Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 271 - 201: News of an Old Friend (Part 2)

He had just detected a familiar trace from the many magical artifacts, and upon careful identification, he discovered something unexpected that seemed to be an Illuminati artifact.

"The style and arrangement of the spirit patterns are thirty to forty percent similar to the 'Taiyi Bright Shield' I acquired back in the day."

"Aren't there countless artifact-refining techniques in the world? Such a high degree of similarity is hard to call a coincidence..."

Zhang Yao's expression became subtly intriguing:

"If I remember correctly, this item should be from True Yang Ancestor."

A single magical treasure, of course, couldn't directly prove that True Yang Ancestor had any clandestine connections with the Illuminati.

After all, magical treasures have various origins and may also be spoils of war from Lingyang Sect's ancestors, passed down through generations, but Zhang Yao still took note of this matter cautiously.

"Crack!"

After putting away the Little Bell, he replaced it with another magical treasure and quickly consumed it, showing a hint of satisfaction.

"The taste of a magical treasure is indeed far superior to that of a Spiritual Artifact."

"Next, I just need to wait for good news from the Celestial Treasure Tower. Hopefully, True Yang Ancestor and the others can contribute significantly..."

To enhance his cultivation and gradually refine the 'Nine-colored Heavenly Wheel,' he still required nine Heaven and Earth Treasures and special Spiritual Objects.

Currently, the only certain information he had was about the Taiyin Dew, one kind of treasure.

However, the Taiyin Dew was used to build the 'Taiyin Celestial Pivot Array,' and his current cultivation was far from ready for constructing the Taiyin Celestial Pivot Array.

Moreover, obtaining enough Taiyin Dew from Liangyue River Lord required a suitable timing, which was not yet the case.

"Hmm... it should be over fifty years until the next 'Taiyin Tide.'"

Zhang Yao mused internally:

"Before the Taiyin Tide arrives, it'd be best to gather the remaining three Five Elements Divine Techniques to refine the 'Five Elements Divine Wheel.'"

More than half of his combat power currently came from the 'Aurora Escape Technique' and 'Annihilation Divine Thunder.'

If he could acquire three more Five Elements Divine Techniques, he believed he would be capable of contending against a Golden Core Perfection, making him confident to attend the Taiyin Tide event at Liangyue River.

......

Time flew by quickly.

As the day for Qingxu Palace to open its mountain gates drew nearer, more and more cultivators were gathering near Pingdu Mountain.

The appearance of a new Golden Core Ancestor alone was enough to capture the hearts of many cultivators, not to mention that the ancestor in Qingxu Palace was the uncrowned king of Da Li.

Near the base of Pingdu Mountain:

Large areas of palaces and pavilions had already been built, unable to approach Pingdu Mountain's protective array but surrounding the base of the mountain completely.

"Oh my! There are indeed a lot of people here!"

An old man leading more than a dozen family juniors hurried here and couldn't help but comment as they saw numerous escape lights weaving like rain.

The group found a place on the outer edge of the mountain's base, temporarily opening a cave dwelling where the dozens crowded in, and the old man cautiously set up an array banner.

"Grandfather!"

A teenage girl remarked somewhat dissatisfied:

"You are a Foundation Establishment master. Why not drive away those Qi Refining cultivators who occupied good spots earlier, instead of cramming here?"

"Stop talking nonsense,"

The old man glared at her and solemnly said:

"This is under the eyes of a Golden Core Ancestor. Who dares to bully the weak like this?"

"After all, no one knows how the Elder Qingxu's temperament is. If we incite his displeasure, coming here would be for nothing, and it might even bring great calamity."

He paused before continuing:

"There are far more than one or two Foundation Establishment masters gathered at Pingdu Mountain. Do you see anyone forcibly seizing a cave dwelling?"

"Those who reach this realm aren't fools."

The girl, hearing this, still seemed somewhat confused:

"Then why go through so much trouble to come all the way to Pingdu Mountain?"

"Isn't cultivation the same no matter where it is? Shanhe Sect's spirit vein is a medium-sized one, and elder brother and elder sister are also in Shanhe Sect..."

