Chapter 25 Being the Great Ancestor Isn't Easy; Rumor Has It That Her Master Was a Thief...
Ji Mingran nodded hurriedly; of course she wanted to know.
The night was suddenly ripped apart by a swift flash of lightning. Ji Mingran reacted quickly, turning his gaze to the opposite bank, where he could vaguely make out buildings resembling courtyards.
A rumbling thunderclap rose from the edge of the clouds.
The torrential rain poured down, soaking Ji Mingran from head to toe, his nose and ears completely drenched.
"Why did it suddenly start raining?" Guan Wangzhen muttered. "In the past, the weather outside wouldn't affect the sect. Back then, the sect's grand formation could regulate the weather within the sect on its own." Despite his complaint, Guan Wangzhen was completely dry, unaffected by the downpour. He clicked his tongue in disdain, "How come you don't even know a simple water-repelling technique?"
A gentle light shone down on him, and Ji Mingran was no longer drenched by the rain; his soaked body became dry.
Before Ji Mingran could respond, Guan Wangzhen continued, "Not only has the function of the grand formation been reduced, but the teleportation array, which originally operated on its own day and night relying on the spiritual energy within the sect, has also been restricted by the sect leader and the old folks. Users now have to input their own spiritual energy to activate the array. After all, since three hundred years ago, the sect's spiritual veins have been severely depleted, so they try to conserve as much as possible."
Three hundred years ago...
Guan Wangzhen once told her that Boss Jiang had been pursued for hundreds of years for betraying the sect with a treasure.
Ji Mingran asked cautiously, "Is it because of me, Boss Jiang, uh, Master?"
Guan Wangzhen glanced at her: "You made the connection? Not stupid after all. But the cause wasn't her; she just made things worse for you."
Ji Mingran stayed quietly and didn't say a word.
Through the rain, Guan Wangzhen's voice came clearly, "Three hundred years ago, Dingsheng Sect had few other things, but it had an abundance of powerful beings. Nascent Soul cultivators were everywhere, and Mahayana cultivators were a dime a dozen." Speaking of the past, Guan Wangzhen's long, beautiful eyes shone with light, "But one day, an unusual phenomenon appeared in Dingsheng. Dozens of powerful beings put up a stubborn resistance, but in the end, they disappeared." He stopped speaking with regret.
Ji Mingran asked, "What about the strange phenomenon?"
Thunder roared and rumbled.
Guan Wangzhen rolled his eyes: "Naturally, it also disappeared. Otherwise, would Dingsheng Sect still exist? Dozens of powerful figures perished along with the strange phenomenon, saving Dingsheng Sect, but the sect's spiritual veins were also completely drained. The sect's five peaks and two rivers collapsed simultaneously. The patriarchs of each peak at the time spent a great deal of effort to barely stabilize the situation in their respective regions. However, the sect leader at the time, your good master, swept away all the sect's treasures in the treasure cave of Luan Peak. When everyone arrived, all that remained in the treasure cave was the remains of Li Xiaosen, the chief disciple of Luan Peak, who had fought with his master to protect the sect's heritage."
Xiao Sen... Ji Mingran was secretly shocked. A junior advisor?!
"With its spiritual veins depleted, its treasures scattered, and powerful figures gone, Dingsheng Sect suffered a severe blow and is no longer what it once was. Li Sanyang, the second disciple of Luanfeng who was traveling abroad, returned to the peak and secluded himself to guard his senior brother's body. The once thriving sect has fallen to such a state because of Sect Leader Jiang's betrayal, yet Luanfeng has not offered a single explanation. It's impossible for the other disciples not to feel resentful. However, considering the sacrifice of Uncle Li Xiaosen, Sect Leader Yuanliu ordered that no one should say anything more. Everyone also needed to focus on reorganizing the sect and had no time to care about them. From then on, Luanfeng was neglected and became a barren, desolate place."
"About fifty years ago, some scoundrels sneaked in while the peak masters were in seclusion, gathering in front of Luan Peak, attempting to attack the sect from both sides. It is said that on that day, nine hundred and thirty-two bolts of lightning in white, blue, and purple pierced down from the clouds, blasting the entire Luan Peak, along with those scoundrels, into charred remains. Afterwards, spring rains fell, plants sprouted, and Uncle-Master Li Sanyang advanced three levels, breaking through to the Mahayana stage while protecting the sect. With this incident, Luan Peak, along with the Dingsheng Sect, finally washed away its shame. Among the ten Mahayana cultivators on the Spiritual Cultivation Continent, Uncle-Master Li Sanyang was one of them, known as Venerable Hongyan."
Ji Mingran gave a thumbs-up with both hands: "Sounding like this, the Venerable One is indeed amazing."
