From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 211 Qingxiao Sect Disciples Spanning the Entire World
Zhao Zhen sensed Hua Daozang's aura, and he slowly turned around to look at his mother's second brother.

Hua Daozang looked at Zhao Zhen and couldn't help but feel a little dazed. He seemed to see Zhao Lan, a Zhao Lan who was not suffering from illness.

He thought it was the best thing he had ever done in his life to betroth his sister to Crown Prince Zhao Lan. Unfortunately, his good fortune didn't last long, and Zhao Lan was killed by Zhao Zhi before he could ascend the throne.

"I never imagined you'd grown so much," Hua Daozang remarked with a sigh.

When Zhao Zhen was born, he traveled all the way to Zhongtian Prefecture to visit Zhao Zhen and her son. The prosperity and excitement of that day made him think that his family was about to prosper.

After Zhao Lan's death, he took his sister back to Tianxuan Mountain, but he never dared to send anyone to fetch Zhao Zhen, who remained at Qingxiao Sect. Because of this, his sister always complained to him.

Zhao Zhen looked at him and asked, "My mother was perfectly fine on Tianxuan Mountain, how did she get captured by the Xuanji Sect?"

Hua Daozang's face instantly turned ugly, and he gritted his teeth and said, "The Xuanji Sect sent people to Tianxuan Mountain to steal their secret techniques, but they ended up kidnapping your mother. Without the sect leader, our Tianxuan Mountain can't stop the Xuanji Sect's experts from leaving."

At this point, his tone was filled with resentment, as if he were blaming Qingxiao Sect for taking away Yandao Sect.

Zhao Zhen continued, "Then how can you be sure whether my mother is dead or alive?"

"I can't be sure, but the other party left a message telling me to go to Cangzhou to redeem them. I've already brought the secret techniques of Tianxuan Mountain with me," Hua Daozang replied, taking out several manuals from his robes as he spoke.

Zhao Zhen gave him a deep look and said, "In that case, lead the way."

Hua Daozang nodded and then turned and walked into the woods.

Ku Yi and Ku Er followed, blocking the path between Zhao Zhen and Hua Daozang.

the other side.

The spellcasting disciple in the nearby woods opened his eyes and said, "Senior Brother Zhao Zhen's mother has been captured by the Xuanji Sect. They are preparing to head to Cangzhou."

"Hua Daozang is lying. No Xuanji Sect expert has infiltrated Tianxuan Mountain. He's plotting against Senior Brother Zhao Zhen!"

Upon hearing this, the other two disciples frowned. Although they had never interacted with Zhao Zhen, they had seen him and knew that he was the sect leader's precious disciple and the sect's number one genius.

One of the female disciples asked in a low voice, "Should we remind Senior Brother Zhao Zhen?"

The disciple who cast the spell pondered for a moment and said, "Third Junior Brother, go back to Qingxiao Sect and tell the Sect Master about this. Second Junior Sister, go and contact Senior Brother Zhao Zhen. Tell him the truth through telepathy, but don't let Hua Daozang hear it. If Senior Brother Zhao Zhen is using this as a ploy, we can't ruin his plan. I'll stay in the shadows and follow him. If Senior Brother Zhao Zhen tells you to leave, don't look for me. Go to Black Wind Town and wait for me, and also wait for Third Junior Brother to bring his men."

Upon hearing this, the two disciples did not complain and immediately got up to act without any hesitation.

After the two left, the disciple who cast the spell took out three paper figures from his pocket and muttered, "If I had known this would happen, I should have bought more eavesdropping talismans."

His name is Qiao Dingbei. He is a disciple of the Yuling Hall and his cultivation level is the third level of the Yangyuan Realm.

The three brothers were spies trained by Zhang Yuchun. Normally, their presence in the Imperial Spirit Hall was not high. In the current Qingxiao Sect, the third level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm was not considered a very high level of cultivation.

Qiao Dingbei took a deep breath; his intuition told him that he was in big trouble.

The reason he kept himself in the shadows was that he anticipated Zhao Zhen would drive away his second junior sister, at which point he would have to go alone.

