Azure Cloud Sect

Biodata

Background / History

The Azure Cloud Sect is an ancient institution with a ten-thousand-year legacy. Its legendary sect-guarding treasure is credited with sustaining it throughout that history, and is rumored to contain the secret of becoming an Immortal 28 44.

Its network of subsidiary sects grows from a deliberate policy of sending disciples into the wider world once they reach Soul Departure. These former disciples establish sects or pursue their own opportunities, while maintaining ties that bring new talent back to Azure Cloud 44.

Little Mountain Peak was still a barren wasteland when Hu Yun brought the young Ouyang and Leng Qingsong into the sect. With Hu Yun frequently absent, Dongxu Zi personally arranged much of the peak’s development 5 24.

The Seven Azure Cloud Disciples

The sect’s older history is closely tied to the Seven Azure Cloud Disciples. Dongxu Zi recalls finding a home, master, and fellow disciples amid the disorder following the Immortals’ fall. Restoring order came at a devastating personal cost: he later describes himself and Uncle-Master Su as the only two remaining members of that generation 335.

The Seven Azure Cloud Disciples were prominent throughout the first half of the Dao-Demon War. After their master’s departure, Eldest Senior Brother Chongming built the sect’s reputation through his fighting strength while imposing increasingly strict expectations upon his junior disciples 429 629.

Their master merged bodily with the Nine Hells. His departure profoundly changed Chongming, who eventually joined the Devil Race; Dongxu Zi later recalls that the other brothers had died and their Daos had been extinguished, leaving only himself and Su Xiaoqi within the sect 515.

Destruction in Chen Changsheng’s Previous Life

In Chen Changsheng’s previous life, the Azure Cloud Sect was destroyed while he was still at Core Formation. He survived under Ouyang’s protection, but the loss of the sect’s shelter exposed him to repeated near-fatal tribulations and a cultivation world increasingly dominated by murder and resource plunder. This is a remembered former timeline rather than the sect’s later fate in the current course of events 156.

Rise to Daoist Primacy

After the great cultivators’ sacrifices to complete heaven and earth, Azure Cloud becomes a principal destination for cultivators seeking enlightenment. With many senior experts gone and the surviving sects’ younger generations still developing, it comes to be regarded as the foremost Daoist sect and the great orthodox cultivation institution of the age 689 690.

The Nine Great Sacred Lands establish branch sects on its grounds, specifically associated with Questioning Sword Peak, and their combined teachings make Azure Cloud the largest gathering of cultivation methods in the world. Under Zhao Qiansun, the sect promotes the principle that all cultivators under heaven are one family and may enter the orthodox Daoist fold 690 700 704.

Territory and Peaks

The sect occupies a spiritually abundant grotto-heaven containing seventy-two peaks. Only twelve outer peaks are open; the remaining sixty lie within the inner grounds. Azure Cloud Peak stands at the center of the outer peaks, which enclose the holy land 1 8.

The Twelve Outer Peaks

Azure Cloud Peak

• Landscape: An imposing mountain surrounded by immortal clouds, waterfalls, rivers, exotic plants, rare birds and beasts, and scattered residences 22.
• White jade steps: An immense stairway leads from the mountain gate to the summit. Flying and technique use are prohibited; visitors are normally required to ascend on foot 22.
• Stone-spirit gatekeepers: Two intelligent stone lions guard the entrance and demand a password. Ouyang originally molded them, and his lingering true qi gave them sentience 22.
• Main Hall and plaza: Used for formal assemblies, receiving visiting sects, and staging the Sect Grand Competition 23 44.
• Forbidden grounds: Accommodate Tribulation Transcendence cultivators who choose to remain within the sect for secluded cultivation 44.
• Dao lectures: Dongxu Zi teaches inner disciples in the summit plaza; even Nascent Soul cultivators can gain insights from attending 82.
• Construction materials: The plaza’s white jade slabs have absorbed enough Heaven and Earth Essence to serve as ordinary artifact-refining materials, although Little Bie San’s ape phantom crushes them during its reconstruction 513.

Pill Peak

Pill Peak supplies elixirs ranging from Fasting Pills to Realm-Breaking Pills and is a vital part of the sect’s cultivation infrastructure. Although Azure Cloud does not specialize in alchemy, its pill production is described as superior to that of outside first-rate alchemy sects. The mountain resembles an enormous cultivation cauldron and is surrounded by a strong medicinal fragrance 89.

