Chapter 197: Hall of the Sacred Ones

"With your abilities, reaching this threshold is not difficult."

Xu Xing's voice was soft, yet to Ba Zun it sounded vast and ethereal, as if he glimpsed countless rivers surging endlessly.

Bad!

He gathered his spirit and decisively polished away that fleeting perception with the Dao he upheld.

It was no wonder he reacted so strongly.

In ancient times, when cultivation methods were first created, there were too many flaws; pioneers blazed the trail, and later cultivators followed in their footsteps.

But it was precisely this practice of treating predecessors' experiences as sacred doctrine.

That nearly caused all of humanity to halt at the Union with Dao, unable to attain the Profound.

Thus, after that, anyone who advanced to a new realm would wait until a second person reached the Same Realm, mutually verify their insights, before publicly sharing their cultivation realizations.

After a long while, Ba Zun felt his heart utterly clear.

Recalling what he had just done, he could not help but sigh: "Our cultivation is truly arduous."

With no path ahead, we must constantly grope forward, all the while vigilantly avoiding false paths.

"But someone must walk it."

"True enough."

Ba Zun gazed into the distance, as if seeing some terrifying entity sealed away in the unseen.

"Pity we're bound and cannot escape. When I've slain every last damn Cang clan member, I'll venture beyond the boundaries!"

"There will be an opportunity." Xu Xing's voice grew even fainter.

Soon, that sliver of his spirit fully withdrew.

Watching Xu Xing's sliver of spirit depart, Ba Zun couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

"Brother Daoist truly is…"

Free from Hun Tian Yi's constraints—how wonderful!

Yet I still need much more time…

"Forget it, take it slow."

This sort of thing cannot be rushed.

Though inferior to Brother Daoist, his progress is already faster than that of the other major Xian Sects.

As for asking Xu Xing for help? He never even considered it.

Not to mention the difficulty of handover.

Xu Xing already seals the strongest portion of Hun Tian Yi; now to ask him, just after he's eased his burden, to take on duties meant for me…

Even Master Mei Zu, that shameless bastard, wouldn't be this shameless!

His gaze dropped; Qiu Feng was already handling the matters of this Ru Sect trial.

emm…

After casting a flicker of spiritual light, Ba Zun closed his eyes again.

…………

Xiang Jianzong, small courtyard.

As that sliver of spirit returned, Xu Xing stood up.

Yan Ming was once again gripped by fear.

Yet Xu Xing made no move to punish him.

"Let's go."

Then he turned to Zhang Yunlu: "Get ready."

"Master's uncle, there doesn't seem to be much to prepare," Chi Jiuyu said.

Master doesn't like all those formalities.

And he'll probably, like she did before, keep it quiet and invite only a few senior brothers and sisters as witnesses.

emm…

Master Ji might come too!

"True enough."

Sister's indeed fond of simplicity.

"Well, that's settled then."

As his words faded, Xu Xing and Yan Ming vanished.

After the two departed,

"Sit down, sit down, don't just stand there," Chi Jiuyu urged.

Of the four just now, only she and Xu Xing had been seated.

"I used to think Master's uncle was some rigid old fossil, but he's actually kind of fun!"

Zhang Yunlu, just sitting down, froze.

"Fun…?" "Eh?! Where'd it all go?" Chi Jiuyu grabbed her bowl, only to find it empty.

That huge bowl was completely finished by Master's uncle! "You can have your Spirit Blade come out for training again," Zhang Yunlu said.

"Well…" Chi Jiuyu scratched her head, "Nah, forget it."

She planned to stop fooling around with her blade for a while.

Take a break first.

……

……

Several more days passed.

Zhang Yunlu advanced to Foundation Establishment mid-stage.

Early in the morning, Chi Jiuyu brought Zhang Yunlu a set of cultivation robes, ancient in aura yet remarkably simple and fitted, said to be the original design of the third-generation Xiang Jianzong disciples.

Third-generation…

In other words, she was now a figure of the rank of junior aunt-grandfather in the Xiang Jianzong.

After putting them on, Chi Jiuyu first flew her to the inner sect of the Xiang Jianzong, then took her in line to board the teleportation array.

The inner sect continent was too vast; many important locations had teleportation arrays.

Eventually, the two arrived before an extraordinarily majestic hall.

The hall was grand, with carved beams and painted rafters, upturned eaves like those of a divine palace from the ninth heavens, inscribed with three large characters—Zhu Sheng Hall!

It honored no Heaven's Will, no ghosts or gods, only the sages of humanity.

Every inner sect disciple of the Xiang Jianzong must come here to pay respects to these sages.

Although Zhang Yunlu was merely at Foundation Establishment, as a third-generation disciple, she naturally had to pay her respects as well.

An elderly man, with an immortal aura, clad in a purple-gold long robe and an ethereal demeanor, stood before the hall.

It was none other than the Xiang Jianzong's sect leader, Du Ruoheng.

"Sect Leader."

Chi Jiuyu bowed deeply, her usual playful demeanor replaced by solemnity and precision.

Matters had weight and priority; before this hall, she would show not the slightest disrespect.

"Hmm." Du Ruoheng gave a slight nod, his gaze turning to Zhang Yunlu. "Follow me."

Zhang Yunlu glanced at Chi Jiuyu, then followed Du Ruoheng into Zhu Sheng Hall.

From outside, Zhu Sheng Hall had already seemed majestic, but inside it was even vaster.

It was not as she had imagined—filled with incense smoke and countless statues.

Instead, she saw endless azure seas and emerald skies stretching into the distance, with jade tablets standing on either side, glowing with golden light.

She and the sect leader stood upon a small boat, drifting slowly forward.

The founder of Qi Gathering techniques, the first person to achieve Foundation Establishment, the creator of humanity's first magical artifact, the originator of talisman arts…

From Qi Gathering to Return to Void, every pioneer, every master who pioneered the myriad arts and disciplines, their names and deeds were carved upon the jade tablets, passed down to future generations.

Some still lived; others had long since died.

But without doubt, each one was a true legend.

As she gazed upon the jade tablets, Zhang Yunlu was awestruck, and her reverence deepened.

Humanity's current cultivation path had been carved out by countless predecessors, one after another, sacrificing their lives without hesitation.

The small boat drifted slowly, parting the waves—appearing slow, yet moving with astonishing speed.

In less than a moment, they reached the end.

Three jade tablets lay across the azure sea.

The central one was tall and unmarked; the two on either side bore golden inscriptions—one read "Sword Sovereign," the other "Xiang Jianzong."

Only fifth-generation disciples and above, and Xiang Jianzong members who had reached Dao Union or higher, could see these three jade tablets.

"Bow."

Du Ruoheng's voice rang clear.

Dong! The water rippled gently as Zhang Yunlu knelt down on cue.

"I humbly beseech the sages."

"Disciple Zhang Yunlu, now honored to join the Sword Sovereign's lineage, grateful for your protection. The immortal path is long—I vow to uphold your will, strive diligently, and safeguard humanity, never betraying your expectations."

"I beg for your protection and blessings of peace."

Her solemn voice echoed in all directions.

Ceng~ As if a great bell, silent for a thousand years, had been struck, the jade tablet inscribed with "Sword Sovereign" blazed with golden light, brilliant and dazzling.

Then, the radiant golden light converged into a single point, flashed once—and vanished into Zhang Yunlu's third eye.

A cool sensation brushed her forehead; a cold voice echoed in her mind.

"Accepted."

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