PCJ – Chapter 571 Past Events

“The last person who tried something like that has already frozen into a popsicle over there. I knew Fellow Daoist Zhang wouldn’t do something like that.” Liang Mingjie couldn’t help but chuckle—this guy was clearly just messing with people.

Zhang Jiaohua nodded. “Fellow Daoist Liang, I assume you don’t leave the Kunlun Sect very often?”

“How did you know? This trip to the Xiyun Sect is actually my first time leaving the Kunlun Sect. The outside world really is vibrant and colorful. Such a pity—I’m so short on time. You noticed too, didn’t you? I do have the ability to roam the outside world, right?” Liang Mingjie said excitedly.

“I figured as much. If everyone roamed the world like you do, they wouldn’t have lived this long,” Zhang Jiaohua retorted.

“What do you mean?” Liang Mingjie didn’t quite catch it.

Wei Chenguang held back his laughter and said, “What our sect leader means is that the world is full of danger.”

Liang Mingjie nodded. “True, I nearly got tricked by someone from the Xiyun Sect last time. If a sect can’t even manage its own rogue cultivators, how can it be qualified to attend a symposium at Mount Kunlun? Good thing they didn’t make it—if they had, they would’ve made a fool of me.”

Zhang Jiaohua was speechless at Liang Mingjie’s bluntness.

A small, unknown sect leader from near the capital naturally wouldn’t attract much attention from the Kunlun Sect—one of the three great sacred grounds. A disinterested outer hall deacon was sent to reluctantly receive Zhang Jiaohua and his group.

“As the symposium is imminent, our sect leader and elders are occupied with preparations and unable to personally greet fellow Daoists. We ask for your understanding. The Kunlun Sect has arranged food and lodging for you all. If you need anything, feel free to ask, and we’ll do our best to accommodate. However, during the symposium, many cultivators will be on-site, so to avoid unnecessary conflict, we ask that you remain in your assigned quarters. The spiritual energy here is abundant and beneficial to your cultivation. Please refrain from any behavior that may disrupt the symposium.” The Kunlun deacon, though minor, had an arrogant attitude, not taking the Meishan Sect seriously at all.

This speech basically meant: “You small fry are nothing in Kunlun’s eyes. Now that you’re on our turf, behave yourselves, or else.”

Zhang Jiaohua, who was only here to go through the motions, didn’t take the deacon’s words to heart. He wasn’t the type to court trouble anyway, so regardless of the warning, he wouldn’t have done anything out of line.

Naturally, Zhang Jiaohua had no interest in the so-called abundant spiritual energy of Kunlun. If you wanted to talk about dense spiritual qi, how could the Kunlun Secret Realm compare to the spiritual diagram space he possessed?

So, Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t about to stay cooped up in his assigned quarters. Kunlun wouldn’t treat visiting cultivators like prisoners, so there were no restrictions on movement.

Many cultivators, like Zhang Jiaohua, were visiting one of the three great sacred grounds—the Kunlun Secret Realm—for the first time. Who wouldn’t want to witness its grandeur?

Compared to the Xiyun Secret Realm, the Kunlun Sect had far deeper foundations. Climbing to a high spot, Zhang Jiaohua realized they’d been assigned to a remote and obscure side courtyard—miles away from the core areas of Kunlun. He had expected this, but seeing it firsthand still made him want to curse.

“Damn it, really looking down on people. Just wait—once the Xiyun Sect rises, I won’t treat the Kunlun Sect with any respect either!” Of course, Zhang Jiaohua only dared to think this silently.

“Even on the outskirts, the spiritual energy is far denser than back at the Xiyun Secret Realm. If we were in Kunlun’s core area, it’d probably be even richer. That means Kunlun’s spiritual veins may not be drying up as we thought. Too bad we never visited before—otherwise, we’d know whether it’s increased or decreased.” Wei Chenguang’s words held deeper meaning.

Spiritual veins across the world were starting to dry up. If the ones in the sacred grounds were actually getting stronger, it might suggest a direct link between the depletion elsewhere and the situation in the sacred grounds.

But if Kunlun’s spiritual veins were fine, there should be plenty of top-tier cultivators. So why did no one seem able to reach the Nascent Soul or Void Returning levels anymore?

Just then, a commotion arose near Kunlun’s main hall. People from the Kunlun Sect were rushing around.

Zhang Jiaohua looked over and saw a portal of light open above the main hall steps. A group of people emerged from it and descended to the square in front of the hall.

An elderly man with flowing white hair and beard, dressed in a Daoist robe, stepped out from the Kunlun crowd and greeted the newcomers with cupped hands.

“Ah, judging by their attire, they must be from Shushan—another of the three sacred grounds. The one in front looks like Sect Leader Di Muguo. And that’s Kunlun’s Sect Leader Liang Dengheng. Both have such distinguished airs. Just seeing these two powerhouses makes this trip to Kunlun worthwhile,” a nearby cultivator remarked.

Zhang Jiaohua glanced at Di Muguo and Liang Dengheng, muttering quietly, “Where exactly do they look ‘distinguished’?”

Back at the main hall, Liang Dengheng was warmly welcoming Di Muguo.

“Brother Di, it’s been a while. Your cultivation has improved noticeably,” Liang Dengheng said.

“Same to you, Brother Liang. But the cultivation world is in decline these days. If this continues, I fear the path of cultivation will eventually vanish altogether,” Di Muguo sighed.

“Once, there were thirty-six blessed lands and seventy-two paradises. Now, only three sacred grounds remain. If things don’t turn around, even these may not last. Decline is inevitable,” Liang Dengheng lamented.

“Only the spiritual veins of the three sacred grounds remain. All others have dried up. The strategies we developed before are now useless. Yet we still don’t understand why the spiritual veins are fading. It seems Heaven has truly abandoned the Dao,” Di Muguo said, looking up at the sapphire-blue sky.

Liang Dengheng was reminded of something. “Brother Di, do you remember something that happened sixteen years ago?”

Di Muguo thought for a moment. “You mean that event?”

Liang Dengheng nodded. Yes, it had indeed happened sixteen years ago.

“But what’s the point of bringing it up now? More than a decade has passed without any signs. Maybe we were mistaken,” Di Muguo said, shaking his head.

“Not necessarily,” Liang Dengheng replied.

Di Muguo looked at Liang Dengheng, unsure of what he was about to say.