Guan Wangzhen said, "It's not bad to use it as a signboard. In the past, the Dingsheng Sect's entrance competition was held once every hundred years. The competition was dangerous, and it was common for no one to be admitted. It was not as easy as it is for us. However, after that incident, the sect suffered a serious loss of talent, so it was changed to a competition every twenty years. Even so, no one was interested. Later, when Uncle Sanyang broke through, more and more people came to join the sect. But he himself rarely showed up. He was single-mindedly looking for a secret treasure to save his senior brother. At most, he would say something boring like 'work hard and work harder,' let alone impart any cultivation insights. Everyone is not stupid. Since he has no intention of teaching, no one will come to join Luanfeng. So Luanfeng is still a godforsaken place."
“Actually,” Ji Mingran said slowly, frowning, “Elder Jiang and Master Jiang were already the sect leader back then. Doesn’t the sect leader already have control over all the affairs of the sect? Why would she steal the sect’s treasure and run away? The logic doesn’t quite make sense.”
"Who knows! The rumors have been circulating for over three hundred years," Guan Wangzhen said. "But people don't always act and speak according to logic. Haven't you heard or seen anything from your master?"
Mr. Jiang only runs a coffin shop; he doesn't have any rare treasures.
Ji Mingran shook her head and remained silent. The piercing creaking sound, though thunderous, did not reach her ears. She looked up.
The dilapidated suspension bridge, battered by wind and rain, swayed wildly, seemingly on the verge of collapse. Crackling sounds rang out as several planks were torn up by the wind and swept away without a trace.
Guan Wangzhen, standing beside her, glanced at her and clicked his tongue twice: "Your appearance... is indeed believable."
He concluded: "Your aptitude is low, your master has a bad reputation, and your two senior brothers are in a coma for a hundred years and have eccentric personalities. There is no one to teach you on the peak. You have no master's title, and apart from attracting criticism and being looked down upon, you will not gain any benefits."
They were in an awkward, neither-between-nor-between situation, and the circumstances were extremely passive.
Ji Mingran glanced sideways: "Why are you telling me all this?" He could have easily remained a bystander, like anyone else. After all, if she had a bad temper, she would only think he was kicking her when she was down, spreading bad news to deliberately mock her, leaving her with nothing but a humiliating defeat.
But he insisted on coming and telling me everything so that I could be mentally prepared.
"I'm happy to." Guan Wangzhen snorted. "Seeing you trembling and pitifully climbing up here, only to accidentally stumble into Luanfeng, what terrible luck."
Ji Mingran stood up and said sincerely, "Actually, I am very grateful to you for telling me so much."
"Ahem!" Guan Wangzhen scratched the back of his head, ignoring her. "I'm just bored, what's there to thank me for? I grew up on Lin Peak and I can't stand people who gossip about sects. I especially hate those who waver between other sects. But seeing how discerning you are, and how much you value our sect, I'll just..."
Guan Wangzhen continued talking incessantly. Ji Mingran stared at the back of the red-haired man's head, pondered for a moment, then quietly raised his foot and kicked him hard.
The rain lashed at Ji Mingran's face and body again, soaking her to the bone. The icy chill seeped into her bones.
The water-repelling spell on his body has been removed.
Yes, the timing was perfect; she took advantage of Guan Wangzhen's momentary lapse in attention and kicked him off the stage.
She said to the empty cliff, "I will repay you next time."
She never owed anyone anything, nor did she want others to owe her anything.
Repay kindness with kindness, and avenge wrongs with revenge.
She remembered Guan Wangzhen kicking her once.
Ji Mingran turned to look at the suspension bridge and took a step towards it.
He touched the bundle and walking stick on his back. The bundle contained extra food, and the walking stick was always ready for use; neither could be missing. As Ji Mingran walked, he tightened the bundle and walking stick, wrapping them tightly around his back.
Stopping in front of the suspension bridge, Ji Mingran stared intently at the opposite bank, gripped the rope, and took a step forward. The heavy weight creaked and groaned under its strain.
Taking another step forward, the ropes connecting the planks sank slightly, and then the entire suspension bridge began to tremble violently, swaying and rocking wildly from side to side, as if it were on its deathbed, with the last straw falling on its back, raging wildly.
The frail, trembling figure struggled to maintain its balance amidst the violent swaying, inching forward against the wind and rain.
However, when they had reached about a third of the way across, a loud crash echoed as the suspension bridge's wooden planks collapsed and broke, the whirlwind tearing them apart and sweeping them far away. The small, unprepared person lost their footing and was flipped 180 degrees by the rope in their hands, hanging headfirst between the cliffs.
Ji Mingran couldn't see his surroundings clearly.
Thunder roared, the wind howled, and rain lashed down, soaking my eyes, nose, and mouth, leaving my face a mess.
