The Storm Was Brewing

Gu Jinlai, the same method has been used to peer into the memories of the True Immortal Yinghuo.

Through him, he also gained a new understanding of the other Dao Lords and Celestial Immortals of the Myriad Stars Sword Sect.

After gaining a general understanding of the situation, he sought out Zhao Xi again.

"The mental strength that enabled him to live to be two thousand years old."

Zhao Xi said something.

"Immortal Master Zhao, are you confident you can hold him off?"

This Gu Jinlai.

"Refining essence into qi and Qi Refining Spirit Transformation, starting from the True Immortal stage, the power of mind and spirit has become the most crucial core for immortals. The strength of one's mental and spiritual power can basically determine how far a cultivator can go on this path."

As Zhao Xi spoke, he estimated, "The mental strength that can support a lifespan of two thousand years must be at least at the sixth level of the Heavenly Realm."

"The sixth heaven?"

Gu Jinlai.

"Speaking of the realm of mind and spirit... neither our Longevity Realm nor the Mysterious Immortal Realm has a specific method of cultivation, let alone a division of realms. Everyone can only use different methods to undergo rounds of mental and spiritual transformation. Each transformation is considered a breakthrough to a new realm."

Zhao Xi explained with a smile, "However, more than ten years ago, we obtained a lot of valuable books about the mental realm through another world. These books divided the mental realm into eighteen levels, including the Nine Heavens, the Six Realms, and the Three Pure Ones. Every time I read them, I can feel the mystery within. If it weren't for the fact that we didn't have enough free time and energy, I would definitely go to that world to explore it."

"Nine Heavens, Six Realms, Three Pure Ones..."

Those who heard Zhao Xi's words from Gu Jinlai keenly realized something. "Does that world have a method of cultivation for the realm of mind and spirit?"

"That world must have had a thriving cultivation civilization in ancient times, but according to those exiles, the spirituality of their world has long since dissipated, and their cultivation system has probably been severed. The remaining inheritance is also dubious. I have examined many of the books that they regard as treasures, and there are many errors in them."

Zhao Xi paused as he spoke, "Of course, it's not that those Cultivation Method are wrong, but because the lineage has been broken for too long, the Cultivation Method that have been passed down have long deviated from their original meaning after being annotated by later generations. After more than ten years of summarizing, I have only barely perfected the cultivation classics for the first six levels of the Nine Heavens stage."

"If all relevant classic texts are collected, can a complete cultivation method for the eighteen stages of the Mind Realm be derived?"

Gu Jinlai have sought this question.

"It's almost impossible."

Zhao Xi shook his head. "I've heard their descriptions of these classic texts. The transmission is too severely interrupted. Let alone the methods of cultivating the mind, they even doubt whether that era truly existed. Therefore, it's almost impossible to complete them. After all, the more top-tier the transmission, the rarer it is and the harder it is to preserve. Even if that world mobilized all its resources, and we celestial immortals spared time to help complete it, completing half of it would be the limit..."

He paused at this point, then continued, "Of course, this statement is not absolute, and it is all just my speculation. Perhaps there really is some force that has existed for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of years, protecting these traditions all along."

"Unfading for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of years..."

Those who heard this, Gu Jinlai, shook their heads.

Even in a world of longevity where generations change slowly and people live for thousands of years, it is difficult to preserve some precious books from ten thousand years ago in their entirety. Even if they are preserved, people's understanding of these things may not be the same as it was ten thousand years ago due to changes in the environment.

Just like in ancient times, wood ear mushrooms and cucumbers were vegetables.

But this is not necessarily the case in modern times.

Furthermore, some modern people's word choices would be completely incomprehensible if placed in ancient times.

Without guidance or explanation, these differences, when applied to Cultivation Practice Method, can lead even the slightest mistake astray from the intended path of cultivation.

At best, all previous efforts will be wasted; at worst, one Qi Deviation and die on the spot.

At this moment, Zhao Xi took out a booklet and said, "This is a method for tempering the mind and spirit of the sixth heaven that I have compiled over the years based on those classic texts. Although I don't know if it will be useful to you, in my opinion, the path of the innate saint is a path of relying on past achievements and growing entirely on oneself. If one can have relevant cultivation methods to guide one's own evolution, the ultimate growth potential should be greater than that of us human cultivators."

