Chapter 73 Youthful Spring Robes (19)

Linglong Sect.

The sunlight was dim, and the area outside the main hall was crowded with people. Elders and disciples who were skilled in medicine and alchemy were busy at the entrance, while young apprentices were standing guard outside the door to relay messages. They were extremely busy.

Inside the hall, dozens of elders sat solemnly. Jing Cang, the sect leader of the Spirit Dragon Sect, sat in the main seat, but his gaze remained fixed on the screen beside him. Behind the screen, a young man lay on the bed, his face pale and his body covered in needles. Various complex formations and talismans protected his primordial spirit and soul in his dantian. The medical elders beside him were using rare natural treasures on him as if they were free.

Jing Cang looks to be only in his thirties, but he has lived for over sixteen hundred years. He has countless disciples, but he favors his eldest disciple, Lu Zhenyi, above all others. The entire Linglong Sect knows that when Jing Cang ascends to immortality, the position of sect leader will only belong to Lu Zhenyi.

Lu Zhenyi has now reached the Mahayana cultivation level, and is only half a step away from reaching the True Immortal realm. Everyone in the sect has high hopes for him, especially Jing Cang. To him, Lu Zhenyi is not only a disciple he values, but also a child he has raised since childhood. Although they are not his own children, they are closer than his own. He even extends his love to his brother Lu Ziming, who has been spoiled and become arrogant.

Lu Ziming knelt before Jing Cang with red eyes, "Master, it's all my fault. If it weren't for me, my brother wouldn't have been threatened by Jiang Gu."

Jing Cang looked at him and sighed deeply.

"Hmph, how dare you say that!" the elder beside him roared. "If it weren't for you, how could Zhenyi have been tricked by that Jiang family brat and had her Dao Heart shattered!"

Everyone could see how much Lu Zhenyi valued Lu Ziming. Jing Cang even forced Lu Zhenyi to marry Qu Fengyu of the Sparrow Kite Sect, but it had no effect. Lu Ziming had only cut his hand, and on their wedding night, he abandoned his bride to take care of Lu Ziming.

It's likely that Jiang Gu had this fatal flaw in mind, which is why he had such a thorough plan against him.

Lu Ziming knelt on the ground with his head down, not daring to speak. Jing Cang raised his hand to stop the elder who was about to curse again, and reached out to help him up. "Zhenyi is loyal and righteous. It's no one's fault. Ziming, go in and see him."

Lu Ziming was already in tears, and he kowtowed dozens of times in gratitude, saying, "Yes, Master."

He knelt for a long time, walking with a limp, but still managed to reach the screen.

"Sect Leader, I heard that the Holy Maiden of the Zhou family had her Dao Heart shattered, and her condition is even worse than Zhenyi's." An elder said, "Jiang Gu, with his mere Refining Void stage cultivation, fought against two Mahayana cultivators alone, and even severely injured their Dao Hearts. It must be the effect of that divine artifact."

Jing Cang pondered for a moment, "I have never heard of any divine artifact possessing such power. If it really is that divine artifact..."

The elders exchanged glances, and one of them said, "We absolutely cannot let the Jiang family take it. Originally, the people selected by the Wangyue Continent were Zhenyi, Zhou Ningjiang, Jiang Xiangyun of the Jiang family, and Lin Feibai of the Lin family. Now that Zhenyi and Zhou Ningjiang's Dao hearts have been damaged, they will definitely have to select more people. If Jiang Gu has the divine artifact, it is hard to guarantee that he will not be selected."

"Elder Xu is overthinking it. Jiang Gu is only a four-elemental root. Even if he is skilled and his cultivation is rapid, he is still worlds apart from Jiang Xiangyun and those with heavenly spiritual roots. He probably wouldn't be of any interest to them." An elder disagreed.

“No, I think Elder Xu is right. Even if it’s not Jiang Gu, the Jiang family can give this artifact to someone else. The Jiang family is not short of geniuses. They can send two people to the Moon Gazing Continent, which will be very disadvantageous to us,” another elder said.

