Chapter 507

Chapter 507: One Sage, One Ancestor, Five Unmatched Ones

"…..the Long Life Gate and Soul Predicting Path grew strong from their bones, quietly surpassing the once great Nine Immortal Gates—-"

"The leader of the Soul Predicting Path sect, it is said, has risen greatly in status, even enough to stand equal with the ancestral master of the Immortal Gate from ten thousand years ago, known as ‘Yanshen Great Taoist Lord.’"

Qiao Mu noticed the storyteller’s choice of words.

It was surpassing the Nine Immortal Gates, not the Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates, or the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

From what the storyteller said, and what he saw and heard in the Soul Predicting Path temple.

Today’s Soul Predicting Path Immortal Gate has two Soul Changing Taoist Lords, and even one "Great Taoist Lord," who must already be a Tao Achieving Stage cultivator.

If that’s how it is, then the leader of the Soul Predicting Path sect is the only cultivator in the Jiu Province world in over ten thousand years to reach the Tao Achieving Stage.

From this point of view, it is fair to say that the Soul Predicting Path has surpassed the Nine Immortal Gates of the past—fifty years ago, none of the Nine Immortal Gates had a Tao Achieving Stage master who could travel through Jiu Province.

"Fifty years ago, the territory of the Soul Predicting Path was located downstream of the Sky Piercing River, in Southeast Province," said the Sky Piercing Water Spirit with a frown.

"Now, they have extended their reach to Tongtian Mountain in Northwest Prefecture, the source of the Sky Piercing River."

"It seems that it isn’t hard to understand why the leader of the Soul Predicting Path is able to reach the Tao Achieving Stage."

In the past, Jiu Province had enough devoted followers to give rise to a total of nine Soul Changing Taoist Lords, while the number of Nascent Soul Immortals was fewer than one hundred.

There is a difference in quality and quantity among the devoted followers, and there has also been a change over the past fifty years.

Quantity refers to the total number of followers.

Quality depends on the methods of the Immortal Gate, whether they innovate and introduce new practices to cultivate more sincere followers.

Today’s Soul Predicting Path likely occupies far more than just one province, as there are now two Soul Changing Taoist Lords and one Tao Achieving Stage Great Taoist Lord.

"It’s not just the difference in the quality and quantity of the incense believers. Have you forgotten the broken peak of Kunlun Mountain? That used to be part of the fairy realm," Qiao Mu shook his head.

The amount of spiritual energy in the fairy realm far surpasses that of the human world, let alone the weakened spiritual energy in Jiu Province.

When the Heavenly Palace fell into the Return Ruins, there was still some spiritual energy remaining, enough for those few Immortal Gate ancestors to steadily cultivate to the threshold of True Immortal.

And now, part of Kunlun Mountain has also fallen into Jiu Province. Even if it hasn’t been long, it will still change the spiritual energy environment of Jiu Province.

"Spiritual energy revival? No, it should be considered a flashback before the Great Collapse," Qiao Mu shook his head.

Like the Monster Realm that he visited with the Sky Piercing Water Spirit, there are also fragments of the fairy realm there. In the thousand worlds he traveled through over fifteen years, there are plenty of large worlds in a similar situation.

This so-called revival of spiritual energy is actually not a good thing. Its true nature is the imbalance of world order, a sign of the Great Collapse.

"But to think that a Tao Achieving Stage cultivator, who depends on incense and fairy methods, can walk in the human world? How have the mortals of Jiu Province survived for these fifty years under the Immortal Gate’s pressure?" Sky Piercing Water Spirit was very astonished.

"That’s a good question." The storyteller’s ears twitched, obviously having heard Sky Piercing Water Spirit’s surprise. He sighed.

"The Immortal Gate has faced the dust for nearly a hundred years."

"For the first forty years and the last fifty years, how did I survive? Naturally, I just got by, struggling through."

"Life is like grass; it has its own way of living. But in this world, there are always some who are not willing to be just like grass."

The storyteller said with a faint smile:

"Life is like trees; it should flourish and grow. Life is like grass; it should wave green in the breeze."

"Between the first forty years and the last fifty years, there were still three years that were as brief as a blooming flower, a dreamy three-year legend…"

"Well, here we go, mentioning those old three years again."

In the hall, a young wandering hero scoffed:

"The storyteller of Tide Listening Building has this habit, always bringing up old stories. Is it really interesting to talk about old, forgotten matters?"

Many wandering heroes nodded their heads.

Only a few elderly people, who had lived for many decades, shook their heads when they saw this:

"They are still too young."

"Back when the Qiao family was at their peak, even the Nine Immortal Gates had to retreat and hide from the world."

"Now the leader of the Soul Predicting Pathsect claims to stand equal with the ancestor of the Immortal Gate from ten thousand years ago, but over fifty years ago, the martial arts champion Qiao Yao personally killed the ancestor of the Immortal Gate."

"Is it really that impressive?" a young wanderer exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah, that was more than fifty years ago; if it were in the past, no one would doubt the truth of this matter." Some old wanderers chuckled.

