The Peaches of Immortality

Not only did Xuan Tian tell Li Fan about the Nine Yin Mountain, but now the Nine Yin Mountain has become the headquarters of the Xuanmen Sect, and Yuntai Peak has been dismantled and scattered everywhere. The terrain of the Nine Yin Mountain has long been restricted everywhere, and it is not what it used to be.

However, Li Fan was certainly familiar with the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion, the training ground of the Sword Sect's successive leaders. It was not only Oldest One used to enshrine the Xuan Girl Heavenly Book, but also where various secret manuals of the Sword Sect, such as the Nine Luminaries Sword Scripture and the Ruyi Sword Scripture, were preserved. Of course, those divine skills and secret techniques had long since been removed.

Moreover, Xuan Tian actually dislikes the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion and never cultivates there, nor does he possess any hidden secret manuals or treasures.

After all, the sword immortal who lived here back then killed everyone he cared about. So when he later mastered the Xuan Tian Divine Skill and returned to fight back, he naturally sought revenge and repaid blood for blood.

Not only did they annihilate the Sword Pavilion and wipe out the entire direct lineage of the sect, creating the famous Sword Tomb, they also moved the tablet of the sixteenth generation patriarch, Dao Lord Tian Gang, out of the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion and suppressed it at the foot of Nine Yin Mountain.

As for the few remaining elders of the Sword Sect's Outer Sect Disciple of the Sword Sect's main mountain, both inner and outer disciples from the seventeenth generation, they were all expelled from the sect. The family members and relatives of the disciples of the Sword Sect's main mountain were also driven out of the Nine Yin Mountain territory without a word, their paths cut off, and anyone who violated the mountain was to be killed without mercy.

Because of this, which was done quite ruthlessly, for several hundred years, the leaders of the righteous path at the time, the Four Ancestors of Emei, were at odds with Xuantian.

Ultimately, the fact that Nine Yin Mountain, an outsider, is replacing the main sect is a matter of internal affairs for the Sword Sect. Other sects, let alone interfering, would rather laugh and watch the Sword Sect kill each other and become extinct. But Emei insists on being a moral exemplar and a model of righteousness, always meddling in other people's business.

So the orphan of the Sword Fourth Department sought help from fellow Daoists in the Xuanmen Sect. Others ignored him, but Emei Sect insisted on stepping forward to mediate the conflict between the two branches of the Sword Sect. The ones who came to mediate were Li Fan's master from his previous life, Cangwu, and his second master Cangbai.

Although Li Fan never had the chance to form a master-disciple bond, both of them had given him guidance. After awakening his pre-spirit, he remembered that both of them had the bad temper of old Xuanmen sects. No amount of persuasion would change their minds; they would just fight and sword battles, which eventually led to a feud between the two sects.

Now, times have changed. Not only is the Old Sword Sect lineage extinct, but the Xuantian Sword Sect is now also considered to be 'extinct'. The Yuntai Peak of Jiuyin Mountain has become the base for the Nine Great Xuan Sects to hold their grand meeting. However, the Jiuyao Sword Pavilion is shrouded in the sword formation set up by Xuantian, and the storm of swords never stops.

Xuan Tianbu's sword formation was no joke. The things in Kunlun Mountain still disgusted the Divine Sect to this day, let alone this sword rain covering the Nine Yin Peak. This formation was originally intended to screen Sword Sect disciples to see if they were qualified to obtain the <Nine Luminaries Sword Scripture>. It was extremely difficult. Not to mention that experts in the Nascent Divine Transformation Realm would be instantly killed if they entered the formation, even enlightened masters would be in danger of death.

Although many years have passed and many secret sword sect manuals such as the Nine Luminaries Sword Scripture have been taken away, the giants of the Xuanmen (mystical sects) did not want to forcibly break the formation and demolish the site, fearing that they would damage the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion, a famous historical site. So they discussed it and decided to make use of the waste, following the ancient system, and temporarily store the heavenly books that were left unattended during the change of leadership of the Nine Great Xuan Sects or the selection of grandmasters in the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion.

In this way, the newly appointed leaders of the Nine Great Xuan Sects and the grandmasters of the five arts still have to pass through this sword formation to obtain the Heavenly Book. To some extent, this can be considered as gaining the recognition of the guardian of the Heavenly Book, the Beichen Sword Sect.

