Tianxing's Plans, Chongming Sets Out

"Want to speak with a few Demon Officer?" Daoist Peng had just managed to suppress his injuries when he heard Xiang Tianxing speak. He was immediately distracted, his heart pounding. "Why didn't the Star-Picking Pavilion involve the Two Instruments Sect in such dirty business?"

Seeing Xiang Tianxing Daoist Peng remained silent for a long time, Xiang Tianxing made no move to question him. Instead, he spoke again in a low voice:

"That old bird is no ordinary person; even Nascent Soul wouldn't dare to provoke him easily. Don't think I'll have an easy time this time. The jade token that broke your formation was borrowed from You Songshang, the Third Master of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall You Song Huangpi Circuit."

The pills that undo the effects on you were a precious gift given to the sect leader by the vice Dragon and Tiger Sect when he visited Mountain South; as for the spiritual liquid that accompanies the pills, it was also taken from the Dust-Cleansing Pool of the Star-Picking Pavilion Tower.

When Xiang Tianxing finished speaking, his tone suddenly paused, his face turned solemn, and he spoke calmly to Daoist Peng: "I'm not saying this to ask you to be grateful, but to let you know how much effort my sect leader has put into this matter."

In fact, Daoist Peng didn't need Xiang Tianxing to speak up. He only needed to hear about the Dragon and Tiger Sect and the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall to perk him up again.

The former goes without saying; the Dragon and Tiger Sect is the leading Dao of Alchemy sect in the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, and the number of Nascent Soul cultivators it holds is probably even greater than that of Emperor of Wei.

If his family is willing to stay out of it, no matter how much trouble the Wei-Extermination and Bao-Kuang movements are causing outside, his family will still be bustling with visitors. It is said that even the Demon Lieutenant of the Li Mountain Lineage have some dealings with his family.

As for the True Person of the Human Race, they are indiscriminate in their righteousness or evil, and they all want to be on good terms with others. For example, those lewd monks on the Snow Mountain Circuit might scheme to reduce the meager offerings they make to the Immortal Dynasty, but they will not forget to celebrate the birthday of the Dragon and Tiger Sect Master.

However, the Dragon and Tiger Sect has indeed become increasingly estranged from the Immortal Dynasty, which is the number one sect of Supreme Unity Temple, Immortal Dynasty. Naturally, it has lost a lot of business on the surface, but its position as the leader in Dao of Alchemy remains unshakable.

As for the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, it is one of the most powerful sects in Huangpi Circuit. Although both are located in the southwestern territory of Great Wei, Huangpi Circuit differs from Mountain South and Mountain North Dao.

The Star-Picking Pavilion was small but powerful, with fewer than a hundred disciples. Yet, it had always managed to keep the Three Administrations families Xianyu its jurisdiction—Liangyi, Cloud Water, and Xianyu—submissive, and countless cultivators within the domain followed its lead.

Although Five Old Mothers Mountain North Circuit was rife with undercurrents due to the fact that True Person Moon Hidden was nearing the end of his lifespan and lacked outstanding cultivators, there was still an old order that could be maintained.

However, Huangpi Circuit is different. There are no Nascent Soul sects here, and it is full of old battlefields where the founding emperor fought against the True Lord of the previous dynasty. It can be considered the poorest of the twenty-seven roads of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty.

The surrounding Nascent Soul sects were unwilling to fight to the death over such a place. Over the past thousand years, they had developed a tacit understanding that the relatively fertile spiritual land belonged to them. Everyone lived in harmony and made money together.

However, since Huangpi Circuit has no Nascent Soul Grandmaster in charge, the turnover of the leading sects in various parts of the Dao becomes much more frequent.

The Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall is located in the northern border where Huangpi Circuit and Shannan Circuit meet. However, it has only been three hundred years since it overthrew the sect that originally served the Two Instruments Sect and became the nominal master of the northern border, which is only half the lifespan of a Golden Core cultivator.

There were eleven hall masters inside, all of whom were at the Golden Core stage.

