Chapter 279: Chapter 279: Qingyun Zhenren’s Cunning Maneuver (Five Updates)
“Lost for a long time?” Ye Feng was surprised.

He originally thought that the “Talisman Script True Explanation” wasn’t that valuable, but to his astonishment, Gong Qingqiu claimed it had been lost for ages and was of significant importance.

“Doesn’t the Sect Leader know? The ‘Talisman Script True Explanation’ was compiled by a talented talisman ancestor after expending his entire life’s efforts. It is the most exquisite tome among talismanic texts. As long as one has decent innate talent, possessing the complete text could enable them to become a master of talismans in the future.”

Gong Qingqiu’s breathing quickened, “If this were to be auctioned off, just the first volume alone could fetch an astronomical price of fifty thousand Spirit Stones.”

“This… this expensive?”

Ye Feng was dumbfounded.

That was only the first volume; if one were to include the middle and final volumes as well, wouldn’t they possibly fetch several hundred thousand Spirit Stones?

Even someone at the Spirit Sea Realm might go bankrupt trying to acquire it!

Only a Great Power at the Divine Origin Realm would have such profound resources.

“Sect Leader, this gift is too precious. Please keep it safe yourself; I’ll be content just having an occasional look.” Gong Qingqiu returned the ancient text to Ye Feng, shaking his head like a rattle-drum.

“You have toiled exhaustively for the Sect; this is well-deserved,” Ye Feng insisted.

“How about this? Let’s place the ‘Talisman Script True Explanation’ in the Scripture Pavilion and entrust it to Ziling for safekeeping. Whenever we need it, we can consult and study it at any time,” Gong Qingqiu suggested a compromise.

“Hmm, that works too,” Ye Feng nodded.

“Then, I’ll step out for a moment to invite a dear friend to tailor garments for our Sect, hoping to wear them before the ceremony of the Sect’s elevation in rank.”

“Go ahead!”

…

Gong Qingqiu, holding the booklet, flew towards the northern area of the Yunxiao Great Forest and descended into a beautiful valley covered with Spirit Mulberries.

“Yunyun, I’m here.”

Gong Qingqiu pushed open the gate to a courtyard, and under the respectful gaze of many maids, he found a delicate woman seated at a spinning wheel.

“Qiuqiu, what brings you here?”

“Of course, to see you.”

“Hmph, I don’t believe it; you must have come to have me make clothes!”

…

Qingyun Sect.

“The Sect Leader is too stubborn, just refusing to bow his head.”

“We never should have let him become the Sect Leader in the first place.”

“What’s the use of saying these things now? Why don’t we quickly prepare a congratulatory gift, go to Misty Sect to congratulate them and ask Sect Master Ye to reconstruct our Spirit Vein for us?”

“Is that a good idea?”

“Won’t we be thrown out by Misty Sect?”

“For Qingyun Sect, even if it means climbing a mountain of swords or plunging into a sea of flames, I will do it without hesitation!”

Several Elders gathered in the Sect Master’s Grand Hall to discuss.

The many Disciples outside heard these words, all clenching their fists, feeling dissatisfied with Qingyun Zhenren’s refusal to bow.

“A Sect Leader unwilling to bow for the Sect is not a good Sect Leader!”

Some even expressed such sentiments.

Atop a high peak.

Qingyun Zhenren sat cross-legged on a giant rock, propping the Qingyun Sword with his knees; his gaze fell upon many Disciples who had defected from the Sect.

“A bunch of useless trash!”

Qingyun Zhenren sneered, looking in the direction of Misty Sect, “To think I would apologize to him, that’s absolutely impossible! This Qingyun Sect follows my rule alone, who dares oppose me?”

Clang!

A terrifying Sword Intent burst forth, suppressing all the Elders in the Sect Master’s Grand Hall, pinning them down so they could not move.

“What, you hold two Sect meetings when your Sect Master is not around?”

Qingyun Zhenren strode into the Sect Master’s Grand Hall with a crooked smile.

That fearsome Sword Intent continued to spread, suppressing the entire assembly.

Three elders immediately spoke up, “Sect Leader, we tried our best to stop them from holding a sect conference privately, but they wouldn’t listen!”

“Sect Leader, if you keep this up, the entire Qingyun Sect will become disheartened and fall apart, crumbling to dust. Can you really bear to watch the Qingyun Sect, with its thousand years of heritage, be destroyed in an instant?” an aged cultivator said in a deep voice.

