Chapter 145: Fate Is Inexpressibly Wonderful

The "Blue Feather lineage" does not refer to the descendants of Immortal Venerable Blue Feather. Instead, it specifically refers to the vast, deeply entrenched powers that were affiliated with Immortal Venerable Blue Feather.

Immortal Venerable Blue Feather controlled Yuan Dao Province for thousands of years, commanding countless cultivators. They held various crucial positions within the Myriad Immortal Alliance of Yuan Dao Province. Although Immortal Venerable Blue Feather has now fallen, the Blue Feather lineage remains too powerful to collapse. It still wields absolute authority, unchallenged by outsiders.

However, while there were no external challengers, the Blue Feather lineage first descended into internal chaos. The reason was simple: everyone wanted to be the leader. When Immortal Venerable Blue Feather was alive, everyone naturally deferred to him. But with his demise, the various factions within the Blue Feather lineage refused to submit to each other. They engaged in fierce battles to seize leadership, resulting in the death of even one Soul Transformation cultivator. The number of Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators who perished was countless.

The other forces in Yuan Dao Province observed the internal strife within the Blue Feather lineage. Seeing them leaderless and weakened, these forces began to entertain their own ambitions. They secretly formed alliances and took advantage of the chaos to carve up the Blue Feather lineage's territory. In particular, lucrative positions such as the Supervisor of the Formation Strategy Hall and the Procurement Officer of the Talisman Hall were forcibly seized by them.

Only after losing a significant portion of their assets did the Blue Feather lineage awaken to the danger. The various factions finally agreed to sit down and negotiate. After deliberation, they decided that whoever obtained the "Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Art" would be recognized as their leader. Originally, since everyone was at the Soul Transformation stage, simply being the strongest fighter wouldn't command respect. Factors like personal connections and controlled resources also needed to be considered.

However, under increasing external pressure, the Blue Feather factions urgently needed to end their internal discord and elect a leader. Immortal Venerable Blue Feather's legacy thus became a universally accepted criterion. A true Dao-Merging cultivation art was inherently invaluable. Moreover, it now served as the "dragon head staff" – the symbol of leadership – for the Blue Feather lineage. The intensity of the struggle for it was therefore unimaginable.

Seven years passed, yet no ultimate winner had emerged. Two unparalleled prodigies, of nearly equal strength, found it difficult to determine a victor. One was named Dugu Xi, and the other Dugu Shi. Both were Soul Transformation cultivators, a pair of twin brothers adopted by Immortal Venerable Blue Feather over five hundred years ago. Exceptionally gifted, they both achieved the Soul Transformation realm within those five centuries. Despite countless cultivators vying for the "Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Art" in this intense struggle, these two brothers were the ones who remained.

However, when it came to a true Dao-Merging cultivation art, even blood brothers could not yield. These two had fought over a dozen times in recent years, yet no victor had been decided. Conflicts between Soul Transformation cultivators were already extremely rare, let alone between top masters like the Dugu brothers. Therefore, each of their contests attracted countless cultivators who came to observe.

After listening to Feng Shu's introduction, Li Fan slowly nodded.

"When I arrived, I saw two groups fighting fiercely over what appeared to be Blue Feather's relics from a distance," Li Fan said. "What exactly are these Blue Feather's relics?" Feng Mu explained, "Before Immortal Venerable Blue Feather fell, he not only designated the inheritance of his cultivation art but also placed all his personal belongings into small blue boxes. These boxes were then scattered across various locations in Yuan Dao Province, left for those who were fated to find them."

"These small blue boxes are what people call Blue Feather's relics," Feng Mu continued. "Although they are legacies from an Immortal Venerable, the items inside are all-encompassing; there's a bit of everything. It could be an extremely powerful magical artifact, or it could be an ordinary jade pendant." Feng Mu lamented, "After all, these are external possessions, far less valuable than a true Dao-Merging cultivation art. Therefore, they haven't garnered as much attention as the 'Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Art.' But they still caused a great deal of bloodshed."

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the location where Dugu Xi and Dugu Shi were battling. It was a circular white jade structure suspended in the sky, known as the Heavenly Capital Martial Arena. Legend had it that Immortal Venerable Blue Feather personally constructed it as a place for his subordinates to spar. When combatants entered, the white jade would become transparent, projecting the scene within the arena onto the sky, allowing cultivators outside to clearly witness everything unfolding inside.

The arena was a self-contained space, incredibly sturdy. Soul Transformation cultivators could unleash their full power without restraint, without worrying about causing destruction. After a match concluded, the white jade would emit a pure white light, quickly healing both combatants' injuries. Every function was designed for martial arts practice.

By now, countless cultivators had gathered around the Heavenly Capital Martial Arena to watch. They craned their necks, pointed, and conversed among themselves. Above, the battle between the Dugu brothers filled a large portion of the sky. "The one in white is Dugu Xi, and the one in black is Dugu Shi," Feng Mu explained to Li Fan, knowing it was his first time there.

Li Fan looked on from a distance, seeing their figures intertwine, only vaguely discerning two black and white threads entangled with each other. Each collision generated a strange, twisted vortex. After a brief moment, the vortices would slowly subside. However, as the Dugu brothers continued their exchange, the vortices within the Heavenly Capital Martial Arena were constant, like an extremely perilous body of water.

Compared to the crude and straightforward battles between Soul Transformation cultivators in Congyun Sea that he had witnessed before, the Dugu brothers' fight appeared somewhat more abstract. Yet, gradually, Li Fan began to discern some patterns. Dugu Xi adopted a defensive yet offensive strategy, excelling in both offense and defense. Dugu Shi, on the other hand, was full of sharp intent and extremely aggressive. Their strengths were similar, and they likely knew each other's styles very well. No wonder they had fought so many matches without a decisive outcome.

High in the sky, the fierce battle raged on. The cultivators below watched with great interest. As Li Fan observed, he noticed Feng Mu beside him suddenly look peculiar. Just as he wondered why, a conversation slowly drifted into his ears.

"Born of the same mother, they should love each other, yet now they're fighting each other over a cultivation art. Sigh, even though they are Soul Transformation experts, I look down on them!"

"Brother, you jest," another voice replied. "That's a true Dao-Merging art. How could its preciousness be measured by us mere Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

"So what if it's a Dao-Merging art? Is it the only one in the world? We sworn brothers can yield to each other. Why can't real brothers do the same?"

"Heh..."

"Brother, what's that expression? Don't worry, if we ever discover a cultivation art at the same time, no matter how precious it is, I will definitely hand it to you first and not fight you for it!"

These words were spoken with such righteous conviction that they made onlookers turn their heads in admiration. Li Fan also felt a faint familiarity in their conversation. He immediately looked in the direction of the voices. Upon clearly seeing the two individuals, even Li Fan, with his usual composure, couldn't help but chuckle. It turned out these two were old acquaintances of Li Fan: Kou Hong! And Dao Xuanzi!

"They met nearly twenty years earlier in this life," Li Fan mused, unable to suppress a sigh of emotion. "Indeed... fate is wondrous."