CHAPTER 513: CHAPTER 513 COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT

This was a terrifying sight.

A million miles of calamity, clouds dense and pressing low; everyone felt that terrifying oppression. But although the calamity had amassed, there was still no sign of it striking down. Not only that, the power within the calamity seemed to be disappearing. More than two hundred Wuji Sect experts were dumbfounded. The same was true for the powerhouses watching from the outside.

System notification: Devouring Sky Beast growth raised to 12%...

System notification: Devouring Sky Beast growth raised to 13%, granted a millennium of cultivation, reward...

System notification: Host realm elevated to Lord Ninth Heaven.

Chen Pingping smiled slightly, quite relieved. "Well done."

After an hour of devouring, Mao Qiu’s growth reached 13%. Chen Pingping had accumulated 2,800 years of cultivation, his realm repeatedly advanced, stabilizing at the Ninth Heaven, just a step away from entering the Saint Realm. Excellent!

HIC!

Mao Qiu belched. Seemingly drunk and barely able to open its eyes, it swayed as it tried to come over, but halfway there... it fell asleep and, with a THUMP, plummeted to the ground.

Chen Pingping: "..."

「...」

The calamity dissipated, and the sky returned to normal.

Everyone was shocked.

What happened? Why did it suddenly disappear? The calamity? It didn’t strike down after all.

More than two hundred Sect experts stared blankly at the sky until Chen Pingping descended, carrying Mao Qiu.

"What did you do?" Hongxiu regained her senses and asked.

"It’s a long story," Chen Pingping sighed lightly.

"Then take your time explaining."

"No, I don’t want to."

"Then make the long story short." Hongxiu stared at him intently, filled with curiosity and also greatly shaken.

A calamity involving more than two hundred people, covering a million miles, gone just like that.

Is this something a human could achieve?

Everyone was curious, all eyes fixed on Chen Pingping, waiting for his explanation.

But such a thing was inexplicable.

Chen Pingping took a deep breath and said, "I originally wanted to block the arrival of the calamity, to take all the karma upon myself. But unexpectedly, a fearsome senior suddenly emerged from the Void, then opened a Void channel and devoured this terrible calamity."

Everyone: "???"

"Ah... truly fearsome. He also cautioned me not to reveal it. Erm... you mustn’t spread this around," Chen Pingping said with a serious expression.

They were startled.

"Terrifying, truly terrifying. How could there be such a powerful senior? Probably an Emperor Realm powerhouse," Chen Pingping continued, as if recalling with lingering fear. "Oh, right, this matter absolutely must not be revealed. If anyone asks, just say the tribulation failed."

"..."

Obviously, he was lying.

But since Chen Pingping didn’t want to say, they didn’t feel it was appropriate to press further.

The calamity’s end also meant that they had successfully transcended it.

Hongxiu stepped into the realm of Saint King.

The rest were all Lords.

For the currently developing Wuji Sect, this was good news.

However, there was also a fatal weakness.

Although their cultivation had advanced, they hadn’t been cleansed by the tribulation. Their realms were bound to have some instability, and they needed to enter seclusion to consolidate.

Hongxiu projected her Divine Sense, scanning the surroundings, and said, "The power of the City of Extinction is gone."

She was somewhat worried.

Chen Pingping laughed and said, "Don’t worry. You are now a Saint King, and with more than two hundred Lords, our Wuji Sect can be considered a superpower. Moreover, Fairy Valley has already been merged into the Wuji Sect."

Hearing these words, they were stunned for a moment.

They clearly remembered how insignificant they had been when they first entered the Southern Diaspora; to the extent that during the course of their development, Chen Pingping and Hongxiu had even had a quarrel.

Now, in the blink of an eye, they had collectively advanced, becoming a superpower overnight.

Even Fairy Valley, such a formidable entity, had been incorporated into the Wuji Sect by Chen Pingping.

Incredible. What on earth had this guy done?

Hongxiu looked at him with a mix of belief and suspicion. "Really? For real?"

Chen Pingping merely shrugged, offering no explanation.

Soon, the group of powerhouses from Fairy Valley returned...

They sized each other up.

