The Wandering Immortal

Chapter 48 How Many Great Sects Are There in the World?

Jiang Yuan still had something on his mind. Back then, when he tricked Qin Xiaoniang out of the marriage thread, he promised her that after he got out, he would definitely go to Mount Hua to find Yang Chan's son and persuade him to rescue his mother.

This matter involves the rules of the Heavenly Court, and the restrictions on Mount Hua were personally set up by Erlang Shen, so it is definitely not something that a Foundation Establishment ant could get involved in.

However, if one does not go, one's moral character will be flawed in the future, and one will ultimately find it difficult to achieve great things.

The story of Chenxiang rescuing his mother has been widely circulated in later generations and must have been true. If we can really find Chenxiang on Mount Hua, even if we only say a few words and don't reveal anything about him, he will surely be included in the karmic tribulation, which can be considered as repaying Qin Xiaoniang's debt of gratitude.

It wouldn't hurt to go and take a look. Besides, Mount Hua originally had a small grotto-heaven, which was one of the thirty-six small grotto-heavens of Taoism.

However, this matter is somewhat strange and contradicts many later legends, the first being the age of Chenxiang.

Qin Xiaoniang stayed in Peach Blossom Paradise for more than three hundred years. If Yang Chan had given birth to Chenxiang before being suppressed, then he would be more than three hundred years old. Unless Chenxiang had not been born yet, how could that be possible?

Legend has it that when Erlang Shen suppressed Yang Chan, he killed her husband.

Jiang Yuan didn't explain to Qinghe why they were going to Mount Hua, fearing she would get involved in these immortal troubles too early. He said they could talk about it when the time was right, since Qinghe was already caught in the red thread of fate and couldn't escape it.

On this journey to Mount Hua, Jiang Yuan will walk the path of mortals, not fly in the sky.

Qinghe was very puzzled. If you can fly, why don't you fly?
Jiang Yuan knew that Qinghe was currently in a typical novice's overconfidence phase, unaware of how dangerous the cultivation world was, and that Foundation Establishment cultivators were truly insignificant.

Jiang Yuan only said that he wanted to find out where there were still immortal markets and figure out the distribution of sect power.

Before they left, Lao Lu gave a general overview of the major sects in the world, which were not distributed according to the legends of Taoist grotto-heavens and blessed lands.

In Lingnan, there is only one major sect, Luofu Mountain, while in Sichuan there are two: Qingcheng Mountain and Emei Sect.

In the southeast, there is a Taoist sect called Maoshan, which is famous throughout the world. This is because most of its disciples exorcise ghosts and catch evil spirits in the mortal world, but the sect's strength is actually just average.

There is a secluded sect in Xunyang and Lushan, whose disciples rarely venture into the martial world, but whose strength is remarkable.

Jiang Yuan could recall that Tao Yuanming, the author of "The Peach Blossom Spring," lived in seclusion on Mount Lu in his later years, according to later legends. He must have been no ordinary person to have entered this paradise, and Jiang Yuan would never dare to cause trouble on Mount Lu at this time.

In the north, there is the Laoshan Taoist sect, which controls the northeastern coast and wields considerable power.

The Sashen Cult exists in the Changbai Mountains of Northeast China. It is actually an ancient cult, a lineage of ancient witchcraft. Branches of the Sashen Cult can be found throughout Northeast China, from the northern grasslands to the northwestern deserts, but they are internally fragmented and unable to form a powerful fighting force.

The largest sect in the central region is undoubtedly the Taiyi Dao Sect of Zhongnan Mountain, named after its founder who rode a blue ox out of seclusion to spread his teachings in Zhongnan Mountain. Most of its disciples cultivate thunder magic, possessing immense killing power; even sword cultivators of the same level might not be able to gain the upper hand.

In the northwest, there is also Mount Kongtong, which is said to be the Daoist temple of the ancient Golden Immortal Guang Chengzi, and is also very powerful.

There are dozens or even hundreds of other small and medium-sized sects, but none of them can be called a true sect.

The standard for a sect to be considered a "Zong" (宗) is that it must have at least one Nascent Soul cultivator; in reality, having only one early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator is not enough. Truly great sects generally possess hidden grotto-heavens and secret realms, and have a Deity Transformation cultivator overseeing them.

Jiang Yuan knew a major secret that probably very few people in the cultivation world of this small planet knew: the spiritual energy of this small planet was insufficient. Even though there were many cave heavens and secret realms, cultivators could not make any further progress once they reached the Nascent Soul stage, and were not qualified to ascend to the Immortal Realm at all.

