Chapter 472: Divine Brush Sect Past Events

An old, somewhat dilapidated painting hung on the wall. It depicted the canyon world where Xu Ke and Li Fan had previously hunted the Rift Whale. On the walls of this room, there were at least thirty other scrolls. To Li Fan's surprise, some of the scrolls seemed to be shrouded in a mysterious energy that prevented outsiders from examining them. Even he, as a Fated Xuanbird, could not discern the contents of these paintings.

The Azure Luan flew out of the painting, gently placed Xu Ke on the ground, and then transformed into a wisp of green light, vanishing into his embrace. "Xu Ke is back!" a young cultivator who had been dozing in the room exclaimed, his face lighting up with joy, as he rushed outside shouting. Before long, the already cramped room was instantly flooded with cultivators.

"It's good he's back. He must have successfully found that Rift Whale, right?""The hard times are finally over!""Yeah, once Xu Ke leaves, Lu Ya will probably go back too, right?""He bullies people everywhere just because he has a rare beast! It's outrageous!""Senior Brother Liu, the last time you sparred with Lu Ya, he didn't even summon his Tianwu, and you still got beaten so badly you begged for mercy on the spot?""That was a mistake! If we had another round...""Shh! Lu Ya's here!""Uh..."

The boisterous crowd instantly fell silent. They even voluntarily made way, allowing Lu Ya to walk in smoothly. The yellow-haired Lu Ya, expressionless, paid no attention to the cultivators with their varied expressions around him and walked directly to the sleeping Xu Ke. His gaze lingered on Li Fan for a moment before gently settling on Xu Ke's face. With a gentle wave, he levitated Xu Ke and Li Fan.

He strode out of the room, and a monstrous beast with a tiger's body and a human face appeared instantly. "Is that a Tianwu..." The aura emanating from the beast made Li Fan slightly uncomfortable, and he instinctively burrowed deeper into Xu Ke's hair. The tiger-bodied, human-faced demon let out a roar, and Lu Ya leaped onto its back. The monstrous Tianwu glanced around as if to show off its might before flying into the sky.

"Lu Ya is immensely grateful for the Divine Brush Sect's three years of hospitality!""There will surely be a generous reward in the future. Today, I bid you farewell; there's no need for you to see me off!" Lu Ya cupped his hands and spoke in a clear voice to those below. Without waiting for the Divine Brush Sect's response, he rode the Tianwu and quickly disappeared into the horizon.

"What's he so arrogant about! He's just relying on the might of the Beast Taming Sect!""Heh, Lu Ya's cultivation is already late Nascent Soul stage. With that Tianwu beast, I doubt even our Senior Disciple would be his match.""Indeed, it's our own fault for being uncompetitive. We can't always rely on the elders to step in, can we?""Never mind, the Sect Master's demeanor is even worse than our Senior Disciple's."

Just before leaving, Li Fan faintly heard some discussion from below. Lu Ya, however, paid no mind and continued flying with Xu Ke and the others. The scenery below constantly shifted as they traveled across plains and mountains. After more than twenty days, the surrounding landscape finally began to look familiar. They had already returned to the territory of the Beast Taming Sect.

"Without the white mist barrier, traveling throughout various regions in ancient times was much more convenient." As Li Fan thought this, he vaguely sensed that his journey in the Fallen Immortal Realm was nearing its end. Xu Ke, who had slept the entire journey, was finally woken up by Lu Ya.

"Huh? Senior Brother Lu Ya?" Xu Ke rubbed his eyes drowsily, looked at Lu Ya standing tall and straight before him, his clothes flapping in the wind, and asked with confusion. "Where are we?" Still thinking he was dreaming, Xu Ke looked around again. Li Fan gave him a sharp claw, and Xu Ke instantly sobered up.

"Wow! The Beast Taming Sect! I'm back!" Recognizing the surroundings, Xu Ke excitedly jumped out. A faint smile appeared on Lu Ya's face. He patted Xu Ke's head and asked about his three-year experience of searching for the Rift Whale. Xu Ke naturally poured out his grievances. After comforting and praising him, Lu Ya's expression turned serious as he began to discuss important matters.

"Next, I have an even more important task for you." Hearing that he had just returned and would soon have to leave again, Xu Ke's face instantly fell. However, seeing Lu Ya's solemn expression, Xu Ke still nodded in agreement.

"Senior Brother Lu Ya, what is it?""I need you to go to the Southern Nether and deliver something for me," Lu Ya said in a deep voice."Southern Nether? I think I've heard that somewhere..." Xu Ke scratched his head, and after a moment of thought, enlightened. "Oh! That's the place with lots of demonic beasts, right..."

Li Fan was about to listen closely when he suddenly realized that the surrounding scenery and sounds were becoming blurred. "This..." Even with all the helplessness in his heart, he could not change the rules of the Fallen Immortal Realm. The next moment, after the world spun, Li Fan returned to the Sky Profound Mirror.

"Divine Brush Sect, Southern Nether..." Li Fan recalled what he had seen and heard during his trip to the Fallen Immortal Realm, pondered for a moment, and then began searching in the Sky Profound Mirror.

The Divine Brush Sect was a medium-sized cultivation sect in ancient times. They cultivated through the brush, and it was said that both calligraphy and painting could achieve divine insight. All disciples within the sect were extremely skilled in calligraphy and painting, and there were even legends of them creating living beings through their art. Unfortunately, after several great cataclysms, almost none of their works survived. Even Li Fan, when he was in the Divine Repository Museum, hadn't seen any pieces that had been passed down through the ages.

In the current cultivation world, there are not many records of Divine Brush Sect cultivators. Most of them were unremarkable and unknown figures. Only one former Sect Master of the Divine Brush Sect, Chu Youhong, left a slight mark in history. This person, with a Nascent Soul cultivation, took over the Divine Brush Sect after receiving his predecessor's dying command. Because of his low cultivation level and weak strength, he was often looked down upon by the cultivators within the Divine Brush Sect. However, out of respect for the Sect Master's title, things didn't outwardly get too ugly.

Chu Youhong didn't mind, treating the disciples within the sect amicably, seemingly without any of the Sect Master's usual prestige. Despite this, Chu Youhong did not neglect his duties as Sect Master. He personally handled all matters, big or small, within the sect. Externally, he also maintained good relationships with many surrounding sects. Through his diligent efforts, the Divine Brush Sect recovered from the predicament caused by the sudden death of the previous Sect Master and the lack of new talent among the disciples. Thanks to these achievements, the disciples of the Divine Brush Sect gradually recognized Chu Youhong as their Sect Master.

And when the mortal disciple Chu Youhong took under his wing made rapid progress in cultivation, surpassing his own, his position as Sect Master was then truly secure, as the saying goes, 'a teacher is honored by his disciples.' Everything was steadily improving, and the Divine Brush Sect's future seemed promising. Then, one day, a sudden change occurred. That exceptionally talented disciple, the Divine Brush Sect's Senior Disciple, turned out to be a spy from another sect, the Dot-and-Brush Sect. His goal was the Divine Brush Sect's ultimate treasure, the Sky-Painting Brush. One night, with his internal assistance, the Dot-and-Brush Sect launched a surprise attack on the Divine Brush Sect, which suffered countless casualties, nearly being wiped out.