Chapter 45: 045 Part 1

Wei Mingyi didn’t mind her silence. She smiled. “Is the Daoist hoping her clansmen will come to rescue her after dealing with the others? Since I was able to find you, I can also calculate the movements of your clansmen. With the same Guizang Scripture, your disciples of Heavenly Evolution Mountain might not be better at it than me.” She relied on the system to sense those on the map; right now she was entirely bluffing.

The Yu Daoist of Heavenly Evolution Mountain, however, believed her seventy to eighty percent. Her cultivation couldn’t compare to others’, but her talent within the clan was first-rate. From a young age, she had practiced superior techniques like the Guizang Scripture and the Minor Heavens Escape Art. In a real fight, she might not be weaker than someone specializing in offensive arts. Even if she couldn’t win, the techniques she possessed allowed her to hide within the vast Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm. Yet she had been discovered time and again. How else could this be explained, unless the opponent also practiced the Guizang Scripture and even surpassed her in attainment?

But the Guizang Scripture was a superior text never taught outside Heavenly Evolution Mountain, only learned by the exceptionally talented. Where did this person’s Guizang Scripture come from? A clan elder had mentioned a copy being stolen by the Sword Devil. Could this person be that fiend’s successor? Had she switched allegiance to a major sect of the Master-Disciple Lineage because that fiend had been missing for so long?

Thoughts fluttered like snowflakes in the Daoist’s mind. After a long pause, she said, “The Dao manuals of my clan, even if I taught you, you couldn’t learn them instantly. It requires years of accumulation.”

“There’s no technique in this world I can’t learn,” Wei Mingyi raised an eyebrow, her smile unrestrained and confident. Even if she couldn’t understand, she could always add points later. Of course, she didn’t really expect to learn Heavenly Evolution Mountain’s superior texts; this person would likely rather die than teach her. At most, she could get some derived small arrays from the Esoteric Arts of the Mystic Gate—the kind anyone from Heavenly Evolution Mountain could learn.

Wei Mingyi guessed right. The Yu Daoist couldn’t possibly teach her the clan’s core techniques. If the clan found out she privately transmitted techniques, only death awaited her. Even if she was exceptionally talented, what did it matter? Everything she possessed could be dismantled and given to those who came after. With Heavenly Evolution Mountain’s foundation, they weren’t afraid of not being able to cultivate another like her.

But if she refused, this person, possessing the Guizang Scripture, might spread chaos and pin everything on her. There would be no good outcome for her then; punishment was certain. The Yu Daoist felt suffocated; the fury in her eyes as she glared at Wei Mingyi grew more pronounced. Expressionless, she said, “You wanted an Array Disk earlier, meaning you only wish to set up a formation. As for the Esoteric Arts of the Mystic Gate—don’t even think about entry in three months, or even three years. To use a formation, you don’t necessarily need to learn Mystic Gate. I can directly teach you some simple arrays, but you can’t tell anyone it was I who taught you. Likewise, you can’t take my life.”

Wei Mingyi readily agreed. “Fine. Let’s make an oath. Don’t think about tampering with the formations.” She’d been waiting for that. As for taking this person’s life… it wasn’t that necessary. Killing indiscriminately here would only lead the Aristocratic Families to unite against her. Her Shizun had the Wither and Flourish Poison in her; she might not be able to handle it. Besides, in the future, she planned to sell land and would have to deal with the various clans anyway.

The Yu Daoist’s eyes narrowed. She resolved to teach a formation requiring massive material consumption. That way, even knowing how to set it up wouldn’t be very useful in the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm. But it couldn’t be too difficult, or the Daoist might kill her in a rage. Wounded, she had no confidence lasting through the activation time of the Reception Talisman.

When the Daoist began chanting the required incantations and listing the materials, Wei Mingyi instantly understood her intention. But she had collected plenty of Qiankun Pouches from other Daoists, so materials were the least of her worries. Setting up a formation wasn’t even about ambushing and killing people; it was about sowing discord among the Aristocratic Families.

“No matter how much effort you put in, you can’t change the final outcome. Head Champion isn’t so easily taken,” the Yu Daoist said again. “You cultivate the Pure Clean Sect’s techniques. The Perfected Ones of your Master-Disciple Lineage must have warned you before. Once one has scruples, then—”

“Rambling!” After extracting the small array from the Yu Daoist, Wei Mingyi didn’t want to hear another word. Feigning a polite salute, she said, “Please be on your way, Daoist.”

The Yu Daoist fell silent.

This meant she was being allowed to activate the Reception Talisman and leave on her own.

Before entering the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm, the Yu Daoist had never imagined she’d be forced to this point.

She gave Wei Mingyi a strained smile, returned the salute with her sleeve, and activated the Reception Talisman herself. She still didn’t hold much hope for the Master-Disciple Lineage. The Pure Clean Sect’s actions would inevitably force the Aristocratic Clan Daoists to band together. Even if Wu Weibai’s swordsmanship was outstanding, she would only be suppressed by the Families.

On Supreme Peak.

Previously, direct line members of the Yu Clan had already returned. Now, with the Yu Daoist also arriving on the peak, the atmosphere grew even more glacial and tense.

Daoists eliminated one by one all claimed it was the work of the Master-Disciple Lineage’s Pure Clean Sect. But the Pure Clean Sect also had Daoists expelled, and they vehemently denied it.

A crowd argued on Supreme Peak, while the Guardian Perfected Ones of the Four Great Clans and the Three Sects understood clearly: no matter who was secretly pulling strings, the current situation only proved their methods were successful.

The agreement was torn apart. All the past “tacit understandings” were completely shattered.

