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The red light enveloped the area, and the overwhelming sense of power made Li Hong's hair stand on end.
Previously in a state of grief and confusion, Li Hong finally gathered his spirits at this moment, lifting Ling Yi Zi high into the air, and in an instant, their bodies floated out of the hall.
Chengxian Pavilion was divided into two wings, separated by the central columned hall. The entire left wing of the twenty-eight floors was the residence of the Sect Leader, a crucial area within Nine Separation Peak. Inside, there was a secret chamber containing secrets known only to the Sect Leader.
Ling Xuzi had been unexpectedly killed by Yandao Demon Lord. It seemed he had set up the overall Restrictions before appearing before everyone. Shortly after Ling Xuzi's passing, the overall Restrictions of Chengxian Pavilion automatically vanished, allowing everyone to come and go freely. However, all Restrictions in The Abode of the Sect Leader on the Twenty-Eighth Floor remained active; all windows were still covered with Mysterious Iron plates, and the Black Jade Dragon and Phoenix Sealing Stone Beast continued to guard the entrance.
Now, the Dragon and Phoenix Stone Beast had detected someone approaching the door and was preparing to attack.
In the outer hall of Crimson Gate, many neatly arranged White Jade Pillars reflected off the white jade floor, shining brightly. At the top of the hall, among several arched columns in the ceiling, two large black figures stood motionless above. The bright, mirror-like white jade floor clearly reflected their terrifyingly massive forms.
Unlike their previous stone-carved sizes, they had grown significantly larger. Their bodies remained Black Jade Color but emitted a strange dark red glow from within. This glow seemed related to their energy source; ever since they were activated and began emitting red light, an extremely powerful force radiated from deep within them, giving off an impression akin to living dragons and phoenixes. Strangely enough, their chests rose and fell as if breathing, and even their eyes were no longer cold and hard stone but shone with a distinct intelligence as if they were contemplating.
They perched near Crimson Gate; anyone who approached would trigger their attack.
Observing them, Li Hong couldn't help but admire the Ancient God's ingenuity. He wondered what methods were used to craft cold stone into something resembling living beings; most frighteningly, their attacking power was comparable. No one could pass through them; Black Abyss and Yin Li'er were prime examples.
"Try summoning Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade and approach; perhaps they only recognize Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade," Ling Yi Zi suggested cautiously while watching the dragon and phoenix above the columns.
Since Ling Xuzi's passing, Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade seemed to have vanished along with him, showing no emotional fluctuations.
Now it was also in Upper Dantian space above Ten Infants, distancing itself from treasures like Yue Que, Divine Slaying Monument, and Cosmic Bag while slowly rotating around Ten Infants' head. A wisp of golden Awareness flew up from Ten Infants' head and merged into it for nurturing. However, its shape resembled not a blade but a bright red flame.
Li Hong found it familiar. Suddenly he remembered that Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade looked exactly like the flame held by Ancestor's statue.
Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade was a Celestial Artifact passed down from Grandmaster Jilianzi and was one of the Immortal Sect's renowned eight Celestial Artifacts. After Seasoned Master ascended to the immortal realm, he did not take it with him but left it for his beloved disciple, the second Sect Leader of Nine Li Sect, instructing that Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade would henceforth serve as a token of inheritance for future Sect Leaders.
Now it recognized Li Hong as its master; however, Li Hong could not feel joy as it too remained unresponsive. The Artifact Spirit was engulfed in sorrow over losing its previous master Ling Xuzi; it felt as if it had died—silent and devoid of emotion towards its new master.
Li Hong sighed deeply, understanding that forcing Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade to respond under these circumstances would only lead to greater dissatisfaction from the Artifact Spirit. Accepting a new master required time; such matters could not be rushed.
Li Hong changed the subject, looking up and down at Ling Yi Zi. "You're seriously injured and haven't had a proper rest. How about I take you back to Nine Beam Peak? You can go into seclusion and recuperate for a while."
Ling Yi Zi touched his wounds and smiled bitterly. "They are still watching you closely and being aggressive. In this situation, how can I leave? Right now, I'm the only one who can help you. If I'm not here, they might pounce on you the next moment!"
Li Hong didn't want to say anything more; it didn't matter anymore. He felt a cold emptiness inside, pain so deep that he could no longer feel it.
