NOVEL NEXT Chapter 231: The Mysterious Six
Chapter 231: The Mysterious Six
“O, take me home.”
Xu Lian took out the purple jade token.
As soon as he finished speaking, the world spun around him and he appeared in the ancestral land of the Divine Clan.
He stepped into the thick fog and arrived at the lakeside, only to find that the Goddess of Time was not there. “O, where are you?”
“What is it?”
The Goddess of Time’s voice came from somewhere, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Xu Lian asked, “Where are you?”
The Goddess of Time replied, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
“…” Xu Lian was speechless for a moment. It seemed like she was avoiding him. “Just now, in the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land, the old Supreme Being spoke to me. He said that he can’t hold on much longer and hopes that you will return to take over the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands so that he can pass away in peace.”
As for the matter of preventing the Goddess of Time from becoming a Supreme Being, Xu Lian didn’t mention it, lest she get angry.
The Goddess of Time said, “I’m not going back.”
Xu Lian had expected this response. Her temperament was too detached; she simply didn’t want to get involved in internal conflicts.
The Goddess of Time continued, “There are some things you don’t understand. Don’t act as a mediator.
If I don’t return, my master will remain worried about the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, and that lingering attachment will keep him going. Perhaps he can last for a few more decades or even a century. As long as he lives, there’s still hope that he might find his way back from the wrong path.
When I return, my master’s attachment will disappear. Once he relaxes, he will soon pass away,”
Xu Lian suddenly understood. So, her departure from the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands had this deeper meaning. She had truly put a lot of thought into it.
“O, since you don’t want to see me, I won’t come here anymore. You don’t have to hide.”
Xu Lian took one last look at the lake and turned to leave.
The Goddess of Time appeared by the lakeside, her beautiful eyes filled with complexity as she watched him leave. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him, but being alone with him for too long would inevitably stir some ripples in her heart.
“The first disciple competition of the younger generation in the post-heavenly punishment era of the Divine Clan has officially begun!”
As Xu Lian emerged from the fog, he saw the women and a few followers standing in line, looking nervous. An elderly figure from the painting announced loudly.
All the painted figures cheered, some even shedding tears of joy, celebrating this great moment. This was the first “big event” since the Divine Clan was punished by heaven and sealed inside the painting!
Xu Lian found it somewhat amusing. Since he had nothing better to do, he decided to just watch.
He didn’t want to walk the path to immortality alone in the future. He hoped that the women and his followers could keep up with him, accompanying him through the mortal world, living freely and unrestrainedly…
He could advance by adding points, but it would be difficult for the women to keep up with his pace. However, they couldn’t fall too far behind, or their life span would be too short. If they died of old age before he could “turn back and pull them up,” it would be a tragedy.
“Among the women, Xiao Mei is the only one who hasn’t started cultivating. The next time I visit her, I must bring her here and set her on the path of cultivation, just like the others. I don’t expect them to become peerless experts, but cultivation can extend their lifespan, which is a tangible benefit. They need to have a lifespan of at least a few hundred years to wait for me to step onto the path of immortality and ‘guide’ them back.”
Xu Lian silently made up his mind. In fact, he had long envisioned this blueprint, but he was still struggling himself and didn’t have the time or ability to help them much.
They would have to rely on their own cultivation.
The first generation of disciples who were accepted after the Divine Clan’s Heavenly Punishment had uneven cultivation levels, so the competition wasn’t very exciting. It was far less intense and thrilling than the competitions among the younger generation of the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land.
The rankings were soon determined.
Men’s Division:
Lin Bufeng, with the advantage of his Heavenly Serpent bloodline, unsurprisingly took first place.
Second place went to Yun Conglong and Feng Conghu, the two sword disciples. Their cultivation levels were almost identical, making it impossible to determine a clear winner.
In third place was Fang Shaoze. It had to be said, this young master from the Fang family of Green Bamboo Town had made significant progress.
Fourth place went to Qin Liu. Since there were only four contestants in the men’s division, fourth place meant last place. Qin Liu had missed the best age for martial arts training, and his talent was lacking. His last place ranking was within Xu Lian’s expectations.
Qin Liu looked miserable, and the black spider with a beautiful face kept trying to comfort him, which only made him feel worse. The spider’s face was pretty, but its body was… well, hard to stomach.
Women’s Department:
Senior Sister Ni Xi, a former second sequence genius from the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land, took first place.
Second through fifth places went to Huo Xin’er, Jing Se, Liu Yixuan, and Jiang Yunyan.
Beyond fifth place were Lin Wan, Lin Ying, and Zhao Yuqing from Pingyang County.
Following them were Pei Zhaoxi, Xue Ningxiang, and Fulan, an outer disciple brought back by Fang Shaoze. Xu Lian was somewhat surprised that Pei Zhaoxi had made such progress and defeated Xue Ningxiang and Fulan. It seemed like she had been working hard.
