Starting with the Corpse-Eating Worm, he worked his way up to become the Left-Winged Immortal Lord.

"An ambush was set?"

Lu Xingzhi's smile gradually faded.

Ding Xian hurriedly added, "Vice Abbot Lü has already led his men there. According to the information from the Dharma Protector Hall cultivators, the so-called revelation of his whereabouts after being injured was a deliberate act by the Heavenly Principle Sect. They had already laid a trap in He Sha Valley."

After Master Chen Ye and his men pursued them into He Sha Valley, they were suddenly confronted by a large number of cultivators from the Heavenly Principle Sect, including seven cultivators at the sixth level of Qi Refining. Master Qi Heng, the manager of Fu Tang, perished, and all the constables, including Head Constable Xue of Changping County, were also killed!

"What? Qi Heng is dead?" Lu Xingzhi looked incredulous. His longtime friend was dead just like that?

Gu Qing stood aside, her heart also stirred with emotion.

Master Qi Heng, the manager of Futang, was mentioned by Li Fu. When Li Fu gave him two choices to become a disciple, he was one of them.

A cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and a high-ranking member of the Wufeng Temple who oversaw all of the temple's businesses in Changle County, actually died in this turmoil. It's truly unbelievable.

And then there's Xue Chen.

Although he wasn't exactly a good person, his ability to cultivate to the third level of Qi Refining and become a county constable was extremely rare, even among miscellaneous cultivators.

His parents, who were practitioners of various schools of thought and unorthodox methods, had spent half their lives cultivating themselves, yet their only dream was to reach the level of Xue Chen.

It's truly heartbreaking.

It also evokes some感慨 (feelings of mixed emotions).

However, after the initial sigh, Gu Qing was more worried – could Changping County still hold out until the assessment?

If Deng Hui were to inform the Heavenly Principles Sect about the True Method of Foundation Building without the Worms, his situation would likely become even more dangerous.

"If I demonstrate absolutely overwhelming strength, I wonder if I can advance this assessment..."

With this matter escalating to such an extent, even if the people of Xuanqing Academy are indifferent, they should take some action by now.

If I can display my absolute talent for unorthodox methods in front of them, perhaps I can catch the eye of the Xuanqing Academy cultivators.

"Moving the assessment forward might not be a problem!"

While pondering this silently, Lu Xingzhi asked again, "What about the others? How are they?"

"Master Chen Ye and the others used the third-tier sword-sweeping talisman left by the abbot to successfully break through the Heavenly Principle Sect's trapping formation and escape. However, due to its excessive effect, they are being hunted down by the Heavenly Principle Sect cultivators and are currently in the Lianwu Mountains, their whereabouts unknown."

Ding Xian's expression grew increasingly solemn as he spoke.

of course.

He wasn't worried about Chen Ye, but rather about his other fellow disciples and friends.

"Has the Heavenly Principle Sect gone mad? Are they really not afraid of the wrath of the Xuanqing Academy?" Lu Xingzhi was shocked and full of doubt.

Xuanqing Academy is the heaven of Tianhai County. As long as Xuanqing Academy exists, Tianli Sect should not be able to cause any trouble.

Moreover, the Golden Core cultivator from Xuanqing Academy is in his prime, and his deterrent power has not diminished in the slightest. How dare the cultivators of Tianli Sect act this way?

Ding Xian didn't speak because he couldn't answer the question.

Seeing this, Lu Xingzhi could only ask a few more questions, but the message from the Dharma Protector was very brief and contained no further information. The only certainty was that Vice Abbot Lü should be able to save everyone's lives once he arrived.

"Give the order to strengthen vigilance, especially in Fufeng Forest and the shady areas behind the mountain. Absolutely no further mishaps are allowed."

That's all.

Lu Xingzhi left quickly.

"Junior Brother Gu, don't go down the mountain recently. Don't go anywhere except Changping County." Ding Xian reminded him before leaving.

This reminder immediately made Gu Qing think of her parents in Gujia Village.

