◇ 【123】 “Five Schools and Two Sects” (2)
"What is this monks' exchange meeting you're talking about?" Gu Juan asked.
Shang Liuyun was eager to make friends with them, so he shared everything he knew. "The Cultivator Exchange Conference is held annually in Kunlun Mountain. I'm sure you all know that cultivation resources on Earth are extremely scarce. Besides providing a platform for cultivators to learn from each other, the Cultivator Exchange Conference is also a way for everyone to exchange their cultivation resources and share what they have."
Xi Lang said: "Kunlun Mountain is one of the famous tourist attractions. How do they avoid ordinary people?"
Shang Liuyun smiled, "You don't know this, right? There's a large formation there, and ordinary people can't even detect its existence."
Xi Lang became interested in Kunlun Mountain. A formation that could accommodate over 8,000 people must be a large one. He would definitely go see it if he had the chance.
"Who set up the formation?"
Shang Liuyun shook his head. "I don't know about that. I only know that the formation is ancient and has existed for nearly a thousand years. Over the years, it has been jointly maintained by all sects. Aside from cultivator exchanges, any large gatherings in the cultivation world are held there."
At this point, Gu Juan and Xi Lang finally found the door to the world of cultivation.
After dinner, the monks left the county town one after another and walked into the mountains.
Gu Juan and Xi Lang were not far behind.
Shang Liuyun followed them all the time.
After entering the mountains, the monks rushed forward, and some even flew on swords.
Gu Juan told Xi Lang his guess, "Does the country know about the existence of cultivators? Otherwise, satellites would definitely capture such a scene."
Shang Liuyun interrupted, "That's true. This group of cultivators is called the 'Cultivation Alliance.' There seems to be some kind of agreement between the Cultivation Alliance and the country, roughly keeping out of each other's way."
Gu Juan understood clearly.
After venturing nearly ten miles into the mountains, a vast basin appeared before them. Several groups of people stood at the edge of the basin, each facing its center. Many of them were dressed in ancient attire. For a moment, Gu Juan felt as if he had traveled back in time.
Shang Liuyun exclaimed, "As expected, all the people from the 'Five Sects and Two Families' have arrived, and they are the first to arrive!"
With Shang Liuyun's introduction, Gu Juan and Xi Lang quickly gained a preliminary understanding of the five factions and two schools.
The Qianshan Sect's leader was Feng Feiye, the sect's head. He was an exceptionally handsome man, and in his ancient attire, he resembled a gentleman of exceptional elegance. However, anyone who dared to underestimate him would be in dire straits. Having reached the Golden Core stage at just over a hundred years old, he was worthy of being called a genius.
The leader of the Wentian Sect was Bai Xiangnan, a middle-aged man with piercing eyes and a righteous spirit as great as the heavens and the earth. A single glance from him would scare anyone with hidden motives to their knees, or even provoke nightmares for days. In terms of cultivation, Bai Xiangnan couldn't compare to Feng Feiye. But in actual combat, no one could guarantee that Bai Xiangnan would be defeated. This was because Bai Xiangnan's cultivation had been steadily enhanced through combat. It was said that his initial journey to cultivation was accidental, a result of a sudden cleansing of his essence and marrow during a war with the R nation, leading him to be accepted as a disciple by the then-leader of the Wentian Sect. This suggests that Bai Xiangnan possessed considerable talent for cultivation.
The Xiaoyao Sect's leader was a woman named Yao Qingxue. She looked to be in her early thirties, with bright eyes and white teeth, and a stunning beauty beyond compare. Although it was winter, she wore a long purple dress, the veil fluttering in the snow, like a fairy fallen into the mortal world.
The leader of the Demon Sect was actually a woman, called Yin Ji. She was wearing a black dress, like a black rose. She looked gloomy, but it couldn't hide her beauty.
Zhu Mian, the leader of the Mengshan Sect, is an old man with a noble look, and is surrounded by his disciples.
The Xuanyuan family's representative was the patriarch, Xuanyuan Ao. He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, speaking gently to the young girl beside him. Furthermore, the men standing with him were all ordinary. It was clear that the Xuanyuan family was very low-key.
The Huang family is represented by their second elder, Huang Mingde, who appears to be in his sixties, yet exudes a noble air in his every move. It is said that the Huang family are descendants of the Yellow Emperor, though whether this is true is unclear.
Gu Juan noticed that Gong Bufan and Ye Yinze had also arrived. Furthermore, the "big brother" he had met in Su Province before was also there; he was from the Wentian Sect.
"The people coming from the Five Sects and Two Families are all experts, so there is not much hope for the others. I wonder who will win in the end." Shang Liuyun's tone was full of regret.
Gu Juan asked, "What do you think?"
Shang Liuyun shook his head inscrutablely, "It's hard to say."
No one knew that Yao Qingxue was communicating with Feng Feiye through secret telepathy.
"Master Feng, our Xiaoyao Sect and Qianshan Sect have always been on good terms. How about cooperation?"
Feng Feiye asked: "How to cooperate?"
