Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Is it that Profound Yellow Sect? (One more update)
Celestial Origin Mansion.
There were many well-informed individuals in Jianghu. As long as someone could find even a shred of information, it could change the entire situation. Now, the Nine Heavens Alliance had been exposed by someone with ulterior motives, leading to numerous people flooding into Celestial Origin Mansion. Due to Cui Shengshu’s strength, these people could only pay visits under that guise, lingering briefly within the Nine Heavens Alliance. They were not qualified to directly question Cui Shengshu about specific matters.
The Cyan Shirt Blood Sword, ranked Eleventh in the World.
The only ones qualified to seek information from him were the Top Ten Martial Arts Masters.
And...
The Imperial Court!
Regarding the news of the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure, everyone in the world naturally took great interest, even the Top Ten Martial Arts Masters.
Above the Grandmaster Realm, there were two further realms: Carefree Land, Free Heaven!
These two realms were differentiated entirely based on a Grandmaster’s conceptual domains.
The Carefree Earth Realm required the comprehension of at least five types of Grandmaster conceptual domains, each fully mastered.
The Free Heaven Realm required at least ten Grandmaster conceptual domains.
In the entire world today, there were only ten people who had reached these two realms. Three in the Free Heaven Realm. Seven in the Carefree Earth Realm.
Cui Shengshu had comprehended five Grandmaster conceptual domains but had not yet fully mastered them all, which was why he was known as Eleventh in the World.
However, this time, almost all of the Top Ten Martial Arts Masters had been alerted.
Zhao Qixian, the Black-Robed Swordsman, ranked Number One in the World, was the first to arrive at the Nine Heavens Alliance. Facing this master, one of only three in the Free Heaven Realm, Cui Shengshu showed utmost respect, personally welcoming him and arranging the finest accommodations.
The Black-Robed Swordsman belonged to no sect, relying solely on his swordsmanship to traverse Jianghu. He had cultivated his art for a century, mastering ten different sword conceptual realms, each of which was highly revered by the people of Jianghu. Furthermore, it was rumored that in his youth, the Black-Robed Swordsman had entered the Sword Tomb thrice, emerging with a peerless, renowned sword. Subsequently, over more than a decade, his fame in Jianghu soared.
The Imperial Court once dispatched ten Brocade Guard Thousand Households to capture him, but all were defeated by Zhao Qixian. Following this battle, Zhao Qixian’s name became legendary. He successively comprehended various sword conceptual domains, becoming the world’s foremost swordsman. He then willingly remained outside the Sword Tomb, intending to find a suitable disciple to inherit his legacy.
Many people in the world wished to become his disciple. Some even exhausted all their resources in an attempt to take Zhao Qixian as their master. But Zhao Qixian valued only talent. Without the necessary talent, even the most substantial family backing was insufficient. The Sword Tomb thus regained its fame in Jianghu.
Arriving on the same day, another expert from the Carefree Celestial Realm, aside from Zhao Qixian, the Black-Robed Swordsman, was the contemporary Confucian Sub-Sage.
Kong Qingquan.
He was the only Confucian to have comprehended ten conceptual domains, known in Jianghu as the Confucian Sword Saint.
Rumor had it that Kong Qingquan originally failed the imperial examinations. Because official positions were controlled by aristocratic families and he lacked the silver to bribe officials, he failed to achieve prominence despite his abilities. Disheartened, Kong Qingquan entered the Little Sage Manor. In three years, he mastered all the texts within the Little Sage Manor, becoming proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and prose. This feat astonished several of the elder masters within the manor. One of the most venerated seniors even declared his intention to accept Kong Qingquan as his final disciple.
However, Kong Qingquan paid no heed and immersed himself in the Pavilion of Hidden Books. In two years, he authored countless works. Even now, these writings are considered classics by Confucian disciples. And on the day he emerged from the Pavilion of Hidden Books, the ancestral tablets of all deceased predecessors in the Little Sage Manor’s ancestral hall spontaneously shattered, without any warning. That day, carp leaped in the manor’s lotus pond, and willow trees swayed though there was no wind. This event was later hailed as the Centennial Auspiciousness.
It was on this very day that Kong Qingquan stepped out of the Pavilion of Hidden Books and, in a single stride, ascended to the Carefree Celestial Realm, instantly mastering and integrating ten conceptual domains! From an ordinary man, he ascended to become the Third martial artist in the World!
