"Junior Brother Zhang, you must not fall into the Yi family's trap. They're clearly trying to force you down the mountain." Zhao Zhijing's face was ashen.

He looked at Zhang Zhijing, fearing that his naturally gifted Taoist Junior Brother might draw his sword and descend the mountain in a fit of rage.

Zhang Zhijing sat on the throne made of exotic iron in Bright Moon Hall. There were six iron thrones in total, with the Hall Master at the head, followed by the five major First Seats.

Now, except for Chu Zhihe, the other four were all present.

Zhao Zhijing and Han Zhishen both looked worried. Chu Zhihe's status was too sensitive, affecting not only their candidate for the next Sect Leader but also involving the two First Seat Elders.

But at this moment, in this hall, no one dared mention Chu Zhihe to Qi Zhiyuan, who sat in silence, his hair turned white, and wrinkles etched onto his face overnight.

After all, his position was neither proper nor justified.

No matter what, Zhang Zhijing was still Chu Zhihe's Tao Companion, and they shared a son, Chu Tiange.

"Rest assured, I will not descend the mountain."

As soon as these words were spoken, the other three people present were slightly taken aback.

Zhang Zhijing's expression was as calm as an ancient well, showing no hint of joy or anger, as if everything that had transpired was unrelated to him, and even the reason behind going down the mountain with another young man could not sway him.

"The Qinghe Sword is broken; there is no longer any connection between Chu Zhihe and me. I have already submitted the necessary documentation to the Ministry of Affairs to formally dissolve the Tao Companion relationship between us in the Sect's records."

As soon as this statement was made, everyone present was stunned.

Zhao Zhijing and Han Zhishen exchanged glances, their expressions slightly shocked.

They hadn't expected Zhang Zhijing to utter such heartless words, considering they were Tao Companions and spouses for decades with a shared son.

Now, anyone with discernment could see that Chu Zhihe was being manipulated. As a distinguished First Seat Elder, how could she endure such a great humiliation by a junior?

Yet Zhang Zhijing ignored his Tao Companion's plight, allowing her to be manipulated and abused, indifferent to her elopement with another young man down the mountain.

"Senior Brother Zhang's disposition is too heartless," Han Zhishen thought to himself, his gaze subtly changing when looking at Zhang Zhijing.

However, this was ultimately a matter between husband and wife, and since Zhang Zhijing himself was unwilling to descend the mountain, others had even less right to comment. After all, the Sect Leader had already ordered a lockdown of the mountain; anyone daring to defy it now would face terrible consequences.

The entire hall suddenly fell into an awkward silence.

"If there's nothing else, I'll return to practice," Zhang Zhijing said, breaking the tense atmosphere in the hall, slowly standing up, his Tao Rhyme growing increasingly ethereal.

As he left the hall, Qi Zhiyuan also stood up silently, his once grey hair appearing even dimmer and more disheveled, especially the wrinkles on his face made him look decades older overnight.

Watching his somewhat desolate and lonely figure walk towards the door of the hall, Han Zhishen called out somewhat unwillingly, "Senior Brother Qi..."

But Qi Zhiyuan did not look back, continuing to walk out of the hall step by step.

"Ah, it's unfortunate karma!" Zhao Zhijing sighed deeply.

"Senior Brother, should we inform the Hall Master? I feel like more and more things have been happening lately, and the atmosphere feels unsettling, like a storm is about to come." Han Zhishen said, his tone somewhat suppressed.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Zhijing said, "I will report everything that's happened recently to the Hall Master through Talisman."

"Alright!" Han Zhishen agreed, and the hall fell into a long silence once more.

...

After Qi Zhiyuan walked out of the hall, he did not head towards his residence but instead walked step by step in the direction of the mountain base.

At first, no one noticed his movements, but as he got closer to the mountain gate, someone finally realized what was happening.

"Could Elder Qi be thinking of descending the mountain?"

"This... is definitely in the direction of the gate. Has he lost his mind?"

"The Sect Leader has just ordered a lockdown. Anyone attempting to descend the mountain at this time will be considered a traitor to the Sect. Is Elder Qi courting death?"

The news of Qi Zhiyuan's descent quickly spread, attracting a lot of attention, even bringing many elders and disciples over.

The number of people following behind Qi Zhiyuan grew, but there was a cold aura about him that warned to keep strangers at bay. Even those who wanted to persuade him could not help but fall silent.

At this moment, two streams of light crossed the sky above, swiftly covering the vast distance and landing directly in front of Qi Zhiyuan.

"Senior Brother Qi, don't be impulsive." The light dispersed to reveal the figures of Han Zhishen and Zhao Zhijing.

But Qi Zhiyuan acted as though he didn't see them, continuing to head towards the mountain gate without a word.

He used no magic, just walked step by step out of the mountain gate, as if wanting everyone to witness.

"Senior Brother, what's the point?" Han Zhishen said anxiously, "If you want to save Senior Sister Chu, we can come up with a plan together, why do this?"

"Besides, Senior Brother Zhao has already informed the Hall Master, she will stand by you, why not come back with us?"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Qi Zhiyuan.

However, when he touched Qi Zhiyuan, he felt as if stung by a scorpion, his arm jerked back violently, and he staggered back five steps.

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