The road is vague

Chapter 242 The Two Sides in Standoff
The battle at the training hall quickly came to an end.

The eleven people, led by Langyue, were bound by the members of the Gongdao Society.

“You ungrateful bastards, the successive patriarchs of Qingming Mountain are watching. Your rebellion will surely bring you a terrible death…”

Faced with Lang Yue's angry curses, the disciples of the Justice Society felt extremely relieved. Their long-suppressed emotions were finally released, and they all showed smug expressions, seemingly enjoying the other party's impotent rage.

Li Mo looked up at the small sun in the sky.

This is clearly a formation within a formation, and this is the characteristic formed within it.

Unlike the spatial restriction array set up at Qinglongtan, which can seal defeated people who give up resistance into a mysterious space, the Gongdao Society also set up an array in advance at the training hall, drawing on the power of the mountain-protecting array to form an array within an array, but for a different purpose.

"Senior Brother Ding, how do you plan to keep these people under guard?"

Compared to the battle at Qinglongtan, which left behind a large number of corpses, the internal strife at the Advanced Training Hall was resolved by only three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

On the contrary, the second and third-year Qi Refining stage students below had more than fifty corpses due to the large number of mutual killings.

The corpses were lined up in a row, a truly bloody and cruel sight.

Li Mo even suspected that if they hadn't stopped them in time, the number of corpses among the disciples of the Advanced Study Hall would have increased considerably, and they would have almost gone mad with killing each other.

He could no longer distinguish among the corpses who were disciples of noble families and who were disciples of unaffiliated individuals.

However, this reveals that there is deep-seated resentment among the students at the training center, and the atmosphere is no longer what it was when he was studying there.

The conflicts among the disciples of Lingmu Sect have reached a point where they can no longer be suppressed or reconciled.

Upon hearing this, Ding Jie looked at the eleven aristocratic cultivators who were bound.

"There's no need to worry about this. I have a place where I can secretly detain them temporarily. As for the disciples below, just send one or two people to keep them in check. The important matters of our sect are of utmost importance. Junior Brother Li and Junior Brother Zhou, you two should go and support the Dharma Protector Hall as soon as possible."

As he spoke, Ding Jie assigned tasks to the members of the Justice Society of the Advanced Studies Hall.

He ultimately dispatched eight people, all at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, to follow Li Mo and Zhou Bailie and support the Dharma Protector Hall in their battle.

"However, Senior Brother Ding, there is still one thing I don't understand. What kind of formation is that golden sun in the sky?"

Upon hearing this, Ding Wei looked up at the direction Li Mo was pointing.

"This is a wisp of the power of our sect's protective array, used to suppress the Ye family's Myriad Birds Token. It is said that the holder of this token can mobilize the spirit birds on the Pure Spirit Divine Tree, making it a peerless treasure. However, to truly activate this token, one must be at least a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. But the Ye family has a secret technique that can utilize the popularity of the training hall to unleash a wisp of this treasure's power. Therefore, the Myriad Birds Token is usually placed inside the training hall. Otherwise, even if it is only a wisp of power, it would be far from enough..."

Li Mo was deeply moved upon hearing this.

Even the seemingly insignificant Advanced Study Hall in his eyes still possessed such profound depth.

It seems that the various halls on Qingming Mountain are not just for show.

"I see. I'll take my leave now."

After exchanging clasped hands and bows, both men displayed a solemn expression. What followed was the decisive battle in the Dharma Protectorate, which would determine the future life and death of the Lingmu Sect.

Immediately, Li Mo, Tao Ran, and Zhao Huaxue, along with Zhou Bailie and two others, as well as eight people from the Advanced Study Hall, quickly ran along the path towards the Dharma Protector Hall.

No one dared to fly any further, lest they be discovered.

Along the way, everyone exclaimed in surprise, their faces showing pain and regret.

Along the way, all that could be seen were ruins and broken walls, with corpses lying on the ground. The once beautiful Qingming Mountain was now filled with an atmosphere of decay.

All of a sudden.