"When the Qiao family was shining brightly, if you said that Qiao family members were popping out of every crack in the rocks, each able to sweep through the Jiu Province, people would have believed it!"

"That’s just boasting; how could such a family exist in this world?" someone said skeptically.

"Never mind, never mind, don’t argue with those old people who think they know everything," a young traveler advised.

"The older generation is always nostalgic, saying that the past was better than today, constantly glorifying and exaggerating old stories… especially the storytellers from Tide Listening Building."

"It is said that the Qiao family member, who appeared for only a moment fifty years ago, was indeed strong, but the martial arts in Jiu Province have been developing under the pressure of the Immortal Gate, so the past is not necessarily better than the present."

"In today’s martial world, there are still towering pillars of strength."

"Currently, there is One Sage, One Ancestor, and Five Peerless Ones, all of whom are top figures in martial arts, so why look back?"

"Listen, you’ve become an ancient person!" Fat Cat lay on the table eating peanuts, its fluffy tail brushed against Qiao Mu’s face, making it feel a little ticklish.

Qiao Mu originally sat silently nearby, listening and not joining the discussion.

If it were when he was younger, listening to the storytellers bragging in pubs and tea houses was one of his great hobbies.

But now, not anymore.

Compared to these empty names, he cared more about the current situation of the martial world in Jiu Province and the legendary figures of modern martial arts that everyone was talking about.

So he spoke up:

"Always talking about old stories is quite boring."

"The waves of the Yangtze River push the former waves; each generation shines for hundreds of years. Let’s talk about the remarkable figures of today’s martial arts."

His voice was calm and not aggressive, yet it carried an invisible power like the tide.

The crowd, who had just been arguing fiercely, suddenly fell silent, and the discussion gradually quieted down.

At that moment, Qiao Mu’s hand shook, and several pieces of crushed silver he had torn apart flew out of his hand, sparkling like shooting stars.

The tea house was mostly filled with local and visiting martial artists. At the sight of the silver glint shooting out, they were about to gasp in shock at someone using hidden weapons, but the next moment, the glints turned from rapid movement to stillness, landing steadily on the storyteller’s podium.

"This…" This trick that people found hard to understand caused the tea house to fall completely silent.

Making a sound first, and then taking action, but still losing the silver given to the storyteller.

Upon seeing the scene before and after, the martial artists naturally had no more objections. They watched as the storyteller carefully put the broken silver into his pocket and forced a smile.

"Since the honored guests prefer to hear modern tales, that is no problem at all."

"One Sage, One Ancestor, and Five Peerless Ones are all top figures in martial arts. I wonder which person’s stories the honored guests wish to hear?"

"Whoever is the leader of modern martial arts, let us begin with them," Qiao Mu said calmly.

But as soon as these words were spoken, the guests in the hall couldn’t help but smile slightly.

In front of this mysterious master, mocking was not an option; they could only hold back.

"You might not know," the storyteller smiled and said.

"As the saying goes, a single flower does not make a spring, but when all flowers bloom, spring fills the garden."

"If we talk about the old generation of martial arts in Jiu Province, there truly was a martial arts leader who was unbeatable in his time."

"For example, there was the Earth Sword Immortal, Martial Saint, who became famous nearly a hundred years ago, and later, a brief shining star from the Qiao family."

"In deep mountains, hidden tigers and leopards emerge, and heroes rise during troubled times. In these past fifty years of harsh winters, it has indeed been an era of many great heroes."

"The greatest enemy of martial artists is not each other, but the Immortal Gate. Thus, it is still uncertain who among those seven is stronger or weaker."

"However, among them, one Saint and one Ancestor have the most renowned reputations."

"The Ancestor refers to the Founding Emperor Yan of the Great Yan Imperial Court from three to four hundred years ago, who was the martial arts leader three hundred years ago, but that’s another story."

"As for the Saint, we must begin with Kuafu Mountain in the Western Province…"

The storyteller began to narrate:

"The Western Province is also extraordinary within Jiu Province; it is said that in ancient times it was a battlefield of gods and demons, and there stands a mysterious Kuafu Mountain, which even the Immortal Gate covets."

"That year, the Founding Emperor Yan of the Zhong Province Imperial Capital was gravely injured and had not yet recovered. The two Great Taoist Lords of the Soul Predicting Path and Long Life Gate seemed ready to sweep through Jiu Province. Taoist temples sprouted up like mushrooms after rain across the land of Jiu Province, while a deep silence covered the region…"

As the storyteller’s deep voice filled the air, this past story began to unfold little by little before Qiao Mu.

The Soul Changing Taoist Lord was a tremendously powerful enemy for the martial artists of Jiu Province. Even with amazing skills, they needed time to train.

Just as human martial artists need time, the Immortal Gate also requires time to regain their strength after being struck by the Qiao family members.

Whether one side is faster or slower will permanently change the landscape of Jiu Province and the future of its people.