The old man shook his head and stated:

"Shanhe Sect is decent, but compared to this Elder Qingxu, it's not even close."

He glanced at everyone and slowly spoke:

"Many of you are too young and inexperienced, not knowing what the previous joint announcement from the three families means, do you?"

"There has always been Da Li's first Golden Core, like the ancestor of Pingdu Sect during the era when the Five Sects coexisted, who was acknowledged as the strongest in Da Li."

"But even though he was powerful, he wasn't far different from other Golden Core Ancestors, remaining on the same level, thus unable to overcome being besieged and perished as a result."

"However, this Elder Qingxu is different; he is truly unmatched in Da Li, overpowering all Golden Core experts, surpassing all other Golden Core Ancestors by a whole tier, truly the overlord of Da Li!"

He concluded with an increasingly solemn tone:

"You should know that the last time there was a Golden Core cultivator of such standing in the Da Li Cultivation Realm was during the time of the Five Elements Wanderer two thousand years ago!"

"Now you should understand the weight of this Elder Qingxu, right?"

Upon hearing his words:

The many juniors in the cave dwelling couldn't help but react, whispering among themselves.

Most of them being only in their teens, seemed to finally understand why thousands of cultivators from the Twenty-four Continents flocked near Pingdu Mountain.

"...Hm?!"

The old man was ready to continue speaking when his expression changed.

Though the array banner sealed the array, his divine thought was continuously monitoring the outside world to avoid missing any opportunities.

And at this moment:

Within his divine thought's perception, he noticed significant commotion and clamor around Pingdu Mountain:

"It's people from the Fuhai Sect! They dare to come back?!

"Yes, seventy years ago, they were driven out of Da Li by the joint forces of the three families, and now they dare to return!"

"I've heard this Elder Qingxu was once quite close to the Fuhai Sect, so why wouldn't they dare to come back?"

"Indeed, sending a Foundation Establishment master as a congratulatory representative; neither the Lingyang Sect nor Shanhe Sect would dare intercept them without good reason, right?"

"Hehehe, now there's going to be a show, curious to see how Lingyang Sect will react..."

Various discussions, speculations, and debates were rampant, enabling the old man to understand what had happened—the arrival of a Foundation Establishment master from Fuhai Sect!

"This sure got lively."

He couldn't help but look up through the array at the top of Pingdu Mountain, wondering in his mind: 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"I wonder what attitude Elder Qingxu would have towards the current Fuhai Sect."

......

At the same time.

At the top of Pingdu Mountain, in Qingxu Palace.

Zhang Yao, upon hearing of the Foundation Establishment master's visit from Fuhai Sect, chose to meet immediately in a side hall.

"Liu Yun of Fuhai Sect, paying respects to Elder Qingxu."

A beautiful and poised woman knelt on the ground, paying her respects respectfully.

"Rise."

Zhang Yao motioned with his hand and asked:

"Who is currently in charge of Fuhai Sect?"

His only concern about Fuhai Sect was the Lord Haihe.

Calculating Lord Haihe's age, if he hasn't broken through to the Golden Core Realm by now, he might be nearing the end of his lifespan.

"Reporting to the ancestor,"

Liu Yun lowered her eyes, speaking softly:

"The current sect leader is Lord Cangluo."

"The former leader, Lord Haihe, achieved the Golden Core Realm fifty-four years ago, stepped down as sect leader, and sits at Sea Sky Will Island."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yao revealed a slight smile:

"Fellow Daoist Haihe achieved Golden Core as well? That's truly a matter worth congratulating."

Liu Yun respectfully stated:

"Two months ago, news of Elder Qingxu obtaining Golden Core traveled across the sea to Dayu."

"Haihe Ancestor, delighted by the news, originally intended to come personally but was constrained by pressing sect affairs."

As she spoke, she reached into her bosom, taking out a pale blue brocade box and handing it over respectfully:

"Haihe Ancestor instructed me to deliver a letter and a congratulatory gift."

"Please take a look, Elder Qingxu."