Chapter 26

Chapter 25: Divine Crow Peak (Part 1)

At this moment, not only the Great Elder, but in fact, the other five elders were all staring at Li Qiyi! If cutting down Xu Hui could still be considered a miracle, after all, even the best can make mistakes, and if one steps back a thousand steps, Xu Hui's arrogance and lack of vigilance allowed Li Qiyi to succeed in his ambush!

However, the Heart-Confusing Forest was a different story. The six elders all knew that for millions of years, no young disciple of the Nine Holy Demon Sect had ever been able to pass through the Heart-Confusing Forest, unless they were a Great Sage!

The six elders stared, and at this moment, Mo Hufa and Nan Huairen couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for Li Qiyi.

"Reporting to the elder, the Heart-Confusing Forest is designed to confuse the mind. This is not a place to test one's Daoist cultivation. As long as one's Daoist heart is firm enough, one can pass through the Heart-Confusing Forest. This has nothing to do with the level of one's Daoist cultivation!" In response to the Great Elder's questioning, Li Qiyi calmly replied.

"Hmph, you, a mere mortal, can have a firmer Daoist heart than a king or a prince?" Elder Xiong was dissatisfied and coldly snorted.

Li Qiyi raised an eyebrow, glanced at him, and said, "Elder, whether the Daoist heart is firm or not has nothing to do with Daoist cultivation! High Daoist cultivation does not mean a firm Daoist heart! Throughout the ages, how many True Men and Holy Emperors have ended up in madness and disaster due to an unstable Daoist heart!"

"Arrogant and ignorant thing! Can you even comment on True Men and Holy Emperors?" Elder Xiong sternly rebuked.

Li Qiyi didn't even bother to look at him again and said indifferently, "What I said is just a statement of fact. If the elders think I am lying, you can verify it with the Nine Holy Demon Sect!"

Elder Xiong glared at Li Qiyi, ready to explode, but the Great Elder coughed and said, "Let's drop this matter. How about your marriage to Princess Li?"

Even if the killing of Xu Hui could be explained, passing through the Heart-Confusing Forest was impossible to explain. Even Holy Emperors couldn't pass through the Heart-Confusing Forest, let alone a mere mortal. However, for the Great Elder and the others, this was not important. What was important was when the Nine Holy Demon Sect and the Xianyan Ancient Sect would form an alliance! The Xianyan Ancient Sect needed a giant like the Nine Holy Demon Sect as a backing!

"This is something you need to ask the Nine Holy Demon Sect. I cannot decide this matter." At this moment, Li Qiyi had no interest in continuing the conversation and simply didn't want to talk anymore.

"Very well." The Great Elder was also helpless. He couldn't force Li Shuangyan to marry Li Qiyi; their Xianyan Ancient Sect didn't have the qualifications to bargain with the Nine Holy Demon Sect!

The Great Elder nodded and said, "This time you have done a great deed. According to our previous agreement, what was promised to you will still be given to you..."

"Brother Gu—" The Great Elder's words made Elder Xiong's face change, and he hurriedly said. However, the Great Elder gently waved his hand, stopping Elder Xiong from speaking.

The Great Elder looked at Li Qiyi and said, "First, when you reach the Body Cultivation Realm, the sect will prepare a Royal Body Ointment for you; second, you can choose one cultivation technique, one life technique, and one body technique from the sect's techniques. Of course, you can choose others, but you cannot exceed three techniques! Are you satisfied with this?"

"Agreed, but I have one more condition. The sect promised me three requests at the time." Li Qiyi nodded and said.

The Great Elder nodded and said, "Agreed, speak."

"I need a weapon for protection, so I need to choose a treasure or a true weapon from the sect!" Li Qiyi said solemnly.

The Great Elder nodded and said, "Agreed, you can choose any treasure or true weapon from the lower three levels, or you can choose a life treasure."

"Thank you, Elder." In the end, Li Qiyi bowed and then turned to leave.

"Chen Ren, accompany Qiyi." After Li Qiyi left, the Great Elder instructed Nan Huairen.

After Li Qiyi left, Elder Xiong said solemnly, "Brother Gu, this boy is suspicious. He might be a spy sent by the Nine Holy Demon Sect!"

"How do you mean, Brother Cao Xiong?" An elder gently shook his head and said, "I don't think so. The Nine Holy Demon Sect is far more powerful than us today. Now that they control the Ancient Ox Territory, they are a colossal entity. Why would they need to send a spy to our Xianyan Ancient Sect?"

"Brother Sun makes a good point." An elder said, "What could the Xianyan Ancient Sect offer the Nine Holy Demon Sect?"

"That's not certain. Perhaps the Nine Holy Demon Sect is after our Imperial Techniques, especially the Heavenly Mandate Secret Techniques!" Elder Xiong said solemnly.

Elder Xiong's words made the other five elders exchange glances, as they were well aware of the Xianyan Ancient Sect's situation.

"I don't think it's necessary." The fourth-ranked Elder Sun shook his head and said, "Li Qiyi holds the Xianyan Ancient Order. If he really wanted to seize our Imperial Techniques, he could just ask, and would we give them to him? Even if the Nine Holy Demon Sect really wanted to seize the Imperial Techniques, the Sun Emperor could personally act, and I think no one in our Xianyan Ancient Sect could stop him!"

