Chapter 354:
Yun State, Anhua City
"Sister Ten, that person just said I looked familiar. Maybe it was about my younger brother."
Big Shadiao continued walking and suddenly said to Lin Ying, causing her to stop.
"Are you talking about Small Shadiao?"
"Yes, that’s it. Among the demon clan, our Aurora falcon is only considered average. We can’t even reach the level of a divine beast, so it’s rare for us to be at the fourth level of cultivation. Besides my brother, no one in the cultivation world would cultivate us to that level."
"But your younger brother and my older brother died together in Xuanmiao City, this has been verified by multiple sources."
Lin Ying hesitated a bit, but now she already knew that Lin Wu was actually Lin Jiang, because Big Shadiao had been following her for many years. Lin Ying had fed Big Shadiao a lot of smart pills, which made the somewhat confused Big Shadiao much cleverer.
One time, Big Shadiao slipped up because he missed Small Shadiao too much. Lin Ying noticed it, and under Lin Ying’s pressure, Big Shadiao spilled everything, telling Lin Ying about the time Lin Jiang left the Lin family and went to Yunzhong City.
This made Lin Ying furious. She couldn’t understand why her own brother, who had been by her side for over a hundred years, could resist revealing his identity and choose to exist as her nephew.
But by the time she discovered the truth, the Xuanmiao City incident had already happened almost three hundred years ago. She couldn’t get angry anymore. Later, she confirmed through various means that Lin Jiang had saved the Lin family descendants outside Xuanmiao City and made a blood oath. At that time, she saw Lin Jiang sacrificing himself for them, being chased by someone at the Nascent Soul stage. Lin Jiang was only in the Golden Core Period at that time.
Even the Five Elements Sect confirmed that Lin Jiang’s Soul Lamp at the Five Elements Sect had been extinguished. It can be said that this is solid evidence confirming that Lin Jiang is dead.
"I don’t know, but that’s what she said, so you should go and ask."
"I won’t go. If even my own brother is so heartless, what can I say?"
Lin Ying’s anger was stirred up again. If her brother hadn’t died, why didn’t he return to Yun State? What kind of secret was there that made him unwilling to even tell his own father and sister?
"Big Sister, Brother must have a difficult reason."
"No reason is good enough, I don’t want to be like Cao Ying."
Lin Ying was still angry. She also found out about Lin Jiang and Cao Ying’s relationship, and even knew about Lin Die and Cao Ying’s master conspiring to deceive Cao Ying and make her think Lin Jiang is dead.
"Big Sister..."
Big Shadiao was in a dilemma. She really missed Small Shadiao. They were siblings, born from the same mother, and had lived together for hundreds of years. When she learned that Small Shadiao had died outside Xuanmiao City, she was heartbroken for a very long time.
"Junior Sister, I have a fun piece of news to tell you."
"Tell me."
"I have news about the investigation you asked me to do on that beast pet. The Yun State Lin family indeed has a fourth-order beast pet, an Aurora falcon. But, based on the timeline, it is not the one that appeared during the battle with the Spiritual Moon Sect."
"Can’t we confirm if it’s the same woman as before?"
"Can’t confirm for sure, but this Aurora falcon has appeared multiple times during battles in Yun State and Qing State, and it has achieved great success. However, after shapeshifting, it looks just like a human, so most people don’t know where it is. But this Aurora falcon appeared together with Lin Ying, one of the ten daughters of the Lin family. It should be the one you saw before."
Yang Xiong said. Lin Ying is one of the main forces in Yun State, and Big Shadiao follows her, being active on the battlefield. Not only people from Yun State have seen them, but people from Qing State also know about them. The only thing we don’t know is who Big Shadiao is when appearing as a human. But Yang Xiong has already deduced that it is the woman by Lin Ying’s side.
"So it seems that Li Changsheng has a connection with the Lin family."
"Most likely, I speculate that Li Changsheng is a secret member of the Lin family."
