Chapter 228 - 150: Humiliation, Counterattack, Hundred Saints Shocked

Chapter 228: Chapter 150: Humiliation, Counterattack, Hundred Saints Shocked

"What’s wrong? Do you have some connection to the Beardless Sect, Young Master?"

Seeing Jiang Hao’s slight surprise at the mention of the Beardless Sect, the perceptive Mu Wan Ning immediately picked up on it and couldn’t help but ask.

Jiang Hao turned to her with a faint smile. "I have no ties to them. I’ve merely heard of the sect before."

Mu Wan Ning breathed a sigh of relief. With her exceptional intelligence, she naturally knew exactly what Song Changlin and the others were thinking. Even she hoped the Cyan Mist Sect could recruit someone of his caliber. If he genuinely had ties with the Beardless Sect, things would be troublesome.

"I see. Over the years, the Sect Leader of the Beardless Sect has been aggressively recruiting disciples. It’s said that their Elders have traveled across half of the Eastern Domain Realm, so it isn’t surprising that you’ve heard of them," Mu Wan Ning said. She paused in thought for a moment before continuing, "However, there is something you might not know, Young Master. That sect is actually one of the vassal sects under our Cyan Mist Sect—or rather, a semi-vassal."

"It seems the people of the Beardless Sect truly have traveled far and wide over these past few decades."

Jiang Hao smiled bitterly to himself. How could he fail to grasp the underlying meaning of her words? She was implying that the Beardless Sect had no future. Even local Cultivators were unwilling to join them, forcing them to venture to the outside world to recruit disciples. If she hadn’t said anything, it would have been fine, but her explanation actually piqued Jiang Hao’s interest.

"Why do you say that? Is the Beardless Sect truly that weak? Based on what you mentioned earlier, Miss Mu, none of the sects that survive on Thousand Sects Island today should be weak."

At those words, Mu Wan Ning seemed to grow animated and immediately poured out an explanation.

"Speaking of the Beardless Sect, it’s quite an anomaly. If you want to say it’s weak, it isn’t exactly weak. Although the sect only has three Saints holding the fort, they are all extremely formidable. One is at the Peak of the Ninth Heaven of the Saint Realm, and the other two are at the Eighth Heaven of the Saint Realm.

"As for below the Eighth Heaven, no Saints have been born.

"Therefore, the Beardless Sect’s ranking on Thousand Sects Island is very awkward. If you call them a first-tier, second-class sect, they lack a sufficient number of Saints in the Saint Realm. But calling them a first-tier, third-class sect also seems a bit of a stretch.

"This is because sect rankings aren’t just based on their strongest experts; they also depend on the cultivation realms of Cultivators across all different levels. This represents a sect’s future potential.

"After all, no matter how strong a Sect Leader is, the moment they fall, the entire sect will instantly collapse.

"The Beardless Sect is currently in this exact, incredibly awkward position. As long as their Sect Leader, the Beardless Saint, lives for another day, they remain a first-tier Holy Sect. But once the Beardless Saint falls, I’m afraid they can only slowly decline.

"Furthermore, as far as I know, the Beardless Saint’s remaining lifespan is running short.

"However, that isn’t even the hardest part for the Beardless Sect. What’s even more difficult is that although the sect doesn’t lack favored sons and daughters of heaven among its disciples, there are very few peerless prodigies capable of holding up their reputation.

"To put it bluntly, the sect has no worthy successors. That is why the Elders of the Beardless Sect have been going out to search everywhere for disciples all these years, practically scouring more than half of the Eastern Domain Realm.

"And truth be told, they actually managed to find ten peerless prodigies a few years ago. It’s just..."

At this point, Mu Wan Ning paused. Although she didn’t show any disdain toward those ten peerless prodigies, she shook her head meaningfully. After all, no matter how lacking they might be compared to others, they were still prodigy-level figures. It was impossible to know who would have the last laugh in the future.

However, Mu Wan Ning’s subtle head shake seemed to convey a deeper, unspoken message.

Jiang Hao didn’t press the issue any further. From start to finish, his curiosity had only been mildly piqued by hearing the name of a familiar Holy Sect.

Two hours later.

"Up ahead is the territory of our Cyan Mist Sect—Cyan Mist Island." Mu Wan Ning looked at the world ahead of them, her beautiful eyes shimmering with boundless pride.

Jiang Hao instinctively followed her gaze, only to be instantly stunned by the scene before him.

The Spiritual Qi in this region was incredibly dense, and the surroundings were shrouded in an impenetrable layer of Spiritual Mist. Above the endless Xuanhai, a massive floating island hung suspended between heaven and earth, towering tens of thousands of feet high. A waterfall that resembled a falling sky cascaded down from the island. Its width stretched as far as the eye could see, and its roaring crash was deafening even from dozens of miles away.

"The Saintess! The Saintess and the Elders have returned! Open the defensive array and let them into the sect!"

The moment they caught sight of the Cyan Mist Saintess, Mu Wanli, and the countless expert Elders of the Cyan Mist Sect, ecstatic shouts of joy echoed from the island’s peak.

An instant later, the grand array—which was so powerful it even took Jiang Hao slightly by surprise—slowly parted to reveal a gap, and several figures appeared inside.

"Enter!" Mu Wanli’s icy voice rang out once again, though this time, it carried an underlying tone of relief.

Jiang Hao soared into the air alongside the others. They flew over the massive waterfall and ascended onto the island. The moment they set foot on the island, the view suddenly opened up. As far as the eye could see, the land was lush and verdant, marked by rolling hills and mountain mists. Between the towering Spirit Peaks, the Spiritual Mist gathered and lingered. Spirit birds soared gracefully through the haze while the clear calls of holy cranes echoed through the air.

Compared to the Celestial Sword Sect, this place felt far more like a blessed immortal paradise, fulfilling every fantasy one might have about the world of cultivation. As the group flew amidst the Spirit Mountain Green Peaks, a profound sense of peace permeated the entire sect.

During their flight, Jiang Hao spotted several exotic birds he had never seen before gliding past them. Mu Wan Ning even reached out to gently stroke the crest of a five-colored avian.

"These are spirit birds that past Elders and Sect Leaders tamed and brought back from the Demon Ridge. They can no longer be considered members of the Demon Race," she explained. "Some of these spirit birds have lived on the island for thousands of years, reproducing and developing sentience. They are officially a part of our Cyan Mist Sect now."

Jiang Hao had truly had his eyes opened. As he watched the majestic birds in flight, he couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of awe.