Chapter 276: Chapter 275: The Spirit Court and White Spirit Mountain
They were all people of the cultivation world; there was no need for pomp and circumstance.
Even though they had gotten into a fight, Li Qingshuang was a disciple of the Spirit Court, not a permanent resident of Daluo Palace. Why would she let something like that get in the way of a rare opportunity for rapid cultivation advancement?
In fact, she was determined to make up for lost time!
Fortunately, both Gu Zhao and Li Qingshuang’s cultivation was already high, so staying up all night was a trivial matter. Besides, the path of cultivation required a balance of exertion and rest; one couldn’t overdo it in a single session.
So, they still rose and went out early, not missing breakfast.
A few local-style breakfast side dishes, paired with soymilk, fried dough sticks, congee, and soup dumplings from another world, created a surprisingly sumptuous and magnificent spread.
The Silk Embroideress and Bai Ke each carried a wooden tray topped with several bamboo steamers. "Here are the shrimp dumplings and char siu buns!"
Gu Zhao nodded. ’Cantonese-style dim sum, too.’
Li Qingshuang took a sip of soymilk, picked up a translucent shrimp dumpling, and couldn’t help but marvel, "Even the director of the Jiangzhou Spirit Court doesn’t eat a breakfast this extravagant."
Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "The Jiangzhou Spirit Court, where is it located now?"
"Jiangyang Prefecture," Li Qingshuang said with a smile. "It’s just across the Wanling River from Changping Prefecture."
Gu Zhao nodded. Jiangzhou was comprised of eight prefectures: three in Jiangbei and five in Jiangnan. However, after a great war thirty years ago, both the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court had retreated to Jiangbei.
"But the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Spirits hasn’t shown himself in thirty years. Haven’t you all talked about returning?" Gu Zhao asked.
Li Qingshuang shook her head. "It was an order from the Celestial Venerables of the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Great Saints of the Spirit Court."
The two Sect Leaders of the Xuanwei Divine Sect are called Celestial Venerables, as they possess the Body of a god. The two headmasters of the Spirit Court are called Great Saints, as they possess the Body of a Spirit Monarch.
These four are the world’s foremost masters. By standing behind the Great Ning Court, they are able to deter powers from all corners of the world—the Western Divine Country, the Northern Wilderness, the Eastern Ten Thousand Islands, and the Southern Mountains—keeping them out of the Central Plains and maintaining peace.
Of course, this also couldn’t have been achieved without the help of other masters from the Central Plains, such as Chaoyang Island and Silent God Mountain in Yongzhou, and the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Spirits in the Wanling River.
It’s just that the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Spirits rebelled thirty years ago.
"Back then, the Supreme Profound Celestial Venerable and the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Spirits had a great battle. Although the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Spirits was outmatched and retreated, the Supreme Profound Celestial Venerable was also injured. He ordered the Xuanwei Divine Sect to withdraw from Jiangnan, and the Spirit Court also recalled all of its public-facing disciples."
Li Qingshuang continued, "For the thirty years since, the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Spirits has remained hidden at the bottom of the Wanling River. Disciples from both the Divine Sect and the Spirit Court have certainly suggested returning to Jiangnan, but they were always overruled by the higher-ups. Only a few scattered Spirit Court disciples occasionally travel through Jiangnan."
Gu Zhao’s eyebrow twitched. "Overruled by the higher-ups?"
Li Qingshuang nodded. "One reason is that Jiangnan still respects the Court as the supreme authority. Another is that they don’t want to fall out with the Jiangnan powers, as that would only benefit the Southern Mountains."
"The Southern Mountains..."
"The Southern Mountains are home to a mix of Demon Ghosts and humans, along with Evil Gods and other malevolent spirits. The mortals there are fierce, with customs vastly different from the Central Plains, making coexistence difficult," Li Qingshuang explained. "What’s more, the Great Demons and Ghosts of the mountains refuse to submit to the Court’s authority, and there were frequent conflicts in the past."
Gu Zhao nodded. ’Their productivity lags, and their governing philosophies clash.’ He then asked, "So now the Jiangnan region has become a buffer zone? Do the major powers like Chaoyang Island and those in Yazhou have ties to the factions in the Southern Mountains?"
"’Buffer zone?’ That’s a very fitting term!" Li Qingshuang nodded, looking at Gu Zhao with a smile in her eyes.
’Though Gu Zhao is young, he’s every bit a Sect Leader. His perspective is sharp and precise, hitting the nail right on the head.’
