355: Lin Feng, a rogue cultivator

["Have you all not heard that saying—When the Nine Heavens collapse, the Qin Court stands; when the Purple Micro shifts, the stars and constellations change?"]

["Are you talking about that matter with the Qin Immortal Clan? Cough, who doesn't know about that! I heard the commotion back then was massive!"]

["Exactly! I heard that battle was fought so fiercely... Tsk tsk, thousands of Star Continents were shattered!"]

["Those asteroid belts above our Tailan Star right now, maybe there are fragments of the Qin Family from back then inside them."]

["But what does that have to do with now?"]

["Are you stupid? This time the Liu Clan is scouring the entire Immortal Realm for someone, and isn't it said that person's surname is Qin! Everyone says it's a descendant left behind by the Qin Clan!"]

["Fate is truly a wicked thing... Back then, the Qin Family's ancestral land was sealed up like an iron barrel, yet someone still managed to leak out?"]

["What do you know! Which great Family doesn't scatter some Bloodline seeds outside? It's to prevent total extermination! Perhaps there's someone from the Qin Family hiding right here on our Tailan Star."]

["I heard there's a Qin Dynasty in the mortal Realm... Do you think... could it be the Qin Clan's descendants?"]

["Who knows. If a Bloodline is truly scattered, they must have used secret methods to sever all ties. Where would you even start checking?"]

Several people lowered their voices, exchanging words with such detail it sounded convincing.

You held your wine cup, your face expressionless, but your fingertip paused almost imperceptibly.

These fragmented pieces of information quickly assembled and were sorted in your mind.

The Tailan Star you are currently on falls under the jurisdiction of the Nine Heavens Heavenly Palace.

The Immortal Realm is vast, with five top-tier forces each occupying a side—settled in the East, South, West, North, and Center, each ruling over a piece of heaven and earth.

These five major forces have very different foundations and methods:

The Nine Heavens Heavenly Palace is like an immortal Dynasty. If the 'Flame Emperor' is seen as the 'Immortal Emperor,' then the Liu Clan is like the Imperial Uncle and the primary powerful official, with illustrious authority and deep roots.

Kunlun Dao Academy is not a single Sect, but a collective of three thousand academies. Most children from the great families of the Immortal Realm have studied there, creating a complex web of connections. It claims to teach all without discrimination, netting the world's geniuses.

Wuji Immortal Sect follows the orthodox Sect path, with strict traditions and a long history.

The Xuanyuan Immortal Clan is the number one Family in the Immortal Realm, with noble Bloodlines and an ancient Legacy, its influence reaching everywhere.

It is said the clan possesses a clan-protecting divine weapon, the 'Xuanyuan Sword,' its rank unknown and its power unfathomable.

Canglan Holy Land is the most transcendent. The Cultivators under its banner care not for origin or past, seeking only the Great Dao with their whole hearts. They almost never interfere in worldly affairs, yet no one dares to look down on them.

These five houses each have their own territory and rules. They interact with each other but remain distinct, not easily offending one another.

That these five can sit firmly at the Peak of the Immortal Realm is certainly not due to luck—each has at least three or more Mahayana Venerables presiding over them, along with deeply hidden foundations.

For example, at Kunlun Dao Academy, the Dean is at the Mahayana Peak, and the other three Vice Deans are also in the Mahayana stage.

As for those first-rate Sects or families just below the five major forces, their strongest combatants are often only at the Mahayana Early Stage, and some don't even have a single Mahayana Venerable.

The gap between Realms is as different as clouds and mud.

You silently took a sip of spiritual wine, thoughts flowing soundlessly in the depths of your eyes.

No matter how big the Immortal Realm or how grand the landscape, none of it has anything to do with you right now.

You only know one thing—you must leave Tailan Star as soon as possible.

At this moment, a female Cultivator named Xia Zhiwei spoke with a smile:

["Hey, have you all heard? A while ago, the Xuanyuan Immortal Clan found a Genius from outside; he reached the Golden Core at only twenty! That branch was immediately brought back to the main lineage, ascending to heaven in a single step... Tsk, such good luck."]

As she spoke, her gaze swept toward a man nearby wearing a cyan spiritual robe:

["Young Master Xuanyuan, isn't your boy also exceptionally talented? If he has this kind of luck in the future, don't forget us old friends!"]

