin asked curiously.

Li Qingqiu glanced at him and smiled, "I have three ghost servants, and I have already sent them down to investigate the situation."

Ghost slave?

Yu Lin froze, a chill running down his spine.

Having cultivated to this point, he can vaguely sense the existence of souls, but he has never seen a ghost in person.

Moreover, the words "ghost slave" sound very sinister.

The sect leader even keeps ghost slaves...

Yu Lin felt somewhat uneasy, but based on his trust in the sect leader, he felt that the sect leader must have his reasons for doing so. Just like now, it was indeed better to send the ghost servant to investigate.

"Sect Master, can ghost servants attack living beings?" Yu Lin asked curiously.

Li Qingqiu replied, "Of course they can. Not to mention ghost servants, some fierce ghosts can also harm people if they are seen by living people."

Yu Lin remained silent, a thought suddenly forming in his mind.

Should he also keep a ghost slave?
He was of mediocre talent and had encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation. He was also thinking about how to make himself stronger.

But how should he approach the sect leader?

Just as Yu Lin was struggling with this problem, the whirlpool in the pool began to fluctuate more violently, and under Li Qingqiu's manipulation, Lin Chuan revealed his ghost form.

Yu Lin stared wide-eyed at the little devil who exuded an evil aura.

Lin Chuan was frighteningly pale; it was clearly abnormal.

Lin Chuan ignored Yu Lin, looked at Li Qingqiu, and said, "Senior brother, below is a bottomless sea with many huge fish. I saw a water snake, bigger than Bai Zhi!"

Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow.

The surrounding area is all shallow water, with no contact with the deep sea at all. Sure enough, this whirlpool has a certain spacetime teleportation effect.

　Third update!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)