"Pah!" Ji Mingran spat out the rainwater in his mouth, squinted, gritted his teeth, lifted his legs and hung them on the rope, using his hands and feet to climb forward little by little.
It doesn't matter if the weather isn't cooperating.
It doesn't matter if you can't move an inch
The commotion and noise are nothing to worry about.
My heart is at peace.
There is a solution to every problem.
If suffering were to resolve her, she would resolve suffering first.
No one can stop her from becoming stronger!
She tried her best to move forward, but one problem after another arose.
The immense impact felt as if it were shattering his internal organs. Ji Mingran's vision went black, and he was unable to move for a long time.
My chest is burning with pain; my bones are broken.
Driven by her survival instinct, she still gripped the rope tightly with both hands, but her breathing became increasingly weak.
Hanging there for a while, the vibration subsided slightly. Ji Mingran slowly wrapped the rope around his waist and then reached his hand upwards.
Now that we're already at Luanfeng, we can just climb up the rock face.
The wind and rain never stopped, and the thunder never ceased.
Ji Mingran slipped while climbing. The rope caught her as she fell, and she crashed onto the cliff. Her old back injury flared up, and she hit her forehead, bleeding profusely. She grabbed the rocks above her head with both hands, tried to push herself up with her legs, but lost her balance and fell back down, crashing onto the rock face.
Over and over again.
The cycle repeats itself.
I don’t know how much time passed, or perhaps not so long. Thunder rumbled in the thick clouds, lightning flashed on the horizon, and the torrential rain continued to wash over that thin but stubborn body.
On the mountain cliff, the soil was battered by the rain and turned into a muddy mess. Yellow muddy water flowed continuously and rolled down the cliff. The fragile spiritual grass was completely washed to one side. Its roots resisted stubbornly but gradually broke off, leaving only a single thread-like root connected to the earth, trembling helplessly in the wind and rain.
Another layer of muddy water rolled down, heading straight towards the spiritual herb. The roots and stems were about to be unable to withstand it and were swept away by the roots.
Just then, a hand reached out from the edge of the cliff, slapped down, and the five fingers gripped the ground tightly, pressing down the grass roots firmly with the palm.
The fingernails turned white from the force, and then a head with grotesque features emerged from the effort, while another arm simultaneously gripped the edge of the cliff.
"Drink!" The newcomer shouted hoarsely, then with a powerful struggle, flipped his entire body up the cliff and landed steadily.
Ji Mingran's face was as pale as a dead person, but her dark eyes were calm as a pool. She looked down at herself, touched her head, and found herself covered in mud with wounds of varying degrees on her head, hands, and feet. Fortunately, the bloodstains had been washed away by the rain.
She touched her disheveled hair, tied it into a messy knot, and murmured while gazing into the distance, "It's neat enough, I guess it meets the boss's requirements."
Pulling out his crutch, Ji Mingran continued walking, limping as he gazed at the courtyard standing quietly in the rain not far away.
Ji Mingran stopped at the door, gently massaging his legs as he looked ahead.
A faint red light enveloped the tightly closed double wooden doors, creating a quiet and eerie atmosphere. As Fang Jue approached, he saw a yellowed piece of paper pasted on the door, the writing faded and blurred, with only one word at the top: "Protect".
Got it, Mr. Jiang is a fan of puns.
Ji Mingran reached out and knocked on the door. As expected, the seemingly tightly closed, heavy door was gently touched and slowly opened inward with a creak.
She walked in, and it was still pitch black before her eyes, but she couldn't see the counter she used to see.
Yes, this is not a coffin shop.
As soon as I stepped across the threshold, the scenery changed abruptly. The thunder and rain that had been outside the door were completely shut out, as if I had been thrown into another world.
Under the soft moonlight, a complete courtyard house unfolds before your eyes.
"Mingran, your master was right about you. You have gained the approval of the wills of all the patriarchs of Luanfeng." A familiar, clear voice rang out.
The ancient locust tree was covered with lush foliage. Under its shade, beside a low table, stood a person with an ethereal appearance and a smiling, pale face.
Xiao Can, no, Li Xiaosen, just like before, raised his hands and greeted her with a smile: "That's great, I knew you could do it."
He paused, then turned to the person beside him and said, "Master said that if Mingran can pass the trial, she will rightfully become her last disciple."
The man had an ordinary appearance and wore a gray robe. Because he deliberately concealed his imposing Mahayana aura, he seemed to have no presence at all when standing next to Li Xiaosen.
He was looking down as if he was thinking about something, but when he heard this, he lifted his eyelids and stared at Ji Mingran with bloodshot eyes.
After a long silence, he nodded slightly, his voice calm and even: "Junior Sister."
Thick, dark blood gushed out.
The door frame, clothing, and ground were covered in gruesome bloodstains.
That's neither polite nor neat.
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