Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 416 The Gate of Dao Integration
Ultimately, Zhou Lang was completely banned.

The disciples of the Mirage Sect know best how to deal with a cultivator who is proficient in illusion techniques, just as Zhou Lang knew how to deal with Yin Xiaoshuang back then.

After Zhou Lang was sealed away like a mummy by layers of talismans, Youluozi once again used a magic weapon to store him away before turning to the crowd and saying, "I know you all still have many questions about this matter, but now is not the time to discuss them in detail. It's because Zhou Lang colluded with the demonic sect and intended to kill me. Although Zhou Lang has been captured, those two demons are still on the run."

"I request that all elders immediately follow me to hunt down and kill him, and make sure to eliminate evil completely."

Youluozi's voice reached everyone's ears clearly. After a brief silence, everyone responded loudly.

Although Yin Xiaoshuang had been in seclusion for a long time and Zhou Lang had been in charge of most of the sect's affairs, in the hearts of the Mirage Sect disciples, the true sect leader's prestige was far beyond that of Zhou Lang.

Exorcising demons and protecting the righteous path is the duty of all righteous sects, especially since the other side dared to infiltrate the Mirage Sect and assassinate its leader. Such deep-seated hatred must be avenged.

Youluozi didn't stand on ceremony. She quickly named more than a dozen elders and ordered them to follow her. Then, she turned to Elder Ying, who had asked the question first.

"Until we return, Elder Ying will temporarily take charge of the Mirage Sect."

Elder Ying originally wanted to volunteer to go along, but the sect leader specifically asked him to stay, which made him feel very strange.

Although he held the title of elder, he had always been detached from worldly affairs within the Mirage Sect, wielding no real power and never managing sect matters. Why would such a weighty responsibility suddenly fall upon his shoulders?
After pondering for a moment, Elder Ying guessed that perhaps the sect leader thought that the pursuit of the demon would not take too long, and that he was only temporarily in charge of the situation, so it didn't matter who was chosen.

He usually didn't pay much attention to these power struggles, so he didn't notice anything amiss, but some observant people sensed something was wrong.

Because most of the elders who were chosen to fight alongside the sect leader had close ties with Zhou Lang.

During the years Zhou Lang held immense power, they had all followed him and profited greatly. Now, suddenly being chosen to carry out this dangerous mission, they felt a sense of unease.

However, Zhou Lang's crime of treason has already been confirmed. If they try to evade responsibility at this point, they will likely be immediately arrested as Zhou Lang's accomplices.

It's just hunting down a villain, nothing serious.

They are all cultivators skilled in illusion techniques; acting is no challenge for them. At worst, they can just go through the motions without putting in any real effort.

Of course, some people think that Youluozi is giving them a choice: if they want to prove that they have nothing to do with Zhou Lang, then they should obediently work hard and let the sect leader see their efforts, which can be regarded as a pledge of loyalty.

Regardless of their motives, no one objected to the order, and they all silently followed Youluozi away from the Mirage Sect.

However, not long after that group of people left, several dark rifts opened in the void outside the gates of the Mirage Sect.

This is the method by which cultivators in the Returning to Void Realm traverse the void.

Elder Ying was startled and immediately ordered the highest level of alert to be activated again for the mountain-protecting formation, fearing that it might be a demon who had returned.

However, those who emerged from the spatial rift were Qu Heng, the Supreme Elder of the Yellow Springs Sect, Yu Jizi, the Sect Leader of the Qinghe Sword Sect, and Wu Yun Zhenren of the Yunlu Immortal Sect.

The arrival of three powerful cultivators at the Returning Void Realm surprised and heightened the tension among the remaining disciples of the Mirage Sect.

Qu Heng has always been a man who doesn't care about formalities. As soon as he took a step, his voice resounded like a great bell throughout the entire Mirage Sect's mountain gate.

"Fellow members of the Mirage Sect, your Vice Sect Leader Zhou Lang has colluded with the Demonic Sect to assassinate your Sect Leader Yin Xiaoshuang. We, the Yellow Spring Sect, the Qinghe Sword Sect, and the Yunlu Immortal Sect, have learned of this and have come to uphold justice for you. Open your sect gates immediately!"

Upon hearing this, True Man Wuyun frowned almost imperceptibly. He turned to Qu Heng and transmitted his voice, saying, "Fellow Daoist Qu, this matter has not yet been investigated. You have already publicly convicted Zhou Lang. What if something goes wrong? How will you handle the aftermath?"

