Only five days remained. Even with ready-made formation materials in her enormous storage bag, saving her much of the time needed to gather supplies, the schedule was still painfully tight. This was to be the sect’s main foundation, so there was no room for carelessness. Although Lingyun Peak itself was not large, its protective formation could not guard that single peak alone. The surrounding peaks and the mountain massif on which it stood all had to be protected. Otherwise, if the mountain were blasted apart and only a bare summit remained, the sect’s foothold would be ruined.
After surveying the terrain of the entire mountain range, Bao Gu discovered that the Lingyun Peak chosen by the Xuantian Sect was neither the highest nor the largest. Surrounded by other peaks, it was inconspicuous and unremarkable.
Using the surrounding peaks, she laid down deceptive formations to conceal the true Lingyun Peak. She then used the shape of the land and the area’s heavy clouds and mist to create a maze formation. After locating the mountain’s spiritual qi veins, she buried formation pillars at the designated nodes and set up the Dipper-and-Star-Shift Grand Formation.
She rushed day and night and only managed to finish the mountain-protecting formation by the five-day deadline. There was no time to devote to engraving formation diagrams. Worried that the Xuantian Sect’s disciples might accidentally trigger the formation, she did not activate it at once, opening only the illusion formation that prevented anyone from probing the peak with divine sense.
In just a few days, Lingyun Peak had undergone a complete transformation. Besides Lingyun Hall, several auxiliary halls had appeared nearby. The Elders’ Hall had been completed, and courtyards for the disciples had been built on both sides. Though Lingyun Peak was not large, it already had the beginnings of a proper sect’s mountain gate.
At first light, the disciples of the Rites Hall were already busy in an orderly fashion, decorating every corner of Lingyun Peak in a festive style. The area outside Lingyun Hall was especially packed. Nearly forty thousand disciples crowded the square like swarming ants. Many, trying to avoid the crush, rode the wind or hovered overhead on flying treasures. Some sparred with one another, some chatted, but most exchanged the addresses of their new homes and invited fellow disciples to stay with them when they had time.
When Bao Gu appeared in the square outside Lingyun Hall, a disciple from the Rites Hall came to greet her. The disciple respectfully ushered her into a side chamber of the Elders’ Hall to rest. Following Feng Menglong’s instructions, the disciple also briefed her on the general order of the ceremony and the overall situation of the various elders and peaks.
“Grand Elder Yu is currently receiving guests in the outer courtyard. Shall I send someone to invite her?”
“Outer courtyard?”
“The outer courtyard was built at the foot of the mountain to receive guests from outside. When the ceremony is about to begin, we will open the teleportation gate and send all the guests to Lingyun Hall.”
Bao Gu nodded.
“I understand. You may go.”
She knew about the newly built courtyard; she had seen it while laying out the formations. Today was the Xuantian Sect’s big day, and there would presumably be countless people from various forces coming to offer congratulations. Bao Gu had always preferred peace and quiet, so she had not wanted to get involved in the bustle.
The disciple bowed and withdrew.
Yet Bao Gu soon thought that, on such an important day for the Xuantian Sect, hiding here just to avoid the crowds would look bad. She rose and headed for the outer courtyard.
The outer courtyard was even livelier than Lingyun Peak. Voices filled the air, and congratulations rang out without pause. Rows of seats filled the courtyard, and the visiting guests had taken more than eighty percent of them. As soon as Bao Gu appeared, she saw Si Ruo, Qu Yirou, and Jade Shura already seated together, drinking tea and chatting. Even her Saint Aunt was there beside them.
Bao Gu took a single step and landed beside them. She first bowed to the Demon Saint.
“Saint Aunt.”
Then she greeted Si Ruo and the others one by one.
A man’s voice rang out.
“Cleaver Lord!”
A handsome man with a face like carved jade strode over, smiling broadly and cupping his hands.
“Congratulations! It has been more than five hundred years, and your bearing has already risen so high that people like us cannot even hope to catch up.”
