Chapter 101: The First-Ever Qi Refining Stage Sect Leader in History

Seeing Ruan Xing's expression change all of a sudden, Ruan Tao hurriedly explained: "Don't worry, he didn't do anything, it's just that... uh, while he was listening to music at Lichun Fang, he was scolded by a few jealous dandies, so he killed everyone on the first floor."

Hu San was nearby giving instructions to Sword Lai on how to set up the tent; he had brought cloth, tools, and bedding. Hearing this, he chimed in: "The letter the young lady sent earlier said that no one else should know about things that exceed a mortal's understanding. Rest assured, young lady, everyone in the city is our own, and the news has already been sealed off."

Ruan Xing suddenly remembered, "I recall Jiangning City is a bit of a distance from here, right? How did you all get here so fast? And what do you mean by 'everyone in the city is our own'?"

Neither of them can fly on a Sword, so they shouldn't be this fast.

Hu San scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, "It's all thanks to Wang Dongxing; his business is doing quite well. Last year, I originally wanted to write to you and send silver, but since you hadn't summoned Sword Lai for a long time, I took the liberty of having Wang Dongxing use the silver from the gang's industries to develop new ones. Now, Lichun Fang and the Red Pavilion have opened in several surrounding towns. There aren't any established gang forces in these places, so I took them all over. With the annual gifts to the Patrol Security Division being generous, plus Young Master Liu having put in a good word, we didn't encounter any difficulties."

"So, we were staying in the town closest to the boundary, and once Sword Lai sent the message, we hurried over."

"I see, you've done well." Ruan Xing nodded to show she understood.

It was a good thing Hu San and the others had actively developed the gang.

Otherwise, with the Demon Lord causing such a scene in the city and using such mind-boggling methods that left people in a panic, the National Teacher Palace would surely have found out, and she would have had to run away again.

Although the National Preceptor is also at the Golden Core Stage and it's not certain she couldn't win, she is currently suffering from severe injuries and is very fragile. Moreover, this is the National Preceptor's home turf; if the Boundary Tree had any mysterious functions, it would be a disaster.

She didn't want to lose this mysterious base yet.

Sword Lai went off to set up the tent with the supplies, and Ruan Tao changed the subject, "Do you want to see Mother?"

Ruan Xing didn't have deep memories of this mother, because she had only stayed in that home for a little over half a month after transmigrating. Her mother left early and returned late, and they hadn't spoken many words. The person she spent the most time with every day was Ruan Tao, so she hadn't developed any feelings for her mother.

She had Hu San send silver to Ruan Mu every month purely as compensation for occupying this body and out of love for Ruan Tao.

But Ruan Tao wouldn't bring this up for no reason, so Ruan Xing asked: "What happened to Mother?"

Ruan Tao's eyes dimmed, "She got married, just at the beginning of the year. I received news a few days ago that she is already two months pregnant."

Ruan Xing was silent for a while.

Although Ruan Tao kept saying she was disappointed in her mother, deep down, she probably still held expectations.

It was just that her mother had once again made the wrong choice between a man and her daughter.

"Since she has a new family, let's not disturb her. Sister, I have you, and that is enough."

Ruan Tao tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Sister will only have you from now on, too. I will definitely practice the techniques you taught me well, and strive to be able to help you in the future."

"No need to rush, take your time." Ruan Xing comforted her, then released Shen Lingyun from the Storage Bag. She had her eyes closed, with no breathing or heartbeat, and her body was ice-cold. If her limbs weren't still supple, she would look less like a Puppet and more like a corpse.

But it didn't make a difference.

Ruan Xing pointed at her and said: "This is the master I found for you, but she had an accident and is currently in a coma. She'll be fine once she wakes up in a few days. I also brought you some things, pills and such, just like before. I'll teach you how to use this Storage Bag."

As she spoke, she tossed the few Storage Bags she had bought in town into the boundary, letting Ruan Tao and Hu San pick them up to try using them.

With the pleasantries over, Ruan Xing sent a message to the Demon Lord via their mental link.

The Demon Lord appeared quickly, looking somewhat excited.

"Where did you go?"

He chuckled, "This boundary is really interesting, don't you think?"

Heh, it is interesting—the only mortal regime in the world of Cultivation, a feudal dynasty.

Ruan Xing said speechlessly: "Don't cause trouble. The waters here are very deep; you won't be able to handle it."

"Don't worry, I saw it." The Demon Lord shrugged: "There is a terrifying, massive thing in the center of this boundary. I feel like it has many eyes, watching everything inside the boundary, but it seems to be in a dormant period right now. I didn't get too close, so I'm not sure what it is yet; it wouldn't be good to wake it up."

"I've seen it, it's a tree." Ruan Xing described the appearance of the tree roots she had seen submerged in a pool dozens of meters underground, "Demon Lord, as a giant of the Demonic Path with vast knowledge, do you know what kind of tree this is?"

