Seeking Immortality

Hearing the sound of fairy music suddenly rang out between heaven and earth, the people on the field could not help but look up in the direction of the sound, and saw countless gorgeous fairy clouds starting to appear in the sky.

In the fairy clouds, dozens of pale guardian elders, led by Zhang Hualing and Zhou Huahai, stepped on the auspicious clouds and flew towards the people on the field.

"Welcome to the headmaster, welcome to the elders." As Zhang Hualing and others landed in front of the crowd, the disciples in the square bowed and said in unison under the leadership of Xu Qingfan and the other five in front. Hundreds of voices gathered together, and the sound was mighty.

Zhang Hualing smiled at the people in front of him and said in a gentle voice: "Everyone, don't be polite." Compared with the voices of the disciples on the square, Zhang Hualing's voice was soft and gentle, but he easily suppressed the voices of hundreds of disciples in front of him.

Hearing Zhang Hualing's words, Xu Qingfan and others stood up. While standing up, Xu Qingfan took the opportunity to look at the elders in front of him, and found that in addition to the head Zhang Hualing and the supreme protector Zhou Huahai, there were several elders Xu Qingfan had seen before, including Jin Qinghan's master Elder Yuchi, Nangong Qingshan's master Elder Xu, Lu Qingshang's master, the unknown elder, and Dongfang Qingling's master Dai Shishu, etc. Except for Xiao Huazhe and other elders who have been in seclusion for many years, the elders of Jiuhua Mountain's "Hua" generation have basically arrived.

Among them, Zhang Hualing still had a charitable face, as if he was an old man next door, and was smiling at the many elite disciples of Jiuhua Mountain in front of him. Zhou Huahai, who was always strict, seemed to have something on his mind at this time. His eyes were less sharp than before, but more thoughtful.

Among this group of white-haired old men, a middle-aged man with an ordinary face attracted Xu Qingfan's attention. Although this man is much younger than the elders around him, his aura is not weak at all. He is obviously also a great master in the Jindan stage. Looking at this middle-aged man with extraordinary skills, Xu Qingfan was slightly puzzled at first. *The academy then guessed his identity in a flash. He should be the master of Li Yuhan and Sheng Yushan, the proud son of Zhou Huahai, and the first disciple of the "Qing" generation. Bao Qingfang.

It is said that Bao Qingfang has been recognized by many elders as the next generation leader of Jiuhua Sect. This man not only has extraordinary skills, but also has a Taoism that is not inferior to many elders of the "Hua" generation. More importantly, he is a steady person and capable in doing things. Therefore, he is not only favored by the elders in Jiuhua Sect, but also many disciples of the "Yu" generation and even the "Qing" generation.

But perhaps because there is always a hint of depth between Bao Qingfang's eyebrows, Xu Qingfan always feels strange when he sees him.

At this moment, Zhang Hualing suddenly spoke again.

"Feng Qingtian. Jin Qinghan, Xu Qingfan, Lu Qingshang. Wang Qingjun." Zhang Hualing's gentle eyes swept over the five disciples with different temperaments standing in front of him, and a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He called out the names one by one.

"Disciples are here." Xu Qingfan and others took a step forward and responded in unison.

Zhang Hualing looked at the five people in front of him again, and then said seriously: "In the past ten years, I have seen your progress. I am pleased. Now you are about to represent our sect to participate in the newcomer competition jointly held by the six major holy places. Remember not to be arrogant. There are also talented disciples with strong strength in other sects. So you must go all out to win glory for your sect, understand?"

"Disciples will go all out." After hearing Zhang Hualing's words, Xu Qingfan and others responded in unison.

Zhang Hualing nodded, then glanced at the other disciples behind Xu Qingfan and the other five people, and said in a gentle voice: "As for you, you are all the next generation of elites of Jiuhua Sect. The future of Jiuhua Sect depends on you. But it is not good to stay in Jiuhua Mountain and practice blindly, so I discussed with the elders and took you to watch this newcomer competition. You should seize the opportunity, get to know more brothers from other sects, and gain more knowledge, but try to avoid conflicts with disciples from other sects, understand?"

After hearing Zhang Hualing's words, the disciples in the square couldn't help but flash a trace of excitement in their eyes, and hurriedly responded loudly. *After the hundreds of disciples in the academy responded in unison, Zhang Hualing nodded with satisfaction and said to Zhou Huahai beside him: "Brother Zhou, now tell them what they should pay attention to when going out."

Hearing Zhang Hualing's words, Zhou Huahai looked calm and nodded slightly. Zhang Hualing said to Xu Qingfan and the others, "Follow me, the five of you."

As he spoke, Zhang Hualing turned around and walked towards the Hualing Hall behind him. After hearing what Zhang Hualing said, Xu Qingfan and the others hurriedly followed him and walked towards the Hualing Hall. The remaining disciples on the field stayed in the square to listen to Zhou Huahai's lecture.

"After going out, don't easily conflict with others, and don't be arrogant just because you are a disciple of the Holy Land..."

As Xu Qingfan walked into the Hualing Hall, Zhou Huahai behind him also began to lecture the other disciples on the square. But listening to Zhou Huahai's words, Xu Qingfan couldn't help but feel something in his heart. Zhou Huahai always spoke in a stern tone, but at this time his tone was more restrained, but he didn't know why.