Ling Yi Zi understood his feelings well. The thought of never seeing Ling Xuzi, Spirit Stone, and Ling Xiangzi again tore at his heart.
The two of them flew in silence through the air, mourning their lost loved ones. They were equally unwilling to confront the imminent matters at hand.
For men, silent suffering is a form of passive expression of pain.
"What are you two still doing here? Can't you get in?" Yue Mangzi flew up and loudly questioned them.
He had changed into a white robe, his eyes suspiciously scanning Li Hong and Ling Yi Zi's faces.
Li Hong sighed. "I don't know how to seal these two Forbidden Stone Beasts. Right now, we can't get in, which means we can't access the Array Hall. However, Great-Granduncle, we can first..."
Li Hong intended to suggest doing other things first, like mourning the dead, organizing Nine Li Cave Heaven, or counting casualties from this battle. But Yue Mangzi interrupted him sharply: "It's better that you can't get in! The Sect Leader already said that until things are clear, you absolutely cannot enter our sacred grounds to prevent any mishaps. So you should return to Nine Vermilion Peaks and stay there quietly without going anywhere. Once we finish our business, we will come back to handle your matters."
Ling Yi Zi's brows furrowed together as he couldn't help but shout: "Is this how you treat the next Sect Leader?! Is Chu Hongzi going to be kept under house arrest at Nine Vermilion Peaks without any explanation? Hmph! Regarding our Nine Li Sect's affairs, even the Sect Leader has no right to interfere! I do not agree with this!"
Yue Mangzi was immediately furious: "If it weren't for the Sect Leader leading the charge this time, you Ling Yi Zi would have been dead long ago! You dare to show such disrespect to him! You have violated Rule 195 of the Sect: disrespect towards superiors! Ling Yi Zi, I command you as your Master Uncle and Chief Elder of Punishment to return to your Nine Beam Peak and reflect on your actions for three months!"
"You!" Ling Yi Zi was enraged, glaring at Yue Mangzi with fury boiling inside him, his fists slowly raising.
Li Hong was already disheartened and grabbed Ling Yi Zi. "Master Uncle, let's go. You return to Nine Beam Peak to heal; I'll go back to Nine Vermilion Peaks. If they want to keep me under house arrest, so be it. I've never had any interest in the position of Sect Leader anyway; they can do whatever they want. At worst, I'll just remain Elder Brother of Nine Vermilion Peaks. When someone takes over as Sect Leader, just let me know and I'll pass on the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade."
Just then, several figures flew up from below towards them; it was Ling Jizi, Ling Xiaozi, Xuan Xuzi, and Yiyang among others who had likely come out after hearing the commotion. Li Hong cupped his hands in greeting to Xuan Xuzi and quickly pulled Ling Yi Zi away as they brushed past Ling Jizi.
Li Hong did not even want to look at the cold gaze that Ling Jizi directed at him, which only fueled Ling Jizi's anger. He gritted his teeth, refraining from exploding in that moment. He understood very well that since Li Hong was willing to submit to house arrest, things would be much easier to handle, and there was no need to complicate matters further.
Ling Jizi's gaze flickered as he watched two disciples from the Disciplinary Hall follow Li Hong. Turning around, he happened to make eye contact with Xuan Xuzi.
The two exchanged a glance that only they could understand.
This exchange did not go unnoticed by Yiyang and Bai Juzi, who were behind Xuan Xuzi. They looked at each other and shared a knowing glance.
Without needing further explanation, everything was clear: Xuan Xuzi's people within the Nine Li Sect were indeed Ling Jizi.
From then on, Li Hong did not go anywhere. He confined himself to the Nine Vermilion Peaks and the Green Pavilion, with his farthest excursion being to the Summit and the Green Forest behind.
Chuxiong stayed with Li Hong. He somehow acquired many jars of fine wine and spent each day drinking with Li Hong in the Green Forest, discussing Spirit Stones, Ling Xuzi, Ling Xiangzi, Chu Xi... Often during their conversations, they would burst into laughter, only to follow it up by downing another jar of wine to soothe their intense inner pain.
Black Abyss, Little Fei, Big Silver Ball, Small Silver Ball, and Soul Devourer accompanied them daily. Although they did not fully comprehend what was happening, they could sense the unusual emotional swings of Li Hong and Chuxiong—crying and laughing—and felt their inner turmoil. Thus, they remained quiet, with Black Abyss occasionally flying above Li Hong's head and Dragon Tail Whip gently tapping his cheek in a gesture of comfort.
