The elder of the Taiyin God Sect had issued such a declaration, vowing to snuff out a heavenly prodigy, and it had drawn considerable attention throughout Ziwei.
After all, the near future might bring clashes between Saint Weapons, or showdowns involving "great accomplished kings" long rumored to have died in meditation.
This was no flight of fancy. Since the mysterious youth had a Great Ability wielding a Saint Weapon to protect him on his path, his background had to be formidable, whatever it was. No one would find it strange if a great accomplished king stood behind him.
And which of them, kings or Saint Weapons, was not an existence ordinary cultivators could only gaze up at, far beyond their reach?
If a king flew into a rage, even major sects would tremble, and immortal lineages would have to lower their heads and face him with utmost solemnity.
After all, anyone who had cultivated to this realm stood only a single step from the saintly path. The might of such an existence would strike fear into anyone.
Saint Weapons, moreover, were the very reason some major sects could endure for over a hundred thousand years, remaining undying through wind and rain.
Every movement of an existence at this level naturally drew the eyes of all Ziwei. In this cultivation world where the weak were meat for the strong, the joy or anger of those at the pyramid's apex could have far-reaching consequences for Ziwei. People could hardly help watching and speculating.
"Is the fighting about to start? Is the power behind that mysterious youth finally going to surface?"
Some cultivators speculated that both sides had taken such forceful stances that a battle should be inevitable.
"At last, we'll find out which reclusive expert took this youth as a disciple. His methods are extraordinary."
"Indeed! This humble Daoist is curious too. We absolutely cannot miss this battle."
Some cultivators were deeply curious about Li Wangxian's origins. They secretly looked forward to the clash, ready at any moment to cross continents and watch the spectacle.
But to everyone's surprise, more than ten days passed, and Ziwei remained calm, without any earthshaking showdown erupting. Although the Taiyin God Sect searched far and wide across Ziwei, they found no trace of the mysterious youth.
"What? Did that youth lose his nerve? So there won't be a fight?" Some were sorely disappointed, feeling they had missed a fine show.
"Could his elders have locked him up?"
Some cultivators guessed that a hot-blooded youth should not have bowed his head. They thought his masters must have been unwilling to enter a major conflict with the Taiyin God Sect and had therefore put him under restraint.
"That... is quite possible. But didn't the Taiyin God Sect declare they would snuff out a heavenly prodigy? In the end, they can't even find him."
"Exactly. They sounded so domineering before, but is this all an immortal lineage can manage?"
Others with sinister intentions spread remarks in secret to provoke the Taiyin God Sect. The sect flew into a fury, and only after slaughtering several small and medium-sized sects that had spread the rumors did they barely quell some of their anger and silence the gossip.
"Quite the imposing display! The Taiyin God Sect..."
In a large city somewhere in Reed Continent, Li Wangxian and his companion heard about all the recent turmoil as soon as they entered. After leaving Tianyuan City, they had spent more than ten days crossing the Great Wilderness before finally seeing a city again.
"Only a genius who lives to maturity can bloom into an immortal flower... very sensible." Li Wangxian sneered. Once he truly matured, they would surely gain a much deeper understanding of that principle.
He paid the matter little further attention. Ever since activating that strange power, Li Wangxian had understood that no one in this world could divine his heavenly secrets, unless a reigning Great Emperor used the Heavenly Heart Imprint.
But where was there a reigning Great Emperor in this age? Thus, brimming with confidence, Li Wangxian calmly borrowed passage through the major ancient cities and sects of Reed Continent, traversing the void on his way back to Divine Continent.
It was a long journey. Along the way, he slew bandits harboring ill intentions, and the cost of borrowing passage through the void also proved immense.
With his cultivation greatly advanced and the Source Arts he had studied under Elder Chen for a year progressing by leaps and bounds, Li Wangxian had no choice but to venture deep into the Great Wilderness to search for source in various places. He even gambled on stones in some ancient cities and cut out divine material.
Only after four full months, a month longer than the outward journey, did Li Wangxian and his companion return to the Sun God Sect. This training journey had lasted seven months. They had spent source like flowing water along the way, but their gains were equally astonishing.
A complete Taiyin True Scripture and two flawless Inherited Saint Weapons-which of these was not a priceless treasure scarcely found anywhere in the world?
As for the remaining spirit medicines and divine materials, they were not worth mentioning beside those two gains.
Li Wangxian's return from his training journey shook the entire upper echelon of the Sun God Sect. The treasures he brought back, in particular, left everyone wide-eyed and speechless, their hearts reeling beyond their control.
"Little Wang, you said you obtained the Taiyin True Scripture?" Mother Li stared blankly at her son, so stunned that she could no longer control her expression.
Li Wangxian nodded, confirming it.
"And then you obtained two flawless Saint Weapons? And you refined these two Saint Weapons from two King Weapons you stole?"
Elder Lin and Elder Chen also stared vacantly. Their long-held understanding of artifact refining, cultivation, and the world itself had all been shaken upside down.
Li Wangxian nodded again. The two Saint Weapons circled in his hands like the sun and moon, showing that this was indeed the case.
But he also knew this was testing the limits of everyone's sanity, so he took care to explain.
"I could only do this because I received the 'fortune' left behind by the Taiyin Human Emperor and entered a miraculous state. This miracle cannot be replicated.
"And strictly speaking, I used that state to provide the two weapons with essence of the ten thousand Dao laws, allowing them to evolve and advance on their own."
Li Wangxian explained this to everyone in the Sun God Sect in earnest, hoping they would understand the reasoning behind it. Though this was a miracle, it was merely a rare miracle, and there was nothing wrong with it.
"So you're saying these two Saint Weapons were actually 'formed by heaven,' with the weapons themselves rising to the occasion? And you merely provided a tiny, insignificant bit of help along the way?"
Father Li grasped it without being taught. He gave two dry chuckles as he spoke, his expression utterly broken.
Li Wangxian nodded, looking deeply gratified. At last, someone understood what he meant. All of this was perfectly reasonable and entirely logical.
Beside them, Uncle Jiang watched this scene, the corner of his mouth twitching again and again. In the end, he said nothing more.
Finally, after who knew how long, everyone in the Sun God Sect managed to calm down somewhat and reluctantly accept Li Wangxian's explanation.
They held the two Saint Weapons and could not stop examining them, delight written all over their faces. These would be the foundation that allowed the Sun God Sect to stand firm and survive in the days ahead!
Though the process of obtaining them had been far too shocking, the two Saint Weapons were undeniably real. For the long-declining Sun God Sect, they were nothing less than sect-suppressing treasures fallen from heaven!
They would be one of the cornerstones upon which their Sun Lineage could revive and rise again. That was enough.
The Sun God Sect's elders were so delighted that they nearly shed streams of aged tears once more, but in the next instant, Li Wangxian's plans shocked them, shaking their expressions and filling their hearts with dread.
"What? You want to cultivate Taiyin and Taiyang together? Absolutely not!"
Father Li's shout of opposition nearly tore the palace apart.
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