Chapter 1440: Welcome Back, Young Sect Master
Xiang Shaoyun spent three days at the Holy Hall, accompanying his wife and child. In the meantime, he sent some people back to the Ziling Sect to inform them of his return. He spent the three days in comfort and warmth, enjoying the pleasure of being with his family.
He gave Tuoba Wan'er the nine-petal glaze flower he had purchased. He also gave her some of his other treasures, hoping to help her reach the Heaven Battling Realm as soon as possible. With the devil invasion starting, one would not have the ability to protect oneself without reaching the Heaven Battling Realm.
Additionally, he also used the primal inception energy to cleanse his son's body. The primal inception energy was the origin of all living beings, carrying an inconceivable power that directly pushed Tuoba Lingtian to the Astral Realm after the cleansing. Moreover, this advancement left no side effects and gave him a strong foundation. For Tuoba Lingtian, this was an incredible starting point. A six-year-old Astral Realm cultivator definitely stood a chance to contend against even the most talented cultivators in existence.
With Tuoba Lingtian's innate earth physique and eight stars, even if he wouldn't be as monstrous as Xiang Shaoyun, he would still have incredible accomplishments in the future. Of course, one's physique might determine one's talent, but talent wasn't everything. There were records of cultivators with only one star reaching an extreme height in the path of cultivation. Thus, someone with eight stars definitely had a high chance to go far in the path of cultivation.
After reaching the Astral Realm, Tuoba Lingtian worked even harder in his cultivation. Instead of spending his time indulging in the pleasures of life like other young masters, his goal was to become a great cultivator like his father. That was a belief Tuoba Wan'er had been brainwashing him with. In his mind, his father was the strongest person in existence.
After three days, Xiang Shaoyun left his wife and child at the Holy Hall and departed. Chaos was coming, and the Holy Hall would be a great refuge from all the incoming chaos. With the Army of Despair, he returned to the Ziling Sect. At his arrival, all the higher-ups of the sect came out to welcome him.
The higher-ups included people such as Purple Lightning Marquis, Scarlet Flame Monarch, Devouring Ghost, Green Ghost, Pang Tongyuan, Old Yao, and Qian Furen. These people had all grown to become the pillars of the sect.
As for the sect's younger generation, the key individuals were Lady Shura, Gong Qinyin, Tian Ji, Yao Qian, and a few other Sovereigns. They were slowly catching up to their seniors. Xiang Shaoyun was also astonished to see Liu Yanran in the Ziling Sect as well. She was currently standing beside Gong Qinyin and Lady Shura.
"Welcome back, young sect master," Devouring Ghost took the lead and greeted. Next, everyone else greeted Xiang Shaoyun as well.
"Welcome back, young sect master!"
The voices reverberated endlessly throughout the Ziling Sect, causing even the sky to shake from the sheer power in the voices. Alongside that greeting, a powerful aura soared into the sky, covering the entire sect in some sort of power. This was a type of power that would only manifest when the entire sect was united. The appearance of this power signified that the Ziling Sect now enjoyed the loyalty of its members. Few would even think of rebelling against the sect anymore.
Xiang Shaoyun could feel the incorporeal power adhering to his body. The power gave him the same sensation as what he felt at the Righteous Buddhist Sect. The righteous aura of the Righteous Buddhist Sect belonged to the temple while the power he felt here—an incorporeal power that had taken the form of a flower—seemed to respond to his will. This was the power of devotion and faith.
A pleased smile formed on Xiang Shaoyun's face as he said, "Well done. All of you have done well!"
His voice spread everywhere, entering deep into their mind, planting encouragement and hope in them. A contented smile formed on all their faces. Ten years ago, Xiang Shaoyun had reclaimed the Ziling Sect. After ten years, the sect had finally achieved full unity, gaining the qualifications to try to advance into a tier-8 organization.
Of course, the presence of Purple Lightning Marquis and Scarlet Flame Monarch played a great role in the sect's current progress. Then again, Xiang Shaoyun had also overestimated the two's roles. Sure, they were invaluable to the sect, but he himself played an even greater role in the sect's progress.
When news spread that he was a devil, he had lost the support of the sect members despite his strength to kill Great Saints. But when the gravekeeper elder made an appearance, everyone learned that Xiang Shaoyun had a lord guardian as his master. He was no longer accused of being a devil, and the Ziling Sect members were filled with excitement to learn of his new status. Their reverence for him grew. Eventually, news of Xiang Shaoyun killing even more Saints and becoming number one on the Saintly Forest Ranking caused the reverence to grow even more.
With that, the Ziling Sect members gained so much sense of belonging and identity that the sect finally formed a flower of incorporeal power unique to the sect, gaining the qualifications to attempt to advance into a tier-8 organization.
The moment Xiang Shaoyun returned, he had the various overseers and disciples rewarded. He also increased the support given to the sect members' cultivation, preparing to further increase their cultivation speed.
After all, he was wealthy enough after digging out an entire mid-grade saint crystal mine and looting the various Saints he had killed. He had more than enough wealth to support the expenses of an entire sect.
Qian Furen had also proved his ability to earn wealth. He had run the sect's business very well, earning the sect a decent amount of wealth. Thus, he was promoted and became an even higher-ranked elder in the sect.
Seated atop the main seat in the grand hall, Xiang Shaoyun looked at the key members seated before him. He sighed and said, "This overlord nearly failed to come back. I feel shameful for that."
"What is there to be ashamed of? Who in this world is capable of taking your life?" said Devouring Ghost.
At present, the sect no longer needed the protection of Purple Lightning Marquis and Scarlet Flame Monarch. Devouring Ghost and Green Ghost would do. Although Devouring Ghost had yet to regain his peak strength, he had still reached late-stage Heaven Battling Realm. Cultivating both yin and yang at the same time, he had incredible combat strength.
As for Green Ghost, he had lived for almost 10,000 years and was a peak Great Saint. In fact, he was only half a step away from becoming a God. If it wasn't for the fact that the Ziling Sect still lacked powerful members, Green Ghost and Devouring Ghost could retire behind the scenes.
"Overlord, you have boundless prospects ahead of you. I believe you will lead the Ziling Sect to greatness," said Pang Tongyuan.
After reconstructing his stars, Pang Tongyuan had reached the Sovereign Realm. He also looked almost 10 years younger than before. His growth was all thanks to the Purple Lightning Marquis, who had also helped the other crippled elders regain their strength.
One person after another spoke out to praise Xiang Shaoyun. Of course, some were merely fawning upon him, but most were praising him sincerely. After all, Xiang Shaoyun was a strong cultivator with a powerful backer to boot. Anyone would have to think carefully before making any moves on him.
"Alright, let's move on to the next topic. I am going to award the sect members who had contributed greatly to the sect," said Xiang Shaoyun.
He then took out a decent amount of treasures, giving them away to Pang Tongyuan, Qian Furen, Old Yao, Tian Ji, and the others. The rewards consisted of top-tier sovereign-grade items and even saint-grade items. Everyone was overjoyed, and their loyalty grew even more.