Further north from the northern edge of Middle-earth, there are endless yellow sand and Gobi. This place is called the Great Northern Desert by the Middle-earth people, and is also called the Endless Sea of Sand.
Although this place is desolate and remote with a sparse population, it still has many cultivation forces.
The small Taiyi Sect is an inconspicuous one among them.
Just two days ago, Meng Zhang became the new leader of Taiyi Sect.
At this moment, Meng Zhang was sitting cross-legged on the cushion, like a wooden man, motionless, with expressions constantly changing and a myriad of thoughts in his mind.
As the new leader of Taiyi Sect, Meng Zhang had been sitting quietly in the sect's main hall for half a day. As for the various affairs of Taiyi Sect, he didn't want to deal with them at this time.
Anyway, Taiyi Sect is just a small sect the size of a palm, with a small territory and only a dozen disciples. Naturally, there are not many matters that need to be dealt with urgently.
At this moment, in Meng Zhang's mind, the voice, appearance and smile of the former leader, Taoist Xuanling, who was also his mentor and adoptive father, kept appearing in his mind.
When I traveled to this world, this body was still a baby. In the blink of an eye, sixteen years had passed.
Under the care and painstaking cultivation of Taoist Priest Xuanling, Meng Zhang not only completely integrated into this world called Junchen Realm and almost no longer missed life on Earth, but also became a cultivator of the fourth level of Qi Refining.
When Meng Zhang's mentor, Taoist Xuan Ling, was alive, he had told Meng Zhang more than once that a small sect like Taiyi Sect could not accommodate a genius like Meng Zhang.
The Taiyi Sect's heritage was almost lost, and there were not many cultivation resources in the sect. For Meng Zhang, it could not provide any help at all, but instead delayed his practice.
If it weren't for the selfish motives in his heart and his inability to let go of everything in Taiyi Sect, and if it weren't for the hope that Meng Zhang could revive Taiyi Sect, Taoist Xuanling would have sent Meng Zhang to other major sects long ago.
With Meng Zhang's high-grade spiritual roots, even those big sects with golden elixir masters would be eager to get him. As long as Meng Zhang entered the sect, he would definitely be treated as an inner disciple, not to mention a true disciple.
Superior cultivation techniques and sufficient cultivation resources. With Meng Zhang's talent and hard work, he has now at least reached the perfect stage of Qi Refining.
Unfortunately, Taoist Xuanling's extravagant hope of reviving Taiyi Sect and Meng Zhang's feelings for Taoist Xuanling made him stay in Taiyi Sect. Meng Zhang was like an eagle with its wings folded, unable to stretch out, and could only lie dormant for the time being.
A series of ear-piercing quarrels came from outside the hall, getting closer and closer. Meng Zhang, whose thoughts were interrupted, showed an obviously unhappy look on his face.
The door of the hall was pushed open heavily, and two figures stepped into the hall without stopping.
The leader was a burly man in his thirties, with a square face, big ears, and a thick beard. He walked with big steps and had a rough demeanor.
Following behind the big man was an old man with a goatee and a sinister look on his face. His two green bean-sized eyes moved flexibly, and it was obvious that he was a man with complicated thoughts.
He had long ago told his disciples that he was going to commemorate the previous leader in the main hall, and that they should not disturb him unless it was important. However, these two annoying guys clearly did not take his words to heart and barged in so rudely.
After all, he was somewhat concerned about the identities of the two people. Meng Zhang suppressed his unhappiness and greeted them politely but distantly.
"Uncle Zhenling, Brother Fang Meng, I wonder what's the matter that has you rushing in so hastily?"
Seeing Meng Zhang sitting motionless on the cushion, with the posture of a leader, the burly man, Fang Meng, the eldest disciple of Taoist Xuanling, looked unhappy and said stiffly, "Brother Meng Zhang, although our Taiyi Sect is now in decline, it is still a famous and upright sect after all, and we value the order of seniority and distinction between the noble and the humble. You, as the master's junior disciple, have inherited the position of the leader of Taiyi Sect by skipping me, the founding disciple. This is really unbecoming and hard to convince others."
"This is for your own good, and for the future of Taiyi Sect. Junior brother, you should hand over the position of the head of Taiyi Sect."
Faced with such an undisguised attempt to force Fang Meng to abdicate, Meng Zhang was furious. However, considering Fang Meng's rude nature, Meng Zhang was magnanimous and did not bother with him.
More than a month ago, Meng Zhang's master, Taoist Xuanling, the head of Taiyi Sect, was summoned by Shuangfeng Valley to go with many cultivators to defeat a roaming group of sand monsters.
Two days ago, the messenger from Shuangfeng Valley came to Taiyi Sect and brought back the news that Taoist Xuanling had died in battle.
According to Taoist Priest Xuanling's last words, and under the witness of the messenger from Shuangfeng Valley, Meng Zhang, Taoist Priest Xuanling's last disciple, inherited the position of the head of Taiyi Sect.
In front of the Shuangfeng Valley envoy, no one in the sect opposed Meng Zhang's succession to the head of Taiyi Sect, and no one dared to cause trouble. But as soon as the Shuangfeng Valley envoy left, different voices emerged in the sect.