Of course, the Nine Yin Sword Formation, though powerful, is still an ancient artifact from five hundred years ago. Moreover, it's a method of calculation from the Beichen Sword Sect, and Li Fan knows all its key points and secrets perfectly. As the eldest disciple and direct disciple of the Sword Ancestor, he could easily enter and exit with the Ruyi Sword Ruyi Sword Scripture his fingertips. Under his Divine Sense's influence, he even directly usurped control of the Nine Yin Sword Formation, suppressing the overwhelming rain of swords and the thunderous storm. Breaking the formation so easily was merely normal operation, nothing to mention... nothing at all...

So Li Fan entered the Sword Pavilion and offered the <Supreme Xuan Girl of the Nine Heavens's Evil-Slaying Secret Manual> before the statue of the Profound Maiden. He realized that he had arrived quite early; he was the only one of the nine heavenly books. He wondered if the other Xuanmen bigwigs were too lazy to go through the formalities or what, which prevented him from having a chance to steal a couple more books to look at. He was immediately annoyed, feeling like he had lost a fortune.

Li Fan glanced at the Sword Tomb and decided that the Nine Yin Sword Formation was rather easy. It might be useful for challenging his disciples, but it would be almost useless against the leaders of the Xuanmen Sect, which was why the Sword Pavilion was looted. He casually took out the Cloud Seal and wrote a few Sword Talismans, making some additions, updates, modifications, and maintenance to Xuantian's sword formation. He also adjusted the star map that the sword formation was based on five hundred years ago to adapt to the current False Moon Starry Sky, which probably resulted in a power increase of only a few dozen times.

This is all I should do as the guardian of the Xuan Girl Heavenly Book and the head of the Sword Sect. There's no need to be polite.

So Li Fan walked out with his hands behind his back, humming a little tune, which greatly surprised Cui Yuan at the door.

"How could it be so fast!? Fellow Daoist, you really broke the formation? We need to put the Heavenly Book into the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion first..."

Li Fan shrugged and gave a perfunctory reply.

"Oh, it's in, it's in! Hmm, that was really dangerous. Luckily, I learned the Heavenly Book, and my power is immense!"

"So that's how it is. No wonder it's the Xuan Girl Heavenly Book..."

Cui Yuan clearly hadn't actually read the celestial book, and couldn't help but admire it, expressing her sincere envy.

"I've long Qingyue Lord Qingyue is a once-in-a-millennium Dao Seed, and seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved. Ah, Lord Qingyue, please come with me. The Peach Banquet has already been prepared. Since you've arrived early, please take your seats."

"Oh? There are peaches to eat?" Li Fan's interest was piqued. "What, have you taken over the contract for Emei's peaches now?"

Seeing that Li Fan was unaware of the reason, Cui Yuan smiled and explained,

"Feasts hosted by immortals can all be called Peach Banquets. This saying has a long history."

It is said that the Heavenly Treasure native to Ganzhou, possessing the wondrous properties of prolonging life, delaying death, and curing the Five Declines of Heaven and Man. They are especially effective in treating internal injuries sustained during lightning tribulations, making them a coveted treasure for Divine Transformation cultivators. Therefore, in the past, whenever the peaches of immortality ripened, the immortals of Ganzhou would tear off all pretenses and fight tooth and nail to seize this celestial fruit and prolong their lives.

Later, the Emei Sect improved and bred the peaches, planting them on a large scale. They also took the initiative to share the peaches with their fellow cultivators, thus resolving the long-standing feud between the immortal Immortal Realm of Qianzhou. As a result, the Xuanmen (Daoist sects) changed their tense stance from the past, and the fighting became less intense. It was only later that the Emei Sect took the lead in hosting the Yuntai Peak Assembly, and only then did the other sects dare to attend with peace of mind.

From then on, whenever there was a gathering of immortals, a peach was always served first as a sign of hospitality.

Li Fan nodded repeatedly in understanding, "So that's how it all started. It really does come down to increasing productivity. If everyone has peaches to eat, there's no need for violence. Now, about the peach orchards of Emei..."

