Chapter Thirteen: The Difficult Pass of the Sect

  Ding Hao and Chen Ling arrived at the Wuji Temple, only to find that there were already twenty or so people inside. Seeing Ma Feng among them, Chen Ling took Ding Hao to pay their respects.

  Ma Feng sat in the chair with his eyes slightly closed, as if he was meditating. He only looked at Chen Ling carefully after hearing her greeting, "Not bad, it's been just a few years and you've already reached the middle stage of Yuan Ying. It seems that these years have indeed been spent on diligent cultivation, and it wasn't in vain for me to have taught you."

  "Disciple thanks Master for his kindness, if not for Master's crystal stone method, how could Chen Ling progress so quickly? Disciple will never forget Master's nurturing grace." Chen Ling spoke to Ma Feng with utmost respect.

  "Alright, Master knows you're filial and excellent. The thing you presented to Master last time was extremely precious! From now on, be more discreet, or others will think I'm a nobody!" His cold gaze swept around in all directions.

  Ding Hao originally stood behind Chen Ling, and now he also came forward to pay his respects to Ma Feng. Ma Feng had not noticed Ding Hao before, but now he looked at Ding Hao's eyes which were sharp as a blade.

  Looking at Ding Hao as if he were a rare treasure, she called out three good words and said.

  "I didn't expect you to reach such a level in just a few years, although your innate talent is not bad, but I never thought you could progress so quickly. Among the three generations of disciples, no one can be your opponent now. I also heard about what happened between you and Zhang Li last time, well done! From now on, if Zhang Li dares to bother you again, don't be afraid of him, I'll take care of it for you! I just don't believe that Zhang Heng can do anything to you!" He then turned his head to praise Chen Ling's profound vision and excellent teaching methods. Ding Hao and Chen Ling both felt guilty and repeatedly said they didn't dare.

  Ma Feng's voice was extremely loud, as if he was afraid that others wouldn't know otherwise. Originally, everyone hadn't paid attention, but with his shout, they all focused their attention on Ding Hao and his disciples.

  Ding Hao and his two disciples, although being stared at by the crowd, were not uncomfortable at all. They continued to bow to Ma Feng without stopping. Ma Feng felt a great sense of satisfaction, thinking that his goal had been achieved, so he let the two stand behind him, waiting for the arrival of their master.

  At this time, the people behind Ma Feng also congratulated the two, Chen Ling took Ding Hao to greet everyone one by one. Several people were all disciples of Ma Feng, and they chatted harmoniously. Yang Lin and Li Chun, who were also second-generation disciples with Chen Ling, kept praising Ding Hao, saying that it was all thanks to Chen Ling's credit. However, Chen Ling said it was the result of Ding Hao's hard work. The two then asked Chen Ling repeatedly, determined to understand why Ding Hao had made such great progress. Chen Ling just said that Ding Hao had good bones and high intelligence, but kept rambling on nonsensically.

  Two people beside him each had two disciples, their cultivation was only in the middle of the Void Refining stage. They were all wearing cyan black Taoist robes and holding a low-grade flying sword, just like the one Ding Hao held. Of course, Ding Hao wouldn't be foolish enough to expose his precious treasures, the Inverse Heaven Devil Sword and the Storage Ring, in front of others. The two people coldly stared at Ding Hao, as if blaming him for stealing their thunder!

  Ding Hao didn't mind the two gazes, the mid-term cultivation of Beigu was like an ant in his eyes, and even swallowing its effects wasn't very great. At this time, a group of people walking outside the door caught Ding Hao's attention, mainly because Zhang Li and three others were among them, looking like they should be in the same group as Zhang Heng, the elder.

  The one walking in the front must be Zhang Heng. Just by looking at his overall demeanor, it's clear that this person has a short nose and a slightly upturned nose, and the proportion of his eyes on his large face is also somewhat out of balance. The distance between his eyebrows is too wide, and his prominent cheekbones and temples make his entire face look like a spindle. This person's ugliness is truly eye-catching, and among them, including Zhang Heng, there are over a dozen people or so. Compared to Ma Feng's side, their strength has indeed increased significantly.

  Zhang Li nodded slightly towards Ding Hao after seeing him, and Ding Hao was taken aback, hastily returning the greeting. This person had also reached the late stage of Opening Brightness.

  Afterwards, all the people of Wuji Demon Sect had arrived, and Ding Hao also had a general understanding of the various strengths of Wuji Demon Sect.

  The strongest is naturally the Sect Master Li Nan Tian. Li Nan Tian has five disciples, all of whom are in the late stages of Yuan Ying. Adding his own cultivation to that, he is not weak at all within the Wuji Demon Sect. Next is the Great Elder Zhang Heng, with six disciples, but only three have reached the late stages of Yuan Ying, while the other three are in the middle stages. The two Elders Li Zheng Fei and Wang Quan De have similar strengths, each having two disciples in the late stages of Yuan Ying. As for Ma Feng, he is the weakest, with Yang Lin being in the late stages of Yuan Ying, while Li Chun and Chen Ling are only in the middle stages.

  But among the third-generation disciples, except for Zhang Li, only Ding Hao reached the late stage of Kai Guang. It's no wonder that Ma Feng just shouted so loudly, and it also gave Ma Feng a lot of face!

