The Qingyang Patriarch was thoroughly frightened by Shi Feiyang, who was hiding in the shadows, to the point that he knelt on both knees, pleading for his life.

All Shi Feiyang said was, "You may be spared from death, but it's difficult to excuse your crimes! Sever one of your arms yourself and then scram. You are not allowed to set foot in Shu for sixty years!"

As he finished speaking, the Qingyang Sword dropped to the ground in front of the Qingyang Patriarch.

With a "clang," the Immortal Sword hit the ground, ringing sharply.

The Qingyang Patriarch trembled with fear. He wanted to plead further but knew it was hopeless. Cultivators did not take their physical bodies too seriously; what he feared most was what Shi Feiyang had mentioned earlier about being demoted to the Beast Path.

He didn't know what method the other party would use—perhaps sealing his Primordial Spirit in an animal like a pig or a dog, or sealing his Divine Sense and memory and casting him into the womb of a pig or a donkey. All these amounted to the Beast Path. He had heard there was even a way to turn someone into an animal immediately by draping a beast's skin over a person.

If he became a beast and couldn't keep his Divine Sense clear, once he sank into that state, he would have no chance of pursuing Immortal Cultivation again.

Compared to that, losing an arm didn't seem so significant.

He grabbed his Qingyang Sword, which he had cultivated with for over a hundred years, steeled his heart, swung the sword with his opposite hand, and chopped off his own left arm at the shoulder.

Blood spurted wildly, and enduring the severe pain, he said to Shi Feiyang, "Senior, I have done as you commanded and severed my own arm. May I please leave now?"

"Scram!" was all that Shi Feiyang replied.

The Qingyang Patriarch, upon hearing these unceremonious two words, felt as if he had received a great pardon. His mind relaxed, and he dared not say more. Immediately, he merged with his sword, turning into a streak of green light, soaring into the sky and flying directly towards the east.

Shi Feiyang did not stop him, letting him leave.

Because he had already calculated that he would surely seek reinforcements, thereby involving more people and events, ultimately leading to the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor. It was exactly what Shi Feiyang needed to achieve his goal.

Of course, if he had the persistence and wisdom to accept his fate, and upon leaving the Sichuan Basin found somewhere else to covertly cultivate, then that karmic thread would be broken, and Shi Feiyang would use another method.

Once he showed himself in public, the many junior disciples worshiped him in succession. They had only heard of how strong the Emei Sect's Sword Immortals were, but had never imagined them to be this powerful. Without even showing themselves, they made the formidable Qingyang monster submit and kneel for mercy. They genuinely admired and revered Shi Feiyang.

Shi Feiyang knew that the Qingyang Patriarch would certainly return, so he stayed in Qingyang Palace without leaving.

The Qingyang Patriarch really couldn't swallow this grievance.

In his view, he had no enmity with the Emei Sect, and all of it started because of the two bandits from West Sichuan who took refuge in the monastery!

Now his clan had been annihilated, and he had lost an arm, having begged on his knees in front of others, losing all face, while those two bandits from West Sichuan remained unharmed—it was simply unjust!

He flew straight to seek Le Sanguan!

Le Sanguan was startled to see him with one arm severed, bloodied and appearing at his doorstep, knowing that this old thing usually cared a lot about face. When going out, he would always have at least two disciples attending to him, strutting around in pomp. To be in such a sorry state today, there must be a reason, so he quickly invited him in.

The Qingyang Patriarch recounted what had happened in Qingyang Palace, but omitted many details, saying only, "The people from the Emei Sect are shameless! At first, those vulgar brutes bullied the few with the many, attacking my disciples en masse. Later, the elders of their sect ambushed me from the shadows. I was caught off guard, and they severed one of my arms. It's truly hateful!"

He indeed felt both anger and hatred, grinding his teeth so fiercely that they made a grating sound. He had lost a few teeth previously, and now, biting down hard, he began to bleed profusely again—when he talked, blood spurted from the gaps where teeth were missing, spraying onto his beard all over his chest.

