The Modern Martial Immortal

Chapter 260: Status

Not long after the elders of the Infinite Star Palace arrived, those of other forces such as the Immortal Alliance, Lunar Sect, Thousand-Beast Sect, Dharma Heaven Pavilion, and Golden Temple followed closely behind.

After all, within the Cangwu lineage of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, their status had been roughly equal, and their strength had been on the same level. Under such circumstances, their arrival times naturally did not differ by much.

After quickly grasping the situation in the Great Cangwu World, cultivators from these factions had ascended to the heavens one after another, heading straight toward Li Hanqiu to offer their congratulations. They congratulated the Artifact Sect for having a worthy successor.

Although the Nine Cauldrons Sect and the Artifact Sect were technically two different entities, the Nine Cauldrons Sect had ultimately been built upon the foundation of the Artifact Sect. In the future, when that Daoist Seed surnamed Jiang restored the former glory of the Artifact Sect, interactions with Li Hanqiu would be inevitable. In that sense, the Nine Cauldrons Sect held a natural advantage by proximity.

Thus, establishing good relations early on was by no means a bad thing. However, while these returning cultivators congratulated Li Hanqiu, he himself felt little joy.

***

Within the Void Psychic World maintained personally by Yaoguang, the expressions of Li Hanqiu, Li Qingshan, and even the grand elder of the Artifact Sect’s old generation, Huang Tianhao, all turned grave.

"The Artifact Sect..." Huang Tianhao let out a long breath. "Compared to other sects, the Artifact Sect suffered the greatest losses in the war against the Lunar Fiend Empire. If the other sects retained ten survivors after defeating the Lunar Fiend Empire, the Artifact Sect had, at most, one. I originally thought that when the experts from the North Sea Star returned, even if our Nine Cauldrons Sect had unified Cangwu, those great cultivators would not recognize our rule due to the Artifact Sect’s weakened backing. But I never expected the situation would change so drastically."

"A direct disciple of a supreme elder from the Taiyi Immortal Sect, who condensed an Azure Golden Core," Li Qingshan said in a low voice. "This status is likely far heavier than we imagined. Does it rival the Void-Piercing Realm?"

"I’m afraid it is not merely comparable to the Void-Piercing Realm as we understand it, but rather the true Void-Piercing Realm itself. According to the description in the Primordial Creation Art, an Azure Golden Core is already equivalent to having half a step into the Void-Piercing Realm. Not to mention... he has entered the sight of a supreme elder and has been accepted as a direct disciple."

"Half a step into the true Void-Piercing Realm..." Upon hearing this, both Li Qingshan and Huang Tianhao felt their hearts grow heavy.

Having already come into contact with the Primordial Creation Art, they clearly understood just how much more complete the orthodox cultivation system was compared to their own.

Take Yaoguang, for example. Even without relying on an outer core, as long as he reached the Fission Realm, he could contend against a Radiant Sun Golden Core.

Even if he was somewhat exceptional and held an advantage in realms, others, upon reaching the Fusion Realm, could likely also rival Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivators.

This essentially meant crossing two entire realms to fight an enemy. And if he truly cultivated a Radiant Sun Golden Core, dominating the entire Cangwu would not be difficult.

In other words, if that true disciple also reached the true Void-Piercing Realm, then even if all the Void-Piercing experts from Cangwu who had gone to the North Sea Star attacked together, they might still not be his match.

After all, even at its peak, the Great Cangwu World had only produced a little over twenty Void-Piercing Realm cultivators through extreme cultivation paths.

"Actually, there is only one thing I’m truly curious about," Yaoguang suddenly said.

He looked at Li Hanqiu. "What those people from the Infinite Star Palace and Immortal Alliance said... Is it true? Does the North Sea Star... truly have immortals?"

This question shook Li Qingshan and Huang Tianhao, lifting their spirits.

Li Hanqiu pondered for a moment before replying, "One or two people might lie, but when everyone says the same thing, we cannot help but believe it."