He had only just heard about Zhou Lang's matter. Although he believed that the Yellow Spring Sect wouldn't joke about such a serious matter, he hadn't witnessed it firsthand. Now, based solely on the Yellow Spring Sect's one-sided account, Qu Heng was loudly proclaiming the vice sect leader's crimes in front of their sect. If it turned out that Zhou Lang was innocent, the situation would become very ugly.

Although the Five Elements True Man has always disliked the Mirage Sect's ways, since they are both from the five righteous sects, this matter should be investigated carefully to avoid wrongly accusing good people and sowing discord among the righteous sects.

Qu Heng sneered, "I personally witnessed Zhou Lang colluding with the Demonic Sect to plot against me. Now that things have come to this, what's the point of talking about mistakes? You just think my side of the story is unreliable. If you don't believe me, you can go back now. My Yellow Springs Sect doesn't need the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect's help to avenge itself."

The Five Elements Immortal's brows furrowed even deeper. He had never liked Qu Heng, especially after learning that Qu Heng was behind the chaos among the rogue cultivators of Hundred Seas Valley, which deepened his dislike for him.

Born into a demonic sect and acting treacherously, this was the first impression Qu Heng gave to others. Although Master Zhang of the Qinghe Sword Sect vouched for him, Master Wuyun always felt that the evil aura on Qu Heng far outweighed his righteousness.

He was only being cautious, yet he had been so rude to him, and he immediately felt an urge to walk away.

But considering the gravity of the matter, which could even shake the very foundation of the righteous path, True Man Wuyun could only suppress his displeasure for the time being. He said in a calm tone, "Fellow Daoist Qu, I have known Zhou Lang for many years. It is indeed a bit unreasonable for you to ask me to immediately regard him as an accomplice of the demonic sect."

“But I don’t doubt that you’re lying. It’s just that the methods of the Demonic Sect are always unpredictable, and there might be other hidden reasons or a misunderstanding. It’s always better to be cautious. If you think I’m being biased, then I apologize to you.”

This gesture surprised Qu Heng. He hadn't expected that the high and mighty sect leader of Yunlu Immortal Sect would apologize to him. Although it was only a verbal apology, it was still quite remarkable.

Because of his background, Qu Heng had seen too many so-called "righteous faces" and had no good feelings towards these prestigious sects. But the humble attitude of the Five Elements Master made him realize that not all those in the righteous path were hypocrites.

As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face. Since Master Wuyun had already said this much, Qu Heng could not press the matter any further, and his tone softened: "Fellow Daoist, please don't take offense. I was just ambushed by Zhou Lang, and my emotions were unstable. My words may have been offensive, so please don't take it to heart. You are right, there may indeed be something fishy about Zhou Lang's matter, and it should be investigated first."

Just as the atmosphere between the two had eased, a beam of light shone from the protective array of the Mirage Sect, and Elder Ying appeared before the three great cultivators. He first bowed respectfully, and then said, "Thank you for your help. We are already aware of Zhou Lang's collusion with the Demonic Sect to murder the Sect Leader."

Upon hearing this, the Five Elements Master was greatly surprised and hurriedly asked, "You already knew?"

Elder Ying explained, "That's right, those who do many evil deeds will surely perish. Zhou Lang's evil deeds have nowhere to hide under the Mirror of Truth. His spiritual power has been sealed, and he is awaiting the sect leader's judgment."

The Five Elements Master looked somewhat embarrassed. He had just insisted that Zhou Lang might be innocent, but it turned out that the sect had already investigated and found out the truth. Since the Mirror of Truth, a magical treasure capable of piercing through all falsehoods, had been used, there was probably no turning back now.

But Qu Heng sensed something amiss in his words and immediately pressed, "Wait a minute, you just said that Zhou Lang was captured and is awaiting the sect leader's punishment? Which sect leader? Has your Mirage Sect already chosen a new sect leader?"

Elder Ying looked puzzled: "What makes you say that, fellow Daoist? The leader of our Mirage Sect is naturally Leader Yin Xiaoshuang. Although Zhou Lang colluded with the Demonic Sect to plot against her, she saw through the conspiracy, which is how we learned the truth."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the three Void Returning Realm cultivators changed simultaneously.

On the way here, Qu Heng had already clearly told the other two that Yin Xiaoshuang only had a wisp of remnant soul left.

So, who is this "Sect Leader Yin" who exposed Zhou Lang's conspiracy and led the team to hunt down the demon?
Yu Jizi immediately asked, "Where is Sect Leader Yin at this moment? Please ask her to come out and meet us."

