Complete the Heritage

Although it was somewhat unexpected, it made perfect sense.

The battle at Fanlou in Luodu that night had ultimately ended with Lin Qingyan fighting three opponents alone.

However, the information revealed went far beyond what was seen on the surface. The masterminds hiding in the shadows valued Lin Qingyan much more highly than anyone had imagined.

To merely stall her, they had been willing to dispatch three Golden Core experts.

Now that Lin Qingyan was breaking through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, wouldn't they send at least double that number?

If six Golden Core cultivators were to launch an attack during the vulnerable gap of her breakthrough...

Even Lin Qingyan couldn't confidently claim she could fight six at once; at best, she would merely survive.

This was exactly why Elder Qiu, the moment he received the news, had hurriedly set off with two Golden Core enshrinements.

He feared that if the enemy had too many people, he alone might not be able to protect her.

Now, it seemed that the Celestial Master Mansion in Shendu was even more anxious than he was.

Although only two people had come, the fact that these two could cross thousands of miles in such a short time...

Rushing from Shendu to the Qingjian Sect, they were only slightly slower than those departing from Luodu. Their strength was evident.

But it made sense. Aside from Lin Qingyan's formidable strength and unmatched combat prowess...

Her status was unimaginably noble. She was the young aunt of Luo Zhao, and also the young aunt of Emperor Luo.

The lights on the horizon drew closer and closer.

Under Elder Qiu's watchful gaze, the two streaks of light descended from the sky, landing steadily on the open ground in front of the hall.

The light faded, revealing two figures, one old, one middle-aged. Both were Golden Core enshrinements with profoundly deep auras.

Elder Qiu was just about to step forward to greet them when the hall doors behind him suddenly opened.

A soft creak rang out, exceptionally clear in the silent twilight.

Elder Qiu paused his steps and immediately turned his head, his eyes full of anticipation.

However, the first person to catch his eye was Gu Chengyin.

He stepped over the threshold looking refreshed and invigorated. His robes were neat, his hair perfectly in place, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile lingered in his eyes and brows.

The smile was neither too heavy nor too light, it was just right, leaving no room for fault, yet somehow it felt profoundly meaningful.

Following closely behind him was Lin Qingyan.

Her expression was cold and aloof, her lips pressed tightly together, her face breathtakingly beautiful.

She stepped out of the hall doors and stood still beside Gu Chengyin.

Elder Qiu's gaze fell upon her and could no longer look away.

Lin Qingyan simply stood there quietly. Her aura was restrained, yet an invisible, oppressive pressure naturally emanated from her.

It made everyone present involuntarily hold their breath.

That unhidden aura clearly told everyone...

She, Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion, Lin Qingyan, had reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

A light of incomparable joy instantly burst forth in Elder Qiu's eyes.

He took a step forward, completely forgetting the two newly arrived Golden Core enshrinements, his tone filled with irrepressible excitement:

Lord Jingzhe, did you successfully break through?

Lin Qingyan raised her eyes and glanced at Elder Qiu.

Cold and clear, completely devoid of emotion, as if it were just a casual look.

She didn't speak, but her nod was the greatest affirmation.

Upon receiving confirmation, the heavy stone in Elder Qiu's heart instantly dropped.

As for why Lin Qingyan didn't speak, he didn't mind.

Or rather, he was already used to it; Lin Qingyan's personality had always been like this.

Cold and distant, she never spoke much to anyone, forever keeping people at arm's length.

Getting a nod of acknowledgment from her was already a tremendous honor.

Just then, the two Golden Core enshrinements from the Shendu Celestial Master Mansion quickly walked over.

They happened to see the moment Lin Qingyan nodded, and excited smiles similarly appeared on their faces.

The two stepped forward side by side and bowed with cupped hands simultaneously, their attitude so respectful it bordered on devout:

Lord Jingzhe, we have come under the orders of the Old Celestial Master to act as your Dharma protectors.