The reputation of the Little Sage Manor soared thereafter. Countless scholars desperately sought to visit Kong Qingquan, hailing him as a contemporary sage. But Kong Qingquan shook his head, saying, "A sage? That is beyond my reach." Upon hearing this, the younger Confucian scholars ceased their acclamations. The title of Sub-Sage began to circulate quietly, and through it, more and more people came to know of this Confucian Sub-Sage.
Among the world’s top three masters, Zhao Qixian, at a century of age, seemed aware that his time was short and planned to take a disciple to inherit his legacy.
While this Confucian Sub-Sage was only thirty years old!
It was also rumored in Jianghu that the future of the world would ultimately belong to this Confucian Sub-Sage. To become Third in the World through scholarly pursuits alone—Kong Qingquan was indeed the first of his kind.
「In the Main Hall.」
Dressed in a black robe, with a plain, dark wooden sword at his waist, his face as withered as tree bark, his hair and beard white, Zhao Qixian sat calmly in the host’s seat. Beside him sat Kong Qingquan, dressed in a cyan Confucian robe, holding a scroll and engrossed in his reading.
Faced with the arrival of the Number One and Number Three in the World, Cui Shengshu felt a surge of panic. He had not expected the matter to escalate to this degree. A mere list had disturbed these two recluses who paid no heed to worldly Jianghu affairs.
Cui Shengshu personally brewed tea for them. The tea leaves were a special tribute supplied exclusively to the Imperial Court; hardly anyone outside could ever taste them.
Zhao Qixian extended his withered right hand, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.
"The tea is not bad," Zhao Qixian remarked. "Alliance Leader Cui, you seem to lead a rather leisurely life here."
Cui Shengshu gave a helpless smile. Leisurely? Now that trouble had come knocking, what leisure could he possibly have?
Beside him, Kong Qingquan, a man of few words, merely nodded gently and uttered two words: "Good tea!"
The next moment, Zhao Qixian and Kong Qingquan exchanged glances, both nodding calmly. It seemed their nods carried additional meaning.
Zhao Qixian set down his teacup. "Alliance Leader Cui," he began, "this old man won’t beat around the bush. The circulated list has thrown Jianghu into upheaval, a state of Heaven and Earth Overturned, even startling me. Isn’t it time you explained?"
Kong Qingquan, still engrossed in his book, nodded. He remained silent, but his agreement was clear.
Faced with their questioning, Cui Shengshu replied with a wry smile, "To be honest, I was asked by someone to circulate that list. I am merely the messenger."
"Oh?" Zhao Qixian raised an eyebrow. Kong Qingquan also paused in his reading. Both seemed taken aback by Cui Shengshu’s admission.
The fact that the Cyan Shirt Blood Sword, Eleventh in the World, was acting as a mere messenger implied that the mastermind behind it all was no ordinary figure.
"Was it the abbot of Zen Heart Temple who instructed you?" Zhao Qixian frowned. "Those bald curs! Not a single one of them harbors good intentions!"
His words dripped with contempt, clearly indicating a deep aversion to the Buddhist Sect. The specific reason for this was unknown.
"Senior, you are mistaken. It was not the abbot of Zen Heart Temple," Cui Shengshu replied, gently shaking his head.
"Not him, the one ranked Second in the World? Then it must be Yan Ruyu, Mistress of the Celestial Cyan Workshop, who is ranked fourth. That young woman has the capability."
Cui Shengshu shook his head again.
"Cao Zhisheng? Have you allied with the Imperial Court?" Zhao Qixian asked, his expression turning slightly displeased.
Cui Shengshu shook his head again. "He is not one of the Top Ten Martial Arts Masters. Currently, he is merely a First-Grade Martial Artist. However, the list he provided is indeed authentic, and its veracity is unquestionable."
"A First-Grade Martial Artist?"
At these words, even Kong Qingquan, who usually seemed indifferent to worldly matters, engrossed only in his sage books, could not help but lift his gaze to Cui Shengshu.
The person causing such turmoil in Jianghu was merely a First-Grade Martial Artist? How incredibly audacious! It was widely known that not only had the major sects of Jianghu been mobilized, but the Imperial Court had also dispatched its agents. The last person who dared to toy with both the Imperial Court and Jianghu in such a manner... well, the grass on their grave would be tall enough to build a shed by now.
