I Cheated While Cultivating

Chapter 329: Chapter 49: The Hardships and Difficulties Led to the Virtual Faction

“`

How is Yuzhou faring, and how is Yan Shouyi doing recently?

These are Zhou Heng’s concerns and worries.

If he were to merely wait outside for news, his mind would feel guilty, his thoughts unclear.

Although his current level of cultivation is not high, he has special skill cards and special privileges obtained from opening the Fortune Bag, as well as the projected card of the magic weapon “Heaven Rotating Seal.”

Even if he were to encounter an enemy that even Yan Shouyi would find difficult to deal with, these could still prove useful, solving some problems.

As for how to break through the Daoying Mist to enter Yuzhou, he had already figured it out.

First, he would go to the Pure Yang Palace to find Chen Yingyu.

He would hand over the Pure Yang Palace legacy obtained from the Pure Yang Statue, and then obtain the secret technique to enter the Daoying Mist.

However, during the last Zhou Tian Boundary Officer meeting, Chen Yingyu seemed somewhat distracted, which made Zhou Heng worry about the strength of her determination, whether she could lead the Pure Yang Palace to grow stronger.

Originally, Zhou Heng had thought about looking for a chance to observe Chen Yingyu’s situation more carefully, but now the situation was urgent, and he could not afford to care too much.

Indeed, he owed the Pure Yang Palace a favor and had the responsibility to find a suitable successor for them, but he owed Yan Shouyi even more.

The pressing matter at hand was to obtain the method to enter the Daoying Mist as soon as possible.

…

Within Yue Ling County of Tongzhou.

Qingwei Mountain.

This is where the Pure Yang Palace’s mountain gate is located.

Actually, this place was not originally called by the poetic name Qingwei Mountain; it was merely known as Three Peaks Mountain, not even a hundred zhang tall, hardly considered a mountain peak at all.

Three years ago, after suffering a severe blow, the Pure Yang Palace relocated its mountain gate here and renamed it Qingwei Mountain.

Their original mountain gate was located there, towering over three thousand zhang and stretching for thousands of miles, majestic and magnificent, but now it no longer existed, having been leveled during the attack by the Nine Deaths Sect.

Now, they could only take solace on Qingwei Mountain, which was no more than a hundred zhang high.

Yet even after relocating their mountain gate to such a place, the Pure Yang Palace’s days were still hard.

Around Qingwei Mountain there were numerous other mountains, such as Sifang Mountain, Yuanwang Mountain, and Dayang Mountain, with various sects and villages scattered throughout.

Among them, there were powers led by martial artists of the Secret Six Rank.

Two villages and four sects were the strongest among these six mountains, with Divine Monkey Village and Canglang Sect as the leaders.

These two powers each had an innate expert of the Secret Six Rank, making them the true top-tier combatants in this small world of the six mountains, with the other forces not even close in strength.

The Pure Yang Palace ranked last among the four sects and was also facing challenges due to Chen Yingyu, the sect leader at the Peak of the Seventh Rank, having arrived here just two years ago and not yet established a firm footing.

Especially since God Axe Village, the strongest on Three Peaks Mountain, was eagerly eyeing the position of mountain lord, hoping to dislodge the Pure Yang Palace and claim the coveted position for themselves.

“`

And indeed, due to the deputy chief of God Axe Village obtaining some fortuitous opportunity, he had reached the Peak of the Seventh Rank; combined with the strength of the already Peak Seventh Rank village chief, their power had now surpassed that of Qingwei Sect.

This added a few more notes of panic to the already unsettled hearts within the Qingwei Sect, and recently there had even been incidents of newly admitted disciples fleeing outright.

Chen Yingyu was extremely worried about this, and she had even reduced the number of missions she carried out for the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, for as the sect leader, it was her responsibility to maintain the stable development of the sect.

In front of the Guarded Stillness Hall at the peak of Qingwei Mountain, there was a jade platform where Chen Yingyu often sat to ponder matters.

Today, she was sitting here as usual.

On the jade platform, the 22-year-old sect leader of Qingwei Sect helplessly gazed at the sky, quietly watching the drifting white clouds, and after a long while, she gently closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

Often, she would involuntarily recall the times when her father was still alive, the life at the original Qingwei Mountain, and the days when Qingwei Sect was considered a top-ranking sect under the heavens.

Back then, she was the favored daughter of the sect leader, carefree and without concerns.

In terms of the Martial Path, she received excellent tutelage and practiced Martial Arts many Loose Cultivators could only dream of. At 19, she had reached the Peak of the Seventh Rank, expected to compete among the best on the rankings.

But all of that changed three years ago.

The nefarious Nine Deaths Sect launched a sudden attack; the sect leader, the elders, and all Middle Third Rank powerhouses perished in battle, the sect’s library was nearly plundered, and the entire Qingwei Mountain was razed to the ground.

It was only due to the desperate protection of her dying father and the sacrifice of some servants and True Disciples that she barely escaped, and when she finally gathered disciples, only twenty or thirty remained.

