Washing Yan Ancient Sect (Part 1)

Chapter 3: Washing Yan Ancient Sect (Part 1)

"Three days later, after the ancestor worship ceremony, you will be the chief disciple of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect," the Grand Elder finally said with great dissatisfaction, his voice cold.

Li Qiye sat there, not surprised by this outcome at all. He smiled calmly and said, "Since I am the chief disciple, do I need a defensive weapon or two?"

The other Elder found Li Qiye's composure a bit strange. Li Qiye was only thirteen years old, yet he was so calm and collected, like a lord of his own domain. This aura didn't seem faked, but for an ordinary person like him, it was impossible to possess such magnanimity.

This Elder glanced at Li Qiye and shook his head, saying, "Although you are now the chief disciple, you can be given ordinary weapons. However, if you desire treasures, that's a pipe dream. If you want powerful treasures or Immortal Emperor cultivation techniques, you must have made sufficient contributions to the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. This is the sect's rule."

Li Qiye couldn't help but chuckle. His goal was certainly not some Immortal Emperor cultivation technique or ancient supreme art. His gaze fell upon the charred wooden stick next to the incense burner, and he said, "Alright, what if I want that wooden stick?"

"That wooden stick?" Hearing Li Qiye's request, the other Elders were stunned. The wooden stick placed next to the incense burner was used by the Washing Yan Ancient Sect to poke the ashes when burning paper money during ancestor worship ceremonies. This wooden stick seemed to have been there forever, and no one was interested in it.

The Elders present thought Li Qiye, relying on his status as chief disciple, would ask for some treasure or Imperial art. They never expected him to ask for a wooden stick; it was completely beyond their expectations!

Li Qiye said leisurely, "Since I am the chief disciple, my status and position within the Washing Yan Ancient Sect carry weight, representing excellence and longevity. This wooden stick originated from within this very hall, which is our Washing Yan Ancient Sect's ancestral hall. Its significance is extraordinary. Thus, this stick's origin is also extraordinary, representing the authority of our Washing Yan Ancient Sect, and it is perfectly suited to my identity as the chief disciple..."

Li Qiye spoke a torrent of grand principles, while Elder Xiong and the others looked at him as if he were an idiot. At this moment, they only had one thought: perhaps only scoundrels like the Third Master Gui would find common ground with an idiot like Li Qiye!

"Fine, this wooden stick is granted to you," the Grand Elder interrupted Li Qiye impatiently. To him, it was just a fire-poking stick, nothing significant. He couldn't be bothered to listen to Li Qiye's endless idiotic ramblings!

"Thank you, Elder, for granting me the stick." Li Qiye had been waiting for this. He snatched it up and tucked it into his waist. The Elders saw his actions as no different from that of an idiot.

"Huairen, take him to where he should stay!" Finally, an Elder, impatient, ordered his disciple to dismiss Li Qiye.

For the six Elders, the events of today were incredibly vexing. A good-for-nothing had actually become the chief disciple of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. Although their Washing Yan Ancient Sect was not as glorious as it once was, it shouldn't have reached the point where a useless idiot would become its chief disciple!

Li Qiye was led by a disciple of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect to a solitary peak. This peak wasn't small; the summit had over ten mu of land, and there was a small courtyard on top.

The courtyard looked somewhat dilapidated, with overgrown weeds and vines. Although this solitary peak was located in a relatively remote area of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, it was still within the sect's territory.

Upon opening the courtyard gate, the disciple said to Li Qiye, "Junior brother, no, Senior brother will live here from now on." The disciple's change of address was quite quick.

In terms of entry time, Li Qiye couldn't compare to him. However, now that Li Qiye was the chief disciple, in terms of seniority, regardless of age, all disciples of the third generation had to call Li Qiye "Senior Brother."

Li Qiye glanced at the disciple who could change his tune so quickly and surveyed the surroundings. He wasn't picky and nodded, saying, "A lone mountain with distant shadows, this is also a good place."

"Coincidentally, this peak is called Solitary Peak," the disciple said with a smile. After saying this, the disciple couldn't help but look at Li Qiye a few more times before giving a dry chuckle. "Senior brother will move to the main peak later."

In fact, according to the rules of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, as the chief disciple, he was naturally qualified to reside on the main peak. The Washing Yan Ancient Sect had quite a few main peaks, and the chief disciple could choose any of them to live on.

However, all the major main peaks of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect were already occupied. The six Elders were very dissatisfied with Li Qiye, who had managed to ascend to the position of chief disciple through dubious means, and naturally, they wouldn't let him live on a main peak.

Residing on a main peak offered many benefits, one of the most significant being that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on the main peak was much denser than on the branch or secondary peaks.

"It's fine to live here," Li Qiye said calmly. He didn't fuss over such matters, his demeanor as placid as a still well.