"The Eighteenth Heaven".

Gu Jinlai have looked at this booklet.

The name is indeed simple and straightforward.

It points directly to the ultimate realm of the mind and spirit—the realm of the eighteenth heaven.

"Although this only records the cultivation of the first six heavens, it is all based on my personal experience, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Zhao Xi said, "Although the mind and True Spirit do not belong to the same kind of energy, they lead to the same goal. I believe that all paths will eventually lead to the same direction and the same ultimate goal. So, take a look at this book. If you can cultivate it, you might as well try it to temper your mind and spirit."

Gu Jinlai nodded.

He was about to say something, but then, as if he had caught the key to Zhao Xi's words, he said, "Personal experience!?"

He flipped through the book that recorded the cultivation methods of the Six Heavens: "Your mental state..."

"Yes, I've already reached the sixth level of heaven."

Zhao Xidao.

Gu Jinlai gasped in shock.

But then he seemed to realize something.

Zhao Xi's cultivation time can be traced back to more than 1,600 years.

In other words, he is at least 1,600 years old.

He was 1,600 years old, yet his spirit showed no signs of decay or decline...

This in itself signifies that his mental state is extraordinary.

For a moment, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, "The mental realm of the sixth level... I was overthinking it. It seems that even if you face the Xuanling Dao Master, you won't be much inferior in terms of mental realm."

"In theory, I won't be at a disadvantage in terms of mental and spiritual realm, but in terms of understanding the Heavenly Dao of Spirit Transformation, I am still far inferior to him."

Zhao Xi sighed, "This is also why I have never dared to break ties with the Myriad Stars Sword Sect all these years."

"Leave the matter of dealing with the Xuanling Dao Master to me. As long as he dares to cross the boundary gate and arrive at our Changsheng Realm, we will make sure he never returns."

Gu Jinlai, although Zhao Xi seemed to be even stronger than he had anticipated, he still intended to proceed according to his own plan.

He then organized his thoughts briefly. "Since the Immortal Kingdom is going to war with the Myriad Stars Sword Sect, once the war begins, we will be facing a pincer attack from both Demonic Beasts and the Myriad Stars Sword Sect. If there are any internal problems at this time, it will be a devastating blow to the entire Immortal Kingdom."

"You mean..."

Zhao Xi looked at him.

"To repel external aggression, we must first secure internal stability."

Gu Jinlai repeatedly said, "We need to thoroughly cleanse the Immortal Kingdom, eliminate all potential hidden dangers, and maintain optimal condition to deal with the dual-front war against the Myriad Star Sword Sect and the Demonic Beasts of the Demon Realm."

Zhao Xi listened and nodded thoughtfully.

"You should be quite familiar with this kind of thing. I'll leave the task of clearing out the enemy to you."

"Um?"

Looking at Zhao Xi from Gu Jinlai, people were somewhat surprised.

The ruler of the immortal kingdom barely asked any questions before handing over the great power of purging the immortal kingdom to him.

Zhao Xi looked at Gu Jinlai's somewhat surprised expression and said calmly, "Trust is very precious, so I will not doubt your actions in any way, regardless of whether there are other factors involved... All I can do is continue to give you my trust, just as before."

"Trust."

Gu Jinlai, people have been reminded of the concept of the Qian Heaven.

The previous emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, Jiang Tianji, originally had the opportunity to end the turmoil in Qiantian and lead it into a new era of glory.

But...

It was precisely because they lacked the most crucial element—trust—between themselves and other forces that Emperor Qian died, leading to the death of Wushi True Person, the foremost figure in Qiantian at the time.

After a moment, he composed himself, looked at Zhao Xi, and said nothing else, but said solemnly, "We can win this war against the Myriad Star Sword Sect and the Demon Realm!"

"Certainly."

Zhao Xi smiled slightly.

"Purge the Immortal Kingdom of its internal order and evil?"

Liu Feiyun was both surprised and surprised by what Gu Jinlai said, but also felt that it made perfect sense.

