Chapter 281 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (32)

(Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

(First Peak- Hall Of The Founder)

The Hall Of The Founder was a massive building that contained a single hall.

The exterior of the building was made from a pure white marble-like material that gleamed under the sunlight.

This was the place where the sect leader of the Holy Sword Sect resided. It was a place where even true disciples were normally forbidden to enter.

Only high-ranking senior members of the sect, certain elders and those who had won the sect leader's favour were allowed to visit.

What many did not know what that at the back of the building there was a small garden.

The garden contained ordinary green plants and brightly coloured flowers. No spiritual herbs or rare plants could be found here.

The garden was no bigger than the size of a small apartment and a single wooden bench had been placed in the center of the space.

On the bench an elderly man was currently sitting down in a cross-legged position with his eyes firmly closed.

Heavy bags could be seen under his eyes and wrinkles crept up along the rest of his body.

It was a rare sight to find on a cultivator since nearly all would use some of their qi to retain their youthful looks.

The sect leader opened his eyes and gazed upwards at the sky. A small white dot in the distance was coming closer and closer.

As the mysterious object came nearer, the sect leader could see that it was a giant white crane holding a thin sheet of parchment paper in its long beak.

The crane landed graceful on the sandy ground and stepped closer to the sect leader.

It opened its beak and the piece of paper floated towards the elderly man as if guided by an invisible thread.

"Thank you," Shi Jian spoke politely.

The white crane bowed its head and then with a flap of its arms, it rose up from the ground and flew off towards an unknown direction.

The sect leader let out a light sigh as he opened up the thin sheet of parchment paper and read the words that had been carefully painted on its surface.

It was nearly time…

Every couple of hundred years, the major righteous clans and sects would hold a meeting to discuss the changes to the cultivation world.

They would also talk about other matters such as demon cultivators, spiritual beasts, and exchange stories about their adventures.

It was treated as quite an important social affair.

Especially considering that many cultivators spent their days locked up inside their private residences mediating and trying to break through to the next level.

Of course, one topic would always be discussed and that was the distribution of resources.

There was not an infinite number of secret realms, spiritual mines and rare elixirs.

There would always be winners and losers in the cultivation world even among those who were technically on the same side.

Each sect obviously wanted as much resources as possible so in order to prevent war from breaking out, an agreement was reached.

A massive tournament would be held among the younger generation. Only cultivators under the age of fifty would be allowed to participate.

The performance of the young disciples in the tournament would impact the amount of resources allocated to the sect that they belonged to.

Naturally this arrangement worked out quite well for the four greatest cultivation sects because the disciples that they chose to represent them would be geniuses.

Shi Jian glanced at the document one more time and then placed it into his storage ring. He was already beginning to organise his thoughts on the matter.

He would need to speak to the elders in charge of the inner and true disciples to see if there were any good seedlings.

And of course… he needed to see Lei Ying.

The saintess may have failed her first mission but her actions afterwards had earned her a great deal of respect in the sect leader's heart.

The ability to reflect upon one's actions and to be affected by the loss of life of a fellow sect member were admirable traits.

Xu Lu was young and inexperienced. Her talent was obviously quite high but without experience of the real world… it was useless.

Maybe he should give her some private training?

The sect master rubbed his chin and thought about bringing up the matter with his junior sister when he had the chance.

She was very protective of her disciple.

A small smile flashed across the sect leader's face when her remembered the warmth in Lei Ying's gaze when she spoke about her apprentice.

It was good that his once mischievous junior sister had matured. Xu Lu was probably slightly spoiled judging from Lei Ying's attitude towards her.

Still… it was clear that the young saintess had a good heart and that was really all that mattered along with her tremendous talent.

.

.

.

.

(Unknown Location- Temple Of The Fallen God)

"What the hell is this place?" a woman snarled angrily as she was brought to her knees by a swift punch to her stomach.

She was currently kneeling down in an underground chamber that was illuminated by dozens of torches that glowed with a purplish light.

Mortal men and women formed neat lines along the walls. They wore simple peasant clothing and straw sandals.

Dark tattoos covered their bodies and the markings wriggling and squirmed as if they were somehow alive.

The female cultivator tried to summon the qi in her dantian but it was like the spiritual energy inside her body had disappeared.

Tap… tap… tap…

The sound of soft footsteps echoed through the underground chamber. The female cultivator looked in the direction of the noise and her eyes widened in disbelief.

An extremely beautiful woman was walking towards her.  She had gentle facial features, soft eyes, and a warm smile.

She wore a rough outfit made out of hemp. It was a cheap attire and yet she still bore a striking resemblance to a goddess.

"Cai Yaling…" the mysterious mortal woman spoke.

"How… how do you know my name? What is this place?" the female cultivator yelled angrily as she struggled against the ropes wrapped around her arms.

"Did it feel good?" the mysterious woman asked quietly.

"Did what feel good?" Cai Yaling retorted furiously as she tried to muster up all the force in her body to snap the ropes.

One of the men standing along the sides of the underground room stepped forward and held her body in place.

The beautiful woman nodded at him and then stretched out a hand that was hidden beneath her hemp robes.

Her once fair skinned palm was now covered in dark tattoos but unlike the markings on the other mortals' bodies… hers had shades of crimson mixed in with the darkness.

"When you murdered a man in front of his family just because he would not allow his son to sleep with you," the woman whispered gently as her fingers touched the top of Cai Yaling's forehead.

"When you laughed as his wife screamed… when you showed his son the corpses of his parents and told him that it was his fault."

"Did. It. feel. Good?"

The female cultivator screamed in agony as a strange energy flowed out from the tip of the mysterious woman's fingertips and entered her body.

She could feel her dantian core slowly disintegrating and wrinkles began to appear on her once youthful skin.