Starting with the consumables of the Demonic Sect, one can barely achieve immortality.

How many years has it been since any true masters of the three righteous sects appeared at the northern foot of the mountain?

Even though Xu Zhenhe did not make any move, he made a fleeting appearance and then disappeared without a trace.

However, the very fact that a single immortal, Baodan Zhenren, chose to appear on the northern slope is itself a fact.

The message conveyed is even more important than his specific actions.

In recent years, although the three righteous sects have flourished rapidly in the northern countries, they have never dared to trespass on the northern foothills, which have been the base of the Taiyin Immortal Sect since ancient times.

It must be understood that verbally criticizing the Taiyin Demonic Sect is a politically correct act that cannot be ignored.

But if someone were to actually step into the territory under the Demonic Sect's control, it could really lead to someone's death.

The Demonic Sect has five courts and twelve halls, with an even number of Core Formation Real People. Even if the three sects were combined, they would be far inferior!

Therefore, even someone of Xu Zhenhe's noble status did not actually take any action on the northern slope.

His sudden appearance seemed more like a test by the Shen Gao Sect against the Taiyin Immortal Sect.

Zongli did not respond.

Now that the matter has evolved into a contest at the Core Formation level, it no longer has much to do with the cultivators in the Hall of Longevity.

Everyone continued to bury themselves in their own work; those who were to exploit and reform continued to exploit and reform, while those who were content to be slaves continued to be slaves.

Just days ago, the arduous exploration of Biyue Palace seemed as if it had never happened.

Of the twenty-odd corpse cultivators chosen by Huang Tong to enter the mist as reserves of malevolent energy that day, only six returned alive, resulting in a mortality rate of over 70%.

However, with the death of Huang Tong, who had the greatest need for Yin Corpse Fiend, this loss doesn't seem so significant anymore.

Those who are fortunate enough to be alive naturally do not mourn the dead.

Ultimately, aside from the fact that everyone had cultivated in this hall, what kind of camaraderie existed among the corpse cultivators?

Ordinary corpse cultivators can die silently, but Huang Tong, as a true disciple, had to enjoy all the honors after his death.

Three days after the Hidden Moon Palace went into seclusion, the news of Huang Tong's death was announced in the palace.

Four days later, a grand funeral was held in the hall, and even the early recruits on the second floor were "invited" to attend.

Watching the six true disciples being cremated in the square outside the hall, bidding farewell to Huang Tong on his final journey.

Yan Cheng naturally stood among the crowd, his face filled with a genuine and moving sorrow.

Of the hundreds of people present, probably no one wanted Huang Tong's remnant soul to rest in peace more than him, and hoped it wouldn't play tricks on him by coming back to life in the Soul-Capturing Bell.

To be honest, Yan Cheng was quite suspicious of how the Emperor had determined that Huang Tong was truly dead, given that she had neither appeared in person nor died.

Divination? Deduction?

Impossible.

Even if the people in the palace had the ability to predict Huang Tong's life or death through the mist of uncertainty.

Now that this fellow's physical body and remnant soul have been collected into the Immortal-Hiding Mirror, if the people in the hall can still calculate anything, then it would truly be a ghost story.

Gazing at the disciples, all dressed in white mourning robes, Yan Cheng couldn't help but smile.

"At most, they could only conclude that Huang Tong's fate was unknown..."

"If their fate is unknown, then they are dead."

"Anyway, the palace's resources will definitely be tilted towards the Holy Maiden from now on. Even if Huang Tong comes back, it'll be no different from her being dead!"

He looked at Zhong Tianying with a leisurely air, only to see that this true disciple had a sorrowful expression on his face, and he didn't know how much of it was genuine.

Standing behind them, Deng Jian and Pei Yi, seemingly emboldened by the feeling that they were on the same side as Yan Cheng, began to whisper amongst themselves:

"I heard that even the disciples couldn't find Senior Sister Huang's body, so does that mean the Soul-Capturing Bell is also lost..."

