Chapter 3 The Blood God Sect

Soon, Ji Ning met with Immortal Diancai.

Beneath a quiet pavilion, a jug of immortal wine, two cups. Master and disciple drank and talked.

“Master, I hope I haven’t disturbed your seclusion,” Ji Ning said.

“I was merely in quiet meditation, not some sudden enlightenment—why fear disturbance?” Immortal Diancai looked at Ji Ning and nodded with satisfaction. “Ji Ning, you are far more formidable than in the past. When you first entered my tutelage, you were still a rough jade, very immature. Now your divine sense is even stronger than mine—truly a peerless genius who won first place in the Immortal Destiny Convention after just over thirty years of cultivation.”

“Master, don’t praise me so—my tail is about to curl up,” Ji Ning said with a laugh.

“You rascal…” Immortal Diancai shook his head with a smile.

Ji Ning grew serious. “Master, are you really going to undergo the tribulation soon? The heavenly tribulation must be approached with the utmost caution; not the slightest negligence is allowed.”

“Of course I know. How many Earth Immortals and Loose Immortals are there? In ordinary times, it’s rare for even one Celestial Immortal to be born in the entire Grand Xia world in a million years,” Immortal Diancai said. “But now is different from the past. In just the last twenty or thirty years, several Earth Immortals in the Grand Xia world have successfully passed the tribulation and become Celestial Immortals.”

“Several?” Ji Ning was astonished.

“Mm.” Immortal Diancai nodded. “The more turbulent the times, the easier it is for the strong to emerge. Moreover, during my recent cultivation, I had a vague premonition… a great calamity is approaching. If I am to transcend the tribulation and become an immortal, I must do so soon; only then is there a glimmer of hope. If I delay, I fear I will perish in this calamity.”

Ji Ning was secretly alarmed.

Immortals’ vague premonitions are generally accurate. In fact, since returning to the Grand Xia world, Ji Ning had also faintly sensed a terrible storm approaching. However, he did not feel the urgent need to undergo the tribulation soon—clearly, thanks to his mastery of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, his chances of survival were far greater than Immortal Diancai’s.

“Master.” Ji Ning suddenly flipped his hand, and a pile of books as tall as a man appeared beside him.

“This is?” Immortal Diancai was puzzled.

“Daoist scriptures,” Ji Ning said. “These three, Master, you can take a look at.”

Ji Ning pulled out three thick books from the pile.

Immortal Diancai took them and began to flip through. These Daoist scriptures were obtained by Ji Ning after slaying the various demon kings and evil patriarchs in the Crescent Moon world. Those powerful beings often kept copies on their persons to prevent their scriptures from being destroyed. For instance, after the Firewing Demon King destroyed the Qi Kingdom, part of the Qi Kingdom’s scriptures fell into his hands, and Ji Ning later acquired them.

“Excellent sword arts, excellent sword arts.” Immortal Diancai’s eyes lit up. He quickly flipped through another book and grew excited again. “Directly pointing to the Great Dao, directly pointing to the Great Dao.”

Ji Ning smiled.

After all, the Qi Kingdom had expanded its territory a million miles in just tens of thousands of years—how could its Daoist scriptures be insignificant? The twelve demon kings and the evil patriarch were all comparable to Celestial Immortals. The accumulated scriptures were truly astonishing. Though far inferior to those of Mount Fangcun, they were more than ten times better than those of the Black-White College!

“Ji Ning, these scriptures…” Immortal Diancai looked at Ji Ning.

“Master, rest assured. These scriptures were obtained by your disciple and have no hidden dangers. They are prepared for you and the Black-White College,” Ji Ning said. The supreme techniques of the Mount Fangcun lineage were strictly forbidden from being passed on due to the Patriarch’s rules, but those taken from the demon kings and evil patriarchs had no such restrictions.

The Black-White College had over ten Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals, each no ordinary one. With these scriptures, their strength could rise another level.

As for the Ji clan?

Ji Ning had also made a copy of these scriptures for the Ji clan using the Water Seal Technique. He believed that as his strength grew, he would obtain even more remarkable scriptures. To fulfill his father’s wish, the old patriarch’s wish, and as a member of the Ji clan, he naturally had to make the clan prosper.

“Good, good, good. These scriptures are truly remarkable.” Immortal Diancai was thrilled. “The three sword-art texts you selected have inspired me. I need to go into seclusion immediately to ponder them deeply. This time, my chances of surviving the tribulation are much greater.”

Ji Ning nodded.

These three texts were no less than the complete Three-Foot Sword, all being sword Dao classics. Currently, among the Returning-to-Void Earth Immortals of the Black-White College, only Immortal Diancai and Ji Ning were sword immortals, so no one else would compete for them.

…

“Excellent.”

The Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals of the Black-White College were all summoned to Immortal Diancai’s place. Seeing the pile of scriptures, they were overjoyed as they flipped through them.

“Divine ability ‘Ninefold Bend’.”

“Divine ability ‘Blood Shadow Escape’.”

“Secret art ‘Thousand Star Soul Search’.”

“A Pure Yang-level qi cultivation method—our Black-White College didn’t even have a Pure Yang-level method before.”

“This is also a Pure Yang-level qi cultivation method.”

“This is a formation.”

“This is puppet art?”

The various scriptures excited the assembled immortals.

Ji Ning sighed inwardly. On Mount Fangcun, there were even Daolord-level qi cultivation methods and many sword techniques created by the Dao Ancestor. But the sect rules forbade their transmission. He could only give his sect the scriptures obtained from the demon kings and evil patriarchs, yet these already thrilled them.

…

The Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals of the Black-White College were all extraordinary.

