Divine Crow Peak (Part 1)

Chapter Twenty-Five: Divine Crow Peak (Part 1)

At this moment, it wasn't just the Grand Elder; in fact, all five other Elders were staring at Li Qiye! If killing Xu Hui could be considered a miracle, as anyone can slip up or have an off day, and even taking a step back, Xu Hui was arrogant and unprepared, allowing Li Qiye to ambush him successfully!

However, the "Chaotic Heart Forest" was different. All six Elders knew that for millions of years, no young disciple of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate had ever passed through the Chaotic Heart Forest, unless they were a Great Sage!

With the six Elders staring, Protector Mo and Nan Huairen couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for Li Qiye.

"Reporting to the Elders, the Chaotic Heart Forest is designed to 'disrupt' the heart. This isn't a place to test one's cultivation. As long as one's Dao heart is firm enough, they can pass through the Chaotic Heart Forest; it has nothing to do with the level of cultivation!" Li Qiye calmly replied to the Grand Elder's questioning.

"Hmph, you mere mortal, can your Dao heart be firmer than that of a prince or lord?" Elder Xiong said with dissatisfaction, snorting coldly.

Li Qiye flicked his eyelids and glanced at him, saying, "Elders, does the firmness of one's Dao heart have anything to do with their cultivation? High cultivation doesn't necessarily mean a firm Dao heart! Throughout eternity, how many True Humans and Saint Emperors have gone mad or perished due to an unstable Dao heart, playing with fire and courting disaster!"

"Insolent fool! Are True Humans and Saint Emperors beings you can comment on?" Elder Xiong boomed.

Li Qiye couldn't be bothered to look at him again and said indifferently, "I am merely stating the facts. If the Elders believe what I say is false, you can go to the Nine Sacred Demon Gate to verify it!"

For Li Qiye daring to talk back so openly, Elder Xiong glared at him with fury. Just as he was about to erupt, the Grand Elder coughed and said, "Let's drop this matter. What about your marriage with Princess Li?"

Even if killing Xu Hui could be explained away, passing through the Chaotic Heart Forest was still inexplicable. Even Saint Emperors couldn't pass through it, let alone a mortal. However, for the Grand Elder and the others, these things were no longer important. What mattered was when the Nine Sacred Demon Gate and the Washing Yan Ancient Sect could form an alliance! Today, the Washing Yan Ancient Sect needed a behemoth like the Nine Sacred Demon Gate as a backer!

"That's something you'll have to ask the Nine Sacred Demon Gate. This isn't something I can decide." Li Qiye had lost interest in continuing the conversation and simply couldn't be bothered to say more.

"Very well." The Grand Elder was also helpless. He couldn't possibly force Li Shuangyan to marry Li Qiye. Their Washing Yan Ancient Sect didn't have the qualifications to bargain with the Nine Sacred Demon Gate!

The Grand Elder nodded and said, "You've rendered a great service this time. According to our previous agreement, what should be given to you will still be given to you..."

"Brother Gu—" As the Grand Elder spoke, Elder Xiong's expression changed, and he quickly said. But the Grand Elder gently waved his hand, stopping Elder Xiong from speaking further.

The Grand Elder looked at Li Qiye and said, "First, when you reach the Body Tempering realm, the sect will prepare a tube of Imperial Body Ointment for you. Second, you can choose one each of the Merit Arts, Body Arts, and Longevity Arts from the sect's cultivation methods. Of course, you can choose others, but no more than three cultivation methods in total! Are you satisfied with this?"

"Yes, but I have one more condition. The sect promised me three requests at the time," Li Qiye nodded.

The Grand Elder nodded, "Alright, state it."

"I need a weapon to protect myself, so I require a Treasure Artifact or a True Artifact from the sect!" Li Qiye said in a deep voice.

The Grand Elder nodded, "Very well. You can choose one from the Treasure Artifacts and True Artifacts on the lower three floors. You can also choose a Life Treasure!"

"Thank you, Elders." Finally, Li Qiye bowed his head and turned to leave.

"Huairen, accompany Qiye." After Li Qiye left, the Grand Elder instructed Nan Huairen.

After Li Qiye departed, Elder Xiong said in a deep voice, "Brother Gu, this child might be problematic. He could be a spy sent by the Nine Sacred Demon Gate!"

"What do you mean, Brother Cao Xiong?" an Elder gently shook his head and said, "I don't think so. The Nine Sacred Demon Gate is far stronger than us today. Now that the Nine Sacred Demon Gate controls the Ancient Niu Jiang Kingdom, it's already a colossal power. Why would they need to send someone to infiltrate our Washing Yan Ancient Sect?"

"Brother Sun has a point," another Elder said. "Does our Washing Yan Ancient Sect, or the Nine Sacred Demon Gate, have any ulterior motives?"

"That's not necessarily true. Perhaps the Nine Sacred Demon Gate is after our Imperial Techniques, especially the Heavenly Mandate Secret Arts!" Elder Xiong said in a deep voice.

Elder Xiong's words caused the other five Elders to exchange glances, as they were all too aware of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect's situation.

"I don't think it's necessary," Elder Sun, ranked fourth among the six Elders, shook his head. "Li Qiye holds the Washing Yan Ancient Token. If he truly wanted to seize our Imperial Techniques, he could simply ask for them. Whether we give them or not is another matter. Furthermore, if the Nine Sacred Demon Gate really wanted to seize our Imperial Techniques, and the Sun-Turning Demon Emperor himself made a move, I doubt anyone in our Washing Yan Ancient Sect could stop him!"

