Chapter 379 - 176: The Dragon Elephant Daoist is Ji Xiu! 5 Decays and 3 Calamities, Reincarnation Celestial Skill, Straight to Human Immortal!

Chapter 379: Chapter 176: The Dragon Elephant Daoist is Ji Xiu! 5 Decays and 3 Calamities, Reincarnation Celestial Skill, Straight to Human Immortal!

"Dragon Elephant Ancestral Master, why have you personally come to Jiangyin Prefecture!?"

BAM!

Jiang Yue’s words were the ultimate confirmation of Xu Longxiang’s identity.

Weii Changkong felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and he nearly fainted.

’It’s him... It’s really him!’

The sovereign of the Three Mansions, renowned throughout Dongcang—it was truly him. The Dragon Elephant Martial Saint, Xu Longxiang, the man rumored to have been in seclusion for sixty years, had finally emerged!

As the situation evolved, the Qi and Blood in Chen Hex’s bulging muscles gradually subsided. Within moments, he had returned to his former scholarly and amiable appearance.

He wore a complicated expression as he watched Wang Xuanyang, who was curiously glancing around and murmuring in wonder. Then, his gaze shifted to Ji Xiu, and he looked as though he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.

At that moment, only one thought crossed Chen Hex’s mind.

’This disciple that his Junior Brother Duan accepted...’

’Isn’t he a bit too much of a Demon Fiend!?’

’First, he brought back their Ancestral Master, Wang Xuanyang—a man who had been missing for ages and was rumored to have perished in the Corpse Release Tomb. But that wasn’t even the half of it.’

’Somehow, without anyone noticing...’

’...he managed to get in with the Sect Guardian Martial Saint of the Dragon Elephant True Sect, the power that looms over Jiangyin Prefecture!?’

’Isn’t that one hell of a backer to have!’

In response, Xu Longxiang’s gaze remained calm. He swept it nonchalantly across the crowd, his eyes landing on Ji Xiu first. Only after confirming that Ji Xiu was unharmed did his gaze settle on Jiang Yue and Weii Changkong.

"You’re the True Inheritance disciple put forward by the Third Master to compete for the position of Dragon Elephant Daoist?"

"I remember you."

A flicker of joy crossed Jiang Yue’s face, and he hurriedly bowed in excitement.

"Yes, Dragon Elephant Ancestral Master! This disciple’s name is Jiang Yue..."

Before he could finish, Xu Longxiang cut him off.

"What business do you have here?"

Hearing the interrogative edge in Xu Longxiang’s tone, Jiang Yue’s heart sank, and his mind began to race.

Then, as the Dragon Elephant True Inheritance disciple recalled Xu Longxiang’s earlier words, he mulled them over for a moment. Suddenly, his pupils contracted in horror.

’The Martial Saint Ancestral Master was in seclusion for sixty years and never involved himself in worldly affairs. What’s so different about today?’

’Wait, don’t tell me...?’

An audacious, yet irrepressible, thought surfaced in Jiang Yue’s mind.

He couldn’t help but steal a glance at Ji Xiu, who had become lost in thought ever since Xu Longxiang’s arrival.

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed!

’The Dragon Elephant Ancestral Master just berated Weii Changkong, the leader of the Purple Mist Sect, and aggressively defended this kid. He looked so protective, as if shielding one of his own. Could he be...’

’...thinking of taking on another prized disciple because he appreciates the boy’s talent?’

’That absolutely cannot be allowed to happen!’

Jiang Yue’s face twitched, his heart in turmoil.

For the past sixty years, Xu Longxiang, the Martial Saint of the Dragon Elephant True Sect, had never made a public appearance.

Consequently, all sect affairs, large and small, were managed by the Three Vein Masters in his stead.

This was why the competition to become the chief of the ’True Inheritance of the Three Veins’ had always been so fierce.

The Martial Saint’s return from seclusion, and his announcement that the position of Daoist was once again open, brought this simmering conflict to a boiling point.

Although each of the Dragon Elephant Three Lineages controlled one part of the sect’s ultimate legacy, the ’Nine Dragons Nine Elephants Prison-Suppression Profound Skill’...

...according to the rules established by the Dragon Elephant Ancestor Master...

...only a person who earned a ’Title’ or inherited the position of ’Daoist’ could unify the Three Veins, inherit the complete Ultimate Skill, and truly cultivate this ’True Sect Level’ Secret Martial art to the state of Perfection!

In their quest to win recognition, gain access to the full resources of the Dragon Elephant True Sect, and even earn the Martial Saint’s favor...

...the chief True Inheritance disciples of the Three Veins, like Jiang Yue, had gone to great lengths, hoping to use any means necessary to surpass the other two.

But if, at a time like this, the Elder Martial Saint decided to take on a new disciple...

...wouldn’t all their hard work have been for nothing?!

"This disciple heard that Senior Ye Wenjiang fell in Jiangyin Prefecture years ago, so I traveled a great distance to come and investigate."

"I was preparing to enlist the help of the various local Schools to investigate the surrounding counties, hoping to recover the senior’s remains and return them to the Sect for burial."

"This Celestial Blade School was once a branch of the Sword Dao Ancestral Court. Its founder, Wang Xuanyang, was a prominent figure from the Ancestral Court and an old acquaintance of Senior Ye Wenjiang!"

"It was people from the Sword Dao Ancestral Court who led Senior Ye Wenjiang astray, which ultimately resulted in his death. Since the Purple Mist Sect Leader was planning to dismantle this School, I decided to come and take a look myself..."

After a great deal of thought, with his mind racing, Jiang Yue finally responded to Xu Longxiang in an extremely tactful manner.

Immediately afterward, he turned to Ji Xiu and probed pointedly,

"Dragon Elephant Ancestral Master, I wonder what this young man’s status is. What could make him important enough for you to come all this way in person?"

Hearing Jiang Yue’s careful probing, Xu Longxiang sized him up with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, making Jiang Yue’s blood run cold.

In that moment, it felt as though Xu Longxiang’s eyes, as placid as an ancient well, could see through his every thought, leaving all his schemes nowhere to hide.

"What if I were to say that he is my student? And that he is my choice for the future Dragon Elephant Daoist?"

"What would you think of that?"

’What would I think of that?’

’I think it’s unacceptable!’

But he didn’t have the guts to say that out loud. If the Dragon Elephant Martial Saint decided to slap him to death on the spot and brand him with the crime of ’defying the Ancestral Master,’ it would be too late for regrets.

And yet, Jiang Yue couldn’t just do nothing!

If he simply went along with the Ancestral Master’s wishes and let the title of ’True Sect Disciple’ be given away so easily...

...once word got out, how would that be any different from him simply refusing to compete for the position?

What would the Three Vein Masters, the other two competing True Inheritor Chiefs, and the thousands of Disciples of the Dragon Elephant Sect think of him then?

Jiang Yue’s chest tightened, and he nearly lost the composed, confident air befitting a proud prodigy of a great Sect.

But he paid no mind to the shocked expressions of the Purple Mist Disciples beside him, nor to the handful of nobodies from the Celestial Blade School. He simply looked at Xu Longxiang and forced a smile.