In the past, they lacked good scriptures. Now, with the scriptures Ji Ning provided, their strength was bound to increase. Even the Mad Immortal laughed heartily: “With these scriptures, the fortune of our Black-White College will be ten times greater! At the Immortal Destiny Convention, Little Slob made the top six, and Ji Ning took first. I knew our Black-White College’s fortune was rising, and we would grow stronger. Today, I finally see it. With these scriptures, haha… even I might live another ten thousand years.”

The Mad Immortal had originally estimated that he wouldn’t survive the nine tribulations in nine hundred years, but with these scriptures, his insights would deepen, his strength increase, and he could live much longer.

…

Night.

Ji Ning and Immortal Diancai walked along a mountain path within the Black-White College.

“Ji Ning, scriptures are the foundation of a sect. With these, the Black-White College will surely prosper, perhaps even rival the top sects of the Grand Xia dynasty.” Immortal Diancai looked at Ji Ning. “All of this is because of you. Your contribution this time is immense.”

Some disciples, upon obtaining powerful scriptures, preferred to give them to their own clans. Few gave so much to their sect.

“This is nothing,” Ji Ning shook his head.

“Now, not only is Anqi Commandery in chaos, but the entire Grand Xia world is seething with undercurrents and unrest. With these scriptures, the top Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals of our Black-White College can rise another level. Thus, more of our people can survive this calamity.” Immortal Diancai looked at Ji Ning. “At such a critical moment, a set of scriptures like this is more important than ten or a hundred sets after the calamity.”

Ji Ning asked in confusion, “Master, what chaos is there in Anqi Commandery?”

“You don’t know?” Immortal Diancai was puzzled.

“I just returned to Grand Xia. Before you came out of seclusion, I didn’t talk much with Old Man Mad and the others,” Ji Ning said.

Immortal Diancai nodded. “Then let me tell you. In Anqi Commandery… by the way, your friend named ‘Beishan Baiwei’ was assassinated over ten years ago and nearly died. It happened right in Anqi City!”

“What?” Ji Ning was shocked. “In Anqi City? Isn’t that a provocation to the Grand Xia dynasty?”

Fighting is forbidden in Grand Xia cities.

That is the law!

When the Shaoyin clan sent the Floating Cloud Immortal, he was willing to be a suicide soldier!

“How is Beishan Baiwei now?” Ji Ning pressed.

“He survived by luck and is now living well,” Immortal Diancai said. “In the last twenty or thirty years, there have been over a hundred assassinations in Anqi City. Though we all suspect it’s the Blood God Sect, it’s only speculation—no evidence. Without evidence, the Grand Xia dynasty can’t act.”

Ji Ning was puzzled. “The Blood God Sect? One of the eight major powers of Anqi Commandery? Do they have the nerve?”

Over a hundred assassinations in Anqi City—that was insane.

“Why not? Their nerve is greater than you imagine.” Immortal Diancai shook his head. “The Blood God Sect is a bunch of madmen. Recently, their strength has exploded astonishingly. In several clashes with the Anqi Northmont clan, the Anqi Northmont clan actually suffered repeated losses.”

“What?” Ji Ning couldn’t believe it.

The Anqi Northmont clan ruled this land; they were marquises!

The Blood God Sect was merely one of the eight major powers.

Logically, if the Anqi Northmont clan truly wanted to destroy the Blood God Sect, it shouldn’t be difficult.

“The Blood God Sect’s strength is far greater than it appeared on the surface,” Immortal Diancai said. “The Blood God Sect’s leader even fought against the Tuoshan Celestial Immortal, and the Tuoshan Celestial Immortal couldn’t do anything to him. Many outposts of the Anqi Northmont clan, including some immortal armies, were forcibly uprooted and annihilated by the Blood God Sect. Whether in clashes among Loose Immortals or skirmishes among low-level disciples, the Anqi Northmont clan hasn’t gained the upper hand—it’s more of a stalemate.”

Ji Ning listened in disbelief.

A marquis couldn’t destroy one of the eight major powers within its territory?

“The Blood God Sect leader wasn’t this strong before,” Immortal Diancai shook his head. “I once fought the Blood God Sect leader, the ‘Blood Son,’ not long ago. How could his strength have risen to the level of a Celestial Immortal in such a short time?”

Ji Ning nodded.

“The Anqi Northmont clan is now worried. They want to rally the other powers under their command to deal with the Blood God Sect,” Immortal Diancai said. “But now, not only is Anqi Commandery in turmoil, the entire Grand Xia world is in upheaval. How can our various sects and clans afford to be careless?”

“How did this happen?” Ji Ning frowned.

The entire Grand Xia was in chaos, as if the old order had been shattered.

It seemed as if an incredibly terrifying hand was stirring everything from behind the scenes.

“Because the whole Grand Xia world is in turmoil, and the Blood God Sect has suddenly grown strong. So we all suspect there’s a great secret behind the Blood God Sect. Ji Ning, don’t foolishly rush in. This is the Anqi Northmont clan’s headache.” Immortal Diancai admonished. “In a calamity, one must be even more cautious.”

“Mm.” Ji Ning nodded. “Master, please rest. I’ll go see my fellow disciples.”

“Fellow disciples? Do you know where your junior apprentice-brother Mu Zishuo is now?” Immortal Diancai asked.

“No, I haven’t seen him in over thirty years. I was just thinking of visiting Junior Apprentice-Brother Shuo.” Ji Ning asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? What happened to Junior Apprentice-Brother Shuo?”

Immortal Diancai shook his head. “Mu Zishuo disappeared over twenty years ago, together with his Dao companion!”

…