Chapter 6, The End of an Era

From now on, you are appointed as the Chief Guardian of the Mountain Gate of the Protection Hall, responsible for patrolling and guarding both inside and outside the sect, as well as managing matters related to demonic beasts. Due to the numerous dangers associated with this position, you are granted fifty pieces of black iron to forge a flying sword artifact by your own means. Furthermore, as the Chief Guardian of the Mountain Gate, you also serve as the senior brother of the sect. In the absence of the Master and the two Elders, you have the authority to regulate the members of the Floating Cloud Sect and possess the power to make temporary decisions.

Jiang Mu reprimanded him several times for this, and this fellow readily agreed with a chuckle, yet the outcome remained unchanged

Upon hearing Jiang Mu's words, several direct disciples, including Liu Tiezhu, were not surprised at all. In fact, they laughed and congratulated Cheng Banjin, for the Floating Cloud Sect truly could not do without this smiling Second Senior Brother. He was almost capable of helping everyone solve any problem aside from cultivation.

And Jiang Mu was also able to find time to do his own things

Therefore, it would be very appropriate for Zhang He to serve as the chief training protector

Jiang Mu nodded slightly. Zhang He was indeed quite proud as well, but his pride was entirely different from that of Xu Yi, one of the three calamities of Floating Cloud. Moreover, although Zhang He acted in a high-profile manner, he did so with great propriety. In his dealings with others, one might perceive him as proud, yet it would not evoke discomfort.

In this way, Zhang and Zhu Wai, Liu Tiezhu in charge of internal affairs, and Cheng Banjin responsible for logistics, fundamentally, the three of them working together will accomplish tasks far better than Jiang Mu.

As a result, 20,000 spirit stones were directly taken away by Xu Yi

By the time Jiang Mu heard news related to Zhang He again, it had already been sixty years. The Demon Catching Division surrounded Zhang He, who was there to pay tribute to the deceased, at the site of the former Floating Cloud Sect in Qinge County.

Up to this point, including the old San Zhang who has gone out to travel, Jiang Mu has already arranged his six direct disciples in different positions.

At this moment, Jiang Mu looked at a slender young man with elongated, lively eyes. He was from the same group of apprentices as Zhang He, twenty-seven years old this year, at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, with above-average aptitude, ranking fourth among the direct disciples

"Ah, Master, I—I will not let you down." Cheng Banjin said, his face flushed with excitement. He loved this place, loved the Floating Cloud Sect; this was his home. Even though his grandmaster and second master would seize every opportunity to mock and ridicule him, he still cherished this place, for every blade of grass and every tree, every mountain and every stream, even every stone, carried all his memories.

He came to serve as the chief deacon of the deacon's hall, and everyone feels at ease

Xu Lin, you are the guardian of the secondary mountain gate

Qin Jin, you serve as the guardian of the Sanxi Mountain Gate

At that time, the Floating Cloud Sect had even preliminarily agreed on the specific handover time with the Tianxuan Sect of Jiangnan Prefecture, and the person responsible for the negotiations was Zhang He

The one who, as a mere mortal, ultimately established the Mortal Dynasty, the Great Ancestor of the Qin, commanded a formidable army that had triumphed in countless battles

In the absence of sufficient spiritual energy to support the cultivator, they become an invincible existence, rendering even assassination attempts futile

Jiang Mu has announced two appointments. Zhang Aniu and Qin Jin are both part of the group of disciples who entered the sect ten years ago. Due to their outstanding performance, they were accepted as Jiang Mu's direct disciples. Now, both are seventeen years old and have recently established their foundational cultivation.

Zhang Aniu, you are the vice deacon, assisting Cheng Banjin in managing the internal affairs of the sect

Jiang Mu smiled until Cheng Banjin quieted down, yet he did not select the chief protector of the Training Hall from the remaining direct disciples, for he had a better candidate in mind

Suppressing the tears that were about to flow, Jiang Mu masked his emotional change with an exaggerated smile, "Cheng Banjin, from now on, you will be the Chief Steward of the Steward Hall. You— you should give up on your cultivation, but this cannot overshadow your excellence in other areas. If the Floating Cloud Sect can grow stronger in the future, you will undoubtedly be one of the contributors."

At that time, Jiang Mu was planning to use these spirit stones to replace a new foundation for the protective mountain formation of the Floating Cloud Sect, after all, the existing protective mountain formation had already been in place for several thousand years

In their previous life, the two of them would descend the mountain for training next year, and would return to the mountain every year thereafter. However, ten years later, when the spiritual energy tide erupted, they were ambushed and killed by the scoundrels of the cultivation world outside the city of Qin Ge.

Yet, Jiang Mu could not forget another scene in his mind. Facing thousands of people, the stout figure that usually appeared so robust became insignificant. Nevertheless, he still shouted hoarsely to dissuade and intercept, until a shard of ice pierced through his chest

Later, Jiang Mu's second senior brother, Xu Yi, casually took away twenty thousand spirit stones. In fact, Liu Tiezhu, Cheng Banjin, Zhang He, and others were all well aware of this matter. Everyone understood that this was the result of their collective efforts over the past seven years, earning from daily jade mining and refining dark iron. Cheng Banjin and the others, in order to sell the dark iron at a good price, racked their brains and engaged in a battle of wits and courage with the people in the market. Although it was immensely enjoyable, the hardships involved were by no means insignificant.

