Xiao Fei repaid the sect's debts and sent Zuo Gu away.
"Senior Brother Fei, Senior Sister Huangfu, why is the sect so down and out? Where is Master?"
Huangfu Xuan had been somewhat excited by Xiao Fei's appearance, but upon hearing this, her sorrow overwhelmed her.
"Father... he's not long for this world!"
"Quick, take me to see him!"
Fei Xin and Huangfu Xuan led Xiao Fei towards a room in the back.
On a jade bed, Guangling Zhenren's hair was sparse, his face withered, and he was enveloped by an aura of death, completely devoid of life force.
In his current state, he would have been buried long ago in the eyes of ordinary mortals.
"Master's life force was extinguished by the strange divine abilities of an evil cultivator during a battle. He fell unconscious that very day. To prolong his life, we sold all the sect's possessions and incurred debts, purchasing many rare spiritual items to keep Master alive until now," Fei Xin explained.
Guangling Zhenren was the signboard of their lineage. As long as he wasn't completely dead, others wouldn't treat their lineage too harshly, and they could still receive a portion of the sect's benefits. The status and treatment of disciples with a Golden Core backer were vastly different from those of ordinary disciples without one. Whether from personal sentiment or the pursuit of benefits, preserving Guangling Zhenren's life was paramount. They had exhausted all their efforts to maintain his last vestiges of life, even mortgaging the mountain peak where he cultivated. Now, facing the prospect of losing both property and life, it seemed he wouldn't last many more days.
Xiao Fei approached. Guangling Zhenren's current state was little different from that of a dead man, his entire body encased in death qi. Only his heart retained a sliver of life force, but under the constant erosion of the death qi, it wouldn't last long.
Xiao Fei took out a jade bottle from his storage bag and poured out a pill. This was a pill he had refined himself to restore his own vitality, its main ingredient being the leaves of a Wood Spirit Fruit Tree. This pill could restore life force but not heal injuries; it only addressed the symptoms, not the root cause. However, it could temporarily prolong Guangling Zhenren's life.
Guangling Zhenren had lost the ability to swallow. Xiao Fei had to dissolve the pill with his spiritual power, turning it into a green mist and directly injecting it into his heart. The medicinal mist entered the heart, quickly transforming into a surge of life force that spread outwards, resisting the encroachment of the death qi.
Fei Xin and Huangfu Xuan watched Guangling Zhenren's transformation with joy. They had tried every method and sought all sorts of expensive spiritual herbs, achieving similar or even lesser effects than this. Now that their junior brother had achieved Golden Core and returned to the sect, there was hope for Master's recovery, and their lineage could finally see the light of day.
"Fifth Senior Sister, take this bottle of pills. Use one a day." Xiao Fei casually handed the bottle to Huangfu Xuan. This bottle contained thirty pills, enough for a month. While such a pill was rare for others, Xiao Fei had an entire Wood Spirit Fruit Tree in his spatial dimension, with its growth accelerated by twenty times, so he had plenty of leaves.
"Thank you, Junior Brother!" Huangfu Xuan took the pills and thanked him profusely. Even if Guangling Zhenren's injuries couldn't be fully healed now, there was at least a turning point.
"By the way, why are there only the two of you? Where are the other senior brothers and sisters?"
"They're all dead..." Fei Xin shook his head and sighed. The war had lasted for over a decade, and the cultivation world of Lu Kingdom had suffered heavy losses. Guangling Zhenren, a third-tier alchemist, had been a treasure of every sect, but in times of crisis, even he could only be pushed into action. The disciples who survived were considered lucky.
After chatting with the two for a while longer, Xiao Fei entrusted Fei Xin and Huangfu Xuan with the care of Guangling Zhenren and returned to his cave dwelling alone. After many years away, his cave dwelling was overgrown with bushes and weeds. The few spiritual peach trees that had been planted by the pond had been destroyed during the attack by the evil cultivators. Xiao Fei and Xiao Lan tidied up briefly; Xiao Fei continued to reside in the cave dwelling, while Xiao Lan stayed in the cold pool.
A day later, Ancestor Shangguan sent a message, summoning Xiao Fei to see her. When Xiao Fei arrived at the grand hall from last time, he saw Huang Feifei was also present. They exchanged glances without speaking. A moment later, Zhu Yu helped Ancestor Shangguan into the hall, and Ancestor Peng also arrived alone. The two Nascent Soul cultivators sat at the head of the hall, their auras noticeably weaker than in previous years, showing clear signs of decline. Ancestor Shangguan was missing an arm, and Ancestor Peng's hair was streaked with white, making him appear much older.
"The three of you have completed your mission perfectly, not only saving the Danxin Sect but also the entire cultivation world of Lu Kingdom." Ancestor Shangguan began by praising the outstanding contributions of the three. Ancestor Peng nodded frequently in agreement, expressing his admiration.
"We should have announced your deeds to the world, letting the entire cultivation world of Lu Kingdom know of your achievements. However, this matter involves powerful individuals from Qin Kingdom, which might bring you the danger of being hunted. Therefore, only a very small number of people will know about this. We apologize for this slight." Ancestor Shangguan's face showed some regret as she spoke. The three, by indirectly saving the entire cultivation world of Lu Kingdom through the hands of a great general from Qin Kingdom, should have been celebrated and revered by all.
"It matters not. Such is mere fleeting fame! This junior does not care." Both ancestors nodded in approval. Cultivators, like ordinary people, have emotions and desires. Some cultivators, having lived for a great age, still harbor strong obsessions with various desires. Some are driven by fame, others by profit, lust, or the desire for good food... In fact, various desires are the greatest driving force for cultivators. Those who are truly devoid of desire lose their motivation for pursuit, becoming like rotten wood, unable to survive long in this cruel cultivation world, let alone achieve great things. However, what distinguishes the cultivation world from the ordinary world is the ability to appropriately restrain and control one's desires, rather than being dominated by them.
"You three have rendered great service, and we should have rewarded you with wealth. However, after the great war, the sect is somewhat strapped for resources and truly has no rare treasures to offer. How about this: today, we will each bestow upon you a secret technique, passing down one to each of you as a reward."
"Thank you, Ancestors, for your bestowal!" The three bowed together in thanks.
"These three secret techniques are all different, but they should be the most suitable for each of you." Ancestor Peng produced three jade slips and handed them directly to the three.
Xiao Fei received his jade slip and probed it with his divine sense. This secret technique was called "Five-Colored Divine Light." Upon cultivation, it could restrain the opponent's magical treasures. However, its cultivation effect varied from person to person, requiring corresponding spiritual root aptitudes to cultivate the corresponding divine light. For example, a Wood Spirit Root could cultivate Azure Divine Light, which could counter Earth-attribute magical treasures. Those with two spiritual roots could only cultivate two divine lights, and those with three spiritual roots could only cultivate three lights. Only those with all five spiritual roots could cultivate the five divine lights. However, across the entire cultivation world, rare geniuses like Xiao Fei, who possessed all five spiritual roots, were encountered only once in tens of thousands of years. Others with incomplete spiritual roots could not unleash the full potential of this technique. Xiao Fei, filled with surprise, read the contents several times with his divine sense before putting it away. At this moment, Zhu Yu and Huang Feifei also wore pleased expressions, clearly having received secret techniques that suited them well.