As the founding disciple of Taoist Xuan Ling, Fang Meng always prided himself as the legitimate successor of Taoist Xuan Ling. In his opinion, after Taoist Xuan Ling's death, he should naturally inherit the position of the head of Taiyi Sect.
No one knew when this little junior brother, who usually kept quiet in the sect, had deceived the master and made the master hand over the position of the head of Taiyi Sect to him before his death.
"It's true that the barking dog never bites." Fang Meng cursed in his heart.
Meng Zhang in front of him had no expression on his face and ignored his request at all, which made Fang Meng angry.
"Meng Zhang, how could you have the ability to steal the position of the head of Taiyi Sect? The master must have been old and confused, and he must have lost his mind before he died, so he handed the position of the head to you."
"You can't sit firmly on the position of the leader of Taiyi Sect. Junior brother, you hand over the position of the leader to me. When I become the leader, I will not treat you unfairly." At this point, Fang Meng's tone softened a bit.
"You brainless idiot, you don't even know you're being used as a gun." Meng Zhang cursed in his heart. He was too lazy to say anything more to Fang Meng, so he just said a few words coldly.
"Big Brother, the position of the Sect Leader that I inherited was witnessed by the envoy of Shuangfeng Valley. You have evil intentions and want to fight for the position of Sect Leader. Do you want to disobey the envoy of Shuangfeng Valley, or do you want to oppose Shuangfeng Valley?"
Shuangfeng Valley is the ruler of the surrounding areas. There are many monks in the sect, including many monks in the foundation-building stage, and there are many vassal sects and families under it.
The Taiyi Sect, a small force with only a dozen disciples and not even a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining, is nothing more than an ant in front of Shuangfeng Valley.
Even if Fang Meng had ten times the courage, he would not have the courage to oppose Shuangfenggu.
Of course, although Fang Meng had a bad temper, he was not a fool. He knew in his heart that Meng Zhang was just using the Shuangfeng Valley to pressure him.
Shuangfenggu brought back the last words of Taoist Xuanling and ensured that they were carried out. He had done his utmost. As for the future of Taiyi Sect, most people were too lazy to ask.
After all, there are many small vassal forces like Taiyi Sect within the control of Shuangfeng Valley, and Shuangfeng Valley does not have enough energy to deal with them one by one.
As long as the Taiyi Sect does not rebel and can ensure that the annual offerings are turned in in full, Shuangfenggu will most likely not interfere in the internal affairs of the Taiyi Sect.
However, Shuangfeng Valley was famous after all, which made Fang Meng a little cautious. Moreover, Fang Meng still had some conscience in his heart and was not willing to kill each other with his fellow disciples.
Seeing that Meng Zhang was determined and had no intention of giving in, it was clear that he was determined to become the head of the Taiyi Sect. Fang Meng stopped pestering him and also made up his mind.
"Junior brother, with your ability, if Taiyi Sect falls into your hands, I don't think there will be any future for it. I will not compete with you for the position of the leader, lest others accuse me of bullying you, my junior brother."
"From now on, we will withdraw from Taiyi Sect and have nothing to do with it anymore. Junior brother, you should take care of yourself in the future."
After saying that, Fang Meng didn't say anything more and just turned around and left.
Don't be fooled by Fang Meng's nice words. When it comes to real action, even though he has practiced for many more years, he is not sure of winning against his junior brother Meng Zhang.
Fang Meng was over 30 years old, but he had only reached the fourth level of Qi Refining, while Meng Zhang was only 16 years old, but he also had the fourth level of Qi Refining. Moreover, Meng Zhang practiced the most difficult "Shaoyang Qigong" in Taiyi Sect. In terms of the power of fighting, "Shaoyang Qigong" was even better than the "Yellow Sand Art" practiced by Fang Meng.
Not only was he not sure of defeating Meng Zhang, but he also couldn't suppress Meng Zhang with his status as the eldest senior brother. The hot-tempered Fang Meng was unwilling to be inferior to others, so he actually left Taiyi Sect.
Meng Zhang was too lazy to argue with a rough man like Fang Meng. It was going to rain, and since Fang Meng had made up his mind to leave, Meng Zhang would not try to stop him.
After all, we are all from the same school. It is better to part ways amicably than to kill each other.
After watching Brother Fang Meng leave the hall, Meng Zhang turned his gaze to Taoist Master Zhenling. Compared to Fang Meng, who was hot-tempered and straightforward, Taoist Master Zhenling, this old fox, was the real trouble.
When Meng Zhang's master, Taoist Xuanling, was alive, Taoist Zhenling was a restless person. In order to fight for power and resources for cultivation, Taoist Zhenling often stirred up trouble in Taiyi Sect and fought openly and secretly with Taoist Xuanling.
Taoist Master Zhenling was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and his strength was far inferior to Taoist Master Xuanling, who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining. However, this cunning fellow, relying on various insidious tricks, did cause Taoist Master Xuanling a lot of trouble.
