Volume 13, Chapter 818 – I Am Your Ancestor (Part 2)

The Sect Leader of Lingxi Sect was a woman named Zhong Qin. She was thirty-six years old and had already reached the third layer of the Divine Realm, a feat she owed entirely to the immortal bloodline flowing through her veins.

That immortal bloodline came from their ancestor, Zhong Zhen.

Lingxi Sect had been established for several thousand years. Its history stretched like a river of stars, vast and luminous. And among those many shining stars, genius disciples throughout the ages, Zhong Zhen was undoubtedly the brightest.

Although Zhong Zhen herself did not possess an immortal bloodline, she had, through exceptional talent and unrelenting effort, forced her way into the ranks of the ten greatest prodigies of the cultivation world at the time. She single-handedly carried Lingxi Sect who were then only a small county-level sect forward. Step by step, she climbed the divine path and, by the age of three hundred, achieved immortality. Before ascending, she left behind a powerful Kinship-grade Immortal Stele to protect her descendants.

Unfortunately, Lingxi Sect later came into conflict with another major immortal force in the cultivation world. In the clash, they were forced to completely drain the power of the stele just to survive. It was a devastating loss.

Without the protection of the stele, Lingxi Sect’s power declined year after year. Though it was still the strongest sect in the Jinshan Empire, it had long since been pushed out of the cultivation world’s top ten sects.

Zhong Qin was well aware of the dire circumstances. Only their immortal ancestor could save them now, so she planned to hold a grand ancestor-summoning ritual in three days’ time.

As for Yanyang Sect, it was the largest sect in the Wanxiang Empire. Two hundred years ago, a war broke out between Wanxiang and Jinshan, which soon entangled the cultivation world as well. Yanyang Sect and Lingxi Sect were naturally drawn into the conflict. It ended in a clash of their Immortal Steles, both of which were completely drained of their power. Since then, the two sects had regarded each other as mortal enemies.

“Sect Master, we’ve just received word that in three days, the Sect Leader of Lingxi Sect is going to hold a grand ancestor-summoning ritual,” a skinny elder reported to the Sect Master of Yanyang Sect inside their main council hall.

“Ancestor summoning? Ha! That’s just a desperate fool clutching at straws, trying to make contact with that immortal ancestor,” scoffed the Yanyang Sect Master. His hair was white, but his face glowed with vigor.

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“What a stupid woman. Without a drop of that immortal ancestor’s blood, she thinks she can summon them out of thin air? She’s dreaming.”

“Exactly. If immortal ancestors were that easy to summon, then this whole Kaiyuan Planet would be swarming with immortals,” another added with derision.

“She’s out of options. That foreign evil force only gave the cultivation world half a month, and now the deadline is approaching fast. What else can she do but treat a dead horse like it’s still alive?” one elder mocked.

The senior members of Yanyang Sect all joined in the ridicule.

“Still, we can’t afford to let our guard down,” the sect master Mo Long said, raising his hand to quiet the others. “As the saying goes, better safe than sorry. If she really does summon that immortal… with our two sects’ blood feud, Yanyang Sect would be in deep trouble.”

“What does the Sect Master plan to do about this?” one person asked respectfully.

“If they’re trying to summon an immortal ancestor, then shouldn’t we, as their friendly neighbors, pay them a visit to… show our support?” Mo Long asked slyly.

“Sect Master, that’s brilliant. But the problem is, what if they refuse to let us in, given the animosity between our sects?” the skinny elder asked worriedly.

“Elder Liu, have you forgotten? Lingxi Sect’s Grand Elder was already killed by the evil entity. Now who’s left to stop me? That little girl they call a sect leader?” Mo Long sneered.

In the cultivation world, thirty-something was still considered a child.

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“Haha, so Lingxi Sect is like a public toilet now? We can come and go as we please?” someone laughed.

“In the future? I’m not waiting for that. This time, I won’t just stop that little Sect Leader from summoning her so-called immortal. I’ll take this chance to seize the whole sect. And if they dare refuse me, there will be no future for Lingxi Sect!” Mo Long said boldly, his ambition undisguised.

Meanwhile, Qi Huang had already arrived at the outskirts of Lingxi Sect with Cheng Hongling. Her goal was simple: impersonate the immortal ancestor Zhong Zhen, turn the situation around, use that status to build authority… and when the time came, turning this place into her own backyard would be as easy as drinking water.

