The Bright Sect, with only a millennium of history, dominated the Eastern Region, claiming sole control over the Luo River, the Mysterious Wilderness, and even the Eastern Sea beyond it.
Within the sect, saints rose in abundance, powerhouses as numerous as rain, its influence strong enough to rival established giants like the Liangyi Sect, the Black Market, and the Martial City Bank, despite their many awakened ones.
Though the sect’s protective array was not fully activated, for an outsider to breach the mountain gate so easily was a tremendous loss of face.
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
…
Beams of saintly light descended at the mountain gate, encircling Zhang Ruochen, Kong Lanyou, and Kong Xuan.
All were saint-realm powerhouses, glaring with fury.
“Roar!”
A heaven-shaking dragon cry resounded.
A wave of azure saintly mist spread from beyond the heavens. From the mist emerged a ferocious dragon head, larger than a palace, its starry eyes radiating the might of a great saint.
Zhang Yanyan, overjoyed, bowed to the giant dragon, saying, “The sect’s guardian saint dragon has appeared. You’re doomed!”
Zhang Ruochen glanced up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Wasn’t this the Azure Heaven Saint Dragon he had taken from Zhou Yu?
Its cultivation was impressive, reaching the peak of the Hundred Shackles Realm, its aura rivaling some Thousand Questions Realm great saints.
With Zhang Ruochen’s aura now vastly changed, the Azure Heaven Saint Dragon failed to recognize him.
“Intruders of the sect shall die.”
An azure-glowing dragon claw reached down from the heavens, stirring fierce gales.
Kong Lanyou let out a soft hum, pointing a finger. A seven-colored light wave shot from her jade-white fingertip, striking the dragon claw’s center, causing blood to splatter and the Azure Heaven Saint Dragon to wail in pain.
The Bright Sect’s saints paled. For the guardian saint dragon to be injured meant this intruder was terrifyingly powerful.
A female saint king of the Bright Sect, using misty saintly qi, shielded the frightened Zhang Eight Hundred Ninety-Four and Zhang Yanyan, pulling them behind her. She said coldly, “Go immediately to summon the sect leader and the supreme elders. Activate the full guardian array.”
This female saint king, clad in a moon-white saint robe, her curvaceous figure wreathed in white mist, was strikingly beautiful, her skin as fair as jade. Even compared to the fairies in the *Nine Immortals Beauty Portrait*, she was scarcely less radiant, a Nine-Step Saint King.
“Yutong, it’s me,” Kong Xuan said, stepping out from behind Kong Lanyou to face her.
Qin Yutong recognized Kong Xuan, who, along with Consort Lin, had stayed at the Bright Sect for a long time, though their bond was not deep. After eight hundred years, she hadn’t recognized her at first.
“Kong Xuan?”
Qin Yutong looked surprised, then her gaze fell on Kong Lanyou, her heart jolting. Even after a millennium, the name of the Bright Hall Saint Ancestor Kong Lanyou remained vivid in her memory.
Who knew how powerful the Saint Ancestor’s cultivation had become?
“I pay respects to the Saint Ancestor,” she said, clasping her hands in salute.
Zhang Ruochen surveyed the Bright Sect’s saint-realm cultivators, all young talents who had risen in recent centuries, none familiar to him.
“What position does Yutong hold in the Bright Sect now?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Qin Yutong, once a cultivator under Zhang Ruochen’s twelfth uncle, the Bright River King, was the foremost beauty of Saintly Bright City a thousand years ago and had fought alongside Zhang Ruochen in many battles.
She was a core figure of the Bright Sect.
Unable to discern Zhang Ruochen’s appearance, Qin Yutong pondered who this formidable figure could be, arriving with Kong Lanyou, likely not an enemy.
She replied, “In response to Senior, Yutong is now the master of the Bright Sect’s outer sect.”
“Master of the outer sect, yet not at the great saint realm. That’s not quite fitting, is it?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qin Yutong’s talent was not weak; she had reached the saint realm even before the Kunlun Realm’s revival.
Being critiqued by such an unfathomable great saint made her slightly embarrassed. In truth, she was only a step from the great saint realm and likely to break through within two centuries, more than capable of overseeing the lower-realm outer sect disciples.
“Let me lend you a hand,” Zhang Ruochen said, channeling the power of a First-Grade Saint Will. He extended a hand, pressing toward Qin Yutong from afar.
Instantly, the spiritual qi, saintly qi, divine qi, and heavenly rules surged like streams, rushing into her forehead.
Qin Yutong’s delicate frame glowed like a lit saintly lamp, radiating brilliant white light.
…
Deep within the Bright Sect, powerful auras arrived at the mountain gate, each exuding the might of great saints.
Murong Yefeng, Murong Yue, the Bright River King, and Bao Lie were among them.
The current sect leader was the Bright River King.
“Greetings, Sect Leader.”
“Greetings, Great Saint.”
With the sect leader’s arrival, disciples below the saint realm knelt on one knee.
Recognizing Kong Lanyou, they knew the visitors were allies, not enemies, and held back, focusing on Zhang Ruochen, who was elevating Qin Yutong’s realm.
Even as great saints, they felt alarmed.
Not only was Qin Yutong’s cultivation rapidly advancing, but she was also merging her path and condensing an immortal saintly body, poised to become a great saint directly.
Such a feat—could the visitor be a god?
After a while, Zhang Ruochen withdrew his hand, saying, “Your immortal saintly body is over ninety percent formed, and I’ve helped you merge various saintly paths. Passing the Path-Merging Tribulation should be effortless. Go, return after the tribulation for tonight’s New Year’s Eve banquet.”
Qin Yutong’s beautiful eyes fixed on the godlike man, glimpsing a familiar outline, her heart forming a bold guess. She asked, “May I know Senior’s name?”
“Gu Linfeng,” Zhang Ruochen said.
At that name, Qin Yutong’s body trembled, her chest heaving, overcome with joy. She knelt on one knee, saying, “Your Highness, wait for me.”
Qin Yutong flew out of the mountain gate to face her tribulation.
“Gu Linfeng?”
The Bright River King muttered to himself, then, realizing something, his eyes locked onto Zhang Ruochen. He issued an order, “Announce that tonight, the entire sect will hold a New Year’s Eve banquet with the highest honors. Also, no disciple may speak of what just happened, or they’ll be charged with betraying the sect.”
Accompanied by Murong Yefeng, Bao Lie, and Murong Yue, Zhang Ruochen flew deeper into the mountain gate.
At the gate, Zhang Eight Hundred Ninety-Four and Zhang Yanyan remained in shock, their minds full of questions.
Who was that man, capable of elevating Master Qin to the great saint realm?
To earn such respect from the sect leader?
Could a god have visited the Bright Sect?
Zhang Shaochu arrived in a holy carriage descending from the sky.
Two beautiful female cultivators supported the white-haired, frail old man as he stepped down.
More female cultivators remained in the carriage.
Now, Zhang Shaochu looked eighty or ninety, no longer obese but gaunt, his face wrinkled, his hair mostly gone.
“Father!”
“Father!”
Zhang Eight Hundred Ninety-Four and Zhang Yanyan hurried to greet him.
Zhang Shaochu asked, “What happened just now?”
“Someone breached the sect, incredibly powerful,” Zhang Yanyan said, vividly recounting the events.
Zhang Shaochu’s dim, aged eyes suddenly brightened. He asked, “What did you say his name was?”
“Gu Linfeng,” Zhang Yanyan said cautiously.
Zhang Shaochu’s spirit surged, saintly qi bursting forth, his posture straightening. He asked urgently, “Where did he go?”
“With Supreme Elder Murong and the others, into the sect,” Zhang Yanyan said.
Zhang Shaochu took two steps in one, reboarding the holy carriage, saying, “Go, to Supreme Elder Murong’s place.”
…
The Bright Sect was built within Wang Mountain, spanning thousands of miles, with a divine vein underground, rich in saintly and divine qi.
Murong Yefeng, now a supreme elder and great saint, occupied a saintly peak alone.
On a cliff halfway up the peak, vermilion saintly pavilions were built.
Zhang Ruochen stood in one of the suspended pavilions, hands behind his back, gazing at the brightly lit nightscape below. In the distance, strands of divine radiance rose from the earth, connecting to the sky, vibrant and mystical.
Murong Yefeng handed him a bronze tripod cup, saying, “A millennium has passed just like that. What are Your Highness’s plans?”
Zhang Ruochen took the cup, sipped, and smiled, “Indeed, a millennium gone. Time has claimed so many, yet here we stand, drinking together. It’s good!”
With this childhood friend, even after a millennium, there was no estrangement.
Bao Lie said gravely, “Since Little Junior Brother has returned, let’s transform the sect into a state and rebuild the Saintly Central Empire. Master sacrificed so much, trapped in the Destiny Temple to save the Supreme Master. I believe the Kunlun Realm’s gods would have little objection.”
Bao Lie was the Bright Emperor’s fifth disciple.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Where are Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother, and Sixth Senior Brother? Why aren’t they at the Bright Sect?”
“Eldest, Second, and Sixth Senior Brothers follow the path of scattered saints, stationed at the Saint Altar. I’ve sent word; they’ll arrive soon. Third and Fourth Senior Brothers are cultivating in the Heavenly Court, guarding their respective saint domains,” Bao Lie said, adding, “I find the Bright Sect’s cultivation environment no worse than the Heavenly Court’s, so I stay here year-round.”
The Bright River King stood, saying, “Since Ruochen has returned, you should take the sect leader’s position.”
Seeing the Bright River King’s melancholic expression, Zhang Ruochen asked, “Is being sect leader so difficult?”
“It’s tough! The world’s cultivators mock me, countless slander me, even tarnishing the Bright Sect,” the Bright River King said, dejected, a stark contrast to his commanding presence before the disciples.
Zhang Ruochen, surprised, said, “Twelfth Uncle, a great saint, can’t handle being sect leader?”
“They say my strength as sect leader is too weak, even outdone by a guardian saint beast, and many in the sect surpass me,” the Bright River King said indignantly, pointing at Murong Yefeng, Murong Yue, and Bao Lie. “But none of them will take the role, insisting it must be a Zhang. I was forced into this.”
“And they curse me, calling me a degenerate for marrying over two thousand wives, slandering the Bright Sect with me. I’m furious but can’t explain. I didn’t want so many wives; I was forced. Being sect leader like this, life has no joy. I’ve wanted to escape many times.”
Zhang Ruochen was stunned, saying, “Over two thousand wives? How many children are there?”
The Bright River King sighed, unable to speak, tremblingly gesturing an “eight” with his hand.
“Eight hundred?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“Eight… over eight thousand. I’ve lost count. It doesn’t matter; I’m numb to it,” the Bright River King said, his eyes dim, teeth clenched, but his expression eased. “Now that you’re back, Ruochen, I feel saved, like I see dawn, so much lighter.”
Zhang Ruochen had thought Zhang Shaochu was extreme, but his twelfth uncle was even more so. With them, was the Zhang family set to become the Kunlun Realm’s largest clan?
