Just a few days before Jiang Shu came to find Shi Feiyang, Zhu Mei suddenly returned to Golden Whip Cliff on Qingcheng Mountain, and had a conversation with Jiang Shu.

Zen Master Yuanjue and Master Wanshi met their untimely deaths by the Yuan River, shocking the entire Emei Sect!

Back then, Zhuge Jingwo's Dao foundation was destroyed, and it could be said that he was ineffective, lacking in both heart and mana, unable to resist the temptations of the Demon Fox and the schemes of the Demon Dragon.

Later on, Ruan Zheng perished on the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain because he sought to help Master Qian Kang from the City of Perpetual Night, and attempted to avenge Zhuge Jingwo prematurely, ultimately dying at the hands of the possessed Elder Kuzhu.

These two were, after all, juniors. Zen Master Yuanjue and Master Wanshi were seniors, who had followed Master Changmei in cultivation since before the Eastern Jin Dynasty, having gone through several cycles of rebirth.

If nothing went wrong, they both could have fully attained the status of Heavenly Immortal and ascended after proving the Dao in this lifetime!

Ruan Zheng was a disciple of Qi Shuming, and Zhuge Jingwo spent years by Master Changmei's side at Fishing Rock in the East Sea, studying under Master Xuanzhen but learning more on his own, and hence, he managed their past and future lives like his own direct disciples, but the same could not be said for Zen Master Yuanjue and Master Wanshi.

Qi Shuming was refining the Golden Fierce Fire Sword when he stopped, instructed his disciples Zhuge Jingwo and Huang Xuanji to guard the Sword Furnace, and then hurried back to Emei Mountain personally. He also sent messages via Flying Sword to many fellow sect members, urging them to return immediately to Emei to address this matter.

Even Zhu Mei, who had reincarnated and been practicing in the Human World, and Bai Guyi, who had fled overseas to avoid Ling Hun's revenge, had returned.

Among their generation, numerous disciples, the most formidable being the three immortals of the East Sea: Master Xuanzhen, Ascetic Monk, and Qi Shuming. After her reincarnation, Zhu Mei took Crystal Child, a junior brother of Master Changmei, as her master, making her indirectly a disciple of Emei, as well as the Lady Xun Lanyin.

Additionally, Master Can Xia, who pursued cultivation on Pen Peak of Yellow Mountain and took You Tan as his master after Master Changmei. Dragon Slayer, Shen Xiu, studied under the guidance of the Buddhist Xin Ru Nun; both practiced dual cultivation of Buddhism and Daoism.

Each of these people possessed the strength of a Sect Leader, ranking them among the top-tier Sword Immortals.

Next came the "Four Paths and Three Buddhas": Bearded Immortal Li Yuanhua, Tong Yuanqi the Rainbow Racer, True Master Xu Yuantong, Monk of Wind and Fire Wu Yuanzhi, Master Yuan Jing of White Clouds, and Master Yuan Yuan, including Zen Master Yuanjue.

Their names, each containing the character "Yuan," collectively called them the Luofu Seven Immortals. Their cultivation realms were high, their mana not weak, but they tended to focus more on the cultivation of their primordial spirit and physical bodies, lacking somewhat in mana and powerful Magical Treasures, with their overall strength varied greatly, with Master Yuan Jing of White Clouds having the highest overall strength, barely trailing behind the top-tier individuals, ranking as "neck-tier" Sword Immortals.

Those who followed, like Drunkard Daoist and Jian Bingru, were even weaker, certainly not surpassing Zhuge Jingwo.

Under such circumstances, the meeting was primarily lead and decisions made by those "top-tier" members; the Luofu Seven Immortals could offer suggestions, but those who came after could only follow orders and take care of errands as the seniors hammered out the details.

Now gathered together, with brothers and sisters lost, most couldn't hold back their feelings.

Master Can Xia said, "During the two past swordfights, no brother or sister fell. Now, due to a single Evil Dragon, we have lost two comrades—this enmity must be avenged!"

Others echoed this sentiment, especially Monk of Wind and Fire Wu Yuanzhi, who stood up, clenched his fist, and proposed that they all head straight to Yuan River to eliminate the Evil Dragon.

Zen Master Yuanjue had a disciple named Monk Wuxiu, a dark-skinned and sturdy little monk like a tower, who knelt on the ground, wept, and incessantly kowtowed, begging his elders to avenge his master.

