Chapter 96: Calamity Ancestor: Is It Too Late to Regret This?

The Calamity Ancestor didn't know if he had gone mad, or if the Chongqing Bird had. A Sect-Guarding Spirit Beast, voluntarily choosing a sword cultivator in the Origin Sea Realm? This boy wasn't even a proper disciple of the Beast Taming Sect.

"Heh, it seems even an old fellow like you has fallen so low over the years, to take a liking to a boy like this," the Calamity Ancestor muttered.

He didn't struggle, however. That was the Chongqing Bird. Compared to it, a technique like possession was mere child's play. So, the Calamity Ancestor immediately admitted defeat, without a hint of resistance. He was cunning, but he wasn't stupid. The fact that the Chongqing Bird hadn't simply erased his wisp of malice meant that he still had a use.

Seeing the bird remain silent, the Calamity Ancestor pressed on. "What do you want from me?"

The Chongqing Bird let out a derisive snort. "You certainly know your place, don't you? In truth, you should know why I'm keeping you around!"

When the bird finished speaking, the previously calm Calamity Ancestor exploded like a lit bomb.

"I won't do it! It's absolutely impossible! Don't even think for a second that I will cooperate with you on anything!" he roared in fury.

The Chongqing Bird snorted. "That's not up to you. If you're truly unwilling, forging you into a weapon soul would also be a fine choice."

Before the Calamity Ancestor could say another word, a flash of golden light filled their consciousness. Lin Yun was back in control of his body. The voice of the Calamity Ancestor was completely sealed away.

"Alright, that fellow will be locked away inside your body for a while," the Chongqing Bird's voice echoed in his mind. "Don't worry. This will only benefit you, not harm you."

It was as if the bird had seen right through Lin Yun's thoughts.

"It had better be," Lin Yun grumbled. What else could he do? The Chongqing Bird had clearly done this on purpose. He even suspected the bird was getting revenge for his earlier behavior. But what was done was done. He could only play it by ear.

"How do I get out of here?" he asked. "The Grand Tournament of the Spirit Realm is about to start."

Time was now incredibly tight. And he had no idea what the situation was back at the Beast Taming Sect.

"It will be a bit troublesome, but… leaving shouldn't be a problem." The Chongqing Bird seemed to know the Ancient Forbidden Land very well, which Lin Yun found strange. For now, however, the Grand Tournament was the most important thing.

In the Great Hall of the Beast Taming Sect, Jiang Zhengqing was agonizing over the roster for the Grand Tournament. The Flowing Cloud Sect was once again sending several powerful experts. That so-called Sword Scion, Xiao Pingtian, was a particularly troublesome figure. He was currently in the Spirit Cauldron Realm, but what could they do if he broke through to the Myriad Law Realm during the tournament?

"What a pity. If only Lin Yun…"

"Sect Master, it has come to this. We should stop thinking about that boy," Ning Changkong interrupted. "We should focus on how we're going to win this."

Cao Yuke agreed. "That's right. Lin Yun has been missing in the Ancient Forbidden Land for so many days now, he is most likely already dead. The pressing matter is the tournament. Once this is over, we can devote the sect's full resources to investigating the Forbidden Land."

Jiang Zhengqing looked at the men below him, all of them making it sound so simple. Lin Yun was a rare trump card. They had originally sent Li Hong to the Flowing Cloud Sect with the intention of cooperating, but they never imagined so many things would happen afterward. Now, cooperation was a pipe dream; simply avoiding open conflict was a luxury.

Jiang Zhengqing sighed. It was a truly dispiriting day.

"I'm going for a walk."

Leaving the elders in the Great Hall, Jiang Zhengqing walked out alone.

Fang Yan snorted. "What was so great about that Lin Yun? He was just a cast-off from the Flowing Cloud Sect. These past few days, the entire cultivation world has been talking about him, mocking our sect for being scavengers picking up trash!"

His face was grim as he spoke. The other elders also looked disgraced. They had once been a sect of unparalleled glory. How had they fallen so low?

"Hah, let's just see what the Sect Master decides. What good does our advice do anyway?" one of them said. "The grass on that boy's grave is probably three meters high by now, and he still fantasizes that he's alive? An Origin Sea cultivator, outside the Meta-Realm? Survive that? In his dreams!"

The arguments in the Great Hall no longer concerned Jiang Zhengqing. Walking alone on a small path, he felt a wave of powerlessness. Enemies surrounded them, yet the sect itself remained divided. How could they possibly fight back?

As he walked, he heard the faint ding-ding-dang of a hammer. Without realizing it, he had arrived at Qi Mountain. He sighed and began the ascent.

A short while later, Xu Miaoyun appeared before him. "Sect Master, what brings you here?"

Looking into her curious eyes, Jiang Zhengqing asked, "They all say that Lin Yun is dead. Why haven't you stopped?"

Everyone in the sect knew that Xu Miaoyun was forging a divine weapon for Lin Yun. But now that he was dead, what was the point in continuing?

Seeing the serious look on Jiang Zhengqing's face, Xu Miaoyun smiled.

"So what if he is?" she said simply. "That boy entrusted this task to me, so I must see it through. No matter how much time passes, I will wait here for him to return and claim what is his."

She was smiling.

Perhaps infected by her smile, Jiang Zhengqing began to laugh as well.

"Yes… yes, you're right," he said, a weight lifting from his shoulders. "So what if he is gone? He was chosen by the Chongqing Bird. How could he die so easily? It was I who was getting lost in my own narrow thoughts. I should have believed in the boy."

Jiang Zhengqing smiled and practically ran down Qi Mountain. In that moment, all his worries vanished, his mind clear and unburdened.

One day later, the roster for the Beast Taming Sect's participation in the Grand Tournament was announced. On it, to everyone's shock, was the name of the personal disciple, Lin Yun.

Though the elders in the sect all opposed the decision, this time, Jiang Zhengqing decided to be willful. He would not give up until the very last moment. He believed Lin Yun was still alive. After the list was released, he tried many more times to open the Ancient Forbidden Land.

Although each attempt ended in failure, for some reason, he felt happier with each try.

And the strange events at the Beast Taming Sect were gradually spreading throughout the cultivation world.

Flowing Cloud Sect: Cloud Pavilion

Gu Xiande looked at the Message-Transmitting Jade Slip in his hand and burst out laughing.

"Jiang Zhengqing, oh Jiang Zhengqing, I never thought you would value a piece of trash that our Flowing Cloud Sect cast aside so highly. To think you've gone completely mad over him."

He truly hadn't expected Jiang Zhengqing to be so obsessed with Lin Yun. They had known for months that Lin Yun was dead, lost in the Beast Taming Sect's Ancient Forbidden Land. There was absolutely no possibility of him coming out alive. At this point, the only person in the entire cultivation world willing to believe otherwise was probably Jiang Zhengqing himself.

Just then, a disciple entered. "Sect Master, the delegates from the Shangqing Shrine have arrived."

Hearing those words, Gu Xiande's expression changed instantly. He shot to his feet.

"Quickly, invite them up the mountain!"