202: Chapter 80: The Overwhelming Might of a Powerful Clan 202: Chapter 80: The Overwhelming Might of a Powerful Clan Taking advantage of the movement of shadows within the Wei Yuan Immortal Palaces, Li Ping’an quietly slipped back to the corner of the palace to rendezvous with Ningning Mu and the other two.
The palace was indeed a magnificent sight, with over a thousand Immortals gathered inside.
Moreover, since the Wei Yuan Sect had removed the Mountain Protection Array early on, the palace had been raised into the skies.
The Immortals of Sea Watch Sect, who were shaking disciples below, as well as the Loose Cultivators gathered on the periphery, could also glimpse inside the palace.
This was a reluctant move by the Wei Yuan Sect.
Xu Sheng and the Taoist priest from Linyuan were genuinely afraid that Wanyun Sect, Sea Watch Sect, and Forge-Heaven Gate would come to blows;
By taking down the Mountain Protection Array and raising the palace into the skies, allowing countless Loose Cultivators to watch from afar, they aimed to constrain the actions of the Immortals from these three major sects.
At this moment, the Immortals inside the palace were divided into three groups.
The Heavenly Immortals and True Immortals from Wanyun Sect took their seats on the eastern side, with hundreds of Yuan Immortals scattered throughout the inside and outside of the palace, gathering in groups of three or five.
The Immortals from the Forge-Heaven Gate settled on the western side; those seventy-two disciples, either handsome and dashing or beautiful in appearance, stood quietly behind, their gazes scouring the vicinity, seeking suitable opponents for competition.
——Sea Watch Sect was still outside the palace.
These seventy-two disciples from Forge-Heaven Gate soon noticed the four people hiding in the corner, including Li Ping’an.
Gu Qingcheng asked with a smile, “Brother Ping’an, why do those disciples from Forge-Heaven Gate keep looking this way?
I’m getting a bit scared; many of them are at the Heaven and Earth Bridge realm.”
Li Ping’an frowned and shot a glance at this Sword Cultivator.
Do you show the slightest bit of fear?
My goodness, you didn’t even use a secret transmission to say this, and you blurted it out directly.
Clearly, you’re hoping that the disciples of Forge-Heaven Gate won’t take action!
However, Gu Qingcheng was a Sword Cultivator, and moreover, a Sword Cultivator endowed with Blast Cloud Pills and the support of the Sword Control Technique.
If Forge-Heaven Gate wished to have their disciples compete, it was highly likely they would send their Merge True realm disciples.
Made sense—major sects have their reputations to uphold.
Therefore, as long as Gu Qingcheng got an opportunity to act, he could achieve fame and gain recognition with great certainty.
Li Ping’an said with a smile, “If there is magical combat between disciples later, we’ll have to rely on you, Brother Gu.
Priest Mu and I haven’t been in the cultivation path for long.”
Ningning Mu blinked, she too actually felt like getting into a fight…
But since her senior brother had already said so, she naturally would comply.
Thus, she stowed her Immortal Sword away and stood obediently at Li Ping’an’s side, her delicate arms crossed behind her back.
By now, everything in the palace was ready.
Senior Xu Sheng sat in the center with high regard, while the Heavenly Immortal elders from the Wei Yuan Sect took their seats behind him.
The Sect Leader of Wei Yuan Sect, the Taoist priest from Linyuan, stepped forward, cupped his hands in a greeting, and said with a smile:
“Today, it is truly a splendid accolade for the Wei Yuan Sect to have Wanyun Sect and Forge-Heaven Gate visit unexpectedly.
All of us in the sect, both members and disciples, feel deeply honored.
“I often heed the admonitions from the senior predecessors of the Eastern Alliance.
Us Qi Cultivators of the Human Race should indeed be as close as family, and all sects should live in harmony and amity.
“Therefore, I implore both parties, for the sake of the modest face of our Wei Yuan Sect, to avoid conflict.
If there are any misunderstandings, I shall play the role of mediator today!”
Falling silent, the priest from Linyuan turned his gaze towards the spokesperson of Wanyun Sect—the Wealthy Immortal Li Dazhi.
Li Dazhi cleared his throat, set down his teacup, and said leisurely with a smile:
Does Forge-Heaven Gate have some misunderstanding with our Wanyun Sect?”
The Loose Cultivators outside the gates of the immortal domain perked up their ears, fearing they might miss the refined language of the Wealthy Immortal.
The handsome Heavenly Immortal from Forge-Heaven Gate, Mo Yunshen, fiddled with an Immortal Treasure folding fan in his hand and said with a smile, “I have long heard of the Wealthy Immortal’s secret techniques in forging Magic Artifacts and have admired them for a long time!
Upon hearing of the Wealthy Immortal’s first time descending the mountain, I couldn’t wait to come here to seek guidance on the art of artifact forging from the Wealthy Immortal and fellow Daoists from Wanyun Sect.”
Li Dazhi continued with a smile, “If you truly wish to seek guidance, a few Artifact Refiners would have sufficed.
Why the need for such fanfare?”
Mo Yunshen replied, “With eight hundred immortals accompanying Wanyun Sect, although we dare not outshine the Wealthy Immortal, we should also call more sect members to come forward, so as to express our respect for the Wealthy Immortal.”
Ningning Mu tugged at Li Ping’an’s sleeve and whispered, “Senior brother, this elder seems tricky to deal with, like a smiling tiger.”
“He has the qualifications to be so, a Heavenly Immortal who achieved it in just one hundred and twenty years.”
“Ah?” Ningning blinked and responded, “But everyone says that our uncle will become a Heavenly Immortal within a hundred years.”
“Well, he hasn’t achieved it yet,” Li Ping’an replied.
Li Ping’an turned his head to look at Ningning Mu and saw her bright, peach blossom-like eyes sparkling behind her veil, and her eyelashes fluttered continuously, making his heart waver.
He flipped his right hand and voluntarily caught her delicate hand, gently kneading it twice.
This was their first time holding hands.
Li Ping’an felt the small hand in his palm was soft, slippery, and a little cold, like holding the best jade in the world, filling his heart with anticipation.
In contrast, Ningning Mu felt slightly tense, her Primordial Soul somewhat bewildered.
She found her Dao heart exceptionally peaceful, her spirit remarkably at ease, wishing to be forever enveloped by that large hand, not wanting to part if even for a moment.
As a result, Ningning Mu missed the verbal sparring between the spokespeople of Wanyun Sect and Forge-Heaven Gate taking place there.
By the time she regained her senses, she heard Li Dazhi laugh and say, “Since that is the case, let’s have a discussion on the art of artifact refining!”
Mo Yunshen nodded with a smile and made a welcoming gesture, “Shall we then demonstrate the forging work of both our sects, and have senior Xu Sheng judge which is superior?”
Li Dazhi waved his hand grandly, then turned to look at an elder nearby.
Mo Yunshen raised his left hand, and an elder of the True Immortal Realm stood up to come forward, his hands shimmering with Immortal light, and produced a jade zither.
This elder from Forge-Heaven Gate presented the jade zither to the Wanyun Sect’s Immortals for their appraisal.
Afterwards, he approached senior Xu Sheng and with respect said: