bookbashuk Chapter 193 Gathering of All Forces, Competition 12
Chapter 193 Gathering of All Forces, Competition 12
The Li family of Yuhu County.
It took Zhang Lingyu and his companion five days to finally arrive here.
Looking from three miles away, the continuous palace buildings firmly captured his gaze. It seemed that an invisible force surged out from the silent black tiles and red walls, and, carried by the vast wind on the lake, crashed straight into his heart.
"This is the Golden Core Immortal Clan, how magnificent!"
Zhang Lingyu sighed inwardly, realizing that both the Zhang and Li families had migrated from the State of Chu to the State of Zhao several hundred years ago.
Leaving aside the differences between cultivators, just looking at the grandeur of the buildings on the mountain is enough to understand the gap between Foundation Establishment families and Golden Core Immortal clans.
Not only that, but from the moment we entered Jade Lake, we could feel the rich spiritual energy, which was even richer than that of Tianshui County.
No wonder the secret realm was built here.
Seeing Zhang Lingyu's surprised expression, Li Yanshan understood that she was shocked by the scene. He chuckled to himself and quickly reminded her, "Lingyu, let's get down to business first. After all, the secret realm won't open for another half month. You'll have plenty of time to explore it then."
"Senior Li is right. Lingyu lost her composure. Let's go in now."
"Okay, let's go."
The two did not linger and continued flying towards the main hall in the lake. The Li family cultivators who passed by saw the Jade Light Pavilion attire and the familiar face and kept bowing and greeting them.
One of them even stopped his escape and quickly bowed, saying, "This junior greets Fifth Grandfather."
"I remember you're Yan Yun's grandson, right? You've already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. It seems your cultivation hasn't declined. Not bad."
Li Yanshan gave a thumbs-up, didn't ask any trivial questions, and continued:
"I don't know where the clan chief and the others are now. I am here on the orders of the True Man to escort this Clan Chief Zhang to participate in the secret realm."
"Junior Li Mingli greets Senior Zhang!"
Li Mingli was somewhat puzzled. He had heard of this person before; he was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. There were plenty of mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators in Yuhu County, so why bother finding someone from another county, especially a remote and impoverished place like Yingchuan County? However, since it was a Golden Core cultivator's order, he dared not disobey and said:
"The clan leader and the others are currently in the main hall, along with the clan leaders of the Foundation Establishment families below. They are all discussing matters related to the secret realm in the main hall. However, since Fifth Grandfather and you haven't arrived yet, they are all waiting for you."
"I see. It seems we need to go sooner."
Li Yanshan nodded to Zhang Lingyu, and then began to lead the way.
Inside the main hall, Li Yanyun, the patriarch of the Li family, sat at the head of the table. Below him were ten Foundation Establishment cultivators dressed in Li family attire. They were all cultivators who were going to enter the Jade Lake Secret Realm. As for the other cultivators below, there were quite a few mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, who were sent by vassal families.
It is said that each time a secret realm opens, the families selected are from the vassal families, but in reality, it is always the same few families.
These families were also among the earliest Foundation Establishment families to follow the Li family. They were Wang, Meng, Huo, Jin, and Ge, and each family had six or seven Foundation Establishment cultivators in charge.
"Well... now that everyone's here, why haven't we started yet?"
Seeing the silence in the main hall, the Jin family patriarch wondered why the meeting had not been held yet, even though all fifteen Foundation Establishment cultivators who were participating in the secret realm had arrived. Since the head of the family was not speaking, he dared not ask any further questions.
This stalemate lasted for a full half hour before he finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked the Meng family patriarch beside him, "We can't keep waiting for the real person, can we? I heard that the other party is in Yingchuan County..."
"Don't worry, the real person won't come, but they are indeed waiting for someone, and it's related to Yingchuan County..."
"Yingchuan County?"
The Jin family patriarch was incredibly astute; those returning from Yingchuan County were either True Immortal Xuanhao or Li Yanshan... Who else, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would linger there, unless...
"You mean you're waiting for that family member?"
"good."
Upon hearing the name of the Zhang family, the Meng family patriarch couldn't help but glance back, gloating, "Brother Jin, you've only just emerged from seclusion and you've already been summoned by our family. There are some things you probably don't know, aren't there?"
After saying that, he recounted the whole story.
"Seriously?!"
"Of course, what is impossible in this world?"
After hearing this, the Jin family patriarch was stunned for a long time. Every time the secret realm opened, it was the five families who entered. Although they were not guaranteed to come out alive, they always brought back huge profits. Therefore, they were willing to risk the loss of their clansmen to send people in.
Now look what's happened, the established rules have been broken!
It was broken by an outsider!
The Li family has more than a dozen vassal families, each of which is stronger than the Zhang family. But what is the Zhang family? They have only been vassals for ten years. Can their contributions be as great as the Zhang family's?
Although he felt indignant after hearing this, he was mostly gloating, since it wasn't their family that was replaced.
As for that unfortunate family...
He turned his head and looked back, only to see that the Ge family patriarch was not sitting in his seat, but leaning against a pillar with a gloomy expression, occasionally looking outside the hall, obviously trying to see what kind of person the other party was.
"Hey...this is going to be good!"
"Hey...this is going to be good!"
......
In less than a quarter of an hour, two cultivators entered the main hall. From the moment they appeared, everyone's eyes were fixed on Zhang Lingyu.
Curiosity, schadenfreude, anger, jealousy... you name it.
Zhang Lingyu remained silent, secretly sneering to himself, letting them scan him with their divine sense. After all, with the magic artifact left behind by True Person Mingyu, even a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't be able to discern anything.
"Looks like they have some tricks up their sleeve."
Many cultivators nodded to themselves, turned their gazes away, and silently awaited the next exciting development.
"Fifth brother is finally back! We've been waiting for you for over an hour."
"We have come to greet Fifth Uncle/Sir!"
Li Yanyun, the head of the Li family, was all smiles. When he saw his younger brother, he also stood up to greet him with a smile. Following closely behind were the greetings from the Li family cultivators and the heads of other families.
This person is not only a cultivator from the Jade Light Pavilion, but also a member of the lineage of True Person Xuanhao. In terms of status, he is not much inferior to Li Yanyun.
"Second Brother, please don't be offended. We encountered a few ignorant cultivators on the way, which caused a slight delay. We apologize for keeping you all waiting..."
Li Yanshan explained, first responding to everyone's greetings, then introducing Zhang Lingyu who was standing beside him, and continued:
"I am here on the orders of the True Person to bring this Clan Chief Zhang to the clan to discuss some matters. You all have a good opportunity to meet him!"
"You must be Lingyu. I've heard my fifth brother mention you before. Today I'm finally able to meet you."
Li Yanyun patted the boy on the shoulder. In fact, he was quite satisfied with the Zhang family. After all, they had always paid their tributes on time for more than ten years, which had greatly reduced their burden.
As for obtaining the qualification for the secret realm, it was designated by his own master, so he couldn't interfere. He could just watch the rest of the disputes unfold and see how strong this young clan leader was.
"You flatter me, sir. According to custom, I should have come to pay my respects long ago, but the journey is long and there are many other cultivators who have been through trials..."
"I know, it's alright, it's alright... Fellow Daoist, please take a seat!"
Li Yanyun waved his hand, and a member of the Li family led Zhang Lingyu to his seat. Because the Zhang family had been vassals for a relatively short time, he was seated at the very end. After he sat down, the head of the aristocratic family next to him glanced at him and unconsciously moved to a different seat.
Zhang Lingyu paid no attention and silently observed the various family heads in the hall.
The patriarchs of these vassal families are quite powerful, mostly at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, especially the one leaning against the pillar, who is about to break through to the late stage.
"It seems this is the person..."
If anyone in the room harbored ill will towards him, it would undoubtedly be this person. From the moment he stepped into the palace, his divine sense never left him, as if trying to see through him completely.
He paid little attention to them, focusing his gaze solely on Li Yanyun at the head of the table, upon hearing the latter say:
"Everyone, now that everyone is here, let's officially begin. I believe you all know why we've brought you here. That's right, the Jade Lake Secret Realm is about to open, and we're here to decide on the spots."
Li Yanyun looked pleased and continued, "According to the rules of previous years, the top five contributors from each family in recent years will be eligible for a spot in the secret realm."
"The Wang family of Lingyun, the Meng family of Guiyun, the Huo family of Hongfeng, the Jin family of Yuting, and the Zhang family of Qingya—if anyone has any objections, they may raise them now!"
"Whoa!"
Even though they knew the inside story beforehand, these words still caused many clan leaders to exclaim in surprise. They were also very curious about what conditions Zhang Lingyu and the others had offered to persuade Xuanhao Zhenren to give them the Ge family's quota.
"Heh...if anyone disagrees..."
Upon hearing these words, the Ge family patriarch, leaning against a pillar, sneered inwardly and slowly said, "My lord, I am not convinced."
"Okay, it's finally here!"
Everyone's hearts tightened, and they immediately turned their attention to the two people, watching the impending conflict.
"Clan Chief Ge, which family do you disagree with?"
"Since the lord says that the Zhang family of Qingya ranks among the top five in contributions, could you elaborate?"
The Ge family patriarch looked around and continued, "As far as I know, the Zhang family has only been a vassal for a little over ten years. What contributions could they possibly have made? My family has followed the Li family for over a hundred years, and countless clansmen have died. Can't you see that, sir?"
When these words reached the ears of the other family patriarchs, they secretly sneered. They had originally wanted to watch the show, but now they suddenly wanted the Zhang family to get that spot. What they said was really infuriating.
Just because your family has more deaths doesn't mean we have fewer.
It's all because the five of you secretly gave so many gifts and colluded with so many people; otherwise, how could they have gotten their turn?
That being said, it's not certain they'll come out alive if they go in.
Li Yanyun, sitting at the head of the table, frowned slightly, already somewhat displeased. In his view, the Ge family was trying to curry favor, but that was indeed the case, so he had no choice but to call in reinforcements, saying helplessly, "This is the order of the True Man."
"I know it's a real person's order, and I dare not question it."
Upon hearing the name of Master Xuanhao, the man did not give in. Instead, he became even more insistent and continued, "We just want to know which family has made contributions in just over ten years that rank among the top five, so we can learn from them."
"You may want to know, but I don't!"
Seeing that he remained stubborn, the others felt that he had gone too far. No matter what means the other party used to get the Golden Core cultivator to promise this spot, the final allocation of the spot was not something they could change.
Moreover, things have come to this point, and Li Yanyun has even brought up Master Xuanhao, so his meaning is quite clear.
That's a Golden Core cultivator, a person whose word is law.
If your Ge family has the ability, then go find the real person yourself and get him to change his mind. Otherwise, there is absolutely no room for negotiation today.
"That Ge family is so stubborn!"
Li Yanshan cursed inwardly. If word got out that this act of insubordination had been committed, everyone would probably laugh at them for not even being able to properly manage a Foundation Establishment family.
It is almost impossible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to question a Golden Core cultivator. If this is not handled properly, Master Xuanhao's prestige within the sect will likely decline considerably.
We must shut him up!
He was just about to get up and talk about the contributions the Zhang family had made to the Li family, but it seemed that apart from reporting to that demon king, they hadn't really made any contributions, and the gift-giving to the True Person that everyone thought they hadn't happened.
It can't be said that the quota was given to Zhang Lingyu because the real person appreciated him.
Everyone knew this was just an excuse, or rather, a gift, since Zhang Lingyu's talent and strength weren't particularly outstanding, and they hadn't heard of any remarkable achievements.
"Alas, the most absurd reasons are often the most truthful."
Li Yanshan sighed. Just as the atmosphere in the hall was becoming increasingly uncontrollable, he suddenly remembered what Master Xuanhao had said. He felt reassured, knowing that this reason could help calm things down.
He first transmitted his voice to Zhang Lingyu, and after seeing that the other party hesitated for a while before nodding in agreement, he immediately stood up.
Everyone was unsure of what this person wanted, but since he was Xuanhao Zhenren's messenger, he must have something to say. They immediately turned their attention to him, and heard him say, "Clan Chief Ge, you want to obtain a spot in the secret realm, don't you?"
"Exactly!"
"Alright, the Master said that anyone who disagrees can challenge the families that have secured the five spots. The winner will enter the secret realm. What do you say?"
"It seems the Master had foreseen that this spirit jade wouldn't win over the people, which is why he devised this method!"
Everyone nodded in agreement. Although the other four families had occupied the spots every year, their strength was undeniable. The Zhang family was an easy target. Although many people were eager to try, they ultimately did not speak up.
Apart from the other four families and the Li family, they really weren't confident they could defeat the Ge family.
So they simply waited silently.
"Very well, you are truly wise!"
The Ge family patriarch's face lit up with joy. He believed that True Person Xuanhao did not want to give Zhang Lingyu a spot, but he was reluctant to refuse because the other party had offered so many. However, he was also mindful of their feelings, which is why he made such a statement.
This method is the most suitable.
In the world of cultivation, strength ultimately prevails.
He turned to Zhang Lingyu and smiled, "Clan Chief Zhang, you've become a clan chief at such a young age; you must be quite capable. I'd like to have a match with you to verify each other's Dao techniques. Are you willing?"
"Of course, I couldn't refuse Chief Ge's kind invitation. But be careful, swords and spears won't be merciful!"
"How dare you!"
Everyone thought the young man would hesitate and refuse, but he agreed so readily that they couldn't help but think more highly of him. Unfortunately, Chief Ge was very strong and could not be dealt with by someone who had just entered the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
Zhang Lingyu was already prepared, so she immediately agreed after Li Yanshan spoke. Since the other party was asking for a beating, she could take this opportunity to establish her authority and that of the Zhang family.
Furthermore, if you can't even defeat the opponent, there's no point in going to the secret realm; you'll just die anyway.
"I'll return those words to you."
Faced with the boy's sarcasm, the Ge clan chief smiled, thinking that the boy could only be stubborn for now, and that he would be in for a beating later. He would also let the other families see that they would have to think twice before trying to kick the Ge family out.
Seeing that a solution had finally been found, Li Yanjun breathed a sigh of relief and transmitted his voice to Li Yanshan, saying, "Fifth Brother, since the Master said he could resolve this by taking action, he should have said so from the beginning. Why drag it out until now!"
"Hey, how was I supposed to know this guy surnamed Ge would be so stubborn!"
After exchanging words in secret, he looked at Zhang Lingyu and the other man and continued, "Since the two clan leaders are so eager to have a spar, we wouldn't want to stop them. Since all the clan leaders want to participate, let's all observe together, shall we?"
"Alright!" Everyone was eager to see this spectacle and quickly nodded in agreement!
"Alright, in that case, let's wait half an hour until the clan cultivators have tidied up the arena before we head over. This will also give the two clan leaders time to prepare before their duel!"
Li Yanshan sighed inwardly as he looked at the impatient expressions of everyone in the hall.
"Lingyu, it's up to you now."
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