445: The foundation of Qingling Sect

What is a foundation?

Li Changfeng did not know.

He thought it referred to the number of Golden Core Cultivators accumulated by the Qingling Sect.

It had to be said that the Qingling Sect truly had enough Golden Core Cultivators; throughout the battle, more than sixty Golden Core Cultivators had appeared in total.

The number far exceeded that of Duan Kong Cave and Heshui Prefecture, giving the players quite a shock.

Although most of the Golden Core Cultivators were elderly and decrepit, seemingly keeping themselves alive through special methods and only able to fight at critical moments, their actual effectiveness was minimal.

Even so, it still made Li Changfeng panic for a moment, thinking this was the foundation of the Qingling Sect.

If those attacking the Qingling Sect were not players with an absurd number of Golden Core Cultivators who could also undergo Rebirth after death, but rather other forces of the same level...

…they would likely be met with a direct counterattack and might even be completely wiped out.

A Sect with a Legacy spanning thousands of years was certainly not established solely on empty talk.

"But that is all there is to it."

Li Changfeng shook his head, unable to fathom what other methods the Qingling Sect could possibly have.

...

Disciple-Grandson Xiao Jingbo burst into the shelter.

Although it was called a shelter, it was actually a massive underground space equipped with Formations for protection and concealment, preventing Cultivators outside from directly knowing what was happening inside and capable of blocking some Rank 5 attacks.

The Disciples were terrified and at a loss. Upon seeing that Disciple-Grandson Xiao Jingbo had only half his body left, some even broke into tears, feeling as if the sky had collapsed.

Disciple-Grandson Xiao Jingbo ignored them and continued deeper, following a secret passage downwards. After traversing an unknown distance, he finally arrived at a secret chamber.

The secret chamber was about a dozen meters wide and piled with pieces of jade, some the size of a palm, others the height of a person.

The jade was pristine and transparent, revealing the items inside, mostly Spiritual Plants and spirit ore.

If Cultivators from Duan Kong Cave or Heshui Prefecture were to see this, they would likely be dumbstruck.

Because what was preserved inside these jade stones were treasures that had been extinct in the Eastern Region for thousands of years; it was unimaginable that the Qingling Sect still possessed them.

What was most terrifying was that while spirit ore could be explained, the fact that the Qingling Sect could preserve Spiritual Plants intact for thousands of years was simply inconceivable, not something a Rank 5 force should be capable of.

"..."

Disciple-Grandson Xiao Jingbo stood before the pile of jade, silent for a long time, seemingly filled with emotion and sorrow.

"Relying on the Legacy of our predecessors in such a desolate area as the Eastern Region East, we were still able to force our way into becoming a Rank 4 force. I had originally thought it would be the Qingling Sect's time to shine..."

Disciple-Grandson Xiao Jingbo let out a long sigh, unable to understand where the problem had gone wrong.

"It is said that my Qingling Sect has a Legacy of thousands of years, but exactly how many years it has truly been, no one knows... Perhaps ten thousand years? Tens of thousands of years?

"Although it might be wishful thinking, with so much of the Legacy left to us, how much did our predecessors use? How many ancient treasures were consumed?

"Yet why did they not lead the Qingling Sect to ascend and become the masters of the Eastern Region!

"Why did they wait until these Extraterrestrial Demons descended, forcing us into a dead end?!"

Disciple-Grandson Xiao Jingbo whispered, his tone sorrowful, as if blaming his predecessors while simultaneously lamenting their current fate.

A moment later, he collected his emotions and walked toward the depths of the secret chamber.

There stood a jade stone the height of a person, pure and flawless, sealing inside...

...a person.

The person was dressed in blue and white Daoist robes with cloud patterns on the cuffs and wore upturned boots, looking quite dashing and noble.

But even with his eyes closed, the person's old age was clearly visible; the wrinkles on his face could not be hidden, and the skin on his body was almost clinging to his bones.

Although no smell emanated from him, Disciple-Grandson Xiao Jingbo still felt he could smell the decay of a dying man. It was a psychological effect, as he had seen many such dying people.

"Old Ancestor!"

Disciple-Grandson Xiao Jingbo shed tears: "Your unworthy Disciple-Grandson, Xiao Jingbo, implores you to break out of the jade and save the Qingling Sect from this dire peril!"

After speaking, he sobbed a few more times. After a moment of hesitation, he finally formed a hand seal and cast a spell. With a loud roar, he shattered the jade.

Accompanied by the cracking sound of the jade falling away, the spiritual energy in the area fell into turbulence.

The old man inside the jade twitched his fingers, and then, his entire body slowly began to show signs of color.

Finally, his brows twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes, a low sound emanating from his throat.

As if a lifetime had passed, the old man remained dazed amidst the jade debris for a moment.

Immediately, he looked at Disciple-Grandson Xiao Jingbo, who was kneeling on the ground.

His brows furrowed slightly.

He waited a moment longer, then released his Spiritual Sense to perceive the surrounding environment.

After a deathly silence, the old man finally let out a sigh, so desolate that it did not seem to belong to this era.

Disciple-Grandson Xiao Jingbo buried his head deeper, not daring to look up at him.

This was an Old Ancestor passed down from an unknown time.

According to the Qingling Sect's records, he was supposed to have ascended along with the entire Sect, reaching that fairyland from the Prison Land, and finding a method to extend his life.

Only then would the Old Ancestor be able to break the seal and create another glorious era for the Qingling Sect.

But now, facing a life-and-death crisis, he had to break the seal prematurely.

"Forget it, forget it..."

The old man sighed twice and said nothing more.

He simply walked on his upturned boots, swinging his large blue and white cloud-patterned sleeves, and slowly walked out of the secret chamber.

He coughed as he walked, and gradually his body became hunched, showing not a shred of Aura.

Soon, the Qingling Sect Disciples in the shelter noticed the old man, all casting bewildered gazes, not knowing who he was or what he intended to do.

The old man scanned the area, then, as if unsure, scanned it again, looking at everything carefully.

In the end, he sighed.

"Far inferior..."

He passed through the shelter and walked outward step by step, finally seeing the light, and also seeing the players.

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on a few Golden Core Players.

"To have a Divine Soul this pure, truly astonishing..."

After sighing, the old man stepped into the air, one step at a time.

He walked very slowly, as if treading on invisible stairs, step by step upwards, until he was noticed by the players.

A player cast a scorching flame technique at him, but it vanished without a trace the moment it got close.

Soon more players noticed him and used various methods, but all were ineffective.

Finally, the players realized something was wrong and hurriedly swarmed him.

About twenty-plus Golden Core Players gathered together and attacked from all directions.

Then, no one saw what happened.

More than twenty Golden Core Cultivators simultaneously fell apart, lost their breath, and died on the spot.

"What?"

Li Changfeng also noticed the strange situation here and hurriedly rushed over.

The old man stood in the air, looking very weak, still radiating the Aura of a dying man, as if he might fall at any moment.

But Li Changfeng and the others were on high alert, completely clueless as to what was going on.

It was simply baffling; how could the Qingling Sect have such a powerful expert?

The Bird Demon of the Demon Race Outside the Wall possessed the Yao Race's Legacy and knew more than the players, but it was also completely confused, not knowing what was happening.

It had thought the Qingling Sect's foundation would be some kind of Grand Array, some kind of Magic Treasure, or perhaps a Puppet.

But it never imagined it would actually be a living person.

With such a powerful expert present, why had the Qingling Sect been so timid before?