Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 432 The visitor is evil

In the celestial realm, Song Xinci naturally noticed the commotion in the lower realm and curiously observed where Yun Yi was.

The golden phantom asked, "Would you like to lend him a hand and fulfill your wish to reunite in the Heavenly Realm?"

He spoke from the heart, without any sarcasm or irony.

Song Xinci calmly replied, "The time is not right yet, let's call it a day."

The golden phantom wanted to ask if it was jealous because it saw a woman beside Yun Yi.

However, after thinking about it, I still didn't dare, and obediently removed that dark cloud.

The calamity clouds came and went quickly, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

In the Spring God Pool, the towering figure of the twin lotus blossoms grew smaller and smaller until it was completely absorbed.

A beam of azure light enveloped Yun Yi and Jiang Miaojin, slowly sending them away.

Yun Yi was the first to open his eyes. A flash of inspiration had just appeared in his mind, but before he could grasp it, it had completely vanished.

Zhang Guo laughed and said, "Ascension isn't that simple. Just try a few more times and it will come naturally."

If someone else said such a thing, it wouldn't be very convincing, but as the only "legitimate" ascension realm cultivator in the world, the old Celestial Master's words still carry some weight.

Yun Yi: "This junior thanks the old Celestial Master."

Although Zhang Guo felt sorry for him, he still pretended to be magnanimous and said with a forced smile, "Never mind, what's yours is yours."

Before long, Jiang Miaojin slowly woke up. She first glanced at Yun Yi, a blush rising on her pretty face, and then turned her head away as if nothing had happened.

Seeing this, Zhang Guo immediately ordered them to leave: "Alright, if there's nothing else, hurry up and go. Can't you let the old man have a couple more days of peace and quiet?"

I finally have a sweet little cotton-padded jacket, I can't let the demonic sect wicked people seduce her away.

Moreover, Jiang Miaojin's cultivation level was low, and she had just received such a great benefit. She still needed the old celestial master's help to regulate her spiritual energy.

Feng Mo had now resolved his inner conflict and finally put down an invisible burden, appearing much more relaxed.

He bowed and took his leave with Yun Yi, then left the cave dwelling, feeling troubled.

Feng Mo: "The Overturning Heaven Pavilion is coming with great force, and the Righteous Qi Sect will definitely be in chaos."

Yun Yi: "Since things are going to be chaotic anyway, why don't I add some more fuel to the fire?"

……

A few days later, Zhengqi Continent was indeed bustling with activity, as if all the cultivators from the Nine Provinces had come here.

Whether it's righteous sects or demonic sects, or rogue cultivators from all over the country, they're all included.

This was partly due to the arrangements made by Futian Pavilion, and partly due to the Old Celestial Master's insistence on holding the "disciple-acceptance ceremony".

However, some of those people were there to show their support, while many more were there to take advantage of the situation.

On the Tianhai Treasure Ship, Yun Yi and his group were discussing countermeasures.

Zhuque, who was the most well-informed, said, "Dao Cheng from the Fuyou Sect, Huiming from the Fusheng Temple, Fu Quren from the Qinglian Sect, and Qiu Haoran from the Tianshu Academy have all come."

Yun Yi: "None of the sect leaders are easy to deal with. The Overturning Heaven Pavilion has been stirring up trouble in secret for so long, they should have found out some information as well."

"On the Demonic Sect's side, only our Burial Sword Valley is active; the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect and the Yin God Palace haven't made any moves."

"That's good. If they come over, the righteous and demonic paths will probably start fighting if they are provoked even slightly."

Zhuque: "There are still some cultivation families and small sects left, but some of them have Dao Integration Realm experts in charge, so they should not be underestimated. I asked Da Yan and Da Xia if they wanted to send people to deliver gifts, and I have already sent them all away as you instructed."

Yun Yi then asked Zhao Wuxiang, "The Overturning Heaven Pavilion will definitely mobilize its entire force this time. Approximately what is its strength?"

Zhao Wuxiang originally did not want to come, but he felt uneasy staying alone in the Burial Sword Valley, so he boarded the "pirate ship" with them.

He calculated: "Aside from those who died at your hands, there are about a dozen more Dao Integration Realm cultivators left."

"You can't say that. The death of the Crane Daoist should be blamed on you."

"..." Zhao Wuxiang cursed Yun Yi inwardly for being so rude, bringing up the very thing he shouldn't have said.

Feng Mo: "Logically speaking, the Futian Pavilion could have attacked the Zhengqi Sect head-on."

Yun Yi: "Now we've reached a critical juncture where everything is about to change. Even if they want to take action, none of them want to die here. On the other hand, they didn't expect that the Celestial Master would inexplicably take on a closed-door disciple and invite many helpers."

"Brother Yun is too modest. Originally, only the Tian Shu Academy was invited to this disciple-acceptance ceremony. It was only through your personal intervention that the other sects were persuaded."

Zhuque couldn't help but interject, "In my opinion, the disciple-acceptance ceremony definitely can't proceed normally. Many forces are planning to confront him directly, saying that Feng Mo has joined the Demon Sect and has formed a blood feud with them."

