Chapter 225: One is the "Mock Heaven Sect", and the Other is Different.

Chapter 225: One is the "Mock Heaven Sect", and the Other is Different.

Soon—

As night fell, in the vast Heavenly Hall with countless buildings, there were still very few people. Everyone was still observing, and without confirmation, they would not dare to enter the Heavenly Hall lightly. After all, there was no rush in a few days.

Why do cultivators have long lifespans?

It's not just to let you enjoy a long life.

It's to make you patient and wait a little longer when you encounter situations.

To put it bluntly.

As long as you're not at the end of your days and have the Profound Void cultivation, you have a lifespan of five thousand years. Even if you only encounter your own opportunity once every hundred years, you can still experience it fifty times.

What's the rush? In most cases, a single opportunity is enough to change your life. Opportunities don't matter as long as you live long enough. What opportunities can't you encounter if you survive? Living on is the most important thing.

Therefore, many high-level cultivators often act with caution. Apart from a few like Gui Shisan, who has never tasted defeat and is confident in himself, most people are quite prudent.

Under the night sky.

The Heavenly Hall was dotted with stars, and the group from the Mock Heaven Sect was sitting on the roof of the restaurant, drinking and enjoying the Crane Cups, laughing and chatting, and the food prepared by the Crane Daoist from the restaurant was truly delicious.

Whether it was blanched or stir-fried, each dish had its unique flavor.

The chef of this restaurant, it was said, had been working here for eight hundred years and had initially signed a thousand-year employment contract in one go.

"Let me tell you something."

At this moment, Chen Qiu, sitting on the roof of the restaurant, held a cup of clear wine in his hand. He turned his head towards a burly man with a face full of meat, dressed in a chef's robe, and smiled, "Your cooking is truly delicious. But you've been working as a chef for eight hundred years without a break. How did you manage to stick with it?"

He wanted to involve him.

If he had to cook in this place for eight hundred years without being able to leave the Heavenly Hall, he would go crazy.

Although seclusion for eight hundred years seems long, as long as there are sufficient resources and no external disturbances affecting one's emotions, eight hundred years can pass in the blink of an eye. After all, when immersed in cultivation, the perception of time passing weakens significantly.

However, if it's a normal life for eight hundred years, it's incredibly long. But without encountering any hardships, it's still a chance to experience all the wonders of the world.

It's just that staying in one place and doing the same thing for eight hundred years is like being in a prison, especially when there's no feedback at all for doing this.

"If it's about persistence, I definitely couldn't have kept it up."

The burly man with a face full of meat wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled, "I've never been ambitious since I was young. I just love cooking and creating all kinds of delicacies. I enjoy preparing various ingredients."

"Especially when customers compliment my cooking, I feel happy."

"Staying in the Heavenly Hall is safe, protected by the rules of heaven and earth, and it doesn't consume my lifespan. I can also pursue what I love doing, so this place suits me well."

"Is that so?"

Chen Qiu looked at the burly man in front of him with a complex expression. After a while, he suddenly smiled, "So you're really passionate about cooking."

The reason for his question was simple.

He had just used the 'Auspicious Timing' entry, consuming 100,000 merit points, to check this chef's entry. He wanted to see if there was a special entry that enhanced the chef's cooking skills, given how delicious his food was.

However, he saw a purple entry.

-

Entry Name: Tenfold Spellcasting

Entry Grade: Purple

Entry Effect: When you release any spell, you can cast it ten times without additional cost.

-

This chef actually possessed the purple entry 'Tenfold Spellcasting'. In all his travels, he had only seen one person with this entry and never a spell cultivator with it.

This was a top-tier entry for spell cultivators.

It was even applicable to sword cultivators, evil cultivators, and demon cultivators, among others.

It was a top-tier offensive entry.

No matter what your primary attack method is, if you use spells, this entry will significantly enhance your combat power."

That's why he was so surprised to see a chef with this entry and specially invited him to join them for the meal. The difference was no less than seeing a spell cultivator with a top-tier sword cultivator entry.

Heaven had already decided that he was meant to be a spell cultivator, but he insisted on being a chef.

This was truly a waste of heaven's gifts.

Although he was a bit shocked, he could understand. After all, everyone had their own paths. Some people were determined to be chefs, and even if you gave them a seven-colored entry, they might still want to be chefs.

Of course, this needed further verification. When he broke through to the Immortal Emperor and had spare seven-colored entry jade slips, he would come back to see if this person's determination to be a chef was so unwavering.

The night sky enveloped the entire Mystic Heaven State.