Cui Yuan smiled, "The Divine Lord is indeed wise, understanding so quickly. The Peaches of Immortality are of great importance; even older Divine Lords need to consume them long-term. Emei's prices are fair, they treat everyone honestly, and their reputation is trusted by all. This time, with someone else in charge, we need to discuss carefully which family can take over in a way that will satisfy the public."

Indeed, no matter how troublesome Emei is, it's still a prestigious and righteous sect, upholding the moral bottom line of the Xuanmen (Daoist sects). But now that bottom line has been drastically crossed, what are we going to do...?

Cui Yuan then asked, "The Divine Lord Qingyue and the Manifestation Dao Lord seem to have a close relationship? How did you manage to win the Heavenly Book from him?"

Li Fan's face immediately fell. "Fellow Daoist is joking. It was exchanged."

Cui Yuan laughed, "Not bad. Getting something from the Penglai Sect Leader is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Divine Lord, you may not know, but Penglai is now closing its mountains and seas and withdrawing from this year's Nine Great Xuan Sects Selection. The Supreme Nine True Palace is also selling off its numerous properties in the Gen, Zhen, Xun directions and the Central Plains. Which sect in the Mystic Sects isn't going to fleece them? Who can take advantage of them? The Nine True Palace is truly blessed to have such a Sect Leader."

That's right, everyone in Penglai loves the Manifestation Sect Leader, everyone praises him...

Li Fan also probed, "Fellow Daoist Cui, Qingyue has been cultivating in the mountains for a long time. The people of the Southern Barbarians do not understand the current situation in the Central Plains and have never seen the world. I wonder which sects will be selecting candidates for this year's Nine Great Xuan Sects?"

Cui Yuan was there to win over Li Fan, and she didn't hide it. She led Li Fan into a quiet and elegant garden, where they sat down by the stream, and Crane Boy brought them peach wine.

"Fellow Daoist, how about trying some peaches? No need for formalities, just tell me the truth."

"Hmm... it seems... to be Yi Tao'er..."

Li Fan didn't really taste anything special. He had eaten peaches at the Golden Summit of Mount Emei before, but he only remembered that it happened in his previous life. He couldn't recall what a genuine Mount Emei peach tasted like.

Li Fan's mood improved slightly.

Tsk, adding a little to steamed buns, adding a little to peaches, what a waste...

Cui Yuan exclaimed in admiration, "As expected of someone born of a Dao Seed, the more severe the internal injuries and the more life-threatening the peaches, the sweeter and more thirst-quenching they become. You are in your prime, so naturally they taste bland to you."

Huh? Is that so...?

After eating the peaches of immortality, which was considered a courtesy to the guests, the fairy maidens appeared one after another, presenting jade platters of delicacies, fine wine and delicacies.

Cui Yuan then poured wine for Li Fan, and the two drank and chatted together.

"In this reorganization of the Xuanmen, although Emei and Penglai have closed their mountains, the other seven sects will not back down. I'm sure you're also aware that there's a saying circulating on Yuntai Peak that the Taiyi and Shangqing sects are vying for power, right?"

"Is this true?"

"Indeed, Mount Song and Mount Heng are now showing signs of rivalry. While a full-scale war is unlikely, they will inevitably unite to compete."

Hengshan Mao Mountain are both Supreme Purity lineages, so there's no need to elaborate. Danxia Mountain's thunder magic lineage has always been relatively close to Supreme Purity. The leaders of Wangwu Mountain, Magu Mountain, Hotong Mountain have already expressed their support for Songshan Mountain. Therefore, the attitudes of the two newly promoted mountains are indeed crucial.

"Currently, there are at least six sects that intend to run for the election and whose sects are strong enough to be ranked alongside the Nine Great Xuan Sects."

Li Fan nearly choked to death on the peach.

"Cough cough cough! Holy crap! There are still six of the Nine Great Xuan Sects! And at least! Sorry, please continue."

Cui Yuan didn't mind; after all, he was inexperienced. So she waited for Li Fan to catch his breath before continuing.

"Although the Luo Sect lost many elites in the battles back then, there has been peace for many years, the spiritual energy has increased day by day, and there are many more rare Heavenly Treasure. The various mountains of the Xuanmen can also cultivate a lot of disciples. Although their aptitude cannot be compared with that of the past, the immortal path has indeed flourished."

