Free Web NovelChapter 51: Chapter 51: An Immortal King’s Unsurpassed Sermon (Part 1)
Chapter 51: Even an Immortal King’s Sermon Would Be No Greater Than This (Part 1)
While Li Qiye was teaching the Dao in the Washing Stone Valley, the upper echelon of the Xiyan Ancient Sect held a secret meeting. In fact, only the Six Great Elders were qualified to attend this meeting.
This meeting was personally convened by the head of the elders, Elder Gu. The Great Elder sat at the head seat, his gaze sweeping over the other five elders. Finally, he spoke in a deep voice, "I have gathered you five junior brothers here today to discuss the matter of the Emperor’s Body Ointment."
As the Great Elder spoke, the other five elders couldn’t help but exchange glances before falling silent. Among the Six Great Elders, the Great Elder ranked first in terms of both seniority and merit.
Moreover, the Great Elder was the Direct Disciple of the previous Sect Leader. His status in the Xiyan Ancient Sect was, one might say, second to none. Although, a rumor circulated within the Xiyan Ancient Sect—that the current Sect Leader, Su Yonghuang, was the successor to the previous Sect Leader! That the current Sect Leader was a Direct Disciple secretly cultivated by the previous one.
However, the Six Great Elders were all perfectly aware that this was not the case.
Among the Six Great Elders, aside from Cao Xiong, the other four had no ambition to contend for the position of Sect Leader. They knew clearly that whether it was in terms of Dao Practice, merit, or status, they did not have what it took to vie for the seat.
In fact, the other four elders believed in their hearts that when it came to ascending to the Sect Leader’s position, it could be no one other than the Great Elder.
"We once promised Qiye that if he could succeed in the marriage alliance with the Nine Saints Demon Gate, we would bestow upon him the Emperor’s Body Ointment," the Great Elder said in a deep voice, looking at the other five.
The other four elders remained silent, while Cao Xiong alone was inwardly furious. ’If Li Qiye really succeeds in this marriage alliance with the Nine Saints Demon Gate, it will be a huge blow to my disciple He Yingjian’s future bid for the Sect Leader position.’
Cao Xiong had his own plans. Even if he never had the chance to become Sect Leader in his lifetime, he hoped his disciple, He Yingjian, could become the next one. In fact, He Yingjian had not disappointed his high hopes. The damned thing was, this inexplicable Li Qiye had appeared out of nowhere!
If Li Qiye really managed to marry Li Shuangyan, then with his status as the Chief Disciple on top of that, his momentum towards becoming the next Sect Leader would be nearly impossible to stop. Not even the Sect Leader, Su Yonghuang, would be able to do anything about it.
Elder Sun, who ranked fourth among the Six Great Elders, stroked his long beard, nodded, and said, "This is something we agreed to. Since Qiye has succeeded, it is only right that we grant him the Emperor’s Body Ointment."
As the fourth-ranked of the Six Great Elders, Elder Sun had, without realizing it, started to firmly support Li Qiye. The reason Elder Sun backed Li Qiye was simple: his disciple, Guardian Mo!
Elder Sun had more than one disciple. In fact, Guardian Mo was one he had less confidence in. Guardian Mo’s Dao Practice wasn’t the worst among his disciples, but his personality was the complete opposite of Elder Sun’s other disciple, Nan Huairun. Guardian Mo was a man of few words, unskilled at socializing. Coupled with the fact that his talent was not the best among his peers, Elder Sun didn’t think Guardian Mo could ever inherit his mantle.
Elder Sun had planned to support another disciple to succeed his elder position in the future! But recently, things had taken a turn. A single sentence from Li Qiye had changed everything! Because of that one sentence, Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun became the official Messengers between the Xiyan Ancient Sect and the Nine Saints Demon Gate. Now, no matter the issue, even the Chief Guardian of the Nine Saints Demon Gate, Yu He, would convey messages to the Xiyan Ancient Sect through Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun.
One had to understand Yu He’s status in the Ancient Ox Territory. As a Prince, he was a figure that even the Six Great Elders might not have a chance to meet. But now, everything was communicated through Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun. In an instant, Guardian Mo’s and Nan Huairun’s status within the Xiyan Ancient Sect had improved dramatically.
With his own disciples benefiting so greatly, of course Elder Sun supported Li Qiye.
"As you junior brothers know, our sect still has one portion of Emperor’s Body Ointment," the Great Elder said.
At these words, the other elders fell silent, while Cao Xiong’s heart ached at the thought. This portion of Emperor’s Body Ointment had been in the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s possession for a very long time; the previous Sect Leader had been the one to start saving it, but it had never been used.
In fact, the Great Elder had once performed meritorious deeds, and the Emperor’s Body Ointment could have been awarded to him long ago. However, the Great Elder had never been willing to use it. He believed that he was already old and limited by his innate talent, so using the ointment would be a waste.
If even the Great Elder was unwilling to use the Emperor’s Body Ointment, the other elders felt even less entitled to it, and had even less reason to use it.
The Six Great Elders’ original intention was that if an exceptionally talented disciple appeared in the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s future—one who could hold their own—then this portion of Emperor’s Body Ointment would be used for that disciple’s body tempering!
But now, this portion of Emperor’s Body Ointment was to be given to Li Qiye. Since the Great Elder had personally agreed to it, the other four elders couldn’t say much. But Cao Xiong’s heart ached, because he had once hoped this very ointment would be used for his disciple He Yingjian’s second body tempering in the future.