Although I don't know what the Heavenly Principles Sect is planning to do right now, I definitely can't stay in Gujia Village any longer.

……

After leaving the Dharma Pavilion, Gu Qing immediately went down the mountain, put away the Corpse-Eating Worms, and rode a fast horse straight to Gu Family Village.

When we returned to Gujia Village, it was still peaceful and serene.

Upon entering the village, Gu Qing noticed a man from another village hurrying away. His clothing suggested he was a subordinate of a rogue cultivator who had bought his parents' land.

Upon arriving home, the maidservant exclaimed with delight.

"Young Master is back!"

Mr. and Mrs. Gu came out of the house in the courtyard with great surprise.

"Why are you back? What happened?"

For the first time ever, Gu's father spoke first, because the last time Gu Qing returned was when Xue Chen came to arrest him.

His sudden return must be for something important.

Gu Qing didn't respond, but instead asked, "Have you bought back the family's land?"

"Not yet, we're still negotiating. Thanks to you, that stingy old man Yang is actually willing to lower the price by 30% to sell it to us."

Father Gu smiled smugly.

After so many years, he finally experienced what it felt like to have someone to rely on.

Gu Qing hurriedly said, "We won't buy any more, not even a single acre. Let's pack up now and move to Changping County. We'll give away the remaining things in the village to the villagers, and whoever is willing to take over Gu Family Village can have it."

"You all go and pack up first!" Without the slightest hesitation, Mr. Gu immediately spoke to Mrs. Gu and the maid standing to the side.

Madam Gu nodded and hurriedly led her maid into the house.

Once the two had left, Mr. Gu lowered his voice and asked, "What happened?"

Gu Qing immediately recounted what had happened in recent days, and upon hearing it, Gu's father turned ashen-faced. "The Heavenly Principle Sect has actually returned. Fifty years ago, when your grandfather was still alive, they broke into Tianhai County."

In just three years, countless cultivators from the miscellaneous and unorthodox schools of Tianhai County were forced to join them, and those who did not were all killed. It was from that time that the lineage of the miscellaneous and unorthodox schools of Tianhai County was almost completely cut off.

For the next ten or twenty years, even those practicing miscellaneous or unorthodox methods at the first level of Qi Refining would be extremely rare. Now that things have finally recovered, they've returned. This time, they've even targeted the Taoist temples under the Xuanqing Academy's jurisdiction; it seems they have much more to scheme for!

Gu Qing frowned and asked, "Didn't Xuanqing Academy do anything about it back then? They let them run rampant for three years?"

For some reason, he always felt that things were not simple.

But I can't quite put my finger on what's so complicated about it.

"I don't know. Perhaps Xuanqing Academy was preoccupied with its own problems at the time," Father Gu shook his head.

"Were the Taoist temples like Wufeng Temple affected at that time?" Gu Qing asked again, trying to glean some information.

Mr. Gu pondered for a moment, then said, "Your grandfather was working for a Taoist priest at Wufeng Temple at the time, and he risked his life to ensure the safety of our family. According to what he told me... it seems that Wufeng Temple didn't have any trouble. However, it seems that Wufeng Temple didn't get involved in the matter much at the time... I don't know the specifics."

Upon hearing this, even without obtaining much information, Gu Qing could roughly guess what was going on.

The upheaval in the Heavenly Principle Sect fifty years ago was very likely tacitly approved by the Xuanqing Academy.

The Heavenly Principle Sect's policy of only killing miscellaneous and unorthodox practitioners is probably what the Xuanqing Academy wanted. After all, these practitioners have always been suppressed, but there's always a limit to their frustration. Once that limit is reached, evil cultivators might emerge.

Thinking of this, Gu Qing fell silent.

of course.

He did not take his guess as the truth.

However, what is certain is that Xuanqing Academy tacitly approved it at the time.

this time……

Could it be tacit approval?

If Xuanqing Temple truly condones the Tianli Sect's attack on the Taoist temple, then the matter will be very serious!