Elder Sun's words caused the other Elders to fall silent. If the Nine Sacred Demon Gate genuinely wanted to seize their Washing Yan Ancient Sect's Imperial Techniques, they could absolutely annihilate the sect. If the Sun-Turning Demon Emperor himself made a move, who in the Washing Yan Ancient Sect could stop him? In fact, even if an Elder from the Nine Sacred Demon Gate made a move, their six Elders wouldn't be their match!

"Brother Gu, I believe we must be on guard. It's better to be safe," Elder Xiong finally said in a deep voice.

"We should report this matter to the Sect Master," the Grand Elder finally said in a deep voice, without making any further pronouncements.

Elder Xiong merely snorted at this, perhaps indicating his dissatisfaction with the Sect Master.

"The Elders suspect Senior Brother is a spy sent by the Nine Sacred Demon Gate." Nan Huairen whispered to Li Qiye after leaving the Ancestral Hall. Being adept at reading people, he could naturally guess what the six Elders were thinking.

"Let them think what they want." Li Qiye merely smiled and shook his head slightly. The Washing Yan Ancient Sect's decline wasn't without reason. The six Elders, despite holding the position of Elders, not only lacked the cultivation to reach the Prince or Lord realm but, more importantly, couldn't stand on their own.

Speaking of this, Li Qiye asked, "What about Elder Xiong?" When he wanted to become the Chief Disciple, Elder Xiong had been supportive, but his attitude today was drastically different.

"Be careful of Elder Xiong." Nan Huairen glanced around and whispered to Li Qiye, "The Second Elder, Cao Xiong, used to contend for the Sect Master position with the current Sect Master, but he never succeeded. Later, he wanted his disciple, He Yingjian, to become the Chief Disciple, but the Sect Master refused. He has never given up on the Sect Master position. Even if he can't become the Sect Master, he hopes his disciple, He Yingjian, can. Moreover, Cao Xiong has the support of some guest elders behind him."

"I understand. If I were trash and became the Chief Disciple, I wouldn't have a chance to become Sect Master. But if I were to marry Li Shuangyan, it would be hard to say." Li Qiye smiled. He now understood why Cao Xiong's attitude had such a drastic reversal.

Nan Huairen nodded slightly and whispered, "Previously, Elder Cao was focused on the Sect Master's side, fearing the Sect Master would take in talented disciples. The Chief Disciple position had been vacant for a long time. He discussed it with several Elders several times, always hoping He Yingjian would become the Chief Disciple, but the Sect Master never agreed."

"What about the Sect Master?" Li Qiye couldn't help but feel a bit strange. Since entering the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, he had never seen the Sect Master, Su Yonghuang. The Sect Master seemed like a transparent existence.

Nan Huairen shook his head, "The Sect Master has never resided within the sect's territory; he's always been cultivating outside. In fact, I've only seen him a few times."

Speaking of this, Nan Huairen saw that no one was nearby and said in a particularly low voice, "There are rumors in the sect that the Sect Master was forced out by the Elders. No one knows the specifics, but the Sect Master rarely appears within the sect. Moreover, when the Sect Master left the sect's territory, he took some Protectors and Hall Masters with him."

Li Qiye couldn't help but stroke his chin and say, "So, our sect is divided into several factions." It seemed the situation in the Washing Yan Ancient Sect was more complicated than he had imagined.

"Some say there are four factions." Nan Huairen said, "Some Protectors and Hall Masters follow the Sect Master, while some Hall Masters follow Elder Xiong. These people have always hoped Elder Xiong would become the Sect Master. Another faction comes from the Grand Elder's lineage. As for the other four Elders, most of them are likely neutral."

"Does the Grand Elder want to contend for the Sect Master position?" Li Qiye asked.

Nan Huairen shook his head, "No one knows what the Grand Elder thinks. I've heard that he doesn't necessarily support the Sect Master, but he has never contended for the Sect Master position himself. However, the Grand Elder has great influence within the sect. He controls the sect's law enforcement teams and is very strict, so many disciples fear him a little."

With Nan Huairen's explanation, Li Qiye gained a certain understanding of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect's situation. Thinking of this, Li Qiye smiled and said nothing further.

Divine Crow Peak was a vital, even forbidden, area of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. Without the permission of the Sect Master or Elders, no disciple was allowed to ascend Divine Crow Peak.

At the same time, Divine Crow Peak was also the highest and largest main peak of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. On Divine Crow Peak stood a triangular ancient courtyard, which housed all of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect's cultivation manuals, secret scriptures, treasure weapons, true artifacts, divine metals, and mystical stones...

The security on Divine Crow Peak was extremely strict, with guards at every three steps and sentries at every five steps. Not even a mosquito could fly in. The entire Divine Crow Peak was guarded by the elite disciples of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, and normally, two of the six Elders would be on rotation guarding Divine Crow Peak.

Divine Crow Peak was too important to the Washing Yan Ancient Sect; in fact, everything within the Washing Yan Ancient Sect was stored on Divine Crow Peak.

Furthermore, there was a legend about Divine Crow Peak. It was said that before Immortal Emperor Mingren became the Mandate of Heaven bearer, he received a divine instruction: a divine crow descended from the heavens and landed on this peak. Immortal Emperor Mingren received this divine decree, and thus, the Washing Yan Ancient Sect was established here!