Qin Wentian glanced at those who spoke as he replied with a smile, "The Qin Sect is newly established, but we won’t accept anyone so casually. Those who can join will all become our brothers, and once they join, none are allowed to quit. Not only that, they have to completely listen to my commands, and any offenders will be dealt with harshly. Are all of you still willing to join the Qin Sect after hearing my rules?"
Just when Jun Mengchen wanted to speak, Qin Wentian had already said what he wanted to say. He couldn’t help but sneer at these people. What a joke. When they were in danger, n.o.body had come to help. Now that the Twin Stars Alliance had been defeated, and upon seeing how powerful Qin Wentian and Qing`er were, as well as Nanfeng Yunxi’s enrollment, these spectators were now saying they wanted to join the Qin Sect?
Recruiting so many would only cause discord in their ranks; all those geniuses who joined would all harbor their own plots and schemes. In that case, it was better not to accept any of them.
The expressions of everyone stiffened. Someone then asked, "Brother Qin, but there was no criteria when Nanfeng Yunxi said she wanted to join?"
Qin Wentian gave a carefree laugh, "If your ranking is as high as hers, then I won’t have any objections. In fact, I won’t impose a criteria on anyone ranked in the top ten who wish to join."
Staring at the carefree smile on Qin Wentian’s face, the geniuses who tried to apply could only shake their heads. They also understood Qin Wentian’s intentions; for ordinary geniuses that joined the Qin Sect, Qin Wentian and Nanfeng Yunxi would tank for them if they encountered danger—and for those ordinary geniuses to also have a share of the benefits once good fortune befell them? How could there be something so convenient in this world? Right now, the Qin Sect was a mighty figure that no one dared to approach.
"Forget it, forget it, right now there will soon be a period of commotion in the City of Ancient Emperors. Even Zi Daoyang has said that the ruins of the Brahma Heavenly Emperor have been discovered, so does everyone want to form an alliance and prepare to explore this forbidden ground?"
"That’s right, the Underworld Mountains are known as forbidden grounds and many people have entered but have no way to make it back. However, no one has ever tried to enter that place en ma.s.se. Now that there’s news of the Brahma Heavenly Emperor’s inheritance being there, a storm will surely sweep through the city. I don’t believe that the Underworld Mountains can trap an army of us geniuses."
People continuously spoke, one after another, and their fighting spirits were high. Qin Wentian didn’t say anything. Although he’d already entered the Underworld Mountains, he only stayed there for a moment and didn’t know much about the place. In fact, he had almost no idea of any of the traps there at all. But if he tried to persuade the others not to enter, people would most probably mock him, thinking that he wanted to seize the legacy for himself.
"The Qin Sect has just been established and we won’t be accepting any new members for the time being. Everyone, thank you for your interest. Please leave." Qin Wentian waved his hands, commanding their dismissal. The geniuses who had spectated had no choice but to depart.
"Nanfeng Yunxi, right now our Qin Sect only has a total of six people. You can choose anywhere you wish to stay." Qin Wentian smiled at Nanfeng Yunxi when all the other random geniuses in the area had left.
"Mhm." Nanfeng Yunxi nodded as she asked, "When will we set out?"
"Since you’ve already joined the Qin Sect, I won’t keep things from you. In fact, I recently left the Underworld Mountains. The true Underworld Mountains are in a separate s.p.a.ce, hidden by mist and fog. There’s a mysterious energy there that can sap the strength of stellar martial cultivators and it’s very difficult to stay in there for an extended period of time," Qin Wentian said to Nanfeng Yunxi.
A puzzled expression appeared on Nanfeng Yunxi’s face as she asked, "Then how did you guys leave?"
"Qing`er has a spatial-type treasure," Qin Wentian replied.
"Seems like I made the right choice in choosing to join the Qin Sect. In that case, there’s nothing for us to worry about. Let’s bring in more Yuan Meteor Stones to replenish our astral energy. In that battle earlier, you guys took the interspatial rings from members of the Xiao Branch, I’m sure you’re not lacking in Yuan Meteor Stones." Nanfeng Yunxi laughed.