"That's right. Divine artifacts are rare. Our Spirit Dragon Sect only has one, and the Jiang, Zhou, and Lin families each have one, totaling only four. Now, whoever obtains the divine artifact in Jiang Gu's hands will be able to rise to the top." Elder Xu said, "For the Jiang and Lin families, obtaining the divine artifact will not only increase their strength but also give them an extra spot in the Moon Gazing Ceremony, thus benefiting them in every way. But for our Spirit Dragon Sect and the Zhou family, Zhenyi and Zhou Ning's Dao Hearts have been damaged. Since the divine artifact can destroy Dao Hearts, there must be a solution... Only by obtaining the divine artifact can we keep this one and only spot."

"This person obtained a divine artifact, but we closely monitored the Yanghua Sect for three months without revealing anything. On the contrary, we were the ones being chased by the Zhou family demanding the artifact back." He paused. "As far as I know, the Jiang family values ​​this Jiang Gu highly. He was involved in the Divine Kite Shark Scale incident but escaped unscathed. I'm afraid the Heart-Protecting Scale is also in his hands. In addition, he swallowed a spiritual vein of my Spirit Dragon Sect. Although the Jiang family settled the matter, he was only demoted to the Yanghua Sect..."

"Everyone looks down on him because of his four spiritual roots, but they don't know that he has survived to this day and has such cultivation. This Jiang Gu is not simple."

For a moment, the hall fell silent.

"Elder Shen Ai, Elder Xu He, Elder Song Ping." Jing Cang stood up, looked at the three elders he had chosen, and cupped his hands, saying, "I will trouble the three of you to go down the mountain and obtain the divine artifact."

Two of these three elders are at the Great Perfection of Mahayana, and Song Ping is already at the Half-Step True Immortal Realm. Logically speaking, it would be a waste of their talents to use the three of them to deal with Jiang Gu, but considering the divine artifact in his hand, Jing Cang had no choice but to deal with it cautiously. "However, this divine artifact is dangerous, so everyone must hold fast to their Dao heart."

"Please rest assured, Sect Master," the three replied in unison.

Lu Zhenyi's cough came from behind the screen. Jing Cang hurriedly got up to see, and the other elders followed suit. For a moment, the hall was filled with gloom.

——

Meanwhile, in the far south.

An inconspicuous little boat was moored on the shore.

Qu Fengyu helped Wu Hezhi lie down in the corner of the cabin and thoughtfully covered him with a cloak. The cabin was not large, only able to accommodate five or six people. Wu Hezhi's lying down took up the space of three people, so Qu Fengyu could only sit opposite him. Jiang Gu sat on the side near the exit, and Wei Feng was naturally sandwiched between the two.

To be honest, it's a bit crowded.

Feeling uneasy about being too close to either his master or Qu Fengyu, Wei Feng touched the tip of his nose and casually moved closer to Jiang Gu.

Qu Fengyu grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back, smiling as she said, "Come on, let your aunt take a good look at you."

How does this brain even work?!

"..." Wei Feng turned his head and stared at her expressionlessly, saying in a low voice, "There is a difference between men and women, Fellow Daoist Qu, please have some self-respect."

Qu Fengyu was taken aback by his sudden retort, thinking to himself that he was quick-witted at this moment. With a forced smile, he grabbed his sleeve, preventing him from getting any closer to Jiang Gu.

Wei Feng's cultivation was inferior to hers, and he glared at her in frustration. Qu Fengyu pressed his head down and looked at Jiang Gu, "Seventh Young Master, in the past month, the Linglong Sect and the Zhou and Lin families have mobilized a lot of people to hunt you down. The Jiang family is not in a hurry, but your name is at the top of the wanted list on the Pingze Continent. There are countless people on the Pingze Continent who want to kill you. Wouldn't it be too conspicuous for us to leave the far south like this?"

"More than that, I'm curious about how you managed to find this place." Jiang Gu reached out and grabbed Wei Feng by the back of the neck, lifting him up.

Qu Fengyu naturally objected, and the two secretly clashed over their spiritual power. Wei Feng's face contorted in pain as he whimpered, "My neck! My neck is going to break!"

Jiang Gu showed no intention of letting go, but Qu Fengyu, unwilling to see his nephew suffer, was the first to release his grip.

Jiang Gu picked him up and pulled him to his side. Wei Feng was in so much pain that his eyes were filled with tears. He clung tightly to Jiang Gu's arm and snorted angrily at Qu Fengyu.

