Chapter 2071: Each Person's Situation

Li Yufu understood what Qin Sang truly wanted to ask, and his expression suddenly grew heavier. As Li Yufu slowly recounted, Qin Sang, despite being mentally prepared, couldn't help but sigh.

Most of the disciples and friends who had been the backbone of Qingyang Guan, those who remained behind when Qin Sang left the Northern Sea for Middle-earth, were no longer alive.

Bai Hanqiu had long ago abandoned her pursuit of the Dao, choosing instead to enjoy familial bliss. As Qin Sang's disciple, she held a revered position in Qingyang Guan. With the sect's growing prosperity, she had ample supply of elixirs, but she only barely managed to break through to the Core Formation stage and then struggled to advance further. Ultimately, she passed away peacefully at the end of her natural lifespan.

Perhaps for this reason, she was not as stern as the other elders, and the younger generation of Qingyang Guan enjoyed being close to her.

Knowing her limitations on the Grand Dao, she focused her life on nurturing the younger generation and looking after the secular world. Whenever a promising talent emerged from the Great Sui Dynasty, she would bring them back to the mountain. Thanks to her efforts, the Qin and Bai families intermarried for generations. Along with other disciples originating from the Great Sui, this group became known as the 'Great Sui Lineage,' which is now one of the more prosperous lineages within Qingyang Guan.

Aunt Mei enjoyed appreciating the diverse landscapes of the world. After Qin Sang's departure, she traveled extensively and was fortunate enough to encounter several opportunities, narrowly entering the Nascent Soul stage. However, Aunt Mei believed that the entire Northern Sea Four Realms might not produce even a single Soul Transformation cultivator in a thousand years, and she certainly didn't have that kind of luck. After forming her Nascent Soul, she became even more uninhibited, traversing almost every corner of the Northern Sea Four Realms, exploring places she had previously dared not tread.

When the heavenly changes arrived and spiritual energy recovered, her past complacency meant it was too late to catch up, and she ultimately perished during a heavenly tribulation.

After Aunt Mei's passing, the Demonic Flame Sect lineage failed to produce any talented successors, gradually declining without worthy heirs.

The Illusionary Mirage Sect lineage faced a similar fate.

This lineage originated from the Illusionary Mirage Sect, a legacy left by Qing Jun's disciple, Zhao Ying, after she joined Qingyang Guan.

After Zhao Ying's death, no outstanding successors emerged from her lineage.

However, this lineage primarily cultivated the Dao of formations and enchantments, making them indispensable in warfare. Li Yufu highly valued this lineage and had nurtured several excellent disciples, but unfortunately, they perished on the battlefield. He could only allocate as many sect resources as possible, hoping that this lineage would one day be revitalized.

Of the various lineages from those years, the Sword Cultivation lineage, ironically, flourished greatly.

The first leader of this lineage was Shangguan Lifeng. He cultivated the *Azure Bamboo Sword Scripture*, a technique passed down by Azure Bamboo, accompanied by Qin Sang's explanations. He himself stopped at the Core Formation stage and perished during an outdoor training expedition, but he had taken on an excellent disciple.

This disciple, Daoist name Mirage Scar, possessed exceptional talent. After achieving mastery in swordsmanship, he ventured out to avenge his master, single-handedly slaying his enemies and standing out among his peers. After that, he progressed by leaps and bounds.

Mirage Scar's talent, comprehension, and courage were all top-tier. He dared to engage in fierce battles, honing his sword against the Changyou tribe. Coupled with the sect's full support, he broke through the barriers in one go, entering the Soul Transformation stage. He is Qingyang Guan's most outstanding junior and is currently stationed on the front lines.

Tan Yien dedicated his life to managing the sect. Because of his efforts, Li Yufu and others could focus on their cultivation. He kept the sect well-organized, and with the solid foundation laid by Qin Sang, Qingyang Guan flourished. Seeing the sect's growing prosperity, Tan Yien passed away contentedly at the Core Formation stage. Even now, many descendants of the Tan family serve as deacons in Qingyang Guan.