The Demon Lord spread his hands, "Most trees in this world are basically the same as the roots you described, just a bit weirder in your eyes. Why don't you describe the distribution of the branches, the shape of the leaves, what kind of flowers it blooms, or what fruit it bears?"

Ruan Xing was stunned.

She had never seen what the Boundary Tree looked like above ground. Even that one time she was at the Zhaixing Terrace at the National Preceptor's residence, which was the highest point in the entire National Teacher Palace, she hadn't seen anything resembling a tree.

This shouldn't be right; with such large roots, the trunk part should at least be over ten meters thick and hundreds of meters tall.

But she really hadn't seen it... Thinking about it carefully, why did she think a bunch of things soaking in eerie pool water were a tree? It was that little Daoist boy who introduced it to her, saying it was called the Boundary Tree.

"Trees can't grow eyes. I think it's an unknown living creature, perhaps some kind of ancient Monster Beast? But I'd have to see it to know. If it looked like a tree when you saw it, it might be because it didn't want to be seen by you."

Ruan Xing pondered: "If we follow your theory, then wouldn't the Sect that keeps such a Monster Beast be a demonic, crooked path? Do you know of this kind of technique that cultivates by using literary energy and official luck?"

"Monster Beasts are kept by many Sects, I suppose; it mainly depends on what they are kept for. Literary energy and official luck... I have heard a little about it, but I've never seen it. Back then, there were too many Sects interfering in mortal affairs; even if one started as a mortal official, they couldn't obtain pure literary energy and official luck. It had long since been lost. I didn't expect that after several thousand years, I would see their inheritance in a place like this. Interesting—they built a country themselves, and there are no cultivators in this country. Truly a grand undertaking."

The Demon Lord clapped his hands and laughed.

Ruan Xing, however, caught a piece of information from the Demon Lord's words.

The era the Demon Lord lived in still had mortal dynasties, though they existed in name only. According to the information she had, the world of Cultivation hadn't had a mortal regime for five or six thousand years, so the Demon Lord was at least a figure from six thousand years ago.

Or perhaps even earlier.

But the Golden Terrace Secret Realm had appeared less than a thousand years ago.

She started to get a headache. Why was everyone else's path to Cultivation so smooth? Take the Fairy, for example—she stayed safely in her Sect and cultivated to the Transformation Stage. Although it was also because of her extraordinary talent, the Fairy hadn't encountered any difficulties or dangers since she was young. If it weren't for the Immortal-Demon War involving the Xian Tai Tree, forcing her Sect to send her out to participate in the battle, she probably would have stayed in the Sect all the way until she ascended.

As for herself, trouble followed her wherever she went.

She was becoming like Conan.

"Forget it, let's not think about this for now." Ruan Xing shook her head. When she had the strength, she would naturally investigate the Boundary Tree; now was not the time.

"Demon Lord, this is the person I need you to pass your inheritance to." Ruan Xing pointed at Hu San. Hu San stood up straight, feeling nervous at her words. The Demon Lord glanced at him, looking somewhat disdainful, "He doesn't look insidious or cunning at all, just a face of honesty. He lacks the temperament of a Demon Cultivator."

"Hey, that's where you're wrong." Ruan Xing said righteously, "If one looks honest, it's easier for others to be deceived. Look at you, with your extraordinary appearance and striking handsomeness; the Fairy is always on guard against you, right?"

The Demon Lord stroked his chin, "That makes sense."

"Alright then. But his Qi Refining Layer 3 cultivation is a bit low. I'll instruct him to prepare some things later, and tonight I'll perform an infusion to pass on my power." The Demon Lord said, "The disciple you prepared for me seems to have some influence among mortals, which is not bad. I don't plan on leaving anyway; I'll stay here and let him serve me well."

"You're not leaving?" Ruan Xing was shocked, "You want to stay in this boundary?"

"Yeah, it's quite interesting. I'll do some research."

"No way. There are only mortals inside the boundary. If you act so high-profile, you'll be discovered by the National Teacher Palace sooner or later. You can't stay here." Ruan Xing refused flatly.

"Heh heh." The Demon Lord gave an evil, charming smile, "Is that any of your business?"

Ruan Xing was choked for words.

"Rest easy. If I stay, the Fairy will stay too. With her temperament, she won't let me run wild. Besides, I think it's safer for her and me to stay here." The Demon Lord rubbed his nose, a trace of loneliness on his face, "I discovered it yesterday in that town—in this era, the Demonic Path is on the decline. My former Sect was in Nanzhou, and it has likely long since been destroyed. Now that the Fairy and I are considered evil beings, without powerful strength to rely on, if we walk outside rashly, who knows when we might be crushed to death by some Nascent Soul True Monarch with a flick of a finger."

