Chapter 111 : Heading to the Immortal Sect
Chapter 111: Heading to the Immortal Sect
After Miss Tang unwillingly threw out a few more harsh words, Long Xi watched the Tang family’s departing backs and gently smoothed her sleeves.
The earlier clash had seemed trivial, yet it made her certain of one thing—bringing her parents and Steward Liu along to the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect truly seemed like a good choice.
First of all, both she and her brother had already entered the sect.
For their parents, there was no great meaning in remaining here.
The Long family had never been locals who had lived here for generations.
Aside from good neighbors like Auntie Jiang, there was nothing they were reluctant to part with.
Selling the courtyard would not be difficult either—the location was quite good.
But the problem now was that the Immortal Sect and the mortal world were entirely different concepts.
Their family might be considered well-off in this small mortal town, yet in a sect where everything required Spirit Stones, they would count for nothing.
Her brother was useless.
He had been in the sect for nearly six years and was still lingering at the Qi-Refining Fifth Layer.
Oh… his letter last month had said he had reached the Sixth Layer.
In any case, it made little difference.
Looking at those Qi-Refining cultivators who exhausted their entire fortunes and fell into poverty just for a bit of Heavenly Treasures, she did not hold much hope for her brother’s abilities.
That left only Xiao Ying to turn to for help.
As a Personally Transmitted Disciple of a Golden Core True Person, handling this matter should not be a problem.
Although it was somewhat embarrassing for a former master to ask her former maid for assistance, this concerned the safety of her entire family.
Pride did not matter.
“Sigh… having such a useless elder brother is truly a headache.
In the future, it seems I’ll have to take care of him as his younger sister.”
……
Not long after returning home, she and her parents, along with Steward Liu, loaded the luggage they had already packed onto a rented donkey cart and headed toward the town’s north gate to meet the others bound for the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect.
Ordinarily, with the entire household leaving, Steward Liu should have remained behind to guard the home.
But in the letter Long Tao had sent last month, he had specifically stated that it would be best for the whole family to come this time—there was a surprise.
Outside the north gate, numerous donkey carts and horse-drawn carriages had already gathered, along with even more people on foot.
The air was filled with a mix of human chatter and the braying of animals, making it quite lively.
Their donkey cart soon merged into the crowd, becoming part of the stream of people heading toward the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect.
Those born with Spiritual Roots were rare—if not one in a hundred, then at least hard to find even one among a dozen.
Qinglin Town alone could not possibly produce so many within three years.
Many of those gathered had come from even smaller surrounding villages and towns.
Because Qinglin Town was the largest stronghold in the region, and its City Lord had close ties with the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect, it had naturally become the agreed meeting point.
Many families, afraid of missing the opportunity, had arrived several days in advance with their children, waiting eagerly day after day.
After waiting for more than a shichen, until the sun stood directly overhead, three disciples sent by the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect finally stepped onto higher ground and announced that they were about to depart and would wait no longer.
This was the first time since her birth that Long Xi had traveled so far.
Everything she saw felt fresh and novel.
Once the convoy set off, she asked her parents about nearly every unfamiliar sight.
Aside from merchant caravans traveling the same route, most of the travelers were young boys and girls seeking Immortal destiny and their families.
The carriage interiors were lively—people greeted one another, their words brimming with expectation yet tinged with unease.
“My child has been clever since birth. The Immortal Masters will surely take a liking to him!”
“I’ve heard the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect’s recruitment standards are very strict…”
“What’s there to fear? As long as one has Spiritual Roots, there’s always a chance! Weren’t those two lads from the Dong and Long families chosen despite having Five Spiritual Roots?”
Unfortunately, the excitement at departure could not withstand the wear of a long journey.
By sunset, as darkness approached, nearly everyone wore expressions of exhaustion.
The children who had been lively at the start now slumped against their parents, too tired even to speak.
Just as the atmosphere grew dull, with only the creaking of wheels audible, a cool breeze carrying moisture suddenly swept in.
