These days, even flying magic treasures have their own styles. Sword cultivators use swords, Buddhist cultivators use copper bowls, cassocks, prayer beads, and some female cultivators use hairpins and lotuses.

It's truly a diverse array, with some even using brushes and ink stones as flying magic treasures to show their elegance. It seems that cultivators are not truly detached from the world. Under the principle that everyone loves beauty, mortals and immortals are not so different.

Qingying and the others were in a hurry to reach the Tianyan Sect. The group of twenty to thirty people, each with their own magic treasures, was truly like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their own powers.

When ordinary people looked up, they could only see twenty to thirty dazzling lights flying overhead, like a rainbow spanning the clear sky, shimmering with flowing light and glittering jade.

Previously, walking on foot, it would take a month to reach the Tianyan Sect. But now, using flying magic treasures, it would only take two hours.

Many cultivation sects choose to be located near mountains and rivers, as that is where spiritual energy is most abundant. Only the Tianyan Sect is unique. This sect is located in the central part of Xiling, even more central than the capital of Xiling.

Back then, the founding grandmaster of Tianyan Sect saw that this place gathered spiritual energy from all directions, situated right on the dragon vein of Xiling, no worse than any sect built on a mountain.

Facts have proven his foresight. In the more than 7,000 years since its founding, Tianyan Sect has developed from a small, inconspicuous sect with little power to the second largest sect in the world today, on par with Shangxuan Sect. Even the ruler of Xiling has to avoid its edge, slightly moving the capital northward, not daring to compete with Tianyan Sect for this precious fengshui spot.

However, it would be wrong to think that because Tianyan Sect is built on a plain, it lacks the precipitous grandeur of other sects. Although the terrain is low, its spirit is not low at all.

When the Shangxuan Sect group was still a good distance away from Tianyan Sect, they saw a building like a sharp blade, piercing straight into the clouds. The glazed tiles on the top reflected golden light under the sun.

Many people had never been here before. Seeing this, they exclaimed in amazement. Qingying laughed and said, "When I came last time, I was the same age as you. At that time, when I saw this pointed top, I was also very curious."

A disciple beside her asked, "Master, what is this pointed tower used for?"

Qingying said, "This is the Patriarch Tower, used to enshrine the past sect leaders of Tianyan Sect. It's not for living in."

Another disciple said, "Building it so high, aren't they afraid of angering the gods of the upper realm?"

Qingying smiled slightly, "It's said that one of their sect leaders successfully ascended to the upper realm."

So they have a backer and connections, and can build such a high tower? How come Shangxuan Sect isn't so impressive? The crowd muttered to themselves, not daring to ask her more.

When they reached the territory of Tianyan Sect, a large expanse of buildings instantly appeared before their eyes, giving a sense of overwhelming shock. A strong and thick spiritual energy came with it, like the momentum of Mount Tai, with a subtle oppressive force, making people feel a bit breathless and pressured. Disciples with weak cultivation hurriedly circulated their own spiritual power to resist.

Unlike Shangxuan Sect which is divided into seven peaks, the buildings of Tianyan Sect are distributed in eight directions, with two plazas, one above and one below in the middle, implying the meaning of the Eight Trigrams and Taiji. The pointed tower they had seen earlier is located right in the center of the Eight Trigrams, surrounded by all the halls, as if ruling over the world, while everything around it is its vassal.

Looking down from mid-air, this shocking feeling is even stronger.

But shock is shock. Inevitably, someone felt disgruntled, "Master, this... this is also intentional by Tianyan Sect? It's too much bullying!"

Although their Shangxuan Sect is the number one sect in the world, they act with modesty and gentleness. At most, they don't allow the use of flying magic treasures at the foot of the mountain. How can Tianyan Sect be so aggressive?

Qingying explained to them, "Tianyan Sect is located above a spiritual vein, with abundant spiritual energy underneath, continuously enveloping the entire sect. They use this advantage, supplemented by formations, to cover the entire barrier over Tianyan Sect, to prevent people from attacking them from the air, especially this pointed tower."

In other words, because this pointed tower is really too beautiful and too big of a target, it's hard to guarantee that someone won't come to destroy it for fame. So the people of Tianyan Sect have no choice but to protect it. But in this way, whenever others come here, they will feel the aggressive momentum of Tianyan Sect, which really doesn't give a good impression.

Qingying had been to Tianyan Sect before. This was the second time. She also had no good feelings about this barrier, feeling that it was a display of Tianyan Sect's might. It's just that she is kind-hearted by nature and won't speak ill of Tianyan Sect in front of her disciples.

