Chapter 9: The Eighth Seal Dao Ancestor

The ones speaking were two Fourth Seal disciples, questioning a Fifth Seal Divine Soul Master.

Lin Jiufeng kept his consciousness extended and listened quietly. He too wanted to know what scheme the Taishang Sect was cooking up.

The Fifth Seal Divine Soul Master spoke: "If things were as simple as you make them sound, that would be wonderful."

"Is it really that complicated?" one of the Fourth Seal disciples asked, puzzled.

"Come on — we've already lured away Yuhua Sect's disciples and Elders. Right now, from top to bottom, there are only five people left in Yuhua Sect: one Sect Master, three disciples, and one useless old man who's over a hundred years old. What is there to be afraid of?" the other disciple said with contempt.

Lin Jiufeng's consciousness caught those words, and his expression turned peculiar — he realized he was that "useless old man over a hundred years old."

But he wasn't angry. A century of cultivation had given him more than enough composure to brush off a remark like that.

The Fifth Seal Divine Soul Master shook his head. "The others are of no concern, but as long as Yuhua Sect's Sect Master Bai Yunfei remains alive, Yuhua Sect cannot be destroyed."

"Why? He's just a Seventh Seal cultivator. Taishang Sect has plenty of Seventh Seal cultivators too — and Elder Qingshan, who's been besieging Yuhua Sect, is also at the Seventh Seal." The Fourth Seal disciple immediately objected, thoroughly baffled that their entire group had been held in check by a single Bai Yunfei.

The Fifth Seal Divine Soul Master lowered his voice. "Elder Qingshan has crossed blades with Bai Yunfei — just one exchange, and he was completely defeated without being able to fight back at all. Elder Qingshan said that Bai Yunfei has already reached the peak of the Seventh Seal. If we charge in to destroy Yuhua Sect and force Bai Yunfei into a killing frenzy, we'll be the ones who suffer."

Lin Jiufeng raised an eyebrow at those words. He hadn't expected that baby-faced Bai Yunfei to be so formidable.

But thinking about it carefully, it made perfect sense.

After all, Bai Yunfei was hailed alongside Zhou Sheng as a once-in-a-generation genius of Yuhua Sect.

"Even if Bai Yunfei is powerful, he's still only at the Seventh Seal. Taishang Sect has many Eighth Seal Dao Ancestors — why not just send one of them to kill Bai Yunfei and be done with it?" one of the Fourth Seal disciples said.

"Exactly. Once Yuhua Sect is dealt with, we won't have to stand guard here anymore. We can take all of Yuhua Sect's books back with us and continue our cultivation." The other Fourth Seal disciple nodded in agreement.

"Do you think Eighth Seal Dao Ancestors have nothing better to do?" the Fifth Seal Divine Soul Master said irritably.

"Recently, traces of a juvenile Qilin — a divine beast — have appeared in the Million Mountains. All of Taishang Sect's Eighth Seal Dao Ancestors have gone there. Who has time to spare for a tiny Yuhua Sect? If they find the juvenile Qilin, our Taishang Sect can unify the entire Daoist Order, look down upon the world, and stand unrivaled within the realm." The Fifth Seal Divine Soul Master said in a hushed tone.

The two Fourth Seal disciples drew sharp breaths, then grew visibly excited.

Compared to a juvenile divine Qilin, whether Yuhua Sect was destroyed or not was utterly irrelevant.

Lin Jiufeng was also startled.

A juvenile Qilin — a true divine beast. One hadn't appeared in many, many years.

He hadn't expected one to show up now.

"It seems Yuhua Sect hasn't been destroyed yet partly because of this juvenile Qilin's good fortune," Lin Jiufeng thought to himself.

At that moment, the Fifth Seal Divine Soul Master said smugly, "However, a few days ago I received word that one of Taishang Sect's Elders has been in a death-seclusion for a hundred years and has finally broken through to the Eighth Seal, achieving the title of Dao Ancestor. He only needs to stabilize his cultivation level, and then he will come here to destroy Yuhua Sect."

"Really?"

"Taishang Sect has gained yet another Dao Ancestor — congratulations are in order!"