"It's just a magical artifact; is it worth these people risking their lives for?"

"Senior Brother Tiantong once said that when a secret realm is hidden from the world, it will drag the surrounding things into the void."

"Our cultivation is too low, and we are not of enough weight to be drawn into the secret realm. But you true disciples have the foundation of immortality and carry a part of the Great Dao within you."

"Even staying outside the secret realm for a short while could lead to certain death and annihilation!"

As Yan Cheng listened, he gradually realized that something was wrong.

These are words that neither of them, with their level of cultivation, could utter.

Upon closer examination, he realized that after breaking through to the later stage, his divine sense had greatly improved under the blessing of the innate Qi, and he could even hear the voices of everyone present who were communicating with each other through their minds.

The only sound was the rising and falling of voices:

"Tai Xu? What's that?"

"It's said to be a perilous place within a perilous place, one that even Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot enter or leave..."

"Really? With your Foundation Establishment cultivation levels, is there anywhere in the world you can't go?"

For the cultivators in the Hall of Longevity, Foundation Establishment is the ultimate goal they seek in their lives, and its unattainability makes it all the more magnificent.

In their eyes, Foundation Establishment cultivators should be capable of anything.

That's Foundation Establishment!

Only Yan Cheng, who had truly faced off against a half-crippled Foundation Establishment cultivator, truly understood that even that great power had its limitations.

Building the foundation of the Great Way through countless hardships is only the beginning of another arduous journey.

His desire for the Way never diminished.

Thousands of cultivators harbored a thousand different thoughts, until a strangely familiar voice gently rippled from the Lake of Cultivators' Hearts:

"The Great Void is Qi (vital energy)."

"The unity of heaven and man is called Tai, the gathering and scattering of formlessness is called Xu, sometimes floating and sinking, sometimes rising and falling, movement and stillness interact with each other, and the swirling mists are without birth or death."

"When Qi floats, it becomes the sky; when Qi sinks, it becomes the earth. Therefore, this Great Void exists between the sky and the earth. Only those who cultivate the true elixir and unite their spirit and form can resonate with it."

A young man, dressed in a white cloak, with a relaxed smile, seemingly unmoved by anything that could happen, approached the crowd.

The mother corpse beneath him, as large as a small mountain, had disheveled hair and a wretched appearance, which only accentuated his celestial bearing.

The young man's gaze swept over the countless corpse cultivators' faces, which were filled with surprise and doubt, but it stopped only when his eyes met Yan Cheng's, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

Yan Cheng, as if he had anticipated that this person would look at him, returned the gaze without any panic, his mental transmission clear and tinged with a smile:

"Since Senior Brother Tiantong broke through to the later stage, he has even become more generous."

"In the past, you would never have allowed cultivators to hear such doctrines for free!"

Tiantong replied slowly:

"Junior brother, you knew I was about to break through, so why bother putting on this act?"

"As for you, Junior Brother... with your cultivation and abilities, if Senior Sister Huang were still alive, she would surely be overjoyed to see you!"

The two exchanged a knowing smile, but inwardly cursed simultaneously:

"That creepy thing!"

Yan Cheng knew that Tian Tong had been waiting for Huang Tong's demise for quite some time.

Huang Tong is a true disciple and the undisputed leader among the cultivators practicing the Netherworld Path in the palace. If he doesn't die, how will Tian Tong ever rise to prominence?

That's what they say, but the fact that the other party made such a high-profile appearance at Huang Tong's funeral still made Yan Cheng exclaim, "Wow!"

Are you really not afraid of offending Huang Tong's close disciples, who could easily send him to join them with a single slap?

But when the celestial child had ridden his horse some distance from the group of true disciples, he immediately put both feet down and respectfully bowed:

"Greetings, fellow senior sisters and brothers!"

Zhong Tianying smiled and said:

"Junior Brother Tiantong arrived just in time."

"No... From this day forward, we shall address you as our Seventh Junior Brother."