For the sake of stability and unity within the sect, and also to take care of the relationship between fellow disciples, Taoist Priest Xuanling, who had a mild temper and acted like a good old man, not only did not rely on his strength to suppress Taoist Priest Zhenling, but was more tolerant of him.
Taoist Priest Xuanling's kindness did not win Taoist Priest Zhenling's understanding. Instead, it made this guy even more evil in the sect.
When Taoist Xuanling was alive, Taoist Zhenling was very cautious and didn't dare to go too far. Now that Taoist Xuanling has passed away, this guy immediately jumped out to stir up trouble.
Although he was quiet and didn't have close contact with other fellow disciples, Meng Zhang was not a fool. He watched all the things going on in the sect silently. He saw too clearly the little tricks of Taoist Zhenling in secret.
Today, Fang Meng jumped out so eagerly to force the emperor to abdicate. In addition to Fang Meng's own character, the instigation of Taoist Master Zhenling was definitely indispensable.
Since he had seen through the true spirit Taoist, Meng Zhang was too lazy to play along with him, and asked directly: "Uncle Master, what's the important matter that you came to see me for?"
Seeing Fang Meng leave Taiyi Sect in anger, Taoist Master Zhenling was secretly happy in his heart. However, on the surface, he had an expression of deep regret.
"Why is it so? Why is it so? We are all brothers from the same sect. What is there that cannot be solved?..."
After sighing for a long time, Taoist Master Zhenling said to Meng Zhang, "Junior Brother Meng Zhang, although Junior Brother Fang Meng was too impulsive today. However, this small temple of Taiyi Sect is indeed too unfair to you, Junior Brother."
In order to protect Meng Zhang, Taoist Xuan Ling did not tell other people in the sect that Meng Zhang had the talent of a top-grade spiritual root. Other people in the sect only knew that Meng Zhang had a very good talent of a spiritual root, probably a mid-grade spiritual root.
In fact, even if one has a mid-level spiritual root, it is considered very good in the area around Shuangfeng Valley. For example, the spiritual roots of the disciples of Taiyi Sect are basically not very good. Among the low-level spiritual roots, they are all considered to be crooked melons and jujubes.
"Junior Brother Meng Zhang, with your spiritual roots and aptitude, you should indeed have a better future. For example, Senior An who passed by Taiyi Sect last year admired you very much."
The Senior An mentioned by Taoist Master Zhenling is An Lei, the famous head of the An family.
Last year, An Lei, the head of the An family, passed by Taiyi Gate and accidentally discovered Meng Zhang, a talented person. Although he did not see through Meng Zhang's qualifications of a top-grade spiritual root, the potential revealed by Meng Zhang made An Lei love him.
An Lei immediately expressed his intention in front of everyone in Taiyi Sect, saying that he wanted to bring Meng Zhang back to the An family and accept him as his personal disciple, and he could also betroth his beloved daughter to him, so that he would truly become a core disciple of the An family.
Meng Zhang's fate made many people in Taiyi Sect envious. This was a chance encounter from heaven, and he got both money and love.
You know, the Hedong An family has several cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage, and is a large cultivation family at the same level as Shuangfeng Valley.
It is a very common thing in the entire world of cultivation for a small sect like the Taiyi Sect to send outstanding disciples to a big force like the An family.
For Meng Zhang, being able to enter the An family is like a carp leaping over the dragon gate and jumping out of the small pond of Taiyi Sect.
But what no one expected was that Meng Zhang voluntarily gave up this heaven-sent opportunity, politely declined An Lei's invitation, and insisted on staying in Taiyi Sect.
Fortunately, An Lei was magnanimous and had the bearing of a superior, and he did not get angry because of Meng Zhang's refusal. Instead, he left a message that if Meng Zhang ever changed his mind, the An family would welcome him at any time.
After An Lei left, many people in Taiyi Sect laughed at him for being a fool and giving up such a good opportunity in vain. Of course, Meng Zhang's loyalty to his sect and his feelings for his mentor, Taoist Xuanling, were secretly seen by a mysterious existence.
"Junior Brother Meng, you gave up a lot of opportunities because of the relationship between you and Senior Brother Xuanling. Now that Senior Brother has passed away, Taiyi Sect should not be a hindrance to you. With your qualifications and talents, you should have a better future."
"With your potential, if you had a better environment, you would have soared to the sky long ago. It is the Taiyi Sect that has held you back."
"My nephew, your future lies far away..."
Taoist Master Zhenling had an expression that was completely devoted to Meng Zhang, and tried earnestly to persuade him to give up the position of the head of Taiyi Sect and join other larger sects with more promising prospects.
"You talk so nicely, but it's just to monopolize Taiyi Sect's foundation." Meng Zhang secretly criticized Taoist Zhenling.
Seeing through the Taoist Master Zhenling's plan, he expressed his determination after exchanging a few perfunctory words with him.
"Since Master has given me the position of Taiyi Sect's leader, I must be responsible for Taiyi Sect. Unless I die, I will never give up the position of Taiyi Sect's leader."
After saying this, Meng Zhang kept silent and ignored whatever Taoist Zhenling said.
Seeing that Meng Zhang was not moved by his words, Taoist Zhenling spoke for a long time and then left in disappointment.