Yellow Court Daoist

Whooosh!

As soon as Lu Qingfeng stepped into the city, a group of Seven Star Beauty Boa Daoist Soldiers sensed his presence and charged toward him, forming their arrays. They evidently regarded Lu Qingfeng as an enemy and sought to fend off the exterior threat.

This must have been an order issued by the Turtle Mountain Old Mother before her death.

Even though the Turtle Mountain Old Mother had perished, these Daoist Soldiers still loyally executed her command.

Lu Qingfeng strolled leisurely.

"Five-Colored Divine Light!"

With a mere thought, waves of Five-Colored Divine Light swept over the attacking Daoist Soldiers one after the other. After three to five sweeps, all one hundred and ninety-eight Seven Star Beauty Boa Daoist Soldiers were claimed by Lu Qingfeng.

Since the Turtle Mountain Old Mother could control these Daoist Soldiers, then once Lu Qingfeng took control of Yuan Gui City, he could presumably do the same. Previously unaware, he had carelessly slain sixteen Daoist Soldiers. Now that he knew, he would waste no more.

However—

"How did the Turtle Mountain Old Mother withstand over two hundred Fourth Rank Daoist Soldiers?"

Daoist Soldiers ultimately have their limitations, far inferior to formal cultivators. These Fourth Rank Daoist Soldiers, the Seven Star Beauty Boas, were said to be equivalent to Primordial Spirit Practitioners, but in one-on-one situations, they were not even a match for ten ordinary Nourishing God Realm Cultivators. At most, they were slightly stronger than Golden Core Cultivators and could barely contend with newly advanced Primordial Spirits.

In Lu Qingfeng's view, if the Turtle Mountain Old Mother controlled them with flexible command and maneuverable formations, they would pose some trouble. But with no leader—the situation akin to scattered sand, as presently seen—they could easily be subdued.

No threat at all.

Yet the Turtle Mountain Old Mother had less strength than Lu Qingfeng, yet she had managed to withstand these Daoist Soldiers and occupied Yuan Gui City. How she managed this was a mystery.

Lu Qingfeng was curious but didn't ponder further, stepping forward and surveying the ruins of the city.

Yuan Gui City was utterly dilapidated.

Among the ruins, there were many materials used for city construction—some precious, some rare, some common. With careful collection, they could make a Primordial Spirit True One as wealthy as can be.

But the ruins were chaotic, and gathering them would take a considerable amount of time.

The Turtle Mountain Old Mother evidently did not have time to organize; now, all was left for Lu Qingfeng's taking.

Scanning the ruins.

Lu Qingfeng temporarily ignored them and walked to a seven-storied pavilion.

[Spiritual Building: Seven Star Tower]

[Description: Unique to Yuan Gui City, for cultivating Fourth Rank Daoist Soldiers 'Seven Star Beauty Boas'. Forty-two such pavilions originally existed—thirty-eight destroyed and lost, two damaged, and two intact.]

"Seven Star Tower."

Seeing this, Lu Qingfeng immediately thought of the Dutian Xuanming Strategy in his possession. Both were used to nurture Daoist Soldiers; the principles behind them likely weren't much different.

Continuing his walk.

In the broken city, Lu Qingfeng found another intact Seven Star Tower and two damaged ones.

Furthermore.

There was a Xuan Turtle Tower, an "Artisan God Square", two City Protection Array Towers, half of the City Lord Mansion, half a city wall, and at the base of the wall, an "Ice Cold Spring Eye" used to nurture Second Rank Daoist Soldiers 'Ice Cold Spirit Immortals'.

However, the Ice Cold Spring Eye was mostly destroyed, its nest still in existence but no longer capable of continually nurturing the Ice Cold Spirit Immortals.

[Spiritual Building: Xuanwu Tower]

[Description: Cultivates Fifth-Order Daoist Soldiers 'Black Water Spirit Turtles'. Originally two towers—now one destroyed, one intact with six 'Black Water Spirit Turtles' inside. Note: Limited by the laws of heaven and earth, the Xuanwu Tower is currently unable to be activated.]

"Fifth-Order Daoist Soldiers can be compared with True Immortals."

"The Primordial Spirits of the Three Mountains and Nine Waters are the pinnacle. Here, neither True Immortals nor Fifth-Order Daoist Soldiers can exist, hence the Xuan Turtle Tower cannot be activated."

It didn't take long for Lu Qingfeng to grasp the situation.

But the Xuan Turtle Tower housed six Fifth-Rank Daoist Soldiers, which would become a modest aid when leaving the Three Mountains and Nine Waters. He wondered where the Yuan Gui Jellyfish, who ascended just over fifty thousand years ago and hadn't spent much time with Yuan Gui City, obtained the Xuan Turtle Tower and the Black Water Spirit Turtle Daoist Soldiers.

