Chapter 314 : The Sect Master’s Trust
Chapter 314: The Sect Master’s Trust
“Your idea was good. It would not only benefit the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect, but also prove that you are a person of loyalty and righteousness.”
Li Qingqiu praised him. These words immediately made Sun Moxing feel embarrassed, and he subconsciously smiled.
“However, the current Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect cannot afford to stir up additional trouble. Since you understand the importance of the Primordial Unity Scripture, you should also understand what would happen if such a cultivation method were discovered by Ziyang Island. We cannot take that gamble. Wait a few more decades. When the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect has sufficient confidence, and when you are absolutely certain you can suppress those people, then you may go and win them over.”
Li Qingqiu spoke earnestly; this was the result of careful consideration.
He trusted Wei Tianxiong not because Wei Tianxiong possessed vast Immortal Dao techniques, but because of the Life-Control Talisman.
The Life-Control Talisman was simply too useful. Li Qingqiu had originally wanted Wei Tianxiong to mass-produce them, but due to the lack of certain key materials, the idea had to be abandoned.
Hearing Li Qingqiu’s words, Sun Moxing could not help but think about the behavior of the great cultivators of Ziyang Island, and his expression turned grave.
Those friends of his were indeed trustworthy in his eyes—but that was only now. After obtaining the Primordial Unity Scripture, whether they would change, he could not guarantee.
Forget it.
Then he would wait a few more decades. With their cultivation levels, his friends could certainly live until then.
Several decades later, when Ziyang Island once again sent disciples northward, the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect would likely have to confront Ziyang Island head-on.
“I was thinking too simply. I will wait a bit longer,” Sun Moxing said.
Li Qingqiu nodded. No matter what Sun Moxing thought internally, as long as he did not resist verbally, it was fine.
“By the way, a mysterious cultivator is imprisoned within the Suppressing Evil Tower. His soul is protected by a special restriction, making it difficult to perform a soul search. Go take a look and see if you recognize him.”
Li Qingqiu instructed, and Sun Moxing immediately agreed.
Afterward, Li Qingqiu asked several more questions about Ziyang Island, and Sun Moxing answered truthfully.
Once Sun Moxing left, Li Qingqiu sat in his chair and pondered over Ziyang Island.
Ziyang Island was the closest Immortal Cultivation Sect on the Heavenly Nether Sea to the Nine Provinces. If the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect wanted to expand toward the sea, conflict with them was inevitable.
Negotiation was useless—it was impossible to expect Ziyang Island to give up a portion of the sea.
He needed to quickly attain the Heaven-Reaching Sun Illumination Realm. Only then would Li Qingqiu have the confidence to face Ziyang Island.
According to Wei Tianxiong, the strongest person on Ziyang Island was only at the Heaven-Reaching Sun Illumination Realm.
Of course, Wei Tianxiong had been sealed for hundreds of years, so there might be variables.
Aside from strengthening himself, Li Qingqiu also needed to improve the cultivation of others.
On the other side.
Sun Moxing made his way to the Suppressing Evil Tower. With Xiao Wuqing leading the way, the disciples guarding the tower all let him pass.
Upon reaching the lowest level of the tower, Sun Moxing first saw the suspended Black Fiend Demon Monkey, and he was secretly shocked.
It was still not dead?
Could it truly not be killed?
Under the guidance of a Suppressing Evil Tower disciple, Sun Moxing arrived at Yan Qing’s cell. He fixed his gaze forward—Yan Qing, crawling in the darkness like an insect, was difficult to see clearly.
So miserable?
Sun Moxing suddenly felt that the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect was not as simple as he had imagined.
From the sect’s atmosphere, it appeared to be righteous—every disciple yearned for chivalry and had a warm heart. Yet behind the scenes, there were also methods akin to the demonic path.
He recalled how some people had evaluated Li Qingqiu:
A righteous heart, yet methods like a Rakshasa.
“Raise your head.”
Sun Moxing spoke calmly.
Yan Qing was already half-unconscious and showed no reaction to the voice outside the cell.