Elder Sun's words made the other elders fall silent. If the Nine Holy Demon Sect truly wanted to seize the Xianyan Ancient Sect's Imperial Techniques, they could easily destroy the Xianyan Ancient Sect. If the Sun Emperor personally acted, who in the Xianyan Ancient Sect could stop him? In fact, even if the Nine Holy Demon Sect's elders acted, the six elders of the Xianyan Ancient Sect would not be a match!

"Brother Gu, I think we must be cautious." In the end, Elder Xiong said solemnly.

"Report this to the Sect Master." In the end, the Great Elder said solemnly, without further comment.

Elder Xiong only lightly snorted, perhaps out of dissatisfaction with the Sect Master.

"The elders suspect that you are a spy sent by the Nine Holy Demon Sect." After leaving the Ancestral Hall, Nan Huairen whispered to Li Qiyi. He was adept at reading people's thoughts and could easily guess what the six elders were thinking.

"Let them think what they want." Li Qiyi just smiled and shook his head. The decline of the Xianyan Ancient Sect was not without reason. The six elders, though in the position of elders, not only failed to reach the level of kings or princes, but more importantly, they lacked the ability to stand on their own.

Speaking of this, Li Qiyi asked, "What about Elder Xiong?" When he wanted to become the chief disciple, Elder Xiong had supported him, but today, his attitude was completely different.

"Be careful of Elder Xiong." Nan Huairen looked around and whispered to Li Qiyi, "Second Elder Cao Xiong has always wanted to compete for the position of Sect Master, but he has never succeeded. Later, he wanted his disciple He Yingjian to become the chief disciple, but the Sect Master refused. He has never given up on the position of Sect Master. Even if he can't be the Sect Master, he hopes his disciple He Yingjian can be. Moreover, Cao Xiong has the support of guest elders."

"I understand. If I were a waste, becoming the chief disciple would give me no chance to become the Sect Master. But if I marry Li Shuangyan, it's a different story." Li Qiyi smiled, understanding why Cao Xiong's attitude had changed so much.

Nan Huairen nodded lightly and whispered, "Elder Cao has always been concerned about the Sect Master, fearing that the Sect Master would take in a talented disciple. The position of chief disciple has been vacant, and he has discussed with several elders several times, hoping that He Yingjian would become the chief disciple, but the Sect Master has never agreed."

"What about the Sect Master?" Li Qiyi was somewhat puzzled. After joining the Xianyan Ancient Sect, he had never met the Sect Master, Su Yonghuang, who seemed to be a transparent existence.

Nan Huairen shook his head and said, "The Sect Master has never lived within the sect's territory. He has always been cultivating outside. In fact, I have seen him only a few times."

At this point, Nan Huairen, seeing no one nearby, whispered even more softly, "There is a rumor in the sect that the Sect Master was forced out by the elders. No one knows the details, but the Sect Master rarely stays in the sect, and when he left the sect's territory, he took some law enforcers and hall masters with him."

Li Qiyi couldn't help but touch his chin and said, "So, our sect is divided into several factions." It seemed that the situation in the Xianyan Ancient Sect was more complicated than he had imagined.

"Some say there are four factions," Nan Huairen said. "Some law enforcers and hall masters follow the Sect Master, some hall masters follow Elder Xiong, who have always hoped that Elder Xiong would become the Sect Master. Another part comes from the Great Elder's lineage. Speaking of which, the other four elders are likely to be neutral."

"Does the Great Elder want to compete for the position of Sect Master?" Li Qiyi asked.

Nan Huairen shook his head and said, "No one knows what the Great Elder thinks. Some say he doesn't support the Sect Master, but he has never competed for the position of Sect Master. However, the Great Elder has great influence in the sect. He commands the law enforcement team and is very strict, so many disciples fear him."

With this, Li Qiyi gained a certain understanding of the Xianyan Ancient Sect's situation. Thinking about it, he smiled and said nothing more.

Divine Crow Peak is a crucial and almost forbidden area of the Xianyan Ancient Sect. Without the permission of the Sect Master or the elders, no disciple can ascend Divine Crow Peak.

At the same time, Divine Crow Peak is the highest and largest main peak of the Xianyan Ancient Sect. On Divine Crow Peak stands a triangular ancient courtyard, where all the sect's cultivation techniques, secret manuals, treasure weapons, true weapons, rare metals, and divine stones are stored.

The protection of Divine Crow Peak is extremely strict, with guards every three steps and sentries every five steps. Not even a mosquito can fly in. The entire peak is guarded by the sect's elite disciples, and usually, two of the six elders take turns guarding Divine Crow Peak.

For the Xianyan Ancient Sect, Divine Crow Peak is too important. One could say that everything in the Xianyan Ancient Sect is stored on Divine Crow Peak.

At the same time, there is a legend about Divine Crow Peak. It is said that before Mingren Immortal Emperor became the bearer of the Heavenly Mandate, he received a divine indication. A divine crow descended from the heavens and landed on this peak. Mingren Immortal Emperor received the divine decree and thus established the Xianyan Ancient Sect here!