Chapter 3: The Lihuo Sect Patriarch?
"Aren’t you looking for this?”
Li Fan said.
"Yes, thank you senior, thank you so much!”
At this moment, Mu Qianning was so excited she hardly knew what to say and could only tremble as she took the Divine Water Stone!
Li Fan shook his head; women really got too excited at the sight of a gemstone.
Too materialistic, utterly mundane!
Li Fan couldn’t help but mock internally as he bundled up the firewood and said,
“Let’s go.”
Mu Qianning hurriedly followed Li Fan out of Hongye Valley.
Ren Hong was worried, but when he saw Mu Qianning emerge unscathed, everyone was stunned.This senior actually managed to bring the Saintess out…
"Saintess, did you find the item?”
Ren Hong asked.
Mu Qianning nodded and, with gratitude, looked at Li Fan, saying,
“Everything was made possible by this senior’s grace!”
Li Fan was speechless. It was just a stone, what was the big deal?
"Alright, I’m heading back to the village, goodbye.”
Li Fan turned and left.
Mu Qianning wanted to say something more, but Li Fan had already gone, and she was uneasy, not daring to trouble the senior further.
Next, Mu Qianning, along with Ren Hong and others, hurried back to their sect.
Lihuo Sect was very far from here, but once they left the dangerous mountain range, they could fly through the sky.
Gliding through countless clouds, they landed on a sprawling mountain peak.
There were buildings all over the mountain, clearly the location of Lihuo Sect.
"Saintess, you’ve finally returned. The people from Flame Mountain have come again!”
Just as she arrived at the sect gate, Mu Qianning learned of a new situation.
Her face showed concern as she hurried towards the main hall.
Inside the main hall of Lihuo Sect, two groups stood in opposition, the atmosphere tense as if swords were drawn.
"Wei Yushan, your Lihuo Sect is finished, with only one Nascent Soul Realm cultivator left. You’ll soon fall to a One-Star Sect. Why not submit to us?”
An elderly man spoke darkly.
He was an elder of Flame Mountain, Gongsun Qi.
Opposite him, the Sect Master of Lihuo Sect, Wei Yushan, had an ugly expression, saying,
“You Flame Mountain can dream on about swallowing up Lihuo Sect!”
"Heh, heh,”
Gongsun Qi sneered,
“If your old ancestor were still alive, I’d turn around and leave. But your old ancestor has been dead for many years now, what confidence do you have to speak such words?”
"I know, you have an old Sect Master barely alive in the back hill, but even if he came, it wouldn’t make a difference!”
With a slap on his chair, he stood up alongside two other elders, their formidable auras bursting forth.
Three powerful Nascent Soul experts!
Wei Yushan’s face turned extremely grim!
How could he face three on one?!
"Hold on!”
Just then, a spirited shout came from outside.
Everyone turned their heads.
Mu Qianning walked in resolutely from outside and, clenching her teeth, said,
“Reporting to the Sect Master, the sect’s treasured artifact has been retrieved!”
She held the Divine Water Stone in both hands.
At that instant, the expressions of everyone in the room changed dramatically!
"What? The Divine Water Stone of Lihuo Sect has reappeared?!”
"Wasn’t this treasured artifact taken into the forbidden ground by the old ancestor of Lihuo Sect and lost forever?”
"The Divine Water Stone can increase a cultivator’s strength several times over!”
Gongsun Qi and others had an extremely unpleasant look on their faces.
Meanwhile, Wei Yushan showed an ecstatic expression!
He transformed into a beam of light and in the next moment appeared before Mu Qianning, taking the Divine Water Stone, his whole being filled with excitement!
"With this stone in hand, my Lihuo Sect shall not perish!”
He laughed out loud!
"Mu Qianning, where did you find this pearl?!”
Gongsun Qi’s face was grim as he looked at Mu Qianning!
This stone was clearly lost in the forbidden ground, how could it be… Did Mu Qianning enter that place?
Impossible!