Danyuan Zi oversees the peak. Ouyang is banned from entering after taking large quantities of its supplies; when he returns to obtain herbs for Hu Tutu’s medicinal bath, the disciples raise an alarm and hurriedly hide their herbs and pills. Danyuan Zi demands the return of one hundred thousand Foundation Establishment Pills 89.

Questioning Sword Peak

Questioning Sword Peak is associated with the sect’s sword cultivators and their conspicuous pride in their abilities. Chunyang Zi nevertheless insists that his disciples acknowledge stronger swordsmen and accept defeat rather than relying upon their sect’s prestige 82 99 102.

Its disciples temporarily relocate to Azure Cloud Peak when Ouyang’s rumor campaign forces Chunyang Zi to make room for Penglai Immortal Mountain’s visiting female cultivators. Dongxu Zi later directs Ci Hang’s group there as well 231 335.

In the later era, branch sects of the Nine Great Sacred Lands are established on Questioning Sword Peak, making it part of Azure Cloud’s wider role as a common center of cultivation teaching 690.

Little Mountain Peak’s Preserved Courtyard

After the Three Sages’ rise, their former courtyard becomes one of the sect’s forbidden grounds. Ordinary entry is prohibited, with access reserved to the Sect Master. Zhao Qiansun preserves the site, although he apologizes to Chen Changsheng for its somewhat dilapidated condition 704.

The courtyard retains the former rooms of its disciples. Chen Changsheng brings the unconscious Daji back to her old room, and Zhao Qiansun subsequently activates the formations around Little Mountain Peak after the Sages depart 704 705.

Organization and Notable Members

Leadership and Administration

Dongxu Zi considers both Chen Changsheng and Bai Feiyu suitable successors because of their aptitude and firm dispositions. Chen Changsheng’s appointment as Holy Son is therefore not solely a response to the devil-infiltration scandal, although Dongxu Zi worries that his excessive caution does not fully suit the leadership of a great sect 101.

Zhao Qiansun’s eventual succession follows a long period of reluctance. He initially refuses formal membership despite receiving Dongxu Zi’s and Hu Yun’s teachings, and Dongxu Zi accepts that refusal. Later, even after becoming a peak Mahayana cultivator and a leading figure within Azure Cloud, Zhao Qiansun has refused the sect-master position nine times before ultimately taking office 401 402 508 690 700.

Notable Members

• Hu Yun — Master of Little Mountain Peak’s disciple group; recruited Ouyang and Leng Qingsong together. His system identification also names him Deputy Sect Master, and his return frightens many senior sect figures into closing their gates and announcing seclusion 5 24 159 160.
• Ouyang — Inner disciple and eldest senior brother of Little Mountain Peak; represents the peak at the outer-sect competition and accepts Xiao Feng as a nominal disciple pending Hu Yun’s decision. He enjoys extensive friendships throughout the sect and is treated by many peak masters and elders much like one of their own direct disciples 28 33 98 177.
• Leng Qingsong — Little Mountain Peak disciple who rejected the Sect Master’s invitation to remain with Ouyang; later defeats the Buddhist Holy Son Hui Zhi despite being a major realm below him. He subsequently becomes a Great Sword Cultivator and ultimately one of the Three Sages 5 42 43 544 704.
• Bai Feiyu — Reincarnated ancient sword immortal who joined the sect five years earlier for access to cultivation resources; later one of the Three Sages 2 704.
• Chen Changsheng — Little Mountain Peak disciple responsible for its protective formations; becomes Holy Son after exposing and killing Zu Yuan during the competition. His later status as a Sage adds greatly to the sect’s prestige 15 49 704.
• Hu Tutu — A juvenile Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox with an innate Dao body; formally inducted after lighting her everlasting lamp. On first seeing the sect, she regards it as her second home 1 24 695.
• Xiao Feng — Former outer disciple who joins Little Mountain Peak as Ouyang’s nominal disciple and later refuses Dongxu Zi’s offer of personal discipleship. He leaves the sect to seek his own path, accompanied by Ma Xingye 33 46 166.
• Ling Feng — Dongxu Zi’s personal disciple; initially protects Zu Yuan and insists on guiding him toward righteousness. He later introduces harsh competitive elimination rules on Azure Cloud Peak, with Dongxu Zi’s approval 20 156.
• Zu Yuan — Dongxu Zi’s newly accepted personal disciple, secretly the Devil Race’s Holy Son; infiltrates the sect and seeks its sect-guarding treasure. His exposure and apparent death precipitate Chen Changsheng’s appointment as Holy Son 14 16 20 49.
• Hu Yan — Eight-Tailed Spirit Fox at Tribulation Transcendence and a sect Attendant; lives in seclusion before moving to Little Mountain Peak as Hu Tutu’s pet and protector 9 12 13 19.
• Ma Xingye — Young master of a vassal sect who earns admission to Five Elements Peak. He later serves as a gatekeeping disciple, struggles with the inner sect’s competitive pressure, and leaves with Xiao Feng 30 46 75 166.
• Su Xiaoqi — Member of the original Seven Azure Cloud Disciples and Dongxu Zi’s surviving junior sister 429 515.
• Zhao Qiansun — Recipient of Dongxu Zi’s and Hu Yun’s legacies; initially remains outside formal sect membership, later agrees to guard Azure Cloud for ten years, and eventually becomes Sect Master 401 402 438 700.
• Little Bie San — Studies under Dongxu Zi after its reconstruction. Its understanding of Daoist teachings becomes exceptional, although its body cannot retain Heaven and Earth Essence and its cultivation does not match its conceptual realm 563 583.
• Xuanlingzi — Sect representative who identifies Leng Qingsong as an Azure Cloud disciple at the Ethereal Pavilion while explicitly distancing the sect from his challenge 544.
• Sanzang — Zhao Qiansun’s direct disciple and chosen emissary for the westward transmission of Buddhist Dharma; identified by Chen Changsheng as the reincarnation of Demon Venerable Chongming 704.

