Chapter 224: Saint Yunzi

When information about the Continent of Wanggu was revealed, all disciples within the Seven Blood Eyes sect were utterly shocked. This feeling of a veil being lifted expanded their minds and opened up a new world for them.

Xu Qing felt the same way, but he pondered more deeply. The Seven Blood Eyes sect's decision to release this information at this specific time held profound significance. To Xu Qing, it seemed as if the sect intended for its disciples to prepare in advance.

Xu Qing was certain he wasn't the only one with such a feeling. Indeed, after these revelations, the Seven Blood Eyes disciples, who had struggled through the 'gu-raising' process, generally discerned much more from the information.

Notably, among the publicized information, the other five major powers were merely mentioned in passing. The primary focus was on the Seven Sect Alliance, one of the six major powers within Ying Province.

The Seven Sect Alliance functions as a unified entity, comprising 137 sects of varying sizes, led by its seven most powerful members.

This is why it's called the Seven Sect Alliance.

These seven sects earned their leadership not only due to their astonishing high-level combat prowess, robust mid-level strength, and extensive lower-level reach, but also for another crucial reason.

They are the only seven sects among the 137 that possess forbidden artifacts.

Artifacts are uncommon on the Continent of Wanggu. Each possesses earth-shattering power and unfathomable might, but their use requires extreme caution. Every time an artifact's true form is activated, it becomes severely contaminated. Frequent use can render an artifact useless.

Therefore, not only must their usage be limited, but they also require constant nurturing to dissipate the alien contamination they accrue.

A "forbidden" artifact is an artifact that has reached a certain level of power; these are even rarer than ordinary artifacts. Any artifact designated as "forbidden" possesses the power to annihilate an entire sect.

Only such artifacts, capable of annihilating sects, can serve as the ultimate deterrent against other sects in Yinghuang Province, thus granting the possessors the right to wield significant power.

This is precisely how the seven sects rose to prominence: through their high-end combat capabilities and, more importantly, their forbidden artifacts. This is also why the Seven Sect Alliance became one of the six major powers in Yinghuang Province. Possessing seven forbidden artifacts, the Seven Sect Alliance holds the power to severely cripple the Li Tuo Dao Altar, the Tai Si Immortal Sect, or any of the other factions.

This capability translates directly into status.

The seven strongest sects within the Seven Sect Alliance are the Lingyun Sword Sect, Lingxia Valley, Lieyi Gate, Dayan Dao Palace, Tianming Pavilion, Tianjian Treasure Sect, and Xuanyou Sect.

Over the following days, this information became the new hot topic among the Seven Blood Eyes disciples, even overshadowing their previous discussions about the three female cultivators from the Tai Si Immortal Sect.

Even Zhang San tried to discuss it with Xu Qing via voice transmission, but Xu Qing showed little interest. His full attention was on the wish box, which was nearing successful nurturing.

Of his two wish boxes, the one from the Merman Young Master was already half-nurtured, while the one acquired from Ma Si had not been nurtured at all.

Consequently, the latter was still a long way from being opened, but the former was already about 98-99% complete. Xu Qing estimated he could open it within three to five days at most.

"What could be inside my wish box?" Xu Qing wondered, filled with anticipation, especially recalling how mysterious the one Wu Jianwu opened seemed.

"What did he get from his?" Xu Qing was curious, though he figured that fool would never tell him.

Time passed, and foreign sects and clans arrived daily. On the fifth day, just as Xu Qing's wish box was about to open, seven enormous, magnificent vessels arrived outside the Seven Blood Eyes' territory.

These seven colossal vessels were exceptionally luxurious, thousands of zhang in size, and radiated an imposing aura. Upon closer inspection, one could discern that they were all forged from the refined bodies of divine sea beasts.

Each vessel had a unique form: one was a divine Azure Dragon, another a terrifying jellyfish, a ferocious giant turtle, and even a three-clawed black-scaled dragon.

Their arrival stirred up a storm, sweeping across the entire Seven Blood Eyes port. Countless boats swayed, and the sea churned as if a tsunami was about to crash down.

Immensely grand and awe-inspiring, they surged from the sea amidst a resounding roar.

They even disregarded the Seven Blood Eyes' protective formation, charging directly into the port. What was particularly astonishing was that the Seven Blood Eyes' grand formation seemed to have no effect on them.

It was as if, in the grand formation's assessment, the arriving cultivators held higher authority.

Thus, on this day, for the first time in years, the Seven Blood Eyes disciples witnessed an unannounced, direct entry into their territory, and the sect itself uncharacteristically remained silent.

The seven colossal vessels proceeded directly into seven different berths. From six of these massive ships disembarked individuals, each radiating brilliant light, seemingly capable of eclipsing the sky's splendor, reflecting brightly in the hearts of the Seven Blood Eyes disciples.

These were the Seven Sect Alliance's vessels, and the people disembarking were the Seven Sect envoys visiting the Seven Blood Eyes, representing the leading prodigies of their respective sects for this generation.

Among them were both men and women, none appearing particularly old. Their attire was extraordinarily opulent, their demeanor exceptionally refined. All of them shimmered with radiant light, and their entire beings exuded incomparable power.

Strikingly, all of them possessed the Four Flames cultivation level!