Our own Supreme Elder has always been averse to evil, and now that he is cooperating with the Immortal Kingdom and treating it as a true ally, he naturally cannot tolerate any dissent.

Otherwise, if heroes bleed on the battlefield and then suffer persecution and tears from villains upon their return, such a force would have no hope of salvation.

"Ancient True Immortal".

Zhang Tianye appeared behind Gu Jinlai, accompanied by hundreds of illusory immortals and saints.

"For the next period of time, we will follow the orders of the Ancient Immortal."

One of the Nine Great Immortals, a peak True Immortal, added, "Compared to other places, our Immortal Kingdom is well-governed. Although there are still some places where the sun doesn't shine, that's because the Immortal Kingdom has too many matters to manage and handle. I think we are enough."

"I hope so."

Gu Jinlai nodded at him.

At the same time, he took out a map given to him by Zhao Xi: "In addition to the grotto heaven of Immortal Lord Zhao and the grotto heavens of the other five Immortal Lords, there are thirty-two other grotto heavens in the Immortal Kingdom. Due to the existence of the Spirit Mechanism Technique, each grotto heaven is inhabited by a large population within a radius of several thousand miles. Each grotto heaven is equivalent to a large city cluster. We will clear them out one by one, starting with Anya Grotto Heaven."

"Follow the command of the ancient immortals."

Zhang Tianye nodded.

"We have already broken ties with the Myriad Stars Sword Sect. Their forces could cross the interdimensional passage at any time and invade our Eternal Life Realm. In order to ensure the swift completion of the purge of the various grotto-heavens of the Immortal Kingdom, we must first seal off any grotto-heaven we arrive at."

Gu Jinlai said, "Therefore, I need more manpower! At least tens of thousands of people, preferably all of them Celestial Person beings!"

He added, "If the quantity is not enough, I can request more from the Holy Dynasty."

That's enough.

Zhang Tianye said, "We have achieved victory in the Blood Swamp Demon Abyss battlefield during this period, and it is not difficult to mobilize 10,000 Celestial Person."

"Alright, have them go directly to Anya Cave Heaven and meet up with us."

The practice of purging local authorities has Gu Jinlai been governed by a set of rules and regulations.

These rules and regulations can even be adjusted based on different forces.

To deal with Anya Cave Heaven, we first surround the cave heaven, then summon all high-ranking individuals above the Spirit Refining Realm within its boundaries, and then screen them one by one.

After the screening is completed, those with Karma as black as ink are killed on the spot, while those with Karma as Bright Red as blood are given a chance to redeem themselves based on their cultivation level. At the same time, they are also ordered to conduct self-examinations.

After all, the Immortal Kingdom is currently in dire need of manpower, and the impact of not giving them any opportunities would be too great.

Even for some true immortals whose Karma is as black as ink, it takes a thorough investigation and solid evidence to judge them, Gu Jinlai.

After all, the Immortal Kingdom is different from the Heavenly Realm. Zhao Xi trusts him and gives him great authority. When he kills a certain True Immortal, he must give him a clear explanation to silence any gossip.

Otherwise, even if Zhao Xi were willing to help him suppress all his dissatisfaction, the other five celestial immortals would inevitably be hostile towards him, which would lead to instability within the immortal kingdom.

Gu Jinlai, they have been making every effort to cleanse the various grotto-heavens of the Immortal Kingdom in preparation for the arrival of the Xuanling Dao Lord.

In the realm of the Mysterious Immortals.

The envoy of the Myriad Stars Sword Sect, an avatar of the Great Elder, the True Immortal of Tracing Origins, and the Dao Master of the Suspended Sword, has arrived at the Heavenly Fire Sect.

Faced with the visit of this top-tier power, which was like their own neighbor, the entire Heavenly Fire Sect dared not be negligent.

Not only did the sect leader, True Immortal Lielong, lead a group of True Immortals to greet him, but even the sect's strongest expert, Dao Master Ziyan, came forward to receive the long-established Dao Master Xuanjian.

After exchanging pleasantries, the Sword Master emphasized that he had important matters to discuss, and True Immortal Lielong led the two into the Heavenly Fire Sect and activated a formation to block detection.