“Enough prattle!” Qingyun Zhenren sent the old man flying with a stroke of his sword, “Second Elder, I have long found you displeasing to the eye. Today, I expel you from the Qingyun Sect, never to return.”

“You… are muddled!”

The Second Elder spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted on the spot.

“Sect Leader, you!”

Several other elders rose to their feet, helping up the Second Elder while all of them angrily rebuked Qingyun Zhenren, looking as though they were bitterly disappointed.

“Those who don’t want to stay in Qingyun Sect, get lost, all of you!” Qingyun Zhenren, holding the Qingyun Sword, looked at everyone with a fierce grin on his face.

“You… foolish man!”

The Second Elder woke up from his anger, “If our ancestors knew of your actions, afraid they would come back from the netherworld just to beat you up!”

“Ha! What a farce,” Qingyun Zhenren said, disdainful.

He walked outside the Sect Master’s Grand Hall and bolstered his throat with True Yuan and Sword Intent, letting out a voice that spread across the entire Qingyun Mountain Range, “All those who don’t wish to stay in Qingyun Sect, roll out!”

The moment his voice filled the air, there was dead silence.

Shortly after, many people pointed fingers at Qingyun Zhenren and cursed him bitterly, utterly disappointed, they began to gather their things and leave the sect they once held great hopes for.

In front of a small courtyard.

Xiao Fangu clenched his sword’s scabbard and said in a deep voice, “Why has it come to this? I’ve only joined Qingyun Sect for half a year, and now the sect is facing the crisis of dissolution, must I really leave unwillingly?”

Xi Xinyu grabbed Xiao Fangu’s hand, tears in her voice, “Junior Brother Xiao, if you leave, I’ll go with you. With our cultivation, starting a middle-rank sect is absolutely no problem.”

“That’s not the life I want!” Xiao Fangu lowered his voice.

Pat pat pat…

Bai Minglu walked over, a blade of grass in his mouth, and said, “Don’t rush to leave. As the saying goes, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Even if Qingyun Sect’s Spirit Vein is gone, there’s still enough Spiritual Energy here for us to cultivate.”

He looked towards the direction of Nanwu City, with a meaningful expression, “Moreover, just because the Qingyun Mountain Range has no Spirit Vein, it doesn’t mean Qingyun Sect has none.”

“What do you mean?”

Xiao Fangu and Xi Xinyu were both clueless.

Within the Qingyun Mountain Range.

Many disciples, stewards, and elders couldn’t stand it anymore and quit Qingyun Sect. From the original several thousand people, only less than nine hundred remained now.

“Good, a large number of people have left, those remain will be easier to support,” Qingyun Zhenren clapped his hands, and immediately a few individuals appeared in the Sect Master’s Grand Hall.

“Nanwu City’s City Lord!”

Several elders looked toward the man at the front, their eyes showing a hint of surprise, then, suddenly thinking of his relationship with Qingyun Zhenren, their pupils contracted.

“I remember now, Nanwu City was once a One-Star Force, though later it lost the title of Star-Level Sect due to the City Lord’s insufficient Cultivation Level, but the Miniature Spirit Vein in the city remains.”

An elder’s eyes widened, realizing something.

“Nanwu City’s City Lord has come to pay respects to the Sect Leader and offers a grand gift!”

The City Lord of Nanwu City clapped his hands, and several people carried a large wooden box, ten meters long, wide, and high, setting it down in front of the Sect Master’s Grand Hall.

“Click,”

Qingyun Zhenren cut the iron chains, and several wooden planks fell to the ground, revealing a heaven and earth Spiritual Object inside the box.

It was a bonsai!

It sat on a moist, brown rock, eight meters long, five meters wide, and three meters high as its base, with a three-meter-tall small tree made entirely of jade growing upon it, emanating a rich Spiritual Energy.

“Sect Leader, this is ‘Gemstone Jade Tree,’ Nanwu City’s Spirit Vein. Once buried in the soil, it can connect to heaven and earth and operate freely,” the City Lord of Nanwu City introduced with pride.

“Very good!” Qingyun Zhenren crossed his hands behind his back, a satisfied smile on his face, and glanced sideways at the elders behind him, all trusted subordinates.

“It turns out the Sect Leader had already planned a strategy, we were just too dull to see it.”

“The Sect Leader plans and then acts, predicting matters like a deity, this elder admires you.”

Several elders immediately started flattering.

Qingyun Zhenren looked proudly toward Misty Peak, “Ye Feng, you wanted this Zhenren to kneel and admit his mistake, wait for your next lifetime, hahaha!”