Chapter 370

Central Province, the Sacred Land of the Sages.

Following the rapid departure of the plunderers, the mountain forest returned to silence once more.

Yet this silence did not last long before wave after wave of disciples from the Xian Sects came whistling in.

First came the Chen Clan, who were closer, followed by the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, separated from the Central Province by the vast Qing Province, then the Spirit Sword Mountain from the far south of the Nine Provinces, situated on the shores of the Profound Sea, and finally, the Asking Dao Sect of Yu Province, the furthest away of all.

Disciples from the four sects arrived one after another, all lingering for a long time amidst the dense web of cracks, their eyes flickering with uncertainty.

After observing the space, which was covered in cracks and resembled a shattered mirror, they quickly went to find the Central Province aristocratic families who had fought fiercely in the forest.

"Was it a wisp of immortal radiance that flowed out after the Sacred Land of the Sages cracked open?"

"Indeed. Although I do not know exactly what it was, one could see its immortal energy surging and its Dao resonance profound; merely being near it made one's thoughts feel exceptionally clear."

"How does it compare to the Sun and Moon Essence Stone that appeared in the Northern Border ten years ago?" asked Shang Xingkong, Vice Abbot of the Asking Dao Sect, standing in the hall with his hands behind his back, his tone devoid of emotion.

The ancestor of the Jiao family cupped his hands upon hearing this: "The Sun and Moon Essence Stone is merely an object for gathering spiritual energy, but that immortal spirit transcends the laws. Merely touching it briefly felt like I had grasped the opportunity to break through a realm that I had struggled for thirty years to achieve. This object must have a significant origin, and most importantly..."

"Most importantly?"

"Most importantly, after returning from the Sacred Land, some disciples in the clan reported that when I held that immortal spirit, their own energy increased for some unknown reason, as if their cultivation base had been catalyzed by an external force. If I hadn't held it for such a short time, I fear some of the clan's younger generation would have broken through their realms because of it..."

"???"

Upon hearing this, the members of the Asking Dao Sect widened their eyes instantly, a trace of disbelief appearing in their gazes.

Cultivation has always been a solitary matter; they had never heard of such a description, nor had they ever heard of any spiritual treasure throughout history capable of such a clan-wide effect. They felt this statement was simply an Arabian Nights fantasy.

But the problem was, the Jiao family ancestor's expression did not look like he was faking it.

In fact, the mountain forest at that time was too chaotic; not only were the aristocratic families fighting, but the Barbarian and Demon races had also intervened.

The Jiao family ancestor was under immense mental strain, dodging lethal threats while keeping his eyes fixed on the immortal spirit, leaving him no time to care about the disciples accompanying him.

It was indeed only after he returned and heard the reports from his disciples that he realized what he had missed.

At the same time, the Asking Dao Sect group couldn't help but narrow their eyes and began to converse in low voices.

Although the Jiao family relied on the Chen Clan, that was merely their support in the struggles between aristocratic families, and they were not blindly loyal to the Chen Clan, so the Asking Dao Sect felt he would not dare to deliberately exaggerate.

Furthermore, they had already had psychological expectations before coming here.

How could something capable of releasing such brilliant immortal light, illuminating the entire Qingyun as if it were day for an instant, be merely a simple spiritual treasure?

Moreover, the place it came from was the most ancient center of revival for the human race, the supreme Dao arena where the first Sages communicated with the Heavenly Dao.

For a time, countless thoughts flashed through everyone's minds.

"My Jiao family went deep into the dense forest, and the moment we saw that immortal spirit, we felt this matter was of great importance, so we immediately reached a consensus with the He, Zuoqiu, and You families to hand it over to the Xian Sect."

"Who would have thought that in the end, that thing was snatched away by Seeing Ji You, who then fled without saying a word."

"Hall Master Zuoqiu of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan was already heading toward the mountain forest at that time, and he didn't even meet him. However, he has always been bold in his actions, cutting off spirit stone supplies and attempting to destroy tax offerings, showing no respect for the Xian Sect; such behavior is not surprising."

Everything that needed to be asked had been asked, and everything that needed to be described had been described; this topic should have ended here.

But the Jiao family ancestor spoke up once more, explaining the entire event.

Shang Xingkong turned his head upon hearing this, looking down at the Jiao family ancestor from his superior position.

He knew that this man surnamed Jiao wanted to distance his family, fearing that if something happened later, it would bring disaster upon himself.

After long contemplation, the members of the Asking Dao Sect left the Jiao family territory without a word, heading west.

The appearance of the immortal spirit not only triggered abnormal celestial phenomena visible across the Nine Provinces but also brought about an earthquake that, while not strong in vibration, covered a vast area; the news naturally could not be hidden.

Thus, overnight, all sorts of rumors flew everywhere.

Many of these messages flowed out from the Central Province aristocratic families; although some parts were embellished, they did not deviate too far from the truth.

So, in a short time, many people knew what had happened last night.

It seemed something had gone wrong at the Sacred Land of the Sages, and an object of immense immortal energy had appeared, triggering a struggle and even attracting the covetous eyes of the Barbarian and Demon races.

