The road is vague

Chapter 244 Ceasefire and Mountain Closure
"Impossible! Don't spout nonsense!"

After a brief moment of shock, Chen Shouyi quickly took out a secret talisman and offered it towards the palace, attempting to contact Qingling Zhenren.

Sima Fu also paused slightly, a hint of expectation showing deep in his eyes.

After a while.

Seeing that the other party's secret talisman had no effect at all, a hint of dejection first appeared in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a look of mockery.

“Junior brother, do you know how I have lived these past twenty years? I have been working myself to the bone every day, fearing that I might bring about my own destruction.”

He laughed in anger.

"And you, carefree and with abundant resources at your fingertips, are naive and laughable. You are completely unaware that our sect is already in dire straits. I have waited for you for so long, hoping that you would sense something, but all these years have been like talking to a brick wall. How can someone like you be entrusted with the important task of sect leader?"

Chen Shouyi's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty after being mocked by Sima Fu.

He carefully recalled the past twenty years and realized that he had not noticed anything amiss. He always believed that the sect leader was in seclusion in an attempt to break through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Seeing Chen Shouyi's uncertain expression, Sima Fu continued to speak.

"Before the sect leader went into seclusion, he summoned four people, and the first one was you. Let me ask you, besides teaching you the Profound Marrow Spirit Communication Technique, did the sect leader also give you the Jade Marrow Spirit Communication Technique, the recipe for the True Essence Pill, and the ten-thousand-year-old True Essence Ginseng needed to refine the True Essence Pill?"

Chen Shouyi was not surprised that Sima Fu's prediction had come true.

"So what?"

Even though Chen Shouyi accepted the fact that Lingmu Sect was on the verge of collapse, he asked a question in a cold voice and then sighed with regret.

"It's a pity that Jade Marrow Liquid is really hard to find. Even though I went through all sorts of hardships, I only managed to get half a bottle. Otherwise, I might have succeeded in forming my Nascent Soul last time."

Sima Fu chuckled.

"Then do you know what the Sect Leader gave me when he summoned me, the second person before going into seclusion?"

"What were given?"

Chen Shouyi asked instinctively; he had been curious about this before, but hadn't given it much thought.

Unlike many self-proclaimed geniuses, Chen Shouyi had a clear understanding of his own abilities. He realized early on that human energy is limited and that following one's own path is more important than anything else.

Therefore, after establishing his foundation, he did not choose any supplementary cultivation methods.

It is precisely because he is focused enough and single-minded in his cultivation that he has been able to get to where he is today.

Sima Fu revealed a meaningful expression.

"The sect leader gave me the Jade Marrow Spirit Communication Technique, a pot of Jade Marrow Liquid, the recipe for True Essence Pills, and... the secret that a single batch of True Essence Pills will yield two spiritual pills, Yin and Yang."

Sima Fu gave a cold laugh.

"Then tell me, why did the Sect Leader make this arrangement?"

Chen Shouyi was not a completely stupid person.

He immediately understood the sect leader's intention and stared intently at Sima Fu.

"The sect leader has secretly passed away here. This matter is of utmost importance. Why have you concealed it until now? This battle could have been avoided!"

"What do you say?"

Sima Fu countered with a question.

"The matter was accomplished in secrecy. The sect leader deceived everyone and bought us twenty years. Even if we had some suspicions, who would dare to speak out and give others a handle against them?"

Chen Shouyi clenched his teeth, his eyes wavering.

"Then you could at least have discussed it with me beforehand. Do you really think I would betray my sect? Why did things have to come to this point!"

"Junior Brother Chen, if I'm not mistaken, you've been consuming Cleansing Pills all these years to break free from the entanglement of your inner demons. You've at least recovered two or three tenths of your chances of advancing, right? If I were to discuss this with you, and with the Jade Marrow Liquid in my possession, would you still give up? In that case, you'd probably be the one initiating this battle, wouldn't you?"

"I……"

Chen Shouyi choked, his mind wavering.

Sima Fu sneered.

"Hmph, even if I had the foundation and talent, with the Jade Marrow Spirit Communication Technique and the True Essence Pill, I would only have a 50% chance of advancing. Do you think I would gamble my sect's thousand-year heritage on a 50% chance?"

Chen Shouyi was in a state of utter confusion.

A 50% probability is quite high when it comes to advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, but when it comes to the millennia-old heritage of a sect, it's a matter of life and death.

