On the outskirts of Tianling Prefecture, the great river surged, rushing eastward.
A large boat sailed on the surface of the river, moving at a breakneck speed, causing the scenery on both banks to blur.
At the bow of the boat stood a person.
Holding a long sword, its tip dripping with blood.
Behind laid more than ten corpses.
The figure lightly swung the long sword and slowly turned around.
If Meng Changqing were here, he would surely recognize her as Bai Suxi.
But the Bai Suxi at this moment had undergone obvious changes.
The azure robe of the past had turned into black armor.
Her hair was tied in a ponytail.
The childishness on her face had almost disappeared, leaving only a heroic and sinister aura.
She looked towards the direction of Tai Xuan Sect.
A trace of melancholy flashed in her eyes.
After parting today, she didn't know if there would be another chance to meet in the future.
"Don't worry. Although you will definitely surpass him in the future, that kid has great potential and will surely venture out of Tianling Prefecture to see a broader world.
"You will have the opportunity to meet him again."
An old voice reassured her.
The Sea Cleaving Realm was a turning point.
Once reaching the Sea Cleaving Realm, she could accept her ancient demon inheritance.
But at the same time, her true qi would turn into demonic qi.
This was something that couldn't be concealed.
So she couldn't stay in Tai Xuan Sect anymore.
She could only choose to leave.
"Master, won't your demonic cultivation affect my mind?" Bai Suxi asked.
"Of course not," the old voice was confident, "The demonic cultivation nowadays cannot be called demonic cultivation. From what I briefly saw, they are all inferior stuff, only worthy of being called dark arts.
"Turning oneself into something neither human nor ghost.
"And in the end, they may become slaves of heavenly demons and earth demons!
"A truly inferior path!"
The voice was disdainful.
The definition of demonic cultivation nowadays was to imitate the cruel cultivation methods of the demon race, or to gain power by worshiping powerful demons.
But true demonic cultivation was not .
It enslaved demonic beings and controlled them, or directly devoured their power to enhance oneself!
How could it become a vassal of the demon race?
"I still remember the several generations of Demon Lords. After mastering the True Demon Art, they personally went to the Demon Abyss to subdue the demon race and devour heaven and earth!
"Although the initial stage may be a bit difficult, it can still barely achieve the goal of devouring demons to become stronger."
The voice said, "In today's era, although the human race is the ruler of the world, the demon race and the monster race have not been eliminated. It seems that in the First Rank Sects, there will be the existence of the Demon Abyss or the Monster Territory.
"When the time comes, with my help, you can infiltrate there."
Hearing this, Bai Suxi's hands tightened slightly, and a firmness appeared in her eyes.
Staying in Tai Xuan Sect, although her future achievements would definitely be good, it was still not enough.
Those who had destroyed her family were much stronger than Tai Xuan Sect.
"In fact, this Tai Xuan Sect is not simple." The voice suddenly pondered for a moment.
"Hmm?" Bai Suxi was somewhat surprised.
Tai Xuan Sect was only a Second Grade Sect.
What was so special about it?
"A month ago, after I devoured the soul fruit you found, my soul power greatly increased, and many secret techniques could also be performed.
"But at the moment of casting them, I felt a strong palpitation.
"In the depths of Tai Xuan Sect, it seems that there is an extraordinary existence." The voice said, "And this is another reason why I want to leave. The water in this sect is not as shallow as it seems on the surface."
"Is that so?" Bai Suxi nodded.
It was the first time she had heard her master say this.
But it didn't matter.
She had already left, and what happened to Tai Xuan Sect in the future had nothing to do with her, except for Senior Brother Meng.
Putting the sword back into its sheath, Bai Suxi turned around.
The people behind her were probably bandits, disguised as boatmen.
It was a pity they had encountered her.
"Ancient clan!" Bai Suxi looked into the distance, her eyes filled with killing intent.
"If possible, I can investigate what this demonic cultivation is all about." Meng Changqing withdrew his gaze.
If the sect couldn't find out, then the Wanxiang Pavilion should be able to.
After all, as Kong Linyue said, this force was extremely well-informed, even called a know-it-all!
Not thinking about it anymore, Meng Changqing turned and walked into the attic.
It was time to continue cultivating.
Soon, another month passed.
The sect was in turmoil.
After all, everyone knew about the sect's preparation for promotion.
Everyone was excited and looking forward to it.
But soon, there was bad news.
It was reported that Flame Sun Valley also occupied more than thirty spots.
Forming a balance with Tai Xuan Sect.
Furthermore, a dark horse emerged.
The usually quiet Giant Spirit Sect unexpectedly rose, securing more than thirty spots.
Only the Nie Family of Wind and Cloud City seemed to have fallen into complete decline, with only one person left on the list.
Many people had different opinions on this.
They felt that it was a conspiracy against their own sect!
The promotion of the Hidden Dragon Ranking was not child's play.
How could there be such exaggerated changes?
And the Nie Family of Wind and Cloud City was also one of the four major forces, unlikely to be reduced to just one spot on the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
Something was definitely wrong.
"I heard from the higher-ups that in the battle for the Earth Ranking, our sect has already won."
"Now it's just the Hidden Dragon Ranking left."
"Originally, with more than thirty spots, we had a significant advantage, but the sudden rise of Flame Sun Valley and Giant Spirit Sect has directly erased this advantage, putting us back in a stalemate."
In the sect, many people were discussing.
The promotion of any force was difficult.
Especially the promotion to the first rank.
All aspects of the conditions needed to be met.
None could be lacking.
This was the rule set by the Supreme Sacred Land.
"So, the other three forces have joined forces deliberately . As long as Tai Xuan Sect does not gain an advantage in the Hidden Dragon Ranking, it will never ascend."
"Tianling Prefecture will still be in its original state, with the four major forces standing equally!"
Everyone suddenly realized.
"It's really despicable!"
"These people are so bad!"
Some naive female disciples hated it.
"So what should we do now?"
"The Hidden Dragon Ranking should be our limit, unable to occupy more spots."
"Does that mean our sect's promotion is going to fail ?"
"It's not clear for the time being, but there should be a way to deal with it."