Also present as observers were Tian Can from Qingcheng Sect and Zheng Dianxian.

Zheng Dianxian had narrated the events at the beginning of the meeting and then kept silent.

Tian Can had intended to make a final effort; he barely started, "Though Shi Feiyang is undoubtedly of a different kind, he doesn't quite act like an evil outsider. Observing his conduct, one might say he treads a line between righteousness and evil yet within the confines of rules and regulations. We all belong to the Righteous Path, and as the struggle between good and evil intensifies, it is auspicious that he and our sect's Jiang Shu are somewhat connected..."

Suddenly, Dragon Slayer Shen Xiu spoke up, "My name is Dragon Slayer Shen Xiu, and I wield the Dragon Slayer Treasure Saber gifted by my teacher. This Evil Dragon has harmed my junior siblings—this is the greatest connection!"

Tian Can stopped speaking, seeing that no one else objected, knowing it was beyond redemption, he sighed deeply and stood up, then spoke to Qi Shuming, "I've wasted my efforts in vain; indeed, fate cannot be defied. Since it's come to this, please give me the Iron Umbrella to return it.

Originally, I was due to ascend long ago; my delay was solely due to this matter. Estimating that he was tied to the future fortune changing between good and evil, life and death of the major sects of Emei, Qingcheng, Wutai, Hua Mountain, Wudang, and Kunlun, I hoped to defy destiny with determination. Alas, all my efforts have been in vain."

Monk of Wind and Fire Wu Yuanzhi, though dissatisfied, did not directly counter due to respect for his senior, only suggesting, "That Iron Umbrella was originally seized by the Evil Dragon from the Iron Umbrella Daoist. Perhaps it's best to retain it, so we don't have to seek him out, saving us the trouble when demanding his life."

Dissatisfied, Tian Can retorted, "I borrowed the umbrella from Jiang Shu without his permission, believing it to be a righteous act and thus took it without informing him, which already compromises my moral integrity. You seek vengeance on him, but it's not my affair, even if a resolution could have been reached, we should still promptly return it. Since there's absolutely no chance for reconciliation, it should be returned to me immediately, clearing both sides. What you do next—fight or kill—is no longer of any concern to me!"

Wu Yuanzhi was about to speak further when Qi Shuming raised his hand to stop him, letting Master Can Xia take out the umbrella and return it to Tian Can's hands.

Tian Can took the umbrella and did not linger; he immediately returned to Qingcheng Mountain to give it to Jiang Shu, and ascended to the Spiritual Space Immortal Realm a few days later.

The Emei Sect discussed intensely for half a day, and the voice to immediately eliminate Shi Feiyang prevailed. However, the three immortals from the East Sea remained silent throughout, as did the two elders from Song Mountain. Their silence meant that no amount of arguing could resolve the issue. Finally, Master Can Xia asked Qi Shuming what to do, and Qi Shuming pointed out a fact:

"The Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor of the Wutai Sect is refining the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword, Xu Feiniang is refining the Hundred Spirits Immortal-Slaying Sword, and the Fiery Fire Ancestor of the Huashan Sect is refining the Fiery Fire Thunder Sound Sword. A few years ago, the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor had some dealings with that Evil Dragon. If we attack now, the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor will surely bring people from both Wutai and Huashan Sects to help and owe this favor.

By then, the Evil Dragon, who has established the Demon Kingdom in Outer Heaven Divine Mountain by rallying a million demonic beings, will completely lean towards the Wutai Sect. If he sincerely assists, the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword and the Hundred Spirits Immortal-Slaying Sword can be refined in just a few years, and the power of the Fiery Fire Thunder Sound Sword can increase greatly. All the other evil demon flying swords could be rapidly produced as well."

Hearing this, everyone was taken aback and didn't know what to say; the whole cave fell silent for a moment.

As the Sect Leader of the Emei Sect, Qi Shuming was burdened with the responsibility of enhancing the sect's prestige.

In fact, solely in terms of combat strength, the Emei Sect was strong but not excessively so. Only a few top figures really made a difference; most were no stronger than various minor cultivation paths, some even weaker. Except for Master Baiyun, most of the Seven Sages of Luofu couldn't defeat those minor path experts.

The reason why the Emei Sect eventually became the number one Immortal Sect in the Shushan World is mainly due to its management.

