Chapter 2615: Ming Sect Small Gathering
The Ming Sect had only a thousand years of history, yet it dominated the Eastern Domain, monopolizing Luo Water and the Xuanhuang Wasteland, and even the Eastern Sea beyond the Xuanhuang Wasteland.
Within the sect, saints rose in succession, strong ones were as numerous as rain, and its power was formidable enough to rival the long-established major forces of the Eastern Domain, which had a large number of awakened beings: the Liangyi Sect, the Black Market, and the Martial Market Bank.
Although the sect-protecting formations were not fully activated, having outsiders break into the mountain gate so easily was indeed a great loss of face.
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
...
One after another, beams of saintly light descended upon the mountain gate, surrounding Zhang Ruochen, Kong Lanyou, and Kong Xuan.
All were Saint Realm cultivators, glaring angrily.
“Roar!”
A heaven-shaking dragon roar rang out!
Following that, a cyan saintly mist spread from beyond the sky. From within the mist emerged a ferocious dragon head larger than a palace, its dragon eyes as bright as stars, releasing the might of a Great Saint.
Zhang Yanyan showed joy, bowing to that giant dragon, and said, “The sect-protecting sacred dragon has appeared—you’re doomed!”
Zhang Ruochen looked up, a hint of strangeness in his eyes.
Wasn’t this the Azure Heaven Sacred Dragon he had seized from Zhou Yu as a mount?
Its cultivation was not weak, having reached the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, and its aura was no weaker than some Thousand Questions Realm Great Saints.
Now, Zhang Ruochen’s aura had undergone earth-shattering changes, so the Azure Heaven Sacred Dragon failed to recognize him.
“Those who crash the sect shall die.”
A cyan-glowing dragon claw reached down from beyond the sky, stirring up fierce gales.
Kong Lanyou snorted lightly, pointing a finger. A seven-colored light wave flew from her jade-white fingertip, striking the center of the dragon claw, causing blood to splash from the Azure Heaven Sacred Dragon’s claw and eliciting a mournful cry.
The Ming Sect saints’ faces changed drastically. Even the sect-protecting sacred dragon had been injured—the enemy provoking them was too terrifying.
A female Saint King of the Ming Sect used saintly qi, like silk and mist, to wrap around Zhang Bajiushisi and Zhang Yanyan, whose faces had turned pale with fear, pulling them behind her for protection. Then, she said coldly, “Immediately go and invite the Sect Leader and the Supreme Elders, and fully activate the sect-protecting grand formation.”
This female Saint King wore a moon-white saintly robe, her curvaceous figure shrouded in white mist. Her appearance was extremely beautiful, her skin as fair as jade. Even compared to the fairies on the *Nine Immortal Beauties Painting*, she was not much inferior, and she was at the Nine-Step Saint King realm.
“Yutong, it’s me.”
Kong Xuan stepped out from behind Kong Lanyou, appearing opposite that female Saint King.
Qin Yutong naturally recognized Kong Xuan. Back then, Kong Xuan and Lin Fei had lived in the Ming Sect for a long time, but their relationship was not deep, and with eight hundred years of separation, she hadn’t recognized her immediately.
“Kong Xuan?”
Qin Yutong showed a surprised expression, then her gaze fell on Kong Lanyou, and her heart shook violently. Even though a thousand years had passed, the name of the former Bright Hall Saint Ancestor, Kong Lanyou, was still fresh in her memory.
Now, the Bright Hall Saint Ancestor’s cultivation had reached an unfathomable level.
“Greetings, Saint Ancestor.” She cupped her hands in salute.
Zhang Ruochen surveyed those Ming Sect Saint Realm cultivators, all young talents who had grown up in the past few centuries, with no familiar faces.
“What position does Yutong hold in the Ming Sect now?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Qin Yutong had once been a cultivator under Zhang Ruochen’s twelfth imperial uncle, “Mingjiang Wang,” and a thousand years ago, she was the number one beauty of Saint Ming City. She had fought alongside Zhang Ruochen in many great battles.
She was considered a core figure of the Ming Sect.
Qin Yutong couldn’t see Zhang Ruochen’s face clearly. Being questioned like this, she couldn’t help but wonder in her heart—who exactly was this person?
Coming with Kong Lanyou, he shouldn’t be an enemy of the Ming Sect.
Qin Yutong said, “In reply to the senior, Yutong is currently the Outer Sect Leader of the Ming Sect.”