At this moment, although the Mystic Heaven State had entered the night, many people were extremely busy, especially the North Ridge Sect. Everyone in the sect was running around in a hurry.

The North Ridge Sect was a top-tier force in the Mystic Heaven State but belonged to a neutral force.

Neutral forces, in general, could be understood as not competing for opportunities with other top-tier sects but only with sects of lower standing.

The motto of this sect was:

Rather than taking a seven-part risk for a ten-part gain, it's better to take a one-part risk for a three-part gain.

In simpler terms, they never provoked forces of the same level but only targeted those weaker and without a strong background. However, it was because they never conflicted with other top-tier forces that they became a unique neutral force.

And the 'Mystic Heaven Daily' was published by this sect.

At this moment, the sect leader of the North Ridge Sect was personally writing the manuscript for the next day's newspaper.

"I hope nothing bad happens."

The Sect Leader of Beiling Sect had a slightly unpleasant expression on his face as he held a brush and quickly wrote on the rice paper. The reason he had initially criticized Chen Qiu was simply because he thought Chen Qiu was doomed.

After all, Chen Qiu was at the peak of Divine Transformation, and he had come from a lower continent. With so many Essence Condensation cultivators blocking the entrance to the Heavenly Palace, not only him but everyone believed that Chen Qiu was surely going to die.

But who would have thought that Chen Qiu would attract the "Refinement Void 81 Tribulations" and successfully break through to the first layer of Essence Condensation! Then, with the cultivation of the initial Essence Condensation stage, he killed dozens of Essence Condensation cultivators, including several at the peak of Essence Condensation. This situation was a bit problematic, as the strongest cultivator in their Beiling Sect was only at the peak of Essence Condensation.

If that Chen Qiu saw the daily report, their sect would be doomed!

That Chen Qiu didn't seem like a good-natured person.

So, he quickly came up with a solution!

First, he found a newly recruited disciple who was an outer sect servant and promoted him to an inner sect disciple overnight. Then, he imprisoned the disciple in the mountains behind the sect. If Chen Qiu ever came looking for trouble, he would use this disciple as a scapegoat and claim that the previous daily reports were all handled by this inner sect disciple.

They had no idea about this matter, and this inner sect disciple had always been in charge of the business line for the Profound Heaven Daily.

The second solution was to stay up all night and write a lengthy article praising Chen Qiu.

It had been a long time since he personally wrote the daily report. These tasks were usually handled by the sect elders, and he only needed to give instructions daily. But this situation was serious, and he didn't feel at ease, so he had to take up the brush himself.

Just then—

The study door was suddenly pushed open, and a disciple rushed in, saying, "The White Family's old ancestor, White Crane Daoist, who had reached the Body Fusion stage, suddenly disappeared during his battle with Chen Qiu. There has been no sign of him since then."

"Although the White Family's life plate shows that the old ancestor is not in danger."

"But according to the information revealed by the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Axe Sect, White Crane Daoist has definitely died in Chen Qiu's hands. Even if he didn't die, he must have been permanently imprisoned somewhere. The white crane that White Crane Daoist had been caring for was also captured and eaten by Chen Qiu and his group."

"White Crane Daoist is most likely completely finished."

"..."

The Sect Leader of Beiling Sect, who was writing with great concentration, remained silent for a moment before looking up at the disciple who had come to deliver the news. His voice was hoarse as he asked, "A cultivator at the first layer of Essence Condensation, who had just broken through, not only killed dozens of Essence Condensation cultivators but also permanently imprisoned a Body Fusion stage expert?"

"Well, at least that's the information we have so far."

After a long silence, the Sect Leader of Beiling Sect sighed and crumpled the almost-finished rice paper into a ball, tossing it to the ground. Then, he waved his hand to dismiss the disciple, intending to rewrite the report.

It wasn't just about adding this incident to the Profound Heaven Daily; it also meant revising the content of other events. Especially this incident should be given more prominence.

Of course, the most important thing was to replace the adjectives used to praise Chen Qiu.

"Yes."

The disciple who had delivered the news glanced at the dozens of crumpled rice papers in the room before bowing and carefully leaving.

In the Profound Heaven State, there was a city called Handsome City.

It was a city that wasn't particularly prominent or eye-catching in the Profound Heaven State. No Heaven's Pride had emerged from this city, and it wasn't within the territory of any top-tier power. There were no special Heavenly Dao Secret Realms nearby, nor were there any mineral resources.

The only unique feature of this city was its beautiful scenery, which was especially conducive to men.

