Chapter 226 - 223: Inquiry
At this moment,
high above the Wu Family Collection,
in a certain patch of sky,
a figure in green robes stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze, incomparably deep, was fixed on the distant horizon.
His robes fluttered despite the lack of wind, and wisps of clear Spirit Charm emanated from his body. His entire aura seemed to blend with the heavens and the earth.
An existence such as this—
one could clearly sense just by standing before him that this was an invincible expert who stood above countless living beings!
"Master, is everything alright?"
Suddenly,
the space behind him rippled.
Wu Tianhao’s figure emerged. Seeing the familiar silhouette ahead, he lowered his head and bowed with clasped hands.
"What could possibly be wrong? That paltry old man Qijue is just an old ghost who’s lived two hundred years too long. A bag of old bones in a tomb, not even worth mentioning."
Master Wandering Dragon waved his hand dismissively, not the least bit concerned.
"You little rascal, you don’t have any objections to your master occupying your Wu Family’s treasured land, do you?"
"Master, you jest!"
"That Ancient Grotto Heaven has existed for many years. Even if my Wu Family spent several hundred years, we might never have been able to open it. At most, we could only use the power overflowing from it to cultivate a bit of Cyan Essence Water Grass."
"On the contrary, if the news were to leak, I’m afraid all thousand members of our Wu Clan would be slaughtered on the spot!"
"For all these years, the Clan Leader has been worried day and night, terrified that one careless slip would reveal the secret and bring a cataclysmic, clan-exterminating disaster upon us... The price is far too high and doesn’t match the potential reward at all. For Master to be willing to take this trouble off our hands is a great thing for the Wu Family!"
Wu Tianhao said with a serious expression.
And he wasn’t just spouting nonsense.
The recent collapse of the Wu Family Collection, the clan’s entire base, over an area several miles wide, was all due to the commotion caused by the Cyan Essence Water Grass alone.
If the news that an Ancient Grotto Heaven Ruins was hidden below were to get out,
Wu Tianhao couldn’t even begin to imagine,
what kind of disaster would befall his Wu Family!
Being able to get rid of this hot potato was a good thing for everyone in the Wu Family!
"You child... Forget it. You can rest assured. Since your master has taken such a great advantage of you, I won’t treat you unfairly."
"In the newly founded Dragon Cloud Sect, there will certainly be a place for your Wu Family!"
It’s impossible to know what lies in another’s heart, so Master Wandering Dragon couldn’t tell if Wu Tianhao’s words were true or false.
But it didn’t matter.
For someone of his level, the loyalty of those beneath him was not important.
"Thank you, Master!"
Wu Tianhao bowed respectfully, a flash of excitement crossing his face.
He knew his master’s character.
The man’s promise was as good as gold.
From now on, the family wouldn’t have to live in constant fear as they had before.
His heart relaxed a little.
However, at this moment,
he hesitated for a moment.
But since it concerned the future,
he still cautiously asked the question that concerned him most:
"Master, the Sect... is there really no other way?"
Master Wandering Dragon was slightly taken aback,
then turned to glance at his well-behaved disciple behind him.
But he didn’t pay it much mind.
He shook his head slightly.
"The Old Ancestor’s grand birthday is approaching, and he’s already in death seclusion... But based on his past, the chances of him breaking through to the next level are, I’m afraid, very slim..."
Master Wandering Dragon looked toward the sky again, a hint of resignation on his face.
"Without the Old Ancestor’s support, we are ultimately just minor Divine Travel cultivators. We are no match for them..."
"Safe outside, dead inside. If I were to remain in the Sect and get entangled with them, I’m afraid I would never be able to overcome that hurdle and achieve the Profound Pill Position in this lifetime."
"Right now, this might actually be a good opportunity for me."
"I have already burned my bridges; I have no path of retreat... But perhaps only by doing so can I find life in a desperate situation..."
Master Wandering Dragon’s voice was faint,
and his words revealed his dire circumstances.
Yet, his face showed not a trace of dejection; on the contrary, his eyes burned with a vigorous fighting spirit.
As one of the Yuqing Seven Sons, he was a prodigy the likes of which might appear only once in a million people.
A prodigy naturally has a prodigy’s pride.
Although he had lost this round,
it did not mean he would continue to lose in the future!
"Ah, uh... Master, so... does this count as us defecting from the Sect, or have we been expelled?"
In contrast to Master Wandering Dragon’s composure,
Wu Tianhao was completely stunned, his expression tense as he spoke.
His own master’s backer within the Sect was about to fall.
And now he was being forced to establish a Sect in this remote, backwater place... Wasn’t that no different from being expelled from the Yuqing Immortal Sect?
If his master’s enemies inside the Yuqing Sect were to apply even a little pressure, what could little pawns like them possibly do?!
SMACK!
Before Wu Tianhao could figure it out,
Master Wandering Dragon smacked him on the head.
He cursed, his face annoyed:
"You damn brat, why does it sound like you can’t wait for your master to be kicked out of the Sect!"
"My status as a Secret Disciple in the Sect hasn’t been revoked! I only came here to establish a Sect to avoid the limelight from those bastards for a while. The Dragon Cloud Sect has been founded, but it’s still a subordinate of the main Sect. In the future, prodigies cultivated by the Dragon Cloud Sect can be sent to the main Sect. Just think of the Dragon Cloud Sect as a lower court of the Yuqing Immortal Sect!"
Looking at his disciple’s clear yet foolish expression,
Master Wandering Dragon’s previously good mood soured, and he could no longer maintain his dignified, masterly demeanor.
"How do you think all those various subordinate sects and family clans under the main Sect came to be? Many of them were founded by disciples who left the Sect, and the vast majority have ancestral ties to the Immortal Sect!"
"Sect-like powers like the one I’m founding, while not orthodox lower courts of the main Sect, are the very source of more than half of the Sect’s new blood, supplied from all the sects and family clans we’ve established everywhere... Otherwise, how do you think the Sect rules over a territory stretching for millions upon millions of miles..."
"Forget it. I’m done wasting my breath on you."
"The Dragon Cloud Sect has just been established. We’ll use the Ancient Grotto Heaven as the location for our Mountain Gate. Send people to clean it up; don’t disgrace the name of my Immortal Sect..."
"Also, use your network and influence to send people out to spread the word. My Dragon Cloud Sect will be opening its gates wide to recruit disciples. The requirement is the Qi Introduction Realm. If they’re at the Soul Emergence Realm, they can join as Honored Guest Elders... Oh, and select some promising candidates with good aptitude and Comprehension. I will personally assess them. If they pass, I will temporarily accept them as Registered Disciples..."
Wu Tianhao’s head was still spinning a bit from the smack.
However, he carefully committed his master’s instructions to memory.
And when he heard the words "promising candidates,"
he instinctively thought of a certain disciple from the Shen Clan staying in Dawan Village.
’With that kid’s aptitude and Comprehension, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?’
’I can’t believe what I said offhandedly back then might actually come true, and we’ll become fellow disciples.’
’Oh, right, Xiaoyu is still over there. Once this is all settled, it’ll be a good time to go over and bring her back...’
While listening to Master Wandering Dragon’s orders,
these thoughts flashed through Wu Tianhao’s mind.