Currently, the sect has one or two enlightened ancestors in seclusion to oversee the sect, seven or eight Nascent Divine Transformation at their peak to support it, and dozens of Nascent Soul Stage of the Inner Sect who are direct disciples. Although such strength is not enough to be the leader, it is more than enough to be ranked last among the Nine Great Xuan Sects and to assist in protecting the righteous path of the world.

There are six sects with such strength: Taiyuan Zongzhen Sect of Taiyi Mountain, Zhu Mingyao Zhenzong of Luofu Mountain, Sanyuan Jizhen Sect of Tianfu Mountain, Shangqing Chaoyang Cave of Qingcheng Mountain, Xuanyue Yuxu Palace of Xieluo Mountain, and Bixia Xuannv Temple of Daishan Mountain.

Of these six families, Taiyi, Luofu, and Tianfu have all sided with my Songshan Mountain. As for the other three families, they are in a bit of a predicament.

Qingcheng Mountain was originally the domain of the Yuqing Dao, but the Yuqing Patriarch has not returned for many years and has now switched allegiance to the Supreme Purity.

Xieluo Mountain, on the other hand, was ambitious and had always wanted to compete for the position of one of the Nine Great Xuan Sects. However, his Jade Void Palace had a grudge against the former leader of the Divine Sect Leader. Back then, the Sect Leader of the Divine Sect had defeated them and forced them to close their mountain to protect themselves. They dared not come out to compete for a time. Now that the Sect Leader the Divine Sect had been reincarnated, they would naturally not miss the opportunity again.

As for the Bixia Profound Maiden Temple, it is the direct descendant of Profound Maiden. Although it has been declining and no Daoist Master is in charge, it is still a legitimate sect of the Xuanmen, with its connections and foundation remaining. Moreover, it has a good relationship with the Yellow Court Palace of Hengshan. However, back then, a branch of the Bi Xia Dao discussed the Dao with my two ancestors and was stripped of its Immortal Peak and merged into the Thirty-Six Peaks of Songshan. If it is elected, it will be a problem."

Li Fan understood. Songshan currently held a 4 to 3 advantage, and three of the remaining six sects had been won over. However, Qingcheng Mountain and Bi Xia Dao Sect seemed Supreme Purity Shangqing Sect.

As for Xieluo Mountain, he doesn't seem to be a staunch supporter of the Supreme Purity Dao, but he also doesn't seem to have a deep relationship with Songshan. To win over the Great Yi Dao, he'll probably have to make some concessions. Moreover, it seems that this family is quite ambitious and is probably still waiting for the right price, and hasn't been won over by both sides yet.

At this moment, Cui Yuan glanced at Li Fan, who was deep in thought, and suddenly smiled, "Actually, with the strength of Ink Bamboo Mountain, it's qualified to step forward and make a selection now, isn't it? I wonder if your abbot would be interested?"

Li Fan laughed, "Fellow Daoist is joking. We mountain folk of the South Border are barely able to protect our own little plot of land. We'd rather be poor than live in the Central Plains, where we're unfamiliar with the place and the waters run too deep. We'd better not join in the fun."

Li Fan knew that Ink Bamboo Mountain was just a rural sect that had grown up mainly by taking advantage of the poor and remote terrain and the unruly people in the border areas. With its size, it would probably have been wiped out in the Central Plains arena long ago. Moreover, now was not only not a good time for Ink Bamboo Mountain to advance into the Central Plains, but it was even possible that it would face pressure from the new Nine Great Xuan Sects.

After all, don't be fooled by the fact that the Nine Great Xuan Sects numerous. If you think about it carefully, in the past, due to the scarcity of spiritual energy and the limited number of Heavenly Treasure, they had to fight tooth and nail for even a broken peach. They were extremely competitive, and their core disciples probably didn't even number a thousand. The Central Plains had so many Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land that they could share the spoils. They really didn't look down on places like the Ten-thousand-mountains, which were like a godforsaken place.

But things are different now. Two of the nine great sects have withdrawn, and six more have emerged as candidates. The disciples of both the inner and outer sects must number in the thousands, right? What about the Hidden Immortal Sect? What about the ancient Daoist sects? What about the powerful clans of the Three Realms? What about the local warlords?

With this data ballooning and spiritual energy currently reviving alongside malevolent energy, a major battle is inevitable, one that will wipe out most of the population before things calm down.