“The Outer Sect Leader, yet without the realm of a Great Saint—that doesn’t seem quite right, does it?” Zhang Ruochen said.
In truth, Qin Yutong’s talent was not weak. Before the Kunlun Realm had revived, she had already reached the Saint Realm.
Being critiqued by a profoundly unfathomable Great Saint, Qin Yutong felt a bit awkward. In fact, she was only one step away from the Great Saint realm, and she would likely break through within two hundred years. Being in charge of the low-realm outer sect disciples was more than sufficient.
“Let me give you a hand.”
Zhang Ruochen mobilized the power of his First-Rank Sacred Intent, reaching out a hand and pressing it toward Qin Yutong from a distance.
Instantly, the spiritual qi, saintly qi, divine qi, and even the rules of heaven and earth in the surroundings were all drawn in, like streams rushing into her brow.
Qin Yutong’s delicate body lit up like a saintly lamp, emitting a dazzling white light.
...
Deep within the Ming Sect, figures with powerful auras arrived at the mountain gate, each exuding saintly might and releasing the presence of Great Saints.
Among them were Murong Yefeng, Murong Yue, Mingjiang Wang, Bao Lie, and others.
Currently, the Ming Sect’s Sect Leader was Mingjiang Wang.
“Greetings, Sect Leader.”
“Greetings, Great Saints.”
With the Sect Leader’s arrival, the disciples below the Saint Realm all knelt on one knee.
Seeing Kong Lanyou, they knew the visitors were friends, not foes, so they didn’t attack. Instead, they stared at Zhang Ruochen, who was enhancing Qin Yutong’s cultivation.
Even though they had now reached the Great Saint realm, they still felt a shock in their hearts.
Because they not only saw Qin Yutong’s cultivation rapidly rising, but also saw her merging her dao and condensing an undying sacred body—this was directly creating a Great Saint.
Such means—could the visitor be a god?
After a long while, Zhang Ruochen withdrew his hand and said, “Your undying sacred body is over ninety percent condensed, and your various sacred daos have been fused. Crossing the Dao-Melting Tribulation should be easy. Go, return after the tribulation to attend tonight’s New Year’s Eve grand banquet.”
Qin Yutong’s beautiful eyes fixed tightly on the man opposite her, who seemed like a god. She saw a familiar outline, and a startling guess arose in her heart. She asked, “May I ask the senior’s great name?”
“Gu Linfeng,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Hearing this name, Qin Yutong’s red lips trembled, her chest heaved, and she was so overjoyed she could hardly calm her emotions. She knelt on one knee: “Your Highness, wait for me.”
Qin Yutong flew out of the mountain gate to undergo her tribulation.
“Gu Linfeng?”
Mingjiang Wang muttered the name to himself. Suddenly, he thought of something, his eyes sharply fixed on Zhang Ruochen. Then, he issued an order: “Instruct everyone—tonight, the entire sect will hold a New Year’s Eve grand banquet at the highest standard. Also, no disciple is to spread what happened today. Violators will be punished for treason.”
Zhang Ruochen, accompanied by Murong Yefeng, Bao Lie, and Murong Yue, flew deeper into the mountain gate.
At the mountain gate.
Zhang Bajiushisi and Zhang Yanyan were still in a state of shock, their minds full of questions.
Who was that man? He could help Sect Leader Qin raise her cultivation to the Great Saint realm.
He even made the Sect Leader so attentive.
Could it be that a god had truly visited the Ming Sect?
Zhang Shaochu rode a sacred chariot, descending from the sky.
Two beautiful female cultivators supported his white-haired, frail form as he stepped down from the chariot.
Inside the chariot, there were even more female cultivators’ figures.
Now, Zhang Shaochu looked eighty or ninety years old, no longer fat at all. Instead, he was gaunt, with a face full of wrinkles and most of his hair fallen out.
“Dad!”
“Father!”
Zhang Bajiushisi and Zhang Yanyan immediately rushed over.
Zhang Shaochu asked, “What happened just now?”
“Someone broke into the sect, and they seemed very powerful.”
Zhang Yanyan widened her beautiful eyes, vividly recounting what had just happened.
Zhang Shaochu’s dim old eyes suddenly brightened. He asked, “You said that man’s name was what?”
“Gu Linfeng,” Zhang Yanyan said cautiously.