Bao Gu found him vaguely familiar. Instinctively, she glanced at his waist, intending to look for his identity token, but he wore only a defensive jade pendant and no identification tablet. She inclined her head slightly.
“Thank you.”
Her gaze then fell on a man behind him who looked about twenty-four or twenty-five. He too bowed to her.
“I pay my respects to the Cleaver Lord.”
This man also seemed familiar. After thinking for a moment, Bao Gu recognized him.
“Lu Wendao?”
It was Lu Wendao of the Clearwind Pavilion. Her gaze shifted back to the man in front.
“Pavilion Master Lu?”
She looked in the direction from which the two men had come and caught sight of Martial Uncle Feng. That immediately confirmed their identities. She remembered Lu Teng as having looked like a scholar in the past, but now he appeared twenty years younger. He even looked younger than Lu Wendao, and his cultivation was surprisingly far lower. Lu Wendao was at the mid-stage of Void Tearing, while Lu Teng had only reached the early stage.
Lu Teng smiled.
“The Cleaver Lord still remembers me.”
Bao Gu nodded. Feng Yi walked over, and she bowed again.
“Martial Uncle Feng.”
“I have come at my Master’s command to represent the Xuantian Order and offer my congratulations. Although the Xuantian Order and the Xuantian Sect have had some unpleasantness and split into two branches, we share the same origin and lineage. We should not become strangers over that, should we?”
Bao Gu gave him a faint smile but did not answer.
The various factions’ representatives came to pay their respects as soon as they saw her.
Grand Elder Yu came to Bao Gu’s side with a smile.
“Has the protective formation for the main peak been completed?”
Bao Gu nodded lightly.
“I set up the mountain-protecting formation as well.”
Yu Mi was surprised.
“That quickly?”
“I had the materials on hand. It didn’t take much.”
A bell rang. Its sound seemed both near and far, stretching and echoing through the rugged peaks.
Hua Sheng sent a voice transmission.
“The ceremony is about to begin. Everyone, please ascend to the main peak.”
As she spoke, she ordered the disciples beside her to activate the teleportation formation and send the guests to Lingyun Peak.
The cultivators who had come to offer congratulations released their divine senses. They could see only the courtyards and buildings on the main peak. When they probed farther outward, all they encountered was sky or mountain forest shrouded in clouds and mist. A casual probe revealed nothing unusual, but careful investigation showed that they could not determine even which peak they were on, much less where.
No one wanted to personally test a formation laid by the Cleaver Lord. More than five hundred years earlier, when her cultivation was still very low, the two formations she had set up had already shaken the cultivation world. One was a killing formation that slaughtered hundreds of thousands of cultivators in Wangxian City. The other was the Qingzhou Grand Formation, whose might no one had dared challenge to this day.
As the ceremonial bell rang, Yu Jianming stepped onto the square outside Lingyun Hall. Dressed in an ornate high-collared robe with broad sleeves, his bearing was exceptionally graceful, and the sect-founding ceremony officially began.
Suddenly, a Deity Transformation cultivator burst out of the crowd and shouted:
“Wait!”
He flipped through the air and landed on the red carpet in the center of the square, glaring coldly at Yu Jianming.
“Yu Jianming, you traitor who betrayed your ancestors and abandoned your sect!”
Feng Yi’s eyes nearly bulged from anger.
“Xiao Zhengchuan, stand down!”
Xiao Zhengchuan raised his voice.
“Everyone, judge this for yourselves! In the more than thirty thousand years since the founding of the Xuantian Order, we have weathered countless hardships. All these years, we have remained united and worked together through thick and thin!”
He raised a hand and pointed at Yu Jianming, who stood before Lingyun Hall.
“The Lingyun Peak lineage harbors treacherous designs, disrespects its elders and sect, forms cliques for personal gain, and places our Sect Master in an unjust position! After failing to usurp the position of Sect Master of the Xuantian Order, they colluded with the other peaks to split our Order!”
He pointed at Yu Jianming.
“Yu Jianming, what do you have to say today? You finally became the Sect Master you wanted, didn’t you? You are a sinner condemned for all eternity in the Xuantian Order!”