Their Sect Master of Flame Mountain had once checked, not daring to get close!
Mu Qianning said each word earnestly,
“This is given by a senior for me to bring back!”
Upon hearing this, the faces of Gongsun Qi and the others turned to shock!
"Your Sect Ancestor… isn’t dead?!”
Gongsun Qi’s face was etched with disbelief.
Subconsciously, he thought about the predecessor Mu Qianning mentioned, considering the possibility of the Lihuo Sect’s venerable ancestor.
That was indeed an extraordinary figure.
If he were still alive, that would be troublesome.
Mu Qianning proudly said,
“You are not worthy to inquire!”
Although she did not know the true strength of that predecessor, Mu Qianning believed that people like Gongsun Qi weren’t even qualified to carry his shoes!
"Heh, I guess, your old ancestor, even if he isn’t dead, must be incapacitated, right?!”
At this moment, another elder from Fiery Mountain coldly spoke up,
“Otherwise, why would he need you to bring this pearl back? Why not come in person?”
At this question, everyone felt a chill.
Most likely, it was the case.
Mu Qianning’s expression did not change, but she released her cultivation level.
"Golden Core Ninth Stage?! How is that possible? According to our intelligence, you were only at the second stage of Golden Core!”
Gongsun Qi was shocked.
"At such a young age… has the Lihuo Sect produced a peerless genius?!”
The people of Fiery Mountain were all stunned.
"Qianning, you…”
Even Wei Yushan couldn’t believe it.
"That predecessor merely gave me a few pointers,” she said indifferently.
The crowd was shocked.
At this moment, the people of Flame Mountain grew anxious.
Exactly who was behind Mu Qianning? She left for just one day and achieved Golden Core Perfection with the guidance of that predecessor?!
Gongsun Qi felt that this matter was getting big!
"Hmph, don’t think this will scare us. Sooner or later, you will all belong to us at Flame Mountain!”
Having said that, he transformed into a rainbow of light and left.
With this turn of events, he needed to report to the Sect Master immediately.
With their departure, everyone in the Lihuo Sect breathed a long sigh of relief!
"Qianning, what exactly happened?!”
Wei Yushan hurriedly asked.
"We’ve encountered a predecessor…”
Mu Qianning recounted her encounter with Li Fan.
Upon hearing this, Wei Yushan was astonished.
Walking through the forbidden land as if it were flat ground?
Chopping Xuanhuo Wood with an axe?
Not even valuing the Divine Water Stone and casually handing it to Mu Qianning?
He was shaken.
What kind of terrifying existence could this be?
"How is this possible… I must go and report to the former Sect Master!”
——At the Lihuo Sect, the previous Sect Master was still alive, but due to his dwindling lifespan, he was nearly burnt out and had been in seclusion.
Before long, an old man who was just skin and bones walked over with Wei Yushan.
This person was Wei Yushan’s master, the former Sect Master of the Lihuo Sect, Yu Qishui.
Sect Master Yu Qishui was excited and said,
“That person might just be the old ancestor of our Lihuo Sect!”
Upon hearing this, Mu Qianning was immediately shocked.
"But that predecessor is very young…”
Yu Qishui shook his head repeatedly and said,
“You don’t understand, the ancestor might have undergone nirvana in dire straits.”
"Otherwise, the Divine Water Stone wouldn’t recognize him, and he wouldn’t have given the Divine Water Stone to you.”
"Let’s go, take us to the old ancestor now!”
…
Meanwhile.
Flame Mountain.
"Sect Master, the development is mysterious, and we dared not act rashly, so we have returned to report!”
Gongsun Qi stood outside an ancient hall to report.
Inside the grand hall, a faint voice arose:
"No worries, even if the Lihuo Sect’s old ancestor is truly alive, he won’t exceed the Spirit Severing Stage. I want to see for myself what he’s capable of!”
After speaking, a flash of red light zipped through the grand hall, and in an instant, it had left Flame Mountain!
…