Yang Xiong said. Many major sects like to play the trick of having hidden members. Our Holy Heavenly Sect is the same, so it’s normal to have a few undercover agents operating in other areas.
"That makes sense now. How can Li Changsheng, who is only at the Nascent Soul stage, have a fourth-order beast pet?"
"Junior sister, should we still look for Li Changsheng?"
"Look, why don’t you look for it?"
"Over here in the Yun State..."
"It’s okay, even if things get messy, the Yun State won’t miss having us as enemies."
"Oh, so we came all this way for nothing?"
"It won’t be in vain, we’ve already gained a lot."
Yang Luo spoke, she had been unsure about Li Changsheng’s intentions before, but now that she had found them out, she felt more confident. If she caught Li Changsheng, the worst that could happen was offending the Yun State, which she could handle.
"Alright then, you have the final say. Should we still visit the three sects of the Yun State today?"
"Yes, let’s start with the closest one, the Five Elements Sect. I already made plans with Zhang Wanjing to visit them today."
Yang Luo nodded and the group proceeded to the Five Elements Sect.
Zhang Wanjing was already waiting at the sect. When Yang Luo arrived, he showed her around the Five Elements Sect and they talked about his past reforms in the sect.
"Master Zhang, a renowned figure in the Five Elements Sect, has the potential to advance to the level of Soul Changing. If he succeeds, he might be able to cultivate a Tao Achieving disciple for the Five Elements Sect."
"Taoist Friend Yang, you jest. My humble actions cannot compare to your esteemed sect."
Zhang Wanjing commented, expressing his curiosity about the situation in other states, particularly the Holy Heavenly Sect.
Over two hundred years ago, the Holy Heavenly Sect and the Five Elements Sect had similar strength, or perhaps the former was slightly weaker. However, within a hundred years, the Holy Heavenly Sect rose to become a top-tier sect and even absorbed the entire Spiritual Moon Sect.
For Zhang Wanjing, who held dual leadership over the sects, this was a matter of great interest. He wanted to uncover the secret behind the Holy Heavenly Sect’s rise.
"No, when it comes to managing a sect, I am not as capable as Master Zhang. The Holy Heavenly Sect doesn’t have anyone who can compare to him."
"In that case, I must dare to ask, how did the Holy Heavenly Sect achieve its current success?"
"Through fortuitous encounters, perhaps."
Yang Luo praised Zhang Wanjing sincerely. The rise of the Holy Heavenly Sect was due to her obtaining many opportunities that would excite any sect. However, in her hands, they were merely ordinary. Without her contributions, the Holy Heavenly Sect would not rival the Five Elements Sect.
"Taoist Friend Yang is not very honest. I tell Taoist friend everything, but Taoist friend keeps things hidden."
Yang Luo didn’t mean to hide anything. The Holy Heavenly Sect is very powerful and cannot be replicated. There are many factors at play, and the growth of your sect is admirable. It can continue even after Zhang, the sect leader, passes away.
Of course, to thank Zhang, Yang Luo has some secret techniques that can help extend your life a few more years. I gave them to Zhang a few days ago, and if he successfully practices them, he can help you too.
"Thank you, Taoist Friend Yang."
Zhang Wanjing sighed. Living a few more years didn’t mean much to him. If he could learn the secrets behind the rise of the Holy Heavenly Sect, that would be truly fulfilling.
Yang Luo and Zhang Wanjing discussed the experiences of managing and growing a sect. Zhang Wanjing didn’t hide anything because he knew that each sect is different, and what works for one might not work for another. It’s obvious who knows and who doesn’t, and talking won’t help those who don’t know.
Yang Luo clearly knows what she’s talking about, and after their conversation, Zhang Wanjing admired her even more.
"Senior brother, do you think we can capture Zhang Wanjing and have him help our Holy Heavenly Sect?"
"Ah, sister, what are you thinking about?"