Sun Moxing frowned, immediately raising his hand. Using his vital energy, he lifted Yan Qing into the air from afar, turning him to face himself.
This scene caused the nearby Suppressing Evil Tower disciple to frown, watching Sun Moxing with vigilance.
Sun Moxing carefully examined Yan Qing’s face and found it strangely familiar.
“I seem to have seen him somewhere before.”
He muttered. These words reached Yan Qing’s ears, prompting him to open his eyes and look at Sun Moxing—but he did not recognize him.
As Yan Qing opened his eyes, Sun Moxing suddenly remembered. His eyes widened, and his breathing quickened.
“How did the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect capture him?”
Cold sweat began to seep from Sun Moxing’s forehead.
Seeing his expression, Yan Qing immediately knew that his identity had been recognized, and his heart sank.
Encountering someone who knew him in such a place was not a good thing.
Either the other party would fear the power of the Spiritual Sea and kill him outright, or mock him and use him to scheme against the Spiritual Sea.
As for helping him in order to curry favor with the Spiritual Sea—Yan Qing felt that possibility was slim.
After all, not just anyone could come here. Those who could must be people trusted by the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect.
Sun Moxing withdrew his hand, and Yan Qing fell heavily to the ground, dizzy and disoriented.
Immediately after, Sun Moxing turned and left. He did not speak to Yan Qing at all, causing Yan Qing’s heart to sink to the bottom.
……
“A Spiritual Sea Genius? What kind of force is the Spiritual Sea?”
Li Qingqiu asked in surprise after hearing Sun Moxing’s explanation.
Sitting opposite him, Sun Moxing took a deep breath and said, “The Spiritual Sea is a region of the Heavenly Nether Sea. It takes its name from the sea and is a great sect that has stood for thousands of years, with a profound foundation. Even Ziyang Island dares not provoke it. In the past, I encountered Spiritual Sea cultivators on an island, and he was among them. His name is Yan Qing—a very famous genius. It is said he already possesses the strength to sweep through the Spirit Perception Realm.”
Even such a genius had been captured by Li Qingqiu—this made Sun Moxing even more expectant of the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect.
After hearing this, Li Qingqiu asked, “How far is the Spiritual Sea from the Nine Provinces?”
“Very far. The fact that he came here alone likely means he has other reasons. Sect Master, it is best not to kill him—just keep him imprisoned,” Sun Moxing said with apprehension.
Li Qingqiu sighed. “Another troublesome matter.”
Sun Moxing could not help but ask, “This person’s strength is extraordinary. Sect Master, you should have seen that at the time—why capture him?”
“I was not the one who captured him. It was Wei Tianxiong and Yuan Li—more precisely, Yuan Li.”
“Yuan Li? Your disciple?”
“Yes.”
Sun Moxing had just returned, and the commotion caused by Yuan Li had already subsided, so he had not heard any news.
His eyes widened. “If I remember correctly, Yuan Li was still in the lower levels of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, right?”
“He has already reached the Eighth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm. In a few years, he will step into the Spirit Perception Realm.”
Li Qingqiu spoke with pride. In just a few years, going from the Fourth Layer to the Eighth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm was absolutely a first-rate cultivation speed.
With outstanding-level cultivation aptitude and transcendent-level comprehension, in terms of talent alone, Yuan Li was already the strongest in the sect. In terms of combat strength, he could also be considered the strongest—aside from Li Qingqiu, no one could suppress his awakened Undying Hegemonic Body.
“Even at the Eighth Layer, how could he capture Yan Qing? Was Yan Qing injured?” Sun Moxing asked in disbelief.
Li Qingqiu shook his head. “He should not have been injured. The battle ended quickly—Yuan Li knocked him unconscious with a single punch.”
Sun Moxing froze, feeling as though his worldview had been shattered.
Li Qingqiu looked at him and said, “This matter must not be spread, nor should Yuan Li be mentioned. Do you understand?”
Sun Moxing nodded instinctively.