The men in this city were all handsome, with flawless skin and delicate features, contrasting sharply with the men from other cities.

At that moment—

In the city, an old man with a white beard and red hair sat in the Liu Family's ancestral hall, his face grim as he glared at several burly men standing inside. He was the head of the Liu Family.

His ancestor was an elder of the Mock Heaven Sect, and he had left behind a token and a will, stating that if they ever encountered a disciple of the Mock Heaven Sect, they could seek help from the sect using this token.

The Liu Family was currently facing a crisis.

So when he heard that the Sect Leader of the Mock Heaven Sect in the Vast Continent was an unparalleled genius, he was thrilled. He hoped that the Sect Leader would come and, relying on their ancestor's relationship with the Mock Heaven Sect, help rescue the Liu Family from their predicament.

Everything was planned perfectly.

The token of the Mock Heaven Sect's elder that they possessed was a powerful object of cause and effect with the Sect Leader. If the Sect Leader of the Mock Heaven Sect came to the Vast Continent, he would surely descend near them.

But who would have thought—

The Sect Leader of the Mock Heaven Sect directly went to the Heavenly Palace and initiated the competition for the twelve thrones of the Vast Continent. He quickly seized the Heaven Sovereign Throne and was then blocked at the entrance of the Heavenly Palace by top-tier experts at the peak of Essence Condensation.

It seemed like a certain death situation.

But unexpectedly, Chen Qiu broke through the Essence Condensation stage and, with his own strength, killed dozens of Essence Condensation cultivators, including those at the peak. This shocked the entire Profound Heaven State!

He was incredibly powerful.

However, he couldn't contact Chen Qiu!

The old man with the white beard and red hair, sitting in the Liu Family's ancestral hall, glared at the intruders with anger in his eyes. "Tai City Zhang Family, do you really want to start a war with our Handsome City's Liu Family?"

"What are you talking about?"

The burly men in the Liu Family's ancestral hall laughed casually. "This is just a marriage proposal. What war are you talking about? Our Zhang Family's ancestor truly admires your daughter, Miss Liu. Please don't stand in the way of her happiness."

"Let me be blunt. In this day and age, not every woman has the qualifications to become a concubine of a Profound Void cultivator. It's a blessing."

"However, I must remind you of something."

"Our Zhang Ancestor sincerely hopes that your Liu Family's young miss will truly marry him. That's why he has repeatedly come with generous betrothal gifts. Otherwise, if our Profound Void Ancestor takes action himself, can your Liu Family withstand it?"

"Anyway, the result is already predetermined. The process is up to you."

"If all else fails, a ghost marriage is also an option."

These robust men exchanged glances, bursting into laughter. Their words showed no regard for the Liu Family.

"How dare you!"

The white-bearded, red-haired elder with a face full of white hair angrily slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair. However, he couldn't bring himself to say anything too harsh. He had to admit that he was the strongest in the Liu Family, a late-stage Divine Transformation cultivator, while the Tai City Zhang Family's Ancestor had just broken through to the Profound Void stage a few years ago.

In terms of strength, they were undoubtedly no match for the Zhang Family.

However, he also understood that the Zhang Family was right. After all, the outcome was already predetermined. The only difference was in how they chose to proceed. But how could he possibly hand over his daughter to such a den of thieves!

If the situation truly became uncontrollable, he would rather kill his daughter first and then lead all his clansmen in a desperate battle against the Zhang Family rather than let his daughter be humiliated by these beasts!

After taking a deep breath, he decided to take a desperate measure. With a grim expression, he took out a token from his bosom and held it in his hand, saying, "Have you heard of the Mock Heaven Sect? Our Liu Family is under the protection of the Mock Heaven Sect! You dare to act so recklessly and provoke the Liu Family. Don't you fear that disaster will befall you?"

He also felt a bit uncertain inside.

But since the Mock Heaven Sect's reputation was so renowned, he had no choice but to give it a shot. He hadn't tested if the current Sect Leader of the Mock Heaven Sect would recognize this token, and taking it out now might put the Liu Family in an even more dangerous situation.

However, the Liu Family had already reached such a desperate state, and they were about to be forced into a life-and-death battle. So, he didn't mind taking this risk.

If it could scare them off, that would be best. If not, they would have to fight to the death!

As soon as he finished speaking,

The few Tai City Zhang Family disciples who were laughing in the Liu Family Ancestral Hall suddenly froze, their smiles vanishing as they looked at the token in the Liu Family Patriarch's hand. Their bodies stiffened, and their eyes were filled with disbelief.

