The righteous path punishes Heaven

Chapter 16, Three Great Sects

Zhang Yunling... no, he should be called Xu Tianli now. His expression was indifferent as he flew forward with Shen Xiaonan. Both of them were lost in thought, yet remained silent.

They flew for an unknown amount of time, until they were both exhausted, before they finally saw some hazy scenery in the distance.

A vast mountain range stretched out before them, shrouded in mist and clouds. A massive gate stood majestically outside, its top carved with three large golden characters from an unknown material: Qiankun Dao. This imposing sect was the dream destination of all cultivators on the Dao Tian Continent, one of the three most renowned Daoist sects. Even from its exterior, Zhang Yunling sensed the mystery and power it exuded.

Just like before, he has joined a cultivator sect without breaking a sweat. But this time, it's not a small sect like the Black Cliff Sect that he's infiltrated. Instead, it's one of the three great Dao sects that are famous throughout the Dao Tian Continent.

Shen Xiaonan was clearly out of breath. Even with her Qi Refining Perfection cultivation, it was only with great difficulty that she could sustain a continuous flight of several hundred miles. She turned to look at Zhang Yunling and found that although he was also at the Qi Refining Perfection cultivation level, he looked completely calm and showed no signs of exhaustion or fatigue like she had.

Without lingering in doubt for long, Shen Xiaonan reminded him, "Xu...Xu Tianli, we're about to enter our sect's airspace, where cultivators are prohibited from flying. So we'll have to land and walk in."

Zhang Yunling nodded, and then the two of them slowly floated down. Several guards and disciples in front of the Qiankun Dao Mountain Gate came forward to greet them and asked for their identity tokens.

As Shen Xiaonan took out the jade token, she glanced at Zhang Yunling. She saw that he took out Xu Tianli's identity jade token very naturally. He remained calm and composed in the face of the guards' scrutiny, leaving no trace of his identity. It was as if he had completely become Xu Tianli. This scene put Shen Xiaonan at ease.

"This guy, I didn't realize he had such acting skills, humph." Shen Xiaonan muttered to herself as the two entered the mountain gate together.

From the outside, the sect was shrouded in thick clouds and mist, making it appear hazy. But miraculously, once inside, the scenery opened up dramatically, reminding Zhang Yunling of the Peach Blossom Spring he had studied during his imperial examination years.

This was exactly how he felt upon entering the gate. The clouds and mist dispersed, the hazy view became clear, and a vast, boundless sect, resembling a town, appeared before him. In the middle was a wide, long road, with densely planted flowers, trees, and shrubs on both sides. Houses stood in rows, and disciples were busy with their tasks, creating a thriving and prosperous scene.

Strangely, the scenery on the left and right sides of this sect is completely different, separated by this main road. The vegetation on the left is lush and green, as vibrant as springtime.

On the right, autumn has arrived, with orange and yellow flowers and grasses carpeting the ground, and golden sycamore trees lining the road. This stark contrast between the two sides is a characteristic of the Qiankun Dao, one of the three major Daoist sects. Spring and autumn represent the polarization of Qiankun, yin and yang, heaven and earth.

"Such a magical place exists in this world..." Zhang Yunling sighed inwardly. Shen Xiaonan whispered a reminder from the side: "Xu Tianli, as you said before, we should go our separate ways. Otherwise, if some of our acquaintances see us, it will cause trouble again."

Zhang Yunling nodded and stopped talking to her. Shen Xiaonan also silently turned and left. That was how it should be. He didn't want to have anything to do with any woman anymore. But according to Shen Xiaonan, Xu Tianli used to harass her frequently in the sect before he died. Now that he was impersonating Xu Tianli, if he suddenly changed his personality and stopped flirting with female cultivators, it would be difficult to handle.

"I should find someone to ask where Xu Tianli lives first, so he can go into seclusion and cultivate." Zhang Yunling thought to himself, then randomly selected a disciple who looked relatively young and asked, "Junior brother, uh... may I ask where the cave for disciples to cultivate is located?"

