All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 468 - 94: The Struggle for Mingguang Peak (3/3)

Chapter 468: Chapter 94: The Struggle for Mingguang Peak (3/3)

The elder had a ruddy complexion with white temples, frosty eyebrows, and snow-white hair. He was tall and imposing. Rising to his feet, he took the initiative to greet An Jing, a pressure washing over An Jing in waves.

In ancient times, those who practiced Qi Refinement for immortality were stronger, and their aura became more mysterious and tranquil, merging with the heavens and the earth as though one could reside in the vast sky yet remain completely unaware of it.

But Martial Artists are different. They move like dragons, reside like mountains, their anger shakes the earth, their sorrow could tilt the heavens, alive by Heavenly Mandate, in death they fall into the abyss. These individuals were akin to walking small worlds, influencing wherever they went with their ’presence,’ unless they intentionally suppressed and hid it.

Just as now, An Jing saw that in the cup Gu Yunzhi had set down, the tea rapidly condensed into ice, shattered into dust, turning into countless frosty particles. Then, like a living creature, it coalesced into a frost serpent, coiling inside the cup, silently lying in wait.

— A "Phenomena" of one who reached the pinnacle of the Divine Repository.

An Jing narrowed his eyes; at the moment, the center of the dragon scales on the back of his right hand, where the "Commanding Five Soldiers Thunder" was gathered, was trembling slightly. This was originally a node of Spiritual Method An Jing created by imitating Jin Yanhua, but now, it could sense beings related to ’dragons’ to some extent.

Gu Yunzhi’s cultivation method, or his bloodline, must be related to the Dragon Blood lineage—and in Hanhai, the only thing related to Dragon Blood was the so-called "Hanhai Tidal Mist True Chi Dragon"!

Considering that the True Chi Dragon was forced to flee, and Gu Yunzhi was searching for his granddaughter Gu Yeqi by name in Hanging Fate Manor and the surrounding cities, it was possible that You Ruhui was the one who forced Gu Yunzhi out of Hanhai.

No... to put it that way...

"It was an escort."

An Jing suddenly realized and firmly believed, "I see, it was this old fox who escorted You Ruhui to the Northern Border, and it was indeed him who entrusted the task to my master."

As thoughts raced through his mind, An Jing understood why Gu Yunzhi was so straightforward in revealing this fact, yet he still feigned confusion, showing just the right amount of puzzlement, "What Commandery Princess? Moreover, General Gu, had I known of your visit, I would have prepared a grand banquet to properly host you!"

"Haha, no need, Lord An, if you really are as formidable as my granddaughter described, able to do anything and go anywhere, you surely would have seen through many things already."

With a flick of his sleeve, Gu Yunzhi cloaked the vicinity in a misty fog, blocking all communication, "Let’s speak frankly. I was once a close confidant of King Jing, and I had the fortune to hold the Young Miss when she was but a month old. Were it not for the numerous enemies in the Northern Border, and my children all being removed from this world due to various accidents, I would never have sent the Commandery Princess to the northwest."

"For secrecy, my public identity is still that of my messenger, but in reality, I am one of the ’Nine-Headed Heart Serpents,’ my true body remains stationed in the Hanhai camp to confront the Taiming Sect. We are on the same side, so no need for roundabout words."

— How many people had held You Ruhui back then?

An Jing mocked inwardly, certain that it was not a small number. All would have been King Jing’s most trusted confidants. In this regard, Gu Yunzhi was surely trustworthy, but An Jing still didn’t want to be direct, "If we are to speak openly, then what exactly brings you here, General? As for the matter of the Commandery Princess, I truly have no knowledge of it."

Gu Yunzhi scrutinized An Jing’s expression, then relaxed with a sigh of relief and chuckled, "It seems that Ming has indeed fulfilled my request... You gave me quite a scare there."

Seeing Gu Yunzhi’s reaction, An Jing also realized the misinterpretation, that the latter had misunderstood the true nature of the recent battle near Kanming City.

There was a gap in information after all.

Gu Yunzhi was unaware of the details and reasons for the fight in the mountains of the northwest with Mingguang Dust, and he did not know about Endless Heavens; naturally, he would assume that those fighting Mingguang Dust were enemies aiming to capture the Young Miss—but in reality, that party came from Endless Heavens, with Mingguang Dust as their target.

Most likely to keep matters confidential, neither party had much communication, and Gu Yunzhi must have been on edge lately, deeply worried that the Young Miss and Mingguang Dust had both ended up in another world.

The reason he was so sure that An Jing was connected to You Ruhui was because An Jing was a disciple of Mingguang Dust—taken on precisely in Kanming City. That made it certain An Jing had some connection with the Commandery Princess, to one degree or another.