Yu Jianming cursed loudly.
“If you’ve got a screw loose, go see a doctor! I drew this Sect Master position by lot! Since when did your Xuantian Order get to jump out and dictate what happens in my Xuantian Sect?”
He shouted toward the elders.
“Elder Chu!”
Chu Chen rose and cupped his fists.
“Here!”
“Seize him and interrogate him thoroughly. Find out who is behind sending him here to stir up trouble and pick a fight with our Xuantian Sect.”
Xiao Zhengchuan shouted even louder.
“Everyone, judge for yourselves whether this is proper! In broad daylight, under Heaven’s watch, with the Patriarch above us and our Sect Master still alive, these juniors are establishing a sect! This is contempt for the Patriarch, disregard for the teacher’s way, and a violation of all proper rites—”
A heaven-shaking sword intent suddenly erupted. In the next instant, a sword wrapped in swirling five-colored light appeared before Xiao Zhengchuan.
The overwhelming pressure forced him down on both knees with a heavy thud. His knees struck the ground so hard and fast that a sharp crack rang out as his bones broke. Cold sweat poured down his face from the pain.
Bao Gu sat among the guests, coldly watching Xiao Zhengchuan.
“Since you have brought this up, then let me explain it before all the heroes here and before this Xuantian Sword. The Xuantian Order claims to be the orthodox heir to Patriarch Xuantian. In truth, after the sect-destroying war more than thirty thousand years ago, the original Xuantian Sect had already been wiped out. The later Xuantian Order was founded by surviving outer disciples.”
“Because they were outer disciples, they were not qualified to receive the orthodox inheritance and could obtain only scattered scraps of incomplete cultivation arts. Thus, what the world saw was an Xuantian Order whose inheritance had been severed and whose fortunes had collapsed.”
“I do not know what right a sect supposedly founded by an outer disciple has to call itself orthodox, or what right it has to accuse others of lacking the qualifications to betray their masters and ancestors. Do you have the Xuantian Sword? Do you have the Xuantian cultivation arts? Do you have the Xuantian Seal?”
“No!”
“The cultivation method you practice was given to you by me! The land where you established your mountain gate and sect foundation was given to you by me! The expenses of building your mountain gate were paid by me! Even your expenses for the past five hundred years have still been paid by me!”
“Ever since the twenty-six Peak Masters and I left the Xuantian Order, the lineage inherited from my master, War God Xuantian, has had nothing to do with the Xuantian Order! As the successor personally chosen by my master, and as the first and only direct disciple of the true Xuantian Sect, I have both the right and the power to decide who is the true orthodox heir of the Xuantian Sect.”
She turned toward Feng Yi.
“Martial Uncle Feng, you brought this man here, didn’t you? Take him back. And while you’re at it, pass a message to Sect Master Zi. Please return the cultivation arts of my Xuantian Sect to me. In three days, I will come to his door personally to collect them.”
Feng Yi hurriedly said:
“Bao Gu, this absolutely was not my Master’s intention. The Xuantian Order truly wishes to reconcile with the Xuantian Sect.”
“But the Xuantian Sect has no intention of making peace with the Xuantian Order. Let me give you a word of advice, Elder Feng. Your sect is leaking like a sieve, so investigate everything thoroughly before you lead these disciples out again. Out of consideration for you, I will leave you one survivor to take back and investigate yourself.”
Bao Gu’s gaze fell on Xiao Zhengchuan.
“I don’t know who or what force put you up to this, and I have no interest in finding out. But let me make this clear today: if anyone dares use the Xuantian Order to cause trouble for the Xuantian Sect again, I do not care if the number of powers I have personally wiped out increases by one.”
She looked toward Yu Jianming.
“And you did not get that lot by mere chance, either. The twenty-six Peak Masters and the elders of the Xuantian Sect were all present. More than thirty people drew lots, yet the lot fell to you. You could say it was the will of Heaven.”
With that, she withdrew the Xuantian Sword.
Feng Yi’s expression darkened as he ordered the Discipline Hall disciples behind him to step forward and arrest Xiao Zhengchuan.
