The figure of an immortal emperor frightened the hidden ancestors.

On the contrary, it didn’t affect Divine Black. The sect had very few people capable of seeing past the firmament. Ordinary disciples didn’t see the figure at all.

Ping Suoweng was one of them, the only member of Divine Black at the sacred level. The mantra of the emperor also echoed in his ears.

The top masters in the different sects had no idea why the emperor chose to appear and left behind these words. They assumed that it was just a coincidence or a sign of a treasury.

Ping Suoweng was different. He knew that the figure appeared because of the beam emanating from the ancestral peak. The culprit was Li Qiye.

He became worried, evident by his furrowed brows, and fell into contemplation. He knew many secrets about his sect, especially those relating to the ancestral peak.

He didn’t have all the details but he knew that the sect was connected to a grand vein, perhaps the best one in all of West King.

The direct benefits weren’t clear by this point but if people were to know about this connection, Divine Black would be viewed as a fat piece of meat.

The entrance was definitely on the peak. He just didn’t know if it was open or not.

The beam told him that this should be the case. “Ancestral source” from the mantra was a big clue. This should pertain to the portal and the grand vein.

Others would go crazy after finding out that their sect had a portal leading to the “ancestral source”. This could lead to an expedition resulting in their sect’s demise.

He has been worrying about something like this all along. Now, it seemed like it would happen during his watch. This left him with a heavy heart.

“It's inevitable.” He murmured. After a while, he looked at the peak and said: “Maybe one more miracle? Or the consequence would be unimaginable.”

He knew that he couldn’t fight the incoming struggle alone. His sect couldn’t either. The coalition would be far beyond his abilities. This would end with him being a sinner for failing to stop this development.

Thus, he thought about one person - Li Qiye. This guy might be the only person who could save Divine Black.

Others might think that he was crazy for having this thought or that he was at his wit’s end, desperate for anything. However, he was serious.

Li Qiye seemed to be an ordinary disciple in the Iron Skin realm. How could he save Divine Black?

Suoweng didn’t agree. Li Qiye had performed numerous miracles. The first time might be attributed to luck. The same with the second. However, three times?

“Why is he here?” He asked himself this question.

He didn’t know who Li Qiye was or his reason for being here. This guy turned down the weapons in the pit. Even dao lord weapons didn’t matter to him. Therefore, nothing in Divine Black should matter.

***

“He’s coming down, over there.” Many disciples were paying attention to the ancestral peak and saw a descending figure.

“He really did it…” Some said with admiration.

“He has to be the number one in our sect now, no one else can climb up there.” One said with disbelief. Not even their sect master could do this.

The disdain from the past has turned into admiration. Thus, they all made way for him.

He didn’t possess an invincible aura during this leisure stroll. Nonetheless, even the protectors and elders got out of his way. Some disciples even lowered their head and kept quiet until he was gone.

“What did he get in there? A peerless imperial weapon from the legends?” One disciple speculated.

“Maybe an immortal medicinal root. Eating it can turn someone into a heavenly sovereign overnight.” Another murmured.

“That’s a thing?” A new disciple rolled his eyes.

“Yes, there are tales about it.” The speaker earlier wasn’t confident.

“Maybe something even more incredible…”

Numerous disciples talked about this matter and wondered what he got from the peak.

He became the ultimate member of their sect, the number one of the young generation. Gong Qianyue herself was overshadowed.

Huang Ning and Zhan Hu were all but forgotten. Very few talked about these two, much to their annoyance. Their animosity towards Li Qiye grew.

Meanwhile, the five peaks have started picking disciples from Jade Bird. With the exception of those chosen to stay, the other exceptional disciples were taken away.

The ones who were picked were ecstatic. Those who didn’t make the cut became dejected. They could only wait until the next examination.

The children from Liu Village went to Eight Zhang Peak. Many were envious since they were so new.

Lu Daowei was chosen by Thousand Demons. He was ecstatic as well.

After a while, people realized that one person hasn’t been picked - Li Qiye.

“No main peak wants him?” This puzzled the crowd.

After all, he was the hottest disciple in the sect right now. How could those peaks not want him?

“Maybe Jade Bird took him first?” One said.

“No chance for Furious Tiger Peak, Thousand Demons, not likely either. It’ll be either Eight Zhang or South Conch. I think it’s Eight Zhang.” A human disciple said.

This was reasonable because Li Qiye had an ongoing feud with Furios Tiger. As for Thousand Demons, it was a place for demons. Plus, Huang Ning was from there too.

Eight Zhang should be the obvious choice because Mountainbearer King helped him during the conflict.

“Buzz.” South Conch Peak suddenly became radiant. This interrupted their speculation.