"It must be something important that the Sword Master personally intervened."

The Purple Flame Dao Master inquired.

"Strictly speaking, what we want to know is the attitude of the Heavenly Fire Sect."

As the Sword Master spoke, he got straight to the point. "The Purple Flame Master should have received news that not long ago I activated the Heavenly Dao to intercept an arrogant scoundrel who was running rampant within the territory of my Myriad Stars Sword Sect, right?"

"Good."

The Purple Flame Dao Master nodded.

This incident occurred in the Xuanjin Dao, which is next to their Yanhe Dao. Given the huge commotion caused when the Xuanjian Dao Master activated the Gengjin Heavenly Dao, the Tianhuo Sect naturally couldn't have been unaware of it.

"However, what does this have to do with our Heavenly Fire Sect? The one who could attract the personal attention of the Suspended Sword Dao Master must be at least a peerless True Immortal. Our Heavenly Fire Sect's few peerless True Immortals have not set foot in the Ten Thousand Star Sword Sect's territory recently. The remaining Dragon Sword Sect's Long Xingyu and Feng Fenglou's Feng Daoqi do not seem to have the courage to provoke the Ten Thousand Star Sword Sect."

Zi Yan said.

"The Purple Flame Dao Lord didn't know?!"

The Sword Master looked surprised. "The person who dared to act so presumptuously in the territory of my Myriad Stars Sword Sect is Jiang Yufeng, the Supreme Elder of the Creation Sect of the Flame River Sect. His combat strength is no less than that of a top-tier Celestial Immortal! I thought the Purple Flame Dao Master already knew this person very well."

"Jiang Yufeng?"

The Purple Flame Dao Master's gaze immediately turned to the Heavenly Fire Sect Master, True Immortal Fierce Dragon.

The True Immortal hurriedly said, "The Creation Sect has indeed been working diligently to improve its governance during this period. Jiang Yufeng is the younger brother of the former sect leader, Jiang Yujian. Although his cultivation is considerable, according to our investigation, he is at most at the level of a Supreme True Immortal..."

"He only displayed the power of a supreme True Immortal in the Flame River Path?"

Upon hearing this, the Sword Master looked grave. "Hiding so deeply, the Creation Sect and Jiang Yufeng must have some grand schemes up their sleeves."

After saying that, he immediately said, "According to our Wanxing Sword Sect's speculation, Jiang Yufeng obtained the corpse of a Primordial Saint for some special reason, and it was an extremely powerful Primordial Saint. He refined the power of the Primordial Saint into his body, and his combat strength is probably no less than that of a top-tier Celestial Immortal. In particular, this top-tier Celestial Immortal of his can travel to various places without relying on his cave heaven. In terms of deterrence... he is on par with the Immortal Lord!"

Upon hearing these words from the Sword-Hanging Dao Master, both the Purple Flame Dao Master and the Fierce Dragon True Immortal changed their expressions.

Refining the remains of an innate deity!?

A top-tier Celestial Immortal in combat, yet able to move freely without relying on a grotto-heaven!?

Its deterrent power rivals that of an immortal lord!?

"The power of Celestial Immortals and Dao Lords is based on having a cave heaven behind them. Once they leave the cave heaven and are within tens of thousands of miles of it, the Dao Lord's avatar is only equivalent to the combat power of a peerless True Immortal. Of course, those top Dao Lords can separate the Heavenly Dao and fight a battle to the death with their enemies, but this situation is not very useful for reference. The only ones who can still exert combat power above Celestial Immortal after leaving the cave heaven are Immortal Lords!"

The Sword Master solemnly said, "The claim that Jiang Yufeng can unleash combat power comparable to a top-tier Celestial Immortal without relying on his cave heaven, and that his deterrent power is second only to an Immortal Lord, is by no means an exaggeration!"

"Of course we know."

The Purple Flame Dao Master's expression was rather unpleasant.

Such a terrifyingly powerful figure had unexpectedly appeared right under the noses of their Heavenly Fire Sect, and the sect was completely unaware of it, only learning of his existence through the instruction of the Suspended Sword Dao Master.

This made the Heavenly Fire Sect feel both threatened and embarrassed.

