"The Sect's Cave Heaven Blessed Land is known as 'Heavenly Origin Cave Heaven,' overseen by four Supreme Elders, with an additional thirty-one Elders in seclusion within. All Elders once made meritorious contributions to the Sect, being of fifth-rank, while the Supreme Elders are fourth-rank. Among them, two have previously served as one of the Six Hall Elders."

Encased in a glow like that of the Sun Wheel, Jiang Li was submerged in the pond.

By the pondside, Gongsun Qingyue continued to eloquently describe the state of the Cave Heaven Blessed Land, giving Jiang Li a rough understanding of the Sect's foundation.

Time had shifted from night to day, and the resonance between the Ochre Whip and the Divine Farmer's Cauldron was still unceasing. Jiang Li also took this opportunity to immerse himself in the enlightenment of the fusion of the Three Elements, further honing his own foundation, which is also known as cultivation.

However, his return to the Sect this time was for important matters. Hence, even in the midst of comprehending the two Dao Artifacts, he couldn't help but divert some of his focus to grasp the situation.

"Supreme Elder Gongsun Taicheng is the master of Elder Tian Ji, and also the previous Elder Tian Ji. Elder Tian Ji's stance remains unclear, most likely due to that old geezer. There are also two other old geezers, Gongsun Shou and Cao Yixuan - the former ascended to fourth-rank due to the Sect Leader's assistance and is a staunch supporter of the Sect Leader, while the latter holds a grudge against my master and is now an aide to the Sect Leader."

"These three old geezers are the Sect Leader's left and right hands in controlling the Cave Heaven Blessed Land."

Gongsun Qingyue's words were laden with her personal biases, fully revealing the pettiness characteristic of the Tianxuan Lineage. Even for those who ranked above her, she did not hesitate to call them old geezers.

"It seems Master also had a difficult time back then," Jiang Li replied.

Since the Sect Leader had assumed power, it was impossible not to manage his supporters, especially since he also bore the Gongsun surname, fully qualifying him to recruit people from the Gongsun Family.

Even being the Family Head of Tianxuan, it was impossible for him to unite all the clanspeople's hearts and minds. In the end, the Sect Leader still managed to establish his influence.

"Another Supreme Elder must be the previous Elder Tianxuan, right?" Jiang Li continued, "Among the six elders, only my master and Elder Tian Ji have Dao Fruits unrelated to the Seven Stars."

Elder Tian Ji contains the Dao Fruit of the Chief Marshal of the Orthodox Unity, not the Dao Fruit of Star Lord Lu Cun. Obviously, because Gongsun Taicheng is not yet dead, the Lu Cun Dao Fruit has an owner.

And as for Tianxuan, it may be for the same reason that they house the Dao Fruit of the Deity of the Moon.

"Correct," Gongsun Qingyue nodded, "However, that person is not my ancestral master. As you should know, my master should have succeeded the position of Sect Leader, but due to the sudden rise of Gongsun Qi, he stepped back to take on the role of an elder. And that ancestral uncle of mine who obtained the Fourth Grade Dao Fruit is Lei Zu, unrelated to the Seven Stars."

"Lei Zu, the wife of the Yellow Emperor? Was she the female elder, and was she also from the Gongsun Family?" Jiang Li inquired, "How many members of the Sect hail from the Gongsun Family?"

He hadn't meant much by his question, but upon saying it, a faint coldness crossed Gongsun Qingyue's face.

"Yes. But you might be disappointed, her name isn't Gongsun Yuan Xi."

Gongsun Qingyue indifferently stated, "She and Gongsun Taicheng were the youngest in age among the previous generation of elders. After other elders either passed away or died of old age, she stepped down from her position as one of the Six Hall Elders, but she has not yet exhausted her longevity, nor has she reached the point of being unable to withstand the Five Turbid Evil World, and can still travel outside."

"In recent years, because my master has rarely left the Sect, it is she who has been taking actions on behalf of my master."

Suddenly needled by Gongsun Qingyue, Jiang Li could only pretend not to hear and remain silent. Meanwhile, he couldn't help but contemplate.

They say women's talent for catching cheaters is almost on par with detectives. Today, Jiang Li had witnessed it firsthand; with this level of suspicion, detectives couldn't hold a candle to them.

'Who knows when I'll actually be able to sit down for a proper meal.'

As such a thought flashed through his mind, Jiang Li keenly seized the critical information, "Can Gongsun Taicheng also travel outside?"

