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Chapter 303 Life and Death
A meteor streaks through the sparse water, the moon moves against the clouds.

As night fell, the thick darkness enveloped Danshan Mountain.

The impromptu pill-appreciation gathering organized by the Dan Sect ended hastily, and countless uninvited disciples of the immortal sect were invited to rest at Wanqiong Courtyard in the back mountain.

The mountains then fell into tranquility, with only the chirping of insects and birdsong amidst the gentle mountain breeze.

This should have been a night of peaceful sleep, a night to dream of a beautiful dream, but in reality, countless disciples of the Dan Sect who returned from the Dan Appreciation Gathering were filled with fear.

Then some of them started packing their things to send home, while others began writing letters to their relatives by lamplight.

On everyone's face was written anxiety about tomorrow.

Hong Zhen and Wen Bin, along with other sect leaders and ancestors, were all sitting in the pavilion of the disciples' quarters, holding cups of now-cold medicinal tea, their eyes fixed on the rows of rooms.

Under the dim light, shadowy figures moved about, coming and going, anxious and uneasy. Even as the night deepened, no one was able to fall asleep.

They were all aware of the dark history of the Dan Sect and the experiences of the Dan Sect's captive alchemists.

Whipping, water dungeon imprisonment, and tireless alchemy...

I thought it was just the history of our ancestors, something that should be buried with the dust and remembered as a lesson. I never imagined that one day they would face such a situation again.

"Have Master and the elders come out of the Jade Balance Hall yet?"

"No."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"nor."

Hong Zhen remained silent for a long time after hearing this: "Does Master really intend to meet with them tomorrow?"

Wenbin raised his eyes upon hearing this: "The Kaiyang Palace is already being prepared. I imagine Master will be there tomorrow to receive the various immortal sects."

"Master...won't he refuse?"

"The sect leader will definitely refuse; he won't just hand us over."

"That's right, the Sect Master won't send us out. As long as he remains steadfast, the Pill Sect will be peaceful."

Lu Ze, one of the six disciples under the sect leader, muttered something, then echoed it himself, but after that, there was endless silence.

The current situation concerns the survival and continuation of the Dan Sect. At this critical juncture, whether the sect leader will ultimately refuse or agree is something they themselves are unsure of.

Meanwhile, Yuan Caiwei was bathing in the medicinal pool of the Dan Sect.

The fragrant medicinal soup flowed over her curvaceous body, gently washing over her fair and delicate skin.

However, she couldn't stay in the bath for long before she got up, left the pool, changed into clean clothes, and went back to her bamboo house.

With the Dan Sect facing imminent disaster, she was finding it difficult to calm down.

To her surprise, when she returned to the courtyard, Ji You, who had been drinking tea, was no longer at the table, but a lamp was lit in her boudoir.

"Where is Young Master Ji?"

Ji Yue was tidying up the tea table when she heard the sound and looked into the room: "The young master has gone to Miss's room to rest..."

Yuan Caiwei paused for a moment, then nodded slightly, blinked lightly, and walked towards the small building, a hint of shyness showing in her eyes.

Qingyun Tianxia has always placed great importance on offspring, because passing down family lineage is the foundation for the continuation and development of a noble family, and no one can escape this custom.

Although he said he was fine, he was probably a little disappointed that he hadn't gotten pregnant. So even though the Dan Sect was facing a calamity and the timing wasn't ideal, he thought it was right for him to try again.

As the daughter of the Dan Sect pondered, she gently pushed open the door, then her expression froze, revealing a hint of bewilderment.

The room was quiet, with only the sound of even breathing.

Ji You hadn't even taken off his clothes and shoes, yet he had already fallen asleep on her bed.

Cultivators don't need to sleep for long periods of time, and even if they do need to sleep, they won't be caught without taking off their clothes.

The woman from the Dan Sect stared at him for a long time, then gently placed two fingers on Ji You's wrist, her long, curled eyelashes trembling slightly.

Ji You's spiritual energy was depleted, and his divine sense was extremely weak, suggesting that he had undergone a period of intense exertion.

Thinking of this, she suddenly remembered the casual remark he made during their chat that evening, which she had overlooked: "I was cultivating in Zhongzhou, and I rushed over as soon as I received the letter."

The distance between Zhongzhou and Danzong is an entire continent.

After a long silence, Yuan Caiwei suddenly noticed a note left on the table. It contained some writings that Ji You had asked him to prepare.

The daughter of the Dan Sect read it carefully, then got up and went outside.

In the still of the night, the stars and moon revolve until the moon sets and the sun rises.

Some people sleep soundly through the night, while others are restless all night.

Until the first rays of dawn bypassed the floating sea of ​​clouds, illuminating the peaks of Danzong with golden light.

