Yellow Court Daoist-Chapter 362 - 341: The Xuanyuan Sect’s Predicament! 300 Years of Evolution! [4000-Word Mega - ]_2

Fifty years have passed since Lu Qingfeng arrived in the Barbarian God Realm.

Zhenyuan Mountain was as stable as Mount Tai with the White Jade Skull Ferdinand and the Hell Three-headed Dog Brandt, both Dukes of formidable strength, stationed there.

Time went by.

The first dissemination of the Immortal Dao and the low-level Immortal Dao Methods gradually fermented their influence. In the Abyss First Layer, cultivators either began to switch to the Immortal Dao or started cultivating it from the beginning.

Atop Zhenyuan Mountain.

Duke Guangyuan remained seated, never leaving his post, yet his nine major disciples frequently descended the mountain to guide the cultivators of the Immortal Dao.

The seeds of the Immortal Dao were starting to sprout.

Gifted individuals continuously overcame the Foundation Establishment Thunder Tribulation and stepped into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

A hundred years later.

Duke Guangyuan lectured for a second time at Zhenyuan Mountain, drawing even more attendees. This lecture lasted three years.

Afterwards, they dispersed again.

The Immortal Dao started to rise.

Among the cultivators of the Immortal Dao, the number of Spirit Void Practitioners exploded, emerging in great numbers.

Another hundred years.

The third lecture at Zhenyuan Mountain.

This time.

Those who came to listen to the Dao soared through the Qingming skies, wielding their swords in flight. Among them, not a few were Spirit Void Practitioners, and the Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Postnatal Cultivators were numerous as carps crossing the river.

The third lecture also lasted three years.

At the end of the three years.

Within Zhenyuan Mountain, the Guangyuan Immortal Sect was established. Following the first teaching session where Master Guangyuan took in three direct disciples, this time he successively accepted twenty-four registered disciples who were all top-tier geniuses that had cultivated to the Spirit Void Level.

From then on.

Zhenyuan Mountain sealed itself off.

Master Guangyuan's nine direct disciples and twenty-four registered disciples descended from the mountain to roam. The name of the Guangyuan Immortal Sect shook the Abyss, its fame even spreading to the Second Layer.

The Immortal Dao was finally flourishing.

In a blink of an eye.

Another hundred years passed since the three lectures and the establishment of the Guangyuan Immortal Sect.

...

Iron Ring Mountain.

Located in the northwest of the Abyss First Layer, countless years ago, a wandering Mage arrived here, established the Mage Tower, and began recruiting disciples. Because the tower resembled an iron ring, much like a lighthouse, the surrounding area of dozens of miles henceforth became known as 'Iron Ring Lighthouse'.

More than a thousand years ago.

A group of Earth Cave Demons crawled out from the Abyss Second Layer, slayed the only Arrogant Sun Great Mage of the Iron Ring Lighthouse and many more mages, occupying the land and bringing disaster upon the region.

Eighty years ago, from the south, Duke Guangyuan's fourth-ranked 'Guangyuan Nine Sons,' Xuan Chengzi, split the earth and opened the mountains, massacring the Earth Cave Demon clan, causing the collapse and bloodshed of the surrounding Earth Realm for dozens of miles, with the stench of blood and Evil Qi lingering for ten years unabated.

Ten years later.

Having listened to the Dao twice at Zhenyuan Mountain and gaining fame in the surrounding realms for his 'Wind Control Techniques,' a cultivator who was known as 'Yufengzi' took an interest in this place. He established a cave abode on Iron Ring Mountain.

Leisurely, he took on disciples and imparted his teachings.

Within just seventy years, he had taught six disciples of notable cultivation.

A master and six apprentices protected the region, showing chivalry by slaying numerous Abyss Demons, earning great respect from the common folk of the surrounding lands. From time to time, those aspiring to cultivate the Dao would travel dozens or even hundreds of miles on foot, hoping to become disciples of Yufengzi of Iron Ring Mountain.

Yufengzi, the master of six disciples, acquired half of them in such manner.

But like the Guangyuan Immortal Sect, Yufengzi is strict in accepting disciples. Over the past seventy years, countless have sought apprenticeship and many were devout, but only six disciples were taken.

One day.

Not far north of the Iron Ring Mountain, on a small stony path, two men were leisurely riding barbarian oxen.

"The criteria for being accepted as a disciple by Guangyuan Immortal Sect are very stringent. Although every year many cultivators, even mortals, rush to Zhenyuan Mountain to seek apprenticeship, only an extreme few pass the tests and are accepted."

"We are close to Funeral Bell Plain; I wonder how long it will take to reach Zhenyuan Mountain from here. Rather than traversing thousands of mountains and rivers only to possibly be turned away, Iron Ring Mountain's Yufengzi, a cultivator of the Immortal Dao with considerable Dao ability, is also a fine choice."