The entire family of seventy-three was brutally slaughtered, and only one child survived out of five hundred members of the sect—all these false accusations were indiscriminately leveled against them.

Feng Mo: "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext."

Yun Yi laughed and said, "The grievances I suffered during the Demon Extermination Conference should be experienced by you too."

Feng remained silent.

Su Qing offered a suggestion: "Actually, as long as Master Jiang and Master Zhong show up at the Righteous Qi Sect, the rumors will naturally fall apart on their own."

Yun Yi nodded: "However, most of these people are just using this as a pretext to try and avoid the sect's protective formation so they can openly go up the mountain. At that time, the Righteous Qi Sect will be a mixed bag, and it will be extremely chaotic."

Zhuque: "There's another thing to watch out for. There's a Dao Integration Realm cultivator named Huangfu Song acting suspiciously. He even brought a rather large cage. I wonder who's inside."

Yun Yi then asked Zhao Wuxiang, "Do you know?"

Zhao Wulian quickly shook his head: "I really have no idea how they plan to deal with the Righteous Qi Sect. I just abandoned the darkness and turned to the light before I even had a chance to advise them."

"Then we can only deal with it as it comes. Brother Feng and the two Celestial Masters must keep their identities hidden. Remember that."

Although Yun Yi couldn't figure out the purpose of the prison cart for the time being, he had a vague premonition that the Futian Pavilion had the same idea as him.

……

The old Celestial Master ordered his men to tidy up the Celestial Master's Mansion and specially set aside an open space for holding the apprentice-acceptance ceremony.

Although the disciples of the Righteous Qi Sect were filled with apprehension, they still obediently complied.

However, upon closer inspection, one will find that many disciples with low cultivation levels are missing.

For example, not a single Qi Refining Realm disciple remained; they were all sent outside under the pretext of "capturing Feng Mo."

This was naturally Yun Yi's doing. He was worried that if things got out of control, these disciples would become a burden. According to the traditions of the Righteous Qi Sect, the elders would probably have to go to great lengths to protect those "proper seedlings of the righteous path."

It must be said that as a member of the Demonic Sect, Yun Yi has an extremely good understanding of how evil and heretical people operate.

Sometimes, by simply putting yourself in the shoes of the Overturning Heaven Pavilion and considering what you would do, you can predict their movements.

Several more days passed, and the auspicious day that Yuan Lingguan had helped select arrived.

It's a good time to take on apprentices and have gatherings, and the weather is sunny with a refreshing breeze—truly a wonderful day.

Jiang Miaojin, as the "protagonist" of the ceremony, suddenly felt inexplicably nervous. She hadn't seen Yun Yi since leaving the Spring God Pool that day.

Although I had fulfilled my wish in the illusion and comforted myself that I had a long life ahead of me and didn't need to be greedy for a moment, I still couldn't help but feel shy when I thought of him.

Zhang Guo saw through his apprentice's thoughts and smiled without saying a word.

Speaking of this "apprentice-acceptance ceremony," there was nothing mysterious about it, and the process was quite simple, nothing more than bowing and kowtowing to the master. Apart from that, there was only Zhang Guo's little scheme—to prepare some gifts for his little apprentice. The attendees were all well-known cultivators, so they wouldn't be stingy.

He even specially assigned someone to guard the mountain gate to collect gifts, and specifically instructed them to write the gift list in detail.

It wasn't for the purpose of returning the favor later, but rather the old Celestial Master wanted to see how many cultivators the Righteous Qi Sect, as the leader of the righteous path in the human world, had helped over the years.

Now is the time to see who is the most "stingy," which will also make it easier to settle scores later.

As a result, the once ethereal and otherworldly Righteous Qi Sect suddenly became mercenary, leaving even the visiting cultivators somewhat bewildered.

Although it was reasonable for the old master to accept gifts, something still felt off.

Just as they were pondering the deeper meaning, they suddenly heard the gatekeeper announce the congratulatory gifts brought by the guests.

"Canglan Gate presents a pair of ancient corals from the East Sea!"

"The Golden Crow Taoist has gifted me a dazzling golden needle, a magical treasure!"

"The Hundred Herbs Sect is sending ten pills of the Perfect Tonic Pill!"

That's outrageous, absolutely outrageous! They're deliberately forcing people to give gifts, otherwise they'll lose face.

Some people hadn't prepared any gifts at all and secretly complained, "Is this a formal acceptance of a disciple or a birthday celebration?!"

Another person said, "Naturally, it's for the sake of his disciple. The old Celestial Master has already reached the Ascension Realm; would he even look at those things?"

"Right."

"What should we bring?"

"To be honest, I wasn't prepared. How about we just not send anything? The old master probably doesn't need our measly gifts."

"Okay, it's a deal."

The two agreed to enter empty-handed, but when they got near the disciples of the Righteous Qi Sect, the cultivator who had just said he wouldn't see them off suddenly produced a bamboo cage containing a cicada.

He laughed and said, "This is a cicada that I raised myself. It's not very useful; it's just for making a sound."

