Chapter 9 Mortals and the Sacred Land

In the northwest region, nestled among the mountains, there stood a grand city.

Unlike the small city of Taicang, this magnificent city could accommodate millions of people. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, with winding paths that made it rather difficult to access, there were four teleportation arrays within the city.

This city was named [Lingxu City].

The Lingxu Sacred Land was located among the distant mountains. Hence, despite its remoteness and the tortuous roads leading to it, many people still flocked there eagerly.

Aiden Li walked out of the teleportation array and at first glance, he saw the symbols of the Lingxu Sacred Land everywhere.

One could clearly perceive the Lingxu Sacred Land's control over this city!

Lingxu City was bustling with excitement, especially now as the succession of the sect leader of the Lingxu Sacred Land was taking place, and forces from all directions had been invited to witness the event.

Lingxu City served as a resting place before reaching the Lingxu Sacred Land.

Standing on the street, Aiden Li saw numerous cheerful outer disciples of the Lingxu Sacred Land. This vast sacred land was divided into the inner sect and the outer sect. The inner sect was further categorized into ordinary disciples and true disciples, with a distinct hierarchy. Without talent and resources, one could hardly cross these boundaries.

Fortunately, Aiden Li didn't have to go through such ordeals. He watched with great interest, thinking that all these people would be his servants in the future.

With this thought in mind, Aiden Li strode towards the Lingxu Sacred Land with great enthusiasm.

It was simply outrageous that they attempted to refine the Heavenly Emperor's Brush, which belonged to him!

They must be taught a profound lesson!

Aiden Li marched forward without lingering in Lingxu City and headed towards the endless mountains outside the city.

Beneath one mountain after another, there used to be an ancient battlefield. Over the past hundred thousand years, the ancestors of the Lingxu Sacred Land had used their immense magical powers to move mountains and fill seas, relocating a hundred thousand mountains to form the Lingxu Sacred Land.

That was why Aiden Li now beheld the endless mountains stretching as far as the eye could see.

Along the way, the Lingxu Sacred Land was filled with a jubilant atmosphere. Some outer disciples were excitedly discussing whether the new sect leader would succeed in refining the Heavenly Emperor's Brush.

After all, it was an immortal weapon!

In the entire "Great Departure Land", immortal weapons were rather scarce. After all, among the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, the "Great Departure Land" was the weakest.

The Lingxu Sacred Land could maintain its position among the sacred lands even after experiencing a rebellion, and the deterrent power of the Heavenly Emperor's Brush was indispensable.

With an immortal weapon suppressing the fortune of the sacred land, who would dare to provoke it casually?

...

The succession ceremony of the Lingxu Sacred Land would be held in a quarter of an hour. By now, all the guests had arrived, and the square was packed with people. Everyone had come to watch the new sect leader refine the Heavenly Emperor's Brush!

For ten thousand years, everyone had known that the Lingxu Sacred Land possessed such an immortal weapon, yet no one had ever seen it.

Nor had the Lingxu Sacred Land taken it out for use during this period. Therefore, the new sect leader's attempt to refine the Heavenly Emperor's Brush this time was also a display of power to the outside world.

"Feng Luo, are you confident?" The current sect leader of the Lingxu Sacred Land asked in a solemn voice.

The newly appointed sect leader was named Feng Luo. He wasn't old, merely five hundred years of age, yet he had already attained a remarkably high level of cultivation. With the support of all the elders, he was hailed as the sect leader with the highest hope of ascending to immortality.

"Sect Leader Luo Shui, don't worry. No matter how powerful the Heavenly Emperor's Brush is, it belongs to our Lingxu Sacred Land. Since I'm about to become the new sect leader, I naturally can refine it." Feng Luo said with absolute confidence, his heart swelling with pride.

Five hundred years was not considered old for a cultivator. He had already achieved a cultivation level that surpassed most in the world. Now, he was about to inherit the position of the sect leader of a grand sacred land and would soon possess an immortal weapon as his weapon. With such a smooth life, Feng Luo naturally had lofty aspirations.

Luo Shui looked at Feng Luo, a flicker of worry crossing his brows.

He couldn't tell the other party that the Heavenly Emperor's Brush didn't belong to them.

When he obtained the Heavenly Emperor's Brush back then, he had paid a hefty price. Moreover, the deadline had long passed, and the weapon spirit of the Heavenly Emperor's Brush completely ignored him.

"It's been ten thousand years. The Heaven and Earth Bank seems to have vanished from this world without a trace. So I don't think there will be a big problem if I don't fulfill the contract." Sect Leader Luo Shui harbored a 侥幸心理 in his heart.

He didn't want to return the Heavenly Emperor's Brush.

The Lingxu Sacred Land was currently in a rather weak state!