Zhao Zhen is one of the top ten disciples, and his troubles are definitely beyond the reach of Qiao Dingbei and his two companions.

However, since they had run into each other, Qiao Dingbei could not back down, as that would betray the sect's cultivation of them.

After his second junior sister had been gone for a while, Qiao Dingbei finally approached her.

……

Night falls.

A fire was lit in the woods. Hua Daozang sat cross-legged under a tree, watching Zhao Zhen sitting with the female disciples of Qingxiao Sect from afar. His brows furrowed slightly, and he felt a vague unease in his heart.

Damn Qingxiao Sect, how come I keep running into their disciples everywhere I go?

Even he had to admit that the development of Qingxiao Sect was too exaggerated. How long had Li Qingqiu been the sect leader?
It's been a complete process of building something from scratch, and it's only been fifteen years...

Hua Daozang had never met Li Qingqiu. In his imagination, Li Qingqiu was a cruel and domineering hero, and he had no desire to encounter him.

He could only pray that the female disciple of Qingxiao Sect just happened to be passing by.

Zhao Zhen was chatting with his female disciple, but in reality, they were communicating telepathically.

Zhao Zhen was not surprised when he learned that Hua Daozang had deceived him.

"Did you see any women coming down the mountain?"

"There is indeed one, but she was escorted north by disciples of Tianxuan Mountain."

"Understood. Thank you for reminding me. I will repay you when I return to the sect. You go back after dawn, and I will continue north with him."

"Senior Brother Zhao Zhen, aren't you afraid he'll lead you into a trap?"

"Hmph, what's there to be afraid of? I'm at the seventh level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm."

Seventh level of the Nourishing Essence Realm!
Upon hearing this, the female disciple almost stood up. She looked at Zhao Zhen with admiration, but fortunately, it was dark and Hua Daozang did not see her clearly.

After chatting for a while, the two sat down to meditate and begin absorbing qi, while Ku Yi and Ku Er took turns standing guard.

Hua Daozang was very curious about the cultivation methods of the Qingxiao Sect, but he dared not approach rashly.

The next day, just as dawn broke, the female disciple bid farewell to Zhao Zhen.

Hua Daozang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After observing last night, he knew that the female disciple had just happened to be passing by, and Zhao Zhen had not revealed her purpose.

The matter was resolved without serious incident.

The four continued their journey.

Hua Daozang began to use cunning tactics, making the path increasingly rugged, fearing he might run into Qingxiao Sect disciples again. From Zhongtian Prefecture to Cangzhou, they traveled day and night, but it still took them twelve days to reach their destination.

Zhao Zhen looked at the rolling mountains ahead, the sky was filled with dark clouds, the trees on the hillsides were withered, and crows were gathered there.

"Elder Hua, why would the Xuanji Sect be hiding here?" Ku Yi asked, frowning.

Hua Daozang feigned confusion and said, "I don't know either. Everyone be careful, lest it be a trap."

Zhao Zhen glanced at him and thought to himself, "No wonder my master always said that people's hearts are unpredictable."

If it weren't for that female disciple, he would have really thought that Hua Daozang was concerned about his mother.

The four continued onward. The mountains were barren, with even the flowers and grasses withered and no greenery in sight. Along the way, they could even see the remains of wild animals.

They continued onward, and after traveling about five miles, they stopped to look around. They saw a clearing between the mountains, where many tents had been set up, like a camp, and many people were moving around inside.

Some people were practicing martial arts, some were slaughtering goats, and some were even forging weapons.

A look of suspicion flashed in Zhao Zhen's eyes. These people were clearly dressed as Northern Barbarians. Could this matter really involve the Xuanji Sect?
Hua Daozang said, "You all wait here, I'll go down and take a look first."

After saying that, he started walking down the mountain.

Ku Yi and Ku Er came to Zhao Zhen's side and watched Hua Daozang go down the mountain.

“There are no ambushes nearby,” Ku Yi said in a low voice.

Zhao Zhen nodded, filled with curiosity about what was to come, wondering what tricks Hua Daozang was up to.