Admission, Rules, and Disciple Protection

Membership Requirements

The outer tournament normally requires Qi Refining cultivation. Ouyang secures an exception for Xiao Feng after demonstrating that his physical strength is sufficient to compete 29.

Induction Pledges

New disciples pledge to:

• Abide by the sect’s rules and laws 24.
• Uphold justice, vanquish devils, defend the Dao, and preserve the purity of heaven and earth 24.
• Seek the Dao wholeheartedly without coveting worldly power or wealth 24.

Disloyal intentions are punishable by the crippling of cultivation and expulsion. The induction precepts make no distinction between humans and demon cultivators; the sect also accepts Hu Yan’s service as an Attendant despite his demon identity 9 24.

Lifebound Ever-Burning Lamps

The lamps protect disciples rather than control them 13.

Dongxu Zi lights Hu Tutu’s lamp using a strand of her hair. Its flame briefly takes the shape of a little fox 24.

During Chen Changsheng’s later departure, Dongxu Zi rises and bows toward an everlasting lamp, which then goes out. The passage does not explicitly identify the lamp’s owner 460.

Instruction and Internal Competition

Dongxu Zi gives Dao lectures on Azure Cloud Peak. Inner disciples below Nascent Soul attend, and even those already at Nascent Soul sometimes join because they continue to gain new insights 82.

The sect’s abundant resources do not eliminate competition. Ma Xingye discovers that his fellow inner disciples are more talented and learn spell arts faster than he does; behind their friendly interactions, they train and compete intensely 75.

Ling Feng later establishes an elimination system on Azure Cloud Peak in which disciples seize one another’s waist tokens. Losing can result in removal from the peak or expulsion from the sect. Chen Changsheng witnesses a disciple stabbing another for his token and challenges the system’s cruelty, while Ling Feng argues that sheltered disciples need harsher preparation for life beyond the sect 156.

Azure Cloud nevertheless permits dissent in ordinary sect affairs. When Questioning Sword Peak protests the selection of secret-realm candidates, Dongxu Zi regards its objections as permissible and acknowledges the unfairness of its exclusion, in contrast to Tai’a’s much more authoritarian approach to the Sword Sect 99.

Later Access and Inclusion

Under Zhao Qiansun, Azure Cloud publicly welcomes cultivators into the orthodox Daoist fold and becomes a destination for visitors seeking guidance in nearly every cultivation method. Its mountain paths are crowded throughout the year 700 704.

Access can still be restricted for exceptional occasions. During Chen Changsheng’s visit as a Sage, the sect closes its gates to guests and orders everyone already within the grounds to remain in their quarters. The cultivators use the accompanying manifestation of laws and Dao resonance as an opportunity for meditation and breakthroughs 704.