She, at the Peak of the Seventh Rank, had become the strongest among them.

To avoid the Nine Deaths Sect’s attacks, she even had to live incognito with those twenty or thirty people for a while.

If it were not for the Pure Yang Palace intervening later because of the past friendship with the sect, suppressing and warning the Nine Deaths Sect, and finding Mt. San, a temporarily suitable place for development, the sect might not have had a chance to re-establish itself.

Yet, even though the sect was re-established, it was no more than an empty shell; to truly revitalize it and to seek vengeance against the Nine Deaths Sect, there was still a long and arduous journey ahead.

“Thankfully, I got the chance to join the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, which allowed me to make a wish at the Wishing Pool, gain various resources, and seek guidance in martial arts. With this, the hope of reviving our sect has greatly increased,”

Chen Yingyu felt grateful in her heart, full of appreciation for the person who had persuaded her to join the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, the one who substantially changed her fate and the destiny of her sect.

“It was already extremely difficult for Qingwei Sect to rebuild, God Axe Village, I will not let you succeed!” Chen Yingyu’s gaze was resolute as she said in a deep voice, “I must lead our sect to revival and take revenge against the Nine Deaths Sect!”

Her eyes seemed to burn with an intense flame, her whole being like a great blaze, radiating a fierce fighting spirit, already resolved to grapple with God Axe Village to the bitter end.

Though this Qingwei Mountain is currently small and not very extensive, it is of utmost importance to the sect at the moment.

Whether forging weapons or cultivating medicinal herbs, space is needed; even recruiting disciples for training requires a space. Without a place, they’d be like rootless duckweed adrift.

This place contains the ores they need and the apprentices that are suitable for cultivating medicinal herbs; there are also many villages at the foot of the mountain, suitable for recruiting disciples. Naturally, they must firmly keep it in their grasp and not let it be snatched away by others.

“However, God Axe Village’s Peng Kang, the village chief, and Yu Liang, the deputy chief, are both at the Peak of the Seventh Rank; and that’s just the strength they show openly – they’re not easy to deal with,” Chen Yingyu frowned slightly, worried while also feeling somewhat puzzled.

This deputy chief of God Axe Village, Yu Liang, was only at the Eighth Rank half a year ago, not even at the Peak of that rank. How could he have advanced to the Peak of the Seventh Rank in such a short period?

Absolutely unfathomable.

“Sigh, it’s incomprehensible, but I must face the enemies I have to face, so let’s think about how to handle their attack,” Chen Yingyu set aside her distracting thoughts and concentrated on thinking.

At that moment, she suddenly saw a figure appear in the clouds above, and then she saw the figure descending from the sky, flying towards her.

“Who’s there?!” Chen Yingyu was at first surprised and wary, but upon clearly seeing the gaze of the figure, she instantly deflated like air leaving a balloon, filled with surprise and joy, “Star… Zhou, Daoist Zhou?!”

She had initially meant to address him as the Star Master, but realizing that they were not in the Zhou Tian Boundary Office and that both were in their ordinary statuses, she hastily corrected herself.

“Sect Leader Chen, may you be safe and well,” Zhou Heng descended, clasped his hands with a smile and said, “I’ve come uninvited, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“It’s more than welcome, more than welcome,” Chen Yingyu hurriedly shook her head and quickly led Zhou Heng toward the jade platform, invited him to sit down, and smiled, “Does Daoist Zhou have any matters to discuss?”

“Yes, indeed there are some matters to discuss with Sect Leader Chen, it’s like this…” Zhou Heng nodded directly without beating around the bush, about to cut to the chase with Chen Yingyu.

But just as he was about to explain the situation, suddenly, a young disciple rushed over in a hurry, interrupting his speech.

“What’s the matter?” Chen Yingyu frowned and asked.

“Sect Leader, it’s bad, really bad!” The disciple was panting anxiously, “Martial artists from God Axe Village are challenging us at the mountain gate, saying they want to block us as Zhou Heng once did to the Chang Xing Sect, stating they will injure anyone who goes out.”

“What?!” Upon hearing this, Chen Yingyu became livid, her body slightly trembling with anger, “Fine, then. I will go out and meet them from God Axe Village. Order all disciples to follow me out of the mountain gate!”

“Yes!” The disciple’s spirits instantly lifted, and after clasping his hands in a salute, he hurried off to pass on the orders.

“I’m sorry for letting Daoist Zhou see this farce,” Chen Yingyu said with a wry smile.

“What’s going on?” Zhou Heng looked outside and inquired.

“It’s just a trivial matter of the sect; I can handle it,” Chen Yingyu replied with a smile, “Please wait here for a moment, Daoist Zhou; I will be back shortly.”

“Why not go together?” Zhou Heng suggested.

“How could I trouble Daoist Zhou with this,” Chen Yingyu gently shook her head in refusal.

“Has Sect Leader Chen forgotten? Pure Yang Palace has always had good relations with the Zhi Xu Sect,” Zhou Heng said with a smile, “Now that the Zhi Xu Sect is in trouble and I happen to be present, how could I just stand by and watch?”