The cultivators who stayed at Wanqiong Temple last night left early and all gathered at Danxiaping.

The swords that had been removed had been tied back to their waists, and some of the people who had worn casual clothes when they went up the mountain had changed into the immortal robes of their respective sects.

Looking down from the high slope, the Dao Asking Sect, Spirit Sword Mountain, Mountain and Sea Pavilion... one after another, already exuded a sense of oppression.

Yesterday, I strolled around and enjoyed the scenery, but in order to ease the tension, I wanted the sect leader of the Dan Sect to put himself in my shoes and carefully consider the pros and cons.

They don't intend to dismantle the Pill Sect; they only want to bring back a dozen or twenty alchemists at the upper fifth realm. They won't really damage the foundation of the Pill Sect. The choice is obvious.

Today, they want the outcome that the Pill Sect has already decided on, so they naturally need to be forceful.

This gathering continued until noon, when the doors of Kaiyang Palace were opened wide, and all the disciples of the immortal sects were invited into the palace.

More than fifty elders of the Dan Sect appeared at this moment, standing on both sides of the main hall in a V-shape.

Accompanying them were the top five alchemists of the Dan Sect, on either side of the main hall.

As for Yuan Li, who was claiming to be ill and bedridden, he had changed into the immortal robes of the sect leader and sat on the throne in the hall, quietly waiting for all the immortal sect members to enter the hall.

"Master Yuan, how are you feeling?"

"Thank you all for your concern, but I am getting old and can't escape the ravages of time. I am very sorry that I couldn't come out to meet you right away."

Elder Shang Que of the Dao Asked the Way chuckled upon hearing this: "Our sect leader is very busy with many affairs and is quite tired. Our sect leader also said that it is understandable."

Yuan Li smiled and nodded: "Did everyone enjoy the pill appreciation gathering yesterday?"

"The alchemy of the Dan Sect is unparalleled in the world, which has truly broadened our horizons."

"And what about those who are resting?"

"I rested very well. The aroma of wild herbs filled the air, and just smelling it all night made me feel clear-headed."

The various immortal sects did not immediately become aggressive, and their responses were quite appropriate.

After exchanging pleasantries, Yuan Li waved gently to the back, and then several disciples came out from the back hall, each carrying a medicine box, and came to the disciples of the immortal sect.

Sensing that it seemed to be a gift, everyone reached out and took the medicine box, and then Yuan Li's voice rang out in the hall.

"Our Dan Sect has recently produced a batch of pills with excellent effects, which can make the soul clear and enhance perception. This is a parting gift for you all."

Yuan Li waved gently, a faint smile on her face.

Upon hearing this, the members of the five major immortal sects couldn't help but exchange glances.

The Dan Sect was once unfathomable, and the pills they refined were priceless and hard to find in the world.

Even disciples of immortal sects cannot find a way to obtain medicine on their own.

Who would have thought that they would be rushing to send them out today?

Unfortunately, that was not their purpose.

Elder Huo Yu of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion stepped forward, stroking his long beard, and said, "You are too kind, Master. However, we have not come here to ask for pills, but to invite the disciples of the Pill Sect to visit our sect. I wonder what you think of this, Master?"

Yuan Li gently placed his hand on the armrest of the throne: "Our Dan Sect has an ancestral rule that disciples should not be lent out. Your sect's invitation is really putting me in a difficult position."

“Master Yuan, our seven great immortal sects have always been on good terms. Even if your disciples go to my sect’s dojo, they will be treated with respect. You don’t need to worry.”

"I understand what Elder Huo is saying, but ancestral precepts are ancestral precepts, and how can they be changed because of me? If you want any kind of pills, just say so."

After Yuan Li finished speaking, he chuckled softly: "It just so happens that the eight-hundredth anniversary of my Dan Sect is approaching, so it would be fine to give it to you as a return gift, but let's forget about the matter of borrowing Dan Sect disciples."

All seven immortal sects were founded by sages a thousand years ago. Logically speaking, they should all have been established more than a thousand years ago.

But the only difference is that it is the Dan Sect.

Because the Dan Sect had a history of over two hundred years, it spent almost all of that time in enslavement, existing in name only.

It wasn't until almost all the alchemists were dead that the other six major immortal sects finally woke up from their daze and returned their freedom.

Therefore, the history of the Dan Sect is only eight hundred years.

When Yuan Li brought up Zong Qing's eight-hundred-year reign in public, he was actually alluding to this matter.

As soon as the words were spoken, the expressions of the cultivators from various immortal sects instantly darkened.

"A real person..."

"I have thought this through and there is no need for further discussion. I ask for your understanding."

Upon hearing this, Kaiyang Palace suddenly fell silent.

