Chapter 59

Located more than eight thousand miles from Wulei Mountain, in the territory of the Frost Dynasty, stood a vast estate covering nearly ten thousand acres, quietly nestled among the mountains.

This was the Long Family Estate.

In the world of sects, few knew of the Long Family Estate. However, in the Frost Dynasty, many were familiar with it.

The Long Family Estate had buildings as numerous as ants, with over ten thousand servants. Every month, they consumed hundreds of thousands of bushels of white rice. The attire and expenses of the maids and servants were even more luxurious than those of the wealthiest officials.

In the Frost Dynasty, the area where the Long Family Estate was located had long been designated as a restricted zone by the imperial court. Merchants and travelers had to take detours. Even the emperor, when passing by, would stop his imperial carriage and detour around.

This demonstrated the immense power of the Long Family Estate.

In the secular world, people only knew that the Long Family Estate had ties to the royal family, but nothing more. In the world of sects, the Long Family Estate was merely seen as a powerful secular force, and few knew that it was actually a secret cultivation family with countless experts.

At this moment, in one of the main halls of the Long Family Estate, Long Danni was kneeling on the ground, motionless, with utmost respect.

"Long Danni greets her elder sister."

Long Danni kept her head lowered, not daring to raise her eyes.

In front of her was an altar. On the altar, instead of a Buddha, there was a portrait of a woman of extraordinary beauty, as if she were a celestial fairy. The woman in the painting had flawless skin and a beauty that could move the heavens, truly like a fairy from above.

However, upon closer inspection, one could see that the woman in the painting bore a resemblance to Long Danni. Unlike Long Danni, the woman in the painting, though stunningly beautiful, had a sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through the hearts of others.

"I have already learned about the matter with the Five Thunder Sect."

A cold, proud voice echoed in the room, seemingly coming from the ink portrait on the altar. As the voice spoke, the woman in the painting seemed to come to life, staring at Long Danni on the ground.

Such a bizarre phenomenon was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. However, Long Danni seemed to have expected it and was not surprised.

"The search for the treasures of the ancient sage emperor has completely failed!"

After saying this, the woman in the painting remained silent, staring coldly at Long Danni.

The room was deathly quiet. Long Danni's face turned pale, and her heart sank. Her main purpose in going to the Sunlight Sect, where she had assumed the identity of the Sunlight Saintess, was to search for the shocking cultivation techniques of the ancient sage emperor. She never expected to fail.

The Long Family Estate had a strict hierarchy, and the punishment for failing a mission was extremely severe.

Long Danni sighed inwardly, closed her beautiful eyes, and prepared to accept her punishment.

Unexpectedly, the situation took a turn. The woman in the ink portrait suddenly spoke again. A faint, ethereal voice drifted down from the air above:

"Success must be rewarded, and failure must be punished. This is the rule of the family. Without rules, there can be no order. Therefore, anyone in the family who commits a mistake must be severely punished! However, your mission was not to find the cultivation techniques of the ancient sage emperor, but to find Lin Ruyun. Lin Xiong of the Five Thunder Sect is dead, and the only one who knows his whereabouts is Lin Ruyun. I did not expect that even Lin Ruyun did not know the location of the Princess Yangyang's treasure. This was a mistake in the initial plan, not your fault."

Long Danni was startled and opened her eyes wide in disbelief. She had expected to be punished, but now she had escaped death.

"Your mission was to find Lin Ruyun. Since you have found her, your mission is complete. The matters that follow are not your concern. Since you have accomplished your mission, you will be rewarded. This Qi Immortal Pill is your reward."

As the voice fell, a long cry echoed in the air. From the portrait, a white crane with a red crest suddenly emerged from the paper, growing to about four feet in length in the blink of an eye. The ink crane landed in front of Long Danni, opened its beak, and revealed a golden pill.

The pill emitted a faint immortal aura, and as soon as it appeared, the entire room was filled with fragrance.

"Take this Qi Immortal Pill, and you will advance from your current realm to the Qi Cultivation realm. I have already made arrangements at the Divine Dawn Sect. Set out immediately and come to the Divine Dawn Sect to assist me."

As the woman in the portrait spoke, the white crane lowered its beak, and the Qi Immortal Pill fell into Long Danni's palm.

After the crane spat out the pill, it immediately dissolved like melting snow, turning into a thick ink drop that fell to the ground.

"Thank you, elder sister!"

Long Danni was overjoyed.

She was already satisfied to escape punishment, but she never expected to receive the Qi Immortal Pill as a reward.

This pill was a rare elixir, refined by cultivators of the fourth level of Qi Cultivation and above in the Divine Dawn Sect. Taking one pill could transform an ordinary person, allowing them to transcend their mortal form and enter the Qi Cultivation realm.

