The Imperial Observatory's plan to intimidate the Cangzhou water tribe ended in failure, and this incident ultimately brought extremely bad influence to the entire conference.
In the following days, the value of the goods demanded by the Cangzhou aquatic people from the ships they intercepted in the waters became increasingly high. There was even an incident where one person deliberately created waves to overturn a cargo ship, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen crew members.
This incident caused a huge uproar. You know, although the water tribes in Cangzhou were rampant before, as long as they donated a prescribed amount of property, they could still ensure their own safety.
But now, due to the failure of the Imperial Observatory's plan, the Cangzhong water tribe has become more and more unscrupulous.
And this was the impact caused by Sun Lanyu not going up to the Xuanhuang Tower that day and leaving in a hurry at the critical moment.
If the Imperial Observatory could not withstand the pressure from the Jidu Dragon Palace and chose to let Sun Lanyu go upstairs, the powerful Cangzhou water tribe would certainly become more rampant.
The Imperial Observatory had been extremely worried about this. The director of the Imperial Observatory, who was stationed in the imperial capital, was also aware of the worsening situation and sent the White Tiger Envoy to Cangzhou to clean up and deter the aquatic creatures in various places, but it still did not help the overall situation.
Under such circumstances, the time for the conference was quietly approaching.
Qingping County, Xuanhuang Tower. Xuankong, who had recovered from his injuries after being treated by the Imperial Observatory, stood under this magnificent Lingbao pavilion.
Xuankong couldn't help but look up at the tall building where people were bustling about. Practitioners dressed in costumes of various sects were coming and going in front of the gate.
When Xuan Kong heard from Xuan Le that there was a noble person helping on the cruise ship, he thought of the strong man who killed the evil Yue Water God before he fell into a coma.
In Xuankong's opinion, only that strong man is qualified to command a deputy commander of the Imperial Observatory.
Xuankong was not clear about the true identity of the strong man, but it was foreseeable that since he came to Qingping County at this point in time, there was a high probability that he came for the Wendao Forum.
This means that the noble person is most likely in this Xuanhuang Tower.
And his confrontation with Wanlingmen might also fall into the eyes of that nobleman. Thinking of this, Xuankong felt his heart surge.
"I will definitely defeat Wanlingmen and take back what belongs to my Xuanming Temple!"
Xuankong clenched his fists and muttered to himself.
Just as Xuankong's heart was in turmoil, Shen Yuan, on the upper floor of Xuanhuang Tower, looked at the crowd coming and going below and took in Xuankong's appearance.
The corners of his mouth slightly raised, and Gong Buyu beside him asked curiously:
"Why is Master laughing?"
Shen Yuan shook his head and said softly, "I met an interesting acquaintance."
Gong Buyu took a look and saw Xuankong among the crowd.
She had some impression of Xuan Kong, but that was all.
Apart from Shen Yuan and Bai Xue, she seemed indifferent to everything. She just nodded and said nothing more.
On the contrary, Xue Mingzhi on the side asked curiously:
"Mr., are you optimistic about this Xuankong?
I had inquired in advance that he came from Xuanming Temple, and that its mountain gate was seized by another sect, Wanling Sect. Both sects lost their blessed land and support during the period of spiritual energy depletion.
The Wanling Sect is as strong as the Xuanming Temple, but behind them is the background of a commander of the Yunzhou Prefecture Army. It would be difficult for Xuankong to achieve anything at this Dao Conference alone."
Shen Yuan's expression remained unchanged: "Since this Dao Conference is hosted by the Imperial Observatory, it will naturally not be biased because of the monarch of Yunzhou Prefecture.
Even the commander of the Yunzhou provincial army, as one of the high-ranking officials of the Great Xia court, must be aware that he should put the overall situation first, and it is even more impossible for him to support the Wanling Sect under such circumstances. Otherwise, it is only a matter of time before he loses his position as commander.
Everything returns to the discussion of the Dao Conference, where strength is respected. In terms of cultivation realm alone, Xuan Kong is already pretty good in the early stage of the Qi Transformation Realm. If he challenges the Wanling Sect, he has a good chance of winning. "
Xue Mingzhi showed a look of realization on his face, and said with shame:
"I was short-sighted."
Shen Yuan shook his head, withdrew his gaze from Xuan Kong and asked Xue Mingzhi:
"The Dao Conference will begin today. What are the reactions from all parties?"