"Since that’s the case, we will rest for a day and set off tomorrow first thing in the morning. The news has already been circulated, and most probably the majority of geniuses in the City of Ancient Emperors will be heading there as well." Qin Wentian was extremely decisive, since Qing`er had a method to exit, he didn’t need to be too worried. It was just that Little Rascal was still inside that place, and that was the source of his unease.
That second ranker was in there as well. If he met with Little Rascal, Little Rascal’s combat prowess would definitely be inferior in comparison.
"Right." Nanfeng Yunxi nodded. After which, the six of them descended to the ground and headed back to their respective courtyards to cultivate.
Qin Wentian needed this extra time. After that battle, the energy of his G.o.d’s Hand had already dissipated, he had to condense more particles of divine energy to rea.s.semble it.
The old location of the Xiao Branch was now the headquarters of the Qin Sect. The atmosphere was tranquil and when night fell, the only sounds would be the sounds of water gurgling and splas.h.i.+ng from the waterfall within the mountains surrounding this place.
In another courtyard, Nanfeng Yunxi stood with her arms behind her back. As a princess of the Southern Phoenix Clan, she was under great pressure to succeed. She didn’t forget the command that Matriarch Southern Phoenix had given her. The thirty-three immortal realms had been peaceful for too long, and it was unknown when the next grand battle of heaven-shaking proportions would occur. She had to increase her strength as soon as possible, maturing as well as she could. As a descendant of the Matriarch Southern Phoenix, she had to ensure that no matter what, she would establish her immortal-foundation within a hundred years of age.
Matriarch Southern Phoenix had once prophesied that chaos would soon come to the world.
With chaos, it meant that even more astounding geniuses would be born, especially those capable of stirring the wind and rain, controlling the storm. With countless geniuses contending against each other, who would rise to the top? Nanfeng Yunxi had often thought about it. In the chaotic times ahead, would she be able to create a piece of sky that belonged to her?
Zi Daoyang, Qing`er, Qin Wentian, and that second ranker… in addition to those other geniuses at the peak of the City of Ancient Emperors, would they be any weaker than herself?
"Who’s there?" At this moment, Nanfeng Yunxi suddenly turned, staring behind her. However, she only saw the surrounding mountains, and there were no other silhouettes or traces of a human’s aura.
This caused Nanfeng Yunxi to frown as a strange light flashed through her eyes. Her senses were extremely sharp; surely there must have been something strange nearby. However, she couldn’t sense an aura at all. Or could it be she was overthinking things because of the worries in her heart?
At the same time, Qin Wentian was in his courtyard, quietly cultivating. Qing`er’s chosen training ground was beside a waterfall, which directly faced the cultivating Qin Wentian. Her luminous, transparent gaze rested on Qin Wentian, yet she seemed troubled as she silently stood there in contemplation.
Although Qing`er was unfamiliar with many things in the world, it was precisely because of this that her heart and mind were purer. All this resulted in her senses being sharper than ordinary people and she could clearly sense things no one else could. Now, when thinking back to the day’s events, she could faintly sense that the reason for Zi Daoyang’s appearance today was truly because of her. But she wasn’t acquainted with Zi Daoyang at all, and hence, was unable to fathom his true purpose.
Given Zi Daoyang’s status, he wouldn’t lack for beauties at his side. Even for Xiao Lengyue, he could easily have her if he used some methods. Hence, he wouldn’t try to get close to someone just because they were beautiful.
Qing`er then thought of her father, the Evergreen Immortal Emperor. She glanced at Qin Wentian, wondering if her father would approve of him, as traces of worry could be seen flickering in her beautiful eyes. But when she saw the peaceful look on Qin Wentian’s face, completely immersed in his own cultivation, Qing`er’s countenance gradually turned gentle again, no longer as cold as before. Those frost-filled eyes were now filled with a hint of warmth.
The night didn’t seem as cold as before.