What Qin Sang regretted most was the fate of Tan Hao.

He was originally the most highly cultivated individual in Qingyang Guan. Without any unforeseen circumstances, with the help of the Azure Spirit Qi, he should have been the most promising candidate to break through to Soul Transformation. However, he failed to overcome this hurdle and lived out his full lifespan.

Li Yufu said with a heavy heart, "Senior Martial Uncle Tan had the potential to reach Soul Transformation. But to allow us younger generations to cultivate without worry, he voluntarily took on the sect's external affairs. Especially when the heavenly changes arrived, he spared no effort in supporting our cultivation, giving all the spiritual treasures and precious herbs he found for us to refine, keeping nothing for himself. His sole wish was for one or two of us to break through to Soul Transformation before the impending destruction, to escape and preserve a trace of Qingyang Guan's legacy. Senior Martial Uncle Tan, however, sacrificed his own cultivation in doing so..."

Tan Hao is now buried alongside Shi Hong, with Tan Yien's tombstone beside them. The family of three is reunited in the netherworld.

Qin Sang gazed at the clear blue sky, silent for a moment. Another friend with whom he could sit and reminisce about old times was gone. Of the sworn brothers who had joined the Kuiyin Sect with him back then, only he remained. That entire experience had now become a memory.

While old friends had passed, new talents were also emerging.

For example, Mirage Scar, the foremost among the younger generation who had already reached Soul Transformation, and Qin Niansui, who now leads the Great Sui Lineage.

Qin Sang still remembered this disciple, the first person from the Qin family with cultivation talent. Bai Hanqiu had once brought Qin Niansui to meet him. This young man is currently in the Beichen Realm, guarding Qingyang Guan's ancestral grounds. He has a good disposition and might have hope of breaking through to Soul Transformation in the future.

Among them, Li Yufu also mentioned an unexpected person—Bai Ying'er.

"Bai Ying'er has repeatedly expressed to me that her greatest regret in life was not being able to become your disciple years ago. Knowing her connection to you, and seeing that her character and aptitude are excellent, and that her sincerity is absolute, I requested Immortal Master Liuli to officiate, allowing her to pay homage before your sacred image and become your disciple, thus joining Qingyang Guan. I acted on my own initiative without your permission, Master, please punish me!"

Li Yufu knelt down, begging for punishment.

Qin Sang remembered the girl, from a karma in Canglang Sea. Back then, he had only given her some simple guidance and left her a cave dwelling. Unexpectedly, through a twist of fate, she still ended up becoming his disciple.

He wouldn't blame Li Yufu for such a matter. "I did guide her a few times back then, so there is indeed a master-disciple connection. As long as she dedicates herself to the Dao and doesn't bring shame to Qingyang Guan, I can acknowledge her as my disciple. You were not at fault for giving her a proper status."

At this point, Qin Sang suddenly recalled that upon his return to Canglang Sea, he had entrusted the Four Sacred Palace to search for the Twin-headed Hou, only to receive rumors that it had been seen with a young girl.

"Is there a Twin-headed Hou by Bai Ying'er's side? Hmm... it might not have two heads anymore."

Li Yufu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "Junior Sister Ying'er is exceptionally talented and diligently cultivates; she will never bring shame to the sect! The one Master mentioned must be Fellow Daoist Hou. When I saw him, he already had three heads. Junior Sister Ying'er was able to overcome various dangers precisely because Fellow Daoist Hou protected her on her journey. However..."

Qin Sang remembered that when the Twin-headed Hou was attempting to transform, it was about to grow a third head. It seemed to have successfully broken through. He also recalled the Twin-headed Hou's stubborn refusal to accept charity, and how it had ultimately diverted a powerful enemy for him in exchange for its freedom. Learning of this outcome, he was quite pleased for it.

Just then, Li Yufu's expression changed, showing reluctance. Qin Sang frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, "Did something happen to them?"

