Chapter 228:

"Is the struggle between immortals and mortals coming soon?" "The truth behind the Inhuman War has been exposed, causing the Immortal Gate to lose face. They have been quiet, which goes against their usual behavior… The newly formed Martial Arts League has quietly become an organization spanning the Jiu Province, with nine kings emerging." "And there are more and more appearances of Qiao family members… Rumors say they originate from Hero Island overseas…" Wu Qiankun frowned and pondered. After the Martial Saint faked his death and went into hiding, chaos ensued in the world. Now that he is the leader of the Wuji Association and the Martial Saint has retreated from the public eye, he must make preparations for the Martial Saint’s return. …………………………………………………… Immortal Gate and Great Dao Sect are sects. In Elder Qingzhuo’s cave, an unexpected guest arrived, prompting him to open the long-closed cave formation to let the visitor in. "Brother sect leader, why have you come?" Elder Qingzhuo feigned surprise. He had been in seclusion for some time to heal, but the damage to his foundation was not easy to recover from, so he still could not say that his injuries were fully healed. Now that the sect leader had personally arrived, Elder Qingzhuo felt even more anxious. The more anxious he felt, the more he tried to appear calm. If the sect leader sensed that he had been injured by a mortal, it would be a big problem. Being teased could be embarrassing, and even worse, the elder’s position could be in danger. The sect leader’s expression remained unchanged as he glanced at the stone sword next to Elder Qingzhuo, furrowing his brow slightly. "Is this your only achievement during the journey in the Hundred-mile Desert? A stone sword transformed from a mortal?" the sect leader asked. Elder Qingzhuo’s face stiffened slightly, but to save face, he naturally explained himself. In his opinion, the other mortals were not important and didn’t compare to the significance of Earth Sword Immortal alone. However, since Elder Qingzhuo was injured, he didn’t immediately seek out powerful figures in the sect upon returning, attempting to restore Earth Sword Immortal’s physical body. Instead, he chose caution and went to his cave for recovery. Earth Sword Immortal currently had no new body to inhabit, with his soul still residing in the stone sword. "A genius in the way of immortality? Indeed worth attention, far more important than a thousand or even a million mortal souls," the sect leader of the Great Dao Sect agreed with Elder Qingzhuo’s perspective. "There are two kinds of talented people who improve really fast in their training, one type has exceptional talent… Some people just seem to learn things faster, with no clear explanation." "The second type are powerful beings like great cultivators, great demons who have been reincarnated… It seems that Earth Sword Immortal fell into your hands so easily, which indicates you belong to the first type." "Now that he has lost his physical body, it’s a shame." The sect leader also felt regret for losing a talented individual. He didn’t think Elder Qingzhuo did anything wrong. What he didn’t approve of was… Elder Qingzhuo messed up the situation. Even though he got hold of the Earth Sword Immortal, he exposed the secrets behind the Inhuman War, which damaged the reputation of the Great Dao Sect and affected their followers’ support. "This incident has indeed tarnished the sect’s reputation. Since it was caused by you, it’s your responsibility to clean up the mess," the sect leader said calmly. "Of course, why would I need the sect leader’s reminder for such a trivial matter?" Elder Qingzhuo replied firmly without hesitation. The more injured he was, the less he could hesitate and show his weakness. The sect leader quickly left like a rainbow, leaving only Elder Qingzhuo pondering while holding a stone sword in his hand. If given a choice, he also wanted to seclude himself and continue to heal. But when the sect leader personally came to his door, he continued to act aloof, hiding in his cave and refusing to deal with matters outside. That’s when things really started to seem suspicious. "How did we end up in such a difficult situation because of just a few ordinary people?" Elder Qingzhuo frowned. In any case… Let’s first remind King Qin, the leader of the Immortal Gate, to take action. ………………………………………………… In Anxi Town, located in Zhong Province. After Hai Wuya’s ceremony, although there were fewer tourists and travelers passing by, there were still some coming and going. The ruins of the solitary city in the Hundred-mile Desert were too remote and barren for ordinary people to visit and pay their respects. Therefore, most ordinary martial artists stopped at the stele forest below Anxi Pass. Some old soldiers who had lost their families stayed in Anxi Town for now because they had nowhere else to go. They would guard the graveyard every day and take care of their comrades’ tombs. Hai Siyuan was one of them. He had been appointed as a third-ranked general by the court, even though his position was only honorary, his status and pay were real. Instead of going to the Imperial Capital, he chose to stay in Anxi Town with dozens of other old soldiers. He stayed for two reasons: to honor his father Hai Wuya’s words and see how many of his fellow soldiers were still ready for battle, and also because after witnessing Emperor Yonghe and all the officials in the court, he felt disheartened despite his strong will. After a light rain, the graveyard’s soil was damp and muddy. With this weather, there were very few people worshiping in the graveyard, only Hai Siyuan and a few other old soldiers. Hai Siyuan and the old soldiers patrolled the graveyard as usual, chatting casually. At one point, they found themselves standing in front of the Qiao family members’ graves. The graves of Qiao Shuangsen, Qiao Ruosen, Qiao Zhuosen, and others were all together, and they were somewhat famous in Zhong Province, attracting more worshippers in the graveyard. "Just now it was drizzling lightly, why are there people coming to pay their respects again?" A veteran suddenly said. "It’s a young girl… Hey, shouldn’t this young girl be going to pay respects at the tomb of Earth Sword Immortal Lu Yanbei?" "Huh? Why is there also a blind person?" Earth Sword Immortal is a renowned martial arts master, so naturally very famous. His tomb has almost become a must-visit spot for every worshipper. Hai Siyuan looked up and