Chapter 99

Yue Qing noticed the hesitation in Jinzhen Shengmu and said to her, "Regarding the establishment of Hengshan Sect, I have already calculated it several times. In the future, Hengshan will flourish, largely due to a few of the younger generation. Moreover, we will support you from the side. Shengmu only needs to pass down the teachings. Accumulating merit and virtue in the future, and passing down for generations, will all be natural processes."

Jinzhen Shengmu finally understood. Yue Qing was asking her to establish the Hengshan Sect, and he would send a few disciples to carry on the teachings. By contributing her magical techniques and treasures, she would get help in overcoming the heavenly tribulation, and her daughter would have a reliable support. If successful, the outcome would be much better than she had anticipated. The only thing she was not happy about was that she did not want to get involved in the disputes between Wutai and Emei. However, once the Hengshan Sect was established, she would be bound to Wutai, and wherever Wutai pointed, she would have to follow.

After much hesitation, she finally made a decision: "This old woman will return and prepare to move. In the future, the Hengshan Sect will follow the lead of the Daoist Master!" She was straightforward; once the decision was made, she did not delay and returned to her residence with her daughter.

The next day was the 15th of August, the official day for the establishment of the Laoshan Sect. Laoshan Sect was only a second-rate sect, with no more than a hundred disciples and guests, so the scene was not very grand. It was more about inviting fellow practitioners to witness the establishment of the sect.

As the head of the Laoshan Sect, Wu Li ascended the stage to worship the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors, the Five Elements, held the ritual sword, announced the rules, and explained the purpose of the sect, which took half a day. Then the disciples paid their respects, with Wu Li's senior disciple Zhu Xiaoyao and Sitai Xu's senior disciple Gan Shen Zhu leading more than thirty disciples in a bow.

After the internal ceremony, it was the guests' turn to present gifts. The Chunyang Sect gifted three Doulv Lingzhi mushrooms from the back cave of the Hanxu Immortal Mansion, the Maoshan Sect gifted a scroll of the "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons," the Kunlun Sect gifted a Tianshan Snow Lotus, and the Wudang Sect gifted a bottle of divine thunder refined from the essence of water from a cold spring. Other guests also brought gifts, with the most precious being a thousand-year-old divine tree from the bottom of the Beihai Sea, presented by Shang Jianchu of the Tumu Island.

The Emei Sect prepared six Lónglóng Pearls as a gift. In their view, Wu Li was just a side path practitioner, and the Laoshan Sect was only a second-rate sect. How many independent cultivators could achieve immortality? But none of them had the audacity to establish a sect. Even those who could become Celestial Immortals or Golden Immortals rarely founded sects, like Daoist Master Heshadao, who had no disciples to carry on his teachings after ascending.

Wu Li's establishment of the Laoshan Sect was a joke to the Emei Sect. There was internal debate about whether to attend and give a gift. Many looked down on Wu Li and had conflicts with the two elders of Songshan. They thought it was better to avoid giving a gift and even considered teaching him a lesson. Only Miaoyi Furen had foresight and insisted on attending, personally bringing gifts with Baiyun Dashi. However, she did not expect Wu Li to receive such valuable gifts. Seeing the gifts from the previous guests, she felt her six pearls were not impressive enough.

In fact, dragon pearls were rare and excellent for refining treasures and setting up arrays. Sending them was not embarrassing. However, Xun Lanyin had decided to win over the Laoshan Sect and boost Sitai Xu's prestige within the sect. The dragon pearls were good but not outstanding. To achieve her goal, she finally decided to give the Jiuhua Locking Cloud Barrier she had refined on Jiuhua Mountain.

Everyone saw her present a cloud-like object and recognized it as a treasure, discussing and guessing what it was.

The Tiger-Headed Zen Master from the Changfeng Cave of Nielong Island smiled and said, "The Emei Sect has been thriving in recent years, and after the fall of the Taiyi Hyunyuan Ancestor of Wutai, it has become the leading sect. Miaoyi Furen leads Emei Mountain, with a position even higher than Li Yuanhua. The treasure she sends must be extraordinary. Wu Daozhang, Sitai Daoist, why not show everyone Miaoyi Furen's gift to broaden our horizons?" His words were full of sarcasm and provocation, making Wu Li increasingly dissatisfied, and Sitai Xu looked awkwardly at Xun Lanyin.