Defeating a Spiritual Sea genius of the Spirit Perception Realm with a single punch while still in the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm—this was simply too heaven-defying. If word spread to the Heavenly Nether Sea, it would certainly cause a massive uproar.
Wait.
This matter must not be revealed, yet the Sect Master told me the truth—does that mean I have already earned his trust?
Sun Moxing’s heart began to race. It seemed that his journey to Ziyang Island and return had proven his loyalty, making him both excited and moved.
On Ziyang Island, he had never received such trust.
Li Qingqiu then asked him to continue introducing the Spiritual Sea. After quite some time, he finally dismissed him to rest.
Sun Moxing stood up, bowed, and took his leave.
Li Qingqiu then summoned the Dao Lineage Panel and found Sun Moxing’s portrait. Seeing that his loyalty had risen to 95, he finally felt at ease.
A loyalty value of 95 was not low—it was already enough to cultivate him as a trusted confidant.
However, from Li Qingqiu’s perspective, there were quite a few disciples with such loyalty.
On the other side.
After leaving the Lingxiao Courtyard, Sun Moxing became deeply curious about Yuan Li and began asking disciples everywhere about his deeds.
The more he heard, the more shocked he became.
Was Yuan Li really this terrifying?
At the same time, he grew even more admiring of Li Qingqiu. Before he had gone to Ziyang Island, Yuan Li was hardly mentioned—only when discussing the Sect Master’s judgment would Yuan Li be brought up, often negatively. Yet now, Yuan Li had proven the Sect Master’s insight.
The Sect Master truly never misjudged people!
……
In mid-September, Wei Tianxiong and the others returned, reporting the gains from their Ghost City Mission.
More than two million spirit stones, nearly a hundred magical artifacts, over thirty spell manuals, and various cultivation resources—the harvest was immense.
As for the Ten Thousand Yin Sect, Wei Tianxiong speculated that it likely came from the west. This Ghost City had been abandoned for nearly a thousand years—perhaps the Ten Thousand Yin Sect no longer existed, or had simply forgotten about this place.
In any case, the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect did not need to worry about the Ten Thousand Yin Sect for the time being.
However, Li Qingqiu could not let down his guard.
He had now learned of the existence of Ziyang Island, the Longevity Immortal Alliance, the Spiritual Sea, and the Ten Thousand Yin Sect. The map of the world in his mind was rapidly expanding, while the Heavenly Clear Immortal Sect seemed increasingly small.
He planned to head to the ruins of the Tai Jue Sect after reaching the Heaven-Reaching Sun Illumination Realm, to search for the Tai Jue Divine Sword and strengthen himself.
……
Dense fog blanketed the mountains and rivers, making the world appear hazy. The peaks loomed within the mist like ancient primordial gods—mysterious and oppressive.
Wearing a bamboo hat, Shen Yue walked through the forest. Over his white robe, he wore a black outer garment. At his waist hung a treasured sword, a storage pouch, and a wine gourd.
Walking alone through the misty forest, his pace was neither hurried nor slow. The surrounding trees were tall but not dense, and the terrain was gentle, making travel easy.
Coo—coo—
A strange sound echoed from afar, resembling both a bird and a mountain monkey.
Shen Yue remained unmoved. Ever since entering the Western Perilous Lands, strange occurrences had been constant.
The Western Perilous Lands were far more vast than he had imagined—he even felt they were larger than the Nine Provinces.
Walking within these mountains felt like never being able to leave. The area was damp, filled with poisonous insects and snakes—danger lurked everywhere.
The fog ahead began to dissipate, revealing a woman in red beneath a large tree. She sat on the ground, one fair leg exposed, her face delicate, her hair slightly disheveled.
“Hero, save me—I’ve been bitten by a venomous snake.”
Upon seeing Shen Yue, the red-clothed woman immediately called out. Her soft, trembling voice evoked pity.
Shen Yue walked toward her, and hope filled her eyes.
However, just as he passed by her, he suddenly raised his hand. Two fingers shot out a strand of sword qi, piercing through the red-clothed woman’s throat.
Her eyes widened, filled with unwillingness even in death.