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The Legend of the Immortals Prequel: Wilderness Journey
Inside the Ghost King Sect, after a moment of chaos, the unconscious Ghost King finally awoke again, and everyone around breathed a sigh of relief. Especially Wan, whose face was pale, clearly shaken by the earlier incident.
However, after the Ghost King regained consciousness and glanced at the onlookers, he quickly ordered everyone to leave, allowing only Wan to stay.
Once everyone had exited the tent, Wan stepped forward to help the Ghost King sit up and softly said, "Master, you should rest. I will take care of everything."
The Ghost King slowly shook his head and then gestured for Wan to lean closer. He whispered something in Wan's ear.
Wan's expression changed slightly as he turned to look at the Ghost King, seemingly astonished. "Master, you..."
The Ghost King waved his hand, looking very fatigued yet exceptionally resolute. Wan quickly understood his intent, nodded silently, and quietly left the tent.
Soon, only the severely injured Ghost King remained in the tent. He lay quietly in his chair; initially, there was a sudden silence around him. However, after a while, the distant sounds from outside the tent gradually reached his ears.
In addition to the sounds of water, wind, and beast roars native to this gorge, there were more noises from people moving about in the gorge—some coming and some going—yet no one lingered here. The sounds gradually became somewhat noisy; it seemed that members of the other three major sects were also beginning to depart, perhaps heading toward that distant wilderness.
In fact, although the leaders of the four major sects of the Demon Cult were present here, firstly, the Demon Cult has a long history with numerous factions; secondly, after Qiu Wangyu unified the Demon Cult, countless major sects came along for the great battle at Azure Cloud Mountain. Therefore, after the battle, many disciples of the Demon Cult scattered across various locations and were actually more numerous than those remaining in this gorge. Yet now, listening to the hurried footsteps filled with anxiety still evoked a sense of desolation.
The Ghost King listened quietly; his face showed little expression. Perhaps it was because he was too weak at this moment to be moved by such sentiments or perhaps because he clearly knew that his time was running out and his heart had grown cold.
After quite some time had passed and it felt like many had departed, suddenly footsteps were heard outside the tent. Moments later, Wan's voice came through with an almost imperceptible reverence: "Please come in."
The curtain hanging at the entrance of the tent was lifted, and shortly after, two people walked in. Besides Wan who lagged a step behind, the person leading was none other than Qinglong, the head of the Four Great Saints of the Demon Cult.
Qinglong returned with a serious expression on his face. Upon seeing him, the Ghost King seemed to regain some spirit and attempted to sit up; however, he lacked strength and struggled but could not rise.
Wan was startled and hurried over to support him. He helped the Ghost King sit upright and placed a soft cushion beneath him so he could lean against it.
Looking at the Ghost King in such a state, Qinglong furrowed his brow, shook his head with a wry smile, and walked up to the Ghost King, saying, "Old Sect Master, why did you call me over instead of resting well?"
The Ghost King smiled and said, "Sit."
Qinglong nodded, casually pulled over a chair, and sat down in front of the Ghost King.
The Ghost King looked at Qinglong, his voice low but still relatively clear, and asked, "Qinglong Envoy, are you and the other three envoys planning to return to Sanctuary?"
Qinglong nodded and replied, "That's right. Since Specter Consort has already passed through, and the Sect Master’s last wishes have been given, we naturally should comply."
The Ghost King hummed in acknowledgment, noncommittal. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly asked Qinglong, "I have something unclear that I would like to ask you."
Qinglong replied, "I dare not accept such praise. Old Sect Master is a senior of our Holy Sect; you may simply call me by my name, Qinglong. Please."
The Ghost King said, "The Sect Master passed away unexpectedly; however, why was there no successor determined before his passing?"
Qinglong fell silent for a moment and then said, "You were present that day as well, Old Sect Master; you should understand. Firstly, the Sect Master had no direct heir. Secondly, the various factions of the Holy Sect are rising up now; aside from Reverend Qiu’s extraordinary talents that are unmatched, the others are not enough to intimidate the masses. No matter who is chosen for this position, it is likely they will not be able to sit securely and may instead stir up trouble and lead to countless killings and disputes. That is why the Sect Master was unwilling to pass on the position to anyone."
The Ghost King slowly nodded and said, "That makes sense. The Sect Master was indeed talented and had far-reaching insights; he must have foreseen this. It is just regrettable that he did not fulfill people's wishes and left us with an early demise that ruined our Holy Sect's grand cause."
Qinglong sighed lightly but remained silent.
The Ghost King continued, "Qinglong my brother, many factions of the Holy Sect have decided to return to Barbaric Sacred Hall. Tell me honestly, after returning to Sanctuary, will you be able to control the situation and prevent internal strife among the sects?"
Qinglong frowned and said, "Old Sect Master, why ask when you already know the answer?"
The Ghost King sighed and said, "Then we are going back down the old path again?"