During the rebellion ten thousand years ago, more than half of the elders of the Lingxu Sacred Land had participated. Although he later used the Heavenly Emperor's Brush to suppress that rebellion, the strength of the Lingxu Sacred Land had been drastically reduced by more than half at once.

Ten thousand years had passed, yet it hadn't recovered.

Up to now, the strength of the Lingxu Sacred Land was only about seventy percent of its peak period.

In the "Great Departure Land", if it had only such strength, the title of the sacred land of Lingxu should have been lost long ago.

The reason why the Lingxu Sacred Land still claimed to be a sacred land until now was entirely due to the existence of an immortal weapon.

The Heavenly Emperor's Brush!

Once the Heavenly Emperor's Brush was taken back by the Heaven and Earth Bank, the blow to the Lingxu Sacred Land would be devastating!

Therefore, Sect Leader Luo Shui had a 侥幸心理 and violated the contract by keeping the Heavenly Emperor's Brush in the Lingxu Sacred Land!

Even though the Heavenly Emperor's Brush now completely ignored everyone, just having it placed in the Lingxu Sacred Land was still a significant deterrent.

"The Heavenly Emperor's Brush is not that easy to activate." Luo Shui tactfully reminded Feng Luo.

Feng Luo, however, didn't care at all and said with full confidence, "Sect Leader, although my strength hasn't reached your current level, it has also reached the level of the sect leaders in the 'Great Departure Land'. I don't expect to make the Heavenly Emperor's Brush recognize me as its master in one go. As long as I can activate the Heavenly Emperor's Brush a little to intimidate the others, that will be enough."

Feng Luo was quite confident about this.

Luo Shui looked at the confident Feng Luo, at a loss for words.

When the contract was signed back then, there was a confidentiality agreement.

The Heaven and Earth Bank didn't allow it to be disclosed to anyone.

Of course, since Luo Shui had already violated the contract by keeping the Heavenly Emperor's Brush in the Lingxu Sacred Land for ten thousand years, he didn't care about this clause anymore.

However, for some inexplicable reason, whenever he thought of mentioning the Heaven and Earth Bank, he would feel a sense of unease in his heart.

It seemed that in the next second, as long as he dared to say it out, extremely terrifying heavenly punishments would descend and destroy both him and the Lingxu Sacred Land.

"Go and get ready." Luo Shui waved his hand, his mind heavy with concerns. But he couldn't reveal it and could only pray that this Lingxu Dharma Assembly would be a complete success.

"Then I'll go out. The Dharma Assembly has already started. Sect Leader, you can come out later." Feng Luo turned and left.

...

At the foot of the Lingxu Sacred Land, a figure approached.

It was a young man!

A young man with an extraordinary demeanor!

A young man without any cultivation base!

The main vein of the Lingxu Sacred Land was like a giant mountain range shaped like a black dragon, soaring straight into the sky, looking majestic and lofty.

And Aiden Li was a mortal, a mere mortal without any cultivation base.

A grand sacred land stood in front, while a mortal was behind.

The mortal's gaze seemed to penetrate the firmament, as if seeing through the endless clouds and mists to the supreme immortal weapon on the main hall above.

The Heavenly Emperor's Brush!

"Is this the sacred land?" Aiden Li said softly with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Nothing remarkable!" Aiden Li lowered his eyelids and focused on sensing the Heavenly Emperor's Brush.

At this very moment, on the most important main hall of the Lingxu Sacred Land, countless pairs of eyes were fixed on Feng Luo.

Feng Luo was attempting to refine the Heavenly Emperor's Brush. Surging streams of true qi, like flowing ribbons, poured into the Heavenly Emperor's Brush, yet it was all like a clay ox entering the sea, with no response at all.

Feng Luo's heart gradually cooled and sank. He realized that the Heavenly Emperor's Brush seemed extremely difficult to refine. Even when he poured all his true qi and magical power into it, there was still no reaction.

Boom!!!

But in the next second, the Heavenly Emperor's Brush stirred. It radiated a magnificent and dazzling light that illuminated half of the sky. The golden light was resplendent, and an invincible divine being emerged from it. Its face was indistinguishable, but the divine being held the Heavenly Emperor's Brush in its hand. Without making any move, the surging pressure it emitted had already overwhelmed the entire venue.

At the Lingxu Dharma Assembly, everyone stared in astonishment. They hadn't expected that Feng Luo, the new sect leader of the Lingxu Sacred Land, could actually activate the Heavenly Emperor's Brush.

And Feng Luo himself was also dumbfounded. His true qi and magical power had disappeared without a trace when poured into the Heavenly Emperor's Brush. How could he have activated it?

He himself was completely at a loss as to what had happened!