“Heavenly Evolution Mountain is out,” the Yun Clan’s Guardian Perfected One said casually.

“Only two from the direct line came out,” the Heavenly Evolution Mountain Daoist feigned calm, her gaze landing on Wu Jianhuan of Spirit Mountain. “Daoist, are you still confident?”

Wu Jianhuan lazily lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not the one in the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm. What are you looking at me for?” Back in the day, the Four Paragons of Spirit Mountain could fight their way through the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm. As for the younger generation’s style… she wondered if theirs matched even a fraction of her own.

Within the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm.

The Heavenly Evolution Mountain Daoists had clashed with the Three Sects. Ultimately, both sides suffered losses. After weighing the pros and cons, each retreated a step. The remaining Daoists attempted to sense their kinsmen’s traces, but in the vast Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm, there was no more signal.

Meanwhile, Wei Mingyi began setting up her formation using the precious materials she carried. Selling these items would fetch a fine price, but she was no longer the penniless nobody of the past. Since selling land, her income was steady and continuous; she used them without regret.

Elsewhere.

Daoists from Spirit Mountain’s Wu Clan encountered those of Shifang Celestial Palace.

Though tensions were high, they didn’t fight. Instead, separated by a self-imposed boundary, they began exchanging words.

The Wu Clan’s team was led by a scion of the “Ling” generation, named Wu Lingyi, at Foundation Establishment Third Layer. The Shifang Celestial Palace’s leaders were the direct line descendant Chen Qinghe and others. Although slightly lower in cultivation, only at the Second Layer, she excelled in artifact refinement and carried an endless array of artifacts. Upon entering the mountain, besides their life-bound artifact, they didn’t need to carry anything else. But these skilled artifact refiners of Shifang Celestial Palace had life-bound artifacts that could “generate artifacts from artifacts,” creating new ones on the spot from local materials. In a war of attrition, no one could outlast them.

“The Three Sect Daoists have torn up the agreement in advance, even killing a Cloud Realm direct descendant, challenging our bottom line,” the Wu Clan Daoist began.

“They’ve used only Pure Clean Sect techniques. But we’ve had plenty of contact with the Pure Clean Sect. Their past behavior is nothing like this. Would they truly dare act so brazenly in the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm?” a Chen Clan Daoist replied. Millennia ago, the Pure Clean Sect might have pursued the unity of knowledge and action. But now, they had long since betrayed their original intentions. Their voice was always the loudest, but the substance of their actions the least—at least, against the Aristocratic Families. When it came to condemning and suppressing minor sects, however, the Pure Clean Sect spared no effort. Even the Aristocratic Families found it amusing and looked down on them.

Perhaps it was precisely this contempt that led to such a great loss in this Heavenly Dao’s Paragon Debate.

“Normally, we clear the field first before the final contest, ensuring the greatest benefit for our Four Great Clans and the Three Sects. But since they’re so unrestrained, we needn’t tie our own hands,” Wu Lingyi lifted her gaze, directly meeting the eyes of Chen Qinghe, surrounded by Chen Clan Daoists. With a slight smile, she asked, “How about we seek out the Daoists of Cloud Realm and Heavenly Evolution Mountain and unite?”

There was only one Head Champion position. Normally, the Aristocratic Families followed a certain tacit understanding and didn’t truly ally. If they met on a narrow path, a fight was possible—like the earlier clash between the Wu and Yu Clans—but no one would fight so heedlessly before the field was cleared that it compromised their own interests.

After a long while, a laugh came from the Chen Clan side. “The Daoist speaks wisely.”

Both the Aristocratic Families and the Three Sects were interest groups, with extensive past dealings and entanglements. But Wei Mingyi had no such scruples. She didn’t care whether the target came from an Aristocratic Family or the Master-Disciple Lineage; whoever blocked her path was sent away. Several days after completing her grand formation, she noticed several clusters of “obstacles” had converged, and their numbers were no longer decreasing.

This was easy to understand: the Aristocratic Clan members had likely banded together.

The Three Sects, too, were sparing no effort to rope in the remaining Rogue Cultivators and minor sect members.

In contrast to usual times, the Three Sects normally couldn’t bother with those people. Those still on the map, unless voluntarily forfeiting their gains, were all competitors.

The two forces would likely clash. Fighting fiercely, their numbers would be cut by more than half.

So thought Wei Mingyi. She decided to wait a bit longer.

She didn’t even count how many pots of Penglai Purple Qi she had; she took them directly for cultivation. The Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm had spirit veins comparable to Heaven-tier grade, where merely breathing could increase one’s cultivation; the spiritual energy was easily absorbed. Yet, it couldn’t compare to Penglai Purple Qi. While using spirit veins for cultivation required manually operating the Grand Celestial Circulation to extract essence, Penglai Purple Qi was already a refined nectar. Upon ingestion, it immediately turned into one’s magical power.

During Meridian Opening, Wei Mingyi had pushed her meridians to the maximum, creating a similarly expansive Qi Sea. However, though it existed, it hadn’t been truly filled. The spiritual energy she absorbed only occupied a small area. To fill it completely, she had to expand it inch by inch. A larger Qi Sea required more Penglai Purple Qi, but conversely, the massive influx of spiritual energy surging through her upper, middle, and lower dantians and circulating through her Qi Meridians strengthened and toughened her body.

At the Foundation Establishment stage, moving from the First Layer Realm to the Second was simply a process of “filling up.” The more spiritual energy the Qi Sea held, the greater the force propelling the formation of the Dan Seed later, preventing the “fuel” from running out midway. After consuming several pots of Penglai Purple Qi consecutively, Wei Mingyi emerged from her meditative trance days later.