Chapter 155

"Even if I don't say it, you all should know who I'm referring to? Among our sect's nine true disciples, only those two remain at the Qi Refining stage and have not yet attempted Foundation Establishment." Li Tianqi continued calmly.

"You mean Tian Shixiong of the Black Tortoise lineage, and Lin Shijie of the Vermilion Bird lineage."

"The former is said to have reached full Qi Refining, and has deliberately held off on attempting Foundation Establishment for this Four Sects Dharma Assembly."

"The latter is rumored to possess the Heavenly Fire Spirit Root and is already at Qi Refining Level Eleven—just one level away from full completion. This Lin Shijie is said to have entered the sect at a young age, yet in just a few years has reached this level. The cultivation speed of a Heavenly Spirit Root is truly terrifying." Huang Shixiong spoke slowly as well.

"For this Four Sects Dharma Assembly, the sect leadership likely places its hopes on these two true disciples—but who are their teammates?" Wang Yu suddenly asked with curiosity.

Upon hearing this, Li Tianqi and Sun Shixiong exchanged a glance, then both shook their heads.

Clearly, neither of them knew.

The Huang Shixiong beside them, after a moment's thought, suddenly spoke up:

"I don't know if it's true, but Kang Wuhen—the so-called number one among the inner disciples—seems to have become Tian Shixiong's teammate."

"What? That's impossible! Kang Wuhen is the Grandmaster's grandson; he always boasts his strength ranks just below the true disciples. He's been preparing extensively for this Four Sects Dharma Assembly for a long time—why would he abandon his own team to join Tian Shixiong?" Sun Shixiong exclaimed in shock.

When Wang Yu heard the name "Kang Wuhen," his expression flickered slightly, but he said nothing.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Shimei ventured:

"Perhaps Tian Shixiong's power is so great he simply overwhelmed Kang Shixiong with strength."

Hearing this, the others exchanged uneasy glances.

Finally, Li Tianqi frowned slightly and added slowly:

"Regardless of who the two true disciples' teammates are, it has little to do with us. Though there's no official rule, by convention, disciples from different sects generally won't fight among themselves until the later stages of the Dharma Assembly."

"We should first learn which formidable disciples the other three sects are sending, especially their true disciples—we must avoid them at all costs."

"As for the disciples sent by Golden Vajra Temple and Sunset Sect, since those two sects are too far away, our Li family doesn't know much. But we Li family do have some insight into the true disciple sent by Thousand Bamboo Sect this time—there are three Qi Refining true disciples from Thousand Bamboo Sect…"

Li Tianqi spoke fluently again, while Wang Yu and the others listened intently.

Similar scenes were unfolding on other tower ships.

The fleet raced swiftly toward Taizhou.

…

At noon, on the outer edges of Qilian Mountains, at the border of Taizhou and Jingzhou.

A vast temporary encampment of wooden structures had sprung up.

The encampment was divided into four sections; in the center of two of them stood a dozen large, varied spiritual vessels, while several large banners fluttered above, each embroidered with a single character: "Bamboo" and "Sun."

Clearly, these were the disciples of Thousand Bamboo Sect and Sunset Sect, who had arrived earlier.

At that moment, from the direction of Taizhou, the massive tower ship of the Four Symbols Sect emerged, flying straight toward the encampment. Simultaneously, from another direction, golden light flashed, and a fleet of white giant vessels emitting rhythmic Buddhist chants also appeared, heading toward the encampment.

"Heh heh, Old Man Ximen, Monk Guangfa, did you two make a pact? I've been waiting for you half the day—and yet you both arrive late together."

From the Sunset Sect encampment, an old man's cold chuckle rang out, thunderous as heaven's roar, shaking the sky with a deep hum.

"Lie Guang, we agreed on noon—you arrived early, so why blame us for being late?" came the unyielding voice from the Four Symbols Sect's tower ship: Tianchan Laozu, in golden robes. Though not as loud as the voice from the encampment, it was still piercingly clear, cutting through the horizon.

"Venerable Lie, you are indeed too eager. This Dharma Assembly isn't won by who arrives first. Good, good!" From another white giant vessel, a calm, gentle voice echoed, like a spring breeze brushing the face, soothing the spirit, as cool tea sinking into the belly dispelling all heat and agitation.

"Pah! Is it wrong for me to arrive early? Monk Guangfa, your Bell of Sacred Chants has improved greatly—but do you really think it's enough to deal with me?" The old man of Sunset Sect replied bluntly.

"Heh, this humble monk dares not show off before Venerable Lie. I merely noticed your disciples growing impatient, so I offered a slight cooling of their tempers. Venerable Qing, what do you think?" The monk Guangfa on the white vessel smiled lightly, then turned to address another.

"All three of you old fools are over a thousand years old combined—why drag me into your squabbles? If you have time for this, better spend it thinking how to deal with the demonic sects." From the Thousand Bamboo Sect encampment, another aged woman's voice rang out, faintly impatient.

At these words, the other three fell silent.

After a long pause, Tianchan Laozu's voice spoke again:

"Indeed, indeed. Times have changed. In the past, our Four Sects of Great Ming Prefecture had no external enemy, so we bickered among ourselves. But now, with a massive external invasion, such infighting would be utterly foolish."

"Venerable Ximen speaks wisely. Our Golden Vajra Temple cannot coexist with the demonic sects. Now that the four of us have gathered, this is a perfect chance to discuss matters thoroughly." Monk Guangfa's voice echoed in strong agreement.

No further sound came from the Sunset Sect or Thousand Bamboo Sect encampments—they seemed to tacitly accept these words.

Thus, the fleets of the Four Symbols Sect and Golden Vajra Temple flew to the two remaining empty sections of the encampment and descended.

"Tianchan Laozu… surname Ximen?" Wang Yu, stepping down from the tower ship, couldn't help glancing at the vessel where Tianchan Laozu stood. This surname was rare—his mind flashed with the image of the yellow-haired woman, Ximen Mei.

Could this Sister Ximen have some connection to Tianchan Laozu?

If so, it might explain why Ximen Mei holds such a peculiar status within the sect.

I wonder—if she's even here, participating in the Four Sects Dharma Assembly?

As Wang Yu pondered, he followed Li Tianqi and the others to a row of wooden huts, then entered one at random.

Such a grand event as the Four Sects Dharma Assembly could never begin immediately after disciples traveled thousands of miles without rest or adjustment.

Yet he still had one matter to attend to: delivering the crafted "Dharma Artifact" to Gu Lian.

But now, within the encampment, there were Jin Dan elders and numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators accompanying them—he must wait for the right moment to act.

Thinking this, Wang Yu immediately sat cross-legged on the ground inside the hut and began quiet breathing.