Everyone was heartbroken, but there was nothing they could do.

Li Mo could only hope in his heart that after this battle, Qingming Mountain would be reborn from the ashes, transforming itself into a butterfly, and that the future would be even brighter.

"what?"

Still some distance from the Dharma Protector Hall, Li Mo, who was leading the team at the front, suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

He gazed at the seventy-two beams of light in the distance. This was clearly a pre-arrangement by the Justice Society in the Dharma Protector Hall, forming an unprecedented array within an array. However, unlike the chaotic battle he had imagined, it was quiet over there, with no signs of a decisive battle taking place.

Apart from the raging fire in the armory, the area around the Dharma Protectorate was unusually quiet, leaving everyone puzzled.

Even from a distance of more than ten miles, Li Mo could vaguely sense the oppressive atmosphere of the Dharma Protector Hall.

"Something seems off."

Li Mo looked at the crowd behind him and asked, "Who has cultivated the Thousand-Mile Eye?"

"I."

A dark-skinned monk from the advanced study hall gestured in a low voice.

The two then took flight on the wind, risking their lives to soar into the sky. After flying more than thirty feet above the ground, they found themselves with no obstructions and a completely unobstructed view.

This person activated his spiritual eye technique and looked towards the Dharma Protector Hall, his expression immediately changing.

"How was it, what did you see?"

"Many people seemed to have stopped fighting; they split into two factions and were confronting each other. Others appeared to be rescuing the wounded and moving bodies."

Upon hearing this, Li Mo was taken aback.

"Could it be that the final battle is over and the outcome is decided?"

"It shouldn't be yet, but it seems like they're negotiating over there."

Li Mo was somewhat puzzled, wondering why things had developed to this point, and then he asked the crucial question.

"Do you see a blue dragon? It's over twenty zhang long. Since you can see over there, you should be able to identify it easily."

"I see it, it's near the Enlightenment Peak..."

After the two landed back on the ground, Zhou Bailie and the others emerged from the ruins.

They had brought in a female cultivator who was seriously injured and unconscious, her breath weak, and they were currently treating her.

"Let's take her with us and go."

The fifteen people continued heading towards the Dharma Protector Hall.

The closer they got to the Guardian Hall, the more broken the ground became, riddled with craters and trenches, and marked by the destruction caused by chaotic spiritual energy. It wasn't until Li Mo led them through a side path into the Guardian Hall that they saw the desolate scene around them and their expressions turned to disbelief.

"Is this...is this still the Dharma Protector Hall?"

The huge Dharma Protector Hall no longer has a single decent building.

The ground was riddled with potholes, and corpses were scattered almost everywhere, which was hard for the eight people who had just come out of the training hall to accept.

"My God, how could so many people die? These were all the sect's most elite disciples!"

Zhou Bailie and the two people behind him also looked rather grim.

I never imagined this civil war would be so brutal. Along the way, there were at least three or four hundred corpses, many of which were already torn to pieces.

Having experienced the Battle of Qinglongtan, Li Mo, Tao Ran, and Zhao Huaxue had already anticipated this.

Sudden.

Li Mo paused briefly and looked at a collapsed house.

A corpse was leaning against the ruins, gazing up at the sky. His body was black, as if he had been poisoned. His left arm was missing, and blood was flowing from the wound.

It was Wang Ping!
He also died in this civil war within the Lingmu Sect.

Wang Ping was originally an outer sect disciple. He worked diligently and assiduously in the Heavenly Mandate Division of Bai'an County. After more than ten years of trials and tribulations, he rose from a patrolman to a junior officer. During his time as a junior officer, he advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage and entered the Inner Sect's Dharma Protector Hall.

To many acquaintances, this is a prime example of achieving success through personal hard work and perseverance.

Yet, at this very moment, he died here.

Li Mo was deeply moved.

For some reason, he suddenly thought of the Nine Yin Cave that Xi Yue had explored before.

