Reincarnation Immortal Venerable: Starting from the Ninety-Nineth Incarnation

For two whole days, Li Yanzhou and the other two stayed in their guest room to rest.

For the past two days, the lights in the Elder Hall have never been turned off. Elders Chaohua and Ruoxue have been guarding the hall, discussing countermeasures while secretly sending people to investigate the movements of the Luoshui Sect.

Everyone knew that the people from the Luoshui Sect would come sooner or later, but no one expected them to come so quickly and so fiercely.

On the morning of the third day, just as dawn was breaking, Yuan Daosheng, the sect leader of Qiyun Sect, personally came to the guest room.

He wore a plain Taoist robe, his face was gentle, but his brows held an unyielding melancholy.

Looking at Li Yanzhou, whose complexion had improved slightly, and then at Shi Dazhuang, who still seemed somewhat bewildered, he finally sighed: "Yanzhou, things have escalated to this point, there's no escaping it now."

Li Yanzhou quickly stood up and bowed, his tone firm: "Sect Master, this matter arose because of me, and has nothing to do with the sect, let alone Dazhuang and Qingyao. I..."

"I know what you mean." Sect Master Yuan raised his hand to interrupt him. "You are a responsible child, but Qiyun Sect has not reached the point where it can let its disciples take the blame alone. I have decided to go to Luoshui Sect to negotiate in person. We cannot let you suffer, nor can we ruin the reputation of the sect. After all, it was the disciples of Luoshui Sect who set up the ambush first, so we are in the right."

No sooner had these words been spoken than a commotion suddenly arose outside the mountain gate, accompanied by the disciples' attempts to stop them and their rude shouts. It was obvious that people from the Luoshui Sect had arrived.

A cold glint flashed in Yuan Zongzhu's eyes, and his expression instantly darkened: "They've saved me a lot of trouble, barging in here first."

The group hurried towards the mountain gate and saw a group of cultivators dressed in green robes in the distance. Each of them had an unfriendly expression. The leader was Zhao Hanshan from the Luoshui Sect. He was dressed in black robes, his eyes were bloodshot, his expression was violent, and he was surrounded by a strong killing intent.

Yesterday morning, the gatekeeper found the dying follower and brought him back to the sect. The follower used his last strength to give a complete account of how Zhao Feng and Xie Yunfan were ambushed and killed. He died shortly after finishing his sentence.

This report from a witness was the most conclusive evidence that the Luoshui Sect had come to demand an explanation, and it instantly overwhelmed Zhao Hanshan with the pain of losing his son and boundless hatred.

Standing beside him was a middle-aged man in a brocade robe, with an arrogant face and an overwhelming aura of spiritual power. He was none other than Lingxu Zhenren, the sect master of the Luoshui Sect.

He came in person for two reasons: first, to avenge his disciple Xie Yunfan; and second, to save face for the Luoshui Sect, since two core disciples had died tragically in the territory of the Qiyun Sect. If the matter was not handled properly, it would only make other sects look down on them.

More importantly, he had long coveted several spiritual veins of Qiyun Sect. This time, he took advantage of the disciple's death to test them. If he could find a handle on Qiyun Sect, the annexation would be just around the corner.

"Are all the people from the Qiyun Sect dead?" Zhao Hanshan spoke first, his voice hoarse as if it had been ground by sand and gravel, filled with murderous intent. His gaze swept across the crowd like a knife, then locked onto Yuan Daosheng. "My son Zhao Feng, and my nephew Xie, were they killed by your Qiyun Sect people?!"

The gatekeeper disciple was so intimidated by his imposing aura that he took a half-step back. Just as he was about to explain, Yuan Daosheng stepped forward and stood in front of the disciple. His tone was calm but carried an undeniable force: "Elder Zhao, please calm down. Things are not as simple as you think. Why don't you come with me to the council hall and we can explain things slowly and give each other an explanation?"

