Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 428 - 237. Celestial Master Tang’s mana has already become unbearable.
Qi Shuo shook his head, "I haven’t heard anything for now."
Zhao Zongjie said, "Since that’s the case, let’s not act rashly. We might as well keep an eye on the movements in the Northern Border."
Qi Shuo said, "Tang Xiaotang seemed to have left without the Celestial Master’s Sword."
Zhao Zongjie nodded lightly, "There are both advantages and disadvantages."
*If there was a chance to seize the Celestial Master’s Sword, naturally, that would have been best.*
*Unfortunately, Tang Xiaotang just didn’t give us the opportunity.*
*But on the flipside, without the Celestial Master’s Sword at her side, Tang Xiaotang’s deterrence was noticeably reduced as well.*
"I’ll wait around Dragon Tiger Mountain, and you’ll go to the Northern Border?" Qi Shuo asked.
Zhao Zongjie glanced at him, "Alright..."
Before the words left his mouth, his and Qi Shuo’s expressions suddenly changed at the same time.
Then the two of them immediately turned toward the direction of the Ancestral Altar.
At that moment, they saw a beam of radiance shooting up from above the Yellow Sky Altar.
For the sake of secrecy, the flickering light had already been contained within a certain range by a pre-set ritual instrument and its restriction, preventing it from spilling out.
The light above the Yellow Sky Sect Altar transformed into a magnificent Star River, endlessly flowing and presenting the image of a Circle Stars Array Fight.
The altar itself shook gently, with a massive amount of Tao Containment condensing into mysterious runes, glittering like a sky full of stars, revolving around the altar and forming a misty haze.
Qi Shuo, Zhao Zongjie, and the other Yellow Sky Sect core members on the island all stepped forward together, bowing toward the altar, "We respectfully welcome the Sect Leader’s return from seclusion."
A Taoist dressed in a purple-gold cloud robe strode slowly out from within the altar, none other than Taoist Taiping—the current leader of the Yellow Sky Sect, who had not shown himself for a long time after a prolonged period of seclusion.
Ever since being wounded by Xu Yuanzhen and Li Hongyu in the great battle, Taoist Taiping had been closed off, resting and recovering, never concerning himself with external affairs. For all these years, it was Qi Shuo, Zhao Zongjie, and others who took care of the Yellow Sky Sect’s matters, both big and small.
Qi Shuo and Zhao Zongjie never expected that Taoist Taiping would suddenly emerge from seclusion today.
"At ease." Taoist Taiping walked forth slowly, "I’ve been in seclusion for quite some time now, you junior brothers have worked hard."
Everybody stepped up to warmly congratulate him on his return.
After listening to Qi Shuo, Zhao Zongjie, and the others report the general situation over the years, Taoist Taiping nodded repeatedly, "Now that the Li Clan has perished, in our hearts, a heavy burden has finally been relieved."
He swept his gaze over Qi Shuo and the others, "But that’s only the first step."
All present voiced their agreement.
They saw themselves as the true lineage of the Celestial Master Mansion; their ultimate goal, of course, was to retake Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Ancestral Court.
*That fact had never wavered or changed.*
"My return from seclusion shouldn’t be announced externally for now," Taoist Taiping calmly instructed.
Qi Shuo nodded first and then said, "Sect Leader, there is currently an urgent matter..."
After Qi Shuo and Zhao Zongjie explained the news of Tang Xiaotang’s departure from the mountain, Taoist Taiping’s expression remained cool, "Let’s just observe the situation for now and deal with it later."
Zhao Zongjie said, "Sect Leader, do you mean... there might be major upheavals?"
Taoist Taiping said, "Judging solely by what you have reported, the key point here isn’t Tang Xiaotang, but Xu Yuanzhen. So it’s not time for resolution yet. The noble families of Jiangzhou’s Lin Clan and others will have bigger moves to make."
Zhao Zongjie said, "Qi and I had no intention of making rash moves before, lest we become someone else’s stepping stone. It’s just, we feared we might not react in time, so we planned to return to the mainland and make some preparations. Now that you, Sect Leader, have returned from seclusion, naturally, there is no such worry. We can sit tight."
Taoist Taiping said, "Although I’ve left seclusion, you’ll still assist me in managing daily affairs."
Zhao Zongjie and Qi Shuo both agreed.
Taoist Taiping then asked, "Has our sect seen any new talents emerge in recent years?"
The Yellow Sky Sect had been suppressed by the Celestial Master Mansion and the Great Tang Imperial Court in tandem, operating mostly in secret, making everything difficult.
As for resources, they could occasionally receive covert aid from others.
Recruitment, however, was an enduring problem.
Before the Li Clan perished, secretly attracting some disaffected disciples from the Celestial Master Mansion—especially those of non-native surnames—was once the biggest channel for expanding the Yellow Sky Sect, but they constantly had to beware of informants being planted by the Celestial Master Mansion or the Tang Imperial Family.
After Xinzhou Li Family’s demise, even this source became harder, making Yellow Sky Sect even more short of fresh blood.
These last few years, their recruitment efforts were even forced to shift toward the East Sea Ocean.
But populations here were naturally far smaller than inland, and they still had to compete with the Great Void Temple.
*That was why, soon after returning from seclusion, Taoist Taiping brought up the subject. On hearing this, both Zhao Zongjie and Qi Shuo sighed quietly.*
Zhao Zongjie replied, "Sect Leader, at present, the best candidates are Chen Ziyang, Han Wuyou, and Kang Ming."
After speaking, he and Qi Shuo both showed expressions of helplessness.
Taoist Taiping already knew these three; they were all disciples of Yellow Sky Sect who had left before his seclusion.
"Be sure to teach them with care," Taoist Taiping instructed with a steady expression.
Qi Shuo said, "According to the original plan, they should have been brought to the Ancestral Altar these past years..."
The location of Yellow Sky Sect’s Ancestral Altar was top secret, and only a handful within knew where it was.
However, elite disciples’ cultivation could not be delayed.
*Still, with time passing and various causes, the Yellow Sky Altar had been declining year by year.*
"Don’t rush things for now," Taoist Taiping said, "Let me go back to the mainland and take a look first."
All the Yellow Sky Sect members responded at once, "We will strictly obey the Sect Leader’s orders."
......
Northern Border, Long Sky Lake region.
Lei Jun, having obtained the Mother-Child Condensing Essence Beads, immediately concealed himself again.
He covertly observed the aftermath of Long Sky Lake for a while longer. Still seeing no one else appear, he left.
*From a lottery perspective, he’d been fairly lucky—of the two moderately good lots, the one he drew was the one untouched by karma.*
Here at Long Sky Lake, all that happened stemmed from the upheaval at Dragon Bone Ridge, which triggered changes resulting in the birth of the Mother-Child Condensing Essence Beads artifact.
