In this world, any great family or major sect with a long-standing heritage almost invariably possesses what is known as an Inner Council.
The Inner Council enshrines their own Ancestral Patriarchs.
And these Ancestral Patriarchs are, without exception, mostly Wandering Immortals.
Cultivation is difficult; attaining the Dao and becoming an Immortal is even harder. Ascending through celestial metamorphosis is more challenging than reaching the blue heavens. It is no exaggeration to say that those cultivators who can ultimately ascend and become true Immortals are exceedingly rare, not one in ten thousand.
In ancient and even archaic times, failing the Tribulation Crossing meant immediate annihilation, reduced to ashes.
However, as the civilization of cultivation grew increasingly prosperous, with all manner of formations, spirit pills, and magical treasures emerging endlessly, by today's standards, with the aid of such things and the assistance of powerful experts from the sect standing by, even if one fails the tribulation, one can preserve their soul from destruction and keep their Nascent Soul Dharma Aspect condensed and un-scattered.
Although they will never have another chance to attain the Dao and become an Immortal, there is at least one path left to walk: that of the Wandering Immortal.
The path of the Wandering Immortal is also the final destination for most cultivators.
Think about it.
Those who can attain the Dao and become Immortals are said to be one in ten thousand.
Subtracting those unlucky enough to fail their tribulation and be annihilated.
The remainder almost all have no choice but to set foot on the path of the Wandering Immortal.
Yes.
No choice.
Because the path of the Wandering Immortal is not an easy one.
It can be said to be fraught with layer upon layer of calamities, not merely a thousand tribulations, nor merely ten thousand difficulties, but countless, endless. At the very least, since ancient times, no one has ever walked the path of the Wandering Immortal to its end. Many Wandering Immortals have died on the road of tribulation crossing.
The Wandering Immortal path, a road of no return, endless tribulations, withering years.
Even as the years wither, the tribulations of the Wandering Immortal have no end.
A Wandering Immortal is an Immortal, yet not an Immortal.
They may possess Immortal Energy, but that is all. Having failed their tribulation, their Immortal Energy becomes increasingly turbid, the power contained within it scattered and uncondensed. Their strength naturally cannot compare to that of a true Immortal.
Of course.
This is not absolute.
An ordinary Wandering Immortal's cultivation and strength may not be comparable to a true Immortal's.
But as they pass through tribulation after tribulation, their Immortal Energy becomes purer and more powerful.
The path of the Wandering Immortal: each Immortal Tribulation is a mountain, nine Immortal Tribulations are a heaven.
Legend has it that as long as one passes the Ninefold Immortal Tribulation, their cultivation and strength can rival that of a true Immortal.
However.
The Ninefold Immortal Tribulation is easy to speak of, but how many can truly pass it?
One must know that the Immortal Tribulations of a Wandering Immortal become more terrifying and dreadful with each level. The difficulty coefficient of the Ninefold Immortal Tribulation is far greater than that of crossing the tribulation to become an Immortal.
The reason they became Wandering Immortals in the first place was because they failed their tribulation. Having barely recovered their lives, how would they dare to face the Ninefold Immortal Tribulation?
Eight or nine out of ten Wandering Immortals do not dare; they shrink back in fear.
Cang Yun is one such example.
He failed his tribulation and became a Wandering Immortal over two hundred years ago. To this day, he remains merely a one-tribulation Wandering Immortal.
That single tribulation nearly annihilated him; how would he dare to face a second?
He is not alone.
Among the Wandering Immortals present in the Taiji Sect's grand hall today, numbering twenty or thirty, most are like Cang Yun—one or two-tribulation Wandering Immortals. Even the Taiji Sect's few Supreme Elders are only at the third tribulation. Even the current Sect Master of the Taiji Sect, Cang Kong, is merely a four-tribulation Wandering Immortal.
None of them dare to continue cultivating further. If they continue and usher in the next Immortal Tribulation, no one can say for sure if they will pass it safely.
If they stop here, they can still live a carefree and unfettered existence.
If they continue crossing tribulations, failure would mean awaiting annihilation.