Power and Resources

Power Progression

Cultivators and Defenses

• Sect Master: Dongxu Zi is confirmed at ninth-level Tribulation Transcendence during his earlier leadership. Earlier rumors claim that he has touched the threshold of the Immortal Realm 20 26.
• Later Sect Master: Zhao Qiansun reaches peak Mahayana before accepting leadership. As Sect Master, he is described as capable of strength reaching that of a Celestial Person and is counted among the leading candidates for Number One Under Heaven 690 700.
• Inner disciples: Those assembled before the competition range from Foundation Establishment to Nascent Soul 44.
• Senior reserves: Dozens of Body Integration and Mahayana elders mobilize against Chen Changsheng’s formation. Experts within the forbidden grounds also monitor threats to Azure Cloud Peak and prepare to intervene 244 292.
• Protective formation: Uses exceptionally rare top-grade spirit stone essence. Ouyang’s removal of the material threatens to prevent the formation from activating 37.
• Little Mountain Peak formations: Chen Changsheng maintains defenses capable of enclosing the entire peak and empowering hundreds of his duplicates to pseudo-Nascent Soul strength 15.
• Sever Heaven and Earth: Chen Changsheng spends years preparing this formation to protect the sect from calamity. It can threaten Tribulation Transcendence experts, absorb attacks, and return them with twice the force; he can act as its spirit to transform it into a Xiantian formation 292.
• Summoning Bell: Seven peals require disciples from every peak to gather at Azure Cloud Peak. Ouyang nicknames it the “Reinforcements Bell” 41.
• Punishment Peak fighters: Its physically powerful disciples are described as among the sect’s strongest combatants, alongside Questioning Sword Peak’s sword cultivators 82.
• Three Sages: Leng Qingsong, Chen Changsheng, and Bai Feiyu’s shared origins at Azure Cloud become a major source of its later prestige, although their differing Dao traditions eventually create divisions between them 704.

Treasures and Cultivation Facilities

• Azure Cloud Secret Treasure: The legendary sect-guarding treasure, rumored to offer a path to immortality. Both Zu Yuan and Hui Zhi seek it. It is later confirmed to be a Dao Treasure, appearing as a huge pale-blue orb within an underground palace in the forbidden grounds 20 44 73.
• Accumulated Dao resonance: The Secret Treasure bears the Daos left behind by great cultivators since the sect’s founding. Chen Changsheng and Ling Feng obtain substantial insights from its surface resonance even without discerning its full contours 155.
• Scripture repository: Described as housing every cultivation method that cultivators can name. Visiting sect representatives receive borrowing privileges during their stay 44.
• Later cultivation-method collection: The presence of the Nine Great Sacred Lands’ branches consolidates their teachings at Azure Cloud, which is described as containing every cultivation method in the world 690 704.
• Mustard Seed Space: The enclosed arena used for the inner-sect competition 46.
• Spirit herbs and natural treasures: Abundant throughout the sect’s spiritually rich territory; Ouyang gathers herbs in Azure Cloud Valley 1 10.
• Spirit Treasures: Remain scarce even within the sect; some Attendant Elders lack a suitable one 26.
• Alchemy supplies: Pill Peak produces the sect’s elixirs. Foundation Establishment Pills are generally distributed to outer disciples, while inner disciples are expected to possess sufficient talent to advance without them 89 90.
• Teleportation facilities: Connect Azure Cloud with other major institutions and permit visiting delegations and disciples to travel between sects 244 278 400.
• Spirit Beast Peak: Maintains beasts that disciples can borrow, including a Thestral used by Ouyang. Beast taming remains a relative weakness of the sect despite its sacred-land status 532.

Sect Grand Competition

Held every five years, the competition serves as an admission opportunity, an inter-peak contest, and a public demonstration of the sect’s strength. Vassal sect leaders and representatives of the other sacred lands attend 23 28.

The competition’s aftermath becomes major cultivation-world gossip. Zu Yuan’s exposure raises fears of the Devil Race’s return, while Chen Changsheng’s victory establishes his public reputation as an exceptional young genius. Despite his new prominence, he remains so reclusive that most inner disciples initially do not recognize him 51.

Major Events

Little Mountain Peak’s Reputation

A saying that “Little Mountain Peak breeds monsters” circulates throughout the sect. Two years before the documented competition, one of its disciples defeated hundreds of Questioning Sword Peak disciples in swordsmanship, establishing the peak’s formidable reputation 15 45.