Li Yufu remained kneeling, lowering his head in sorrow. "This disciple was incompetent; I failed to issue a timely warning, leading to Junior Sister Ying'er and Fellow Daoist Hou being simultaneously attacked by a mist waterfall and mist beasts during an outing, and tragically swept away by the mist waterfall. Also caught in it were Senior Jingyu, along with Fellow Daoists Chilei, Baihe, and others from Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea..."

With every name Li Yufu uttered, his voice grew heavier, laden with immense grief.

The cultivators from the Storm Realm were newcomers and initially unaware of the dangers inherent in the changing weather phenomena of the Mist Sea, leading to the senseless loss of many fellow Daoists.

Even though some patterns were later summarized, the aboriginal tribes, having lived there for generations, still couldn't guarantee completely accurate predictions. Therefore, casualties were still unavoidable for the Storm Realm whenever a mist tide arrived, with that particular incident being the most tragic.

Due to Qin Sang's relationship with Yun Youzi, Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea and Qingyang Guan were inseparable, practically considered a single lineage of Qingyang Guan. Many experts among the demon cultivators resided there, and that mist waterfall incident almost swallowed half of Qingyang Guan's combat strength.

Qin Sang's heart grew heavy.

He had believed that with the *Heavenly Demon Refining Form* technique he had passed down, the perfected Heavenly Dao after entering the Great Thousand World, and the aid of Azure Spirit Qi, Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea might produce one or even several Soul Transformation experts. He never expected to receive such dreadful news instead.

No wonder he hadn't sensed the aura of any of them in Luye.

Gu Ya's experience proved that being swept into a mist waterfall doesn't necessarily mean death, but it's highly probable one will be flung to the ends of the earth. The Great Thousand World is boundless, making it likely they would never meet again.

Losing so many experts at once, he feared Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea might never recover.

"Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea is currently sustained by Senior Liu and Senior Yunu. Because we still need to unite the Northern Sea demon tribes through Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea, after they suffered severe losses, Immortal Master Liuli and I fully supported Senior Yunu's cultivation. Senior Yunu herself also acquired some opportunities and finally entered the Soul Transformation realm."

Li Yufu's next words brought Qin Sang a glimmer of comfort.

Yunu was the white cat who had sold him the cave dwelling years ago. Because she was personally enlightened by Yun Youzi and had interactions with Qin Sang as equals, Li Yufu had always referred to her as "Senior."

That she was favored by Yun Youzi meant her talent was also excellent. Furthermore, she later began cultivating the *Heavenly Demon Refining Form*. Of course, her achievements were inseparable from her own diligent efforts.

Finally, some good news, which slightly eased Qin Sang's gloomy mood.

He also knew this was a matter of individual destiny and heavenly will, and he couldn't blame Li Yufu. He bade Li Yufu rise and then inquired about the circumstances of other individuals.

"Oh, that black lion is still alive?"

Li Yufu nodded. "This disciple perceived that Fellow Daoist Black Lion disliked being restrained and also wished to unite the demon tribes against external enemies. So, after consulting with Junior Martial Brother Shen, I voluntarily lifted the restrictions on Fellow Daoist Black Lion. Fellow Daoist Black Lion once said that Master had not treated him unfairly and that he had no desire to cause trouble for Qingyang Guan, wishing instead to maintain eternal good relations. It returned to the Eastern Sea to rally its former subordinates, establishing a crucial position among the demon tribes, and later contributed significantly when uniting various factions."

Next, they discussed the sect's cultivation methods.

As Qin Sang had expected, many encountered difficulties after breaking through to Soul Transformation, facing the dilemma of having no further cultivation methods. Their cultivation was stuck at the early Soul Transformation stage, with only a very few able to reach the middle stage.

Furthermore, the true legacies of many sects were incomplete, even failing to cover the entire Nascent Soul stage.

Li Yufu said, "The crisis is imminent. Facing external pressure, and in order to quickly gain the strength to resist the Changyou tribe, all parties were compelled to bring out some of their treasured cultivation methods for mutual study. However, many problems arose.