The clear mountain air contained a trace of mist that surrounded the mountain range. Usually, this place was exceptionally quiet…but today, there were suddenly many silhouettes of humans, all in groups of three to five, standing respectively in their own positions around the area, all of them heading into the depths of the mountains.
These people were none other than the other experts in the City of Ancient Emperors who had heard of the news.
Although the Underworld Mountains were known as a forbidden ground, when there were many experts gathered, they would feel emboldened. This was especially so when considering the fact that everyone here was a genius. No one would admit to being a coward, and people had been gathering since yesterday.
In the ancient ruins of Ancient Emperor Yi, it was true that the lost secret art—the G.o.d’s Hand—had appeared, and was even comprehended by Qin Wentian. In the case of the equally famous Brahma Heavenly Emperor, now that there was news regarding his inheritance, would his lost secret art also resurface here?
If the Great Brahma Art was successfully comprehended by any of them, even if they had no way to reach the level of mastery as the Heavenly Brahma Emperor, it was already sufficient for them to become a major character of a region in the immortal realms.
No one would feel that they were inferior, and or that they would surely fail in comprehending the mystery of any lost secret arts. This is also especially true for the geniuses here in the City of Ancient Emperors.
Qin Wentian and his group stepped into the boundaries of the Underworld Mountains. Qin Wentian, Qing`er, Nanfeng Yunxi, Jun Mengchen, Zi Qingxuan, and Hua Taixu; the six members of the Qin Sect were all here.
Wherever they pa.s.sed, heads would turn towards them without a doubt. Out of the six, three were top-grade beauties. Zi Qingxuan was already extremely beautiful, let alone Qing`er and Nanfeng Yunxi who were a shade prettier than her. With such a formation, how could they fail to attract attention?
Those who heard of yesterday’s battle could instantly guess their ident.i.ties. But there were also many who hadn’t heard the news yet. Hence, they were wondering who these two supreme beauties, Nanfeng Yunxi and Qing`er, were.
The speed of their group was extremely fast. Qin Wentian recognized the way and quickly arrived at the outer area of the Underworld Mountains. Over here, there were many experts that were already present and a majority of them had formed into groups of their own. Only a rare few were here alone. Later on, there was a high possibility that combat might occur over treasures or inheritances found and at that time, strength was everything. If you refused to form an alliance, you were simply courting death.
"Nanfeng Yunxi!" At this moment it was unknown who had called out. But it caused the attention of many to look over at Qin Wentian and his five companions.
"There’s also Princess Qing`er. The #3 and #5 rankers, both supreme beauties are here as well," Another person spoke. And because of that, the Qin Sect instantly became the focus of everyone there.
"Interesting, those of the Twin Stars Alliance have also arrived." The spectators stared in another direction, where Xuan Yang and Xiao Lengyue could be seen leading a large group of people. Xiao Lengyue’s injuries seemed to have recovered in just a single day; one could only wonder what sort of miraculous medicine she’d used. However, Greedwolf wasn’t present. Without resting for a year or two, it was likely that Greedwolf wouldn’t be able to crawl up from his bed.
"Nanfeng Yunxi and Princess Qing`er have allied, and the Twin Stars Alliance has Xuan Yang and Xiao Lengyue. Hey, it seems that we should get more people and form a group as well," an expert in the crowd spoke to another. The strength of the Qin Sect and that of the Twin Stars Alliance was too fearsome.
"Let’s enter," Nanfeng Yunxi spoke in a low voice. Qin Wentian nodded. After which, their group stepped directly into the Underworld Mountains. The others all hesitated for a moment when they saw this scene, but followed soon after. Even Nanfeng Yunxi and Princess Qing`er had entered this forbidden ground, how could they be fearful or nervous?
Very swiftly, the geniuses of the City of Ancient Emperors gathered into groups and headed into the depths of the Underworld Mountains. When the mist and fog rose up, the entire atmosphere was filled with a sense of mystery. After which, the true Underworld Mountains appeared in everyone’s sights, exuding a sense of sinister coldness.