"Whether it's Jiujiang Leilong Taishou who discovered the Lingzhao Mountain Mausoleum, Huang Tong who discovered the ruins of the Great Zhou Dynasty underground in Cangyuan, or Wang Ping who discovered the Jiuyin Cave, as long as they have a direct connection with the hidden history of ancient times, they will all eventually die. Is it just a coincidence, or is it the will of Heaven in the dark?"

He paused briefly before continuing forward.

soon.

As the fourteen people arrived at the Dharma Protector Hall training ground, they saw thousands of disciples from both sides, exuding murderous intent.

Li Mo, leading the group behind him, quietly joined the Justice Society's side, passing through a large group of Qi Refining disciples, and arrived behind Wei Cang and Jiang Feiyan.

Xue Tai, Wen Sheng, and the others had also returned and were whispering with several cultivators whom Li Mo did not recognize. These people were all wearing crane cloaks, which represented the mid-stage and late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation levels. They were obviously elite disciples of the Justice Society who had fought fiercely in the Guardian Hall earlier.

"Senior brother, senior sister."

"Junior brother, you're back."

Wei Cang looked at the dozen or so people Li Mo had brought and smiled with satisfaction.

Jiang Feiyan walked quickly through the crowd. Seeing that Li Mo was alright, she immediately showed a genuine smile and then looked at Zhou Bailie.

When Zhou Bailie met his superior, he felt he had found a powerful backer.

"Jiang Baihu".

"Commander Zhou, please restore your magical powers as soon as possible."

After exchanging a few words with Zhou Bailie, Jiang Feiyan came to Li Mo's side and stood with him.

"Anti-flying formation is activated here. I just tried it, and even if you are only one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) above the ground, the rate at which your mana is consumed will increase by two or three times. It is said that someone was killed by the formation after flying to over thirty zhang (approximately 33 meters) before. You must not take the risk."

"it is good."

Li Mo stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance.

The two sides facing off at this moment are more than a hundred feet apart, clearly separated by a clear line.

Besides the thirty-odd Golden Core cultivators, at least five or six hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators and tens of thousands of elite Qi Refining disciples gathered here.

This is after the casualties from combat.

Numerous spirit beasts bared their fangs and roared incessantly in both camps.

Among them, the azure dragon was the most eye-catching, soaring above the disciples of the Fair Way Society.

Zhou Bailie's Crimson-Eyed Flame Lion, while quite impressive, is utterly insignificant compared to this.

Flocks of birds filled the sky and blocked out the sun.

The puppet army of the Lü family gathered together, stretching as far as the eye could see, like a city wall.

In the center of both camps, five people were facing off and negotiating. They were Lu Qi and Qian Jing, representing the Justice Society, and Chen Heyan, Ye Shoutian, and Bai Jingjing, representing the disciples of the aristocratic families.

The five people were not sure what they were talking about.

"Hopefully, we can reach an agreement."

As Jiang Feiyan held the spirit stone to recover, she sighed and murmured to herself.

"When I first arrived, a great battle was still raging here. My master was displaying his divine power, being one of the few people who could fly a hundred feet in the air. However, Hall Master Ye of the Enforcement Hall soon arrived with his Daoist partner, Vice Hall Master Bai. After a brief exchange with my master, the two sides suddenly and abruptly stopped the battle and began to confront and negotiate here."

"Yes, too many people have died in this internal conflict within our sect. Hopefully, we can reach a resolution."

Li Mo echoed and murmured in agreement.

The two men were naturally unaware that of the five people negotiating in the center of the two armies, only Qian Jing and Chen Heyan were pointing at each other and cursing loudly.

Lu Qi and Ye Shoutian looked at each other without uttering a single word.

Lu Qi, with his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, looked at Ye Shoutian with a slight frown, seemingly lost in thought.

Ye Shoutian was simple, calm, and composed, facing the situation with ease, while Bai Jingjing followed suit.

However, no matter how angry Chen Heyan and Qian Jing were, and when they asked the two of them why, the two of them seemed to be on the same wavelength and remained silent and unresponsive, just sitting there quietly waiting.

(End of this chapter)