Among the two,

The elder, a bearded man of about forty or fifty years old, weathered through the vicissitudes of life, pointed ahead to the faintly visible hillock, explaining to the young man beside him.

The young man, his gaze returning from the distance, looked to the hardened man with curiosity, "Uncle Wolf, coming from Funeral Bell Plain in the north to the Heavenly Punishment Abyss, I've heard the most about Guangyuan Immortal Sect. But from the north, Guangyuan Immortal Sect is too far, and we only hear rumors, without truly understanding it."

"If people from Guangyuan Immortal Sect have been here, Uncle Wolf must know quite a lot about them, right?"

The young man seemed quite interested in Guangyuan Immortal Sect, his face filled with a desire for knowledge.

"Ha ha!"

"I knew it, you young folks cross the mountains and ridges from the north surely aiming for Guangyuan Immortal Sect," Wolf laughed heartily, then explained to the young man, "But you've come to the right place. This Guangyuan Immortal Sect is incredible. Master Guangyuan, the Sect Leader of Guangyuan Immortal Sect, slew Duke Thorny Augustine in the Thorny Rift Valley and over two hundred years, spoke the Immortal Dao Method three times at Zhenyuan Mountain."

"Since then, in the Heavenly Punishment Abyss, there have been more cultivators of the Immortal Dao and fewer that follow the path of a mage or warrior."

Luo Gu nodded silently as he listened.

The Immortal Dao is the Primordial Dao, far stronger than the countless minor paths in the Barbarian God Realm.

Not to mention all sorts of Mysterious Techniques, magic artifacts, spirit pills, etc., but even just the early life span is enough to convert cultivators in the Barbarian God Realm to the Immortal Dao.

"In the Immortal Dao, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator has about the same combat power as an official mage or warrior. But while an ordinary official mage or warrior can live only up to two hundred years, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator can live at least three hundred years."

"The gap is even wider at the Spirit Void Level. Even the Arrogant Sun Great Mage can live at most five hundred years. But a Spirit Void Practitioner can live at least eight hundred years."

Wolf smiled ruefully, with a hint of regret, "Who wouldn't want to live longer? Unfortunately, we are still too remote here. Master Guangyuan first spoke at Zhenyuan Mountain 309 years ago, but the teachings only reached us around seventy or eighty years ago. By that time I was about to break through being an apprentice; it was too late to switch to cultivation, otherwise, I would be at least a Foundation Establishment Cultivator by now."

Wolf was talkative.

He chatted non-stop.

Luo Gu, listening to Wolf going on tangents, interrupted, "Uncle Wolf, tell me about the experts of Guangyuan Immortal Sect first."

"Experts, ah.

There are many of them."

Wolf, undisturbed, paused only for a moment and then rattled off, "The first and foremost, is certainly Master Guangyuan. His strength is such that even the Abyss Master might not be his match. He killed Duke Jingji Augustine and subjected Eclipse Duke Nehem. Even the Hell Three-headed Dog Brandt was subdued by Master Guangyuan's power, voluntarily pledging allegiance to his banner."

"Guangyuan."

Luo Gu listened intently, pondering.

To be able to overpower an Abyss Duke, and not to mention the level of cultivation, just in terms of strength, must not be weaker than an ordinary Golden Core Realm true person.

"I don't know if this is a reincarnated True Immortal from the Upper Realm," pondered Luo Gu without conclusion.

Wolf continued, "Besides Master Guangyuan, there are many powerful individuals in Guangyuan Immortal Sect."

"'Guangyuan Nine Sons' refers to the nine direct disciples taken by Master Guangyuan during his first Dao teaching; over the years, all have successively achieved the status of Jiedan True Man. Oh right, you outsiders may not understand 'Jiedan True Man'; it's a rank in Guangyuan Immortal Sect, roughly equivalent to Lord Level. There are more detailed classifications, but I'm not very clear about them myself."

"Yufengzi of Iron Ring Mountain seems to be just a Spirit Void Practitioner, not comparable to the Guangyuan Nine Sons."

"Take Xuan Chengzi, who is only ranked fourth, but eighty years ago he annihilated thousands of Earth Cave Demons, and forty-six years ago, after passing the Heavenly Tribulation and becoming a Jiedan True Man, went directly to the Bone Eroding Nest and killed the Lord Level Hell Illusion Fox, causing quite a commotion."

"Then there's the strongest among the 'Guangyuan Nine Sons', Xuan Ningzi, who comes from the Black Prison Clan but can summon powerful Flame Demon Gods, with twelve poles and fierce fires flying, even regular Lord Level Abyss Demons have to flee when they encounter him. He is the strongest in Guangyuan Immortal Sect, aside from Master Guangyuan."

"There's also Xuan Renzi who ranks second..."

...