Despite the presence of the words "Witch Lord" in its name, its founding patriarch was indeed as pragmatic and down-to-earth as Sect Leader Kang Da. Therefore, from the very beginning, the lineage of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall has been quite diverse.

It contains not only the four major schools of Daoism—the righteous, the demonic, the Buddhist, and the miscellaneous—but each school also has its own branches. If one were to count them all, it's possible that most of the cultivation sects within the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty could be found in the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall.

While the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall's method of spreading its teachings could certainly benefit from the ability to embrace all things, it also led to constant internal strife and the tendency for each group to flee when external threats arose.

In just over a thousand years since its founding, the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall has repeatedly relocated due to the destruction of its mountain gate. By the time of the current Hall Master, Preceptor Huang Mi, there wasn't even a single Golden Core cultivator left in the sect.

After a period of diligent governance, Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall not only revived, but also became the Lord of the Northern Territory in Huangpi Circuit, a position that even at its peak dared not aspire to.

To be precise, the Si Prefecture Chenjiang Kang Clan in Sect Leader Kang Da, were also within his jurisdiction.

The fact that he could accomplish all of the above over hundreds of years speaks volumes about the extraordinary skill and shrewdness of this Preceptor Huang Mi.

"It seems the Star-Picking Pavilion is planning something big; otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to save my life."

Even though he had only managed to escape the bird's jaws thanks to Xiang Tianxing, Daoist Peng felt no gratitude whatsoever. He had already gleaned a great deal of crucial information from the former's words, and after carefully considering it for a while, he spoke again to explain:

"Sect Leader Xiang, I currently possess nothing of value, but I do have a cave abode and a treasure pouch outside. I wonder if I could go and retrieve them first?"

A barely perceptible glint of fierceness seemed to flash across Xiang Tianxing's eyes for a moment, but his words contained no anger, only gentle reassurance:

"Fellow Daoist Peng, please don't be so formal. With me accompanying you this time, there's no need for you to take action. Please rest assured, I'll take care of everything. You should just focus on recovering from your injuries."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Peng uttered not a single word of advice, nodding repeatedly in agreement. How could someone whose life was comparable to that of a monk from the Original Response Temple, a Blood Dao of the Dao? His temperament was indeed extremely docile.

Xiang Tianxing Daoist Peng's state, Xiang Tianxing finally showed a slight expression of satisfaction. However, he remembered Bai Canhong, the Master of the Star-Picking Pavilion, giving him instructions before his departure, so he didn't elaborate further. Instead, he took out several high-quality healing pills and handed them to Daoist Peng. He then boarded his flying boat and headed towards Rosy Lake Mountain.

Since we are going to the Cold Crow Mountain, it would be more appropriate to start from our own place.

As for whether a path can be found, that should certainly not be a problem for this Evil Cultivator Daoist Peng.

When it comes to the close relationship with those Demon Officer in Cold Crow Mountain, even among the countless cultivators of the Three Southwest Circuits, it would be difficult to find many who can compare to Daoist Peng.

He had never traveled from Tengwen Prefecture to the Cold Crow Mountain Range before, yet he always managed to find a way.

As one of Bai Canhong's most trusted disciples, and holding the crucial position of the head of the Star-Picking Pavilion's general affairs, Xiang Tianxing could not possibly be unaware of the true extent of knowledge about a peak cultivator like Daoist Peng.

Since the latter gained Pu Honggu's trust and joined the Two Instruments Sect, he has always lived a secluded life and had little interaction with outsiders.

However, even from the little information he had painstakingly obtained through indirect means, Xiang Tianxing could tell that this Daoist's cultivation was not given away for nothing. It was far from enough that he only knew how to kill. Daoist Peng's various skills and talent for cultivation were also extraordinary.

How could an ordinary Evil Cultivator possibly gain the trust of an old fox like Pu Honggu? Evil Cultivator practice blood techniques are as numerous as carp crossing a river, but those who can Rogue Cultivator to the Golden Core Perfection stage and hope to become Nascent Soul cultivators are extremely rare.