Xiao Zhengchuan suddenly leaped toward the outskirts of Lingyun Peak. The Xuantian Order’s Discipline Hall disciples intercepted him. Gritting his teeth, he drew his sword and charged at them.
Other disciples of the Xuantian Order also emerged from the crowd to help Xiao Zhengchuan resist the Discipline Hall disciples Feng Yi had brought. More than twenty people in all became locked in fierce combat on the square.
Seeing matters getting out of hand, Feng Yi intervened personally. Yet because today was the Xuantian Sect’s grand day and bloodshed was inauspicious, he held back. His opponents were determined to resist, and for a time he could not subdue them.
With a sweep of his sleeve, Yu Jianming pulled a chair over, produced a cup of tea, and began drinking. He actually settled in as if he were watching a show.
“Elder Feng, no need to hurry. Take your time capturing them. I deliberately chose today as an auspicious day. The auspicious window is long enough—there are two full shichen, a full four hours, for you to use up.”
Feng Yi’s face turned green. He drew his sword and charged at Xiao Zhengchuan’s group like a violent storm.
Yu Mi asked Bao Gu in a low voice:
“Bao Gu, what do you make of what happened today? Why do I feel the Xuantian Order is acting so strangely?”
“The Xuantian Order is famous throughout the cultivation world for its wealth. Now that its strength has fallen so sharply, there must be countless people coveting it. Back then, Grandmaster acquired an uncountable number of ten-thousand-year-old spirit medicines and high-grade spiritual treasures from the Xuantian Mountain Range. Surely many are still left after all these years.”
“And not long ago, I gave the Xuantian Order an entire treasury filled with Daluo Scarlet Gold. There was enough Daluo Scarlet Gold there to build a whole fleet of Daluo Scarlet Gold ships. There are probably many people plotting against the Xuantian Order. But if anyone wants to make a move against it, both the Xuantian Sect and the Cleaver Gang are enormous concerns. Naturally, they would want to push the two sides into a complete break.”
Yu Mi exclaimed:
“An entire treasury of Daluo Scarlet Gold?”
She nearly wanted to lead a group and rob the Xuantian Order’s treasury herself.
Neither Bao Gu nor Yu Mi had used divine sense to transmit their conversation. Although their voices were low, everyone nearby heard them and was startled.
Hua Sheng, seated beside Yu Mi, spoke quietly.
“By your reasoning, if the Xuantian Order is truly being watched by all those factions, it may already be in peril, as precarious as eggs stacked one atop another. When that happens, are we really going to refuse to save it?”
Bao Gu raised a hand and pointed toward the Xuantian Order’s people, who were still fighting fiercely.
“How could we save them? They have come to wreck the Xuantian Sect’s founding ceremony like this. Senior Sister Hua Sheng, why do you think Martial Uncle Feng chose these people to accompany him?”
“Xiao Zhengchuan is one of the Eighteen Guards under Grandmaster. Every one of the eighteen was personally taught by Grandmaster. They are his true disciples and the people he trusts most.”
Lu Lei, seated beside Hua Sheng, added:
“Of the Eighteen Guards, three are fighting Martial Uncle Feng right now. Grandmaster has taken a deep stab in the back this time!”
He turned to Zi Yunshu.
“Little Martial Aunt, Martial Uncle Feng has been fighting for a long time and still cannot take them down. If we intervene, the Xuantian Order’s situation will become even more difficult later.”
Even if they made a clean break with the Xuantian Order, Zi Yunshu could not sever her relationship with Sect Master Zi. If they refused to act now, could they really expect Little Martial Aunt to sit back and watch Sect Master Zi fall into danger in the future?
Zi Yunshu had already been unable to sit still and wanted to act. She gave a slight nod, transformed into a flood dragon, and shot out.
A dragon’s roar tore through the sky. The flood dragon twisted and rolled, its shadow flashing through the air. An illusory flood dragon coiled around the people fighting below. Those who had been suppressed by Feng Yi and his companions but had not yet been captured were instantly seized and bound by Zi Yunshu.