"The literal meaning is that I can help him break through Soul Changing and extend his lifespan by a thousand years."
"Don’t think too much, Junior Sister. Zhang Wanjing is a loyal disciple of our sect. If we were to tell him that his death could benefit the sect greatly, he would willingly sacrifice himself. It’s impossible for him to betray the Five Elements Sect."
"Okay, I was thinking too much. The Five Elements Sect is so lucky to have someone like Zhang Wanjing."
Yang Luo sighed, knowing that she was just letting her imagination run wild. It would be great if the Holy Heavenly Sect had someone like him.
"Junior Sister, we need to move on to the next stop."
"Alright, let’s go to the Zhonghang Sect. I’m quite interested in their Cao Ying."
"The Cloud Sword Sect is very interested in us. Junior Sister revealed a sword technique a few years ago that is similar to the Cloud Sword Sect’s. They have been asking about it."
"Ignore them. The sword technique of the Cloud Sword Sect is nothing special, it’s all rubbish."
Yang Luo said that in recent years, the Holy Heavenly Sect has produced several talented sword cultivators who have made a name for themselves in the central region. Their sword techniques are remarkable, all thanks to her. She has heard of the sword techniques of the Cloud Sword Sect, but they are nothing out of the ordinary. The Cloud Sword Sect doesn’t have anyone interesting, so she’s not interested either.
When Yang Luo and her group arrived at Zhonghang Sect, the high-ranking members of the sect were also waiting. The power of Holy Heavenly Sect was even stronger than the entire Yun State. With Yang Luo’s status, it was enough to be treated as an important guest by any sect in Yun State.
"Senior Feng, do you happen to know where your esteemed Taoist Friend Cao Ying is? I would like to have a chat with him."
"Um, well..."
"Is it inconvenient?"
"It’s not that it’s not convenient, but Cao Ying has a somewhat stubborn personality. She doesn’t like crowds and prefers solitude, so she usually doesn’t get involved in general affairs."
"It’s alright, I’d like to meet her. Is that okay?"
"Sure, let Taoist Friend Yang go and meet her. I’ll have someone guide you there, and we can talk later after you finish your conversation."
Feng Zhang also nodded and had someone lead Yang Luo to meet Cao Ying.
Cao Ying lived alone in a peak within the mountain gate of Zhonghang Sect. She had no disciples or servants, just herself, which made it very desolate.
Everyone walked into a house and saw several big birds rushing towards them. The disciple leading the way had a high level of cultivation, so he quickly drove away the birds.
"I’m sorry, senior. My uncle, Cao Ying Martial Uncle, likes to keep birds, so it’s a bit messy here."
"Taoist Friend Cao Ying has unique preferences. She keeps Aurora falcons."
"Yes, I heard from other senior brothers that when Cao Ying Martial Uncle was young, she had two Aurora falcons as pets. They accompanied her throughout her childhood. That’s why Cao Ying Martial Uncle likes to keep Aurora falcons here. She has dozens of them now. However, they only consume resources and don’t progress, which is a bit wasteful."
"I see."
Yang Luo nodded, realizing the connection between the Aurora falcons and Cao Ying’s Heart Demon. It’s another Aurora falcon. Wow, there are so many coincidences in the world.
"Who are you?"
Cao Ying appeared, dressed in black and looking indifferent as she stared at Yang Luo. Yang Xiong quietly stood in front, protecting Yang Luo.
"Yang Luo from the Holy Heavenly Sect in Zhongzhou, here to visit Taoist Friend Cao Ying."
"I have heard about you, but we are not familiar, so there’s not much to talk about."
"Don’t worry, my Taoist friend. I am just here to take a look."
"You may leave."
Cao Ying turned around and walked away without giving any face. Yang Luo wasn’t even angry yet, but Yang Xiong was already very angry. Yang Luo had traveled all around and had never been treated so disrespectfully. Yang Xiong was about to explode, but Yang Luo stopped him.

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