The Mock Heaven Sect?

How could they not have heard of the Mock Heaven Sect? In just half a day, the news of the Mock Heaven Sect's Sect Leader, Chen Qiu, using his power to kill numerous Profound Void cultivators in a single day had spread far and wide. Ordinary people might not be aware, as they received news more slowly, but these cultivators had all received this information at the first opportunity.

Their Ancestor had been sighing and lamenting earlier, saying that the Profound Void peak was a cultivation realm he might never reach in his lifetime. But now, several Profound Void cultivators had been killed in one go. It showed that on the path of cultivation, one never knew when they would die or at whose hands.

Even with high cultivation, one might make a wrong decision and suddenly perish in the wilderness.

If the Liu Family was truly under the protection of the Mock Heaven Sect, they dared not offend them. Instead, they would have to treat the Liu Family with the utmost respect, or else they might face the calamity of annihilation in an instant!

Without delay,

The few Tai City Zhang Family disciples' faces changed slightly as they took out a Memory Stone from their bosoms. After recording every detail of the Mock Heaven Sect token in the Liu Family Patriarch's hand, they apologized with respectful expressions and left.

They needed to return and investigate the authenticity of this Mock Heaven Sect token.

But the chances of it being fake were slim. After all, there was an unspoken rule in the cultivation world: forging another sect's token was a grave offense that could lead to a life-and-death feud over reputation. Once this news spread,

They wouldn't even need to take action themselves; the Mock Heaven Sect would come knocking on their door to annihilate the entire Liu Family.

"A token of the Mock Heaven Sect?"

In the courtyard of the Zhang Family in Tai City,

The Zhang Ancestor sat there, his expression fluctuating between gloom and brightness as he played with the Memory Stone in his hand. To be honest, he couldn't tell if it was real or not, as he had never seen a Mock Heaven Sect token before.

But he knew one thing.

Generally speaking, top-tier sects often had tokens with different designs and materials, but they shared one common feature: these sect tokens usually only had the sect's name on them.

They didn't have words like "outer disciple" or "inner disciple."

Such sect tokens often represented that the sect or individual was under the protection of that sect.

However,

The token in this Memory Stone had the words "Elder" on it, indicating that it was an Elder token of the Mock Heaven Sect. What a joke! How could an Elder token of the Mock Heaven Sect be circulating outside? Unless you had killed a Mock Heaven Sect Elder.

He was almost certain that this was a fake.

After all, the Mock Heaven Sect was a force from the Profound Heaven Continent, and they had been in the Heavenly Hall, never coming to "Handsome City." It was impossible for them to have any dealings with the Liu Family, as the timing and location didn't match up.

But he couldn't rule out the possibility, no matter how unlikely it seemed.

Even if everything logically made sense, what if this token was real? If the Mock Heaven Sect found out about this, their Tai City Zhang Family would face the danger of annihilation.

Without delay, the Zhang Ancestor didn't dare waste any time. After instructing his disciples to avoid trouble today, he transformed into a stream of light and shot off into the distance. He planned to personally verify the authenticity of this token.

He had a long lifespan, with over a thousand years left, so a few days didn't matter.

Two hours later,

The Zhang Ancestor, who had rushed here at full speed through the night, finally arrived at "Blooming City," the closest city to the Heavenly Palace. It was under the control of the Heavenly Axe Sect. Long ago, he had a close friend here who had opened a shop and become immensely wealthy.

He had come here to seek help, hoping to determine the authenticity of the token from his old friend. This place was closest to the Heavenly Palace, and the information he received here was the most up-to-date. Compared to him, his old friend was better equipped to make a judgment.

Soon—

He found a shop called "Thorn Shop" in the city's market. His old friend was currently sitting inside the shop, drinking tea. Fortunately, his friend hadn't entered closed-door cultivation, or else it would have been difficult to find him.

After some polite greetings—

"This..."

The shopkeeper of Thorn Shop looked at the Memory Stone in his hand with uncertainty for a while before raising his head to look at Zhang Ancestor with confusion, "I can't determine the authenticity of this Mocking Heaven Sect token for now, but I don't understand why you're so fixated on a mere woman."

"Just treat it as real and stop causing trouble for the Liu Family in Handsome City."

"Why take such a huge risk for a woman?"

"After cultivating for so many years, you've become a fool. So many courtesans can't satisfy you, and if all else fails, you can always humiliate some commoner women without connections. Who can stop you?"