"Who goes there?" The voice came from far to near, clear and loud. A young man with a fair and handsome face came riding on a sword.

"We are disciples of Shangxuan Sect, here to attend the sect conference!" A disciple behind Qingying stepped out to take on the responsibility of responding.

"So it's fellow Daoists from Shangxuan Sect. Please forgive us for not welcoming you from afar. The Sect Leader has long instructed us to wait for you. Please!" The other party laughed loudly. Seeing their clothing colors, he understood and took out dozens of small plaques that were neither gold nor jade, handing them to the group. "These are entry and exit tokens. With the tokens, you can freely enter and exit the barrier without restriction. The tokens are also proof of identity, so please don't lose them."

The disciple took the small plaques and distributed them to everyone. Qingying put the small plaque on her body and said, "Is Pavilion Master Fang well?"

Tianyan Sect is divided according to the Eight Trigrams and is also naturally divided into Qian Tian, Kun He, Zhen Yan, Xun Yi, Kan Xin, Li Xiang, Gen Chi, and Dui Qi eight pavilions, each with a pavilion master. The sect master does not belong to the eight pavilions, but commands the eight pavilions.

Unlike Shangxuan Sect, where the seven peaks manage their own internal affairs and the sect master does not interfere, although the eight pavilions of Tianyan Sect are each in charge of punishment, mechanisms and other duties, they all report to the sect master and are uniformly deployed by the sect master.

The eight pavilions have different embroidered patterns on the hem of their clothes to distinguish them based on the different positions of the Eight Trigrams. Qingying saw the Zhen Trigram pattern on his body, so she spoke.

The other party had long seen that Qingying had the highest cultivation among the crowd, so he did not dare to neglect her and said, "The pavilion master is well. May I know the name of the senior, so I can report back."

That Shangxuan Sect disciple said, "This is our Master, Daoist name Qingying Zhenren."

The other party was solemn and respectfully said, "So it's the Yuheng Peak Master. This junior is Song Yi'an, from the Zhen Yan Pavilion."

At this time, he led the group to land on a plaza, which was one of the two plazas in the center of the Eight Trigrams they had seen from mid-air. Even though the white jade stone under their feet was flawless and the Patriarch Tower was still majestic and magnificent, it was no longer as shocking as when they saw it from the sky.

Looking at the square, quite a few sects had already arrived. Many sects, in order to showcase their strength at this sect gathering, spared no effort in sending out their elites. There were also large sects ranked third or fourth, like Qinggu Sect and Wanshan Sect, led by two Nascent Soul cultivators. Looking up at the sky, seven-colored lights flickered one after another, indicating that many people were catching up from behind.

In comparison, a team like Shangxuan Sect, with one Nascent Soul cultivator, two Core Formation cultivators, and more than a dozen low-level cultivators at the Foundation Establishment or even Qi Refining stage, although not shabby, could not be considered formidable.

Moreover, Qingying kept a low profile, so few people knew her. Not to mention Yun Zong and Zhou Yin, two people who had almost never made any waves.

However, as the number one sect in the world, Qingying had a beautiful appearance, dressed in white and looking ethereal. Zhou Yin was indifferent and expressionless, while Yun Zong had an innate proud temperament with restrained arrogance. They were obviously not easy to provoke. As soon as they stood in the crowd, they immediately attracted the majority of gazes.

The square was circular, divided in half in the middle, just like the Taiji symbol of yin and yang. On the north side stood a white jade memorial archway, leading up to a thousand-step staircase. From a distance, one could see at the end of the staircase, towering palaces and pavilions with flowing red pillars. As for the east, west and south sides, there were also arc-shaped steps, but the steps led downwards, leading to various places.

Song Yi'an led them to the white jade memorial archway. At this time, another person walked over. He greeted them, asked the other party to come over, and introduced them to each other. Then, he cupped his hands to Qingying and said, "This disciple, following the orders of my master, invites Senior to Zhen Yan Pavilion for a chat first. The rest of the fellow Daoists will be led by this junior fellow disciple of mine to rest. I wonder what Senior thinks?"

The master of Zhen Yan Pavilion was an old acquaintance from years ago, and they had some friendship. Qingying nodded and said to Yun Zong and the others, "Sorry to trouble you, please take the junior disciples to rest first. If there's anything, we'll talk about it when I return."

The group parted ways. Qingying was invited up the staircase behind the white jade memorial archway, while Yun Zong and the others were led by the two disciples of Tianyan Sect to walk east.