The advantage of mortals lies in their numbers; a multitude of scattered sand is inconsequential. What is truly to be feared are those soldiers who have traversed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, whose will is resolute and whose killing intent is palpable

But this guy is truly diligent, practicing in the cold of winter and the heat of summer, and he is also responsible for everyone's meals. All the miscellaneous tasks both on and off the mountain are handled by him

Jiang Mu also placed great importance on Zhang He, accepting him as his third direct disciple. Zhang He himself was also determined; in his previous life, in just three years, he would successfully break through to the Golden Core stage at the age of thirty. Achieving the Golden Core stage at thirty is considered a rare gem, not only in Qingge County but also among the five counties in the southern mountains.

Upon hearing the news, Jiang Mu was overwhelmed with grief, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood, filled with endless regret, his heart burning with anguish

Zhang He began his journey twenty years ago and, by the time he left the mountain ten years ago, he was already at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Breaking through to the Golden Core stage was completely within his reach. Both Jiang Mu's senior brother Yao Cheng and second brother Xu Yi held Zhang He in high regard and even considered taking him under their personal guidance. However, they ultimately decided against it due to their own commitments to personal cultivation.

Liu Tiezhu was momentarily taken aback, yet he did not decline. Instead, he stepped forward solemnly and bowed deeply to Jiang Mu, saying, "Disciple accepts the order!"

Afterwards, Zhang He had a fierce argument with Jiang Mu and left in anger

Even if the Great Qin's founding emperor is killed, there will certainly be the founding emperors of the Great Chu and the Great Zhou.

From now on, it is not necessary for the Floating Cloud Sect to descend the mountain for exploration; the best choice is for everyone to unite together

Jiang Mu quietly instructed, her voice very soft, yet her gaze was filled with trust

To speak frankly, we are all direct disciples, and there is no need to work so hard to earn spirit stones. However, who can blame our master for being personally involved and leading by example? It is because we all truly regard the Floating Cloud Sect as our home

Millions of people act as one, orderly and uniform, advancing and retreating with moderation, fearless in the face of death, killing one batch and there is always another, there will always come a moment when your power is exhausted

The world has long suffered from the hardships of those who cultivate immortality

The disciple is present

In the future, it is highly likely that spiritual energy will not be restored, and the era of cultivators will come to an end; even the strongest cultivators will have to become mortals

Cheng Banjin

Do you know where Lao San is?" Jiang Mu asked softly. Lao San refers to his third direct disciple, Zhang He, who is also the most exceptionally talented among all his current disciples.

In this realm of cultivation, it is not the case that the older something is, the better it becomes. This mountain-protecting formation, which dates back thousands of years, has already become obsolete for more than two eras, to the extent that both Zhang and this Golden Core realm cultivator can identify its flaws

The disciple is present

After achieving the Golden Core stage and advancing further, he remained in the sect for another five years. His relationship with the chubby fellow and others was excellent, and they laughed and chatted every day. Together with everyone, he continued to mine jade, refine black iron, tend to spiritual herbs, and nurture spiritual birds and exotic beasts, spending only two to three hours a day on cultivation

Jiang Mu slightly nodded, his gaze falling upon another disciple who was rotund, with a large head and ears, and whose smile resembled that of a pumpkin. This was an orphan he had taken in during his second batch of disciples. He belonged to the category of individuals who were exceptionally dull in their cultivation, yet stubbornly persisted despite hitting a wall. Within the Floating Cloud Sect, he had already squandered thirty years, and this year he was thirty-seven years old, yet he remained at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, unable to establish a foundation.

Iron pillar

After the first blood battle, the demon Zhang was beheaded

Indeed, from now on, I and the Floating Cloud Sect need to recruit more disciples, then expand the mountain gate and replace the protective formation. There are many tasks to attend to, and relying solely on your master is simply not enough. Cheng Banjin, send a letter to the third one to have him return, and also send messages to some of the sect disciples who are struggling outside to see if they are willing to come back to the sect to work

"Master, are you planning to have the third disciple take on the role of the chief trial protector?" At this moment, Cheng Banjin exclaimed in surprise. He had the best relationship with Zhang He, and they were the most peculiar pair among the many disciples of the Floating Cloud Sect. No one could understand why one had the worst aptitude while the other had the best, and what common language they could possibly share.

The characteristic is exceptionally clever, resembling a monkey, which allows him to assist the steady Liu Tiezhu, creating a harmonious balance between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

As your teacher, I apologize to you

This is the entirety of his life

When the heavy corpse fell to the ground with a thud, only his unblinking, wide-open eyes struggled to look over, pale and filled with effort. He must have been thinking about whether his master could avenge him, or perhaps it did not matter if revenge was possible; he simply could not let go of his wife and children.

To a certain extent, although this pumpkin's cultivation is lacking, it is the most important assistant to Jiang Mu in managing the Floating Cloud Sect. Therefore, fifteen years ago, after failing to persuade him to descend the mountain for the ninth time, Jiang Mu simply took him as his direct disciple. Ten years ago, he personally arranged for him to marry a wife, and now he has both a son and a daughter, living a very comfortable life.

However, the mentor he respected the most disappointed him and fled

Before the Great Qin Taizu became the leader of the mortal rebel army, there were countless mortal rebel forces, with no fewer than eight thousand leaders of the righteous army.