He looked at Yaoguang. "Moreover, Xie Niepan from the Thousand-Beast Sect, who came from the North Sea Star, once fought alongside me a hundred years ago. I know his character. He would not lie."

"Immortals..."

"Undying and indestructible... Eternal and unperishing..."

"So the legends are true... Such great lifeforms truly exist."

Yaoguang remained relatively composed. He had already glimpsed the concept of immortals from fragments of information gathered earlier. But Li Qingshan and Huang Tianhao, upon hearing Li Hanqiu’s confirmation, felt their minds shake violently, no better than Johan had when he first learned of this truth.

Li Hanqiu replied, "The concept of cultivating immortality has existed since ancient times. It is even said that this vast and boundless starry sky flourished because immortals once left behind their inheritances. In other words, all of us should be inheritors of the Immortal Dao. That is why we once called ourselves immortal cultivators.

"It is only because we are so far removed from true immortals that our understanding of them has become unreal, leading us to doubt whether they even exist."

He glanced at Yaoguang. "Just like your Yaoguang World. If it were cut off from the Great Cangwu World for hundreds or thousands of years, would you not also begin to question whether immortal cultivators truly existed? You would find it even harder to imagine that a lifeform could release energy comparable to a star through its own power."

Yaoguang listened and nodded, agreeing with Li Hanqiu.

Li Hanqiu continued, "The North Sea Star contains the secret to becoming an immortal. One can imagine how great its attraction is to cultivators. Countless people will flock there. Under such competition, any force that can establish itself and dominate a region must be filled with powerful experts."

Li Hanqiu took a deep breath. "I do not know how many from Cangwu later reached the Void-Piercing Realm, but at the time we defeated the Lunar Fiend Empire, there were twenty-six Void-Piercing cultivators and hundreds of Golden Core cultivators. Yet even so, within the Taiyi Immortal Sect, they formed a single lineage. There are eight other similar lineages and six great halls. This shows just how prosperous the Taiyi Immortal Sect is.

"For someone from the Artifact Sect to stand out and even be accepted as a direct disciple by a supreme elder of such a colossal force... It is no wonder that the Infinite Star Palace, Immortal Alliance, and Thousand-Beast Sect are all trying so hard to curry favor."

Li Qingshan and Huang Tianhao’s expressions grew increasingly heavy.

If that true disciple truly intended to restore the Artifact Sect, then would the Nine Cauldrons Sect still have any reason to exist? Would it still have any foundation?

Would everything they had painstakingly rebuilt over the years all be for nothing? After all, they were not the same kind of people as those from the original Artifact Sect.

"The restoration of the Artifact Sect is not the biggest issue. The real issue is the true disciple who has been accepted under the Supreme Jade Emperor." Li Hanqiu let out a long breath and turned his gaze toward Yaoguang. "Do you know the name of that true disciple?"

"Does it have something to do with me?" Yaoguang immediately sensed something.

"Indeed." Li Hanqiu nodded. "Back when the Artifact Sect still existed, they strongly promoted the cultivation methods of the North Sea battlefield. Among those methods, aside from the extreme paths of the Golden Core Realm and Void-Piercing Realm, there was also a steady, orthodox path for middle-level cultivators. And among all those who followed the steady path, the highest achievement was the immortal foundation!"

He added, "At that time, the number of cultivators who established immortal foundations was far fewer than it is today..."

"Even now, those who can establish an immortal foundation are still extremely rare," Huang Tianhao said.

In large sects, only three to five cultivators would successfully establish an immortal foundation. Even within top-tier immortal sects, there were seven or eight at most. Across the entire Great Cangwu World, the total number of individuals with such talent did not exceed two hundred.

"Immortal foundation?" Upon hearing Li Hanqiu mention this, Yaoguang immediately made a sharp connection. "An immortal foundation from the era of the Artifact Sect?! Heavenly Venerable Jiang?!"