Then the elders of the immortal sects bowed slightly and left the main hall with their disciples, walking out without saying a word.

Seeing this, the elders standing below the main hall all looked up at Yuan Li, but the sect leader of Danzong did not say anything more. Instead, he rose from his throne and left Kaiyang Hall. After the hall gradually emptied, all the disciples in the hall breathed a sigh of relief.

They were genuinely afraid that if the sect leader agreed to the offer, he would send them away, but fortunately, that did not happen.

Thus, the tension of the previous night gradually faded from his heart.

However, to their surprise, not long after the meeting at Kaiyang Hall ended, the sect leader's personal imperial edict began to be sent to various halls.

The imperial decree ordered all female alchemists within the Dan Sect to move to the Yao Guang Hall and the ancestral hall, and forbade them from leaving at will.

Hong Zhen, Wen Bin, Yuan Bingqing, Lu Ze and others also attended the meeting at Kaiyang Hall and were heading towards the back mountain.

The disciples at the foot of the mountain were not mistaken; Ji You from the Heavenly Academy had indeed arrived.

They had just spotted Ji You in the Kaiyang Hall and found him following behind the disciples of the immortal sects.

After the headmaster refused to lend out his disciples, Ji You quietly left with the other immortal sect members.

"Because of face-saving considerations and not wanting to give others a reason to criticize, the Heavenly Academy indeed only sent him alone."

As Hong Zhen walked, he said, "However, he was quite clever. He didn't take the lead and speak up on behalf of the Heavenly Academy. Instead, he followed the other immortal sects, intending to reap the benefits. But they probably didn't expect the sect leader's refusal to be so direct."

Wenbin looked up and said, "Caiwei should wake up too..."

"That's right. Apart from our own Dan Sect members, some people are ultimately unreliable no matter how good their promises are. The Heavenly Academy is a prime example of this."

As they talked, they could already see the small building hidden among the bamboo forest in the distance, and they clenched their fists tightly.

When arranging accommodations for the Immortal Sect members last night, they specifically instructed their disciples to keep an eye on Ji You's whereabouts.

The disciple who returned to report said that Ji You had not stayed at Wanqiong Courtyard.

Then they discovered something that broke their hearts: Ji You had spent the night in Yuan Caiwei's bamboo house.

They came here to persuade their holy maiden junior sister to come to her senses.

Things are different now.

The sect leader initially believed that the Heavenly Academy was reliable, which is why he allowed disciples within the sect to interact with disciples of the Heavenly Academy.

But this incident has already shown that the Heavenly Academy is also unreliable.

So they came here to persuade Yuan Caiwei to stop harboring illusions.

Once those immortal sect disciples leave, their Dan Sect should raise its protective formation and completely withdraw from the world. From then on, only their own people can be relied upon.

Among the six, there are two female disciples, Yuan Bingqing and Dai Lu.

The former is Yuan Caiwei's cousin, while the latter grew up with her, and they have a very good relationship.

They had heard Yuan Chen talk about Yuan Caiwei and Ji You's encounter in Qiling before, and they were quite fond of it. But after seeing Ji You appear in Kaiyang Palace today, they couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Upon arriving at the bamboo house courtyard, Yuan Bingqing, following instructions from several of her senior brothers, went forward and pushed open the door.

At this moment, Ji You was the only one in the courtyard, carefully examining a large painting that was ten feet wide.

The large picture was hung on the tree by its two corners, so they could see it clearly.

There are undulating mountains, Danxia Plain, Yaoguang Palace, and a circle of densely packed dotted lines, with many line segments intersecting and overlapping with the lines of the undulating mountains.

After only a few seconds of stunned silence, Hong Zhen suddenly realized what it was.

This is the mountain-protecting formation diagram of the Dan Sect...

Just as he opened his eyes wide, about to angrily denounce the thief, he heard a group of noisy footsteps coming from the back mountain.

"Bingqing, Dailu, why are you still here?"

"Senior Sister Luoying?"

A pill refiner named Luo Ying rushed over: "What are you doing here? Did you not receive a message from the sect?"

Yuan Bingqing and Dai Lu opened their mouths: "We haven't returned to the courtyard since we left Kaiyang Palace, what message are you sending?"

"By imperial decree of the sect leader, all female alchemists shall bring the Blood Dove Pill and move into the Yao Guang Palace before Shen Shi (3-5 PM)."

"?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the faces of the six disciples turned pale instantly.

The Dan Sect can refine poisons, but they never sell them to outsiders, keeping them only for self-defense. The Blood Dove Pill is the most potent of these, capable of killing a person with just a touch.

But Luo Ying's eyes told them that the pill was not meant to poison others, but was for her own consumption.

This reminded them of what had happened during the dark period of the Dan Sect's history...

That is, among the enslaved alchemists, female alchemists were more popular than male alchemists.

Because male alchemists are prone to having divided loyalties, it's difficult to find anything that can truly make them wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to serving you.

But female alchemists are different, because once a female alchemist gives birth to a son, she has a connection to the family. Therefore, the first thing a captured female alchemist will face is...

Hong Zhen looked at Luo Ying: "What exactly happened?"

Luo Ying pursed her lips: "Those immortal sect members did not descend the mountain after being rejected."

"Are they planning to forcibly arrest someone...?"

"This is the sect leader's order; I don't know the specifics."

Hong Zhen and the others exchanged glances, entrusted Yuan Bingqing and Dai Lu to Luo Ying, and then headed back in the direction they had come from.

As a large number of people went in all directions, Ji You, who turned around and looked at the door, frowned slightly.

Dan Zong's reaction was more intense than he had imagined; he even considered suicide.

It seems that the history was even more tragic than others have recounted.

However, if Yuan Li is so skeptical that the disciples of the Dan Sect will be treated with courtesy after being borrowed, then there might be other problems with the precious material.

Ji You pondered for a long time, then retrieved the array diagram from the tree. He then leaped into the air and landed halfway up the western mountain, reaching out to touch a moss-covered stone.

Then he soared into the air and flew westward, landing in front of a spring that was bubbling with water.

Then to the south, there is a stone bridge standing in a remote mountain forest.

At the same time, Hong Zhen, Wen Bin, Lu Ze and others had arrived at the foot of the mountain and confirmed that the immortal sect members had not left. So they immediately headed towards the master's palace.

When they arrived, they found that all the senior and junior disciples of the sect had already gathered there.

The sense of impending storm made them uneasy, so they made their way through the crowd toward the palace.

Yuan Li was standing inside the main hall when he saw the disciple approaching and sighed softly.

"Master, are they really going to make a move?"

"good."

Upon hearing this, Hong Zhen's eyes widened, and he asked incredulously, "Do they still remember the Azure Cloud Immortal Rules?!"

Yuan Li stroked his long beard and said, "The immortal rules were originally set by them, and for thousands of years, they have always been this kind of person who will not give up until they achieve their goal."

Wenbin swallowed hard: "We just arrived at Wanqiong Courtyard and found it to be relatively peaceful. Has Master misunderstood?"

"It's about saving face; it's just not the right time yet."

Taoist practitioners need a stable environment to comprehend the Tao, hence the Qingyun Immortal Rules that restrict the four directions.

Even if the five major immortal sects wanted to destroy the immortal rules, they wouldn't do it in broad daylight.

Yuan Li knew they were waiting for a dark and windy night, waiting for the night to be deep and quiet.

Once visibility is poor and their faces are covered, whether they commit murder or arrest, they can claim it wasn't them after the sun rises.

In future Qingyun historical records, only one sentence will remain: "On a dark and windy night, the Dan Sect was attacked."

Yuan Li looked at his disciples: "I have already told your senior and junior brothers that half of them will join forces with the families related to my Dan Sect to fight the enemy. As for you, you will go to Yao Guang Hall to guard your senior and junior sisters."

Hong Zhen suddenly spoke up: "Master, did Caiwei take the protective formation diagram?"

"How do you know?"

“I went to the bamboo house to look for Caiwei, but I didn’t see her. I only saw the picture.”

Yuan Li sighed slightly after hearing this: "She probably wants to find a way to save my Dan Sect, but since those immortal sect disciples are inside the formation, the formation is of no use."

Hong Zhen actually wanted to say that Yuan Caiwei had handed the array diagram over to Ji You, but considering that the Dan Sect was facing a great calamity and his master was already exhausted, he swallowed his words in the end.

Afterwards, Hong Zhen led his fellow disciples away from the sect leader's palace and headed towards Yaoguang Hall.

Watching his disciple depart, Yuan Li clenched his right hand hidden in his sleeve, then walked to the ancestral hall behind the palace.

The ancestral hall was very quiet, but there were wisps of smoke rising from it.

Danyangzi, Danchenzi, and other elders knelt before the memorial tablets, but rose upon seeing Yuan Li's arrival.

"Senior brother, everything has been arranged."

"Then let's wait."

Upon hearing the reply, Danyangzi couldn't help but raise his head slightly: "Could it be that we overreacted? Perhaps things aren't that serious."

Yuan Li pulled three sticks of sandalwood from the table: "Why do you think they insisted on sending my Dan Sect disciples to their place instead of delivering the goods themselves?"

(It's the beginning of the month, begging for monthly votes, I'll give away some!)
(End of this chapter)