"Interesting, very interesting," Zhao Qixian mused, his curiosity piqued. "For Alliance Leader Cui to act on his behalf, this person must be quite remarkable."
This First-Grade Martial Artist hasn’t even reached the Grandmaster Realm, yet he dares to cause such a stir. Remarkable. Truly remarkable!
"This person is the current Sect Leader of the Profound Yellow Sect, the foremost sect in Fengxiang Prefecture," Cui Shengshu explained without reservation. "He previously came to my Nine Heavens Alliance seeking cooperation. He offered the list and the Purple Dragon Long Blade as collateral, stating that the Black Dragon Dagger, one of the Nine Dragons Secret Treasures, is in their hands.
"The Purple Dragon Long Blade has now been recovered, and he personally wrote the list. As things stand, everything appears to be in order.
"I too harbor an unyielding desire for the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure, so I agreed to cooperate with him. I even entrusted the Red Dragon Sword to him temporarily as a pledge of our alliance.
"Seniors, you need not wonder why I am being so forthcoming. This was also part of his plan. Despite his youth, he possesses a shrewdness far beyond his years; he truly doesn’t act like a young man."
Fengxiang Prefecture? The Sect Leader of the Profound Yellow Sect?
The list did indeed mention the Profound Yellow Sect, and even now, many were searching for this group. After all, none of them had ever heard of such a sect before. If they could find this Profound Yellow Sect and manage to seize the Black Dragon Dagger, they too would have a claim to interfere.
Cui Shengshu concealed nothing, revealing everything. Since this was all arranged by Xu Nian, it was fine for him to speak of it now; he was, after all, merely an intermediary. As for what happened next, he would no longer involve himself.
"Fengxiang Prefecture... You mean the Profound Yellow Sect that single-handedly repelled the Blood Demon Sect?" Zhao Qixian frowned. "I’d heard that just as the Blood Demon Sect was on the verge of conquering all of Fengxiang Prefecture, they encountered a Jianghu faction. Then, they suffered a Celestial Punishment, and their plans to overrun Fengxiang Prefecture were thwarted.
"Rumor has it that this Celestial Punishment was somehow connected to that Jianghu faction, though the specifics are unknown. Now, apart from a few Elders and their Sect Leader, it seems the rest of the Blood Demon Sect members have fled due to that Celestial Punishment."
Cui Shengshu nodded slightly. "That is indeed true!"
He too had investigated this. The members of the Single Sword Sect were the most knowledgeable about the events. Among the Jianghu sects that survived, besides their Single Sword Sect, only the Profound Yellow Sect was desperately defending Fengxiang Prefecture. They had witnessed the Celestial Punishment themselves. According to the disciples of the Profound Yellow Sect, the Celestial Punishment was caused by one of their own.
Of course, this was widely considered a fabrication. Who would believe that a living person could summon a Celestial Punishment like a Thunderbolt in Clear Sky? Yet, the Celestial Punishment had undeniably occurred. And it was precisely because of this that the Blood Demon Sect scattered, allowing the Profound Yellow Sect to protect all of Fengxiang Prefecture.
"Celestial Punishment? What kind of Celestial Punishment?" Kong Qingquan suddenly asked.
Cui Shengshu thought for a moment before replying, "According to information from the Single Sword Sect, it was a Thunderbolt in Clear Sky. A column of lightning as thick as a water bucket struck down, instantly killing a large number of Blood Demon Sect members and forcing their retreat."
A pillar of lightning as thick as a water bucket? Forget the Blood Demon Sect members; even Zhao Qixian and Kong Qingquan would likely perish if they encountered such a thing. However, this was ultimately just a rumor and couldn’t be entirely believed. To truly understand what had happened, one would have to witness it firsthand.
"Young Kong, are you interested in accompanying this old man to visit this Profound Yellow Sect?" Zhao Qixian suddenly asked.
Kong Qingquan, beside him, nodded with a smile. "Qingquan is willing to accompany you, Senior."
Cui Shengshu hesitated, then said, "Seniors, the Profound Yellow Sect is located near Liang City in Fengxiang Prefecture. I will not accompany you, as the Nine Heavens Alliance still requires my presence to oversee matters!"