Chapter 884: Wind and Rain Are Approaching

The Too One Immortal Sect, Ancestral Hall.

Zhang Zhanfeng and five Nascent Soul cultivators gathered here. Their expressions were solemn as they burned incense and kowtowed to the sect ancestors.

“Senior Brother Sect Master, what exactly happened? Why are we suddenly expanding our territory? Isn't our sect's strategy to bide our time and accumulate strength?” a green-robed elder frowned, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

The Too One Immortal Sect wielded immense power, with its influence spanning the Eastern Barrens, Southern Sea, Northern Border, and Central Plains. It boasted tens of thousands of disciples, including nearly twenty Nascent Soul cultivators. When expanding its influence, the Too One Immortal Sect always sought to cooperate with local powers for mutual development, striving to avoid conflicts. Even when clashes did occur, the sect would not escalate them. Instead, it maintained restraint, using its formidable military might to deter opponents and guide them towards negotiated settlements, thus preventing the expansion of conflicts into full-scale sectarian wars.

“Indeed! Senior Brother Sect Master, the Deacon Hall has issued a large number of tasks, the eight lineages have selected many disciples for focused cultivation, the Divine Pill Hall is mass-producing pills, the Divine Weapon Hall is mass-producing magic tools and magic treasures, the Purple Cloud Hall is mass-producing talismans, and the Azure Cloud Hall is mass-producing formation arrays. At the same time, the number of new disciples being recruited has also increased. It seems as though we are preparing for a major war. What exactly has happened?”

Zhang Zhanfeng's expression was grave, tinged with a hint of sorrow, as he said, “Two years ago, Senior Brother Song from the Celestial Star lineage passed away.”

The Too One Immortal Sect was divided into eight lineages: Thousand Swords, Hundred Refinements, Divine Pill, Purple Cloud, Myriad Beasts, Azure Cloud, Too One, and Celestial Star, each specializing in different arts. The Thousand Swords lineage excelled in sword manipulation arts, while the Celestial Star lineage specialized in divination and glimpsing heavenly secrets. Among the eight lineages, Celestial Star had the fewest members. The art of divination went against the Heavenly Dao; revealing heavenly secrets would invite backlash. Furthermore, it could only reveal omens, not the entire course of events, making it profoundly enigmatic.

The Senior Brother Song Zhang Zhanfeng referred to was Song Tianji, the Master of the Celestial Star lineage. He was a sixth-level Nascent Soul cultivator skilled in divination and still had decades of lifespan remaining. Before the Four Seasons Sword Venerable disappeared, he once left a message: "When Too One emerges, winds and clouds will rise." Rather than Wang Qingshan awakening the Too One Sword, it was more accurate to say that the Too One Sword coincidentally awoke and revealed a heavenly omen to the Too One Immortal Sect.

Zhang Zhanfeng had asked Song Tianji to divine the future of the Too One Immortal Sect. During the divination, Song Tianji unexpectedly triggered the Three-Element Lightning Tribulation. Song Tianji was struck dead by the tribulation. Before his last breath, he left behind a message: “Immortals contend for passage, demons cross to become Buddhas.” This message foretold great chaos in the world, similar in meaning to the Four Seasons Sword Venerable's earlier words.

“What? Senior Brother Song passed away? Who did this?”“We cannot spare this person. They must be killed.”

Zhang Zhanfeng pointed a finger skyward, his expression solemn, and said, “I asked Senior Brother Song to help divine the future of our sect. During his divination, he triggered the Three-Element Lightning Tribulation and perished beneath it. Before he died, he left a message: ‘Immortals contend for passage, demons cross to become Buddhas.’ Junior Brothers, great chaos is imminent throughout the world. I am preparing in advance by expanding our territory and recruiting more disciples. Only with sufficient power can we overcome this ordeal.”