"Our sect also has several secret techniques that might be able to help you..."

"Don't be naive!"

Sima Fu flicked his sleeves.

"We've studied those alchemy formulas and secret techniques countless times. Where are you going to find immortal roots that have long been extinct since ancient times? Or are you going to slaughter demon kings in human form?"

"So you've gotten to this point just because of that True Essence Pill I have?!"

In the Great Qian Kingdom, if a sect no longer has a Nascent Soul cultivator guarding it, it means that the sect has lost its inheritance and is unable to maintain the lineage of all living beings, and will lose the protection of the relevant laws and regulations of the Great Qian Kingdom.

By then.

The vast fields of spiritual herbs in this sect's spiritual fields, the treasures hidden in its treasure pavilion—all of these will become opportunities in the eyes of Nascent Soul stage cultivators from other sects.

A century later, the "Eye of the True Spirit" will become a treasure in the archives of other sects. Perhaps it will become one of their auxiliary cultivation techniques, or its essence will be extracted as a secret art, or one day in the future, it will be revived and used to establish a new sect...

"I want the demon core of the sacred beast that guards our sect's Azure Dragon Pool!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shouyi was speechless with astonishment.

Sima Fu, on the other hand, revealed a cold and arrogant expression.

"Our sect's second-generation patriarch, the Insightful True Man, was truly a brilliant talent. He had long foreseen that the sect would one day fall into decline. Although there is no inheritance that lasts forever, we must fight with all our might. So, while our sect was at its peak, he devoted himself to cultivating that carp spirit, with the aim that one day, when our sect faced its current situation, we could use its demon core as a secret technique for forming a Nascent Soul!"

After Sima Fu finished speaking, he took out the Jade Marrow Liquid.

In front of the many aristocratic disciples on the ground who were looking up at him, he quietly placed the bottle of jade marrow liquid between the two of them.

"If I'm not mistaken, Lu Qi has already obtained the demon core. With your True Essence Pill, I have at least a 70% chance of forming a Nascent Soul. If you are prepared to fight again and are lucky enough to win, this bottle of Jade Marrow Liquid will be yours. However, Lu Qi will definitely leave with the Azure Dragon Demon Core and related secret techniques, as instructed by the sect leader before his death. Junior Brother Chen, the choice is yours."

Going from a 50% chance to a 70% chance is not a simple matter of addition or subtraction. For every slight increase in chance, the effort required doubles.

Chen Shouyi's eyes wavered.

If he obtains this bottle of jade marrow liquid, he can at least restore 30% of his chances of advancement, which is quite a good opportunity.

However, this old scoundrel Sima has a truly profound foundation and ruthless fighting methods. Defeating him is not an easy task.

at this time.

Chen Shouyi looked down at the numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators below, a scattered group of forty or fifty people, the vast majority of whom were from the Enforcement Hall, the most loyal and steadfast disciples of the sect.

This also includes his son, Chen Kaixuan!
At that moment, Chen Kaixuan was in the crowd, looking up at his father whom he had always admired.

Chen Shouyi suddenly realized something and gasped.

He has always used morality and righteousness to suppress the Justice Society. Now that his sect is facing a life-or-death crisis, if he chooses to continue the fight and betrays morality and righteousness for his own selfish interests, he will not only fail to attempt to form a Nascent Soul, but he will also become a lonely figure and die without a burial place.

Faced with the legacy of his sect, even if he had some prestige in ordinary times, when faced with a life-or-death situation, many powerful families would no longer support him for the sake of their own foundations.

Once the support of their master's sect is gone, the so-called aristocratic families become like rootless duckweed, drifting aimlessly.

The other party was the old scoundrel Sima.

In the eyes of these disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall, it was only natural that the old scoundrel Sima would use any means necessary to achieve his goals, and that he was treacherous and cunning.

unless……

He was able to kill Sima the Old Thief and all the Foundation Establishment disciples here, completely silencing them, including his son Chen Kaixuan.

The life and death of the Lingmu Sect rests entirely on his decision.

……

Deep within the Dharma Protector Hall.

Li Mo had been there for almost an hour, and the two sides were still locked in a silent standoff.

It was getting dark, but under the spiritual light of the great array, the summit of Qingming Mountain remained bright, and each hall presented different strange phenomena.

Boom!
Suddenly.

