The layout of the mortal cultivation world "Nine Heavens and Ten Earths" was actually formed only in the past five hundred years. If there is a dividing line, it would start with the loss of the Zhenyao Tower by the Shu Mountain Sect.

Since the Shu Mountain Sect lost its mountain-sealing artifact and its strongest reliance, its position gradually declined. The position of the number one immortal sect in the mortal world naturally became vacant.

At that time, the most powerful competitors were two: the overseas Penglai Sect and the Tianxing Divine Sect outside the Three Teachings.

The Penglai Sect had been operating overseas for many years, with an ancient lineage, abundant resources, and profound heritage. The Tianxing Divine Sect, on the other hand, was an independent entity outside the Three Teachings, and at its peak, it could even be considered the fourth teaching. It had a unique inheritance of Tianxing techniques, which could be righteous or evil, with various sects.

In order to compete for the position of the leader of the righteous path at that time, both sects made significant expansions and tried to enhance their own strength as much as possible in a short period of time, surpassing each other.

In fact, although people with the aptitude for cultivation were rare, they were not so uncommon. The reason why the major immortal sects have always maintained a small scale is mainly due to resource limitations. Even if you recruit more disciples, it would be meaningless without sufficient resources for cultivation.

In the short term, the expansion war between the two sects was evenly matched. However, as time went on, the disadvantages of the Tianxing Divine Sect became apparent.

The Penglai Sect was rooted overseas with abundant spiritual resources, so the consumption for a period of time was not a problem.

However, the Tianxing Divine Sect did not have such abundant cultivation resources. Within a hundred years, internal competition became intense. Moreover, there was a clear distinction between different lineages within the Tianxing Divine Sect, and the cohesion was not strong. The generation of the Tianxing Sect Master did not have absolute control.

This led to the collapse of the formidable Tianxing Divine Sect without any external attack.

Just by looking at the various sects after the split of the Tianxing Divine Sect, one could imagine how terrifying it was in the beginning.

The Tianshu Pavilion, now one of the Nine Heavens, had a special status. The Tianwang Sect, now one of the Nine Heavens. The Haiwang Sect, now one of the Ten Earths. The Mingwang Sect, now the leader of the demonic path, also fell into the demonic path after the split of the Tianxing Divine Sect.

In addition to these major sects, there were also some scattered minor inheritances, both righteous and evil.

For example, there was the Changgeng Sect, which had caused a great disturbance in the world in the past… The Yinghuo Sect, which was also inclined towards the demonic path… Some hidden inheritances that leaned more towards the demonic path, such as Qisha, Pojun, and Tanlang…

Some of these inheritances are still active in the cultivation world, while some have been lost in the river of history. But who knows when they will resurface again.

…

"Welcome, distinguished guests from Nanguan City, to my humble Penglai Villa. If there is anything unsatisfactory about today's banquet, please let me know and I will make improvements."

Li Zhuangzhu, with a smile on his face, stood on a high platform and welcomed the well-dressed dignitaries in front of him.

Today was a pre-concert banquet held by Xue Lingxue before her performance in Nanguan City. Everyone present was either wealthy or noble. There were dozens of tables set up in the spacious hall, with not many people at each table, leaving plenty of space for people to move around and socialize.

Once this kind of banquet started, regardless of its original purpose, it would quickly deviate and turn into a carnival of socializing.

Chu Liang and Lin Bei looked around and felt a bit puzzled.

Because they were sitting in the seats closest to the stage, they were considered the guests of honor at this banquet. And the name on their seats was Xue Lingxue. Although she wouldn't be sitting here for long, it indicated the importance of this place.

The people sitting next to them were the most prestigious officials in Nanguan City. Although they couldn't name them, judging from the respectful attitude of the people around them, they could guess a thing or two.

If it was based on the reputation of the Shu Mountain, it would be no problem to arrange such seats. But the problem was that they couldn't represent the Shu Mountain at all. Their mission for the Shu Mountain had already been completed. They were just two young people who came to watch the performance. Who knew how they ended up sitting in the center of the stage?

Chu Liang quietly asked Cui Guanshi, "Why did they arrange us in such prominent seats? It's really embarrassing."

