And in the Qingyun Sect, because a spiritual boat was about to leave for the East China Sea to cultivate immortals, the cultivators in the sect had several fierce battles in order to compete for the spot on the spiritual boat.
"All the places given out by the sect will be taken back!"
At a gathering of Qingyun Sect elders, one elder stood up indignantly and spoke. However, the other elders scoffed and looked at him with disdain.
The man standing up was Cao Zishi, who had recently returned from Ziyang City in disgrace. He had embezzled a large amount of talisman materials from the sect. Upon being discovered, he knelt publicly and begged the sect's True Lord Tianyun. This earned him the disdain of the sect's elders and disciples.
True Lord Tianyun and this Cao Zishi were from the same generation of cultivators, but one was gifted and became a Nascent Soul True Lord, while the other, less gifted, turned to studying the Dao of Talismans, eventually becoming a Grandmaster. The two had a good relationship, which was why True Lord Tianyun asked him to hand over his embezzled gains without further investigation.
But by this time, Cao Zishi was looked down upon by everyone in the Qingyun Sect. Many of the younger generation, though outwardly respectful, secretly mocked and cursed him. Many of the Fu Dao disciples who had once enjoyed a master-disciple relationship with him had also defected to other masters. This was why Cao Zishi wanted to connect with the Ziyang Sect.
The Ziyang Sect was a major sect of the Dao of Talismans. Its emphasis on the Dao of Talismans far surpassed that of the Qingyun Sect. Unable to make it in the sect, Cao Zishi decided to consider whether he could cultivate and retire in Ziyang City or even the Ziyang Sect. Unfortunately, he was brutally beaten and returned to the sect in a miserable state.
However, this was a blessing in disguise, and they avoided the crisis of Ziyang City's destruction. This made Cao Zishi, who had been very low-key since his return, start to become high-profile again. He told everyone that it was his sharp eyes that had long ago discovered that Ziyang City was full of dangers, and that was why he used a trick to escape Ziyang City, which was already a dangerous place.
At the same time, he deeply hated everything about Ziyang City. This time, the elders were discussing the matter of the spirit boats from within the sect heading to the East China Sea. Cao Zishi seized the opportunity and proposed reclaiming all the spirit boat quotas that had been given away.
Before joining, he learned that two of the Qingyun Sect's spirit boat quotas were also given to Ziyang City. As to whether they were given to his enemy in the Worship Hall or someone else, Cao Zishi no longer had a good impression of anyone in the Ziyang Sect.
After he was beaten with a stick for no apparent reason and barred from participating in the talisman meeting, even the Zhang family's side branch, which had previously courted him, turned its back on him. Not to mention speaking up for him. Cao Zishi's cruelty to the Zhang family was no less than that of the Gongfeng Hall, the actual culprit.
This was the reason why he had so eagerly proposed to withdraw the Spirit Boat quota in the Elders' Council. After hearing the words of the notorious Elder Cao Zishi, although all the elders laughed at him outwardly, it was impossible for them not to be tempted.
The reason they had gathered together this time was because, during this period, their disciples and relatives had been fighting among themselves over the quota for the Spirit Boat. If this continued, it would sooner or later spread to the level of their elders.
In fact, the bottom line is that there are too few tickets, and the sect has its own considerations. If all the cultivators who want to leave leave, who will stay to resist the evil cultivators?
"Okay, everyone, be quiet for a moment, and let's talk about this matter!"
Seeing the elders below constantly mocking and talking, though their voices weren't loud, to the cultivators' level, it was no different from whispering in their ears. Cao Zishi, who had originally stood up hoping to rally support, turned pale and pale. Seeing only mockery and discussion, he reluctantly sat down. Finally, he turned his gaze to the cultivator seated at the very top.
This was the Nascent Soul True Lord of the Qingyun Sect, Tianyun Zhenjun. He had only advanced to the Nascent Soul stage decades ago, emerging from seclusion. He was less than three hundred years old. While some cultivators of his generation were stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage, like Cao Zishi, others had just reached the Golden Core stage. Many more had only recently passed away in the Qi Refining stage, yet he had already advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.
Therefore, the power of Qingyun Sect naturally fell into the hands of this young True Lord. The original True Lord Xuanqing in the sect cooperated very well and handed over the power, and began to travel in seclusion for a long time.
So when the elders heard the True Lord's words, all the noise suddenly dissipated, and they all sat upright, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
But just sitting there did not work, the True Lord asked everyone to discuss it. After a while, the elders began to express their opinions one by one.
The crowd naturally split into two camps: one believed it could be reclaimed, while the other believed that doing so would undermine the sect's prestige. The elders naturally handed the decision to True Lord Tianyun.
True Lord Tianyun looked at the respectful elders below, already unfazed. Every cultivator who had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage was a shrewd person. He knew that no one dared to make a decision without his approval. And while the two groups appeared roughly evenly matched, no one could tell what each cultivator was thinking.
Just as Tianyuan Zhenjun was considering this, Cao Zishi's inopportune voice rang out again. A flicker of disgust flashed through Tianyun Zhenjun's heart, but he showed nothing on his face as he listened quietly to Cao Zishi's words.
"True Lord, putting aside other matters, the places from Ziyang City must be taken back. Ziyang City has already been conquered. Wouldn't it be a waste if these two places aren't taken back?"
"Haha!" The other elders laughed when they heard this. Everyone knew that this person tried to curry favor with the Zhang family, but suffered a loss in Ziyang City.
"You're wrong. Ziyang City has been destroyed, and we have no one to rescue us. You're the first to kick us when we're down. How can we, Qingyun Sect, still maintain our reputation? We at Qingyun are not the kind of people who would forget our principles for the sake of profit!"
An elder who had heard this immediately retorted. He and Master Haoyi were old acquaintances, and hearing that Haoyi was injured and missing after the city was breached made him extremely worried. The spot could very well have gone to his daughter or Haoyi, which was why he objected so strongly.
"You..." Cao Zishi was so angry that his face turned red and he was speechless. Everyone knew that this was how everyone evaluated him.
"Ha ha ha ha"
The hall suddenly erupted in cheerful laughter. It was not that everyone did not give face to Master Tianyun, but all the elders knew that Cao Zishi was just a clown in the Master's eyes.
Seeing them openly mocking him, and doing so in front of his patron, Tianyun Zhenjun, Cao Zishi couldn't help but glance at the Zhenjun seated at the head. But he also saw a hint of sneer on his face. That look, as if he were looking at a clown, told him that he was truly nothing in the eyes of the elders.
This time, someone might have wanted to bring up this point of view and reveal themselves in advance. Thinking of this, Cao Zishi's eyes flashed coldly, his face alternately pale and blue as he sat down on the chair. He didn't even have the qualifications to leave directly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