In the Long Family Estate, even the ancestors coveted this pill but could not obtain it. She never expected to be given it.

More importantly, her "elder sister" had decided to bring her into the immortal sect, the Divine Dawn Sect.

Once this order was given, even the ancestors of the family would not dare to disobey. From then on, she would truly rise to the heavens, becoming a person of great nobility.

"Elder sister, what about the Five Thunder Sect?"

Long Danni suddenly asked, as if compelled by some unseen force. After asking, she immediately felt a deep sense of fear and regret.

Indeed, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped, and Long Danni felt a sharp gaze fall upon her, making it difficult to breathe.

However, the sharp gaze soon softened:

"The Sunlight Sect was originally designated to be a vassal sect of our family. However, it was destroyed by the Five Thunder Sect. If we do not suppress such a sect, others will look down on us. However, soon, all the immortal sects will open their restrictions and recruit new disciples. It is also the time when all the holy sons of the sects will try to win the hearts of the people and build their own power. Even I cannot be careless. —— We will put the matter of the Five Thunder Sect on hold for now. Set out immediately, take the Qi Immortal Pill, and participate in the Divine Dawn Sect's assessment."

As the voice fell, the room fell silent.

The celestial woman on the altar remained motionless, her gaze no longer as sharp as before.

Long Danni knelt for a while, and only when she was sure that she was alone in the room did she dare to stand up.

The immortals possessed various unfathomable powers. Transmitting sounds and pills over a thousand miles was just a minor skill; there were many other powers that ordinary people could not imagine.

"Something must have happened that I don't know about; otherwise, my elder sister would not have let me off."

Long Danni speculated inwardly.

When she was kneeling, she was filled with fear, but now, standing up, she regained her clever and lively demeanor as the Sunlight Saintess.

The powers of the immortals were truly profound and mysterious. Any martial artist of the tenth level would be as insignificant as an ant before a Qi Cultivation realm martial artist. Long Danni was no exception.

Her final question, seemingly impulsive, was actually a test.

The news of the Five Thunder Sect occupying the Sunlight Mountain had already reached the Long Family Estate. Everyone knew that she would likely face severe punishment.

After all, if she had not obtained the cultivation techniques of the sage emperor and the Sunlight Sect had been destroyed by the Five Thunder Sect, her actions on Sunlight Mountain would have been meaningless. At the very least, there would be no reward.

Her "elder sister" not mentioning this only made Long Danni more certain that something significant must have happened to her. Otherwise, she would not have been spared.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind, and Long Danni was startled:

"Could it be that the one above...?"

For a moment, she lowered her head, unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow.

...

...

...

Meanwhile, as the Long Family Estate was busily and joyfully sending Long Danni to the Divine Dawn Sect, a carriage was also making its way to the Divine Dawn Mountains.

"Master, after we pass this mountain, we will enter the territory of the Sacred Tree Empire. The city ahead is Tanggu City."

Zhao Ren called from outside.

"Alright, let's find an inn in Tanggu City to stay for the night."

Lin Xi replied.

The gates of the immortal sects were often located in remote, sparsely populated areas. Lin Xi had checked the "Great World of Immortal Dao" and found that Tanggu City was the closest city to the Divine Dawn Mountains.

After passing the mountain and entering Tanggu City, the streets were bustling with people.

As soon as Lin Xi entered, he immediately sensed something different.

"Iron Bone realm!"

Lin Xi was surprised. The city guards in Tanggu City, dressed in fine armor, actually had the cultivation of the Iron Bone realm!

It was worth noting that even in the sects, disciples of the Iron Bone realm were not common.

The "Great World of Immortal Dao" mentioned the Sacred Tree Empire, stating that it was one of the four most powerful empires in the world.

On the continent, only those forces that claimed to have preserved the strong martial spirit of the ancient empires and possessed the grandeur of the ancient empires could be called empires. The rest were called kingdoms, such as the Great Liang Kingdom and the Frost Kingdom.

The "Great World of Immortal Dao" had mentioned that the Sacred Tree Empire was one of the four remaining royal families that had inherited the legacy of the ancient empires.

Lin Xi had read the "Great World of Immortal Dao" and knew that this empire was very powerful, but he was still greatly surprised when he saw it.

"Let's find an inn and try not to provoke these soldiers."

Lin Xi frowned.

A city guard was, of course, no match for Lin Xi. However, provoking a soldier and thereby causing a conflict with the entire empire would be foolish.

Provoking an empire would bring endless trouble. Of course, if trouble came, Lin Xi would not be afraid.

The carriage rolled through the city gate and smoothly stopped at an inn.