Back then, he had interacted with the Xie family of the Yaoguang World. At that time, the Yaoguang World was supposed to be under the Xie family's control, but the Jiang family had remained there, unwilling to leave. The Xie family had not dared to act recklessly because the Jiang family had produced Heavenly Venerable Jiang.

A figure who had already established a Dao Foundation. And now, it seemed...

"Heavenly Venerable Jiang... established an immortal foundation?" Yaoguang asked.

"Yes." Li Hanqiu nodded. "Heavenly Venerable Jiang began cultivating at twelve, reached Foundation Building at twenty-two, and established an immortal foundation at twenty-eight. Because he feared being targeted and eliminated by the Lunar Fiend Empire, he outwardly claimed only to have formed a Dao Foundation. After that, he followed the elders of the Artifact Sect in their counterattack against the Lunar Fiend Empire... and was appointed by the sect master as the Daoist Seed of the Artifact Sect, the next successor. His talent was unparalleled in the world..."

At this point, his voice paused slightly, and his mood grew heavy. "A true genius shines on any stage. Over the past decades, he followed the elders of the Artifact Sect into the Taiyi Immortal Sect. There, he must have displayed extraordinary brilliance. In just a few decades, he formed an Azure Golden Core and was accepted as a disciple by the Supreme Jade Emperor of the Taiyi Immortal Sect."

Heavenly Venerable Jiang. Yaoguang truly felt a trace of shock.

Who would have thought that the Jiang family, which he had assumed to have been destroyed decades ago, would leave behind such a massive hidden threat?!

At the side, Huang Tianhao looked puzzled. "This Heavenly Venerable Jiang is indeed exceptionally gifted, but what does he have to do with Perfected Master Yaoguang?"

Li Qingshan glanced at him and explained briefly, "During the era of the Artifact Sect, the Yaoguang World was a vassal world under the jurisdiction of the Jiang family, used specifically for nurturing artifacts."

With that explanation, Huang Tianhao immediately understood, and his pupils constricted sharply. Now that the vassal world once under the Jiang family had become the Yaoguang World, then what about the Jiang family, the former rulers of that world...?

"Wait!" Yaoguang seemed to recall something. "Not long ago, I received news that a Star Gate had directly connected to the Yaoguang World..."

At the time, he had found it strange. If experts from the North Sea Star were returning, they should have connected to the Great Cangwu World. Why would a Star Gate connect to the Yaoguang World instead?

Now it seemed like the Jiang family had long treated the Yaoguang World as their own territory. If Heavenly Venerable Jiang wanted to return to his homeland, the first place he would naturally go would be the world that had given birth to and nurtured him.

Once the inter-world Star Gate was fully connected, and Heavenly Venerable Jiang discovered the drastic changes in the Yaoguang World, then the Su family there...

"I must go to the Yaoguang World and destroy the Star Gate!" As soon as Yaoguang finished speaking, his figure vanished directly from the Void Psychic World.

Sensing his departure, Li Qingshan and Huang Tianhao exchanged glances, both seeing the concern in each other’s eyes. Destroying the Star Gate of the Yaoguang World was only a temporary solution. Even if it bought time, how long could that delay last?

Li Hanqiu let out a long sigh. He turned to Li Qingshan. "I’ll leave the sect matters to you for now. Yaoguang has contributed so much to the sect over the years. Now that he faces a crisis, the sect cannot remain indifferent."

"Martial Uncle, the situation may not yet be beyond recovery..." Li Qingshan said, though even he did not quite believe his own words.

After all, the Nine Cauldrons Sect and the Artifact Sect were fundamentally different.

After a long pause, he said bitterly, "If that Heavenly Venerable Jiang has truly formed an Azure Golden Core... then even you, Martial Uncle, would stand no chance against him."

"If a Radiant Sun Golden Core is not enough... then what about the Void-Piercing Realm?" Li Hanqiu said calmly, and his figure disappeared from the Void Psychic World.