However, the Dao Lord quickly calmed down. "Dao Lord Suspended Sword came all the way to our Heavenly Fire Sect to find out our Heavenly Fire Sect's attitude toward Jiang Yufeng?"

"Yes, Jiang Yufeng has been acting recklessly within the territory of my Wanxing Sword Sect and has even cruelly murdered Elder Yan Wuwen of my Wanxing Sword Sect. My Wanxing Sword Sect must take action against such a demon."

"The Sword Master said coldly."

Although he activated the Gengjin Heavenly Dao to intercept Gu Jinlai first, Gu Jinlai killed Yan Wuwen later, this did not prevent him from reversing the order of events, making people mistakenly believe that he activated the Gengjin Heavenly Dao to intercept and kill Gu Jinlai because of Yan Wuwen's death.

After saying that, he glanced at the Purple Flame Dao Lord: "Originally, the Creation Sect, where Jiang Yufeng was, belonged to your Flame River Dao. If I wanted to deal with Jiang Yufeng and the Creation Sect, I had to ask about the attitude of your Heavenly Fire Sect first, so as not to have any relationship with the Creation Sect and the Purple Flame Dao Lord, or any misunderstandings. But now it seems... Jiang Yufeng clearly has such abilities, yet the Creation Sect has always kept a low profile. I'm afraid they are hiding a huge ambition."

Under the misleading influence of the Suspended Sword Daoist, the Purple Flame Daoist Master was clearly also thinking in this direction.

Despite the presence of the Mohist School and the Xuan Yuan Sword Sect above them, who often do not allow wars involving the consumption of spiritual energy to break out among the forces under their jurisdiction, this does not mean that the Tianhuo Sect is willing to see someone rise to power and affect their status in the Flame River Road.

For the Heavenly Fire Sect, the Dragon Sword Sect and the Wind and Rain Pavilion are somewhat better off. It will take at least several hundred years for them to nurture Heavenly Dao. In addition, they occasionally cause trouble for the two major forces and consume their accumulated spiritual energy. Even if it takes thousands of years, they may not be able to successfully nurture the Heavenly Dao.

However, the Creation Gate is different.

The Creation Sect originally possessed the Heavenly Dao. Once someone steps into the Celestial Immortal realm, they can quickly integrate into the Creation Heavenly Dao and become a Dao Lord. At that time, it will inevitably threaten the Heavenly Fire Sect's dominance over the Flame River Dao.

The Heavenly Fire Sect has spared no effort in suppressing the Creation Sect.

Even the internal strife within the Creation Sect sixty years ago, which left only Ye Yan among the True Immortals, bears the shadow of the Heavenly Fire Sect.

At that time, there were many peak True Immortals in the Creation Sect, and they were worried that someone might actually take that step.

But right now...

However, some people have taken a different path, refining the remains of innate deities to gain combat power comparable to top-tier celestial immortals!

"What does the Myriad Stars Sword Sect plan to do?"

"The Purple Flame Dao Master said in a deep voice."

"We originally came here mainly to ask the Heavenly Fire Sect for passage! My Myriad Star Sword Sect's Myriad Manifestation Immortal Master will personally take action, descend upon the Creation Gate, threaten to destroy the Creation Gate to force Jiang Yufeng to appear, and kill him. However, the Creation Gate is so well hidden... I'm afraid even the Purple Flame Dao Master is a little uneasy, right?"

The Sword Master looked at the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Fire Sect and asked, "Then, I wonder if the Purple Flame Sword Master would be willing to join forces with our Myriad Star Sword Sect to eliminate this greatest threat to your Flame River Sect?"

"The Immortal Lord of All Manifestations is personally taking action...?"

After a moment's thought, the Purple Flame Dao Master said emphatically, "We can assist you in your revenge, but the Creation Heavenly Dao of the Creation Sect and Jiang Yufeng's corpse must belong to our Heavenly Fire Sect."

"We, the Myriad Stars Sword Sect, can leave the Creation Gate's cave heaven, the Creation Heavenly Dao, and everything else within the Creation Gate entirely to ourselves. However, we must take back Jiang Yufeng's corpse. A life for a life, we must use his body to grind his bones to ashes as a sacrifice to appease the spirit of our Myriad Stars Sword Sect Elder Yan Wuwen in heaven."

