Chapter 204: Conflict Between Factions
A hint of befuddlement flashed through Han Li's eyes at the sight of this mission.
The mission description didn't state any other requirements. Could it really be that all that was required to earn those 5,000 merit points was to cultivate the Mantra Axis Scripture to the second level?
This mission may have appeared to have been extremely difficult for other people in the Blaze Dragon Dao, but given how smooth his progression in the cultivation art had been thus far, reaching the second level certainly didn't seem out of reach.
The 5,000 merit points was very alluring, but if he were to claim this reward, countless troubles would most likely follow. At the very least, he most likely wouldn't have been able to continue to keep a low profile while cultivating in the Blaze Dragon Dao.
Furthermore, he had already successfully opened up two immortal acupoints and attained four Time Dao Runes during the past few years, and this was extraordinary progress that he didn't want anyone to know about.
With that in mind, Han Li immediately dismissed any thought of taking on this mission and shifted his gaze away.
After briefly reading through the remaining red missions, he returned his attention to the white mission and began to quickly read through them as well.
There were many missions outlined in white on the wall, but Qi Liang had already told him what to look for, so it didn't take long for him to track down the missions released by Deputy Dao Lord Xiong, and sure enough, the reward was 500 merit points.
"What do you think?" Qi Liang asked as he approached Han Li with a smile.
"The mission is exactly as you described, Elder Li," Han Li replied in an ambiguous manner.
"In that case, we need to make haste. I heard from the others that quite a few elders have already taken on this mission. If we wait any longer, there could be no spots left for us," Qi Liang said in a slightly urgent voice.
He flipped a hand over to produce his elder badge as he spoke, then pointed it at the golden stone wall, and a streak of light immediately flew out of the mission in question before entering his elder badge.
Han Li did the same thing, and another streak of light flew out to enter his elder badge as well, upon which a strange design appeared on the surface of the elder badge.
After accepting the mission, the two of them promptly departed from the High Profound Palace without any delay.
Having already been in the Blaze Dragon Dao for countless years, Qi Liang was naturally far more familiar with the layout of the sect than Han Li, and he was leading the way throughout this entire process.
First, the two of them departed using a teleportation array in the teleportation hall, then flew for close to half a day before arriving near a huge mountain.
The world's origin qi here was far more abundant than that of Han Li's Crimson Dawn Peak.
The mountain stretched all the way up into the clouds and was entirely golden in color, seemingly formed by some type of ore. Furthermore, the mountain was remarkably straight and even down the sides, resembling a giant golden sword that was piercing up into the heavens when viewed from a distance.
Concealed within the clouds and mist on the mountain summit were a series of undulating palaces that were basked in an indistinct golden glow, lending them an air of mystery.
There was also a slightly smaller mountain near this one, and some palaces were situated on the summit of this shorter mountain as well. Both mountain summits had restrictions placed upon them, so there was no snow gathered on either of them.
The two mountains were connected by a long golden bridge that resembled a glowing band of golden light hovering in mid-air, presenting a majestic sight to behold.
"This is the Heavenly Sword Peak, home to Deputy Dao Lord Xiong's cave abode," Qi Liang introduced as he pointed at the giant mountain from afar.
"It's certainly a breathtaking place," Han Li praised.
"Indeed. Deputy Dao Lord Xiong is a man of many rules, and the main peak is a restricted area that outsiders are not permitted to set foot on. All visitors must first go to the secondary peak, where they're then teleported to the main peak to meet Deputy Dao Lord Xiong," Qi Liang said in a low voice.
Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this, but then quickly nodded in response.
Moments later, the two of them descended onto a flat area on the summit of the shorter of the two mountains.
The area on the summit of the secondary peak wasn't very large, with only a few side halls and pavilions constructed on it. However, they were arranged in an extremely intricate fashion and didn't appear shabby in the slightest.
Han Li's duo was quickly greeted by a white-robed young man who appeared to have been a servant of Xiong Shan's, and he said in a respectful voice, "Welcome, elders. Have you taken on the mission from the High Profound Palace?"
"Precisely. Would you be able to inform Deputy Dao Lord Xiong of our arrival?" Qi Liang asked.
"He's currently on the main peak right now, please come with me," the white-robed young man said, then led the way toward the main peak.
Qi Liang and Han Li exchanged a glance before following along.
The white-robed young man led them onto the golden bridge before stepping onto it, and Qi Liang asked, "Is it alright for you to take us straight to Deputy Dao Lord Xiong without consulting him first?"
"Master Xiong has instructed me to take all elders who have taken on his mission straight to the main peak without delay," the white-robed young man replied in a respectful voice, and Qi Liang nodded in response.
"How many elders have already accepted the mission?" Han Li asked.
"27," the white-robed young man replied.
Qi Liang's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. There were only 10 spots available.
"It's alright. The fact that he's taking us there indicates that Deputy Dao Lord Xiong still hasn't decided who he's going to recruit yet. I presume we'll need to undergo some type of examination, and it won't be a case of first come first served," Han Li communicated to Qi Liang through voice transmission.
"Indeed. Thank you for the reminder, Brother Li," Qi Liang replied as a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.
He had reached a critical point in his cultivation and desperately needed the 500 merit points, so in his urgency, he had somewhat lost his sense of reason.
