Chapter 304: The Complex Situation

Atop Langya Mountain, the Xianyun Palace, a sixth-tier Magic Treasure of the Thunder God Hall, floated amidst clouds and mist a hundred zhang high, its spiritual light radiating in the most conspicuous manner.

Inside the main hall, an old Daoist with silver hair and beard, wearing a purple-gold dharma robe and a Bagua purple-gold crown, sat in the center holding a shimmering Jade Ruyi; this was Qiyun Zhenjun, a late-stage True Spirit Realm Great Cultivator from the Thunder God Hall, who was responsible for presiding over this Immortal Alliance Assembly.

On both sides were several prayer mats wreathed in Spirit Qi, upon which sat several Great Cultivators with silver hair, ruddy complexions, and the air of immortals; all were at the True Spirit Realm, wearing purple-gold or purple dharma robes, some wearing dharma crowns, others with their hair in Daoist buns, holding various whisks, ruyi, or prayer beads, their expressions either silent, indifferent, or with eyes lowered as if dozing off.

These seven in the center row were the current Elders of the Shenzhou Immortal Alliance.

Among them were Chixia Zhenjun, Supreme Great Elder of the Yuqing Hall of the Song Kingdom, and Mingyi Zhenjun, Supreme Great Elder of the Lingyun Hall of the Ming Kingdom.

The other four were also Supreme Elders from several large Immortal Sects in the southeastern kingdoms, all Great Cultivators long famous in Shenzhou; each was a senior immortal figure who shook their respective regions, and even the youngest among them was over six hundred years old.

On both sides of the main hall, dozens of prayer mats and green jade tables were densely arranged.

As streaks of spiritual light continuously flickered within the hall, one powerful Great Cultivator after another arrived in succession; these people, of different genders, ages, attire, and appearances, all had surging Spirit Qi, and after appearing, they each found a prayer mat to sit on according to their strength or the order of their arrival.

When more than half the seats were filled, the group of Elders sitting in the center slowly opened their eyes.

Qiyunzi, sitting in the middle, swept his Divine Sense across the entire hall and then spoke indifferently: "Since everyone has arrived, let us begin the meeting. Perhaps you Daoist Friends are already aware of the matter: Yufu Shenjun of the Taiqing Palace is about to arrive, so I have summoned you all in advance to pass on the word and make preparations for the reception, so as not to be caught in a flurry later."

The atmosphere in the hall instantly became much livelier; some Great Cultivators showed joy and began to whisper to one another via sound transmission.

A moment later, someone spoke up: "Senior Qiyunzi, the momentum of this alliance is already set, and quelling the Nether Beast Catastrophe in the southeast will be as easy as turning over one's hand. Yufu Shenjun has been in seclusion for over a hundred years; why would he suddenly want to attend? This goes against reason!"

"Indeed, it is said that Yufu Shenjun is on the verge of Void Breaking and Ascension. Him suddenly coming here out of the blue makes us feel quite uneasy!"

"Exactly. Although Nether Beast activity is rampant now, there are only seven or eight powerful ones at most. If we join forces, we will surely slay them with ease; why bother a senior like Yufu Shenjun?"

The group of Great Cultivators discussed the matter in a hubbub, all completely bewildered.

Generally speaking, within the major Immortal Sects, Spirit Transformation Great Cultivators no longer participate in any sect affairs, leaving them to be handled by Danyuan Realm Elders, remaining in a state of near-total detachment; even if they occasionally appear, it is certainly for major events concerning the entire sect or matters that the Danyuan Realm cannot handle.

Once they reach the True Spirit Realm, Great Cultivators have almost no connection to the sect anymore; their status is high and aloof, and they already possess a sense of being transcendent. To them, the sect is more like a label of identity; in reality, they have long ceased to care about worldly affairs and have almost no dealings with the disciples. Even if they have matters to attend to, they communicate directly with the younger Spirit Transformation disciples. They are like dragons that see the head but not the tail, rarely appearing in the sect for decades or even a century, existing as if they were not there at all.

As for the Shenjun who have entered the Huashen stage, one cannot even catch a glimpse of their shadows, and the disciples under them have no way of knowing their true existence or whether they are dead or alive.

These Shenjun are either in closed-door meditation, comprehending the Dao of Heaven and striving to break through to Refining Spirit Returning to Void, or they are wandering the world with no known whereabouts; even if they pass away or go missing one day, no one would know, and even the Spirit Transformation and True Spirit Realm Great Cultivators within their own sects have no idea where they are.

Yufu Shenjun belongs to the most senior Great Cultivator currently existing in Shenzhou, having been in seclusion for over a hundred years.

His sudden arrival at Langya Mountain to attend this Immortal Alliance Assembly, apart from making everyone excited and nervous, brings more confusion and unease.

Being able to see a Shenjun once in a lifetime is indeed something to be grateful for, for everyone.

After all, there are only five Great Cultivators in the entire Shenzhou who have reached the Huashen stage and are still known to be alive, all within the top five Immortal Sects.