Ruan Xing remained unmoved, "You can go to the Northern Territory."

The Demon Lord rolled his eyes, "Everyone flocks to a good place; otherwise, why would we have fought over the Xian Tai Tree back then? Only poor mountains and treacherous waters are places for exiling criminals; I am not going."

The Demon Lord was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, and Ruan Xing had no other choice, so she said dejectedly, "You had better not cause trouble inside the barrier."

"Don't be angry." The Demon Lord reached out and ruffled Ruan Xing's hair messily, ruining the hair she had tied up and causing Ruan Xing to glare at him, but he didn't care at all and said, "To compensate you, I have decided to help you teach a few more disciples for free. I have quite a few Demon Sect techniques in my head. You can choose the candidates yourself. How about that, generous enough, right?"

"What?" Ruan Xing was startled, then asked suspiciously, "You aren't thinking of starting from here to make the Demon Sect flourish again, are you?"

"How could that be? How much of a splash can just these few people make? It's just to pass the time. Why don't you consider it?"

Ruan Xing did not care much about the distinction between immortal and demon, and she knew that in a dozen years or so, the Demon Sect would usher in a period of glory that would last for an unknown amount of time.

This proposal from the Demon Lord was more beneficial than harmful to her; she had originally wanted to build her own force in the world of Cultivation, and although there were a few more Demon Cultivators under her... how could that not count?

By the time these disciples grew to the Golden Core Stage in a dozen years, the Demon Sect would also have reached its peak; it was just right.

Although the waiting time was a bit long.

"That could work." Ruan Xing nodded.

"Then let's give this Sect a name? You are the Sect Master, so you name it." The Demon Lord raised an eyebrow and smiled.

No... is the span this large? It has already reached the step of becoming a Sect Master?

She only wanted to build a small force similar to a gang to do things for her...

However, Ruan Xing quickly convinced herself: the first Sect Master at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage, unprecedented and unrepeatable in the entire world of Cultivation!

It was about to be freshly baked.

"Let's call it the Fengling Yueying Sect," Ruan Xing said.

"A bit long. Fengling Sect is fine, drop the Yueying," the Demon Lord commented.

Ruan Xing couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Are you smuggling in your own private interests here? The 'Feng' from Xie Feng and the 'Ling' from Shen Lingyun? It will be called this name, no rebuttals allowed."

"Then as you wish, it makes no difference to me." The Demon Lord shrugged.

Thus, on this ordinary yet extraordinary day, the Fengling Yueying Sect was established.

While recovering from her injuries, Ruan Xing planned for the Sect; she would be the Sect Master, Ruan Tao and Hu San would be the Deputy Sect Masters, and the Demon Lord and the fairy would be the Supreme Elders. The other disciples the Demon Lord took in would be the first generation of disciples of the Fengling Yueying Sect.

As for the operating model, Ruan Xing hadn't thought it through yet; she didn't want to follow the way other Sects supported their Inner Sect Disciples, because she was very stingy.

The Demon Lord suggested following the Demon Sect's way of cultivation—raising gu, whoever has the ability survives.

However, this was also rejected by Ruan Xing; firstly, she didn't have that many people to use as consumables, and secondly, she felt it was a bit too cruel.

For now, she would select a few suitable ones from the gang, and talk about other things once the Sect had a prototype.

Because the Demon Lord was nearby, she didn't dare to refine the two corpses in her Storage Bag into Puppets, fearing the Demon Lord would steal the technique.

The Demon Lord went to whisper a few words to Hu San and disappeared in the evening. When she saw Hu San again the next day, Ruan Xing was surprised to find, "How did you reach Foundation Establishment?"

"Making a fuss over nothing. Inheritance infusion, isn't Foundation Establishment very normal? If my strength hadn't dropped so much, I should have been at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage after the infusion."

Ruan Xing curled her lips, "Then why don't you infuse a few more?"

"That won't do, it damages Vitality." The Demon Lord shook his head.

This actually saved Ruan Xing a Foundation Establishment Pill, which was also quite good.

Ruan Xing instructed Hu San to select a few trustworthy people in the gang and let them try the Basic Qi Refining Mantra; if they could feel the Qi Sensation, it proved they had Spirit Bone even if they couldn't draw in Qi.

There was no help for it, she still didn't have a Spirit Stone... she could only continue using this clumsy method.

And five days later, when the fairy woke up, the sky collapsed.

"What Fengling Yueying Sect? Supreme Elder? I have a Sect, I am from the Mysterious Grade Sect!"

"What? My disciple is the Deputy Sect Master of this Sect?"

"What!? This Sect is full of Demon Cultivators!?"

Thanks to Li Li Li liliyr for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Prosperous New Peace for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Beautiful Shop Bobang v2 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to FANYG for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Upright Face for the monthly ticket~ (End of chapter)