saw a young girl with flowing black hair standing in front of Qiao family member’s tomb, her eyes tightly closed, silent. S~eaʀᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hai Siyuan noticed keenly that the blind girl was holding a bound book in her hands, seemingly for the worship. "This is strange, when worshipping the deceased, people usually bring fruits, paper money and such, why is she worshipping with a book?" Hai Siyuan felt puzzled, focused his gaze, and after reading the writing on the cover of the book in the blind girl’s hand, he was even more astonished. The cover actually read "Long Life Fist Sutra". "They even used martial arts sutra for the offering? How strange… Wait, Long Life Fist Sutra? Is it the Long Life Fist of Qiao Family from Heyang City in Nan Province?" Hai Siyuan and the other old soldiers were like relics from forty years ago. The Qiao Family from Heyang City had gained fame a hundred years ago, so Hai Siyuan had heard of them even forty years ago. Thinking back, when Qiao Shuangsen and the others entered the city, they indeed showed signs of practicing the Long Life Fist Stacking Wave Strength. Hai Siyuan noticed it back then, but didn’t pay much attention. Instead of being impressed by Qiao Shuangsen’s Long Life Fist skills, Hai Siyuan was more amazed by the Qiao family member’s proficiency in the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method. Now that he had come to his senses, he realized something belatedly. "Could it be that Qiao Shuangsen’s family, the Qiao family members, are actually descendants of the old Long Life Fist practicing Qiao Family from Heyang City? How come I’ve never heard of their family martial arts including the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method?" With these thoughts in mind, Hai Siyuan quickly took a few steps forward and waved his hand to ask: "Young lady, are you from the Qiao Family in Heyang City? Why are you using a martial arts sutra to pay respects to the Qiao family ancestors?" "Yes," the blind girl nodded softly, then gently opened her eyes a bit and looked at these few old soldiers. In her eyes, these were a few middle-aged soldiers with determined expressions, lean yet tough figures, calm yet resolute gazes. Thinking of this stele forest, and the recent events in the solitary city in the desert, she roughly guessed the identities of these people. Perhaps one of the three hundred old soldiers who survived until now in the Inhuman War? "It’s true… You’re a bit late, a few days ago, your elders, Qiao Shui, personally came by." Hai Siyuan said. Without much thought, he confused the Qiao family member with the Qiao Family of Heyang City. But when Qiao Canxue heard this, it made her heart tremble. During this period of cultivating immortality, she had naturally been keeping an eye on the movements of the Qiao family member. Unfortunately, the Qiao family member died too quickly, and she had to cultivate immortality herself, never catching up. "Qiao Shui…" Qiao Canxue decided to tell a small lie: "That is my ancestor… do you know where my ancestor is? I have been away from home for several years, I still don’t know where my ancestor currently lives." "He bought a house in Imperial Capital, it is in the outskirts of the city…" Hai Siyuan didn’t think much, and revealed Qiao Mu’s address. Since this girl looked pleasant and didn’t seem malicious, he didn’t think Qiao Canxue was lying. Also… who would dare to cause trouble for Qiao Mu? Aren’t they afraid of getting hurt? The brave deeds of Qiao family members from several generations had already left a profound impression in Hai Siyuan and others’ hearts. If Earth Sword Immortal was the strongest in the ancient city, then Qiao Shuangsen and the others were the second strongest, the third strongest, the fourth strongest… And they were much more reliable than the moody Earth Sword Immortal, they could be considered the most reliable people in the ancient city. "Since you are Elder Lao’s junior…" Hai Siyuan hesitated for a moment. "Not being able to see well can be inconvenient… so why not let us old folks take you on our way to the Imperial Capital to find Elder Lao?" Hai Siyuan is indeed on the way. He was getting ready to take a few days to bring along his relatives and brothers who had passed away and had nowhere to go to the Imperial Capital to find their father, Hai Wuya. With a Qiao family descendant who couldn’t see added now, it also made him feel a bit protective towards her. After all… in front of the Qiao family members, he had been a junior for so long, and had received great kindness from the Qiao family members, so now protecting a weak descendant who couldn’t see was just a small effort. "I must say, even though the Qiao family is strong in martial virtue, how can we let a visually impaired young woman go out alone… I heard that the current situation in Zhong Province is quite chaotic." Hai Siyuan kept talking, with his mouth full of elders’ common advice. He was slightly excited, finally seeing a young person from the Qiao family, and a woman at that. He almost thought that Qiao family members were born as hundreds of years old monsters? Qiao Canxue was a little distracted, but quietly gripped the "Long Life Fist Sutra" in her hand. This "Long Life Fist Sutra" was not just the first half like before, but the complete version. The Martial Saint was dead, and she had finally avenged her family. She had taken the second half of the "Long Life Fist Sutra" back from the remnants of the Wuji Association. It was like returning something to its rightful owner, her wish fulfilled. Qiao Canxue was the last orphan of the Qiao Family in Heyang City, and she had given up on martial arts a long time ago, so even though she had the fist scripture, she had no one to practice with. After obtaining the complete "Long Life Fist Sutra," she felt a bit lost, still processing the fulfillment of her wish and unsure of what the future held. Just then, news of the truth about the Inhuman War emerged, with three hundred veterans emerging from the desert, including several Qiao family members who had died. So she decided to take action. Instead of the secret manual in her hands, she was more concerned about… "How should I face the elder named Qiao Shui from the Qiao Mu family?" In the Nan Province, Qiao Canxue only knows one Qiao Mu from the famous Qiao family. She had never imagined that behind Qiao Mu, there was actually a large martial arts family with deep-rooted enmity.