Qinglong remained silent for a moment before saying, "The four of us have always followed the Sect Master; we have not joined any sect within the religion and lack the strength to mediate disputes. However..." He raised his head to look at the Ghost King with a hint of hope on his face and said, "Old Sect Master, right now our Holy Sect has just suffered defeat. After this great calamity, the strongest forces left are only your sect and Wandu Sect. If you all return to Sanctuary together and cooperate closely, there may be another opportunity."
The Ghost King frowned in contemplation, then let out a bitter laugh and said, "We'll see when the time comes. In any case, for the foundation of the Holy Sect, as long as I'm still around, I will do my utmost."
Qinglong stood up solemnly, performed a proper bow to the Ghost King, and said earnestly, "Thank you, Old Sect Master. If the leader were aware from beyond, he would surely commend you greatly."
The Ghost King waved his hand and said, "Ah, let's not mention the leader. I feel guilty towards him. By the way, I asked you to come here privately today not only to discuss this matter but also to talk about something else."
Qinglong replied, "Please go ahead, Old Sect Master."
The Ghost King continued, "You Four Envoys of the Holy Sect have followed the leader loyally for many years. I have seen your dedication. However, now that the leader has passed away, I wonder if you have any plans?"
Qinglong raised an eyebrow slightly but soon fell silent. After a while, he said, "I haven't thought about this matter yet. I wonder if Old Sect Master has any advice for me?"
The Ghost King coughed a few times; it seemed he had been speaking for a while and felt somewhat fatigued. However, he quickly gathered his spirits and slowly reached out to gently grasp Qinglong's right hand. He gazed at him for a moment and whispered, "Qinglong, if there is an opportunity in the future, come to my Ghost King Sect. Everyone in our sect will welcome you warmly and treat you as an esteemed guest." After a pause, he turned his head slightly to glance at Wan beside him and added, "Wan is my trusted disciple; his wisdom and strategy are exceptional. In the future, the Ghost King Sect will be entrusted to him. Trust me on this; given time, he will not disappoint you."
Qinglong glanced at Wan thoughtfully before taking a deep breath and replying to the Ghost King, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Old Sect Master. I will keep your words in mind. However, the most pressing matter right now is to ensure the leader's return to the Sanctuary. As for other matters, we can discuss them later when there is an opportunity to seek your guidance."
The Ghost King nodded and said, "That is how it should be."
Qinglong stood up and cupped his hands in salute to the Ghost King before saying, "I take my leave." He then nodded at Wan standing nearby and strode out of the tent.
After he left, Wan noticed that the Ghost King's expression suddenly deteriorated as if he had lost all vitality in an instant. He hurriedly helped the Ghost King lie down and knelt beside him anxiously saying, "Master, are you alright?"
The Ghost King gasped a few times and looked up at him with difficulty saying, "We need to go."
Wan nodded but suddenly asked, "Where do we go?"
The Ghost King fell silent for a moment as he stared at him. After a while, he quietly asked, "What do you think?"
Wan seemed to have already considered this matter and replied without hesitation, "We cannot return to the wilderness."
"Why?"
"The wilderness must be chaotic. At that time, heroes will rise, internal strife and conflict will ensue, and it will surely be a scene of bloodshed. Even if we do not perish or lose our sect, we will at least suffer great losses."
"How can you be so certain?"
Wan took a deep breath, leaned closer to the Ghost King, and lowered his voice, saying, "With the Master gone, the Holy Sect has no one to stabilize it. The Four Envoys, though strong, lack influence. The Heavenly Harmony and Eternal Life sects have suffered great losses in strength, while San Miao and Yuyang lack sufficient qualifications. There may be dissent within the sect, or even internal strife. The Poison God’s Wandu Sect is the most powerful; however, this person has too great ambitions and will surely covet high positions. He cannot allow my Ghost King Sect to rest by his side. If we return to the wilderness, I fear that the first to deal with us will be the Poison God. Furthermore, with the Holy Sect's power imbalance and the onset of chaos, it is precisely the time for countless extraordinary individuals within the sect to stir up trouble. Not to mention that many major sects will also strive to rise aggressively. Going to the wilderness brings nothing but harm and no benefits; please consider this carefully, Sect Master."
The Ghost King remained silent for a long time before saying, "If we alone do not return, would we not become public enemies of the Holy Sect? When that happens, how will we deal with being attacked by all sides?"
Wan furrowed his brow tightly, clearly troubled by this as well. After a moment, he suddenly gritted his teeth and said solemnly, "Delay!"
The corners of the Ghost King's mouth curled up slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared on his aged and withered face, seemingly filled with some relief.
Wan was startled and exclaimed, "Sect Master, could it be that you..."
The Ghost King shook his head at him, signaling Wan to come closer again, then whispered, "Later you lead everyone to still head towards the wilderness but take your time along the way. At the same time, secretly send people away continuously to create an atmosphere of panic and flight. Those who leave should be elite members first; they are all ordered to maintain our Fox Ridge Mountain foundation that we have managed for many years and must not act recklessly from now on. Moreover, my time is short..."
Upon hearing this, Wan was immediately shocked and turned pale, exclaiming in alarm, "Sect Master, why do you say such things!"
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