Of course, there may be some old cultivators whose lifespans are near their end, hiding to avoid the Heavenly Tribulation or struggling bitterly against their lifespan.

But those old seniors have even older qualifications and more ancient reputations; perhaps there has been no news of them for two or three hundred years.

Whether they are alive or dead, no one knows anything about their situation.

Listening to the questions and discussions of the Great Cultivators, Qiyunzi tapped the jade table in front of him lightly with his Jade Ruyi and said: "Regarding the arrival of Yufu Shenjun, this Daoist also has no further news, but it is certainly correct. I advise you Daoist Friends not to speculate wildly; when the Shenjun arrives, everything will naturally be revealed. Furthermore, I have one more thing to inform you: I fear that the number of Shenjun arriving this time will be far more than one. I have already passed this news to my sect, and it is possible that Leiyun Shenjun will also come."

A stir went through the entire hall.

The Thunder God Hall's Huashen Great Cultivator, Leiyun Shenjun, is also in the late stage of the Shenling Realm, though it is said he is still some distance from the Great Perfection; his strength is not as great as Yufu Shenjun's, but the two are over a hundred years apart in age, and barring any accidents, Leiyun Shenjun also has the opportunity to attempt Void Breaking and become an immortal.

Of course, it has been over a thousand years since any Great Cultivator in the Shenzhou region successfully ascended, so the matter of becoming an immortal feels very remote.

And if Leiyun Shenjun is also stirred, then at least two Shenjun who have not been seen for a hundred years will appear simultaneously at this Immortal Alliance Assembly; in the Shenzhou region, this is already an unprecedented event, enough to be recorded in the history of the Immortal World.

"Daoist Brother Qiyun, do you truly not know the inside story of Yufu Shenjun's arrival?" an Elder sitting beside Qiyunzi, wearing a purple-gold dharma robe and possessing the air of an immortal, suddenly asked.

Qiyunzi shook his head: "I truly do not!"

"That is strange. I may have to inform the Shenjun of my own sect, lest we delay a major matter!"

As he spoke, the Elder who had just asked the question raised his hand and grabbed; amidst surging Spirit Qi, a five-inch small sword resembling black jade instantly condensed into shape. A moment later, he released his hand, and the small sword tore through the Void and vanished from the hall in an instant.

Another wave of exclamations and clamor rose in the hall.

The Wuguo Junwang Hall is ranked fifth in the Shenzhou Immortal Alliance, with five Great Cultivators in the sect; the one with the highest cultivation is Daokong Shenjun, who is in the early stage of the Huashen. Although Daokong Shenjun's cultivation is at the bottom among the several Shenjun, he is the youngest, currently less than six hundred years old, even younger than the seven Immortal Alliance Elders sitting in the center.

But the Immortal World has never been ordered by age, but by cultivation and strength.

There is a saying in the mortal world: "Do not bully the young for being poor," and there is a similar saying in the Immortal World: "In the cultivation of the Dao, there is no high or low; those who achieve are honored."

Therefore, even if they are nominal elders, they must still respectfully perform rites before a younger person with a higher realm, strength, and cultivation, unless there is a master-disciple relationship.

In any Immortal Sect, basically, unless the seniority relationship is particularly clear, once one reaches Spirit Transformation, they address each other as Daoist Brother, or simply address them as True Monarch or Shenjun, without involving any titles.

This is not because of distant relations, but because a thousand-year lifespan will greatly widen the gap between generations; perhaps it takes several generations for one Great Cultivator to appear.

As it stands, if Daokong Shenjun of the Junwang Hall also comes to attend the meeting, then there will be three Huashen Great Cultivators in the Shenzhou region, which can basically completely influence the entire landscape of Shenzhou.

Although the Shenjun will not interfere in the affairs of the Immortal Alliance, if they speak, no one dares to oppose or ignore them.

Because this is no longer an internal affair of an Immortal Sect; one careless move could involve the violent upheaval of the entire Shenzhou Immortal World.

"Let us leave this matter for now. Next, let us discuss in detail the arrangements for suppressing the Nether Beasts and quelling the Black Wind. If the three Shenjun arrive together, we might be able to request them to take action and join forces to suppress the Eastern Wasteland Void Abyss. As long as the Void Abyss is suppressed, seventy percent of the crisis of this Nether Beast Catastrophe will be gone, and it will be much simpler to deal with the remaining leakage areas in other places."

Qiyunzi prepared to begin discussing the main content of this alliance with the group of Great Cultivators.

However, one of the Elders sitting in the center row said: "I believe there is no need to continue discussing this matter. What needed to be said has already been passed down; now we just wait for the Immortal Alliance Assembly to make the arrangements, and all Immortal Sects will follow them. What I want to say now is about the Taiyuan Soul-Entering Pill. With a great battle imminent and the overall situation at stake, the Taiyuan Sect has repeatedly evaded the issue. As an Immortal Alliance Elder, I believe we cannot condone such selfish people; we must severely punish them and force them to hand over the Taiyuan Soul-Entering Pill formula to protect the life interests of the vast number of Daoist Friends in the Immortal World."

