Xian Feng did not speak again to smooth things over. As a disciple of Huaxian Sect, he could not say the Old Ancestors' decision had been wrong, yet neither could he deny what Xian Yao had said. If they had not harbored selfish motives, perhaps this battle would not have erupted from Huaxian Sect, nor would the sect have suffered such devastating losses.
Including the Old Ancestors in death seclusion and the Venerables who had died in battle, Huaxian Sect had lost at least two-thirds of its high-level combat strength. Xian Feng and Xian Yao had only recently advanced to the early Spirit Transformation stage, while Venerable Huayu possessed only the strength of the early Spirit Transformation stage as well. The cultivation of the three of them was more than enough to support a medium-sized sect, but restoring Huaxian Sect to its position as the foremost sect in the Central Domain would likely be difficult.
Only after Xian Yao had calmed herself did Huayu speak.
"The Old Ancestors have already paid the price for their choices. We will not judge whether they were right or wrong. What we must do now is preserve Huaxian Sect's remaining strength and develop gradually afterward. Huaxian Sect was not the greatest sect from the very day it was founded."
Xian Feng nodded.
"What the Venerable says is reasonable. We will do our utmost."
Xian Yao merely nodded silently.
Huayu then continued.
"The two of you once fought side by side with Ranxi, Yun Chen, Xun Kun, and Han Lian. Now that they have returned, they have turned the tide of the entire battlefield, and their cultivation has also improved. From what I can sense, they should have already broken through the Void-Traversal Realm and be capable of ascending to the Upper Realm. If you