Xue Mingzhi heard this and immediately said:
“Sir, because Sun Lanyu and the Jidu Dragon Palace caused the Imperial Observatory to suffer a loss a few days ago, many large sects in the blessed lands did not choose to be present for fear of being involved in the incident.
As for the more profound sects, they had no intention of attending this Dao Conference from the beginning."
This surprised Shen Yuan a little.
"You didn't plan to come to this conference from the beginning?
Aren't they afraid that the Imperial Observatory will take control and legitimately intervene in the affairs of the sect world?"
Xue Mingzhi shook his head and said, "Sir, you should know that the Imperial Observatory relies on nothing more than the Humane Dynasty. Even if the dynasty is at its peak, it will eventually decline.
However, in the world of sects, there are truly giants that can stand in the Xuanhuang world and whose Taoist traditions have lasted for tens of thousands of years.
Those giants simply don't bother to get involved in such trivial matters."
Shen Yuan's pupils trembled slightly, but on the surface he remained calm: "Are you talking about the Ten Great Cave Heavens?"
“It is the Ten Great Cave Heavens located above the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands!
Since the spiritual energy dried up for thousands of years, we have seen caves and blessed lands collapse, but we have never seen the ten great caves affected. Because the ten great caves have long been detached from the outside world.
Even though dynasties have changed and time has passed, only the ten great caves have remained standing."
Xue Mingzhi talked about the secrets he had heard from the Tianjiao Society, his expression full of longing.
At this moment, Gong Buyu, who was holding Bai Xue in his arms, suddenly spoke.
“Ten thousand years ago, Master was invincible among his peers, and all the saints and saintesses from the ten great caves were defeated by Master.
If an invincible person wants to stand in the world, he must climb to the top by relying on the corpses of countless geniuses of his peers. However, the saints are unwilling to become stepping stones for their master, so they have to seal themselves with the secret method of the cave sky in order to avoid the invincible momentum of their master who is sweeping the world.
Now that ten thousand years have passed and the great age is about to arrive, the people of the Ten Great Caves are only preparing to unseal those saints and saint daughters."
Gong Buyu spoke in a calm tone and directly revealed why the people from the ten great caves were not present.
Xue Mingzhi never expected that there seemed to be some deviation between the truth and the gossip he knew, but after only a moment of embarrassment, he immediately looked at Shen Yuan.
Even though he had already guessed about Shen Yuan's identity, the information revealed in Gong Buyu's casual words shocked him.
"Ten thousand years ago, you were invincible among your peers? Then how far can you go after ten thousand years?
True Immortal? Or a realm above True Immortal?"
Xue Mingzhi's face flushed instantly, and his eyes were full of admiration when he looked at Shen Yuan.
Although Shen Yuan appeared calm on the surface, his heart was already in a state of confusion again.
"Sweeping his peers and being invincible? The Holy Son and Holy Daughter? What does this have to do with me?"
Before Shen Yuan could figure out the problem, Gong Buyu spoke softly:
“The Ten Great Cave Heavens are revered as holy places by the Xuanhuang Realm because of their heritage. The most outstanding disciples of each generation are worshipped as holy sons and daughters, and their status is almost equivalent to that of the deputy headmaster of the cave heaven.
But those so-called Holy Sons and Holy Daughters are already a thing of the past. When they were of the same generation as the Master, they were suppressed by the Master. After sealing themselves off for ten thousand years, their realms remained the same, but the Master had already reached the supreme realm.
Ten thousand years ago, they were unable to defeat the Master, and ten thousand years later, they are even less likely to be the Master's opponent.
The so-called Saint Sons and Saint Daughters are nothing but empty names. One day, Buyu will follow in the footsteps of his master and defeat these Saint Sons and Saint Daughters!"
Shen Yuan only felt his eyelids twitching wildly, while Xue Mingzhi beside him had already flushed with excitement.
"What realm are the saints and saintesses of the ten great cave heavens?"
“Among the ten great caves, those who fail to reach the realm of a true person before the age of thirty cannot be named a Saint Son or Saint Daughter.
Those self-proclaimed saints are at least true spirit cultivators."
Hearing this, Shen Yuan felt his scalp tingling.
He didn't expect that as an immortal, he still left behind a group of enemies from ten thousand years ago, the weakest of whom were all spiritual masters.
With Shen Yuan's supernatural powers, he can at best defeat one or two powerful gods. The gap between him and the real gods cannot be explained by reason.
What's more, as the descendants of the Ten Great Cave Heavens, those saint sons and saint daughters must have mastered the precious inheritance of magical powers and secret techniques, so it is not difficult for them to use the Earthly Demonic Powers.