Master Lingxu scoffed, his eyes filled with disdain. He flicked his sleeve, his tone laced with contempt: "An explanation? Someone witnessed several people dressed in Qiyun Sect robes attacking near your Qiyun Sect, brutally murdering two core disciples of my Luoshui Sect. Their deaths were gruesome, their bodies shattered. Now, what explanation do you have? If you don't give me a satisfactory answer today, I will tear down your Qiyun Sect's gates!"

Despite his arrogant words, Master Lingxu eventually followed Yuan Daosheng into the council hall.

The atmosphere inside the hall instantly plummeted to freezing point. The two sat on opposite sides, Zhao Hanshan fidgeting, his hands clenched so tightly they cracked, and the murderous intent in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Master Lingxu lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, his expression arrogant, his gaze sweeping over the Qiyun Sect members, a barely perceptible greed hidden in his eyes.

Yuan Daosheng gestured to Elder Chaohua to slowly recount the cause and effect of the matter: from Li Yanzhou and the other two going down the mountain and being ambushed by Zhao Feng and Xie Yunfan who used a dispersing agent, to Shi Dazhuang being provoked and losing control, and then to the mysterious white-clothed man playing the flute to relieve the siege, every detail was not omitted, and even the provocative words of Zhao Feng and the others were truthfully relayed.

"Indeed, it was the disciples of the Luoshui Sect who provoked the incident first and attacked first." Yuan Daosheng looked at Lingxu Zhenren, his tone softening slightly. "We know Elder Zhao's pain at losing his son, and we understand Sect Master Lingxu's anger. Qiyun Sect is willing to offer twenty pieces of Star Marrow Gold and a spiritual vein as compensation, and we will let this matter rest. What do you say?"

Zhao Hanshan stood aside, knowing full well that Star Marrow Gold was the core material for forging natal magic weapons. It was extremely rare, and the entire Luoshui Sect had accumulated no more than ten pieces in a hundred years. One spiritual vein, plus twenty pieces, was the greatest sincerity that Qiyun Sect could offer.

But the pain of losing his son clouded his judgment. More importantly, he knew Lingxu Zhenren's ambition. Only by relentlessly pursuing him could he help the sect leader achieve his goal of annexing Qiyun Sect.

"Compensation?" Zhao Hanshan slammed his fist on the table, making the chairs vibrate. "My son's life, my nephew Xie's life, is this all they're worth? Yuan Daosheng, are you humiliating my Luoshui Sect?! Today, I demand that Li Yanzhou and Shi Dazhuang pay for my son's life!"

Master Lingxu narrowed his eyes, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, his tone icy: "Sect Leader Yuan, it's not that I'm disrespecting you, but Xie Yunfan was my personally taught disciple, and Zhao Feng was Elder Zhao's only son. Their tragic deaths are unacceptable. If we simply let this go, what will become of the Luoshui Sect's reputation? How will the cultivation world view the Luoshui Sect?"

He paused, his aura growing increasingly intense, almost solidifying the air in the council hall: "Either hand over Li Yanzhou and Shi Dazhuang, and we'll deal with them as we see fit, plus compensation, and we'll let this matter drop. Or, let's start the war today. Although my Luoshui Sect is reluctant to resort to force easily, we are by no means a force to be bullied!"

Seeing this, Zhao Hanshan immediately echoed, his voice filled with malice: "That's right! Today, blood must be paid for! If you don't hand over those two wicked children, I will raze your Qiyun Sect to the ground and make everyone pay for my son's death, to appease his spirit in heaven!"

The atmosphere in the council hall instantly became tense. The elders of Qiyun Sect all had solemn expressions and gripped their magical artifacts tightly, while the disciples of Luoshui Sect also circulated their spiritual power, ready to take action at any moment.

Yuan Daosheng frowned. He knew that the Luoshui Sect had been plotting this for a long time. Today's events meant either handing over the disciples or the sect would be destroyed. Caught between these two dilemmas, he could only secretly circulate his profound energy and prepare for a desperate battle.