"Could it be something left by Yunyan Fairy?"

He speculated in his mind.

Lu Qingfeng no longer dwelled on the thought and stepped into the half-remaining City Lord Mansion.

...

"This place is Yuan Gui City's hub."

Inside the City Lord Mansion.

Lu Qingfeng's eyes shone, focusing on the ground.

Deep beneath the earth, an Obelisk was buried and heavily masked by arrays. Without a thorough search, it would be nearly impossible to detect it. And this was in the state where Yuan Gui City was mostly destroyed if he was in the city's heyday under multilayered arrays' protection, with the City Lord Mansion at the heart, finding this 'Township Tablet' would be immensely difficult.

To surreptitiously take over Yuan Gui City was nothing short of a fantasy.

With careful sensing, Lu Qingfeng noticed three auras on the Township Tablet—

"Turtle Mountain Old Mother."

"Yuan Gui Jellyfish."

"And another aura that must belong to the city's first owner, Yunyan Fairy."

With no hesitation.

Connecting his own energy with the Township Tablet's, Lu Qingfeng sat down cross-legged, starting the refining process.

After that hour.

Lu Qingfeng opened his eyes, "This Township Tablet is linked to the entire Yuan Gui City; by refining this stone, it's akin to refining the Seven Star Towers, Xuan Turtle Tower, Ice Cold Spring Eye, and the Immortal Soil Spirit Land that stretches twenty to thirty miles. It will require no small amount of time."

The Turtle Mountain Old Mother took twenty to thirty years to refine it.

Lu Qingfeng's Divine Soul was stronger, his Mana more profound, but to fully refine it would take between ten and twenty years.

"First to deal with Wu Jiu and Heavenly Dragon Goddess."

Lu Qingfeng had no wish for complications.

If this War City were to be known by the Tianxing Sect or the Divine Maiden Peak, it would certainly lead to them notifying the Upper Realm Ancestor. A single War City, even a dilapidated one, possessed an astonishing value.

Not to mention anything else.

Just the Xuan Turtle Tower capable of cultivating Fifth-Order Daoist Soldiers 'Black Water Spirit Turtles' alone was enough to move even Mahayana True Immortals.

"Out!"

With the Dutian Xuanming Strategy in hand, Lu Qingfeng released two Primordial Spirit Dao Soldiers to guard. Still not completely reassured, he left the Gonggong Demon God to defend the spot, before heading toward Turtle Mountain Cold Pond.

Once ascending the Cold Pond.

He just saw two figures emerging.

"Fellow Daoists, long time no see."

Holding his green bamboo staff, Lu Qingfeng landed on the Cold Pond, his gaze shifting to the newcomers with a smile emerging promptly.

"Dutian Demon?" The arrivals were none other than the Heavenly Dragon Goddess of Divine Maiden Peak and Wu Jiu Zhenyi from the Tianxing Sect. They had set off ahead of Lu Qingfeng but he had managed to arrive first despite leaving later, not only reaching Turtle Mountain before them but also having already killed the Gui Mountain Old Mother and explored the 'Yuan Gui City' at the mountain's base.

Upon seeing Lu Qingfeng, both Wu Jiu and the Heavenly Dragon Goddess's expressions changed.

"Why would it be this demon?"

"This is going to be problematic."

The two exchanged a glance, a bitter sentiment shared between them.

A person's reputation casts a long shadow, they say. Just a decade or two ago, Lu Qingfeng had caused a massacre in the Heavenly Stele Secret Realm, even throwing the Heavenly Dragon Goddess into a Netherworld Gap, from which she struggled for over a decade before finally escaping just recently.

Who would have thought they'd encounter this dreaded figure yet again?

They felt a mix of anger and bitterness, hatred, and irritation.

"It was the Gui Mountain Old Mother who killed the Jiedan True Men of your two sects. I just happened to be passing by and took action out of righteousness to slay the Gui Mountain Old Mother, avenging your blood feud."

Unless absolutely necessary, Lu Qingfeng had no desire to make enemies with Divine Maiden Peak or Tianxing Sect, especially the latter.

Nor did he wish to take the blame for the Gui Mountain Old Mother's actions.

Debt-laden as he may be, he feared no one in the Three Mountains and Nine Waters, but if he went too far, ascension to the Upper Realm might mean facing enemies at every turn, which would certainly be unfortunate.

"The Gui Mountain Old Mother?"

"In that case, we thank you, Fellow Daoist, for your intervention. We will take our leave now."