The Sword Master said repeatedly.

Jiang Yufeng had refined a powerful innate saint. Although his corpse could not compare with that innate saint, if the power of the innate saint in his body were extracted using a special method and refined by a true immortal of the Myriad Star Sword Sect, it might be able to create a powerful cultivator.

This is probably the real reason why the Sword-Suspended Daoist Master took Jiang Yufeng's body away.

But...

The fact that the Myriad Stars Sword Sect's Immortal Master of Myriad Manifestations would personally take action, coupled with their willingness to entrust the Creation Gate's cave heaven and Creation Heavenly Dao to them, can be considered a great show of sincerity.

The Purple Flame Dao Master had already agreed in his heart, but he couldn't be so readily agreeable on the surface, besides...

Their Heavenly Fire Sect also wanted Jiang Yufeng's corpse.

If a significant amount of divine power is extracted, it could potentially create a Celestial Immortal warrior for the Heavenly Fire Sect, bringing indescribable benefits.

At that moment, he said frankly, "The Creation Sect is ultimately a medium-sized force in our Flame River Sect. Our Heavenly Fire Sect must treat it with caution. In addition, whether the Creation Sect harbors ambitions is only one side of the story of Daoist Suspended Sword. We have not yet investigated it clearly. Therefore... please ask Daoist Suspended Sword to go back first."

"Master Ziyan, time waits for no one. Aren't you afraid that the rise of the Creation Sect will threaten the status of the Heavenly Fire Sect?"

The Sword Master solemnly replied.

"If the Creation Sect could truly threaten my Heavenly Fire Sect, we wouldn't have remained silent until now."

The Purple Flame Dao Master said calmly, "The Suspended Sword Dao Master should go back first. Once we have investigated, we will contact the Myriad Star Sword Sect again."

"Lord Ziyan..."

Just as the True Immortal of Tracing Origins beside the Dao Lord of Suspended Sword was about to say something, the Dao Lord of Suspended Sword reached out to stop him, and then turned to the Dao Lord of Purple Flame: "Since the Dao Lord has said so, then we will take our leave first. The Dao Lord will inform us when he has made his decision."

The Purple Flame Dao Master nodded slightly.

Having said what needed to be said, the Sword Master and the Origin-Tracing Immortal immediately took their leave and departed from the Heavenly Fire Sect.

On the way back, True Immortal Suyuan frowned. "Does the Heavenly Fire Sect not know the impact that the rise of the Creation Sect will have on them?"

"Impact? Even the biggest impact wouldn't be felt in such a short time."

As the Sword Master spoke, he sneered, "The Heavenly Fire Sect wants to find out the truth of the matter and see if there are any greater benefits involved. Secondly, they are also greedy and want to see if they can squeeze more benefits out of our Myriad Star Sword Sect."

"Shortsighted!"

Tracing the Origin True Immortal cursed.

"In any case, we must first spread the news that the Heavenly Fire Sect and we are about to deal with the Creation Sect. As soon as Jiang Yufeng went to Zhao Xi's place in the Immortal Kingdom, the Transformation Heavenly Dao began to grow rapidly. Obviously, Zhao Xi wants to take advantage of Jiang Yufeng's protection to make the Transformation Heavenly Dao grow rapidly so as to break away from the control of the Profound Spirit Dao Master. Therefore, we must lure Jiang Yufeng back. Once he returns, it will be the day the Profound Spirit Dao Master makes his move."

The Suspended Sword Path is the main path.

"What if he disregards the fate of the Creation Sect?"

Tracing the origins of the true immortal was somewhat worried.

The Sword Master remained silent for a moment, then his eyes flashed with a chilling murderous intent: "Not going back? Then let's launch a full-scale attack! The reason our Myriad Star Sword Sect has become the overlord of the Sword Master Sect has never been through any conspiracies or tricks, but through our own strength!"

His tone was confident. "If the entire Myriad Star Sword Sect were to launch an attack, I do not believe that a mere immortal kingdom could withstand it!"