"Some cultivation methods were complete in content, allowing cultivation up to the Soul Transformation realm, but they contained various biases or flaws, with numerous difficult-to-surmount obstacles. It was nearly impossible for ordinary people to cultivate to the realms described in these methods.

"Other methods were extremely exquisite, clearly superior techniques at first glance, but these were mostly incomplete fragments. Unless someone with extraordinary talent could complete the methods, they would be even harder to cultivate...

"For various reasons, most people were unwilling to switch to cultivating the first type of method. Instead, they focused on studying the second type, hoping to gain inspiration and improve their sect's true legacy.

"This disciple did just that, studying several fragmented cultivation methods and frequently consulting Immortal Master Liuli, which is how I achieved my current accomplishments."

Qin Sang nodded slightly; the reality was exactly as he had expected.

Those fragmented cultivation methods were likely linked to ancient secret realms like the Ziwei Palace. Perhaps some were superior Dao techniques no less significant than the *Ziwei Sword Scripture* or the *Heavenly Demon Refining Form*. However, it was truly frustrating that most of what was unearthed here were mere fragments.

If he hadn't had various fortuitous encounters, he wouldn't have been able to complete those cultivation methods.

Regarding the second type, he had actually acquired a cultivation method called *All-Heaven Demonic Sound* long ago. Qingyang Guan had always had disciples cultivating it, but their progress was unremarkable.

Given such circumstances, it was truly astonishing that Liuli was able to break through to the late Soul Transformation stage, despite her exceptional talent.

Qin Sang had once entered the Xuantian Palace treasury to observe Dao techniques and remembered that Xuantian Palace likely did not possess such a grand legacy. The cultivation methods of Tingxue Tower were similar. While the inheritances of the various Middle-earth sects and the Formless Immortal Sect were superior, they probably also lacked true legacies leading directly to the Void Refinement stage.

Perhaps Liuli had acquired another fortuitous encounter. After all, during the great changes in the world at that time, some previously unknown secret realms might have been exposed. As she was the first to break through to Soul Transformation, she would have been able to enter them first and obtain the opportunities within.

For instance, she was the one who discovered the Azure Spirit Qi.

At this point, Li Yufu recalled something else and said, "The three races are in different situations. The demon tribes are actually in a better position than our human and witch tribes. Although their cultivation methods are incomplete, they can improve themselves through continuous bloodline refinement, though the speed might be slower.

"Especially the various tribes from the Demon Sea, whose ancestral lands still exist, seem to be able to gain benefits from within them. Upon entering the spiritual-energy-rich Great Thousand World, breaking through realms became easier. Some powerful demon cultivators have long lifespans but were previously trapped by bottlenecks. With their solid foundations, once they break through, they will experience a burst of rapid cultivation advancement, with many experts emerging.

"Excluding Immortal Master Liuli, the demon tribes now show a tendency to surpass us."

Qin Sang caught the hidden meaning in Li Yufu's words. He glanced at him and nodded noncommittally.

While the various races and sects of the Storm Realm had united to resist external enemies, this didn't mean there were no internal problems. All individuals, let alone different races, harbored selfish desires. It was simply that the enemy was too powerful, suppressing any internal conflicts from erupting.

It was conceivable that the day the external enemy was dealt with would mark the beginning of internal strife.

Qin Sang intended to establish his Dao field here and certainly didn't want so many hidden dangers within it. Although he could suppress everyone with his strength, allowing them to remain was always a potential risk.

He could tolerate others having different ideas, and even his own disciples might not be entirely of one mind with him, but those who harbored ill intentions or played both sides would need to be purged.

This was also why he hadn't revealed himself publicly.

Moving forward, his efforts would be directed both externally and internally. Therefore, he would not immediately suppress the Changyou tribe. Firstly, seeing that their assault on the Storm Realm was futile, the Changyou tribe would inevitably seek external aid in their time of crisis, and even with his high cultivation, he couldn't completely seal off an entire race. Secondly, this opponent served as a perfect touchstone.

With this thought, Qin Sang said to Li Yufu, "Come with me for a walk first."