Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds-Chapter 543 - 280. The envoy from Cloud Sword Sect comes and accepts Zuoqiu Ying as a Daoist partner.
「One and a half years later.」
Nanhua Sect, Qingzhu Mountain Spirit Land.
A few rays of Escaping Light flickered in the air, heading straight toward the Cave Mansion Entrance.
"Sect Leader, Immortal Ying seeks an audience."
"And... Fairy Wu from the Cloud Sword Sect has also arrived..."
A middle-aged scholar descended from the clouds. He gently knocked on the Cave Mansion Stone Door, transmitting his words via divine sense.
When the Cave Mansion remained silent for a long time, he glanced back at the two young female immortals of graceful demeanor behind him, his heart tightening.
"Immortal Ying, Fairy Wu, the Sect Leader has been recuperating for the past year or so. He only emerged from seclusion a few days ago to meet with the Sect Masters from the various sects due to the critical importance of our diplomatic relations..."
The middle-aged scholar gave a wry smile.
Although the cultivation levels of the two immortals before him were slightly inferior to his own—both being at the Dao Pill Cultivation stage—they both possessed extraordinary backgrounds. They were direct descendants of two Great Higher Teachings, and their statuses were not something an ordinary Dao Pill Daoist like him could afford to offend.
"Daoist Tan, since Master Xu emerged from seclusion a few days ago to attend to diplomatic relations with the various sects, then... I wonder if Master Xu would personally oversee the negotiations regarding diplomatic relations between your esteemed sect and my Cloud Sword Sect?"
Hearing Tan Shan’s words, Wu Ziting’s eyelids lifted slightly, showing no surprise. She gave a soft laugh, tucked a stray strand of raven hair from her forehead behind her ear, and her vermilion lips parted as she spoke.
The moment her words fell, the Cave Mansion Stone Door swung open.
Xu Xing emerged from the doorway. He exchanged a brief glance with Tan Shan, the Butian Sect disciple, silently indicating that Tan Shan need not say more. Then, he walked over to Wu Ziting and Zuoqiu Ying and offered a slight bow. "The Cloud Sword Sect is one of the Higher Teachings and wishes to establish diplomatic relations with our sect. Even if I, Xu, must drag my injured and depleted body, I will personally attend to this matter."
Since successfully breaking the array and defeating Dao Lord Zhongtai in a sword duel a year ago, an increasing number of small and medium-sized sects had sought to establish diplomatic relations with the Butian Sect.
There were now more than twenty such sects.
The Beichen Sect, from which Tan Shan hailed, was one of them. The Beichen Sect was located in the North Wilderness. After establishing diplomatic relations with the Butian Sect, they had immediately sent Tan Shan, a direct disciple, to the Butian Sect to serve as a hostage.
However, from the time he had entered seclusion until today, not a single one of the Ten Great Higher Teachings had done so.
The Cloud Sword Sect was the first.
"Master Xu, you speak too gravely. My Cloud Sword Sect is not one to bully the weak or act aloof and arrogant. How could we allow Master Xu to attend to matters while injured..." Wu Ziting smiled.
"Fairy Wu, this ’bully the weak’ and ’aloof and arrogant’... I wonder which sect you are subtly mocking now..." Zuoqiu Ying detected the barb aimed at the Nanhua Sect in Wu Ziting’s words. She snorted softly and retorted, "No matter what, it’s far better than a certain sect arriving with ill intentions."
This is bad, Tan Shan thought, sighing inwardly. He couldn’t let Xu Xing, as the Sect Leader, personally intervene to mediate a squabble between guests. So he quickly found a pretext to de-escalate the situation. "Immortal Ying, Fairy Wu, fragrant tea has been prepared in the Cave Mansion. Please, won’t you both come inside first..."
"Very well."
The two women nodded slightly, accepting the offer to de-escalate. At their status, there was no need to persist in bickering and lose face. A sarcastic remark or two was sufficient; more would be unbecoming.
The group proceeded into the Cave Mansion Hall.
After Xu Xing had the Immortal Maidens serve fragrant tea to the two women, he looked at Wu Ziting and came straight to the point, "Fairy Wu, what you said just now, is it true? Is the Cloud Sword Sect genuinely willing to establish diplomatic relations with our Butian Sect?"
I’ve met this Wu Ziting before, during my time with the Heavenly Saint Sect, Xu Xing recalled. I remember she was considered as a marriage candidate for Cui Tong’s seventh disciple and even composed a poem for me back then. Her arrival now as an envoy of the Cloud Sword Sect was indeed unexpected. Or rather, it was a great surprise to him that the Cloud Sword Sect would be the first of the Higher Teachings to establish diplomatic relations with the Butian Sect.
I originally thought the first Higher Teaching to establish diplomatic relations with the Butian Sect would be the Seven Stars Sect, or perhaps Dragon Mountain Villa. The Seven Stars Sect is located in the North Wilderness, the same region as the Butian Sect. They need an emerging power like the Butian Sect to help resist the threats from the Yin Wind Gate and the Godslayer Sect. As for Dragon Mountain Villa, it ranks among the weakest of the Higher Teachings and is not very influential. They also have an old feud with the Flying Feather Immortal Palace. Establishing relations with the Butian Sect would bring them more benefits than harm.
"Master Xu, your single sword suppressed the thirteen Dao Lords of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace. You also cultivate the Nirvana Technique and are revered by all sects as the foremost expert beneath the Nascent Soul Stage..." Wu Ziting said this with a solemn expression. "Even if I possessed greater courage, I would not dare to deceive Master Xu with empty words."
While speaking, she retrieved a sheet of golden paper from her sleeve and presented it to Xu Xing.
"The seals on this Contract Book are indeed those of Sect Master He of the Cloud Sword Sect; there’s no mistake..." Xu Xing accepted the Contract Book, scrutinized it carefully, then nodded with a serious expression.
"However, this Contract Book is blank..."
"What is the meaning of this, esteemed Cloud Sword Sect?" His eyes flickered, and he looked at Wu Ziting with a half-smile as he posed the question.
Establishing diplomatic relations between sects, which includes acknowledging each other’s legitimacy, is the most fundamental type of treaty. Beyond the recognition of legitimacy, there are other types of agreements.
For instance, in the treaty with the Beichen Sect, the Butian Sect is obligated to help them resist threats from Demon repair and accept a "hostage" into the Butian Sect for cultivation. Concurrently, the Beichen Sect must also cede a portion of its resources (as tribute) to the Butian Sect. This is an example of diplomatic relations between an Upper Sect and a Lower sect.
The relationship between the Butian Sect and the Heavenly Saint Sect is different. Theirs is an alliance treaty, focused on mutually resisting pressure from the Ten Great Higher Teachings and fully supporting each other in producing Nascent Soul Saint Monarchs to ascend to the ranks of Higher Teachings.
Regardless of the type of diplomatic treaty, the Contract Book brought by an envoy would never be completely blank. At the very least, it should contain the clause acknowledging the mutual legitimacy of the involved sects.