But to impersonate someone’s ancestor, she first needed to learn exactly what Zhong Zhen looked like and how she dressed. If that person had some glaring physical feature, like a missing arm or leg, appearing without it would immediately blow her cover.

Qi Huang stealthily infiltrated Lingxi Sect, and then casually strolled into the library pavilion to search for records on Zhong Zhen.

After half a day, Qi Huang finally let out a breath of relief. Since Zhong Zhen had ascended over a thousand years ago, most of the records about her focused on her great deeds. Descriptions of her appearance were rare. All she could gather was that Zhong Zhen had been very beautiful and had a penchant for modifying her robe into a knee-length skirt for easier use of her exclusive weapon: a twelve-foot-long spear.

“Thank heavens she didn’t have any missing limbs. Otherwise, I’d have to mutilate myself just to play the part. That price would’ve been way too high.”

Qi Huang contentedly put down the ancient texts and left the sect unnoticed. She then traveled to the imperial capital and began transforming her appearance based on the information she’d gathered.

Before long, she had altered her looks to match the legendary Zhong Zhen down to the last detail. She even commissioned a custom-made long spear and used a forehead ornament to cover her Doppelgänger Mark. All that was left was to wait for the ancestor-summoning ceremony.

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“The only issue is the skirt’s too short…” Qi Huang frowned. She glanced down and saw her pale legs fully exposed, and grumbled inwardly: “Did that Zhong Zhen really dress like this? One wrong move and you’re flashing everyone. Is this some kind of battle fan service?”

After much hesitation, Qi Huang finally wore a pair of pants underneath. Though it did look a bit mismatched, it was still better than having a wardrobe malfunction during combat.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and the grand ceremony began right on schedule. All of the cultivation world knew how critical this was to the fate of the Jinshan Empire, and representatives from all over came to witness it.

To show her sincerity, Zhong Qin bathed and changed her clothes at dawn. She then ordered disciples to carry the many tribute tables and offerings to the site of the Immortal Stele ruins.

Zhong Qin made her way to the highest peak of Lingxi Sect. There, she paced back and forth before the ruins of the stele. Her phoenix eyes remained devoutly fixed on the foundation stone, knowing full well that if she were to succeed today, that still-intact base would be the key.

As time ticked by, more and more people arrived to watch. They filled the plaza surrounding the ruins, and many had to hover mid-air due to the crowd.

Zhong Qin’s nerves stretched taut. It wasn’t stage fright, she understood the stakes. If she failed, not only would Lingxi Sect be doomed, but perhaps the entire Jinshan Empire.

The weight of this thought filled her with dread. Again and again, she wanted to abandon the ritual, because as long as she didn’t seek the answer, there was still hope.

Just then, a male elder approached and whispered a report: “Sect Leader, people from Yanyang Sect have arrived. They claim to want to witness the ritual. I feared they came with ill intent, so I had the disciples stop them at the gate.”

“That won’t do. Even though our two sects have grievances, guests are still guests. Turning them away like this will only provoke criticism from other cultivators,” said an elderly woman nearby.

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“Elder Wang, have you gone senile? Do you still care about appearances at a time like this?” Zhong Qin snapped, frowning.

The old woman fell silent, shrinking back in fear.

Zhong Qin turned to the male elder. “Elder Fang, you did the right thing. At this critical moment for Lingxi Sect’s survival, we cannot afford any mishaps. Yanyang Sect is not to be let in.”

“Don’t worry, Sect Leader. I’ll keep a close watch on them,” Elder Fang replied with a cupped fist salute.

“Ha ha…”

Suddenly, loud laughter echoed from the distance.

Everyone turned toward the sound, dozens of figures appeared in the sky above the plaza. Leading them was none other than Mo Long, Sect Master of Yanyang Sect.

“Ha ha! Sect Leader Zhong! As the saying goes, guests from afar should be welcomed. Isn’t it disgraceful to shut them out at the door like this?” Mo Long mocked, descending with his entourage.

“You dare break into my Lingxi Sect? Do you take us for a sect with no one left?” Zhong Qin’s voice trembled with fury. She hadn’t expected them to cross the line so brazenly.