"I have brought the items you will need," the disciple said, acting with practiced efficiency and thoughtfulness. He handed Li Qiye the necessary living supplies and added, "If Senior brother needs anything, you can come to the outer hall to find me."

"What is your name?" Li Qiye called out to the disciple as he was about to leave, asking casually.

The disciple was taken aback. To be honest, he didn't think highly of Li Qiye. With Li Qiye's aptitude, he wasn't even qualified to join the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, let alone become its chief disciple.

Li Qiye's behavior in the hall earlier seemed somewhat foolish, but his current calm and collected demeanor made this disciple wonder: was Li Qiye simply thick-skinned, or was he truly confident?

"Reporting to Senior Brother, my humble name is Nan Huairen, an emissary of the outer hall," the disciple recovered his composure and finally answered Li Qiye's question.

"My name is Li Qiye," Li Qiye simply nodded slightly. After countless eons of ups and downs, very few people knew his true origins and name.

After Nan Huairen left, Li Qiye didn't idle. He set about cleaning the courtyard and tidying up the surroundings of the solitary peak. After his efforts, the long-uninhabited solitary peak finally had a touch of human habitation.

Li Qiye's actions were orderly and methodical. If an outsider were present, they would hardly believe he was just a thirteen-year-old boy. His demeanor was calm and mature, completely inconsistent with his age and appearance.

After a period of hard work, dusk began to fall. Li Qiye was both tired and hungry. He sat down in front of the door. After catching his breath for a while, he picked up the fire-poking stick tucked into his waist.

Looking at the charred wooden stick, which had been used to poke at paper money, long-forgotten memories resurfaced in his heart. Finally, he couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.

The world widely rumored that Immortal Emperors carried the Mandate of Heaven and could live forever. However, today, where were invincible existences like Immortal Emperor Mingren and Tunri Immortal Emperor?

After returning to his senses, Li Qiye slowly scraped off the charcoal ash from the fire-poking stick, finally revealing its true form. It was a wooden stick just over three feet long, dark green and black. Although this wooden stick had been used as a fire-poking stick for countless years, not a single bit of it had been burned. But, apart from this, the wooden stick had no other miraculous qualities.

Li Qiye gently stroked the stick and murmured, "Snake-Beating Cudgel!" With a soft sigh, memories surfaced in his mind. Today, holding this stick again, he felt a different kind of sentiment.

In the past, before Immortal Emperor Mingren carried the Mandate of Heaven, as his guide, he had trained a group of promising young men for Immortal Emperor Mingren. Back then, to properly discipline these young men, he had specifically brought this Snake-Beating Cudgel back from the Ghost Forest.

Later, these young men, who became famous throughout the world and deterred all sides, were severely beaten with this Snake-Beating Cudgel until their skin was raw! After training these young men, he casually discarded the Snake-Beating Cudgel at the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, never expecting it to remain in the ancestral hall.

Holding the Snake-Beating Cudgel, Li Qiye fell into a long silence. After countless lifetimes of effort, he had finally reclaimed his body, and his soul had finally escaped the confinement of the Shadow Crow.

However, so many people had passed away one by one: his loved ones, his former friends, the Medicine God, Xuexi Immortal Emperor, Immortal Emperor Mingren... even the Black Dragon King, who had lived for three lifetimes, had eventually passed away!

In the distant past, in that wild era, he was just an ordinary thirteen-year-old shepherd boy. However, while searching for a lost sheep, he fell into the Immortal-Demon Cave, and his soul was trapped in the eternally living body of a Shadow Crow, lifetime after lifetime!

Initially terrified and unstable, his body inferior to his circumstances, he transformed into a Shadow Crow and could only fly endlessly between heaven and earth along the routes designated by the Immortal-Demon Cave. He had entered burial grounds, crossed old lands, and traversed the Nine Realms... Each lifetime, he was forced to return to the Immortal-Demon Cave once.

Although he had transformed into a Shadow Crow, after entering and exiting these mysterious and perilous burial grounds and old lands, which even Great Sages feared, countless times across lifetimes, he learned numerous secrets. After enduring countless hardships, his Dao heart was solidified.

Later, unwilling to become an immortal puppet Shadow Crow generation after generation, he devised a heaven-shattering plan and severed the route that the Immortal-Demon Cave had imprinted on his soul.

In order to escape the Shadow Crow and reclaim his body, he had made efforts time and time again. He had guided one potential youth after another onto the path of cultivation, even guiding them onto the path of invincibility, carrying the Mandate of Heaven!

Although, today, he had finally achieved his wish and reclaimed his body, becoming human again, how many people had departed?

Finally, Li Qiye couldn't help but sigh softly. But soon, he took a deep breath, clenched his fist tightly, and vowed that in this lifetime, no matter what, he must reach the pinnacle, become invincible, and one day, he would reign over the Immortal-Demon Cave!

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