That reputation gains further public support when Core Formation cultivator Leng Qingsong defeats ninth-level Nascent Soul cultivator Hui Zhi in an exchange at Azure Cloud Peak 42 43.

Ouyang’s standing extends beyond his juniors’ combat achievements. He is widely greeted by disciples of other peaks, and many senior figures view his juniors as future pillars of the sect. Their willingness to accept Little Mountain Peak’s IOUs reflects an interest in cultivating long-term bonds with its exceptionally talented disciples 98 177.

Chen Changsheng’s Heavenly Dao Oath

Chen Changsheng activates Little Mountain Peak’s formations and attacks Zu Yuan, forcing Ling Feng to defend his junior brother against hundreds of powerful duplicates. Ouyang intervenes, but Chen Changsheng subsequently swears a Heavenly Dao Oath to kill Zu Yuan within ten years 15 16.

Punishment Peak sends White Impermanence and Black Impermanence to investigate. Ouyang claims responsibility for the oath and sends them away after giving them The Azure Cloud Sect’s Ten Great Tortures 19.

Devil Infiltration and the Holy Son Appointment

During the inner competition, Chen Changsheng controls hundreds of Nascent Soul puppets and systematically eliminates contestants while searching for the disguised Zu Yuan. The confrontation exposes Zu Yuan’s devil identity before the assembled sects 47 48.

Chen Changsheng strikes Zu Yuan with a Divine Soul-infused arrow. Dongxu Zi immediately declares him the winner and appoints him Holy Son, publicly affirming the sect’s opposition to the Devil Race after the humiliation of having accepted a devil as his personal disciple 49.

The other sacred lands’ representatives congratulate the sect despite their rivalries. They support the announcement to reassure the lesser sects and contain the scandal, while leaving further inquiries to their own sect masters 49.

The tournament ends hastily without a Holy Son ceremony. Ling Feng takes Zu Yuan’s body away for burial; Zu Yuan later rises from the grave as Lin Feng, while Ling Feng returns to Azure Cloud Sect 50.

Dongxu Zi’s Sword Dao Display

Dongxu Zi swings his fly-whisk like a sword and sends a vast line of Sword Qi toward the moon, making it appear briefly divided. The resulting Dao resonance spreads over Azure Cloud, opening new insights for its sword cultivators, who bow toward the sky in acknowledgment of the instruction 53.

Pill Peak Dispute

Ouyang takes Leng Qingsong, Chen Changsheng, and Bai Feiyu to Pill Peak to obtain ingredients for Hu Tutu’s medicinal bath despite his existing ban. Leng Qingsong destroys the sign forbidding Ouyang and dogs from entering, while the alarmed disciples hide their supplies. Danyuan Zi confronts the group and accuses Ouyang of taking one hundred thousand Foundation Establishment Pills 89.

Secret-Realm Candidate Dispute

Tai’a visits Azure Cloud and uses overwhelming sword intent to challenge its disciples. He presents a diary attributed to the Ancient Sword Immortal Li Taibai as evidence of the Sword Sect’s claim to an Immortal secret realm and its opening method 99.

Chunyang Zi and Questioning Sword Peak’s disciples object that none of the selected places went to their peak. Dongxu Zi explains that Chen Changsheng chose the candidates, and Ouyang asks for the decree to be rescinded before requesting a fifth place for Little Mountain Peak 99.

Ling Feng’s Reforms and Hu Yun’s Return

After contemplating the Secret Treasure, Ling Feng imposes ruthless token-seizing contests on Azure Cloud Peak with the Sect Master’s approval. Chen Changsheng questions the resulting violence, while Ling Feng insists that the disciples must learn to survive beyond the protection of their sacred land 155 156.

Hu Yun’s subsequent return creates a different kind of upheaval. Images of his disciples welcoming him spread throughout the sect, prompting peak masters, stewards, elders, and attendants who recognize Shenjing Zi to close their gates and declare sudden periods of seclusion 160.

Xiao Feng and Ma Xingye’s Departure

Xiao Feng decides that Azure Cloud is not the place where he can find his own path and leaves to venture into the wider world. Ma Xingye, unhappy with his diminished standing and the pressure of inner-sect life, chooses to accompany him 75 166.

Their departure does not erase Xiao Feng’s attachment to Ouyang. When they reunite much later, Xiao Feng finds enough safety in his former senior brother’s presence to fall asleep beside him, although he has said that he intends to remain with his traveling companions rather than simply return to the sect 370.