Others immediately joined in the banter: ["Exactly! Young Master Xuanyuan, you must give your brothers a hand when the time comes!"]

That Young Master Xuanyuan smiled and cupped his hands: ["Rest assured, everyone, I am a very nostalgic person. If that day ever comes, I will certainly welcome you with open arms!"]

This kind of thing is not rare in the Immortal Realm.

Great Family Bloodlines are scattered everywhere, separated by who knows how many generations. If the main lineage discovers a good sprout outside one day, they will often take them back for cultivation.

Just like when you established the Great Qin Empire on the Heavenly Desolate Continent, didn't a whole bunch of people named Qin come knocking on your door?

Among them were naturally imposters, those truly carrying Qin Mo's Bloodline, and even those who had changed their surnames to hide for years and then quietly changed them back.

If it was like that on the Heavenly Desolate Continent, how much more so in this vast Immortal Realm?

The Young Master Xuanyuan before you is in this exact situation.

Although his surname is Xuanyuan, he doesn't know how many mountains and rivers separate him from the main lineage of the Xuanyuan Immortal Clan, and his Bloodline Power has long since thinned.

Then, Young Master Xuanyuan swept his gaze across the room and laughed heartily:

["Haha, well said! I'm happy today, so the bill for the whole place—is on me!"]

The crowd immediately erupted in cheers, and flattery rose one after another:

["Young Master Xuanyuan is so generous!"]

["Thank you, Young Master!"]

Young Master Xuanyuan was clearly feeling a bit lightheaded with pride as he then proposed:

["Drinking alone is boring, why don't we meet friends through poetry? Everyone writes a poem, we all critique them, and the one who writes the worst has to drink a penalty cup, how about it?"]

Xia Zhiwei was the first to clap: ["Great!"]

["Agreed!"]

["I'm in too!"]

Amidst the sounds of agreement, a male Cultivator with a steady temperament was the first to speak:

["A jade spoon divides waves of a thousand stars, guest sleeves cut clouds into a single moon pill. The banquet boils in the Pill Furnace as rosy clouds fill the tripod, the Dao is attained on a crane's back as the sea births billows."]

You were slightly startled—you hadn't expected this male Cultivator to have such literary talent. Curious, your Divine Sense quietly swept over.

However, your Divine Sense felt as if it had hit an invisible thick wall and was gently bounced back.

Your heart shivered.

The male Cultivator seemed to sense something and turned to give you a slight smile.

Your expression remained normal as you nodded with a smile, but in your heart, you had already raised your guard—

This person is not simple.

With your current cultivation, you actually couldn't see through him?

You asked the female Cultivator beside you in a low voice: ["What is this person's background?"]

The female Cultivator answered quietly: ["His name is Lin Feng, he's a Loose Cultivator."]

["Lin Feng? A Loose Cultivator?"] You frowned inwardly.

Could a person whose depths even you couldn't pry into really be just a Loose Cultivator?

While you were thinking, it was already time for everyone to take turns composing poetry.

Soon, everyone's eyes fell upon you.

You smiled and said loudly:

["The banquet opens at the Heaven Rank as words speak of saintly benevolence, where cloud banners roll, ten thousand cities fall silent. The Liu blade carves away the bones of all living beings, refining them into star lamps to illuminate the crown."]

As soon as the poem was finished, the entire room suddenly went quiet.

The meaning of this poem was too blunt—

It directly pointed at the Liu Clan Immortal Family's hypocrisy, using the flesh and blood of all living beings as stepping stones.

Just like how they joined forces to wipe out the Qin Immortal Clan back then, on what grounds did they convict the Qin Clan?

It was nothing more than selfish desires at work.

But no one present dared to respond to such words.

In the dead silence, that Loose Cultivator named Lin Feng laughed.

He looked at you, his eyes seemingly carrying appreciation:

["Fellow Daoist has great spirit."]

Immediately, his gaze swept over the crowd, his voice not loud, but every word was clear:

["The Liu Clan is indeed overbearing. Locking down the stars for no reason and trapping us on this Tailan Star... do they really think we are livestock to be penned up?"]