Xun Lanyin, eager to show off her gift, said to Sitai Xu, "This is a small gift, not worthy of much attention, but since everyone wants to see it, let my daughter demonstrate it for the guests!"

Sitai Xu said apologetically, "If so, I will trouble Lingyun Niece."

Qilin Yun stepped forward, pinched a spell, and pointed forward. The white mist rose and quickly formed a dense fog, with nine golden flowers swirling and emitting countless rays of light. The white mist continuously flowed from the golden flowers, which were nourished by the fog, growing thicker and thicker, quickly enveloping the entire Laoshan Mountain.

Wanzhen raised her hand and released the Three Flower Divine Dart, which shot out golden, red, and white light, colliding with the fog and immediately exploding with countless electric sparks and wisps of smoke. The nine golden flowers in the fog quickly gathered and flew over, emitting countless golden rays. Although many were severed by the Three Flower Divine Dart, the rays continued to flow from the flower centers, wrapping the dart tightly like a cocoon.

Qilin Yun changed the spell, and the fog quickly condensed, finally shrinking to a fist-sized ball. She retrieved the Three Flower Divine Dart and returned it to Wanzhen, then presented the cloud ball to the jade tray of the Laoshan Sect.

The guests were all surprised and amazed. Baiyun Dashi was a leading figure among the seven immortals of Emei's Luofu, on par with Yuanyuan Dashi. Her Three Flower Divine Dart was a famous treasure, and countless sword immortals had fallen to it. Now it had been easily captured by the cloud-like treasure, showing its preciousness.

Sitai Xu, moved, returned the treasure, saying, "This treasure is too valuable..."

Xun Lanyin said generously, "This treasure is a cloud barrier I refined from the mountain top clouds on Jiuhua Mountain, called the Jiuhua Locking Cloud Barrier. On the occasion of your sect's establishment, I have nothing better to offer, so I present this treasure to your sect. In the future, it can be used to seal the mountain and repel enemies, with great utility."

Wu Li, seeing the valuable gift from the Emei Sect, looked at Yue Qing. He was not greedy for treasures but felt that since Sitai Xu was close to Emei, and Emei had given him face, if Wutai's gift was too poor, he would lose face. He even hoped Yue Qing would present a more powerful treasure to outshine Emei. Other guests also had this thought, speculating on what Wutai would offer.

Yue Qing finally stood up and said, "These past few days, I have been treated well by my elder brother, staying in the left hall of the Taiqing Palace. I saw a peony and a mountain tea outside the railing, both with excellent roots and bones, having cultivated for over 1,500 years. They were absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, about to become sentient. I helped them refine their bodies and transform into human form." He then took out the Chunyang Tianxian Ling and gave it to Situ Ping to help the two flower spirits complete their transformation.

Situ Ping returned shortly with two young women. The peony spirit was dressed in purple silk, noble and elegant, while the mountain tea spirit wore a white robe, pure and virtuous. They both knelt before Yue Qing, thanking him for his grace. Yue Qing pointed to Wu Li, "That Daoist Master is the host of Laoshan. Since you were born here, you owe him much for nurturing and raising you. Moreover, Wu Daoist has great power. If he can give you some guidance, it will benefit you greatly in the future!"

The two women then went to Wu Li and bowed. Wu Li, seeing their excellent roots and noble qualities, and after being refined by the Hyunyuan Golden Pill, they had snow-white skin and solid true qi, different from ordinary spirits. If they cultivated, although their power might not be as strong as humans, they would face fewer calamities and have a smooth path to ascension, making it easier for them to become flower deities in the celestial realm. He was delighted and immediately took them as disciples, each receiving a treasure.

Everyone was amazed: Wutai Sect truly lived up to its reputation as a super sect that had led the Daoist world for over a hundred years. The development of the sect prioritized the teachings first, followed by the disciples, with treasures and elixirs being secondary. Although the Emei Sect's treasure was valuable, Wutai's gift of two talented disciples far surpassed it.