"But it was Miss Xue's request." Cui Guanshi smiled and said, "I didn't arrange the seats like this originally, but since Miss Xue said so, I couldn't refuse."

Chu Liang was a little puzzled, but it was too late to change now, so he could only sit down calmly.

While he was asking, Lin Bei had already started drinking with the two middle-aged men next to him. "Uncle Zhang, what official position do you hold? The General in charge? Wow, you have control over the entire city's military power, impressive."

"Old Chen, are you… the chief official of the city? Is your position bigger than the General in charge?"

"Hey hey hey, who am I? I am Lin Bei…"

Chu Liang smiled bitterly. This guy's social skills were truly terrifying. Unless you tied him up, he could strike up a conversation with anyone in the blink of an eye.

Just as they were talking, they heard a voice shouting outside the door, "Young Marquis of Lord Ding Shan's Mansion has arrived!"

Everyone's gaze turned towards the door, and they saw a handsome young man walking in, followed closely by a tall and thin man in black clothes, who seemed to be his bodyguard. The young man was holding a long box in his hand.

This young man was naturally the Young Marquis, and Chu Liang wanted to ask him about Liu Xiaoyu's sister. His seat was naturally also in the first row, not far from Chu Liang.

Upon seeing him, Chu Liang didn't immediately speak up to ask, but instead, he cautiously stared at the man in black.

The tall and thin man in black handed the long box in his hand to the banquet attendant, then turned around and sat down at a seat further back. Immediately after, an attendant announced loudly, "Young Marquis presents Miss Xue with a Sandalwood Eagle ancient zither!"

"Ah—"

The crowd instantly stirred with excitement. This Sandalwood Eagle ancient zither was one of the legendary famous zithers, said to have been lost for many years. It was unexpected that it had been found by Lord Ding Shan's mansion and was now being given to Xue Lingxue as a precious gift.

As a musician who specialized in the art of the zither, one could imagine how much Xue Lingxue loved this instrument.

However, Chu Liang wasn't looking at the zither, but at the man in black. As soon as he appeared, Chu Liang felt the Zhan Hong Sword tremble slightly.

This man in black was shrouded in resentment!

Although the Zhan Hong Sword was eager to act, Chu Liang couldn't just jump up and strike the man with his sword. After all, this situation was different from before; the man had a legitimate identity. Even if he was a bad person, Chu Liang would need to find evidence before taking action. Otherwise, if he killed someone without reason, who would be the bad guy then?

Moreover, he wasn't sure if he could defeat the man in black.

Although the power boost from the Zhan Hong Sword was extremely strong, Chu Liang's own cultivation was limited. After being empowered by the sword, he estimated that his strength would be around the peak of the fifth realm to the early stage of the sixth realm.

The man in black had a profound aura, and Chu Liang couldn't sense it at all. If the man was a strong cultivator in the sixth realm, Chu Liang wouldn't be able to resist him even with the Zhan Hong Sword.

For a moment, this man caught Chu Liang's attention.

At this time, a female musician from the Southern Sound Pavilion who accompanied Xue Lingxue stepped onto the stage and said loudly, "Thank you all for coming today. Sister Xue is preparing backstage. Before the official tour in a few days, she will perform a warm-up piece today."

There was immediate enthusiastic applause from the audience.

The female musician continued, "However, Sister Xue's performance this time requires a partner, and she intends to choose from among you. I wonder if anyone would be willing?"

The voices of "willing" from the audience were endless.

At this moment, the owner of the Li Manor suggested, "Since Young Marquis has just presented this Sandalwood Eagle ancient zither, why not have Miss Xue perform with it? Let us listen to the rhythm of the legendary ancient zither?"

The female musician hesitated for a moment and looked to the side, as she couldn't make the decision for Xue Lingxue.

Immediately after.

Xue Lingxue, dressed in a plain blue-green long dress, calmly stepped onto the stage. She first showed a cold smile to the Young Marquis in the audience and said, "Of course, I am very grateful to Young Marquis for finding this lost heirloom zither… In that case, I would like to invite Chu Liang of the Shu Mountain Sect to assist me in my performance."