The people of Fairy Valley were shocked by their collective tribulation passage and even more astonished by the talent of this Sect Master (Hongxiu), who had suddenly achieved Tao Verification as a Saint King. It was truly terrifying.

On the other hand, the Wuji Sect members were shocked by the powerhouses of Fairy Valley—more than ten Saint Realm powerhouses.

A scene like this was nearly extinct on the Heaven Martial continent.

Chen Pingping spoke up, "Wang Xiaodao from Fairy Valley, at the Eighth Heaven of the Saint Realm; Elder, at the Sixth Heaven of the Saint Realm; Elder San, at the Fifth Heaven of the Saint Realm; Elder Si..."

He introduced them to Hongxiu one by one.

Then he said, "This is Hongxiu, the current Sect Master of the Wuji Sect, who is now likely at the First Heaven of Saint King. Going forward, she will be reorganizing both Fairy Valley and the Wuji Sect. As for the specifics of the plan, you’ll discuss that amongst yourselves."

"What about me? What about me?" He Yitian ran over. "Big brother, you said you’d give me a position as a Peak Master. You wouldn’t go back on your word, would you?"

"Of course not!" Chen Pingping replied with a smile.

Hongxiu found it hard to remain calm. Having just come out of seclusion, she was met with the sight of more than ten powerful Saint Realm experts waiting for her arrangements.

This... She pulled Chen Pingping aside and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure I can manage them?"

"Yes," Chen Pingping replied. "Fairy Valley shares the same origin as us and won’t resist. Besides, you’re now a Saint King; you have the full capability to handle all of this."

"But," she hesitated.

"No buts." Chen Pingping looked at her. "Be confident."

"What about you?" Hongxiu pressed, watching him closely. "This matter can be big or small, but once it’s decided, the Wuji Sect’s strength will greatly increase. We will be facing the entire Southern Diaspora, even the Nine Heavens... I mean, you would be the best choice for Sect Master."

After all, it was due to Chen Pingping’s efforts that the Wuji Sect had been able to settle in the Southern Diaspora and develop to this stage.

He was the most suitable candidate for the position of Sect Master.

Moreover, Hongxiu feared that if they were to differ in opinions again, her position as Sect Master would be clear, but Chen Pingping’s would be awkward.

It would be to his disadvantage if a dispute arose.

"No," he shook his head. "You just need to retain the Qingfeng lineage. In the rules you set for the Sect, make it clear that Qingfeng stands independent. As for everything else, you handle it."

She understood.

An independent lineage, equal to the Sect.

He would rule over Qingfeng, and she would govern the Sect. Even if they had differences in the future, Chen Pingping could discuss them with her as an equal.

Moreover, an independent Qingfeng could also serve to monitor the Sect’s upper echelons, preventing them from causing trouble, and even oversee her, the Sect Master, against abuse of power and so on.

Hongxiu took a deep breath and then asked, "What’s up with He Yitian? Are you really giving him a position as a Peak Master?"

Chen Pingping replied, "Establish the Refining lineage. The Wuji Sect needs comprehensive development. Naturally, this lineage doesn’t need a lot of space. Just find him a place suitable for Artifact Refining and select some youngsters talented in refining from within the Sect to support him."

"..."

"Also, leave the position of the Alchemy lineage vacant," Chen Pingping added.

"Do you have someone in mind?" Hongxiu asked.

"Yes, but they haven’t been deceived... uh, haven’t arrived yet," Chen Pingping said with a sheepish smile.

HEH, HEH!

Hongxiu rolled her eyes. "Fairy Valley was deceived by you too, right?"

Chen Pingping countered, "Impossible. They fully believe the Wuji Sect has potential, which is why they jumped ship to join us. I couldn’t even stop them if I tried."

"As if it’s my first day knowing you," Hongxiu remarked skeptically. Then she paused and said with a twinkle in her eye, "Should we establish Arrays, seals?"

"Stop right there," Chen Pingping glared at her, knowing what she was up to.

"So stingy," she complained.

"When Li Qi returns, you can consider that," Chen Pingping said.

"You’re willing to let him go?" Hongxiu was surprised. "He’s your only disciple, and moreover, he has the Solar Saint Body!"

"Let me think..." Chen Pingping hesitated.