Without the advantage of magical powers and secret techniques, it is almost impossible to cross the border to fight the enemy.
Just when Shen Yuan was in a state of confusion, a huge roar spread throughout the Xuanhuang Tower.
On the surface of the water where the rivers converged, a huge formation slowly rose from the bottom of the water a thousand meters away. The complex formation patterns gathered spiritual power and continued to interweave. Then the ground shook, and at the bottom of the Jishui River, a large number of boulders continued to pile up and merge, turning into a huge rock platform standing at the confluence of the rivers. No matter how fast the water rushed, it still could not shake the huge platform at all.
This method is like creating a rocky island out of thin air above the river.
Above the huge platform, the Xuanwu Envoy who had appeared before stood in the void and looked in the direction of Xuanhuang Tower.
"The Dao Conference has officially begun!
Anyone who has any dispute among the sect can come on stage and decide the winner based on their strength!"
"The Imperial Astronomical Bureau will ensure that the entire conference is held fairly. If anyone attempts to ignore the rules, they will be punished by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau!"
When these words were spoken, the Xuanhuang Tower was shaken.
Regardless of the real purpose of the Imperial Observatory, this conference did provide an opportunity for many sects.
All the major sects in Xuanhuang Tower looked at their hostile forces.
Even Xuankong quickly locked onto the two early Qi transformation practitioners from Wanling Sect, and a hint of hostility flashed in his eyes.
But in the Xuanhuang Tower, no one immediately climbed onto the huge platform where the rivers met.
This is the first battle of the Dao Discussion Conference. If the winner goes on stage, he can naturally become famous through the momentum of the Dao Discussion Conference, but the loser will also be caught in huge public criticism, and even the reputation of the sect will be greatly affected.
In this situation, no one dared to act rashly.
Faced with such a situation, the Xuanwu Envoy was naturally well prepared.
On the Xuanhuang Tower, two cultivators in the middle stage of the Qi Transformation Realm looked at each other. They both came from the collapsed sects in the blessed land, and they had chosen to join the Great Xia court several months ago.
The task they were given was that if no one started the first battle of the conference, they would go up to compete in the name of a sect struggle.
After this battle, regardless of victory or defeat, their sect will receive full support from the Imperial Observatory, which is an absolutely irresistible advantage for them.
Even if the sect lost its reputation due to defeat, the support from the Imperial Observatory would be more than enough to make up for it.
Thinking of this, the two cultivators in the middle stage of Qi Transformation Realm prepared to stand up and go onto the stage.
At this moment, a man with a huge sword box on his back stepped out from the Xuanhuang Tower. A flying sword unfolded from the sword box behind him and fell at his feet. The whole man turned into a sword light and arrived on the platform almost instantly.
The sword light was wrapped in sword energy without reservation, leaving a sword mark that had not disappeared for a long time between Xuanhuang Tower and the platform, and it was difficult to shake it even if the waves washed it.
The man with the sword case on his back stood on the platform and looked at the Black Tortoise Envoy with an indifferent expression.
"Sword Forging Pavilion, Shang Yu."
"It's actually the Sword Forging Pavilion?"
"The inheritance of Changyao Baoguangtian, one of the thirty-six caves, and the Sword Casting Pavilion, which has the title of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect?"
“Such a fierce sword energy must belong to a strong person in the middle stage of Qi training.
Such a strong person is rare even in the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, why would he ascend to the high platform in the first place?"
Everyone in the Xuanhuang Tower was talking about it, and the next moment a Taoist priest wearing a blue Taoist robe and holding a whisk floated down from the Xuanhuang Tower. With a light wave of the whisk, a auspicious cloud fell at his feet.
The Taoist priest riding the auspicious clouds had a handsome face, as if he was an enlightened immortal, and slowly landed in the center of the platform.
"Xuan Zhen Dao, Yun Xia Zi."
"It is the Taiyuan Xuanzhentian Dao Sect, which is also one of the thirty-six caves and heavens. This is one of the several great Dao sects under the Taoist ancestral temple!"
"Yunxia Form Refining Technique, this is a spell that can only be practiced by a strong person in the Qi training realm, and he is a strong person in the Qi training realm."
"The Xuanzhen Dao and the Sword Casting Pavilion's genius are fighting each other? Is there any conflict between these two great caves? But even if there is, it is impossible to solve it at this Dao Discussion Conference."