Penglai Delegation and Questioning Sword Peak’s Relocation

Several hundred female cultivators from Penglai Immortal Mountain arrive together, creating an unprecedented lodging problem. Dongxu Zi first settles them on Azure Cloud Peak and consults the other peak masters about permanent accommodations 231.

After Su Xiaoqi declines to house them on Jade Maiden Peak and Chunyang Zi refuses to vacate Questioning Sword Peak, Ouyang arranges for Miscellaneous Studies Peak to circulate mocking gossip papers. Faced with the prospect of the rumors being printed in vast numbers and spread beyond the sect, Chunyang Zi moves his disciples to Azure Cloud Peak, leaving their mountain available for the visitors 231.

Relations with the Other Sacred Lands

Dongxu Zi describes the Nine Great Sacred Lands’ mutual restraints as a major reason villains cannot easily thrive in the Cultivation World. Their cooperation helps preserve peace, while Thousand Sand Valley guards the fiends exiled to the Primordial Desert 236.

Chen Changsheng later visits the Myriad Laws Sect as Azure Cloud’s Holy Son to study and seek the Dao. His formation abilities impress Zhang Zixiang enough that he receives treatment normally reserved for visiting sacred-land sect masters, including orders that disciples respect him as a teacher and avoid disturbing his seclusion 278 280 282.

The relationship includes rivalry over talented disciples. Zhang Zixiang and Tai’a openly express interest in Chen Changsheng and Leng Qingsong respectively, irritating Dongxu Zi because both already belong to Azure Cloud 413.

Chen Changsheng’s Confrontation with the Sect

Believing Dongxu Zi responsible for Ouyang’s predicament, Chen Changsheng activates Sever Heaven and Earth, a formation he had originally prepared to protect Azure Cloud from calamity. He surrounds himself with Soul Departure-equivalent puppets and demands that the Sect Master answer him, prompting dozens of senior elders to mobilize 292.

After speaking with Dongxu Zi, Chen Changsheng agrees to wait ten years for Ouyang to return from the Nine Hells rather than the hundred years Dongxu Zi proposes. On their return, Chunyang Zi and the other peak masters demand Chen Changsheng’s execution for his threatening formation and alleged curses. The confrontation is interrupted by Leng Qingsong’s emergence from seclusion amid immense Green Lotus Sword Intent 293 294.

Ouyang later defends both juniors before Dongxu Zi, who cites Leng Qingsong’s damage to Questioning Sword Peak’s gate and Chen Changsheng’s curses against the sect. At Ouyang’s request, the Summoning Bell gathers the inner disciples, elders, and attendants. Chen Changsheng releases paper figures over the assembly, and Ouyang asks the gathered cultivators to answer as he calls their names while Dongxu Zi prevents the senior figures from intervening 305.

Green Mound Mountain Intervention

Azure Cloud’s arrival at Green Mound Mountain alarms the Tiger Clan, which interprets the sect’s formation as a possible ambush arranged with the Fox Clan. Chen Changsheng’s puppets use the formation to poison the strongest Tiger and Fox cultivators unconscious, while Leng Qingsong and the formation restrain the others 351.

Zhao Qiansun’s Ten-Year Guardianship

Although Zhao Qiansun benefits from Azure Cloud’s teachings, he repeatedly expresses a preference for the freedom of a rogue cultivator. Dongxu Zi acknowledges him as half a disciple through his inherited teachings and gives him further benefits without requiring formal membership 393 400 401 402.

Before leaving the Mortal World, Ouyang secures Zhao Qiansun’s agreement to return to Azure Cloud and guard it for ten years. Zhao Qiansun views the arrangement as both a safe opportunity for secluded cultivation and repayment for the sect’s generosity 438.

During his stay, Dongxu Zi systematically teaches him and helps repair his unstable foundations. Zhao Qiansun’s strength improves even without an immediate increase in cultivation, and he develops deep gratitude toward the Sect Master despite their lack of a formal master-disciple relationship 508.

Chen Changsheng’s Solitary Departure

Chen Changsheng leaves Little Mountain Peak after putting Little Bie San to sleep and telling it to wait for Ouyang. He walks to Azure Cloud Peak, where disciples greet him as Holy Son, gives a stone lion a supreme-grade spirit stone, and requests an audience with Dongxu Zi 460.