Faintly, the sound of rushing water could be heard.
Immediately after, a disciple of the sect raised his voice and shouted:
“We’ve reached Hekou Town ahead! Everyone rest well—early tomorrow morning, we’ll switch to boats and travel by water!”
Though it seemed on the map that the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect lay not far to the north—barely over a hundred li in a straight line—that distance was calculated for Immortal Masters who could fly through the heavens and escape through the earth.
Most of the land between them consisted of vast forests and mountain ranges.
While not as eerie and terrifying as the Azurewood Demon Forest, it was equally filled with ferocious wild beasts and even Demon Beasts.
Occasionally, Beast Tides would erupt, threatening human settlements including Qinglin Town.
Unless one paid a high price to hire a Foundation Establishment–level escort team from the sect, any group attempting to cross the great forest might as well be declared missing in advance.
Since ancient times, this forest had been a mortal’s forbidden land, separating the northern sect from the rest of the world behind clouds and mist.
Traveling by water had once been impossible as well, as the Demon Race within the river was not easy to deal with.
It was said that several hundred years ago, when this area had belonged to the Wuyi Sect, common folk had been squeezed dry whenever they went out—exploited by local clans, Wuyi Sect disciples, and the aquatic Demon Race alike, living in constant hardship.
The situation changed only after the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect firmly established itself here.
To fully control this waterway, the sect had taken ruthless action, slaughtering every aquatic demon throughout the entire river.
Yes—literally slaughtered them all, even shaking apart the eggs left in the water.
This differed from many people’s impression of the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect.
Known for generally maintaining good relations with the Demon Race, why would it act so decisively? Rumor had it that a Nascent Soul True Lord within the sect had once formed a deep blood feud with these aquatic demons in his youth.
It had been a matter of personal vengeance.
Since then, however, the river had truly known peace.
The common folk living along its banks now dared to jump directly into the water to bathe and catch fish.
For that reason, every village and town along the river were the sect’s most steadfast supporters.
Anyone daring to speak ill of the sect in front of them could be driven out on the spot.
At these words, the members of the convoy were invigorated, strength returning to their limbs.
In the distance stretched a broad river, its waters surging toward the forest beyond.
At the docks, masts stood like a forest, ships of all sizes coming and going.
Early the next morning, the convoy boarded a large ship waiting for them.
It first followed the river eastward for several days, completely detouring around the deadly forest.
Then, at the confluence of two rivers, it turned northwest and traveled upstream.
This detour added several hundred li to their journey.
After several more days on the river, the scenery on both banks gradually shifted—from plains and forests to towering mountains and rolling hills shrouded in mist.
Then, one morning, someone at the bow suddenly shouted:
“Look! It’s the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect!!”
Long Xi, who had been feeling drowsy, jolted awake.
Following the direction everyone was pointing, she rose onto her toes to look—and her breath caught.
The mountain gate far surpassed anything she had imagined.
Two colossal semicircular formations of azure jade stone stood opposite one another in precise, perfect arcs, forming an immense, nearly complete ring.
Its base floated above the ground, while its top pierced into the sea of clouds, as though drawing the very radiance of the heavens into itself.
The twin jade arches were unimaginably vast.
Even from such a great distance, those aboard the ship felt like ants gazing up at the sky.
Countless intricate and magnificent carvings adorned their surfaces—immortal birds, divine beasts, the sun, moon, and stars, along with many ancient runes incomprehensible to ordinary eyes.
Between the engraved lines, faint spiritual light flowed, radiating an aura of majesty.
Encircling this jade mountain gate were dozens of Floating Islands of varying sizes.
Waterfalls cascaded from their heights, and pavilions and towers could be glimpsed perched upon cliff edges.
Cloud Vessels of different sizes traveled between the jade gate and the floating islands.
The entire scene formed a magnificent Immortal panorama.
At that moment, every young boy and girl aboard the ship shared the same thought—
They had to enter the Immortal Sect.