Once she had them in her grasp, she soared into the sky, rising far above and beyond the hall area of Lingyun Peak. Then, with one claw per person, she crushed them to death in front of everyone, one after another. In the end, she even smashed their primordial spirits.
She whipped up wind and rain, called down lightning, and blasted all their corpses to pieces.
Her roar from above was deafening enough to make the air hum. Carrying wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, she descended from the sky and landed at her seat in a flash before transforming back into human form.
An eight-tribulation flood dragon was only one tribulation away from transforming into a true dragon. It was said to possess combat power comparable to a Mahayana expert. This display truly intimidated many people.
Feng Menglong cleared his throat and sent his voice in every direction.
“The Xuantian Sect’s founding ceremony officially begins. Please welcome the Sect Master!”
All forty thousand disciples of the Xuantian Sect rose in unison, then dropped to one knee with their fists clasped in salute.
“Greetings, Sect Master!”
The elders present stood as well and bowed.
Yu Jianming announced loudly:
“Please welcome Bao Gu, the second-generation Patriarch of the Xuantian Sect!”
He respectfully cupped his fists and stepped aside, yielding the principal seat.
Bao Gu froze. What did this have to do with her? The disciples from the Rites Hall had never told her this was part of the ceremony.
At that moment, Yu Jianming’s voice reached her through a secret transmission.
“Little Martial Aunt, you have to save your junior nephew! Your junior nephew has been shoved into this position, and without you backing me up, I don’t feel secure. I’m scared!”
Bao Gu looked at him in surprise, only to see Yu Jianming maintaining a solemn and dignified expression. He did not look frightened in the slightest.
After a moment’s hesitation, she rose and slowly climbed the steps, taking the principal seat.
Yu Jianming hurriedly presented her with three sticks of immortal incense and secretly transmitted:
“Pay respects to the Patriarch first.”
Bao Gu accepted the incense and raised her head to look at the statue of Patriarch Xuantian standing in the middle of the hall. The newly carved statue had been made from top-grade spirit jade.
At that moment, Bao Gu suddenly remembered the old ghost on Lingyun Peak who had scared her half to death, as well as the portrait of Patriarch Xuantian hanging at Lingyun Peak in Cloud City.
She lit three more sticks of incense and handed three sticks to Yu Jianming. Then she bent her knees and knelt before the statue of Patriarch Xuantian.
“Master, today your disciple is rebuilding the Xuantian Sect. Perhaps it will be somewhat different from the Xuantian Sect you founded back then, but it will carry on your lineage in this realm. You are gone, but everything you left behind will not disperse like smoke and clouds. Your disciples and their disciples will carry all of this forward.”
After speaking, she pressed her forehead heavily to the ground in a deep kowtow.
Yu Jianming followed beside her and also kowtowed deeply.
After finishing her kowtow, Bao Gu rose and helped Yu Jianming to his feet. Looking at him, she said:
“Jianming, from today onward, you are officially the Sect Master of the Xuantian Sect! Remember, the Xuantian Sect’s sword is meant to kill enemies and protect the fellow disciples and loved ones at your side.”
Yu Jianming respectfully replied:
“Yes!”
Bao Gu spoke softly:
“Preside over the ceremony.”
“Yes!”
Yu Jianming turned and stood in the principal position. He received the formal salutations of the disciples and officially took possession of the Sect Master’s seal. He then led the Xuantian Sect’s disciples in the full rite of three kneelings and nine kowtows before the Patriarch.
Only then did he turn around and announce:
“From this day forth, the Xuantian Sect is officially established!”
He raised his hand and took the large banner offered by a disciple of the Rites Hall. Embroidered with the emblem of the Xuantian Sword, it was planted firmly before Lingyun Hall.
Bao Gu stood before Lingyun Hall, watching the banner snap in the wind and looking out over the tens of thousands of disciples. A feeling of home suddenly welled up inside her again, along with the feeling of being Patriarch Xuantian’s disciple and returning to the Xuantian Sect.
It felt wonderful—and deeply moving.
