Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi

Chapter 381: Returning Empty-Handed, Seizing the Position

「On the banks of the Qingyuan River.」

"You all will take what you obtained in Taiyin Heaven and return to White Jade City to report on your mission. I have other important matters to attend to, so I will not be returning for the time being!"

Jin Feihua watched as Taiyin Heaven closed, feeling it was a shame.

An opportunity that would have the Saint Sons and Saintesses of the major Holy Lands all vying for it was bound to be extraordinary. However, judging by the state of the crowd, it seemed the outcome hadn’t been very good for most.

While they hadn’t returned empty-handed, their gains fell far short of the grand opportunity they had hoped for.

Of course, it was also possible that someone had obtained a monumental opportunity.

The reason Jin Feihua wasn’t immediately returning to White Jade City was to wait. If such an event were to occur, she would be perfectly positioned to get involved.

During her time away, she had naturally received plenty of news regarding Taiyin Heaven. She knew it had closed a full half-month ahead of schedule, which meant there was definitely something fishy going on.

"Yes, my lady!"

The other members of Six Gates bowed and accepted their orders.

Those who made it out of Taiyin Heaven alive had all, to some extent, obtained Treasures. These Treasures were not yet considered their personal property, as they were required to turn in a portion.

Anything related to Taiyin Heaven in particular had to be submitted. Of course, this was not without its benefits, as they would ultimately receive a reward from the Court.

If you want people’s loyalty, you can’t leave them feeling slighted. You have to offer them rewards; otherwise, who would be willing to risk their lives for you?

The members of Six Gates departed swiftly.

The Celestial Fragrance Sect Saintess looked at the Supreme Sect Saintess and said with a charming smile, "I heard the Supreme Saintess entered the high tower. Did you manage to obtain the opportunity within, I wonder?"

On the surface, her words seemed complimentary, but in reality, she was putting the Supreme Sect Saintess on the spot.

Now that Taiyin Heaven had appeared, information about it that was once secret had spread far and wide, becoming common knowledge to many.

Everyone naturally understood what the high tower represented, and many were watching intently.

"The trials within the tower are far too complex. It would be difficult to pass them in anything less than ten days."

"However, given the Celestial Fragrance Sect’s methods, I imagine you must have progressed much further and obtained a supreme opportunity, haven’t you?"

It is rude not to reciprocate. The Supreme Sect Saintess deftly parried the jab and turned the problem right back to the Celestial Fragrance Sect Saintess.

The two major Holy Lands were old rivals, and setting traps for each other was second nature to them.

Their previous alliance had been solely to deal with the Taiyin Demon Sect. Now that Taiyin Heaven was closed, the members of the Taiyin Demon Sect had all vanished, evidently afraid of being targeted.

"You’re right. Passing the tower’s trials takes a very long time. It truly is a shame what happened this time."

"To enter a mountain of Treasure only to return empty-handed... I imagine the Supreme Saintess will have a hard time explaining herself when she returns to her Sect!"

The Celestial Fragrance Sect Saintess changed the subject, deflecting the trouble, and then brought up the Supreme Sect’s internal affairs.

The major Holy Lands had sent their people to seize the opportunities within, not to hear bad news in the end.

"I hope your position as the Celestial Fragrance Sect Saintess won’t be snatched away by someone else!"

The Supreme Sect Saintess replied, her expression unchanging, and then led the people from the Supreme Sect away.

After Taiyin Heaven first appeared, the Supreme Sect had sent more people, but they hadn’t gotten very far. Because Taiyin Heaven closed so quickly, they didn’t have much time and naturally couldn’t have traveled far inside.

’Hmph. What’s she so smug about? She came back empty-handed, too.’

The Celestial Fragrance Sect Saintess’s expression grew chilly; the Supreme Sect Saintess’s words had clearly gotten to her.

She had accepted the mission to Taiyin Heaven and ultimately had little to show for it. Even though the reason was Taiyin Heaven’s premature closing, she would still have to face considerable trouble.

The members of the Celestial Fragrance Sect soon departed as well.

Although the Qingyuan River still contained fish and shrimp nourished by Spiritual Qi, and nearby herbs could potentially transform into Spirit Medicine, such things were of no concern to these major sects.

The major Holy Lands all resided within Cave Heaven Blessed Lands, where the Spiritual Qi was naturally far richer than in places where it merely lingered. Only a place like Taiyin Heaven itself was better. As for these areas of dispersed Spiritual Qi, they were utterly beneath their notice and held little value for them.

The Merak Sacred Land and other Holy Lands that had arrived later obtained even fewer opportunities. Upon hearing the exchange between the Saintesses of the Supreme Sect and Celestial Fragrance Sect, a sharp glint flashed in their eyes.

Whether they actually believed what the two had said was another matter entirely.

Some people had already begun to secretly follow the members of the Taiyin Demon Sect as they departed, not only to target them but also to seize any opportunities they might possess.

Those who left early became easy targets, as others assumed they must possess some supreme opportunity; otherwise, they would not have departed so quickly.

Others set their sights on the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s Six Gates, as they had also been among the first groups to enter Taiyin Heaven.

The last time Taiyin Heaven had appeared, it was the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty that obtained the greatest opportunity, allowing them to cultivate a National Guardian Martial Saint. However, the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty had been extremely low-key at the time. It wasn’t until someone broke through to become a National Guardian Martial Saint that people learned of the opportunity they had acquired within Taiyin Heaven.

No one made a move near the Qingyuan River, but the fact that some people were quietly following others was a statement in itself.

Some were targeting Loose Cultivators and the major powers of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, while others were targeting the major Holy Lands.

The appearance of Taiyin Heaven had affected a great many people.

Some departed discreetly, while others remained in place, their gazes sweeping across the various factions present.

...

「Qing State.」

"I didn’t expect Taiyin Heaven to close so quickly."

Liu Xuan and the others had just arrived in Qing State and had not yet returned to the Cyan Yuan Sect when they received the news of Taiyin Heaven’s closing. They were all rather surprised.

According to the information they had, Taiyin Heaven should have remained open for at least another half a month.

They never expected it to close so soon; otherwise, they wouldn’t have planned on returning to the Cyan Yuan Sect first and would have likely waited outside Taiyin Heaven instead.

They would have waited not only for the people from the Merak Sacred Land, but also to see who had obtained the greatest opportunity—one that might have even caused Taiyin Heaven’s premature closing—or to find out what other major incident had occurred inside.

This knowledge might not be useful for now, but it could be recorded and kept within the Cyan Yuan Sect to build up its foundational lore.

The Cyan Yuan Sect was still too young and needed a deeper foundation. This would remain true even after they joined the Merak Sacred Land.

Within such a massive power, the relationships were bound to be far more intricate and complex. By returning to the Cyan Yuan Sect first, they could gather more information and formulate a strategy, lest they be used as pawns the moment they set foot in the Merak Sacred Land.

"Are we still returning to the Cyan Yuan Sect first?" Gu An asked, looking toward Sect Leader Liu Xuan.

"We’ll stick to the original plan. First, we need to get a clear understanding of the situation within the Merak Sacred Land. Otherwise, if we go in blind, we’ll likely become someone else’s pawns, and that would be a terrible outcome."

Liu Xuan thought for a moment and decided to proceed according to their original plan.

Taiyin Heaven’s early closure left them with even less time to prepare, so they couldn’t afford any more delays. It was better to understand the situation first than to rush to meet the people from the Merak Sacred Land.

As the Sect Leader of the Cyan Yuan Sect, he had long been aware of the various shady affairs that took place within a sect.