Each had 120 spiritual apertures within them, shining like brilliant stars, shaking the minds of all who beheld them and inevitably inspiring feelings of inadequacy.

They seemed like true divine children, descending upon the mortal realm.

These six individuals who disembarked from their respective massive vessels were already preeminent prodigies, yet after stepping off, they all turned their gazes towards the enormous three-clawed black-scaled dragon.

The three-clawed black-scaled dragon roared skyward, its voice like thunder echoing in all directions. Simultaneously, its head gently lowered to touch the port ground, and a crack opened from its brow.

From this fissure, a youthful figure emerged, step by step, bathed in endless splendor. He wore a golden official robe, a matching golden spider-web pattern belt around his waist, and a gold-inlaid emerald crown on his head, within which his black hair was bound.

This tall, slender figure stood perfectly straight. His calm face exuded an innate nobility, and as he walked, the six god-like prodigies who had arrived earlier bowed their heads to him.

His arrival seemed to make him unapproachable, reducing others to dust.

Moreover, as he walked, a canopy of seven-colored light materialized above his head, supremely noble, with the sound of wind chimes echoing all around. From a distance, this canopy was clearly a Seven-Colored Wind Chime Lamp!

The lamp shone with extreme brilliance amidst its seven-colored light, radiating immense power. While it caused a stir in all directions, it also unleashed a tremendous surge in the minds of countless onlookers.

"A Life Lamp!"

Someone gasped aloud, and the next moment, the shouts intensified, rising and falling.

The Seven-Colored Wind Chime Lamp was indeed the legendary Life Lamp!

Furthermore, this young man, who possessed the Life Lamp, also had all 120 spiritual apertures fully open within him. Faintly visible behind him was the silhouette of a strange bird with a green body and a red tail, exuding an aura that suppressed all phenomena.

This was unmistakably the manifestation of a Royal-grade cultivation method!

All of these elements coalesced into an earth-shattering aura, which, combined with the power of his Life Lamp, seemed to possess the ability to suppress all ages and all prodigies of an entire epoch.

This individual was Chu Shengyun, the foremost prodigy of this generation from the Seven Sect Alliance, hailing from the Lingyun Sword Sect.

Although not yet at the Golden Core stage, his power surpassed it, leading his grandfather, the Lingyun Sword Sect's Old Ancestor, to bestow upon him the title "Saint Son Shengyun!"

Within the Lingyun Sword Sect, he was the chief sequence Daozi, entrusted with great hopes to follow the path of an Ancient Emperor and Ruler.

Within the Seven Sect Alliance, his status was equally elevated. He was the exceptionally extraordinary talent cultivated with full effort by the Seven Sect Alliance to rival the Daozi of the other five major powers.

He was also the only cultivator among countless disciples in the Seven Sect Alliance to possess both a Life Lamp and a Royal-grade cultivation method simultaneously.

Not only did this person possess an imposing aura, but his appearance was also extraordinary. His smooth, pale face revealed sharp, cold contours, and his features, carved as if by a blade, exuded an air of disdain for the mortal world. Purely in terms of looks, he was one of the rare individuals who could compare to Xu Qing.

However, he carried a greater sense of indifference towards all beings, regarding those he looked upon as mere ants.

This differed from Xu Qing, who was calm as still water, and when he looked at people, he focused only on their necks.

The tsunami and the pressure created by this arrival swept across the entire port, causing ripples on the sea surface at Port 176, where Xu Qing was located, making him frown slightly as he nurtured his wish box.

Feeling the external pressure, he stood up, exited his cabin, and looked towards Port One in the distance. With his cultivation, he could clearly see the arriving prodigies, including the grand prodigy radiating brilliant light, and also the Seven-Colored Wind Chime Lamp above his head, as well as the strange bird with a green body and a red tail.

The moment he saw the Seven-Colored Wind Chime Lamp, Xu Qing's mind jolted, and a profound glint appeared in his eyes.

When he saw the strange bird with a green body and a red tail, the Golden Crow totem on his back also emitted a scorching heat, seemingly wanting to materialize and suppress the strange bird.

The Golden Crow's reaction immediately made Xu Qing realize that the strange bird's shadow must also be the manifestation of a Royal-grade cultivation method.

This was the first time Xu Qing had seen someone who, like himself, possessed both a Life Lamp and a Royal-grade cultivation method.

Xu Qing gazed deeply for a moment, then withdrew his gaze and returned to his cabin. Who the other person was, or how remarkable they were, held little importance to Xu Qing at this moment, unless that person harbored murderous intent towards him; only then would he remember them.

Otherwise, nothing in the outside world was as important as his wish box, which was now fully nurtured.

Xu Qing sat cross-legged, gazing down at the iron block before him, his breathing slightly quickened, his eyes filled with intense anticipation.

Unlike Wu Jianwu's strange actions before opening his wish box that day, Xu Qing did not mimic them. He simply took a deep breath, closed his eyes to calm himself, and the moment he opened them, he gently waved his right hand over the iron block.

*Click!* The wish box, a legacy from the previous epoch left for future generations, suddenly opened before Xu Qing!

Xu Qing immediately looked down intently. The next instant, a strong light shone in his eyes, and his breathing quickened slightly.

Inside the wish box were two items: a black pill and a slightly darkened jade slip!