The Ancestral Patriarchs enshrined in the Taiji Sect's Inner Council are all old Wandering Immortals who have cultivated for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. The lowest among them are six-tribulation Wandering Immortals, with many at the seventh tribulation. Eight-tribulation Wandering Immortals are not absent, and there are even a few nine-tribulation Wandering Immortals who rival true Immortals. Beyond that, there are a few Ancestral Patriarchs beyond the tenth tribulation, and even some with even more tribulations.
After all, the Taiji Sect has a heritage spanning tens of thousands of years. No matter how difficult the path of the Wandering Immortal is, even though many Ancestral Patriarchs have died on the road of tribulation crossing, a portion of strong-willed Wandering Immortals will inevitably remain in the end.
"Sect Master, in recent years our Taiji Sect's reputation has been declining day by day. This time, even Jun Cai's precious body has been crippled by someone. He is not only my disciple but also a direct disciple of our Taiji Sect. If our Taiji Sect also remains silent on this matter, what will the inner and outer sect disciples think?
Who would still join our Taiji Sect in the future?"
Cang Yun's words garnered agreement from many elders.
Although they were reluctant, they had to admit that the Taiji Sect of today was no longer what it once was. In recent years, while the sect had produced quite a few Heaven's Chosen prodigies and even one Minor Mandate, none had caused a sensation throughout the world. Moreover, since the Southern Dipper Sect gained the support of the Yan Luo Immortal Manor, its power had grown day by day, subtly showing signs of overtaking the Taiji Sect.
The Taiji Sect's reputation had already begun to decline within the Yan Luo Kingdom. If they did not step forward now after their direct disciple was beaten, the sect's reputation would surely plummet.
However.
There were also some elders, like Xu Mu, who did not agree with Cang Yun's stance.
First.
The Taiji Sect had no grievance with the person impersonating the Monarch. Li Jun Cai's injury this time was entirely due to his own willful actions and could not be blamed on others.
This is a case of losing a fight and then seeking retribution.
What if he had won?
Doing so would truly be unbecoming of a major sect's demeanor and would contradict the Taiji Sect's longstanding principles.
That was the first point.
Second.
The person impersonating the Monarch was clearly not someone to be trifled with. He dared to kill a noble son of the Immortal Dynasty and even struck the Fei Yu Cloud Marquis bearing the Human Dao Edict. If he didn't possess some real capability, would he dare to so openly provoke the dignity of the Immortal Dynasty?
Third.
The strength of the impersonator was unfathomable; no one knew its depths. If they reported this matter to the Inner Council Patriarchs and the Patriarchs were not his match, wouldn't the loss to the Taiji Sect be even greater?
Fourth.
And most importantly.
The identity of the man claiming to be the Monarch was unknown.
Who could say for certain he was fake?
What if he was real?
Wouldn't that be a catastrophic disaster for the Taiji Sect?
Furthermore.
The Chi Xiao People's Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant showed him immense reverence and awe. Taking a step back, even if he wasn't the true Chi Xiao Monarch, he must be related to the Monarch.
In this world, any matter or person involved with the Monarch—who could afford to provoke them?
No one could.
There were so many people impersonating the Monarch in the world. Why hadn't the Immortal Dynasty moved to eradicate them?
Did you think the Immortal Dynasty didn't want to?
No!
The Immortal Dynasty was also afraid.
Afraid that among them, there might be one true Chixiao Monarch.
Even the Immortal Dynasty was so wary of the Chi Xiao Monarch; how could a small Taiji Sect dare to provoke him?
Xu Mu argued forcefully, analyzing the pros and cons from multiple angles: "Sect Master, our Taiji Sect's Jun Cai is not the only one injured this time. Disciples from the Southern Dipper Sect, and even the other six great sects of the Four Great Families, have also suffered injuries and disabilities. This is especially true for the Immortal Manor and the Chi Zitou of the Black-hearted Lord. Yet, up to now, none of them have made any move. It seems they share our apprehensions. Since that's the case, why should we take this risk?"