He was also from Tai City, and in the past, he and Zhang Ancestor were close friends. Their relationship was indeed quite good, but later, he ventured out and made a name for himself, and his cultivation had reached the sixth layer of Essence Condensation.

In Bloomy City, he operated seven high-end shops and over thirty low-end shops.

His cultivation was much higher than Zhang Ancestor's, so he spoke without reservation.

"It's different."

Zhang Ancestor explained anxiously, "I'm at this age, and I've had my fair share of women. To be blunt, I'm bored of the handsome men in Handsome City, and that's why I've had my eyes on the Liu Family's young miss for a long time."

"I have a way to tell that the Liu Family's young miss is a Heavenly Dao Substitute Beauty."

"You know about the Heavenly Dao Substitute Beauty, right? There are many Heavenly Dao Substitute Beauties, and it's impossible for ordinary people to see through them with any means. Once there's a vacancy on the Heavenly Dao Beauty Rankings, a Heavenly Dao Substitute Beauty will take that spot."

"The Liu Family's young miss is a Heavenly Dao Substitute Beauty, and she's the 4th-ranked Heavenly Dao Substitute Beauty. As long as four beauties on the rankings die, she will take their place."

"And her Heavenly Dao Beauty effect is extremely compatible with me."

"You tell me, how can I not be anxious? This is related to my cultivation path!"

"Is that so?" The shopkeeper's expression gradually became strange. If that was the case, then it made sense. This was indeed a great opportunity, and he never expected that someone could have the means to see through who was a Heavenly Dao Substitute Beauty.

Indeed, the world was full of wonders.

"But if I remember correctly, for the Heavenly Dao Beauty effect to activate, the woman must willingly fall in love with you."

"You've used threats and inducements, but are you sure the Liu Family's young miss will fall in love with you? And why would a maiden fall for an old man like you? To be blunt, your crooked thing is over four thousand years old."

"What maiden would be willing to share a bed with a four-thousand-year-old crooked old man?"

"Think about it, does it make sense?"

"It does!" At this point, Zhang Ancestor became anxious and said, "That's why I didn't dare to force her. I was afraid she'd develop a deep hatred for me, and I wouldn't be able to make up for it later. I've pursued her sincerely, but she has no interest in me at all."

"That's why I've been pressuring the Liu Family's patriarch, hoping he could persuade his daughter."

"But I haven't killed anyone from the Liu Family. Otherwise, with my cultivation, I would have brought her back long ago."

"I understand."

The shopkeeper of Thorn Shop nodded, "I also can't determine the authenticity of this Mocking Heaven Sect token, but I can take you to someone who has a real Mocking Heaven Sect token. That person is the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Axe Sect."

"Bloomy City is also the territory of the Heavenly Axe Sect."

"Yesterday, the Heavenly Axe Sect publicly announced that they were under the protection of the Mocking Heaven Sect. I believe the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Axe Sect would be very interested in your token. I'll take you to meet him and see what he says."

"The Heavenly Axe Sect?" Zhang Ancestor's eyes flashed with a hint of the sect. "Isn't the Heavenly Axe Sect one of the top powers in Mystic Heaven State? They announced that they were under the protection of the Mocking Heaven Sect?"

"Is the Mocking Heaven Sect that powerful?!"

"Mhm."

The shopkeeper's expression was complicated as he said, "The news in Tai City is a bit outdated. The latest news is that the White Crane Daoist, who just broke through the Body Integration Stage, was completely defeated by Chen Qiu. This news was personally verified by the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Axe Sect."

"You can figure out the rest yourself."

"We can confirm one thing."

"That in the next long period, Mystic Heaven State will only have two major powers: the Mocking Heaven Sect and the others."

"They say that a strong dragon doesn't suppress the local snake, but it seems that this strong dragon, which came from the Vast Continent, is not ordinary."

"When you meet the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Axe Sect later, don't talk nonsense. Answer his questions, don't lie, and don't interrupt. If he doesn't ask you, keep your mouth shut."

"That's the Heavenly Axe Sect, not someone we can afford to offend. I'm still eating from his territory."

"Be careful and stay alert."

"Yes, yes." Zhang Ancestor quickly nodded with a serious expression. He naturally knew that he could be arrogant in this small place, but in the territory of the Heavenly Axe Sect, he had to be humble.

This was the reason he didn't like leaving Tai City.

Who would want to be humble in someone else's territory? This was also the reason he and his old friend parted ways. His old friend wanted to venture out, while he preferred to stay in his hometown.

PS: There's another chapter at midnight, please vote!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end