Le Sanguan, observing from the side, knew that although this old thing's swordsmanship was not comparable to his own, his various Evil Skills were extremely powerful. For someone to leave him in such disarray, they were certainly not to be trifled with. Chengdu was originally the Emei Sect's territory anyway, and it was possible that many Emei elders were involved this time. It would likely be disadvantageous for him to go.

So he comforted the Qingyang Patriarch, telling him to see the bigger picture and let go, saying, "As the saying goes, even a rotten boat has a few pounds of nails! Although people say that the Emei Sect has shut its doors to avoid the Blood Demon Ancestor and no longer wanders about, who knows what the truth is? After all, we've never seen the Blood Demon Ancestor ourselves... you know, if you endure for a moment, calmness arrives, and if you step back, the sky's the limit..."

He shook his head and wagged his tail, thinking he was speaking sense, but the Qingyang Patriarch was so infuriated that his chest was on fire, and he felt like his lungs were about to explode!

It's because of your disciple that I ended up in this mess! You're too cowardly to seek revenge from the Emei Sect for me, but at the very least, you could thank me and offer some compensation!

Going on and on like this, just telling me to let go and move on—if it weren't for the fact that I've lost an arm and my green bamboo staff, I would definitely fight it out with you!

The Qingyang Patriarch's anger was soaring here as Le Sanguan simply placated him with platitudes. Not to mention compensation, he didn't even offer a word of thanks, acting as if this matter had nothing to do with him.

Just as the Qingyang Patriarch could no longer tolerate it, as the rage in his chest was about to burst forth, Le Sanguan's chief disciple Wang Sen came in to report, "Venerable Zhi Tong of the Wutai Sect has arrived."

Le Sanguan hurriedly got up to welcome him outside.

The Qingyang Patriarch, hearing that someone from the Wutai Sect had come, also put aside his anger and followed out.

Standing outside were five monks, leading them was a man dressed in a patchwork Chan robe made of black and white cloth, designed like a kasaya but oddly crafted and looking rather strange. He appeared to be in his forties, followed by four younger monks.

Zhi Tong, a direct disciple of the great master of the Wutai Sect and a grand-disciple of the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor, had been overseas during the affair of the Star Constellations Sea's sword refining and didn't make it back in time, thus avoiding that catastrophe.

After the event of the Star Constellations Sea, nearly all the disciples of the Wutai Sect were slaughtered, leaving only the remnants scattered outside.

As they gradually returned to the mountain, they found the Wutai Sect had changed beyond recognition. The Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor was nowhere to be seen, supposedly in seclusion, and no one really knew his exact whereabouts. The original second-generation disciples had all died off completely, and Xu Feiniang, who was now unscrupulously in charge of the sect, along with Fang Ying and Yuan Hao, who controlled the sect's laws, made the sect strikingly different from before.

Feeling suffocated by the atmosphere on the mountain, Zhi Tong took the excuse to leave and never returned to Wutai. He forcibly took over a Fayuan Temple and made it his base, taking on disciples and refining magical treasures.

Since the great master Detuo was the first disciple of the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor and didn't think highly of Xu Feiniang, nor did he support her rise to power, Zhi Tong didn't give much consideration to Xu Feiniang either.

From Zhi Tong's perspective, with almost all the Wutai elders gone, and Elder Sikong Zhan, the Mahayana Venerable, spending years away from returning from Dongting Mountain, with no more elders left to check Xu Feiniang's power and the key figure—his master, the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor—rumored to have suffered from cultivation deviation and disappeared without a trace, life or death unknown.

He believed that as the "Longest Descendant," it was only right for him to step forward and take leadership of the sect!

He was simultaneously seeking other "Wutai remnants," recruiting Jianghu heroes, gathering disciples far and wide, and offering incense to the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor, praying for a response from the Ancestor.

After years of effort, he turned Fayuan Temple into a thriving place of worship with a multitude of disciples. Among the more than a hundred monks in the temple, all shared his temperament as Jianghu thieves, with over ten capable of casting Flying Swords.

And indeed, he had managed to summon the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor himself.

