Inside a cave dwelling on the Feathering Sect's main peak, which towered a thousand zhang high.
Master Green Feather was breathing in and refining Qi. The fortuitous encounter he'd had four years ago, along with the Immortal Ancestor's legacy, had healed his injuries. After years of painstaking cultivation, he had finally advanced further, reaching the middle stage of the Mysterious Mastery Realm three days ago.
Good things put a spring in one's step.
And in recent years, the Feathering Sect had been blessed with one happy event after another.
Though they'd encountered a few crises and setbacks, the Immortal Ancestor had protected them. Nearly every danger had been resolved without incident.
Among the sect's younger generation, quite a few outstanding talents had emerged.
There was no need to mention a Seed of Immortality like Su Zhiyan.
Given time, she would surely become a great talent.
Even if she couldn't truly become immortal,
reaching the Mahayana stage was all but certain.
And if the sect had a Mahayana ancestor to oversee it, it would stand firm as a rock, and its future resurgence would be just around the corner.
Besides Su Zhiyan,
the newly initiated Yang Siblings were also well worth watching.
Ever since the Immortal Ancestor had used wondrous immortal arts and supreme divine powers to make pear blossoms bloom in the depths of winter, removing the siblings' obstacles to cultivation and officially guiding them onto the path of immortality, their progress had been astonishingly swift.
In barely more than a month, both of them had reached the peak of the second Qi Refining Realm.
Such speed was utterly shocking.
Though they were still a little slower than Su Zhiyan had been back then, they would still rank among the top ten in the sect's history.
And what was even more inconceivable was this:
After hearing about it, Master Green Feather had personally gone to see the siblings and tested their spiritual roots.
Their aptitude was excellent.
But only excellent!
Among the new disciples, they might have been considered outstanding.
But calling them shocking geniuses, Seeds of Immortality, was surely a bit of an exaggeration.
The siblings hadn't reached that level. They were even inferior to Liang Xiaotian, so their cultivation speed was truly puzzling.
Master Green Feather had also questioned their master, Daoist Shi, a Golden Core Realm steward.
Daoist Shi had answered respectfully that, though he paid close attention to the siblings and often guided their cultivation, that was all. He hadn't given them any special treatment.
The spiritual pills, medicinal herbs, and other cultivation resources the siblings received each month were no different from those given to ordinary disciples.
This left Master Green Feather even more astonished.
Unable to find a reason, he could only attribute it to the Immortal Ancestor's protection.
After all, the pear tree had blossomed because of the siblings.
Perhaps the immortal truly had taken pity on them, granting them this good fortune.
Whenever he thought of it, Master Green Feather couldn't help but sigh. The Immortal Ancestor truly possessed boundless divine powers and wondrous arts. What a pity that, aside from the fortuitous encounter four years ago, he'd never had another chance to see the old senior.
After finishing his cultivation,
Master Green Feather rose and bowed to the longevity tablet enshrined before him.
Though he didn't know the Immortal Ancestor's name, he was grateful for his kindness and had set up a longevity tablet for him in his cave dwelling.
He offered three sticks of incense each morning, noon, and evening, bowing before it daily with utmost reverence.
Just as Master Green Feather straightened after his bow,
his pupils suddenly contracted, as though he'd sensed something. He abruptly raised his head.
Then, without hesitation, he transformed into a streak of white light and flew out of the cave dwelling. He landed on a broad stone platform and gazed into the distance.
In the direction of the Founder's Shrine,
Sword Qi surged into the heavens,
as if it would cleave the firmament.
But it vanished in a flash, disappearing into the distant horizon at an inconceivable speed...
Master Green Feather stared, utterly dumbfounded, nearly blown into disarray. That chilling Sword Intent had made even him feel a shiver of dread.
The direction of the Founder's Shrine—could it be...
Master Green Feather immediately thought of the fortuitous encounter he'd had there four years ago.
The Sword Qi shot into the heavens, dazzling as a meteor streaking across the sky.
In less than a moment,
the entire Feathering Sect had been shaken awake.
The place erupted into chaos.
The elders and peak masters felt the Sword Intent soaring into the heavens and were all struck with trepidation.
Their expressions ranged from shock and delight to confusion and fear.
But they all shared one thing in common: they stayed where they were, not daring to move.
They feared disturbing that terrifying Sword Intent. If it turned its attention on them...
At the thought, the elders felt a chill at their necks. They could only smile bitterly. If it came to that, they'd have no choice but to stretch out their necks and await execution.
Fighting back was out of the question.
Though they didn't know what precious magical treasure it was, its Sword Qi soared so high that, even from afar, they felt as small as ants...
What kind of person could possess such world-shaking power...
There was no need to guess.
The Sect Master's decree soon came, telling everyone not to panic or move, but to return to their posts. In short, it said...carry on as usual!
They were not to make wild guesses.
Mulling over those words, many elders let their imaginations run wild, and an answer began to take shape in their minds.
Their expressions all turned reverent. Quite a few even bowed from afar toward the Sword Qi as it vanished into the distance.
"That commotion seems to have been a little too big."
At the Founder's Shrine, Lin Xiaoyao shaded his eyes with a hand and looked at the Locust Wood Immortal Sword in the distance. He smacked his lips, then yawned.
Never mind. No one would suspect an insignificant nobody like him anyway.
He was getting sleepy. He'd go back and sleep.
He'd surely know the outcome after waking up tomorrow morning.
So Lin Xiaoyao returned to his courtyard, still bleary-eyed.
There was nothing he liked better than sleeping until he woke naturally.
More than ten thousand li from the Feathering Sect lay a range of rolling mountains, sprawled like a giant python and stretching toward the distant horizon.
The vegetation there was so dense that, deep in the woods, it was difficult even to see the sunlight. Even during the day, the light was dim.
That was why the place was called Black Python Mountain.
Few people ever ventured there, and snakes and insects were common.
There were also tales of monsters wreaking havoc.
The mortals outside the mountains were skeptical, but even the people who had lived there for generations never dared enter the depths of the range.
Once they ventured too far in, it was difficult to get back out. Countless mountain wanderers and hunters had lost their lives there.
So Black Python Mountain was usually quiet, disturbed only by the cries of birds and beasts and the chirping of insects.
But today, that peace was broken.
A rumbling filled the air. The energy of heaven and earth surged violently, and Killing Intent rose faintly into the sky. Clearly, cultivators of considerable power were fighting.
Soon, two streaks of light, one blue and one red, appeared in the sky.
They chased and fought one another, and before long, they had entered the depths of Black Python Mountain.
They were actually two Nascent Soul ancestors!
No one knew what had sparked their conflict, but both gritted their teeth in fury, plainly intent on killing the other at all costs.
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