If it weren't for the unexpected encounter with the old bird from the Daoist Peng Fei Household, Pu Honggu of the Two Instruments Sect, who is currently in seclusion to save his life, would probably have already fallen victim to his wickedness.

As for the Two Instruments Sect, the most prosperous sect under the jurisdiction of the Star-Picking Pavilion, even though it was later usurped by them, in Xiang Tianxing's eyes, it was not a shocking thing.

Thinking about it this way, even an outsider like Xiang Tianxing felt a little sorry for Daoist Peng: "With such cunning and skill, he almost had his future completely ruined by Fei Tianqin and ended up as a fish on the chopping block. How could this Daoist not hate him?"

The former glanced at the Evil Cultivator again and saw that the latter was indeed healing his injuries and regulating his internal energy. However, he did not even speak to Xiang Tianxing to ask for help from the simplest protective array plate that cultivators often use during cultivation. This showed that he was indeed obedient.

Xiang Tianxing withdrew his gaze, and as Hand Seals, the spiritual light at his fingertips gradually brightened. After the speed of the flying boat visibly increased significantly, he recited in his mind:

"He's a bit old, but he's still useful. If this matter is resolved satisfactorily, the sect leader might not necessarily want to take this Daoist's life. Allocating some men and having him establish a sect or Lineage to protect our Star-Picking Pavilion Tower would be perfectly acceptable. If he harbors any further disloyalty, then we can simply kill him without much effort."

Xiang Tianxing was very confident. Although his fighting skills were far inferior to Fei Tianqin's, he did not need to use any of the restrictions that Fei Tianqin had placed on Daoist Peng.

This was naturally due to the arrogance he had developed after nearly a century of unbridled behavior in Shannan Circuit, given his high position. After all, Star-Picking Pavilion was Nascent Soul Exoteric Buddhism, so it was understandable that Xiang Tianxing's actions were not as mature and prudent as Fei Tianqin's.

After all, with the Master of the Star-Picking Pavilion, the number one True Person of all the sects in the Southwest, as his backing, Xiang Tianxing's confidence was far superior to Fei Tianqin's.

Daoist Peng was unaware that Xiang Tianxing was still plotting against him, but he probably already knew. This blood cultivator, who had long since become ruthless and heartless, was unlikely to harbor any other thoughts.

The healing pills that had just entered his stomach transformed into grains of starlight, rapidly seeping into his meridians and nourishing his internal organs. The Daoist was not overwhelmed by this comforting sensation from within; even at this moment, he still managed to spare a portion of his attention for the already damaged Ten Thousand Souls Banner, which was still being nurtured in his Dantian.

At this moment, a soul within the banner was recklessly devouring its comrades, yet Daoist Peng did not seem to stop it in the slightest, as if he were completely unaware.

-----More than a month later, Chongming Sect, Little Ring Mountain

Kang Rongquan's cultivation this time was not short; he sat in this quiet room for a full year. However, his cultivation was not due to encountering a bottleneck, but rather because he was working on changing his Cultivation Method.

In recent years, Sect Leader Kang Da has acquired many Zhou Grade inheritances from various places, and naturally many disciples have developed the idea of switching to cultivation. However, there are still not many disciples in the sect like Kang Rongquan who have contributed Merit Points and put them into practice.

After all, most of the eighth-generation disciples did not have high cultivation aptitude. Disciples with Triple Spirit Root, such as Kang Rongquan and He Yuanyi, were considered outstanding among them.

Therefore, the fact that several True Cultivators have emerged from this lineage is a result of the combined efforts of the teachers' guidance, the disciples' diligent practice, and the restoration of the Chongming Sect's spirit.

As a result, it's understandable that some disciples, after reaching the Foundation Establishment, become complacent and lose their ambition.

It was only after the Sect Leader Kang Da, who also possessed one of the Four Spirit Roots, Core Formation in Ying Prefecture, was granted a title, and became famous throughout the Mountain South, that the timid and lazy atmosphere within the sect was finally curbed.