Before he even finished speaking, a beautiful woman dressed in silk and satin with a dignified manner walked down from the Xuanhuang Tower. With every step she took, the sky was filled with rosy clouds, and vaguely it seemed as if a fairyland was appearing.
Just like that, the beautiful woman in silk and satin stepped onto the platform step by step, and her charming eyes seemed to be filled with thousands of brilliances.
"To become the leader of the clan, Wang Yuewen."
"The Danxia Heavenly Dao Sect, one of the thirty-six caves, is said to be related to the legendary Magu Immortal!"
"This is already the third cave heaven, it is definitely not a simple competition in the ring."
At this moment, a Taoist priest in a dark blue robe walked out of Xuanhuang Tower again. As soon as he took a step, the Qimen Bagua formation pattern appeared.
He walked on the void as if it were flat ground. With each step he could easily cross a distance of a hundred meters, as if he had ignored the limitations of space and arrived on the platform.
"Laojun Mountain, Mo Li."
As Mo left his mouth, the entire Xuanhuang Tower was in an uproar.
"He is the contemporary Tianjiao of Laojun Mountain, the future Daozi of the Eighteenth Cave Heaven Rongcheng Dayutian."
"The Qi training geniuses from the four great caves appeared, could it be..."
The Xuanwu in mid-air had an unpleasant look on his face, and asked the four people with a sharp gaze:
"Are you four here to disrupt this discussion meeting?"
“Although the cave heaven has extraordinary background, this conference is what the people of all sects want. Could it be that the cave heavens behind you are trying to make enemies with the sect world?”
On the huge platform, the four great Dongtian geniuses stood in four corners. Mo Li put his hands behind his back and said indifferently:
"The Taoism Conference is supposed to be a happy event, but since it is held by the Imperial Observatory, it may not be a happy event."
Shang Yu of the Sword Casting Pavilion then said in a cold voice:
"It would be fine if the Imperial Observatory was a sect, but you have the Humanity Dynasty behind you. How can the Humanity Dynasty interfere in the affairs of my sect?"
Xuanzhen Dao Yunxiazi had a faint smile on her face:
"The Imperial Observatory was humiliated by Sun Lanyu of the Sun family a few days ago, and the Great Xia court even gave in to the Cangzhou water tribe, causing the water tribe to wreak more havoc. With such ability, how can they be qualified to host such a sect event?"
The king of the clan, Yue Wen, looked calm:
“Since this discussion conference will settle sect disputes based on personal strength.
Let’s have a fight, and whoever wins will host the discussion meeting!”
The four of them made their attitudes clear with every word they said.
The various blessed places they represent are here to fight for the dominant position in this conference.
The Xuanwu Prince had an extremely ugly look on his face, and above the sky, a strong body leaped down from the back of a crane that had been circling for a long time.
Under the influence of gravity acceleration, the flesh and blood body slammed heavily on the platform, like a high-yield bomb dropped from the air. The violent impact caused the entire platform to tremble suddenly, and large pieces of rock reinforced by the formation were shattered by the impact.
Walking out from the deep pit formed by the broken rocks, his figure was revealed to be the White Tiger Envoy who had appeared in Yunfu Market before.
The White Tiger Envoy smiled grimly, glanced at the four Qi Training Realm geniuses and said:
"Why would we need the four great envoys of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to attack you together? Only Xuanwu and I are needed to attack you."
"What an arrogant person!"
"I really hope your strength is as strong as your tone."
The powerful spiritual thoughts of the six Qi-refining monks collided in an instant, and the free Qi between heaven and earth was constantly intensified under the Qi-refining method. The sword light, the rosy glow, the phantoms of ferocious beasts, and the manifested auras soared into the sky and refused to give in to each other.
Just as the six Qi-refining monks were on the verge of a confrontation, an icy-blue light rapidly expanded, and ice spread from the river water under the Xuanhuang Tower, instantly engulfing all the waters including the platform, turning everything into a scene of ice and snow.
Afterwards, the overbearing will forcibly suppressed all the Qi, and the momentum that rose into the sky collapsed in an instant.
A tall and beautiful figure in palace dress, with an aura as cold as ice, slowly strolled in the snow.
There seemed to be an innate indifference in her charming eyes, even the six Qi training masters on the platform were not taken seriously by her.
"Who are you?"
The Xuanwu envoy Xiang Gong Buyu asked the question, but received no response.
She just casually glanced at the six Qi training masters, her tone calm and without any waves:
"You guys, come together!"