Yao Qingxue was delighted and immediately said, "Our two sects are collaborating to seize the treasure. If the treasure can be divided equally, we will split it between you and me. If the treasure is something that cannot be divided equally, I don't want the treasure, I just want your Qianshan Sect's Cui Ge Sword. How do you think?"
"Master Yao, you're really calculating," Feng Feiye snorted. "The Cui Ge Sword is the most precious treasure of our Qianshan Sect." Cui Ge was a renowned weapon refiner in ancient China. He personally forged the Cui Ge Sword, a top-grade spiritual weapon. No wonder Yao Qingxue coveted it.
Yao Qingxue smiled and said, "It's okay if you don't want to give me the Cui Ge Sword. Just take the treasure and it will be mine. I'll give you the Life-Restoring Pill from my Xiaoyao Sect. Is that okay?"
Feng Feiye was indeed somewhat tempted. As the name suggests, the Life-Restoring Pill can save lives. As long as there is still a breath left, taking this Life-Restoring Pill can save your life. Having the Life-Restoring Pill is like having an extra life.
But Feng Feiye still refused, "I'm sorry, I want to get the treasure and keep the Cui Ge Sword at the same time."
Yao Qingxue cursed coldly, "Greed is like a snake swallowing an elephant!"
Feng Feiye smiled silently, his eyes flickering between Gu Juan and Xi Lang. He had always been cautious. Ever since Chengfeng and Polang, two men who had emerged from nowhere and defeated Gong Bufan, he had been wary of them—or more accurately, the people behind them. Now that he saw them in Ping'an County, he was even more wary. He was certain that the people behind Chengfeng and Polang were also eyeing the upcoming treasure. So, why not wait until the others were both badly hurt before he could reap the benefits?
At the same time, Zhu Mian was also trying to win over other people, and the person he was trying to win over was actually Yin Ji!
"Master Zhu, I am a demon cultivator." Yin Ji played with a strand of black hair on her chest and said lazily, "Aren't you afraid that people will find out that you are collaborating with a demon cultivator and ruining the reputation of your Mengshan Sect?"
Zhu Mian remained calm and said calmly: "What is immortal cultivation? What is demon cultivation? What is good? What is evil? They are all for the purpose of seeking the truth. If my guess is correct, the Qianshan Sect will definitely form an alliance with the Xiaoyao Sect; the Wentian Sect has always been on good terms with the Huang family; the Xuanyuan family has always been aloof and keeps to themselves, not to mention them; the Momen Sect has only a glimmer of hope if it cooperates with the Mengshan Sect. Of course, I don't deny that I hope to use the magic sound power of the Momen Sect to lend a hand." As for other small sects, he did not consider them.
Zhu Mian didn't know that because of the appearance of Chengfeng and Polang, Qianshan Sect broke the convention of cooperation with Xiaoyao Sect. Therefore, he didn't know that his speculation was wrong.
"From the sound of your voice, it seems that if you seize the treasure, it will belong to you?" Yin Ji's tone became even colder.
"Haha." Zhu Mian smiled. "Don't be angry, Princess Yin. A few days ago, I heard that your sect was looking for pearl grass. If your sect can help me obtain the treasure, I will give you not only two pearl grass plants, but also five pearl grass seeds. What do you think?"
Yin Ji pondered for a long time, then uttered a word softly: "Okay."
The snow fell heavier and heavier, but it had no effect on these cultivators.
Gu Juangan was bored standing there, so he pulled Xi Lang to sit under a big tree and leaned lazily against him.
Xi Lang put his arm around his waist.
"It's immoral." A young monk muttered in a low voice.
Xi Lang raised his eyebrows and asked coldly, "What did you say?"
The middle-aged man next to the young monk gave him a warning glare. With the treasure about to be revealed, they needed to conserve their strength. The middle-aged man didn't want his men to suffer unnecessary casualties.
The young monk's expression changed slightly, and he bowed to Gu Juan and Xi Lang and said, "I am ignorant and talk nonsense. I hope you will forgive me."
Xi Lang stared at him coldly for a moment, waved his hand, and ignored him.
"Why is there no movement at all?" Shang Liuyun squatted aside and stood up after a while to take a look into the basin.
Gu Juan said: "There's no point in being anxious. It will always appear when it's time."
It was not until the next morning that Gu Juan sensed the approaching presence of Xi Cong and the others.
Xi Cong, Luo Qingyou, Gu Yinyin, Han Lin, Li Ruicheng, Zhang Muheng and Tian Yunzhi also changed their appearance and walked down the hillside slowly.
Many cultivators looked back and found that their cultivation was not high, so they stopped paying attention.
"So many people!" Gu Yinyin exclaimed.
Li Ruicheng looked around and said, "Yes. I wonder if those two have arrived."
Xi Cong said, "He should be here."
Han Lin sighed. Eight out of ten of these people had higher cultivation bases than him. It was really oppressive when he got closer.
Gu Juan conveyed the message to Xi Cong.
"Brother, the old man and I are here. You should all come up with aliases so that no one can discover your identities in the secular world."
"I understand." Xi Cong's cultivation level is the highest among the seven people, so he is naturally the boss.
He relayed Gu Juan's words to the others, and they each came up with an alias for themselves before continuing to walk into the basin.
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