"Daoist Brother Xuanhong is right. With a great enemy at the gates, we cannot condone evil; we must obtain this pill formula," another Elder nodded in agreement.

Chixia Zhenjun shook his head and said: "Daoist Brother Xuanhong seems determined to obtain the Taiyuan Soul-Entering Pill. However, I cannot agree with your sect's attempt to use the Soul Searching Forbidden Technique. You may go and press them, but I absolutely will not allow the use of any forbidden techniques; otherwise, I will use the Immortal Alliance Elder Order to punish you."

Xuanhongzi's expression turned gloomy: "Daoist Brother Chixia, I am not doing this for my own selfish interests, but to seek welfare for the Daoist Friends of the world. You are obstructing us like this; are you not afraid of chilling the hearts of the Daoist Friends of the world and causing them to lose faith and turn against us?"

Chixia Zhenjun raised his eyes slightly and said: "I cannot bear the weight of this big hat you are trying to put on me, Daoist Brother Xuanhong. However, we who cultivate the Dao only seek peace of mind and to stand by the word 'morality.' Although the Taiyuan Soul-Entering Pill has some miraculous effects, it is only a low-tier Spirit Pill of the first or second grade; every Immortal Sect has plenty of such pill formulas, so it is definitely not something that must be obtained at all costs. Moreover, even if there were thirty or fifty more Danyuan Realm cultivators now, how could that compare to the life of a Spirit Transformation Great Cultivator? The weight of each is clear at a glance. Furthermore, to threaten a Spirit Realm fellow Daoist with their life and path of cultivation in this way—how can the Immortal Alliance dare to claim it protects the interests of the fellow Daoists of the Immortal World? The Xuanhua Sect surely has many unique Spirit Pills and Magic Treasures; since this concerns the safety of the world, should they also be contributed? If you are unwilling to hand them over, can the Immortal Alliance also forcibly seize them?"

"You..." Xuanhong Zhenjun was choked with anger for a moment, but had no way to refute.

All the cultivators at this time also began to communicate and discuss.

Some nodded, some shook their heads, others sighed, and more remained silent.

In this Immortal Alliance Assembly, four major Immortal Sects and seven True Spirit Realm Great Cultivators have already appeared; those of them at the Spirit Transformation Realm cannot influence the development of the situation at all. Moreover, if the Taiqing Palace and the three Shenjun all get involved, the small and medium-sized Immortal Sects can only follow the arrangements.

The current situation is extremely complex; even if many Spirit Transformation Great Cultivators agree with the Yuqing Hall's point of view, they absolutely do not want to stand up for the Taiyuan Sect, with whom they have no connection.

What's more, "let the fellow Daoist die, not me" has always been a creed of the Immortal World.

Not to mention the possibility of heavy casualties in the face of a great enemy, the miraculous effect of the Taiyuan Soul-Entering Pill still makes all the Great Cultivators harbor some greed; even if they cannot use it themselves, it is definitely a supreme treasure for their disciples.

Therefore, morality is morality, but most people still support the Xuanhua Sect's proposal.

Because of the strong opposition from Chixia Zhenjun, the atmosphere in the great hall was somewhat awkward and stifling.

A group of Immortal Alliance Elders also harbored their own thoughts, and no one proposed forcibly searching the soul of Xuanchenzi again.

Amidst the silence, Qiyunzi said in a calm voice: "Since that is the case, let us leave this matter to be discussed at the Immortal Alliance Assembly. I also do not approve of soul-searching; after all, it harms the harmony of heaven. When the time comes, we shall report this matter to the three Divine Monarchs to decide together!"

Chixia Zhenjun sighed and performed a salute, saying: "Many thanks, Daoist Brother, for speaking up for justice!"

Qiyunzi waved his hand and said: "As the host of the Immortal Alliance Assembly, there are some things I cannot say directly, but all you Daoist Friends should still prioritize the current situation and the greater cause. Daoist Brother Chixia, you should still find time to persuade Xuanchenzi; when the time comes, even if I wanted to help exonerate him, I fear I would be powerless to do so."

"When the three Divine Monarchs arrive, I hope Daoist Brother Chixia can still hold to your opinion, and do not go back on your word then!" Xuanhong Zhenjun snorted coldly.

Chixia Zhenjun lowered his eyes and said: "I will not trouble Daoist Brother Xuanhong to worry; as an Immortal Alliance Elder, I will naturally prioritize the greater cause of the Immortal Dao."

"Hmph, under the heavens, only your Yuqing Hall has gained benefits, offending all fellow practitioners in the world. I hope you do not regret it!" Xuanhong Zhenjun snorted coldly again, then also lowered his eyes and spoke no more.

The atmosphere in the great hall turned cold once more, and no one mentioned this matter again.

(End of this chapter)