An Jing’s demeanor suggested that the Commandery Princess and Mingguang Dust were unharmed.

Having confirmed this, Gu Yunzhi’s expression relaxed considerably. He looked at An Jing as if he were an exceptionally outstanding junior of his own family, "I have already sent Ye Qi to the Bright Mirror Sect, and there, they have established the ninth peak, Mingguang Peak, for your master."

"The Bright Mirror Sect now has nine Manifesting Holy True Monarchs in existence, truly a historic golden age for the Dust Li Five Sects. You should know that at its peak, the Upper Gate Taiming Sect had only one Lingxiao, two Pure Yangs, and eight Manifesting Holies. Although the Bright Mirror Sect cannot compare in foundation, it has caught up in its middle ranks."

"However..."

Gu Yunzhi paused for a moment before continuing slowly, "Although Ming’s presence has created the Mingguang Peak, the peak only has a name and not a real Manifesting Holy True Monarch in residence. Even though they’ve granted the rank and treatment, there are many within the sect who do not accept this."

"And you, as a Divine Mandate True Transmission, have received many privileges. Now the Bright Mirror Sect is constructing a palace for you at the base of the peak and relocating the Earth Vein... The entanglement of interests here is serious, especially since there’s not a single person on the entire Mingguang Peak, so all those Earth Vein resources are being wasted."

"It’s not too bad now, but if you don’t return to the sect soon, there might be some problems."

"Is that so?" An Jing raised an eyebrow; this was not unexpected for him. With Mingguang Dust’s breakthrough to Manifesting Holy, the Bright Mirror Sect would naturally respond, and as a Divine Mandate, he would definitely receive corresponding treatment, proven by the supplies delivered to him today.

But ultimately his master wasn’t at Embracing the Void, and though they had the name, without a real Manifesting Holy to keep order, the newly formed Mingguang Peak occupying the same resources as the other Manifesting Holies did seem somewhat excessive.

"My granddaughter,"

said Gu Yunzhi, pausing mid-speech, turned and looked in the direction of the Bright Mirror Sect: "She volunteered, taking with her your junior brothers and sisters, willing to follow her Children of Calamity, all joining the lower sect. She said she would go through the Bright Mirror Sect’s process to become a formal Inner Sect Disciple of Mingguang Peak, joining the ranks below Mingguang and become your strength once again."

"I do not interfere with her actions. I am just curious, what will you do? Will your mentor sitting atop Dawn Brightness Peak come to your aid?"

Gu Yunzhi’s information was very useful. An Jing quickly grasped the troubles within the Bright Mirror Sect that awaited his resolution: the newly emerged Mingguang with Manifesting Holy-level resources, and as a True Transmission, he was absent, causing dissent due to the vacant sect mountain. However, due to regulations, his mentor Chenyinzi should not overtly interfere with his peak...

If not for the fact that Chenyinzi’s Divine Sense incarnation was with him, Gu Yunzhi’s statement would have indeed been accurate.

"What nonsense is this kid spouting!"

As expected, the grumbling of his mentor Chenyinzi echoed in An Jing’s mind: "What do you mean sitting atop? It’s as if I’m unwilling to help, I’ve already argued with a few old coots from other peaks!"

"An Jing, don’t worry. I’ve kept an eye on your followers, and they’ve been performing quite well. They should all be able to advance to the Inner Sect by the end of the year’s examination. As for Mingguang Peak, what belongs to my disciple is my disciple’s, and although he’s not here, he has been earnestly serving the sect for many years. Even if he doesn’t need it now, not a single bit will be taken from his share!"

An Jing could actually understand that the resources of the Bright Mirror Sect were limited, and it was wasteful to have one peak’s resources idle with neither Peak Lord True Monarch nor True Transmission in residence; thus, it was only natural for others to want to reduce the treatment a bit.

But Chenyinzi was particularly protective, vehemently refusing to let them cut anything. Not to mention arguing in the mountain, Chenyinzi also split a sliver of his Divine Sense to teach from afar.

With such a mentor who was unconcerned with minor details and cared deeply for his juniors, An Jing could rest much more at ease.

"However..."

At this point, Chenyinzi hesitated for a while before speaking directly, "Cheng Guang Ancient Ancestor has also set the tone—if you return to the sect within three years, you’ll just be in time for the Bright Mirror Sect’s once-per-decade True Transmission competition and the subsequent debate of martial prowess among the Five Sects."

"If you can defeat all the opposers, you can naturally secure the resources of one peak, and no one will question it!"