Chapter 541: Chapter 538 Imperial Dynasty and Sect
Ever since the Buddha Immortal began teaching Zhang Buku cultivation, two hundred years had passed.
With the new spring just over, the Nine Spirit Continent was bathed in sunlight, its vast mountains and rivers brimming with life, while flocks of birds darted out of the forests.
Atop a large tree, Gu An leaned against the trunk as he opened his Attribute Panel to check.
[Name: Gu An]
[Life Span: 9,045/77,189,605,409]
[Physique: Primordial Infinite Body]
…
[Cultivation Level: Balancing Heaven Golden Immortal Realm Perfection]
…
Unconsciously, I had reached the age of nine thousand.
Gu An felt emotional in his heart, remembering how in ancient Huaxia, those who were second in power often claimed to be nine thousand years old—a far and immortal age for ordinary people.
When he reached the age of nine thousand, he still felt very young.
Compared to those old monsters, he was still a youngster.
Ah, youth is wonderful!
Gu An’s gaze shifted below, where a small stream lay across the forest. On the other side of the stream, An Xin was instructing three young disciples of the Qiankun Sect, two males and one female, all appearing to be seventeen or eighteen. They faced An Xin with great respect, afraid of missing any of her words.
Gu An could hear the thoughts of one young man who marveled at how beautiful An Xin was, his face even blushing slightly.
This amused Gu An.
An Xin’s appearance was naturally striking, and coupled with her cultivation at the Loose Immortal Realm, her demeanor was extraordinary, almost like a Celestial Maiden descending to earth, something these young, newly love-struck juveniles could hardly resist.
But with regulations and status differences in place, all they could do was think.
After a while.
An Xin stood up and said, “Alright, you can return now.”
The three Qiankun Sect disciples promptly got up and paid their respects.
The young man, filled with admiration for An Xin, asked, “Immortal Master, when can we see you again?”
The other two also looked at An Xin expectantly.
An Xin smiled softly, “If fate allows, we will meet again. I only guide each disciple of the Qiankun Sect once; it’s only fair to the others.”
Upon hearing this, the three felt disappointed yet dared not plead, as before coming their masters and the sect’s elders had strictly warned them never to offend the Immortal Master.
An Xin waved her sleeve, sending them a hundred miles away, not wanting to waste more words.
She turned around and looked from side to side, and only after Gu An appeared on a branch did she reveal a smile that would have stunned the three disciples had they seen it.
During the previous instruction, An Xin had not shown a smile, leading the three to believe she didn’t smile.
“Master, Yi Qingshan still claims these three have exceptional talent, yet I felt they were quite mediocre,” An Xin spoke up.
Gu An replied, “Perhaps you haven’t discovered their unique strengths yet; everyone has virtues.”
Reflecting on his words, An Xin thought about herself and found her master’s words to be reasonable. After all, her Dao practice wasn’t sufficient; if she were as powerful as her master, even a common White Spirit Rat could be trained into a Demon King.
Gu An flipped down from the branch, leading An Xin towards the dojo.
An Xin began to recount the major recent events within the Qiankun Sect.
It was said that a genius had emerged within the Qiankun Sect—this disciple originally possessed mediocre talent, and his fiancée had been snatched away by a prodigy of the sect, while his family members were killed. Although many suspected the prodigy was responsible, there was no evidence; many pitied this disciple, but that was all they could do.
After several hundred years of obscurity, this disciple surprisingly demonstrated extraordinary cultivation talent and formidable combat abilities. He challenged the prodigy to a life-and-death combat, and the prodigy had agreed.
Life-and-death combat was a rule within the Qiankun Sect, necessitating both parties to verbally agree at the Law Enforcement Hall and sign a contract before the combat could proceed.
Additionally, harming one’s fellow sect members was considered a severe crime.
This rule was established to provide an opportunity for those who sought to resolve their grudges.
Gu An listened attentively; he didn’t feel any sympathy, for such stories were too common in the Human World, and there were cases even more tragic than this.
He did not even bother to speculate about the outcome.
Currently, not everyone could capture his attention; just looking after people like Li Ya and An Hao, he felt already overwhelmed.
Since he had relinquished his responsibilities of guarding the Supreme Sect and the Tai Cang Continent, Gu An’s days had become more relaxed. Now was the time he enjoyed most in life, where he could accumulate Life Span and have endless time to do what he desired.
Recently, he had been delving into pottery. He planned to build a small town at the edge of the Dojo for fun, not for any profit.
As Gu An and An Xin were casually discussing the events within the Qiankun Sect, far away at the Supreme Sect, Long Qing was also troubled by matters within the sect.
Now, Long Qing had become a candidate for Sect Leader, managing all affairs of the sect, while Lv Baitian had long retreated to pursue Daoist Techniques.
In the Elder Hall, Long Qing sat at the primary seat with Long Jun and Candle Star standing on his sides; dozens of Elders gathered in front, incessantly debating.
“The Tai Cang Imperial Dynasty has always followed orders from the Supreme Sect. Li Xuandao actually allowed his generals to compete with our Direct Disciples for precious treasures. Clearly, he’s testing us!”
“That’s right, Li Xuandao has really gone too far in recent years!”
“The imperial power should not be controlled by one person. I think Li Xuandao wants to become a ruler like those of the Immortal Dynasty. Don’t forget, the Immortal Dynasty was the one who started the war against the Holy Court!”
“With the Saint King of the Holy Court supporting Li Xuandao, he indeed has the capacity to be arrogant.”
“The most critical point is that this Saint King is a disciple of the Supporting Dao Sword Venerable. If Dragon Gate Master could persuade Yang Jian, would Li Xuandao still dare to be rampant?”
The Elders discussed fervently, Ji Hantian looked at Long Qing seriously, “Long Qing, do you have a way to contact your master?”
Upon this statement, everyone fell silent.
The reason Long Qing felt troubled was because it involved Yang Jian, who he heard was the favorite disciple of his master.
He answered, “I cannot, but with my master’s Dao Practice, he is certainly watching every move of the Supreme Sect.”
Ji Hantian remained silent, and the Elders exchanged glances.
Many Elders had never met the Supporting Dao Sword Venerable, but they had heard many legends about him, especially after entering the Elder Hall, they understood more about his esteemed status within the Supreme Sect.
As long as the Sword Intent on the Heaven-Repairing Platform remained undissipated, the revered status of the Supporting Dao Sword Venerable within the Supreme Sect would not fade, nor would anyone dare to challenge his authority.
An Ancient Sect Elder spoke up, “The Tai Cang Imperial Dynasty has already dominated many seas, and although the Supreme Sect is growing stronger, its expansion is not as aggressive as that of the Tai Cang Imperial Dynasty. I think instead of suppressing the Tai Cang Imperial Dynasty, we should focus on developing the Supreme Sect. Once the Supreme Sect is strong enough, the Tai Cang Imperial Dynasty will naturally come back to us.”
Hearing this, a Female Elder couldn’t help but retort, “Develop, how do we develop? We are a sect, and our disciples’ main duty is cultivation, not territorial expansion, plus we claim to adhere to the Righteous Dao and must not plunder.”
Her words resonated with many.
Suddenly, Candle Star chuckled, “Looking to develop? Your opportunity has indeed arrived.”
Everyone immediately looked at him, their faces filled with expectation.
Candle Star was a highly accomplished Daoist, and his words might be true. Moreover, Candle Star had accompanied Long Qing for thousands of years, frequently aiding the Supreme Sect, thus holding immense prestige, which was also why Long Qing could swiftly wield great power.