Dao Chapter 71: Sects Gathered Together

"It doesn't matter." Ming Sha waved his hand, eyes falling on the cultivators from Earth Spirit Sect, then he saluted to Xuanqing Taoist and said, "Xuanqing, my friend, we haven't seen each other for a long time, and you've made such a big breakthrough on your cultivation again! Congratulations!"

Ming Sha said congratulations, but his face was dark and expressionless, his voice cold without joy.

Xuanqing Taoist was not angry at all, but returned a salute, smiling, "Let me see. The last time we met was 20 years ago. It was really a long time no see but you're still handsome as ever, and with an even better cultivation."

Ming Sha did not say anything except a "humph". Xuanqing stroked his beard and smiled, "Since we have met today, let's go inside together and we can share our practices."

"Ok." Ming Sha thought for a while, then nodded afterwards.

But the moment they were about to leave, they raised their heads at the same time, and their eyes, like lightning, shot across to the northern sky.

"Ha, it seems that new friends have come over. Let's wait for a while, talk about the old days and go to the residence later." Feeling some presence of new Taoists, Xuanqing Taoist said, his eyes flickered.

Ming Sha was expressionless. He said nothing and stayed still, which could be counted as an acquiescence to what Xuanqing said.

At the moment, three huge black shadows rolled near across the sky, which belonged three huge toads -one big and two small.

Each toad had black and blue skin, whose back was filled with pustules several feet in size. They were different colors -red, orange, yellow and green. It was obvious that the toad was highly toxic.

Meanwhile, on the top of the pustules were full of cultivators, sitting cross-legged. At the head of each toad, three brothers rose up to their feet and said respectfully,

"Xuanwujiu from Flaming Sect came with disciples."

"My honored predecessor Xuanqing."

"My honored predecessor Ming Sha."

They said in turns.

"Welcome! But why didn't Master Tian Ji come personally?" Xuanqing said, frowning. Long before they came, he had scanned with divine sense, and realized that only the three Xuan brothers came, and that the chieft master of Flaming Sect did not come in person.

The three brothers came from the same mother and cultivated the same magic arts and their cultivation had all reached late stage of Foundation Establishment. They were telepathic and compatible in magic power. It was possible for them to fight Gold Core cultivators together, but now, it was not enough to represent the Flaming Sect to attend Alchemy Taoist's Core Formation Ceremony.

Flaming Sect and Luoyun Valley had been at odds since long time ago, and now it coincided with the centennial Sect Tournament. Is this a compromise from the Flaming Sect?

Thinking about it, Xuanqing felt puzzled.

But Ming Sha was poker-faced. Nobody knew what was on his mind.

"The master was in seclusion for further cultivation."

"He couldn't come in person."

"So he entrusted us to apologize to Alchemy Taoist."

They explained succinctly.

"Well, if it is so, the Chief Master of Qingyun Taoist and Alchemy Taoist will not certainly blame you. Since you are here, come with us to our dwelling. We rarely visit each other, and it is a chance for us to have a good chat this time." Xuanqing Taoist said.

Barring the Flaming Sect, Earth Spirit Sect and Black Evil Sect had had a good relationship with Luoyun Valley. However, now there were two Gold Cores in Luoyun Valley, it has become even more powerful. The three sects had to join together to counterbalance the Luoyun Valley. Though it was still hard to avoid Luoyun Valley attaining a dominant place in Beihua State, at least it would remind them to not go too far.

Ming Sha nodded slightly at these words, as if something had occurred to him.   

The three Xuan brothers agreed to what he said immediately, with a flash of joy in their eyes. After all, everything went on well and nobody made things difficulties for them.

Following several cultivators of Luoyun Valley, nearly a hundred people from the three sects went straight down the welcome area of Luoyun Valley.      

There was uneasiness in Mo Li's eyes when all of them left. He gave a few orders, and then hurried away with some Foundation Establishment cultivators. At the moment, all cultivators from sects of Beihua State had already come, the remaining small fish from other sects could be handled by his disciples.

Somewhere in a secret chamber in the back of Luoyun Valley.

Mo Li stood in the room with his hands down, looking very respectful, and giving a complete account of what had just happened in Immortal-welcoming Arena.

"Chief Master, Alchemy Master, we should make some preparations. If the three sects unite with each other, it will be unfavorable to us." Mo Li buried his head in his folded hands in front, but in his eyes, there was a flash of envy. The Alchemy Taoist was originally famous for alchemy, and for that his status in the Sect was high, but he was the same generation as Mo Li. Yet, Alchemy Taoist had already been a man of noble status for his core formation, but Mo Li still stayed in late stage of Foundation Establishment. It was unavoidable that he though things were unfair.

"My disciple brother, what do you think of this matter?" the Chief Master of Luoyun Valley was an old man who seemed to be in his seventies but was hale and hearty. He was called Qingyun Taoist, and his cultivation had reached the peak state of middle stage of Gold Core. But he was over 400 years old and had no hope of getting to the Nascent Soul, so he devoted all his energy to the development and growth of the sect.

Now his eyes flickered. He smiled and asked Alchemy Taoist who was sitting cross-legged on the futon.

"There are two Gold Core cultivator in Luoyun Valley, and we're more powerful than them. We'll have no shortage of our every deserved benefit. What they did was merely to show us an attitude. Just ignore it." After Alchemy Taoist reached the Gold Core, he looked a little younger from head to foot, and his gray hair also turned black. At the moment, he looked like a man in his fifties.

"Haha, you are right. In the Cultivation World, we respect power. Luoyun Valley is more powerful than them, so it's natural for us to obtain more cultivation resource, which Xuanqing Taoist and Ming Sha both understand." waving his hands, Qingyun Taoist said with a smile, but then he frowned and continued, "This time, Tianji Taoist didn't come. He has always been a cautious man and would not have made such a mistake. Is there anything wrong?"

"You're right. There is something strange about it." Alchemy Taoist also wondered, but he shook his head and said, "Tomorrow is the great day of Core Formation Ceremony, and even if they have any tricks, we'll not be afraid because we will both be there."

"Well, you're right, my brother." Qingyun Taoist relaxed, then waved Mo Li off and said, "Mo Li, you step aside now. Ignore the three sects, and just let them be."

"Ok, Chief Master." Mo Li slightly bowed his head with hesitation, then he said, "Chief Master, it has been half a year since my grandson Mo Cheng was murdered. I wonder if there's any clue?"

Thinking of his grandson, Mo Li felt his heart aching. He recalled what happened before. One day he returned to the mundane world, and to his astonishment he discovered that one of his descendants was a boy with spiritual root and had a good aptitude. He was so overjoyed that he took the boy to Luoyun Valley, and taught him by himself.

The boy did not let him down, and reached the seventh level of Qi Refining in merely three years' time, which made Mo Li, who had been in his senior years, overjoyed and ready to help the boy cultivate with all his strength. there was no doubt that the boy would be Mo's heir. However, six months ago, Mo Li had a sudden sensation that the spell restriction he placed in Mo Cheng's body had been broken by someone, and the Identity Jade was also broken, which was an omen of Cheng's death.

Chapter end