My little sect, which disappeared a thousand years ago, has become a sacred site!

A few days later, in the Demon Realm, at the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Inside the main coffin hall, the elders who were refining the Supreme Demon Bone opened their eyes one after another.

The power of the Supreme Demon Bone far exceeded their expectations.

The refinement they underwent over the past few days resulted in varying degrees of improvement in their cultivation.

Some have even faintly touched the edge of the bottleneck, just one step away from breaking through.

The eight Demon Ancestors also completed the refining of their sacred bones.

Their gains were even greater—the primordial laws contained within the sacred bones were enough to save them from many detours on their future cultivation path.

At this moment, all the elders and the eight demon ancestors had risen and stood quietly in the main hall, waiting for the sect leader's next instructions.

Mo Yingluo and Mo Yingyue remained seated beside Gu Changyuan.

They did not refine the sacred bones.

These past few days, they've stayed with their master and haven't gone anywhere else.

Outside the main hall, a figure had been kneeling for a long time.

Shao Mu.

This powerful elder, ranked among the top, knelt motionless on the stone steps outside the main hall.

Although he had personally dealt with those three wicked disciples and settled the matter in Blackrock City, but—

When a disciple makes a mistake, it is the master's fault.

As his master, he failed to notice his disciples' depravity and prevent their evil deeds, which was his dereliction of duty.

Inside the main hall, all the elders stood with their heads bowed, but their eyes would occasionally glance toward the hall's entrance.

They all sensed that Shao Mu was outside.

The colleague who had fought alongside them and made great contributions to the Heavenly Demon Sect was now kneeling outside the door, awaiting the sect leader's judgment.

Many elders felt a pang of reluctance.

They knew Shao Mu well.

Over the years, he has risked his life for the Heavenly Demon Sect and made countless contributions.

His strength ranks in the upper-middle level among the Supreme Elders.

But ironically, he took in those three good-for-nothing disciples.

An elder quietly looked up and glanced at the black figure on the high platform.

What will the sect leader do with him?

......

Seeing that all the elders had completed the refining process, Gu Changyuan, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

Inside the main hall, a group of elders stood with their heads bowed, awaiting his next instructions.

Shao Mu, who was kneeling outside the palace gate, had naturally sensed it long ago.

When a disciple does something wrong, the master should naturally be punished.

However, he had read Shao Mu's file and knew that Shao Mu had done a lot for the Heavenly Demon Sect over the years.

Of the disciples he trained, apart from those three wicked ones, the other two all strictly adhered to the sect rules and made no mistakes.

Gu Changyuan's gaze swept over the elders who stood with their heads bowed in the hall.

Although they all kept their heads down, their eyes occasionally darted towards the direction of the palace gate.

They were all waiting, waiting for his decision on Shao Mu.

Gu Changyuan's lips curled up slightly.

He suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of every elder:

"A few of you carrying your own semi-divine artifacts, go outside, pat him on the shoulder, and then sigh softly."

Upon hearing this—

Many elders were stunned.

what?

Pat on the shoulder?

sigh?

What... what kind of punishment is this?

They looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.

However, while most people were still in a daze, several figures had already grasped the sect leader's meaning with a flash of shrewdness in their eyes.

Those were several elders who were usually a bit "scheming".

They exchanged a glance, a knowing smile playing on their lips.

One of the elders, a lean man with a sly look in his eyes, was the first to step forward.

He took down the semi-divine artifact longsword from in front of him, held it in his hand, and strode out of the main hall.

Shao Mu remained kneeling outside the palace gate.

He lowered his head, but his back was ramrod straight.

Footsteps sounded.

Shao Mu looked up and saw a familiar figure walking towards him—it was someone who belonged to the same group of Supreme Elders as him, and they usually had a fairly good relationship.

Gui Li walked up to him and stopped.

Shao Mu noticed that he was holding a long knife in his hand.

A semi-divine artifact!

Shao Mu's pupils constricted slightly.

He remembered clearly that the other party did not have any semi-divine artifacts before.

The natal magic weapon he used, although top-tier, was still a step below a semi-immortal weapon.

And now, he has it.

Moreover, Gui Li exuded an aura that even he found somewhat oppressive.

That was the lingering effect of refining the Supreme Demon Bone, which had not yet been fully contained.

The elder didn't explain anything.

He simply stepped forward, raised his hand, and gently patted Shao Mu's shoulder with the hand that held the semi-divine weapon longsword.

The movement was very light, like a greeting from an old friend.

Then--

"Sigh~~~~"

A sigh.

The sigh was very long, lasting for seven or eight breaths.

Shao Mu felt that if he kept sighing, the other person might suffocate him.

After sighing, Gui Li gave Shao Mu a deep look, then stepped forward and vanished from the spot in a flash.

It seemed like he had left, but in reality, he turned a corner and slipped back into the main hall through a side door, returning to his original position.

Shao Mu stood there, stunned.

He looked in the direction where his colleague had disappeared, and before he could figure it out, another figure walked out of the main hall.

Another elder.

They both wielded semi-divine artifacts and exuded the aura of supreme demonic bones.

He walked up to Shao Mu, looked at him, and his eyes also held a complex expression.

Then--

He patted him on the shoulder.

"well--!"

Another long sigh.

It was longer, heavier, and more expressive than the previous one.

After sighing, he turned and left, disappearing from sight.

Then comes the third one.

Fourth place.

Fifth place.

Those sighs, like demonic chants, echoed repeatedly in Shao Mu's ears.

With each passing figure, Shao Mu's expression changed.

At this moment, he was filled with deep regret.

Those semi-immortal artifacts and those supreme demonic bones were bestowed by the sect leader! He gave them to all the elders!

He missed out because of those three wicked disciples.

When the sect leader bestowed the treasure, he was dealing with the aftermath in Blackrock City.

When the sect leader distributed the treasures, he was on his way back to the sect.

His comrades who fought alongside him on ordinary days all obtained semi-immortal artifacts and refined the supreme demonic bone, making rapid progress in their strength.

And he had nothing.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

Those three wicked disciples died far too easily!

Seeing that things had progressed sufficiently, Gu Changyuan slowly rose and announced the verdict regarding Shao Mu:

"Elder Shao Mu, your disciple has caused trouble. As his master, you have failed to discipline him properly and should be severely punished."

However, considering his years of dedication to the Heavenly Demon Sect and the countless contributions he had made, he was given a lenient sentence.

The semi-immortal artifact and supreme demonic bone that belonged to him will be temporarily stored in the sect's treasury. After he has atoneed for his sins and his merits and demerits have been balanced, he can retrieve them from the treasury himself.

The elders below all breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

This punishment is indeed not severe.

After explaining how to deal with Shao Mu, Gu Changyuan said no more and left with his ten disciples.