Meanwhile, the Ink Bamboo Mountain faction now occupies Li Country, one of the Twelve Countries, and under the management of its abbot, has developed Li Country's population to rival that of established powers like Zhen and Xun. It's become a tempting prize. Li Fan doesn't even need to divine; he knows that once the matter with the Divine Sect is resolved, some of the Central Plains' Xuanmen (mystical sects) will turn their attention to Li Country. At that time, Ink Bamboo Mountain will inevitably become the target of everyone's attacks; it's only a matter of time.

However, the foundation of Ink Bamboo Mountain is insufficient. To put it bluntly, among the disciples that Li Fan is currently training, only Qin Jiu has a tough life and Amao has good luck. The others are probably facing danger, on the verge of death, and every time they cast a divination, they are in great danger.

Thus, Li Fan and Cui Yuan, each with their own thoughts, drank and ate peaches, discussing important matters of the Xuanmen sect and the cultivation of Daoist methods. After several rounds of drinks, a Crane Boy came over and delivered a letter.

After reading it, Cui Yuan pondered for a while, then smiled at Li Fan.

"What a coincidence! Fellow Daoist Qingyue, do you have a disciple named Qin Jiu?"

Li Fan exclaimed in alarm, "What trouble has this kid gotten himself into?"

Cui Yuan waved her hand, "It's nothing, it's nothing. Fellow Daoist taught well. Your disciple participated in the Outer Sect Disciple competition of the Thirty-Six Peaks of Taiyi Nine Palaces and won first place. His Dustless Easy Qi Sword is invincible throughout Songshan. Both of the patriarchs praised him highly."

Huh? That's amazing? But I never taught him anything about the Dustless Easy Qi Sword...

Li Fan was momentarily stunned and said, "It's this kid's good fortune to have won the favor of the two elders."

Cui Yuan cupped his hands and smiled, "Actually, my mountain has a request. In the past, when Yuntai Peak held its gatherings, each mountain and sect would send disciples to exchange skills and compete, following the ancient ways, and fight swords in front of the stage. There are Outer Sect, namely the Golden Core Realm and the Nascent Soul Realm.

Of course, it's not a life-or-death situation; it's merely a comparison of the Cultivation Method, a display of one's cultivation level. In the unlikely event of a mishap, with so many sect leaders watching over them, there's also a chance for them to dissolve their bodies.

Since your disciple has won the Songshan Outer Sect Disciple competition, I wonder if you could ask him to represent the Songshan Great Yi Dao in the Yuntai Peak Outer Sect Golden Core realm competition?

Li Fan was speechless for a moment. This was... a substitute player?

"Ah? This... isn't that inappropriate...? This kind of competition concerns the fate of our sect; losing would tarnish your sect's reputation..."

And if we win, who will claim the points?

Cui Yuan smiled bitterly, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but your disciple, using only the Great Songyang Divine Skill and the Dustless Easy Qi Sword Technique, severely injured seventy-four disciples of my Qiantian Palace. Although no one has died yet, there is truly no one left who can get out of bed to fight. With such skill, how could we possibly bring shame to Mount Song?"

Li Fan broke out in a cold sweat, "Ah, this..."

Cui Yuan then advised, "Of course, Songshan knows that your disciple is such a fine talent that Ink Bamboo Mountain will certainly not be willing to part with him. However, we are all fellow practitioners of the Xuanmen, so there is no need to care about the differences between sects. It is only natural for elders of the Xuanmen to give pointers to disciples of good character. It is all part of their own destiny. Why should you worry so much, fellow Daoist?"

"Our two patriarchs of Mount Song are willing to accept young friend Qin as a disciple, each passing on a set of Mount Song secret techniques, and lending you the Great Yi Heavenly Book for a look. When young friend Qin reaches a certain level, you can then pass it on to him, thus preserving the legacy of the Great Yi Dao. This would also allow our Mount Song and Ink Bamboo Mountain sects to forge a good relationship. What do you think?"

I'm mowing the lawn... You guys are so good at forming connections! Anyone who didn't know better would think Qin Jiu was someone's illegitimate child...

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, considered for a moment, and suddenly understood. He asked Cui Yuan in a low voice, "Did the two elders calculate his fate?"

Cui Yuan smiled but remained silent.

Goodness, judging from this, he probably didn't figure it out either...