Receiving no answer at the Main Hall, he departs alone while humming Ouyang’s nursery rhyme. Inside, Dongxu Zi rises and bows to an everlasting lamp as it goes out 460.

Ouyang’s Returns and Little Bie San’s Training

Ouyang returns to Azure Cloud Peak while Dongxu Zi is instructing Zhao Qiansun. Dongxu Zi acknowledges that his hands-off teaching contributed to Ling Feng’s fate and apologizes for the burdens Ouyang has carried, while Ouyang maintains that the outcome has not yet been decided 508.

Little Bie San’s reconstruction brings a vast heavenly tribulation over the sect, forcing disciples to land from their flying swords. Ouyang blocks the tribulation, but Little Bie San remains unable to retain Heaven and Earth Essence despite its extraordinary understanding 512 513 583.

After another long journey, Ouyang again returns to the Main Hall and questions Dongxu Zi about his Minor World. His renewed presence brings laughter throughout the sect, while Little Bie San studies diligently under Dongxu Zi 559 563.

Ethereal Pavilion Challenge

Leng Qingsong publicly challenges the prodigies gathered at the Ethereal Pavilion and declares that none will claim the Heavenly Ranking. Xuanlingzi confirms that he is an Azure Cloud disciple but swears that the sect is not responsible for his conduct 544.

Leng Qingsong effortlessly repels three Mahayana cultivators sent against him. His actions provoke speculation that Azure Cloud has become powerful enough to seek dominance over the Cultivation World, while also placing strain on the public solidarity of the sacred lands 544.

The Falling Heavens

As the Demon Realm presses down upon the Cultivation World, Dongxu Zi seals Bai Feiyu’s God-Sealing Treasure Books, declaring that the Divine Dao must not reign alone. When Bai Feiyu appeals to him as a disciple, Dongxu Zi sends him back to Little Mountain Peak 624.

Across the world, sacred lands, forefathers, and rogue cultivators raise pillars of light and ascend toward the Heavenly Gate to resist the falling heavens. Their sacrifices precede the later era in which Azure Cloud becomes the central institution of orthodox Daoist cultivation 624 689 690.

Zhao Qiansun’s Succession and the New Orthodox Sect

Zhao Qiansun initially resists succeeding Dongxu Zi even after reaching peak Mahayana and combining Daoist and Buddhist teachings within himself. By this point, Azure Cloud is already the Daoist Sect Leader and hosts branches of the Nine Great Sacred Lands 690.

He eventually accepts the position. As Sect Master, he promotes an inclusive orthodox Daoist tradition and becomes one of the foremost experts of the age, alongside Daji, Xiao Feng, and Song Mu in discussions of Number One Under Heaven 700.

The sect’s expanded collection of teachings, its sacred-land branches, and its association with the Three Sages secure its reputation as the Number One Sect of Heaven and Earth. A common saying holds that a cultivator who never visits Azure Cloud has lived as a cultivator in vain 704.

The Sages’ Return and the Westward Buddhist Mission

Chen Changsheng returns as a Sage carrying the unconscious Daji. Azure Cloud closes to outside guests, and the cultivators within remain indoors to meditate upon the laws and Dao resonance accompanying his arrival 704.

At Little Mountain Peak, Zhao Qiansun reports that he has selected an emissary for the westward transmission of Buddhist Dharma. Violent tremors caused by his direct disciple’s training interrupt the conversation, and Chen Changsheng recognizes the monk Sanzang as Chongming’s reincarnation. He agrees to assist the mission and asks Zhao Qiansun to care for Daji during her stay 704.

Chen Changsheng’s attempt to take the Three-Colored Lotus produces a confrontation with Bai Feiyu, who vows to protect it. Leng Qingsong removes the lotus before the two Sages fight, after which Bai Feiyu seeks an audience with him in the River of Time. Zhao Qiansun later reactivates Little Mountain Peak’s formations; Daji subsequently leaves for the Ten Thousand Demon Nation after speaking with Mu Yunhai 704 705.

Reconstruction in a Medium Thousand World

When the Three Sages enter a Medium Thousand World to locate and protect the reborn Ouyang, they are tasked with rebuilding Azure Cloud exactly by hand, placing every stone and piece of wood without using their powers. They privately interpret the requirement as rebuilding Little Mountain Peak, regarding their own former home as the part of Azure Cloud that matters to them 739.

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