"However, Li Qiye has requested to switch the main ingredient of the Emperor’s Body Ointment, the Beast Marrow, to that of a Hell Iron Bull," the Great Elder said gravely.
Once these words were spoken, the expressions of the other four elders changed in shock. Third Elder Qian was astonished and said, "Senior Brother, a Hell Iron Bull... that’s an extremely rare Celestial Beast! Everyone knows that the Beast Marrow of a Hell Iron Bull commands a sky-high price on the market! For the main ingredient of the Emperor’s Body Ointment, the marrow would have to be at least one hundred thousand years old. That price would be terrifying!"
The Great Elder nodded lightly. "I have already contacted the auction house. They happen to have a portion of Hell Iron Bull Beast Marrow. The age is quite young, just over ninety thousand years, so it counts as one hundred thousand. The other party is willing to trade for our Beast Marrow, but we must add an additional one thousand Ancient Saint Essence Jades!"
"One thousand Ancient Saint Essence Jades?" Hearing this, the fifth-ranked Elder Zhou’s expression changed drastically. He exclaimed, "That’s an outrageous demand! For one thousand Ancient Saint Essence Jades, we could buy a two-hundred-thousand-year-old Beast Marrow!"
"Senior Brother, this Li Qiye is pushing his luck!" Cao Xiong seized the rare opportunity and said in a heavy tone, "Since when does he get to bargain on the major affairs of the Xiyan Ancient Sect? He is merely a third-generation disciple, yet he dares to haggle with us. This is a complete lack of respect for his elders! Utterly insolent!"
As Cao Xiong spoke, the Great Elder’s face darkened, but he said nothing. Cao Xiong turned to the other four elders. "My fellow junior brothers, you all know how precious the Emperor’s Body Ointment is. To bestow it upon a third-generation disciple is already an act of immense grace from our Xiyan Ancient Sect. Yet this ungrateful brat dares to bargain..."
"...Furthermore, Li Qiye’s origins are questionable. He could be a spy! Using such a precious Emperor’s Body Ointment on a potential traitor would be like throwing meat buns at a dog—a total loss! If we then add another thousand Ancient Saint Essence Jades, our Xiyan Ancient Sect will suffer a devastating loss! Who knows, one day Li Qiye might take all the benefits from our sect and turn against us!" This was a rare opportunity for Cao Xiong, so he did his utmost to persuade the other four elders. He certainly did not want Li Qiye to get his hands on the ointment.
The sixth-ranked elder, Elder Wu, couldn’t help but try to persuade the Great Elder. "Senior Brother, bestowing the Emperor’s Body Ointment is already an immense act of grace from the Xiyan Ancient Sect. As a third-generation disciple, Li Qiye should know his place! Besides, as you well know, Senior Brother, the Ancient Saint Essence Jades our sect has in reserve are already few and far between. If we take out one thousand this time, it will practically empty our coffers. This is no small matter, Senior Brother."
The other elders couldn’t help but look toward the Great Elder. Although they said nothing, their expressions spoke volumes. Seeing this, Cao Xiong was secretly delighted. ’Success is halfway there. If I fan the flames a little more in a moment, Li Qiye might not even get the Emperor’s Body Ointment at all.’
"A thousand Essence Jades... it’s just not worth it," the Third Elder couldn’t help but add.
Undeniably, the four elders deeply respected the Great Elder. In their minds, and indeed throughout the entire Xiyan Ancient Sect, he held an extremely high and unshakable position.
But things had changed over the years. The elders had always hoped that the Great Elder would take charge of the Xiyan Ancient Sect. From the bottom of their hearts, they rejected the current Sect Leader, Su Yonghuang! Their ideal Sect Leader was the Great Elder.
However, the Great Elder had never made his stance on the Sect Leader position clear. As time went on, the other elders couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Especially in recent years, the Great Elder had appeared dispirited and disheartened, showing none of his former grandeur. This caused the elders’ resolve to waver.
In contrast, Cao Xiong, the second-ranked of the Six Great Elders, had never given up on the Sect Leader position. Cao Xiong was also far too close with the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s Honored Guest Elder, Dong Shenglong. In the hearts of the other elders, Cao Xiong was not an ideal choice for Sect Leader. But, if they truly had to choose in the future—to choose between Su Yonghuang and Cao Xiong—the elders found themselves hesitating.
Cao Xiong’s recent and repeated overtures and suggestions had, to some extent, caused the four elders to waver.
So today, when the Great Elder brought up this matter and Cao Xiong pointed out the stakes, the four elders felt their convictions shake.
Just as Cao Xiong was seizing the moment, the Great Elder’s eyes suddenly flashed with a brilliant light. In an instant, his aura became overwhelmingly powerful, his entire body pulsed with radiance. In that moment, it was as if the Great Elder had transformed into a different person. His expression was spirited and his every gesture was filled with a majestic might! Within that might, there was even the faint pressure of a Prince.
The Great Elder was, after all, a being on the level of a Heroic Hero. Among the Six Great Elders, he had been in the sect the longest and his Dao Practice was the deepest! His sudden display of power made the other elders’ hearts tremble, and they felt the oppressive atmosphere.
At this moment, the Great Elder slowly began to speak. "Junior Brothers, your objections are reasonable. However, you are also aware of the current Great Trend. The Nine Saints Demon Gate is crucial to our Xiyan Ancient Sect! And Li Qiye is just as crucial to our Xiyan Ancient Sect! Without him, there would be no Nine Saints Demon Gate alliance! Therefore, the reason I have summoned you all here today is because I hope you will approve this matter!"