"And there’s one other factor: the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Spirits," Li Qingshuang said. "After my recent breakthrough in Dao Practice, I learned a few things upon returning. It’s said that the unwillingness of the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court to push south into Jiangnan is also related to the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Spirits. But as for the details, not even the director of the Jiangzhou Spirit Court is aware of them."
"It sounds like there are still many secrets surrounding that battle thirty years ago?" Gu Zhao asked.
"It would seem so," said Li Qingshuang.
Gu Zhao thought for a moment. "Is Jiangyang Prefecture the capital of Jiangzhou? I recall there’s a White Spirit Mountain in Jiangyang Prefecture, and its Mountain Master is a Lark."
Li Qingshuang looked up, giving Gu Zhao an odd look. She said quietly, "I am from White Spirit Mountain. Our Mountain Master’s Dao Practice is profound. She isn’t just the number one master in Jiangyang Prefecture, but also the number one beauty in all of Jiangzhou."
The women seated around the table all turned to look at Gu Zhao.
’Daluo Palace has been a reclusive Sect for centuries and has only recently re-emerged, so they’re unfamiliar with many worldly affairs. Yet Gu Zhao, the Daluo Palace Master, didn’t even know about Chaoyang Island or Silent God Mountain before. How could he possibly know about White Spirit Mountain of all places?’
The women’s gazes toward Gu Zhao also grew odd.
"AHEM!" Gu Zhao couldn’t help but cough dryly, pointing at Bai Ke. "She’s the one who told me!"
"Huh?" Bai Ke looked up, bewildered, and flatly denied it. "I never said that!"
Bai Ke blinked, took a bite of her char siu bun, and said innocently, "I’m just a little fox who hasn’t even undergone Transformation. How would I know anything about what’s going on in Wanling Jiangbei?"
Gu Zhao was speechless.
"So, Qingshuang is from White Spirit Mountain." Zhuo Qingyan shook her head with a soft laugh, tapped Bai Ke on the forehead, and asked on Gu Zhao’s behalf, "Does the Spirit Court also recruit disciples from other Sects?"
"It does," Li Qingshuang nodded. "The Xuanwei Divine Sect is mainly comprised of Ghost Gods, and the Spirit Court is full of Spirit Monarchs. Most members join partway through their journey, so it’s difficult to train them from a young age."
Gu Zhao understood. It was just like how Daluo Palace also recruited many rogue Mages to be Inner Sect Disciples. But with the Five Thunders Order, they could ensure the recruits’ moral character. He figured the Spirit Court must have a similar method.
"The Mountain Master of White Spirit Mountain is the top master in Jiangyang Prefecture. How deep is her Dao Practice?" Gu Zhao asked.
"I don’t know," Li Qingshuang shook her head. "Who would go around announcing their level of Dao Practice? All I know is that during the great war thirty years ago, she fought the Ink Flood Dragon to a standstill."
Understanding dawned on Gu Zhao. He shot Bai Ke a sidelong glance. "She clearly has over three thousand years of Dao Practice, yet you told me she only had a thousand."
Bai Ke retorted indignantly, "So it’s three thousand years. It’s still measured in thousands!"
Everyone laughed at that. Even the Silk Embroideress couldn’t help but grab another bun and place it in Bai Ke’s hand. "You should just stick to eating!"
Bai Ke knew she had slipped up and promptly stuffed the bun into her mouth.
"Why is it that the Sects in Wanling Jiangnan are all heretical and evil, while the Sects in Wanling Jiangbei are all good people like the Spirit Monarchs?" the Silk Embroideress couldn’t help but ask.
Having followed Gu Zhao and helped establish Daluo Palace, the Silk Embroideress’s own knowledge of the world was growing.
It wasn’t that there were no good people in Changping Prefecture—otherwise, where would all of Daluo Palace’s Inner Sect Disciples have come from? But among the powers that dominated the region, not a single one was good, with the sole exception of Bishui Palace!
"Because many people died in that war thirty years ago." Li Qingshuang glanced at the Silk Embroideress, then shook her head with a wry smile. "And besides, who ever told you that everyone in Wanling Jiangbei is good?"
"Huh?" The Silk Embroideress asked, confused.
Li Qingshuang sighed. "Otherwise, why would the Spirit Court need to patrol the world? Why would the Xuanwei Divine Sect be too occupied to intervene? And why would Wanling Jiangnan have rebelled?"