Pausing for a moment, they added:

Congratulations to Lord Jingzhe on your successful breakthrough.

Lin Qingyan still did not speak.

She slightly turned her head and nodded to the two of them, nothing more.

But even so, the two Golden Core enshrinements showed no signs of dissatisfaction.

On the contrary, the smiles on their faces deepened, and a hint of being overwhelmed by an unexpected favor even faintly showed in their eyes.

Elder Qiu saw all this and sighed inwardly.

This was the weight of Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion.

It was like this when she was at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. Now that she had broken through to the mid-stage, she would probably be praised to the high heavens even more.

Just as the atmosphere was harmonious, a smiling voice suddenly interjected.

You lords have traveled a long way, you must be tired.

Everyone looked toward the voice, only to see that Gu Chengyin had stepped back at some point.

He stood slightly behind and to the side of Lin Qingyan, his posture humble and his smile appropriate.

He cupped his hands toward the two Golden Core enshrinements from Shendu, then nodded to Elder Qiu.

Only then did he continue at a leisurely pace:

Since my young aunt has successfully broken through, and you lords are already here, how about we celebrate a little, in this junior's opinion?

As soon as these words were spoken, the enshrinements looked at each other in dismay.

Celebrate?

How would they celebrate?

If they were to celebrate, it should be back at the Shendu Celestial Master Mansion. How could they celebrate at the Qingjian Sect?

The two Golden Core enshrinements from Shendu exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

They subconsciously looked at Elder Qiu, hoping to read something from the face of this person-in-charge of the Luodu Celestial Master Mansion.

Elder Qiu, however, looked thoughtful.

Although he hadn't interacted much with Gu Chengyin, he had already experienced his methods a few times.

The man never spoke without a target, nor would he say baffling things for no reason.

Since he said this, there must be a follow-up, and one that could attract Golden Core enshrinements at that.

Sure enough.

Seeing the confusion on everyone's faces, Gu Chengyin smiled unhurriedly and stood with his hands behind his back.

His gaze leisurely swept over everyone present, finally landing on the distant mountains and ridges.

He spoke slowly, his tone as light as the clouds and wind, yet the words he uttered were earth-shattering:

Lords, don't you want to see...

...how the Qingjian Sect is going to complete its inheritance?

Only at this moment did everyone remember the reason Gu Chengyin had come to inspect the sects, and why his first stop was the Qingjian Sect.

The biggest reason on the surface was to bring back the descendant of the Immortal Race, and then complete the inheritance to reconnect the path of immortality.

It was precisely because of this that Gu Chengyin had encountered the kidnapping attempt by three Golden Core experts and countless men in black at Fanlou in Luodu.

What was the greatest predicament of the current cultivation world?

It wasn't a lack of resources, nor a scarcity of peerless geniuses, but the fact that the path of immortality was broken.

In ancient times, the Immortal Race and Demon Race coexisted, Heaven-rank cultivation methods were everywhere, and ascensions emerged endlessly.

But ever since the Immortal Race and Demon Race disappeared, all cultivation methods had become terribly fragmented.

Later generations could only rely on those broken scrolls and incomplete chapters, groping forward bit by bit, probing step by step.

Countless individuals with heaven-defying talents had tried to complete the fragmented methods with their own strength to reconnect the path of immortality.

They forcefully broke through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, or even the grand completion stage.

But when they attempted to touch that threshold, when they tried to step into the Nascent Soul realm...

Without exception, they all suffered qi deviation, their bodies dying and their dao vanishing.

The outcome was so tragic that later cultivators no longer dared to attempt it recklessly.

The progress of the entire cultivation world stagnated just like that, becoming a pool of stagnant water.

They could only watch helplessly at those fragmented methods and the severed path of immortality, entirely powerless.

Until a rumor began to circulate among the major cultivation sects.

The descendant of the Immortal Race could complete the inheritance and reconnect the path of immortality.