"Sigh—"

A gentle breeze blew, slowly dispersing the thick layers of white clouds lingering around the peak of Wanfa Peak, continuing to drift with the wind.

In the distance, on Chonghe Peak, a white crane spread its wings, soaring through the expanse of the sky.

The timing was just right.

The meeting at Taiji Palace had ended, and the various Peak Masters rode white cranes back to their respective peaks. During this time, Lin Qiuxuan had enough opportunity to kill a weak Wild Taoist and a trash True Pill who had lost his Dao Heart and no longer wished to live, before leaving the pond once again.

It should have been like this.

"Sigh sigh—"

Another gust of wind came, and a pure white Immortal Crane appeared in the sky.

"It's best not to let the white crane land; otherwise, it might lose its legs," Qing Yu reminded aloud.

Within Zhenwu Sect, the mounts of other Peak Masters were all red-crowned cranes, the only exception being Su Nu Peak's Peak Master, Xuanzhen, whose mount was a completely white White Crane.

Hearing this, Xuanzhen descended from the White Crane, gliding to a stop half a foot above the ground, her True Qi supporting her body as she slowly moved to Qing Yu's side.

"The scent of blood is thick. Has someone from the Blood Demon Sect infiltrated?" Xuanzhen asked with a frown.

Wanfa Peak was right between Chonghe Peak and Su Nu Peak, giving the Su Nu Peak Master a good reason to linger here.

The stench of blood was extremely thick in this place; if one didn't stop, that would be truly unusual.

"It's not the Blood Demon Sect, it's the Ten Thousand Poison Sect."

Qing Yu's gaze fixed on the poison residue left by Lin Qiuxuan's body, "Ten Thousand Poison Sect, Lin Qiuxuan."

The familiar name made Xuanzhen's delicate brows slightly furrow, "Is it him?"

"Just now, this mountaintop was shrouded in thick mist, cut off from any news," Qing Yu pointed towards the now-dispersed white clouds.

There was no mistake then—it was that person.

Xuanzhen was almost certain of the mastermind behind the scenes.

At Tianzhen Temple in Shu Province, it was Lin Qiuxuan who led people to block Xuanzhen and Xuan Shang. Although the true mastermind behind the scenes had underestimated the strength of Xuanzhen and Xuan Shang, destined for failure—on the surface, if not for Qing Yu's help, Xuan Shang might have been gravely injured.

She glanced around and asked, "Where is Junior Brother Xuanfeng?"

She wasn't worried that Xuanfeng had encountered disaster—if Xuanfeng had been in peril, her nephew Qing Yu wouldn't be standing here so calmly.

"Over there."

Qing Yu sped to where the recliner previously was, knelt down to press his hand on the ground, first neutralizing the poison in the soil, then mobilizing his True Qi, controlling the earth to spit out Xuanfeng, who had been hidden underground for a long time.

Ripples spread out as the sleeping old Taoist was pulled up from the ground by Qing Yu, lying on the cleansed soil.

Qing Yu and Lin Qiuxuan had fought a fierce battle of monumental scale, yet Xuanfeng was still soundly asleep underground, undisturbed by thunder.

"If you were dead, that would spell trouble for me," Qing Yu softly chuckled as he looked at the deeply slumbering Xuanfeng.

Fortunately, he had the foresight to hide Xuanfeng beneath the ground. Otherwise, given the overwhelming spread of Lin Qiuxuan's Blood Soul Sand, Qing Yu would have been forced to stand guard next to Xuanfeng, unable to strike, waiting for reinforcement.

"How did the meeting at the Taiji Palace go?" Qing Yu stood up and asked.

"The Demon Path is resurging..."

Xuanzhen detailed the discussions of each Peak Master in the Taiji Palace.

The Blood Demon Sect and the Heavenly Demon Palace re-emerged in the worldly society, with the Six Demon Sects also becoming restless, some even already making their moves. This did not surprise Qing Yu.

However, Xuanzhen's concluding remark was beyond Qing Yu's expectations.

"The current Heavenly Master Zhang from Dragon Tiger Mountain has sent out a message, calling for all the major Taoist Sects to gather at Dragon Tiger Mountain on the ninth day of the first lunar month to hold a 'Conference on the Great Dao and the Pursuit of Truth,' to discuss how to deal with the resurgent Demon Path."