The concept of divination was profoundly mysterious. If anyone else had spoken these words, the Nascent Soul cultivators present might not have believed them. However, coming from Zhang Zhanfeng's mouth, and with a Nascent Soul cultivator having been struck dead by the Three-Element Lightning Tribulation just for divination concerning the Too One Immortal Sect, the words carried a different weight. Even high-level cultivators couldn't entirely avoid misfortune or guarantee good fortune, though they could sometimes perceive omens, albeit unreliably. Zhang Zhanfeng still found it hard to believe that the Too One Sword was awakened by Wang Qingshan. However, Song Tianji's attempt to glimpse heavenly secrets resulted in him being struck dead by the Three-Element Lightning Tribulation. Zhang Zhanfeng himself, trying to intervene and save him, was almost obliterated by the tribulation. The future of a major sect was not easily divined; this was the price of peering into heavenly secrets.

“Senior Brother Sect Master, does Senior Uncle Lin know about this?” a young woman in a red dress frowned and asked.

Zhang Zhanfeng's expression was solemn as he replied, “This matter concerns the rise and fall of our sect. Senior Uncle Lin has no objections. You are to simply follow orders.” As the Sect Master of the Too One Immortal Sect, his authority was considerable.

“Yes, Senior Brother Sect Master,” the five replied in unison.

“Junior Sister Sun, Junior Brother Li, and Junior Brother Chen will go to the Northern Border. Junior Brother Yang and Junior Sister Liu will go to the Central Plains. Junior Brother Liu and his three companions are already stationed in the Southern Sea.”

“Understood.” The five Nascent Soul cultivators replied in unison, then transformed into five streaks of light and flew out of the Ancestral Hall.

Zhang Zhanfeng sighed deeply, a hint of worry in his eyes.

***

Southern Sea, Coral Sea Region.

Spirit Turtle Market, a certain teahouse.

Wang Mingren was currently enjoying tea and conversing with several fellow disciples. He was sincere and approachable, making countless friends, and had many acquaintances in the Southern Sea.

“Senior Brother Chen, Senior Sister Lu, it's been many years. You've both advanced to the Core Formation stage and even become dual cultivation partners! If I hadn't come to the Southern Sea, I wouldn't have known you'd gotten married. This is a small token of my regard to congratulate you on becoming dual cultivation partners. Please don't despise it,” Wang Mingren looked at a robust-looking middle-aged man, smiling as he spoke. He then took out a jade box glowing with shifting red light and handed it to a beautiful young woman in a red dress.

The middle-aged man was Chen Yang, an old acquaintance of Wang Mingren from his earlier days in the Southern Sea. During a mission, Chen Yang was pursuing a demonic bird and almost jeopardized an important matter. Wang Mingren took full responsibility, and from then on, their bond deepened significantly. Wang Mingren was later transferred back to the sect, while Chen Yang remained in the Southern Sea, fortuitously advancing to the Core Formation stage and becoming dual cultivation partners with a fellow disciple. The young woman in the red dress was Lu Yuhuan, whose cultivation was slightly lower than Chen Yang's.

Lu Yuhuan looked at Chen Yang, seemingly asking for his opinion. Her gesture showed great respect for Chen Yang.

Chen Yang smiled and said, “Take it, dear! Junior Brother Wang is a long-time friend of mine; there's no need to be so polite with him.”

Lu Yuhuan nodded, opened the red jade box, and saw a red spherical bead shimmering with an unsteady red light, emitting a strong fire-attribute fluctuation. It was a low-grade Tier 1 defensive magic treasure, valued at over five hundred thousand spirit stones.

“A magic treasure!”

Chen Yang and Lu Yuhuan exchanged glances. They had expected a Tier 3 refining material or spirit herb, never imagining it would be a magic treasure. When they became dual cultivation partners, all their close fellow disciples had sent gifts, but none were as valuable as Wang Mingren's. Fire-attribute refining materials were relatively rare in the Southern Sea, where water-attribute materials were more abundant.

“Junior Brother Wang, this gift is too valuable. We cannot accept it,” Chen Yang looked troubled and politely refused. He and Wang Mingren hadn't seen each other for many years, and Wang Mingren immediately offered such a generous gift, making Chen Yang genuinely uncomfortable to accept.

Wang Mingren smiled indifferently and said, “Senior Brother Chen, I am a Tier 3 artifact refiner. This Fire Glaze Orb is a low-grade Tier 1 defensive magic treasure that I made for practice; it's nothing significant to me. You celebrated your great joy without inviting me for a drink, and now you won't even accept my congratulatory gift. Do you think the gift is too light, or do you look down on me?”