Qu Fengyu couldn't help but roll his eyes, crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, lazily saying, "The Qu family bloodline has its own markings. I just followed the scent and found the markings on his primordial spirit. But what's interesting is that I also found a red bird on his primordial spirit. Does Seventh Young Master know about this?"

She was referring to the Vermilion Bird Divine Mark that Jiang Gu had left on Wei Feng. The mark was imprinted on his primordial spirit, and she had studied it for a long time but still couldn't figure out what kind of imprint it was. It looked like a Daoist partner's mark or a spirit pet's mark, but no matter what it was, it was clear that Wei Feng's life was in Jiang Gu's hands.

Wei Feng asked blankly, "What little red bird? A phoenix? Do I have phoenix blood?"

He knew that the wings on his body were extraordinary!

He suddenly became excited and turned to look at Jiang Gu, "Master, will I turn into a little phoenix?"

"..." Jiang Gu said confidently, "No..."

Although there are no phoenixes in the cultivation world nowadays, and Jiang Gu has never seen what a real phoenix looks like, he is inexplicably certain that Wei Feng, this ugly thing, has absolutely nothing to do with a phoenix.

Wei Feng sighed in disappointment.

Qu Fengyu turned his head with a blank face, looked at the half-dead Wu Hezhi opposite him, and decided to ignore this traitorous brat.

To hell with him!

The spiritual energy in the far south is insufficient, so this flying boat can only function as an ordinary vessel in the sea, swaying and propelled by spirit stones and the wind. The surging sea can be seen even through the windows.

Jiang Gu and Qu Fengyu were used to this, but Wei Feng found it very strange. He first turned his head to look for a moment, then couldn't help but kneel on one knee on the seat, peering out the window with great interest.

Jiang Gu couldn't understand it, but he didn't stop it. Suddenly, a big wave came and Wei Feng was directly slammed in. Just as he was about to hit Wu Hezhi, Qu Fengyu quickly kicked him into Jiang Gu's arms.

Wei Feng, still shaken, cried out, "Master, there are people in the sky outside!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Gu and Qu Fengyu's expressions changed instantly.

The fact that they could fly on swords in such a place with scarce spiritual energy, without them even noticing, could only mean that their cultivation level was far higher than theirs.

Almost instantly, the entire airship was blown to dust.

Jiang Gu suspended Wei Feng's sword on the sea surface, while Qu Fengyu also used a magic weapon to barely float on the surging sea.

In mid-air, a young man in a snow-blue robe stood on a flying sword, followed by ten Mahayana stage experts. A golden net had been erected around Jiang Gu and the others, trapping them completely.

"A ghost cultivator?" The young man had gentle features and spoke very kindly. He turned to the person next to him and said, "Uncle Ren, you seem to have made a mistake."

Upon hearing this, Wei Feng looked down and realized that he had changed his clothes. He was now wearing a black robe and a hood, and in the reflection of the flying sword, he could see his pale face and huge dark circles under his eyes, giving him a ghostly aura.

Jiang Gu, Qu Fengyu, and Wu Hezhi, who were standing next to him, were dressed in the same manner.

The moment Qu Fengyu received the ghost bone thrown by Jiang Gu, he understood his intention and decisively implanted the bone into his dantian. Although the ghost energy would pollute his spiritual root, it didn't matter as long as he could save his life.

Wu Hezhi, who was standing next to her, also woke up with a start and stood weakly beside her without making a sound.

Qu Fengyu and Jiang Gu exchanged a glance, then stepped forward shakily and said in a soft voice, "Seniors, we are ghost cultivators from the desolate tombs in the far south. We have disturbed your presence. May we ask what is the matter?"

The middle-aged man called Ren Bo frowned, and then dozens of divine senses swept towards Jiang Gu and the other three. Wei Feng immediately felt his hair stand on end, and the white pupils in his eyes flickered. Jiang Gu pulled him into his arms and whispered, "Don't be afraid."

Although Wei Feng knew that Jiang Gu was using this voice to suppress his white pupils and ghost patterns, he was still mostly calmed down by the deep and gentle voice. He trembled and hugged Jiang Gu's waist, and a ghost pattern that had emerged uncontrollably stretched into Jiang Gu's front.