“This…” Chen Yingyu, touched, nodded, “Thank you, Daoist Zhou, then. Please come with me.”

Her feelings were complex.

Indeed, the Zhi Xu Sect had always had good relations with Pure Yang Palace, but that was back when the two sects were equally matched in strength.

Now, the Zhi Xu Sect was in dire straits, lacking even a Secret Six Rank, and yet Zhou Heng, as the Junior Uncle of the Pure Yang Palace, still remembered this bond, which was rare indeed.

Of course, this might also be because Zhou Heng considered them colleagues from the Zhou Tian Boundary Office, but regardless, she etched this favor deeply into her heart.

…

On the way to the mountain gate, Zhou Heng also asked for details about the grudge between the Zhi Xu Sect and God Axe Village.

Originally, Chen Yingyu and the other disciples of the Zhi Xu Sect who had escaped death wanted to find a quiet place to develop and gradually rebuild their sect. However, the powerful figure from Pure Yang Palace who had helped them survive the calamity asked them to move to the Three-Headed Mountain.

He left without leaving a name and didn’t use the authority of the Pure Yang Palace to deter the original factions and stockades in the area, which meant the Zhi Xu Sect had to rely on their own strength to gradually establish a foothold.

Although Three-Headed Mountain was originally unclaimed, God Axe Village could be considered the most powerful faction in the mountain, with only Sky Gate being somewhat comparable.

The position of the mountain lord had always been contested only between God Axe Village and Sky Gate.

However, with the arrival of the Zhi Xu Sect, and with Chen Yingyu’s strength far surpassing that of an average Peak of the Seventh Rank, she single-handedly defeated both factions and took the position of the mountain lord, truly establishing a foothold there.

Seeing the formidable strength of Chen Yingyu, Sky Gate chose not to contend and directly led their followers away from Triple-Headed Mountain. However, God Axe Village was unwilling to let things lie and has been opposing the Zhi Xu Sect for the past two years.

Recently, the second-in-command of God Axe Village inexplicably broke through to the Peak of the Seventh Rank, which greatly inflated their confidence. They intended to directly oust the Zhi Xu Sect.

Thus began this period of frequent skirmishes between the two factions.

Through this understanding, Zhou Heng had almost grasped what that fellow Pure Yang Palace disciple meant when he aided the Zhi Xu Sect out of their predicament.

“Born in distress, die in comfort.”

It amounted to nothing more than this.

The intention was to see the Zhi Xu Sect rise through hardship; that was the true revival.

…

Zhou Heng and Chen Yingyu moved swiftly, and before long, they arrived at the mountain gate of the Zhi Xu Sect.

Chen Yingyu walked ahead, with Zhou Heng slightly behind, also concealing his aura.

He did this deliberately; in front of the disciples of the Zhi Xu Sect, it was essential to show the standing of Chen Yingyu, the leader of the sect.

At this moment, the mountain entrance of the Zhi Xu Sect was tense, as if on the verge of conflict.

More than twenty Zhi Xu Sect disciples, young and old, stood with swords and sabers ready, facing off against fifty or sixty burly men armed with axes on the opposite side.

In terms of individual strength, the disciples of the Zhi Xu Sect were far superior to those of God Axe Village, but God Axe Village had a larger force, outnumbering the Zhi Xu Sect by more than three times.

As the saying goes, “one pair of hands struggles against many,” and in the Lower Third Rank stage, the advantage of numbers is significant.

“Sect Master!”

“You’ve arrived, Sect Master!”

“Sect Master, these bandits from God Axe Village are unreasonable!”

“They actually want us to surrender our mountain gate!”

Seeing the arrival of Chen Yingyu, the Zhi Xu Sect disciples all shouted out in righteous indignation, highly discontented with the people from God Axe Village.

“Calm down,” Chen Yingyu said, remaining composed in front of her disciples.

She gently pressed down with her hand to signal everyone to quiet down, then turned her gaze towards the God Axe Village side, focusing on two middle-aged men at the forefront and smiled, “Peng Kang, Yu Liang, to think that the two leaders have come personally, my apologies for not having greeted you from afar.”

Zhou Heng stood just behind her, quietly observing. Unless necessary, he did not intend to take action.

“Don’t come at us with your fancy words, girl. We don’t buy that stuff!” Peng Kang sneered. He was a towering man standing eight feet tall. Although he was over sixty years old, his cultivation in the martial path was deep, and he was adept at fortifying his body—appearing to be in his forties.

“Exactly, cut the chatter. We’re here to take over your place, haha!” Yu Liang started laughing. He was lean, resembling a monkey, and seemed to be in his forties as well.

As he spoke, his eyes roamed brazenly over Chen Yingyu, licking his lips with a covetous look,

“Sect Master Chen, actually, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to preserve your Zhi Xu Sect. You just have to agree to be my brother’s fortress wife, and all will be well!”

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