"The sect leader is leading the elders in pursuit of the demon, and they just set off..." Elder Ying finally realized something was wrong. His face paled, and he asked in a panic, "The three of you, could it be... could something have happened to the sect leader?"

But the three of them had no time to explain to him. Qu Heng made a decisive decision: "Let's go, maybe we can still catch up!"

"Where should we pursue them?" Master Wuyun asked grimly.

Although cultivators at the Returning Void Realm can tear through space and travel tens of thousands of miles in an instant, they cannot know the whereabouts of their opponents. In this vast world, there is simply no way to catch up.

Qu Heng said in a deep voice, "Zhou Lang attacked me, and that created a karmic connection between us. I can roughly pinpoint his location."

Having said that, he no longer hesitated, and directly recited the incantation, summoning the Dharma form of the Fengdu Emperor and borrowing the supernatural powers of the fifth level of the Heavenly Punishment Hell.

An invisible thread of cause and effect unfolded before his eyes, and he quickly searched among the intricate threads for the one that belonged to Zhou Lang.

“Found him, Zhou Lang is right here…” Qu Heng was about to reveal the location when his expression suddenly darkened.

The Five Elements Immortal immediately pressed, "How is it? Where is Zhou Lang?"

Qu Heng slowly shook his head, his voice carrying a hint of coldness: "It's too late. He's already dead, and completely dead, even his soul has been obliterated. The karma between us is now completely severed."

According to the rules of the Yellow Springs Sect, death is not the end of cause and effect. However, the thread of cause and effect that Qu Heng had just sensed was completely severed. The only explanation is that Zhou Lang's soul was scattered, and he didn't even have the chance to enter reincarnation.

Upon hearing this, Yu Jizi immediately reminded him, "Although Zhou Lang is dead, that demon Fei Lian was also involved in this matter. You have also formed a karmic bond with him, so you might as well give it a try."

Qu Heng nodded. He had the same idea, but he chose Zhou Lang first because Zhou Lang was the first to be targeted.

Qu Heng calmed down again and sensed the location of Lord Fei Lian. Logically speaking, Fei Lian was his mortal enemy, and with such a heavy karmic connection, he should have been easy to find.

However, no matter how hard Qu Heng tried, the myriad threads of cause and effect kept splitting and coming together, yet he still couldn't find the whereabouts of that Venerable Fei Lian.

It's not that the thread doesn't exist; Qu Heng can confirm that this cause and effect hasn't been severed, but he just can't find it.

It's as if every time you try to find it, this thread of cause and effect inexplicably disappears again.

At this very moment, deep underground, the lightning above the head of the Flying Lord slowly dissipated, and no new lightning appeared for a long time.

Lord Feilian couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Finally, I'm free from this heavenly lightning torture!"

Youluozi was watching the furnace fire, which was ten feet tall and was where the elders of the Mirage Sect were being refined.

From their physical bodies to their souls, everything was thrown into the furnace. No matter how much they wailed, they could not escape and were only refined into pills.

Sacrificing the Mirage Faction with blood was a plan the two had devised long ago.

From the moment Zhou Lang plotted against Yin Xiaoshuang, Youluozi knew that Zhou Lang was doomed. When it comes to playing tricks and schemes, who can compare to the combined efforts of a person with super hearing and a demon whose words are law?

Upon hearing this, Venerable Feilian burst into laughter, and Youluozi asked, "You haven't even taken the Blood Pill yet, and your cultivation has already broken through again?"

Fei Lian didn't hide anything and frankly said, "That's right. You also know how I cultivated my ability to make my words come true. Now that half of the elders of the Mirage Sect have been sacrificed by us, half of the third judgment has been fulfilled, so I will naturally be on a higher level. However, the Yellow Spring Sect's supernatural power is really powerful. The pain was far beyond my expectations, and I almost wanted to end my own life."

Fei Lian was still shaken when he recalled the incident; he had never witnessed such outrageous supernatural power before.

No matter where you are or what means you use, you cannot withstand the terrifying heavenly lightning; each strike will cause you excruciating pain.

Fei Lian was no novice; he had witnessed countless tragedies over the centuries and suffered numerous injuries, but none could compare to this heavenly lightning.

Otherwise, his soul damage wouldn't be irreparable. The fact that he managed to stay steadfast and not commit suicide during this period shows his strong will. Anyone else would probably have slit their own throat.

Just now, Feilian finally solved this problem.

It's actually quite simple. He used his supernatural power to make his words lawful, so that no one in the world could trace his whereabouts back to him through cause and effect.