Upon hearing Zhang Yunling's question, the disciple's expression clearly froze for a moment, then he frowned and asked in return, "New disciples are given identity jade tokens after joining the sect, and these tokens are connected to their respective cave dwellings by divine sense. Can't you find your cave dwelling location with your jade token?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunling was stunned. He had snatched the identity jade token from Xu Tianli, and the spiritual connection was also Xu Tianli's. What did it have to do with him? What should he do?

To avoid being exposed, Zhang Yunling had no choice but to feign embarrassment, thank the disciple, and leave to resume his research on how to find the cave dwelling.

After taking a few steps, realizing something was amiss, Zhang Yunling took out a black cloth from his storage bag and covered half of his face. It was fine as long as he didn't run into anyone he knew; if he did and was recognized, it would be a huge problem. Just as he was racking his brains for a solution, a slightly effeminate male voice suddenly rang out in front of Zhang Yunling:

"Hmm? Is that Junior Brother Tianli? Why are you suddenly covering your face with a black cloth? Could it be that you've been persecuted by some woman? Hehehe. So, how did things go with that little girl's matter?"

A richly dressed man stood in front of Zhang Yunling, accompanied by a tall disciple who appeared to be the man's personal attendant.

Zhang Yunling's body stiffened abruptly. The trouble from before hadn't been resolved yet, and now another one had come. Oh no, it was someone Xu Tianli knew!

How did he recognize me? I had already covered half of my face... Oh, right, it was that damn identity jade pendant! Damn it, he had his identity jade pendant blatantly hanging on his waist. The disciple who passed by earlier said that everyone's jade pendant contained the person's divine sense power. I guess that person on the other side sensed it and mistook me for Xu Tianli!

Despite his inner turmoil, Zhang Yunling remained remarkably calm in his speech: "Ah, you mean that girl Shen Xiaonan? I've already caught her outside, it's a great success, hahaha! But that woman's temper is definitely fierce, her fingernails scratched several cuts on my handsome face!"

The effeminate man opposite him chuckled lightly upon hearing this, and did not ask any further questions. He seemed to be used to Zhang Yunling's impromptu words, and replied nonchalantly, "You rascal, how many times have I told you to be careful in your actions? That girl's background is unknown. If you get into trouble because of a moment of pleasure, even I can't protect you."

At this point, Zhang Yunling's mind raced, "Can't protect him? Could this person be Lin Yue, the inner disciple of Qiankun Dao, whom Shen Xiaonan mentioned as Xu Tianli's backer?"

Zhang Yunling scratched his head shyly, "Hehehe, I know, senior brother. I'll be more careful in the future."

"Senior brother?" Lin Yue frowned upon hearing this. "Tian Li, you've always called me Brother Yue. Did that girl mess with your brain today?"

Realizing he had misspoke, Zhang Yunling broke out in a cold sweat and tried his best to remain calm as he replied, "Oh dear, look at my brain! That woman really made me lose my mind, hahaha! I need to go back and rest in seclusion. Brother Yue, you go ahead and do your work!"

Seeing his obsequious expression, Lin Yue didn't take the matter to heart. "Go on, and be more careful next time," he said, turning and leaving with his attendant.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yunling patted his chest and it took him a long time to calm down. He was really unlucky. If he couldn't find Xu Tianli's cave today, he would probably be wandering the streets of the sect tonight.

Just then, on the main peak of the sect, a large bronze bell suddenly rang out with a series of loud sounds, and at the same time, a clear and majestic voice came from the mountaintop:

"Because the ratio of cultivators to alchemists in the sect is too disparate, which has a negative impact on the development of the entire sect, after discussion by the elders, it has been decided that in order to improve the overall strength of alchemists and encourage other cultivators to choose the path of alchemy, a sect competition will be held in one month. The competition will focus on alchemy skills and will use an elimination system to select the top ten. Finally, the elders will personally award prizes to the winners!"

Upon hearing this announcement, Zhang Yunling's eyes flashed with golden light. His perfect Foundation Establishment Pill was now only missing one ingredient: the extremely rare and precious natural treasure possessing the power of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams—the Xuanlong Ginseng. This herb could not only be used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, but also had many other uses.

If there's a chance to win this treasure among the prizes of this so-called sect competition, he'd be willing to sign up and give it a try.