The disciple was called Wei Ran, a cultivator at the early Core Formation stage. Naturally, his status in the sect was not low. He was a bit dissatisfied with the temporary task of being a host.

Seeing a bunch of low-level disciples behind Yun Zong and the others, he thought that Shangxuan Sect, as the number one sect in the world, must have sent the top cultivators. Who knew a bunch of good-for-nothings came instead, so he couldn't help but look down on them.

Little did he know that Qinghe Zhenren, the sect master of Shangxuan Sect, had other plans. Except for Qingying and the other two, the rest were mostly brought with the intention of letting them broaden their horizons and gain experience. Naturally, it was impossible to bring a bunch of high-level cultivators.

Although he had his thoughts, he still had to put on a smile. Wei Ran asked, "Fellow Daoists, Qinggu Sect and other Daoist friends have arrived early. How come Shangxuan Sect only arrived today? Could it be that something delayed you?"

Zhou Yin didn't speak. Yun Zong had no choice but to say, "We encountered demon beasts on the way."

Wei Ran exclaimed and quickly asked, "How did you encounter them?"

Yun Zong recounted the incident at the desert inn, and finally said, "On our way here, we saw that many villages and counties had demon beasts appearing, but they were all dealt with by Tianyan Sect. Your sect's merits are indeed great."

Although he was not good at strategy, he was a top-notch intelligent person. Since he already had suspicions about Tianyan Sect, these words seemed like casual chat, but were actually probing.

However, the meaning was too deep, and Wei Ran definitely couldn't hear it. A pleased expression appeared on his face. "Fellow Daoist praises too much. Exterminating demons is the duty of our kind. This sect gathering is precisely to discuss this matter. Since Shangxuan Sect is unwilling to step forward, we have no choice but to shoulder the heavy responsibility."

It seemed that they were not aware of the situation. Yun Zong gave Zhou Yin a look.

Zhou Yin remained silent. Assuming it was as they guessed, and the appearance of demon beasts was related to Tianyan Sect, this matter must be a top secret. Someone like Wei Ran, although already in the ranks of high-level cultivators, couldn't possibly have access to even a hint of it.

It's just that before leaving the inn last time, he had sent a letter to Zhou Chen, asking him to investigate along this clue. He thought that by now, there should be some leads.

After descending the steps, without walking too far, a large cluster of palaces and buildings stood before their eyes. Although inferior to the main building complex they saw earlier, it was still magnificent.

Carved beams and painted rafters, glazed tiles and gold fragments. If Shangxuan Sect's buildings followed a majestic and grand style, then Tianyan Sect's were dazzling with gold, densely packed, not inferior to the palace of an emperor by the slightest bit. Perhaps only the Nine Heavens Fairy Palace could compare.

Behind them, a red sun slowly rose, and the entire complex seemed to be enveloped in a vast golden light, shining brilliantly, even more sacred and magnificent, stunningly beautiful.

"This really looks like..." A disciple of Shangxuan Sect opened his mouth wide, staring in amazement, and only after a long while did he continue the second half of the sentence. "A giant gold ingot!"

Pfft! That was the sound of others laughing.

All the buildings here were unmatched even in various countries. It had always been something that every member of Tianyan Sect took pride in, and Wei Ran was no exception.

He was waiting for them to praise, saying it was like the Heavenly Palace, which would not be an exaggeration. Unexpectedly, he heard this description, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He fiercely glared at that person. This was still considering Shangxuan Sect's reputation. Otherwise, this little cultivator would have to be dealt with by him.

"This place is called Chaoxia Palace, where Tianyan Sect hosts foreign guests. "The sect master built it so magnificently to show the importance placed on guests," Wei Ran introduced, glancing at them, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile.

Hmph, so what if it's Shangxuan Sect? In the end, Tianyan Sect still has to come out and lead the plan to exterminate the demons!

On both sides and behind the golden Chaoxia Palace that looked like a giant gold ingot, stood independent courtyards. These were the separate residences for foreign guests. Some courtyards accommodated eight people, some four people, some two people, and there were also single-person ones. It all depended on the identity, status, and cultivation level of the other party.

For example, this time, the lower disciples of Shangxuan Sect naturally stayed in the eight-person courtyards, while Zhou Yin stayed together with Yun Zong, and Qingying resided alone. Although it was said to be eight people living together, each person had an independent room, so there was no need to worry about noise.

Everyone was listening to Wei Ran's introduction when suddenly, a golden light appeared at the eaves of the palace.