Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi

Chapter 397: Chapter 397: The Small Sparrow Departs

Cyan Yuan Sect.

Yang Chan looked at Sect Leader Liu Xuan and the others. The number of people heading to the Merak Sacred Land this time was quite substantial, totaling over a thousand.

Their ranks ranged from Official Disciples to Supreme Elders, a comprehensive assortment of personnel.

There were reinforcements from every hall, including Pharmacists and Artifact Refiners. They were even bringing along Pharmacist’s Assistants and Artifact Refining Apprentices, making the contingent remarkably self-sufficient.

Even after arriving at the Merak Sacred Land, they wouldn’t need to recruit anyone. Any shortfalls could be filled by promoting Official Disciples.

In establishing a new peak in the Merak Sacred Land, they were, as the saying goes, small but perfectly formed.

It seemed like they were starting from scratch, but they actually had everything they needed. If they lacked anything, it was simply time to adapt to their new environment.

To say that the departure of so many people wouldn’t affect the Cyan Yuan Sect would be a lie. However, the personnel were still part of the Sect, and replacements had been arranged. When selecting the members to go to the Merak Sacred Land, the leadership had already weighed these trade-offs.

While prioritizing the development of their branch in the Merak Sacred Land, they couldn’t risk harming the foundation of the Cyan Yuan Sect.

Even if things didn’t go smoothly in the Merak Sacred Land, they needed the Cyan Yuan Sect to remain as a reserve force. This was their crucial foundation, and it absolutely could not be compromised.

During his negotiations with the Merak Saintess, Liu Xuan had agreed that the Cyan Yuan Sect would become an affiliated force of the Merak Sacred Land. Aside from some necessary tributes, the Merak Sacred Land would not interfere in the Cyan Yuan Sect’s internal affairs.

If opportunities like a Secret Realm or Taiyin Heaven appeared within the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, the Cyan Yuan Sect was required to report it to the Merak Sacred Land immediately and offer its full support.

In short, the agreement was: no interference during normal times, but full support from the Cyan Yuan Sect if an opportunity of interest to the Merak Sacred Land arose.

The whole arrangement was not complicated.

For Liu Xuan and the others, these terms were acceptable.

With the protection of the Merak Sacred Land, the Cyan Yuan Sect naturally felt more secure. As long as the Merak Sacred Land remained stable, the Cyan Yuan Sect, backed by such a powerful force, could endure indefinitely.

Of course, there was one other condition: the Imperial Family had to refrain from targeting the Cyan Yuan Sect. However, this was no longer a concern, as the Merak Saintess had already met with the Great Zhou Imperial Family personally and reached an agreement.

The outcome of that meeting had been delivered to Liu Xuan and the others, so they had no need to worry.

The Imperial Family had a National Guardian Martial Saint in its ranks, so even a Holy Land had to show them some respect. This was also the case with the Supreme Sect and the Celestial Fragrance Sect previously.

The two sides had reached a certain accord, which ultimately benefited them both.

As for the details, Liu Xuan and the others were in the dark, because the Merak Saintess had not disclosed them.

Yang Chan had learned some of this from Gu An. After confirming that Yang Chan was staying, Gu An naturally valued him even more, subtly grooming him to become the Cyan Yuan Sect’s number one Pharmacist—in other words, to take over Elder Hua’s position.

Unlike others who had no choice but to remain, Yang Chan was someone who could have left but chose to stay. The goodwill this generated was naturally on a completely different level.

Lately, when Yang Chan exchanged his Contribution Points for Spirit Medicines to use in alchemy, the change in his privileges was clear. For the same number of Contribution Points, he could now redeem more Spirit Medicines.

This was a very tangible benefit. Previously, such privileges were reserved for Advanced Pharmacists, but they had now been granted to him ahead of time.

Gu An’s appointment as acting Sect Leader had also been announced a few days prior. Aside from the Official Disciples, who were quite surprised, most of the Elite Disciples and Direct Disciples had already heard whispers and weren’t too shocked.

And no one was foolish enough to object to the arrangement.

This was the result of a joint decision by the Sect’s upper echelon. The Hall Masters of the major halls had nearly all left for the Merak Sacred Land. New Hall Masters were chosen from the remaining Elders who had little potential for advancement, and these individuals were generally much weaker than Gu An in terms of cultivation, so there was no point in them competing for the position.

Furthermore, these people knew that Gu An would only be the acting Sect Leader. Once things stabilized at the Merak Sacred Land, he was bound to go there as well.

Especially since Gu An had now broken through to the Inner Refining of the Five Viscera level, he wouldn’t remain in the Cyan Yuan Sect for long.

Therefore, even those who harbored ambitions of becoming the New Sect Leader of the Cyan Yuan Sect were willing to wait. When Gu An and the others eventually left, the position would be vacant once more.

Besides, when Sect Leader Liu Xuan had previously left the mountain, he had generally entrusted major Sect affairs to Gu An, with several other Hall Masters assisting. Gu An was, therefore, quite experienced.

After Sect Leader Liu Xuan took so many people with him, the Sect naturally needed an experienced person like him to lead them through this transitional period. Once things stabilized and returned to normal, they could discuss other matters.

Otherwise, trying to vie for power and profit at a time like this would be pointless.

Of course, the more significant reason was that those who did want to compete for power had their sights set on the Merak Sacred Land, aspiring to a more promising future.

"Rest assured, everyone. Once we are established in the Merak Sacred Land, we will surely provide opportunities for you to join us."

"The Cyan Yuan Sect is our root. We will not forget all of you, and we will send back any benefits we find!"

Sect Leader Liu Xuan gazed at the Cyan Yuan Sect, the place where he had grown up, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

In his youth, he had made it his personal mission to strengthen the Cyan Yuan Sect. After his cultivation broke through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm, he had essentially achieved this goal.

The appearance of Taiyin Heaven had shown him a chance to climb even higher, to potentially even supplant the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty. He had suppressed this thought deep in his heart, but he never expected that upon entering Taiyin Heaven, that dream would be shattered.

Opportunity was right before him, yet he was powerless to seize it. It was like entering a mountain of treasures only to return empty-handed. This left him feeling utterly unwilling to accept it, but there was nothing he could do.

But unexpectedly, this turned out to be a new beginning. The Saintess of the Merak Sacred Land came to them, allowing the Cyan Yuan Sect to return to the fold and become one of its affiliated forces.

’If I had obtained the opportunity to break through to the National Guardian Martial Saint realm in Taiyin Heaven, I would have refused, of course. But in this situation, it gives me new hope.’

The Cyan Yuan Sect’s Bone Marrow Cleansing Technique was incomplete. Acquiring a new one, let alone a technique to break through to the National Guardian Martial Saint realm, was extremely difficult.

Among the major powers within the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, few possessed a complete Bone Marrow Cleansing Technique. Publicly, only the Great Zhou Imperial Family was known to have a path to the National Guardian Martial Saint Realm. As for any others, it was unknown.

Some forces were hidden so deeply that it was impossible to tell what trump cards they held. Perhaps they would only reveal themselves upon the emergence of a new National Guardian Martial Saint.

’If I had managed to obtain the opportunity in Taiyin Heaven, I would have kept a low profile. I’d wait until my Martial Arts Cultivation broke through to the National Guardian Martial Saint Realm, and only then establish a new major power.’ Liu Xuan thought to himself.

’Either I would have supplanted the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, or I would have established a new Holy Land.’

A single National Guardian Martial Saint was enough to protect a rising power. If that power could continuously produce National Guardian Martial Saints, it would become a new Holy Land.

This was the goal of many powerful sects, but it was incredibly difficult, and few forces ever succeeded.