'A Conference on the Great Dao and the Pursuit of Truth?' Qing Yu pondered silently.

Given the name "Conference on the Great Dao and the Pursuit of Truth," it naturally could not be merely about discussing how to deal with the Demon Path. In fact, such a conference had not been held for nearly four hundred years.

The Conference on the Great Dao and the Pursuit of Truth was about debating the ranking of the Taoist Sects and determining the ownership of the Four Great Taoist Sects.

The Four Great Taoist Sects were not immutable. There are no eternal dynasties in the world, nor are there Sects that never change. Dynasties rise and fall, and Sects naturally wax and wane as well.

The Conference on the Great Dao and the Pursuit of Truth was the only way for the turnover among the Four Great Taoist Sects.

"More than four hundred years ago, Master Feiyu, the Sect Leader of Luo Fu Palace, defeated Master Yang Chong of Chunyang Palace with his sword, making Luo Fu Palace one of the Four Great Taoist Sects. As time passes, Luo Fu Palace must now face the same predicament that Chunyang Palace did back then," Qing Yu remarked reflectively.

Four hundred years ago, Chunyang Palace was in decline, its experts withering away. Luo Fu Palace seized that opportunity to knock Chunyang Palace from their perch during the last Conference on the Great Dao and the Pursuit of Truth, stripping them of their position as one of the Four Great Taoist Sects.

Unexpectedly, four hundred years later, Luo Fu Palace faced similar circumstances, on the brink of repeating the defeat of its former subordinate.

"In the end, Luo Fu Palace is a Sect that rose unexpectedly, lacking the profound depth of heritage compared to other Taoist Sects," Xuanzhen said.

The other three great Taoist Sects, Supreme Taoist Sect, have an unchanging status throughout the ages; since ascending to their position, Dragon Tiger Mountain has not once fallen. Zhenwu Sect lost its position as one of the Four Great Taoist Sects once, but that was two thousand years ago from today.

In such a scenario, the depth of these three Sects' heritage is indeed immense.

At least, the Shadow King dared to attack Luo Fu Palace, severely injuring its Sect Leader and plundering a vast collection of their scriptures and Martial Arts, but he would never dare treat Zhenwu Sect in the same manner.

Even though Xuan Chen greatly offended the Shadow King, there has been no sign of the King attempting to raid Zhenwu Sect and end Xuan Chen's life.

This is the depth of heritage, the underlying strength cultivated by a Sect over a long period.

When the Shadow King dealt with Luo Fu Palace, he also had the thought of picking on the weaker opponent.

'Is this what they call a reversal of fortune after thirty years on one side of the river and then the other? Four hundred years on one side, four hundred on the other?' Qing Yu mused internally.

Luo Fu Palace probably did not anticipate that, having secured their position as one of the four pinnacles of Taoism in the last session, they would have to relinquish it in this round.

If it weren't for the Shadow King's attack that caused heavy losses to Luo Fu Palace, the Sect wouldn't be facing such a crisis now. Given a few more centuries, once their foundation solidified, Luo Fu Palace might have became as immutable as the other three Taoist Sects.

"Actually, how much better off is our Sect now compared to Luo Fu Palace?" Xuanzhen suddenly said, mocking himself.

Zhenwu Sect still had its strength, its heritage intact, but the internal situation within the Sect was far from optimistic. The Sect Leader Faction and the Anti-Sect Leader Faction were at odds, constantly engaged in internal strife.

Now, with the contradictions between the two factions wholly irreconcilable, an eruption seemed imminent. Ultimately, regardless of which faction emerged victorious, Zhenwu Sect's strength was bound to suffer a significant decline.

In the upcoming Conference on the Great Dao and the Pursuit of Truth, the scenario that Luo Fu Palace must face may well be what Zhenwu Sect has to confront next.

Upon hearing this, Qing Yu remained silent on the side.

He did not grow up within Zhenwu Sect and naturally could not experience Xuanzhen's deep sentiment for the Sect. Zhenwu Sect was Xuanzhen's home, not Qing Yu's home, at least not for now. The Zhenwu Sect of today was not Qing Yu's.

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