Jiang Gu's body stiffened for a moment, but due to the presence of that group of high-ranking cultivators of unknown origin, he did not act rashly, letting the cold and sticky ghost patterns wrap around his skin and finally enter his dantian in a grand manner.

“They are indeed ghost cultivators, but the two over there are not very pure.” Ren Bo pointed to Qu Fengyu and Wu Hezhi. “They should have become cultivators later in life, while the two over here are mortals who cultivated after death.”

The young man nodded, dismounted on his sword, and bowed to Jiang Gu and Qu Fengyu, saying, "I am truly sorry, my servants were impolite and disturbed your journey. Fortunately, we also have a flying boat, so why don't we give you a ride off the island?"

"No need, no need, thank you for your kindness, young master." Qu Fengyu pretended to be nervous and waved his hands repeatedly, "We can swim across ourselves."

"How can that be?" the young man laughed. "We were in the wrong first."

Ren Bo looked over coldly and said, "Since the young master invited you onto the ship, he is doing you a favor. If you keep making excuses, then you are ungrateful."

Jiang Gu casually pressed down on Wei Feng's back, but in reality, he was pressing down on the ghostly patterns that had tasted the sweetness and wanted to burrow into his body. He said in a low voice, "Then I will respectfully accept your offer. Thank you for your trouble, young master."

The young man smiled and stepped aside politely, "Please, gentlemen."

A flying boat about thirty feet long docked in front of them. It was extremely luxurious and magnificent. Even the steps for boarding the boat were made of jade. Not to mention how many top-grade spirit stones it would take to set up such a huge flying boat in the far south, where spiritual energy was scarce. Compared with this luxurious flying boat, the flying boat that Jiang Gu and the others were riding on was extremely poor.

As soon as Jiang Gu and Wei Feng stepped onto the deck, more than a dozen Mahayana cultivators flew over on their swords and landed neatly in front of the young man. One of them replied, "Young master, we have searched the entire far south and have not found any trace of Jiang Gu."

“Jiang Gu is used to being alone; he doesn’t trust anyone. Logically, he should definitely return to his birthplace.” The young man said with some distress, “Could it be that I’m wrong?”

“Young Master, Jiang Gu is cunning by nature, and now that he has obtained the divine artifact, he may have already returned to the Jiang family,” Ren Bo said. “Let’s leave first.”

“Uncle Ren is right.” The young man smiled. “I’ll trouble you to arrange rooms for these fellow Daoists.”

Ren Bo nodded and led his men down.

The young man smiled and ruffled Wei Feng's hair, saying, "Look how scared the child is."

Wei Feng instantly bristled, a chill running down his spine. It felt as if a ferocious beast had bitten his throat, threatening to kill him instantly. He gripped Jiang Gu's hand tightly, and just as the ghostly markings and white pupils were about to burst forth, his eyes suddenly reddened, and he let out a wail, throwing himself into Jiang Gu's arms. "Dad! Waaah, I'm scared!"

He howled with all his might, his voice filled with genuine emotion, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, his ghostly energy gushing out in a chaotic manner. The young man narrowed his eyes, smiling apologetically, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I forgot to restrain my aura, young friend, don't be afraid."

Jiang Gu patted him on the back in a perfunctory manner and said, "My son is incompetent, I hope you will forgive him, young master."

The other party politely made way for them and invited them into the cabin.

Qu Fengyu and Wu Hezhi, who were following behind, had their backs soaked with sweat, and they followed side by side.

They were assigned to a room. As soon as they entered, more than a dozen Mahayana stage divine senses intertwined, completely surrounding the room. Qu Fengyu and Jiang Gu exchanged a glance, and Jiang Gu subtly shook his head at her.

Qu Fengyu instantly understood, helped Wu Hezhi sit down, and asked softly, "Husband, are you feeling better?"

"Hmm." Wu Hezhi understood and nodded.

Wei Feng was the only one who reacted slowly. He hastily wiped away his tears and was about to call out "Master" when Jiang Gu stopped him with a piece of pastry and said gently, "Ah Feng, are you hungry?"

Wei Feng stared at him in horror, nearly biting off his own tongue.

My master has been possessed!?