The disciple bowed and accepted the gift with utmost respect, saying loudly, "Kong Chanzi presents a spirit cicada!"

The remaining person looked incredulous, but his hands were truly empty.

The disciples of the Righteous Qi Sect did not treat them differently because of this, but respectfully said, "Guests are guests, and courtesy is also a great honor."

"Uh, haha." The man chuckled dryly twice and hurried up the mountain.

Seeing this scene, Yun Yi couldn't help but laugh.

Zhuque asked, "This Righteous Qi Sect is not quite what I imagined."

Yun Yi: "The old Celestial Master is getting on in years, so it's normal for him to have some childlike tendencies."

"But if we do that, won't we offend all those people? How will we then make Feng Mo and Zhong Wanxin's affair public?"

“The old Celestial Master naturally has the confidence, and I think he did it on purpose to see who harbors evil intentions towards the Righteous Qi Sect.”

Even though the Overturning Heaven Pavilion has extended its reach to the Righteous Qi Sect, the Old Celestial Master is still at the Ascension Realm and has been cultivating his strength for a thousand years. Apart from the elusive Pavilion Master, he may not really be afraid of the Heavenly Wolf.

Suddenly, a pair of eyes glanced over, seemingly casually, and lightly met Yun Yi's gaze before looking away.

It was Lu Ziwei.

Since achieving Dao, she removed the blindfold, exposing her purple eyes to the world without any attempt to conceal them.

Zhuque said sourly, "Why is this Master Lu everywhere?"

Yun Yi smiled without saying a word, and seeing many familiar faces climbing the mountain one after another, he felt much more confident.

Then a celestial beast appeared carrying a cage. The cage was covered with a black cloth and concealed by an array, so it was impossible to see what was hidden inside.

The person leading the mythical beast was Huangfu Song. He smiled at the gatekeeper and said, "I have brought a surprise for the old Celestial Master. We will reveal it when we get up the mountain."

The disciple dared not ask any further questions and immediately respectfully invited them to go up the mountain.

Yun Yi released his divine sense to investigate, only to find that Huangfu Song, as a Dao Integration Realm cultivator, indeed possessed some skill; the cage was able to evade the detection of the Rules Dao.

He shook his head: "I can't see clearly, but it seems like there's a person inside."

Suzaku asked, "Shouldn't we go in too?"

Yun Yi instructed, "Then proceed according to the plan. Zhuozhuo, behave yourself and don't cause any trouble."

He then used a flawless method to alter his face, and then put on a pre-prepared bamboo hat to partially conceal the face that did not belong to him.

Zhuque couldn't help but chuckle, then quickly calmed herself down and flicked a golden thread from her fingertips, which wrapped around Yun Yi's wrists.

She wagged her fingertip, urging Yun Yi to step forward, and laughed, "If I had known this would happen, I should have prepared a cage for you too."

Yun Yi: "Are you pushing your luck?"

Zhuque smiled smugly and led Yunyi into the public eye, with Nangong Zhuozhuo and others behind them holding gift boxes.

The disciples of the Righteous Qi Sect accepted the gifts respectfully and said, "From the Burial Sword Valley..."

The gift list was rather long, which immediately attracted everyone's attention.

After all, Burial Sword Valley is a demonic sect, and the only member of the demonic sect to come here to give gifts.

More importantly, it is rumored that after Feng Mo betrayed the Righteous Qi Sect, he joined the Burial Sword Valley. It is unknown whether that traitor is among them.

A sharp-eyed disciple suddenly widened his eyes, "That person whose hands are bound by the woman in red, the more I look at him, the more he looks like our senior brother?!"

The person she was referring to was naturally Yun Yi in disguise, who looked haggard and pitiful.

Without saying a word, the disciple was about to go over and find out what was going on, seemingly intending to snatch the person away, but was stopped by his companion.

"Don't be impulsive. Once they've gone up the mountain, the Heavenly Master will take care of things."

Although these disciples did not do anything out of line, their gazes toward Burial Sword Valley were quite complex.

Suzaku didn't take this seriously; on the contrary, he was quite pleased with himself.

As a demonic sorceress, she never imagined that she would one day swagger into the righteous sect.

People were constantly climbing the mountain, heading towards the Celestial Master's Mansion.

The real Feng Mo is hiding inside the Tianhai Treasure Ship, waiting to appear upon seeing Yun Yi's signal.

He was also secretly observing the vicinity of the Righteous Qi Sect. In addition to the sect leaders of the Righteous Path Sect, he also discovered many people at the Dao Integration Realm.

This group came with great force and ill intentions, and actually did a lot of dirty work around the Righteous Qi Sect.

How abominable.

Zhong Wanxin saw that Feng Mo was flustered and comforted him, "Don't lose your composure. Hongye is not dead, and you have not truly betrayed the sect. This is already a great blessing for the Righteous Qi Sect."

Feng Mo's expression was complicated. The thought that his secret with his master would be made public today made him feel flustered.

I wonder if I and the Righteous Qi Sect can survive this ordeal.

(End of this chapter)