The melodious sound of bells came from the direction of the Ancestral Hall.

The two opposing sides, who were whispering amongst themselves, and the five people negotiating in the middle of the two sides, suddenly fell silent.

After a brief exchange of glances, Lu Qi and Ye Shoutian, as if they had expected it, went from remaining silent to getting up at the same time.

"It seems the two acting sect leaders have reached a conclusion. Continuing to stand still here is pointless. Let's go take a look at the Ancestral Hall."

"What Senior Brother Lu said is absolutely right."

Seeing that Lu Qi and Ye Shoutian had already said this, Qian Jing, Chen Heyan, and Bai Jingjing said no more and immediately followed the two back to their respective camps.

Boom, boom, boom!
The bell tolled continuously, striking eighty-one times before finally stopping.

After the eighty-one chimes had faded away, the entire Qingming Mountain seemed to fall silent. This was the ancestral warning bell that was only rung when the Lingmu Sect was facing a life-or-death crisis.

The eighty-first syllable represents the highest level.

After leaving the Dharma Protector Hall, the disciples from both sides took to the air and headed towards the Ancestral Master Hall.

Those disciples who could not fly marched forward in an orderly line.

After everyone had gathered, they all looked at Sima Fu and Chen Shouyi, who were standing side by side in front of the Ancestral Hall.

Li Mo was in the first row of the Justice Society's side. He could feel immense pressure and couldn't help but summon the Five Elements Black Tortoise Shield and the Heavenly Golden Sword.

At this moment, if either of the two acting sect leaders speaks, a great battle will break out in an instant.

Fortunately, both of them simply stood quietly, waiting for the lower-ranking disciples to gradually gather around, without saying a word.

After a long time.

Sima Fu and Chen Shouyi exchanged a glance, and finally Chen Shouyi let out a silent sigh and took a step forward.

"Gentlemen, today's battle is a direct result of the long-standing poverty, weakness, and resentment within Qingming Mountain, and the resulting disagreement on how to reform the sect. After patient discussions with Acting Sect Leader Sima Fu, we have reached a consensus: Qingming Mountain will be closed off from this day forward. No one is permitted to leave without authorization; violators will be..."

After Chen Shouyi finished speaking, it was Sima Fu's turn to step forward and speak.

"Please rest assured, everyone. Acting Sect Leader Chen Shouyi and I have sworn an oath to all the patriarchs that we will not hold today's events accountable, regardless of right or wrong. Furthermore, we will allocate the budget to strongly support the advancement of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples, and improve the cultivation environment for lower and middle-level disciples..."

With Sima Fu and Chen Shouyi's promises, many Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples were overjoyed, while the Golden Core cultivators all looked solemn and followed the two to the Qingming Hall.

There were also broken corpses in front of the Qingming Hall.

The Golden Core cultivators who came here ignored them and filed into the main hall.

As the massive doors of the main hall slowly closed, no one knew what had happened inside.

the next day.

Sima Fu announced that he would go into seclusion to break through the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage.

Chen Heyan voluntarily resigned from his position as head of the Dharma Protectorate, and Lu Qi took over the position, quickly initiating a reorganization and reform.

He first ordered the dismantling of the arrays within the arrays of each hall. After the mountain-protecting array was completely restored, he immediately activated the mountain-protecting array and implemented a complete mountain closure.

Then came the burial of the many victims, and it was decided that a large-scale public memorial service would be held ten days later.

He then assigned numerous rewarding construction tasks, doing his utmost to repair the infrastructure of each hall, while also providing subsidies to disciples at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages.

During this period, martial law was in effect, and anyone who made inappropriate remarks was imprisoned by the Qingming Mountain Temporary Management Group and sealed in the underground spirit palace.

Next, all important positions in the Dharma Protection Hall and the Law Enforcement Hall will be openly competitive based on ability. Two places for true disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage will be opened, and all current Foundation Establishment disciples will compete openly for these places three months later.

With Lu Qi, the head of the Dharma Protectorate, issuing a series of orders, it was clear to anyone with discerning eyes that although Chen Shouyi was still the nominal acting head, he had actually been sidelined.

What's also strange is that the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall and the Zhenfeng Pavilion, who were originally sealed, have never come out again, including Chen Kaixuan.

Therefore, some people speculated that the members of the Justice Society used Chen Kaixuan as a hostage to force the acting leader to compromise and back down.

(End of this chapter)