It now appears that how a sect leader acts can indeed greatly influence the atmosphere and behavior of the disciples within the sect.

However, Kang Rongquan, who was always valued by the sect leader, was never a coward. Because he had not yet broken through the threshold of the "Profound Clear Withering and Flourishing Secret Manual", he switched to the "Growth Ring Divination Shell Scripture", a Cosmos Rank, Lower Grade, after consulting with the Sect Leader Kang Da.

In the past, Lang Yi was able to win Fei Nanying and secure the title of the number one Rogue Cultivator in Cloud Horn Prefecture with his mastery of wood magic, attracting aspiring cultivators like Kang Dabao to come to him with generous gifts to seek his guidance.

The current Sect Leader Kang Da, Master Mu, has already surpassed Lang Yi in skill by a great deal, and has also acquired the Spring and Autumn Brush Edge, a treasure of teaching that can help his disciples dispel confusion and attain enlightenment.

Therefore, by giving Kang Rongquan guidance, he can avoid many detours.

The "Growth Ring Divination Shell Scripture" contains complete and detailed Cultivation Method, and it perfectly suits Kang Rongquan's needs. After several rounds of blessing, it enabled him to complete the practice in just four or five years.

While this Cultivation Method is not as high-ranking as the "Profound Clear Withering and Flourishing Secret Manual" which comes from Nascent Soul sect, it is still far superior to the "Azure Wood Treasured Light Guide," which is now rarely practiced even by inner disciple and above in the Chongming Sect.

Kang Rongquan remembered his teachers' earnest teachings and did not memorize them by rote. He quickly grasped the principles in the scriptures, and it was only a matter of time before he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

To be honest, within the Chongming Sect today, Kang Rongquan's cultivation level is only below that of Sect Leader Kang Da and Third Master Jiang, surpassing all the other masters and elders.

Years have passed, and this young man's temperament has improved immeasurably since then. Even though all his hardships have vanished, he simply suppressed his joy and didn't think about it any further.

He reached out and pushed, but before his palm could land on the door, the restriction on it broke, allowing him to step out.

In his youth, Kang Rongquan, like He Yuanbing, had a fondness for luxury, but now that he's older, he's become much more indifferent to it.

In the past, everyone in the sect thought that Duan Anle was most like his master, Sect Leader Kang Da. However, after experiencing several life-and-death changes, many masters and elders in the Chongming Sect felt that Kang Rongquan, who had become more composed, seemed to have developed a more pragmatic and down-to-earth attitude.

There was only a sweeping puppet in the courtyard, which was given to Xiu Ming a year after he became Xiu Ming disciple of Ingenious Craftsman Fort, carrying a letter from Kang Dabao.

Upon closer inspection, this puppet had only just entered the ranks of cultivators, and in principle, it was not worthy of True Cultivator's status. However, Kang Rongquan had used it for many years without noticing anything unusual.

Logically speaking, at his age, Kang Rongquan should already have a wife. Fei Shuhe thought so too. Now, as a member of the Kang Household, she naturally knew she should consider her own family more.

Sons like Kang Changxi, who are born of the principal wife, should seek out noble ladies, but since the Fei and Kang families are now on good terms, this has not been considered. However, it would be a good thing for sons like Kang Changyi, who are born of a concubine, and Kang Rongquan, who are born of a concubine, to marry ladies from the Fei Household and bring honor to both families.

However, Kang Rongquan had previously declined Fei Shuhe's kind offer, prioritizing his cultivation, but now it seems he wasn't lying.

As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, Kang Rongquan saw a True Disciple hurrying towards the sect's exit. He reached out to stop him and asked, "What brings you here?"

"Disciple greets Martial Uncle. The Sect Leader is summoning some core disciples to Si Prefecture. I was not selected and am going to see my dao companion off."

"So that's how it is, heading to Si Prefecture?!" Kang Rongquan muttered to himself, completely unaware of Kang Xiangyi's visit. He abandoned his disciples and headed straight for the archway.

(Thanks to julian1983 for the five thousand points and Qi Feilan for the three thousand points. Thank you!)