Without another word, Wu Jiu cast a glance at the Heavenly Dragon Goddess and turned to depart.

"Fellow Daoist Wu Jiu."

The Heavenly Dragon Goddess hesitated upon seeing this, gave Lu Qingfeng another look, bit her silver teeth, and, not daring to stay any longer, quickly followed, disappearing from Turtle Mountain shortly after.

"Do you truly believe what the Dutian Demon said?"

In the sky.

The Heavenly Dragon Goddess and Wu Jiu stood shoulder to shoulder on the Nine Heavens Gang Wind, gazing down upon Turtle Mountain below in the North Sea, with her questioning him.

"With the strength and temperament of the Dutian Demon, it isn't likely that he would do something and refuse to acknowledge it," responded Wu Jiu with a wry smile, turning to look at the Heavenly Dragon Goddess. "Besides, even if what happened was indeed the doing of the Dutian Demon, what could you and I possibly do about it?"

With those words, the Heavenly Dragon Goddess fell into silence.

Indeed.

This Dutian Demon, back then in the Heavenly Stele Secret Realm, faced twenty-four Primordial Spirit True Ones alone and effortlessly cast twelve of them, including her, into the Netherworld Gap.

The remaining twelve were frightened into fleeing.

Even more so.

The Heavenly Dragon Goddess had a gut feeling that the Dutian Demon had no intent to kill. Otherwise, eliminating three or five Primordial Spirits wouldn't have been impossible.

Perhaps in the Heavenly Stele Secret Realm, he was wary of upsetting too many Primordial Spirits from the Righteous Sect.

But just a moment ago—

With only the two of them, Wu Jiu and herself, against the might of the Dutian Demon, he could have easily killed them yet allowed them to leave without difficulty.

Thinking it over.

"Not even concerned with Primordial Spirits, why would he bother killing Jiedan True Men of the two sects?"

With that realization, the Heavenly Dragon Goddess cast a deep glance at Turtle Mountain below, "Let it be, let it be. We'll just wait for this old demon to ascend and be done with him!"

She stopped pondering the issue and, alongside Wu Jiu, rode the Gang Wind away from the North Sea.

The battle at Turtle Mountain.

Concluded without further incident.

...

Twelve years later.

At the Tianxing Sect of Kongling Gorge.

Where the waterfalls flowed and the splashing streams looked like flying snow and scattering pearls, there lay a 'Twenty-four Pearl' marvel, emerging abruptly amidst the densely scattered rocks and rapid currents of the Chengyang River.

Above the Twenty-four Pearls, a pavilion had been constructed.

To observe the waterfalls and listen to the river's mighty roar.

It was quite the sight.

On this day.

Crashing sounds!

Within the pavilion above the Twenty-four Pearls, three Primordial Spirits of Tianxing Sect gathered, seated in meditation.

Master Mu Yang, donned in a Nine Palace Eight Diagrams Daoist Robe, sat in the center. He looked at Wu Jiu and Lu Qingfeng, seated in front of him, and with a smile, he said, "After my ascension, I'll have to trouble you two junior brothers to take charge of the Tianxing Sect."

Usually stern and strict, today he couldn't help but show an air of relaxation and joy.

As if reveling in a happy occasion, he seemed quite different.

"Big brother, you speak too seriously. It's our duty," quickly replied Wu Jiu, seeing his brother's easy manner and blushing face filled with anticipation, feeling a sense of poignancy, "Big brother has worried over the sect for three thousand and nine hundred years. It's a pity that our fellow disciples haven't lived up to expectations, causing big brother to stay for such a long time and delay his ascension."

To secure its foothold in the Three Mountains and Nine Waters, Tianxing Sect had an ancestral mandate concerning ascension.

Like the Green Wood Valley.

It required the constant presence of nine Primordial Spirits in the sect before allowing those in excess to ascend according to their rank and seniority. Over six or seven hundred years ago, when Xun Bai of Green Wood Valley advanced to a Primordial Spirit, Xun Tianxing, who was the most qualified and had the highest Dao ability, was able to ascend.

Tianxing Sect with slightly lesser strength, only needed the presence of two Primordial Spirits, beyond which, additional members could ascend.

Previously.

It seemed like a distant dream.

But two or three decades ago, when Lu Qingfeng managed to get through the twenty-seventh layer of Array Mountain, signaling his future ascension to the Spirit Domain, he was recognized as a direct disciple of the Tianxing Sect's Ancestor Master Qin Feng, deeply associated with Tianxing Sect.

Hence, Master Mu Yang was all the more keen to have Lu Qingfeng attend Tianxing Sect.

Now with two or three decades passing.

Master Mu Yang, unable to wait any longer, decided it was time for his ascension.