If I want to break through to a higher realm in the future, I will have to leave the little broken ball, but that will not be easy. It is too early to think about that now.

Jiang Yuan had been calculating in his mind when he could break through to the Nascent Soul stage and escape the small, broken planet. If that happened, the vastness of the world would be even more unpredictable, and the future of Venus would be even more uncertain.

Near Yueyang lies Xiaojun Mountain, one of the legendary blessed lands. Since we're here, we must explore it and see if there's a celestial market. Jiang Yuan and Qing He had just put away their flying artifacts and landed on the ground when they were immediately spied on. Jiang Yuan sensed it.

Jiang Yuan cupped his hands in greeting towards a small bamboo grove, saying, "Greetings, fellow Daoist. We were unaware of your presence and had no intention of offending you."

The man was startled. He had just scanned them with his divine sense and found that both were in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, possessing impressive flying magical artifacts, indicating they were definitely disciples of major sects, but they posed no threat to him. However, why was that handsome young man's divine sense so sharp?
The concealed cultivator had no choice but to reveal himself, cupping his hands and saying, "I did not intend to spy, but there are some troublesome things happening around here, so I have to be careful."

Jiang Yuan also realized that the brocade-robed cultivator in front of him had the cultivation level of the late Foundation Establishment stage. He didn't want to cause trouble, so he said, "In that case, we two will leave now."

The monk in brocade robes called out, "Wait, do you two not know what's going on here?"

Seeing that he meant no harm, Jiang Yuan then said, "I truly do not know. May I ask for your guidance, brother?"

"I am Shen Wangzhi from Maoshan. May I ask which sect you two fellow Daoists belong to as rising stars?"

"My name is Guan Canghai, and this is my Daoist partner, Cui Qinghe. We are both independent cultivators and do not belong to any sect."

A rogue cultivator? Shen Wangzhi naturally didn't believe it, but then he suddenly remembered that the name Cui Qinghe sounded familiar.

"Could it be Fellow Daoist Cui Qinghe, who left the outer sect of Mount Luofu two years ago?"

Qinghe had remained silent until Shen Wangzhi revealed his knowledge, at which point she had no choice but to bow, "How did you come to know about this, fellow Daoist?"

Shen Wangzhi laughed heartily, "Hehe, Fellow Daoist Cui's name is now known to everyone in the cultivation world."

Jiang Yuan was also surprised. There were many cultivators coming and going in Luofu Immortal Market. Cui Qinghe won first place in the outer sect selection, but was forced to leave the sect. Naturally, the news could not be kept secret.

Seeing their embarrassed expressions, Shen Wangzhi quickly said, "Please don't misunderstand, I know the whole story. Fellow Daoist Cui was undoubtedly the top candidate in the outer sect selection, yet he became a victim of internal sect strife. The cultivation world will have its own judgment!"

Jiang Yuan was also puzzled; how could outsiders know such a secret?

In name, Cui Qinghe was sentenced to be permanently banned from employment for violating regulations, which is why she had to leave the outer sect of Luofu Mountain. Could it be that Chu Yunfei deliberately leaked the news? Wouldn't that be a slap in the face to Luofu Mountain?

Qinghe bowed and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Brother Shen!"

"Since it's the two of you, then I have nothing to hide from you. Perhaps your presence here is also due to some kind of fate."

Jiang Yuan grew increasingly curious. "Please enlighten me, Brother Shen!"

"This place is Dongting Lake, and there is a small Junshan Mountain in the middle of the lake. Half a month ago, strange phenomena appeared, which may indicate that a rare treasure has appeared. Now, all the major sects are gathering here, all wanting a share of the pie."

Jiang Yuan was slightly surprised. Junshan was a blessed land for Taoists in later legends. Could it be that it has only now appeared in the world?

"We are only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, how dare we participate in such an important matter?"

Shen Wangzhi smiled and said, "Originally, I didn't dare to have such a wish, but the major sects reached a compromise. Golden Core cultivators will not participate, only Foundation Establishment cultivators are allowed to explore the mystery, and everyone who sees it will get a share. That's why I invited a few fellow Daoists to meet here. You two just happened to stumble upon this, so you must be destined to be involved in this matter. Why don't you explore the mystery with me?"

Shen Wangzhi had heard that Cui Qinghe had defeated a mid-Foundation Establishment sword cultivator in a single move during a duel, and the inner elders of Luofu Mountain had concluded that Cui Qinghe possessed the killing power of a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Guan Canghai was able to easily see through my concealment technique, and his spiritual sense was comparable to that of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. If he could join, the team's strength would definitely increase significantly.

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(End of this chapter)