Beneath the golden bridge was vast abyss that was filled with cloud and mist, a sight that would've been sure to give a mortal intense vertigo.
This was naturally not a problem for Han Li's trio, and they quickly crossed the golden bridge before arriving on the main peak.
The area on the summit of the main peak was over 10 times the size of that of the Crimson Dawn Peak, and it was littered with exquisite palaces and spires, as well as countless pavilions, gardens, and bodies of flowing water.
All of the buildings and even the ground had been constructed from precious materials, the most commonly used of which was the golden material that the mountain was entirely comprised of.
The palaces and buildings were all giving off bright radiance that further contributed to a sense of opulence, and under the guidance of the white-robed young man, Han Li and Qi Liang made their way down a wide white jade path for around 15 minutes before arriving in front of a golden palace.
This was a guest hall where the other 27 elders were already assembled, and they were split up into two circles that were seated to the left and to the right of the hall, with each side displaying some slight animosity toward the other.
The dozen or so people on the left were quite relaxed, and they were chatting amicably with one another with a hint of superiority on their faces, while the group on the right remained silent for the most part.
Most of the people in the hall immediately turned to Han Li and Qi Liang upon their arrival, but due to the fact that Han Li had only recently joined the sect, everyone looked away after taking only a brief glance at him.
Among the group on the right, a man with a coarse beard stood up and approached Han Li's duo as he said, "I knew you definitely wouldn't pass up a mission like this, Brother Qi. Why have you only just gotten here?"
"I'm not as well-informed as you are, Brother Nan. I came here as soon as I heard about this mission, but you still managed to beat me here," Qi Liang replied with a smile.
"I just have an impatient personality. There's no benefit to arriving early, all I've done is sit around and twiddle my thumbs," the bearded man chuckled, then turned his gaze to Han Li.
"Who's this?"
"This is Brother Li, an inner sect elder who only joined our sect a few years ago, and he currently resides on the Crimson Dawn Peak," Qi Liang introduced.
"I've heard much about you, Brother Nan," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a salute.
"Come take a seat, Brother Li," the bearded man said as he dragged Han Li and Qi Liang to the circle on the right.
As soon as Qi Liang sat down, quite a few people immediately approached to greet him.
Han Li recognized one or two of the other elders present, but he wasn't very familiar with them at all, and they only exchanged a few nods and some small talk.
All of a sudden, the atmosphere on the right side of the hall had livened up a little, and those on the left side of the hall were rather displeased to hear the chatter ringing out from the other side. In fact, someone even cleared their throat to express their displeasure.
Han Li didn't recognize the people on the left side of the hall, but he had a rough idea of who they were.
Most of these people were former inner sect disciples who had managed to reach the True Immortal Stage through countless millennia of cultivation, and many of them were direct lineal descendants of certain major clans in the Blaze Dragon Dao, thereby granting them the status of inner sect disciple from birth.
These were people who had grown up in the Blaze Dragon Dao their entire lives, and they had always looked down on outsiders like Han Li, most of whom were formerly itinerant cultivators.
In addition to their status granting them a sense of superiority, they were also opposed to the existence of these outsiders who had joined the sect as they had to compete with these outsiders for cultivation resources.
Even though Han Li had only been in the Blaze Dragon Dao for several years, he had already developed a clear sense of the conflict and animosity between these two factions.
The higher-ups of the Blaze Dragon Dao were naturally aware of the situation, but they hadn't displayed any intention of mitigating this conflict. Instead, they were encouraging this type of competition as it was conducive for overall improvement.
This was one of the important reasons why the Blaze Dragon Dao had been able to churn out so many powerful cultivators of late.
Han Li cast his gaze toward the left side of the hall, and his attention was quickly drawn to a man who appeared to have been in his thirties.
He was wearing a golden crown and stood with his back ramrod straight, with a pair of wide shoulders that gave him an imposing appearance. His eyes were long and thin, and there was a sharp gleam flashing within them, much like the gleam of a sword.
Even though he was just sitting there, he clearly stood out from the crowd, and it felt as if everyone else were merely stars that paled into insignificance compared with the moon that he was.
Qi Liang noticed the direction of Han Li's gaze, and he introduced in a low voice, "That man's name is Zhu Feng. He managed to open his 12 immortal acupoints to reach the mid-True Immortal Stage as early as 10,000 years ago, and he cultivates a sword dao scripture.
“He resides on the Langya Peak, so he's known as the Langya Sword Immortal, and he's quite renowned among inner sect elders. Given his proficiency in the art of the sword, he's almost certainly guaranteed one of the 10 available spots for the mission."
Han Li nodded in response.
Zhu Feng appeared to have been quite an arrogant man, only speaking when spoken to by those around him, and he didn't even spare a single glance toward Han Li and the others.
Han Li observed Zhu Feng for a moment long before withdrawing his gaze as he closed his eyes to meditate.
Close to a day quickly passed by, and during this time, seven or eight more elders arrived one after another.
As a result, the number of people in the hall swelled to over 40, and almost all of the seats had been taken.
This was the equivalent of nothing more than the blink of an eye for True Immortal cultivators, and they were waiting for someone of a very lofty status, so no one displayed any impatience.
However, at this point, the hall was far more quiet than before, and most people had ceased their conversations, choosing to meditate with their eyes closed instead.
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