The two great Immortal Gates of that year quickly turned their attention to Kuafu Mountain.

Kuafu Mountain was extraordinary; it was a small world that had collapsed in the mortal realm many years ago, containing a Secret Realm.

This Secret Realm originally belonged to the Blood Lotus Sect and was later guarded by the Qiao family’s martial arts, making the Immortal Gate dare not interfere.

Qiao Mu once obtained a treasured Nine Leaf Immortal Lotus from the Kuafu Mountain Secret Realm, which allowed the Soul Changing Taoist Lord to repeatedly refine several clones, almost giving him extra lives.

In the Secret Realm, if there are treasures left by the Blood Lotus Sect, they would be very useful for the declining Soul Predicting Path and Long Life Gate.

"That year, temples stood tall on the land of the Western Province, and the light of the immortal cultivators streaked across the sky like a thousand morning clouds."

"Not only were the Immortal Gates racing against time, but the two great Immortal Gates were also competing with each other, and this time, the Long Life Gate was the one that got ahead."

"Until that day, bright red blood and soft pink flesh flooded Kuafu Mountain, and a tall giant made of flesh and blood awoke from Kuafu Mountain."

"He said: In this vast world, there are ambitious and capable people, not just the Qiao family."

"If the fire is to go out, why can’t I be the fuel?"

"On that day, the flesh and blood giant wielded the peak as a sword, and the rainbow light formed by the Immortal Gate cultivators fell to the earth like raindrops… This astonishing battle ultimately ended with the Long Life Gate’s retreat."

"The Changsheng Taoist Lord barely escaped death, and the Long Life Gate then became weak in the Western Province, losing ground in the struggle among the Immortal Gates. Afterward, cultivators in the sect began to learn the martial skills of ordinary people, combining magic and martial arts, taking the victors as their teachers."

"This was the famous battle of ‘Saint of Martial Arts’ Wu Qizheng," the storyteller sighed.

"The founding emperor of Great Yan, Millennium Master, the Undying Demon King, the Blood Lotus Twin Sword Immortal, Wuji Empress, and the Mortal Realm Flying Immortal…"

"The other six masters of martial arts today are all legends who have fought on battlefields for decades, earning great respect."

Compared to the three years when the Qiao family members were rampant.

In the last fifty years, the conflicts between mortals and immortals have escalated to the most intense level, with cultivators nearly wiped out by the Qiao family’s martial arts, creating a fear of mortal martial artists.

Mortal martial artists have experienced chaos and witnessed the Qiao family member using martial arts to defeat immortals; although it has been difficult, they still hold onto hope.

The struggle between immortals and mortals has reached the peak of intensity.

"Millennium Master, is that Xue Changhe? Is he still alive?" Qiao Mu’s heart stirred.

Xue Changhe is from the Xue family and has been a test subject for the Long Life Gate for over a thousand years, with a lifespan limit of only fifty years.

At that time, Xue Changhe was only twenty years old and had already become the most outstanding member of the Xue family in over a thousand years.

Today, counting again, Xue Changhe should already be seventy years old. I wonder how he has resisted the Bloodline Curse of the Long Life Gate and broken the limit of his lifespan.

While the storyteller was recounting the tales of the strongest martial artists, Qiao Mu felt a stir in his heart as he noticed someone had come outside.

It was Immortal Diyuan.

As a spirit of a tool, it cannot go too far from the Sky Boat.

Since she has come, it means that her group has already explored the short peaks of Kunlun Mountain and turned back, likely having made some discoveries.

"There isn’t much time left," said Immortal Diyuan.

"Around the broken peaks of Kunlun Mountain, rich spiritual energy has naturally formed a Secret Realm Space, and several monsters have even been born."

"I suspect that the fragments of the immortal world that fell into the Great World of Jiu Province may not be just this one."

"The Heavenly Emperor chose this realm for the Heavenly Emperor’s daughter to be reborn and cultivate again, which must have a deep meaning."

Qiao Mu nodded; he actually had some guesses in his heart and asked again:

"Is there anything unusual on the mountain?"

"Yes," replied Immortal Diyuan.

"It has been completely searched, and those who came before me are quite strong; perhaps one of them is a True Immortal who descended with the shattered Kunlun Mountain from the fairy realm."

Immortal Diyuan was calm by nature, but she still valued her life greatly.

After returning to Jiu Province, she did not seek information about the sect "Earth Origin Temple" left behind years ago; her mind was fully focused on surviving the Great Collapse.

"The Heavenly Emperor’s daughter is in this realm; she is likely a backup plan of the Heavenly Emperor. Finding her might give us a glimmer of hope," urged Immortal Diyuan.

"Then let’s continue to travel south along the river."

Qiao Mu stood up and no longer listened to the storyteller’s tale.

Continuing south from the Sky Piercing River, the great cities of Western Province Kuafu Mountain, and Nan Province Heyang City lie along the banks.

"I wonder if Wu Qizheng and Qiao Yuan are still in Western Province’s Kuafu Mountain…"