But the situation didn't seem to indicate that.

If Gongsun Taicheng were capable of moving outside, why would he have been hiding like a turtle last night?

Gongsun Qingyue simply chuckled in response, "With his profound cultivation, he actually has at least another two hundred years of life, truly not yet decrepit to the point of needing to rely on the Cave Heaven Blessed Land to escape the world, assuming his injuries haven't been aggravated by Evil Qi to a severe extent."

"This individual was initially unwilling to retire and wanted to serve another hundred years as Elder Tian Ji. My master thought this would be too strenuous for the elder and had no choice but to intervene, sending him off to the Cave Heaven Blessed Land for an extended nurture of his aging life."

Truly "respectful" towards his elder.

Jiang Li guessed that such injury to Gongsun Taicheng dismissed at least a hundred years from his lifespan, else there would be no need for him to seek refuge.

As for the other two, if their cultivation were not as high as Gongsun Taicheng, perhaps their lifespan was longer than Gongsun Taicheng's current one, but not by much. These three are all one foot in the grave.

"So, they're waiting for me to enter the Cave Heaven Blessed Land, huh."

That was Jiang Li's assessment.

Three Supreme Elders, three fourth-rank, all wait in the Cave Heaven Blessed Land for Jiang Li, and to acquire the Form Tomb and retrieve the Military God's Five Weapons, he must make a trip there.

"Now let's see if they're in a hurry," Jiang Li said.

Even after entering the Cave Heaven Blessed Land, it would be difficult for the three of them to deal a deadly blow to Jiang Li, as their main objective would ultimately be to confine him.

And now that Jiang Li had obtained the Ochre Whip, his strength was changing day by day, if not skyrocketing, so delaying time would be to his advantage.

However, the situation in Liangzhou was also constantly changing, and when the Sect Leader would break free and return was unknown.

The Supreme Elder was in a hurry, and so was Jiang Li, but he could not afford to show his urgency before his opponents did.

Whoever showed desperation first would be at a disadvantage.

So—

"Wait."

Jiang Li thus spoke and continued to immerse himself in the changes of the Primordial Qi.

His Divine Thought, following the changes of the Dao Fruit Divine Power, merged with his True Qi and penetrated deep into his physical body, down to the essence and microscopic.

Gradually, Jiang Li seemed to see countless tiny particles, each like a sphere, shifting and moving in contraction and expansion.

At the same time, he also observed the microscopic changes of the Qi, sensing the transformation of every bit of True Qi.

"If that's the case…"

Jiang Li directed his Divine Thought down to his Lower Dantian and once again began to divide the Demon Cleansing True Qi, entering the finest detail, deriving the Yin Yang Transformation.

Since obtaining the Demon Cleansing True Qi, Jiang Li had never genuinely derived the methods of the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing True Technique. He could only increase the Demon Cleansing True Qi with Innate Qi, unable to grow it through cultivation.

The true marvel of the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing True Technique was to absorb the Five Vile Qi and transform it into spiritual mechanism; everything else was secondary.

And now, Jiang Li was exploring this very foundation.

For this purpose, he gathered his dispersed thoughts and began to derive with all his might.

Suddenly, the area beside the pond fell silent, save for the continuing sound of water.

Gongsun Qingyue pulled out the Wordless Heavenly Scripture once again, examining the bird-shaped seal characters on it.

After a long while, she let out a soft, faint sigh, "The Dao Fruit is nearing its Perfection... it seems..."

Too fast. Ever since her reunion with Elder Tianxuan, the integration of her Dao Fruit had accelerated by a third compared to before.

This led Gongsun Qingyue to the worst conjecture: perhaps the contact between those two had reached the most intimate level.

Thinking this, Gongsun Qingyue felt she had become a part of the scenery here, her mind blending with the hues of the surrounding plants.

'I must have Xiao Tian watch them even more closely.'

'Hmm? Where's Xiao Tian?'

Gongsun Qingyue realized the red puppy that had been following her was nowhere to be seen.

...

...

"Woo—"

Lying in a thick patch of grass, the red puppy let out a dreamy whine, sound asleep.

In its dreams, a ray of moonlight appeared, casting a graceful silhouette.

Xiao Tian lay there in front of the silhouette, projecting its observations and experiences into the dreamscape.

"It was still discovered, huh…"

A soft, ethereal sigh echoed.

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