"Yuhua Sect is finally going to be finished. We'll be able to go back to the sect and continue our cultivation."

The two Fourth Seal disciples were overjoyed.

Lin Jiufeng, however, wore an expression as still as deep water. He hadn't expected to hear such alarming news.

Taishang Sect had gained a new Eighth Seal Dao Ancestor, who would come to destroy Yuhua Sect as soon as he stabilized his cultivation.

Could Bai Yunfei hold him off?

Could he break through to the Eighth Seal within that time?

If he couldn't hold on, then a way out would need to be found.

In that instant, Lin Jiufeng's mind churned with a torrent of thoughts.

Then the Fifth Seal Divine Soul Master spoke again: "Alright — keep this news to yourselves. Don't breathe a word of it to anyone. It will take at least half a year for the Eighth Seal Dao Ancestor to stabilize his cultivation. We'll endure another half a year. Understood?"

The two Fourth Seal disciples nodded obediently. Half a year was half a year — now that there was something to look forward to, their hearts were light.

Seeing that they had stopped talking, Lin Jiufeng slowly withdrew his consciousness and returned to his body.

Inside the Canon Pavilion, in his study.

Lin Jiufeng opened his eyes, and the Divine Soul beside him also ended its cultivation and returned within.

Crack, crack.

He rose to his full height, and the sound of bones and tendons popping erupted throughout his body — that was the explosive surge of thirty dragon and thirty elephant units of power.

At the Fifth Seal, this level of strength could only be described as terrifying.

This was not the power of the Flood Dragons and wild elephants of the current age.

This was the power of the True Dragons and Divine Elephants of the ancient Dragon-Elephant Age — a single Divine Elephant could effortlessly flatten an entire mountain peak.

Within the Fifth Seal, Lin Jiufeng was unrivaled.

Even against the Sixth Seal, he dared to fight with everything he had.

But the crisis now facing Yuhua Sect was an Eighth Seal Dao Ancestor who would arrive in half a year.

When that time came, could Bai Yunfei hold him off?

Lin Jiufeng couldn't help but turn his gaze toward the place where Bai Yunfei was in seclusion.

That was Yuhua Sect's Hall of the Sect Master.

Perched high upon a mountain peak, wreathed in clouds and mist, stood a grand hall with a golden roof — like a celestial palace.

Bai Yunfei was inside, in death-seclusion.

His aura was steady and had not changed at all.

Lin Jiufeng had no way of knowing whether Bai Yunfei could break through to the Eighth Seal within half a year.

"I should just focus on cultivating diligently. If I can break through to the Sixth Seal within half a year, then even if I can't defeat an Eighth Seal cultivator, I can still take the three little ones and escape with the vast collection of books here." Lin Jiufeng murmured inwardly.

If he truly couldn't win, the only option was to avoid the blade's edge.

"Sigh... if only I had a few more years. An Eighth Seal Dao Ancestor wouldn't necessarily be unbeatable. But time is too short." Lin Jiufeng sighed.

The Sixth Seal — comprehending the Dao Rhythm.

But how exactly did one comprehend the Dao Rhythm?

Lin Jiufeng was completely at a loss.

He had only just broken through to the Fifth Seal. Even though he had condensed his Divine Soul in one go and even managed to let it leave his body — accomplishing what others spent decades, or even entire lifetimes, trying to achieve — at his core, he had only just broken through to the Fifth Seal.

To comprehend the Dao Rhythm within half a year — how extraordinarily difficult that would be.

Lin Jiufeng felt somewhat restless and vexed, so he simply walked out of his room and into the Canon Pavilion.

Seeing him emerge, the three disciples who had been cultivating immediately gathered around him.

"Senior Uncle, did you break through?"

"Senior Uncle, are you a Fifth Seal Divine Soul Master now?"

"Senior Uncle, you're incredible! A hundred years of accumulation, a single moment of enlightenment — you could practically ascend to the heavens right now!"

The three of them praised him one after another, crowding around Lin Jiufeng with warm familiarity.

After spending so much time together, their bond had grown to feel truly like that of family.

Lin Jiufeng looked at the three lively young ones and laughed heartily. "I broke through — Fifth Seal Divine Soul Master."