At the bottom were Caixia, Yu Qingning, Miao Yueyue, and Chuntao. Chuntao came in last. Having spent much of her time singing and dancing while working as a courtesan in the Lichun Brothel, she had fallen behind in her cultivation and was struggling to catch up.
“Next, we invite the deputy clan leader of the Divine Clan in the post-heavenly punishment era, Xu Lian, to present the awards,” the elderly figure from the painting announced.
“…” Xu Lian was stunned. Since when had he become the deputy clan leader of the Divine Clan?
The painted figures urged him on.
“Xu Lian, according to the rankings, present the prizes. The first place receives 100 million Spirit Stones, the second to fifth place receives 50 million, and everyone after the fifth place receives 10 million.”
“Hurry up, don’t dawdle.”
Xu Lian was speechless. These painted figures were quite generous, but he didn’t mind. After all, it was all within the family, and giving out rewards was no big deal.
So, he stepped forward and distributed the spirit stones to the women and his followers.
The women and the followers were overjoyed.
The happiest was undoubtedly Qin Liu, who, despite coming in last in the men’s division, still received 50 million spirit stones.
Of course, with Xu Lian’s wealth of over 30 billion spirit stones, these rewards were just a drop in the bucket. He still had about 30 billion left.
A young girl from the painting said, “Xu Lian, we’ve worked hard to guide your wives and followers in their cultivation. As the deputy clan chief, you have to take responsibility. In addition to giving out the competition prizes, you must also buy a batch of cultivation resources for our disciples. Otherwise, no matter how good the Divine Clan’s cultivation methods are, it’s all for nothing without resources.”
“Alright,” Xu Lian nodded. After all, these were his women and his followers. But he was a bit puzzled. “Doesn’t the Divine Clan have any cultivation resources?”
The young girl from the painting explained, “Back then, in order to preserve hope for the clan’s future rise, the Divine Clan sealed all of its cultivation resources within the painting. Otherwise, why would I ask you to give awards and buy resources?
If the Divine Clan had cultivation resources, O wouldn’t have had to join the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land back then.”
Xu Lian understood. “When I participate in the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land’s direct disciple training camp next month, I’ll purchase a batch of cultivation resources and bring them back.”
The young girl from the painting said, “Don’t wait until next month. Go now. Our disciples are in a period of rapid cultivation growth, and we can’t afford to delay.”
“All right,” Xu Lian agreed. Seeing how dedicated the painted figures were, he was happy to oblige.
So he asked O to send him to the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land, where he purchased a batch of low-tier cultivation resources from the warehouse. The warehouse elder didn’t say much, and it didn’t cost much in spirit stones.
With plenty of cultivation resources and the guidance of the painted figures, the women and followers made rapid progress, comparable to that of ordinary geniuses.
Even Ni Xi, Huo Xin’er, Jinse, Liu Yixuan, Jiang Yunyan, and Lin Bufeng, who already had high talents, were progressing faster than ordinary geniuses. Their future looked bright… they were on their way to greatness.
Xu Lian himself began preparing for the first-sequence training camp.
He added ingredients and advanced, reaching the Void Realm, Stage 9 in one go.
[Name: Xu Lian]
[Realm: Void Realm, Stage 9]
[Techniques: Nine Elements Escape Techniques, Four Symbols Battle Tactics, Great Desolate Dragon Grasping Technique, Sacred Spirit Record (Immortal Technique Supplement), Breaking Wind Sword Technique (Volumes 1-3)…]
[Items: Sword of Destruction (Not Equipped)]
[Note: You currently have 1 unused progression point.]
Now, he only had one progression point left, but in a little while, Ni Xi and Xue Ningxiang would give birth, and he would gain more progression points.
Meanwhile, Xu Lian started working on a second child with Pei Zhaoxi and Lin Wan. This infuriated the painted figures of the Divine Clan, who scolded him for delaying their disciples’ cultivation.
However, Xu Lian gave them a reason they couldn’t refuse. “After all, the women’s talents are a bit lacking. If I have more children with them, won’t those children with better talents become your disciples? Isn’t that a good thing?”
Upon hearing this, the painted figures were visibly tempted and stopped opposing him. They even encouraged him to have more children.
Xu Lian suddenly had an idea and said, “If O and I have a few children, won’t their talents be exceptionally high?
The painted characters rolled their eyes. He was really dreaming big.
The young girl in the painting said, “We can’t decide that. It’s up to you.”
Xu Lian said, “Of course, I will work hard on my own, but you can also help me by putting in a good word for me with O. Don’t you want the Divine Clan to have some descendants with incomparable talents?”
The painted figures exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with interest. They clearly hoped for the Divine Clan to have descendants, so they began to discuss how to persuade O to become Xu Lian’s Dao Companion.
What Xu Lian and the painted figures didn’t know was that deep in the fog by the lakeside, the beautiful eyes of the Goddess of Time were coldly watching them. An invisible killing intent spread, and the entire surface of the lake froze.