Instead of directly resolving all causes and effects, it hides them.

When you can't find him, the heavenly punishment can't be brought down, and the problem is naturally solved.

However, he would need to advance his cultivation level to do so, as interfering with cause and effect is not a simple matter for the current Heavenly Dao.

Fei Lian was also deeply moved. The Yellow Springs Sect truly had something unique about it. Before Chen Ye rose to prominence, the principle of cause and effect had never been so clearly demonstrated.

Since the establishment of the Yellow Springs Sect, this set of rules has become increasingly clear, affecting not only the Northern Frontier but also the entire Heavenly Dao.

Previously, the only thing related to it was divination, which is a difficult art to learn and master, and the results of the divination are mostly vague.

But now, the karmic consequences of good and evil are so obvious that even cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage can sense them.

The Yellow Springs Sect has already shaken the laws of heaven and earth, a feat that even Master Zhang of the Qinghe Sword Sect has not accomplished.

Fei Lian sighed, "Back then, we should have done everything we could to keep Chen Ye alive, or we should have killed him. Even now, even if we destroy the Yellow Springs Sect, the law of cause and effect will never change back."

Youluozi said, "It's alright. You should know that the so-called ascension to immortality is becoming an immortal. Immortals transcend cause and effect and are not within the Five Elements. No matter how powerful the Yellow Spring Sect is, it will ultimately not be able to affect you."

Fei Lian nodded. He had cultivated so diligently all this time, just for the sake of ascension.

Watching the blood pill gradually forming in the furnace, Fei Lian laughed and said, "That's right, achieving immortality and ascending to heaven is what we pursue. The grudges of the mortal world are ultimately nothing but fleeting clouds. Without immortality, all good and evil will only be buried in the yellow earth."

"Today is the day I attain enlightenment."

Seeing Fei Lian's smugness, You Luozi couldn't help but remind him, "You promised that after you achieved Dao, you would open the gate to the Void for me. If you break your promise, I have a way to ensure that you are never reincarnated!"

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Fei Lian's eyes, which then turned into a smile.

Fei Lian comforted him, saying, "Of course, I will definitely keep my promise. After I achieve Dao, we will immediately set off for Guixu. We can deal with these righteous paths later."

Youluozi was satisfied and stepped aside, letting Feilian tend the fire.

The blood sacrifice had been prepared for a long time, and now refining the pills didn't take much effort. Before long, a pill with a blood-red light flew out and landed in Fei Lian's hand.

Fei Lian swallowed it without hesitation, and in an instant, countless essences of flesh and blood transformed into spiritual energy and merged into his body and soul.

A golden door appeared out of thin air, its surface covered with countless mysterious runes that seemed to constantly change, dazzling the eye.

The Gate of Dao is open; once you open this gate, you will know the ultimate truths of heaven and earth. But once you know these secrets, the mortal realm will no longer tolerate you; it will constantly urge you to ascend to the immortal realm, and you can no longer linger.

You can stay if you want, but you'll have to trade your lifespan for it. One year, two years, a hundred years, a thousand years—let's see how long you can last. Eventually, you'll run out of energy and your life will end.

Fei Lian had no attachment to this world, so he pushed open the golden door without hesitation.

The gate slowly opened, and countless runes flowed into Feilian's body, performing the final transformation before he became an immortal.

At this moment, all the cultivators looked in Fei Lian's direction without prior agreement.

The realm of Dao Integration draws upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as well as the laws of the Heavenly Dao, which all cultivators will sense.

Fei Lian's location was also exposed at this moment, allowing other Void Returning Realm cultivators to break through the void and arrive.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

Just as those spatial rifts appeared, Fei Lian had already pushed open the door and glimpsed the truth of the Heavenly Dao.

In an instant, the golden light dissipated, and the Gate of Dao Dissolved on its own the moment it was pushed open.

It was too late in the end. The moment the door opened, Fei Lian had already glimpsed the Heavenly Dao and entered the Dao Integration Realm, while those spatial rifts had only just formed.

Before any righteous cultivators at the Returning Void Realm could step out, Fei Lian simply flicked his sleeve, and all the spatial rifts closed again.

Even the Void Shattering Realm cultivators of the Returning Void Realm can be stopped; this is the power of the Dao Integration Realm cultivators.

But Fei Lian showed no sign of smugness. Instead, his face was pale as he said to You Luo Zi, "That is the Heavenly Way? That broken, ruined thing... is the so-called Heavenly Way?!"

(End of this chapter)