But as he walked into the Hualing Hall, Xu Qingfan immediately put aside his doubts and began to concentrate on looking at the Hualing Hall in front of him.

The Hualing Hall, like the Hualing Bell on it, is also one of the symbols of Jiuhua Sect. It is usually used for the head of Jiuhua Sect to discuss matters with the elders and to receive distinguished guests. Despite this, ordinary disciples of Jiuhua Sect rarely have the opportunity to come in and take a look. For most disciples, the Linghua Hall is a mysterious place.

So as soon as he entered Hualing Hall, Xu Qingfan began to observe carefully, and the expressions of others including Jin Qinghan, Lu Qingshang, Wang Qingjun and others also had the same expression. But Feng Qingtian's expression became strange the moment he entered Hualing Hall. He seemed a little disdainful, but he seemed to remember something and frowned slightly.

After carefully looking at the hall in front of him, Xu Qingfan couldn't help but be a little surprised by what he saw.

In front of him, he saw that the main hall was tens of feet wide and long, about six or seven chapters high. More than a dozen long and thick stone pillars stood neatly around the hall. Many exquisite totems were carved on the stone pillars. Upon closer inspection, Xu Qingfan discovered these patterns. What is painted on it is the history of Jiuhuamen for thousands of years. In the center of the main hall, there is a huge plaque hanging, with thirteen characters written in ancient seals on it: "Tao is based on nature, there is no permanence if you lose the Tao, and you will grow if you follow the Tao."

The decoration of the main hall is not as magnificent as Xu Qingfan imagined. There are just ordinary black stone slabs under the feet, and the same is true for the roof. There are dozens of ordinary chairs placed in the main hall, which are obviously the usual seats for the elders. There are several large windows around the main hall, which provide ample lighting, making the main hall look very bright, and the overall appearance is simple and elegant yet generous.

After Zhang Hualing walked into Hualing Hall, he walked directly to a larger chair in the middle of the hall and sat down, then looked at Xu Qingfan and others silently. Xu Qingfan and the other five people stood aside with their hands down after Zhang Hualing sat down.

"Hey~~"

Suddenly, Zhang Hualing, who had been silent all this time, sighed slightly, and then slowly asked Xu Qingfan and others: "Do you all know what happened eight hundred years ago?"

Eight hundred years ago, Zhang Xusheng, the top master of Jiuhua Sect, was discovered by his fellow sect members because of his research on sorcery, so he betrayed Jiuhua Sect. When he defected, many Jiuhuamen masters besieged him. Unfortunately, Zhang Xusheng had practiced both good and evil at that time, and his skills were nearly complete. Instead, he killed all the Jiuhuamen seniors who besieged him. This This incident also marked the beginning of the decline of Jiuhuamen.

Xu Qingfan and others knew more or less about these things, but they were surprised why Zhang Hualing suddenly mentioned them.

"Eight hundred years ago, our Jiuhua Sect had five master-level masters in the Mahayana stage, nearly a hundred great masters in the Danjie stage, and many low-level disciples of the emperor. It can be said that there are many talents. Even in the six holy places, The strength is also one of the best. But since that incident eight hundred years ago, our sect's strength has been greatly damaged. Both masters and ordinary disciples have suffered many casualties, and many unique skills have been lost due to that disaster. After eight hundred years of recuperation, there are now only more than sixty masters in our sect in the alchemy stage, and none in the Mahayana stage. Not to mention the other five holy places, even some other sects have such strength. It’s no longer under us.”

"Although the Newcomer Competition is jointly organized by the six holy places, all sects with some strength in the world of immortality have participated. In the past 800 years, our sect has participated in the Newcomer Competition seven times, but each time the results were dismal. , not only was it far behind the other five holy places, but it was even often invaded by sects such as the Bahuang Sect. It can be said that it was completely humiliated, and the name of the holy land was in name only in the eyes of others. "

"To be honest, I have great expectations for you five. Among the disciples of Jiuhua Sect who have participated in the newcomer competition in the past eight hundred years, you five are the most talented and strongest. So I hope you can do your best to Go, get a good result, and defend the dignity of the sect. You must know that this newcomer competition is not only an opportunity for newcomers from the various sects in the world of immortality, but also a test of each other's strength."

After hearing Zhang Hualing's words, Xu Qingfan and others bowed deeply to him and said in unison: "Disciple and others must go all out."

After Zhang Hualing heard the assurances from Xu Qingfan and others this time, he did not show any relief, nor did he have the smile that he usually wore on his face. Instead, there was a deep exhaustion in his expression. Obviously these Years of painstaking efforts to manage the gradually declining Jiuhuamen made him mentally and physically exhausted. At this time, he did not hide it in front of Xu Qingfan and others, nor did he say anything more. He just waved silently at Xu Qingfan and others.

Seeing Zhang Hualing's wave, Xu Qingfan and others bowed to him again, and then slowly retreated out of the hall.

"Xu Qingfan, please stay, I have something to say to you."

Just as Xu Qingfan followed the people around him and retreated out of the hall, Zhang Hualing's voice suddenly sounded again.