Days passed by as Li Hong effectively locked himself away. He completely handed over the daily affairs of the Nine Vermilion Peaks to Ling Panzai and Master Uncle. Chuming and Chuxuan visited once to report on various matters regarding Master’s Spirit Stone funeral. Since Li Hong was punished and unable to leave, he privately held a memorial for his master, Ling Xuzi, Ling Xiangzi, and others in the Green Forest.
Only for Chu Xi, who had ascended, did Li Hong refrain from holding a memorial. He made a firm decision in his heart: he absolutely would not become the sect leader nor compete with them for power; whoever wanted to take on that role could do so freely. His only goal was to fulfill his master's wishes—to be a hands-off shopkeeper of the Nine Vermilion Peaks—with all future aspirations focused solely on ascending to find Chu Xi in the celestial realm.
With this determination in mind, Li Hong appeared more relaxed on the surface. He even encouraged his aggrieved elder brother Du Yizi and others from Beast Cultivation that living lightheartedly was better; he had no desire to become the sect leader of Nine Li Sect as it would hinder his cultivation. His life goal was now solely ascension.
Seeing that Li Hong had made up his mind, Du Yizi sighed despite his reluctance for power to fall into Ling Jizi's hands. He truly could not stand Ling Jizi and his group’s demeanor. With Nine Li Sect now feeling desolate, he decided not to stay any longer and advised Li Hong to contact him if needed before departing with Sister Sheyu and a large number of Beast Cultivator Elders from Nine Li Sect.
Once they left, Nine Li Sect became even more desolate.
In this conflict, low-level disciples suffered the most casualties; aside from a few lucky or clever ones, nearly all disciples below the Initial Stage of Caution were either dead or injured. The elite disciples above Initial Stage of Caution and Elders above Golden Core Stage also faced significant losses during this battle. Ling Xiangzi and Ling Shanzi were a source of deep sorrow for everyone; these two were among the best female cultivators in Nine Li Sect and both perished simultaneously in this incident, causing immense heartache.
Now the entire Nine Li Sect's Six Veins—including Elder Peak's Artifact Hall, Scripture Repository, Heavenly Pill Hall, Chengxian Pavilion, and Disciplinary Hall—had numerous vacancies. Once bustling places now saw no signs of life day after day; within the cave realm lay desolation everywhere. Many survivors felt an overwhelming sense of despair when thinking about the Demon Sect; their hatred burned fiercely within them.
Not long after, a thunderous explosion erupted from Nine Separation Peak.
Li Hong was drinking with Chuxiong at the time. The two quickly flew into the sky, but Li Hong only glanced toward Nine Separation Peak and understood immediately. He grabbed Chuxiong and turned to leave.
Those people had blown up the Heaven and Earth Platform.
It was because the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade was in their hands, and they wanted to stabilize the so-called situation, deliberately leaving themselves exposed. They were executing their plan step by step, filling all the important vacancies with their "own people," none of whom were from Nine Vermilion Peaks, which spoke volumes about the situation.
The sacrifice of Nine Vermilion Peaks was not significant; at that time, there was a Nascent Soul Stage expert like Chuxiong and a dragon, so elite disciples from Nine Vermilion Peaks, such as Chuming and Chuxuan, were all alive. However, while other five factions sent individuals with far inferior cultivation and temperament to important positions, only those from Nine Vermilion Peaks remained in Nine Vermilion Peaks.
What they intended to do was already evident.
There was no need for half of Nine Vermilion Peaks' people because they knew they had good relations with each other. They would rather leave themselves exposed than find a way to enter the secret chamber in The Abode of the Sect Leader on the Twenty-Eighth Floor to prevent themselves from controlling power. Now that the Heaven and Earth Platform had been blown up, it was clear that the next step would be to align all blades against them.
However, Li Hong did not care at all. Standing on the rooftop of Green Pavilion, he gazed at the deep blue sky, where all the stars transformed into Chu Xi's affectionate eyes.
Dressed in white, with his wide sleeves fluttering in the wind, he missed his beloved and stood alone in the wind and dew throughout the night.
Early the next morning, disciples from the Disciplinary Hall indeed came to invite "Senior Uncle" to the main hall for an important discussion.
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