  Ding Hao found that Hu Shuo was standing alone on Li Zhengfei's side, possibly because his master had died and he himself was weak, so even his own people didn't pay much attention to him. No wonder the task of guarding the library was assigned to him!

  Master Li Nan Tian is exceptionally handsome, looking to be only in his early forties, standing out among the many ugly men, showing a refined and elegant demeanor, with a hint of an otherworldly aura!

  Seeing that everyone had arrived, Li Nan Tian stood up from his chair and waved his hand to indicate that he had something to say. Everyone quieted down.

  "Today, I've gathered everyone here, and to be honest, it's not by choice. We've reached a critical moment in the survival of our sect, Wuji Demon Sect. The once-in-a-century tribute is approaching, and last time's tribute has depleted our accumulated materials and jade crystals over the years. This time, I'm at a loss as to how to get through it. Everyone knows the current state of our sect's power, if we can't overcome this difficulty, we'll be either expelled from Duanhun Mountain or possibly annihilated. Does anyone have any good methods to help me get through this difficult situation?" Li Nan Tian spoke slowly, and although everyone knew the reality, they still found it hard to accept, and fell silent.

  Everyone was silent, Li Nantian turned to Zhang Heng and asked: "Zhang Changlao has made great contributions to our sect over the years and is highly respected. Does Zhang Changlao have any good ideas?"

  Zhang Heng cursed in his heart, usually didn't see you respect me like this, now that you mention it, curse if you want to curse, since Li Nan Tian has asked, can't help but answer.

  "Ancestor, there's no need to beat around the bush. For a hundred years, our sect's disciples have been bullied and humiliated by others, rarely venturing out of the sect. As for crystal materials, we've had no chance to search for them. Even if everyone were to bring out their best, it's not certain that they would be looked upon favorably. Why not make a clear statement to the Refining Hell Demon Sect and request their mercy, sparing us from this tribute?"

  As soon as Zhang Heng said this, everyone echoed in agreement, as if this were the best solution at present.

  Li Nan Tian's face changed with the words, and after a moment of silence, he sighed and said: "Nan Tian also knows the difficulties of everyone. The cultivation speed of our sect's Wuji Magic is slow compared to other sects, and in recent years, our disciples have suffered heavy casualties. Everyone has nothing to their name, Nan Tian is clear about this in his heart, and every time he thinks about it, he feels guilty towards everyone. But even if our sect swallows its pride and begs for mercy from the Lianyu Demon Sect, they will not let us off easily!"

  As soon as this was said, everyone's face turned even more difficult to look at, possibly really recalling the Hellfire Sect's style, their faces becoming increasingly gloomy!

  "Nan Tian had originally wanted to take everyone away from Duanhun Mountain to find another place, but leaving the protection of Duanhun Mountain would make it even harder for our sect to survive outside. The people of other sects would definitely not show mercy when they see me and my fellow disciples of the Demon Sect. Even if the people of the Demon Sect let us leave Duanhun Mountain, they would still be waiting for us to fall into their trap. Nan Tian was lucky enough to obtain a cultivation method, which he has been practicing until now and has achieved some small success. He had wanted to share it with everyone to study together, believing that if we practiced this method, we could change the slow pace of our sect's cultivation. But heaven is blind, and if we can't pass this test, everything will be meaningless!" The person shook his head, dazed and sighing repeatedly.

  As soon as Li Nan Tian spoke up, the originally quiet grand hall started making a racket again.

  At this time, Elder Li Zhengfei stood up and said to Li Nantian: "I don't know what kind of magical skill the sect master has obtained. Can you tell everyone about it and boost everyone's morale?"

  "To be honest, our sect's Wuji Magic has only the cultivation method of the pre-period of Splitting Spirit, so for many years, our sect has been searching for other techniques. After using much time and effort, we were fortunate to obtain a technique called Qing Xiao Jue, which is very powerful. It was with the help of this technique that our sect leader could reach the initial period of Splitting Spirit. Now, I am willing to share this technique with everyone, hoping that together we can overcome this difficult situation!"

  Li Nan Tian's every word made everyone feel their spirits soaring! It also brought new hope to the people, but thinking of the current difficulties they were facing, their faces fell again.

  At this time, Ma Feng stood facing Li Nan Tian and said: "I recently obtained a few scales of the Eight Winged Purple Python. I was thinking of using them to refine a Heart Protecting Treasure Armor, but since the sect's survival is at stake, Ma Feng is willing to offer it to the Sect Master to help get through this difficult time."

  Li Nan Tian's face showed a hint of joy, and he repeatedly said "good" as the crowd presented him with various items. After a moment, Li Nan Tian looked at the offerings from the crowd and said: "I am deeply grateful for everyone's love for our sect. Although I will distribute these gifts to each of you, they are still not enough. I know this is everyone's limit, so I won't pressure you further. I only hope that in the next two years, you can all go out and find one or two more items. I know it's difficult for everyone, but for the sake of our sect's survival, I hope you can understand! I know everyone is busy, so I won't say more. This meeting will end here, and I hope that in two years, we can gather again with the missing items!" After finishing his speech, Li Nan Tian led his disciples to leave first.

  Ding Hao followed Chen Ling out the door and happened to see Hu Shuo, walking towards him. Just as Chen Ling was about to catch up with Ding Hao, he was intercepted by Ma Feng, who took Chen Ling away to an unknown location!