One night, the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor suddenly appeared before him, imparting three Daoist books and two magical treasures, instructing him to diligently cultivate and bring glory to the sect.

Zhi Tong was deeply moved and redoubled his efforts in cultivation, making remarkable progress in his Dao level.

Speaking of the horned celestial officer Le Sanguan, he was a fringe Sword Immortal whose dwelling was in the Ba Mountain region, a portal to Sichuan.

Zhi Tong wanted to recruit him under his banner and keep watch over the Emei Sect from nearby.

He was even prepared to one day refine all the Daoist books passed down by his Ancestor and then, as a key assistant, help the Ancestor lead the group of immortals against the Emei Sect in the third swordfight!

Zhi Tong had already exchanged words with Le Sanguan twice, offering him many benefits and three Daoist Techniques, particularly a Sword Refining Technique that was a direct transmission of the Wutai Sect and was far from ordinary.

Le Sanguan was an exceedingly selfish person, accepting any benefits offered to him but utterly unreceptive to giving anything in return.

Zhi Tong had seen through his character and was making one last effort to persuade Le Sanguan—if Le Sanguan agreed, so be it; if not, he was ready to release his Flying Swords and exterminate Le Sanguan's entire following, to vent the anger in his heart!

Regardless of what Le Sanguan thought inside, he showed Zhi Tong great respect on the surface and enthusiastically led them into his cave, instructing his disciples to serve them with the finest tea.

Upon seeing the one-armed Qingyang ancestor, Zhi Tong inquired about his injury.

The Qingyang ancestor briefly repeated the same explanation he had given to Le Sanguan earlier, emphasizing his own lack of guard and the despicable sneak attack by the assailant.

After listening, Zhi Tong slammed his hand on the table, "The Emei Sect's most notorious tactics are outnumbering their foes, bullying the weak and resorting to ambushes and sneak attacks!"

The Qingyang ancestor had a significant reputation among the minor paths, and Zhi Tong thought if he could also bring him into his fold, it would be a substantial boost during future confrontations with Emei in swordfighting.

Moreover, to maintain his own dignity, the Qingyang ancestor played up Shi Feiyang's beating to be a sneak attack and an act of ganging up. For instance, he mentioned the unseen assailant: "Judging by the voice, there should have been two people in front of me, and I sensed one each to the left, right, and behind. They must have launched a five-on-one sneak attack, and it was my fault for being too careless to be caught off guard."

Upon hearing this, and the fact that the Qingyang ancestor had felt the presence of the attackers but couldn't break their Invisibility Technique at the moment, Zhi Tong remarked, "This is just their Shaqing Immortal Skill, nothing remarkable. Our Wutai Sect has specialized techniques to counter their invisibility!"

He administered an Elixir to the Qingyang ancestor to stop the bleeding and replenish Qi, then inquired in detail about the condition of the Qingyang Palace.

Le Sanguan asked from the side, "Master Zhi Tong, everyone is talking about the Emei Sect invoking the wrath of the Blood Demon venerable and they're so scared that they have shut themselves off, not daring to venture out—Is this true or false?"

Zhi Tong knew much more than they did, "The matter is true. That Blood Demon is named Deng Yin, and it happens to be the junior brother of Master Changmei, also making him Qi Shuming's grand-uncle!"

Both Le Sanguan and the Qingyang ancestor were taken aback, "If he's the junior brother of Master Changmei, how then did he fall into the Demon Path and become the Blood Demon?"

Zhi Tong then relayed the tale of Deng Yin to them: "It's true that the Emei Sect has closed its doors; when they occasionally venture out, it's just quick exits and returns. Apart from the Two Old Immortals of the Three Immortals, no one else dares to stray far."

He believed that the Emei Sect, if they did come out, would not be many in number and would definitely not stay out long, maybe having already returned to the mountains.

Leading his men to strike now and annihilate all the subordinate disciples of Emei—and if anyone was willing to surrender, to bring them into the Wutai Sect—would judge the attitude of these two individuals. If they were unwilling to submit, they would be killed too. This would establish his authority in front of others and prepare him for a future confrontation with that base Xu Feiniang!

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