Zhang Shaochu’s spirit soared. Saintly qi burst from his body, and he stood up straight. He urgently asked again, “Where did he go?”
“With Supreme Elder Murong and the others, into the sect,” Zhang Yanyan said.
Zhang Shaochu hurriedly climbed back into the sacred chariot in three steps, saying, “Go, go, to Supreme Elder Murong’s place.”
...
The Ming Sect was built on Wang Mountain, which spanned thousands of miles. Beneath the ground lay a divine vein, rich not only in saintly qi but also permeated with divine qi.
Murong Yefeng was now a Supreme Elder of the Ming Sect, one of the Great Saints, and occupied a sacred peak alone.
On a cliff halfway up the sacred peak, vermilion towers and saintly pavilions were built.
Zhang Ruochen stood on one of the suspended pavilions, hands behind his back, gazing at the night scene of the city below, brightly lit. In the distance, wisps of divine rosy clouds rose from the ground, connecting to the sky, strange and splendid.
Murong Yefeng handed a bronze three-legged cup to Zhang Ruochen, saying, “A thousand years have passed just like that. What plans does Your Highness have for the future?”
Zhang Ruochen took the cup, took a sip, and laughed, “Yes, a thousand years have passed just like that. Time has killed so many people. Yet we can still stand here drinking together—how wonderful.”
With this childhood friend, even after a thousand years apart, there was no awkwardness.
Bao Lie said solemnly, “Since Little Junior Brother has returned, let’s change the sect into a kingdom and rebuild the Holy Bright Central Empire. Master sacrificed himself to rescue Tai Shang, trapped in the Destiny Temple. The effort was immense. I believe the gods of the Kunlun Realm shouldn’t have too many objections.”
Bao Lie was the fifth disciple of Ming Emperor.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Why aren’t Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother, and Sixth Senior Brother in the Ming Sect?”
“Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Sixth Senior Brother cultivate the path of the scattered saint, always stationed at the sacred altar. I’ve sent them messages, and I believe they’ll arrive soon. Third Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Brother are cultivating in the Heavenly Court, overseeing their respective saintly domain territories.”
Bao Lie added, “I think the Ming Sect’s cultivation environment is no worse than the Heavenly Court’s, so I stay in the sect year-round.”
Mingjiang Wang stood up and said, “Since Ruochen has returned, the position of Ming Sect Leader should be yours.”
Zhang Ruochen saw that Mingjiang Wang’s expression was quite troubled, so he asked, “Is a Sect Leader position really that difficult?”
“Difficult! Cultivators all over the world criticize me, countless people curse me, and they even slander the Ming Sect along with me.” Mingjiang Wang looked dejected, a completely different person from the imposing figure he had been before the disciples.
Zhang Ruochen was surprised, saying, “Twelfth Imperial Uncle is a Great Saint—surely he can be a Sect Leader?”
“Cultivators all over the world say that I, as Sect Leader, am too weak, not even comparable to a sect-protecting sacred beast. There are many in the Ming Sect stronger than me.”
Mingjiang Wang was furious, pointing at Murong Yefeng, Murong Yue, and Bao Lie, saying, “But none of them want to be Sect Leader. They insist that only a Zhang family member can do it. I was forced into being Sect Leader.”
“There are also cultivators who curse me, saying I married over two thousand wives, that I’m a scoundrel, and thus slander the Ming Sect. I want to be angry but can’t, and I want to explain but can’t find the words. I didn’t want to marry so many wives either—I was forced. Being a Sect Leader to this extent, life has no joy at all. Many times, I wanted to run away.”
Zhang Ruochen was stunned, saying, “Over two thousand wives? How many children does that make?”
Mingjiang Wang lowered his head and sighed, unable to speak. He just used his hand, trembling, to make a “eight” gesture.
“Eight hundred?” Zhang Ruochen said.
“Eight... over eight thousand. I can’t remember the exact number either. It doesn’t matter anymore—I’ve gone numb.”
Mingjiang Wang’s eyes dimmed, but he gritted his teeth, his expression relaxing, saying, “Now that Ruochen is back, I feel like I’ve been saved. I finally see the light, and I feel much lighter.”
Zhang Ruochen thought Zhang Shaochu was already a ruthless man, but he didn’t expect his twelfth imperial uncle to be even more formidable. With the two of them, the Zhang family was going to develop into the number one great clan of the Kunlun Realm?