Since the generation of the Three Elders of Emei who extensively fostered good relations and accumulated resources and goodwill, Master Changmei was the epitome of success. Many minor path sword immortals owed him favors or were linked through various complicated relationships.

Originally, Qi Shuming did even better than Master Changmei in the original work; he devoted the entire sect's efforts to help all the Earth Immortals on Xuning Island in the South Sea overcome their final tribulation!

Thus, his path became broader, the number of friends increased, and by allying with these friends to focus on defeating enemies, the number of enemies decreased, eventually allowing the Emei Sect to dominate, unmatched by any other sect. Not just one sect, but even all other sects combined couldn't shake the position of the Emei Sect as the leader of ten thousand immortals!

Qi Shuming initially wanted to accept Tian Can's mediation proposal, which was also quite feasible; he said that he would not blame the past for the issues concerning Zhuge Jingwo and Ruan Zheng, essentially facing no resistance.

The reason for not immediately proceeding with the negotiations was also due to many minor reasons, such as the Golden Fierce Fire Sword being in a critical phase of refinement, and concerns about finding a face-saving solution for both parties.

Originally, his plan was for the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor to go to Chi You's Tomb to slay his three corpses and retrieve Chi You's blood and bones, while the Emei Sect would send people to stop them, using the Circulation Hunyuan Umbrella to counteract Sikong Zhan's Geng Jia Yunhua Tianmang Divine Needle. At that time, Zhuge Jingwo would follow Tian Can to return the umbrella.

This way, by using Shi Feiyang's treasure, he could spoil the Wutai Sect's plans. It would push Shi Feiyang further away from the people of Wutai Sect, or even make them enemies, and seize the opportunity to wipe away past grievances...

His plans were good, but unfortunately, man proposes, heaven disposes; another issue arose in the meantime.

With the death of Zen Master Yuanjue and Master Panshi, any possibility for reconciliation vanished, but Qi Shuming still didn't want to fully push Shi Feiyang towards the Wutai Sect.

While others spoke, he silently calculated that if everyone followed the current overwhelming sentiment and attacked now, the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor would surely rush to the rescue. Not only would they fail to kill Shi Feiyang and seek revenge, but it would firmly ally Shi Feiyang with the enemy, which would be greatly disadvantageous for them.

Since his reincarnation, not much time had passed, and he had not yet begun to "operate"; the external support for the Emei Sect was still insufficient. Although the conflict with the Wutai Sect was somewhat in their favor, once Shi Feiyang was pushed over, the Emei Sect would immediately be at a disadvantage, which would be unwise.

Normally, such an analysis of pros and cons should not have been stated by him; someone should have stood up to speak for him, outwardly oppose the "war faction," and then he could come out, take a side, and have the final say.

Unfortunately, the war faction was too strong, and no one spoke for him, so he had to speak up himself.

By saying this, everyone understood that the Sect Leader did not want to act now, so they all fell silent.

Qi Shuming's eyelids drooped, and he glanced sideways at these people, sighing inwardly: None are reliable; I still have to make the decisions myself!

He spoke to Zhu Mei, instructing him to immediately return to the mountain and have a good talk with Jiang Shu. He reminded him that brothers should not always fight and to bring out the spirit of taking on the dao responsibilities for Tian Dou and Ming He, two old ancestors. He also wanted Jiang Shu to meet Shi Feiyang under the pretext of returning the umbrella, saying that the Emei Sect was currently too busy to seek vengeance, and it was vital that Shi Feiyang not be pushed entirely towards the Wutai Sect's side. First, stabilize him, then they could plan slowly.

Zhu Mei returned to Golden Whip Cliff on Qingcheng Mountain, and upon seeing the cave mansion that Shi Feiyang had helped Jiang Shu renovate and redecorate, he was somewhat displeased. He believed his younger apprentice-brother had been influenced by Shi Feiyang and had gone astray.

Shi Feiyang had made the cave mansion too luxurious, adorned with gold, silver, crystal jade, exotic flowers, and rare plants. Although it wasn't as grand and magnificent as a palace, it was extremely exquisite and lavish. He thought his apprentice-brother already had an unstable Dao foundation, and now he had begun to covet external enjoyment, seeking outwardly, valuing material things, which made this life a complete waste!

Thus, as soon as the apprentice-brothers met, they had barely exchanged ten sentences before they began arguing again.

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