They watched as Hua Daozang interacted with the Northern Barbarian warriors before being led into a tent.

Not long after, Hua Daozang came out, seemingly being pushed out. Then, they saw a formidable Northern Barbarian warrior emerge from the tent.

The leader was tall and strong, with a physique like a bear. His armor was inlaid with hooks and spikes, making him look even more intimidating.

This man, named Tuo Zhenye, was a direct disciple of the Xuanji Sect and the owner of this camp.

He glanced at Zhao Zhen from afar, then raised his hand and waved. Immediately afterwards, two Northern Barbarian warriors entered another tent and pushed out a woman whose arms were bound and whose mouth was gagged.

Zhao Zhen frowned when he saw the woman.

He no longer remembered what his mother looked like, but seeing her disheveled hair and unkempt clothes, he felt a surge of murderous intent.

Hua Daozang also frowned, his hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves.

Tuo Zhenye noticed his expression and sneered, "Don't worry, our Xuanji Sect isn't that despicable. It's just that this woman is unreliable, so we have to teach her a lesson."

Hua Daozang took a deep breath, walked to the woman's side, and removed the dirty cloth from her face.

"Is that for real? How could you actually summon him? Hua Daozang, what exactly are you trying to do?" the woman shouted angrily.

She is Zhao Zhen's biological mother, Yu Mi.

Hua Daozang gritted his teeth and said, "I can't abandon you!"

Yu Mi cursed, "Do you really think I'm hopelessly stupid? At this point, would I still believe you? You say the Zhao family has money in Cangzhou that can help Zhen'er start a rebellion. If that were true, why would those northern barbarians be here?"

"Your true intention has always been Zhen'er. No wonder you've made me write letters and try to steal the Daozang. You're utterly depraved, even scheming against your own nephew. You're not human!"

Although Zhao Zhen was far away from them, he could hear Yu Mi's words. He wasn't angry; instead, he felt relieved.

His mother truly cared about him, so his life wasn't in vain.

He was afraid that if he came, his mother would not care about him at all, and would even join forces with Hua Daozang to plot against him.

Ku Yi and Ku Er were furious. The reason they helped Hua Daozang persuade Zhao Zhen was because Hua Daozang promised that Tianxuan Mountain would help Zhao Zhen regain his power. But Hua Daozang even lied to Yu Mi. How could his words be trusted again?
Zhao Zhen immediately headed down to the campsite.

Boom——

The dark clouds in the sky emitted a muffled rumble of thunder, as if a torrential downpour was about to strike.

Upon seeing Zhao Zhen descend, the Northern Barbarian warriors in the camp gathered around, and Tuo Zhenye observed Zhao Zhen with great interest.

Yu Mi looked at Zhao Zhen and stopped making a fuss. She was in a daze, as if she saw Zhao Lan as a young man.

When she first met Zhao Lan, he was only about the same age as Zhao Zhen.

At that time, she was a genius girl from Tianxuan Mountain, with some mastery of martial arts. Zhao Lan was the Crown Prince, who came to Tianxuan Mountain to visit the previous sect leader. When they first met, she did not know Zhao Lan's identity, and she even bullied the sick and weak Zhao Lan.

“Since you’ve come for me, release my mother and I’ll talk to you.”

Zhao Zhen walked into the camp, looked at Tuo Zhenye, and spoke.

Tuo Zhenye raised his hand, signaling his men to surround Zhao Zhen, and then said, "Release her and let her go."

The two Northern Barbarian warriors standing behind Yu Mi immediately untied her. Yu Mi looked at Zhao Zhen, and was about to speak when Hua Daozang pulled her away.

“Let’s leave first. If we stay here, we’ll only be a burden to him!” Hua Daozang said in a deep voice.

Yu Mi glared at him resentfully, but reason told her that he was right, and she could only let Hua Daozang pull her away.

She looked at Zhao Zhen, who was surrounded, her face full of worry.

Zhao Zhen glanced at her, and for some reason, a thought inexplicably popped into his mind.

"If my master were here, he certainly wouldn't have let me get surrounded..."

(End of this chapter)