In the end, that object was snatched away by Seeing Ji You, while the Demon race's Heavenly Demon General who pursued him was defeated, and the Barbarian General King was left critically wounded.

This news was summarized into just two simple sentences, yet it triggered countless silences.

Since the beginning of spring, the Nine Provinces had begun spring plowing, and everyone knew Seeing Ji You was at home farming. Fang Jincheng often brought this up to make sarcastic remarks, saying that his cultivation was a waste of talent and he might as well serve as an agricultural official in the Great Xia.

But upon hearing about last night's events, they had no choice but to accept reality.

That is, although Seeing Ji You's behavior was like that of a rural landlord, that was merely him following his own heart; once he took action, he remained the existence among cultivators capable of turning the clouds and rain.

"What is the realm of the Barbarian General King?"

"The initial realm is comparable to the Boundless Realm, and at his peak, he can fight in the Spirit Travel Realm. That General King is named Dan Ba, and his combat power should be between the two."

"Then what exactly went wrong at the Sacred Land of the Sages?"

"The major aristocratic families are vague about this and unwilling to say more. As for the mountain forest where the Sacred Land of the Sages is located, it is guarded by disciples of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan and cannot be approached. However, even if one cannot see it, one knows this is likely not a good thing."

"If Seeing Ji You obtained the object from the Sacred Land of the Sages, could his combat power rise again?"

"That cannot be determined, because I heard that even the Xian Sects do not know what that thing actually is."

In the Hongding Tower, discussions about this matter did not subside all day.

After exchanging what happened last night, many people turned to the guessing process, speculating on what had happened to the Sacred Land of the Sages, what the immortal spirit was used for, and whether the human race would react to the Barbarian and Demon races.

And just as they were discussing, figures began to land continuously on Changsheng Street.

Disciples of the Chen Clan, the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, Spirit Sword Mountain, and the Asking Dao Sect.

They had only seen such a gathering of Xian Sects at the Heavenly Dao Assembly and the Wandering Immortal Assembly, so they couldn't help but watch for a long time.

However, after entering the city, they did not stay at the Immortal Garden, nor did they go to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, which was also a Xian Sect, but instead went to the Great Xia's Immortal Supervision Office, leaving people puzzled as to their destination.

Zuoqiu Yang had already returned to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan and was sitting quietly in the Library Pavilion, flipping through countless ancient books about the Sacred Land of the Sages to confirm his suspicions.

Those who have reached the perfection of the Upper Five Realms have a clear spiritual sense, and in an instant, he finished flipping through a small mountain of books.

"Bring me brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

"Yes."

The three Abbots of the Administrative Office immediately ordered their disciples to bring the four treasures of the study, placed them on the table, and ground the ink for him.

After a while, as the ink stick was ground and blended with water, Zuoqiu Yang rolled up his sleeves, gripped the brush, and filled the tip with ink. After thinking for a long time, he began to write, the sound of the brush on paper rustling.

However, after writing three or four sentences, the brush stopped.

After pondering for a long time with the brush suspended, Zuoqiu Yang crumpled the letter paper into a ball and started over on a new sheet.

At that time, the three administrators standing behind him saw the two characters "Seeing Ji You" on the first line, and their expressions became complex.

That disciple who had happened to enter the academy back then was now an existence for whom even the Hall Master had to weigh his words and ponder repeatedly when writing a letter.

Rustle, rustle, rustle—

Zuoqiu Yang picked up the brush to rewrite, and the content gradually appeared on the paper.

It was basically a request for Seeing Ji You to return to the academy, as there was something to discuss with him.

He knew that Seeing Ji You did not trust the Xian Sects much, even the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, so his choice of words was very cautious to avoid suspicion.

Having written to the end, he flicked his sleeve to summon a wisp of clear breeze to dry the ink, then folded it into a square, put it into an envelope, and handed it to Qin Rong behind him.

"Send it to Fengzhou and give it to Seeing Ji You."

"Yes."

Qin Rong held the letter in his hand, then headed out the door with the other two Hall Masters.

And just as they were descending the mountain, an official from the Immortal Supervision Office hurried over, brushed past them, then bowed before the Zizai Hall, asking the disciples outside the hall to pass on a message that he wished to see Zuoqiu Yang.

Hearing the message, Zuoqiu Yang rose from behind the desk and then walked out the door.

"Hall Master Zuoqiu."

"Immortal Supervision Office? What brings you here?"

The official from the Immortal Supervision Office bowed and handed over two invitations: "The Chen Clan, the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, the Asking Dao Sect, and Spirit Sword Mountain will hold a Dao discussion in Shengjing in two days and invite the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan to participate. This first invitation is the invitation letter, and the other is the list of invitees."

Zuoqiu Yang heard this, reached out to take the two invitations from his hand, and then casually opened the first one.

The invitation was not written in the name of the Immortal Supervision Office, but in the name of the Vice Abbot of the Asking Dao Sect.

According to the invitation, since the execution of aristocratic families such as the Chu, Li, Zhuang, and Zhu families, the Qingyun Xian Sect had been in a state of semi-seclusion, recuperating and resting, with no communication between them.