"Good morning, Senior Disciple Brother!"
"Good morning, Senior Disciple Brother!"
"Senior Disciple Brother."
As the sky began to brighten, Xue Ding walked down from the cliff and made his way through the temple with impeccable bearing. Every junior brother and sister he passed greeted him respectfully.
This reflected the Celestial Master Temple's respect for teachers and elders, and was also a mark of the respect people had for Xue Ding, their Senior Disciple Brother.
Whether their feelings were sincere or not, the fact remained that there was nothing to criticize in his conduct as Senior Disciple Brother.
To outsiders, he was one of the key members who upheld the Celestial Master Temple's reputation.
Within the temple, he had long since taken his master's place, teaching his junior brothers and sisters at set times. He was gentle by nature, and even when new outer disciples came to him with questions, he answered everything they asked without reservation.
So after Feng Qi's commotion yesterday, when the many junior brothers and sisters learned that Xue Ding couldn't draw his sword for some unknown reason, not one of them came forward to provoke or mock him. They all looked at him with concern and sympathy.
Outside the Celestial Master Hall, Xue Ding stopped and surveyed the junior brothers and sisters around him, a radiant smile on his face.
"Everyone, morning lessons should have started some time ago!"
Before the crowd could grasp what he meant, the Taoist robe on Xue Ding's body began to flutter without a breeze, billowing like a dragon.
The next instant, a sword's cry rang out in every direction!
The Celestial Master Sword shot into the sky like a dragon soaring through the heavens. Its righteous aura spread slowly, dispersing the mountain mist hanging over the hall and lifting the gloom from the faces of the junior brothers and sisters, who began to beam with delight!
"Senior Disciple Brother has recovered!"
"Looking sharp, Senior Disciple Brother!"
Xue Ding gazed up at the Celestial Master Sword circling above him. His energy surged through all four directions, and a streak of divine light appeared along his spine, as if a great dragon lying dormant within his body had awakened. His power surged several times over!
Who could fail to recognize this scene? Dragon Opening Realm!
Senior Disciple Brother hadn't just recovered—he had finally broken through the bottleneck that had held him back for years and entered the Dragon Opening Realm!
Joy from the bottom of their hearts appeared on the faces of all his fellow disciples. Without anyone taking the lead, they all congratulated him in perfect unison:
"Congratulations, Senior Disciple Brother, on breaking through your bottleneck and entering the Dragon Opening Realm!"
"Congratulations, Senior Disciple Brother, on breaking through your bottleneck and entering the Dragon Opening Realm!"
Their voices surged like a mighty tide, spreading throughout the Celestial Master Temple.
The Sect Leader Celestial Master and several elders emerged from different parts of the temple at the commotion. Seeing the striking figure on the hall's plaza, his Taoist robe billowing, they were overcome with delight.
"Xue Ding is all right!"
"His state of mind has broken through!"
"He even overcame the demonic thoughts—this young man is impressive!"
"As expected of the temple's foremost disciple! Hahaha!"
"Senior Brother, with Xue Ding here, our Celestial Master Temple will only grow more prosperous!"
The Sect Leader Celestial Master said nothing. He merely stroked his white beard and nodded in satisfaction.
"Everyone, train with me!"
The Celestial Master Sword descended, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Full of confidence, Xue Ding gripped the ancient heirloom sword, stepped through the Big Dipper formation, and raised his sword toward the heavens. Sword energy surged in every direction.
The disciples on the plaza immediately lined up, drew their swords as one, and followed Xue Ding in practicing the Celestial Master Demon Subduing Sword.
"May the heavens be clear and bright; may our Dao flourish day by day!"
"Banish demons from heaven and earth; roam free in perfect ease!"
Their voices rolled like thunder alongside the rising sun, spreading through the mountain forests.
"May the heavens be clear and bright; may our Dao flourish day by day!"
"Banish demons from heaven and earth; roam free in perfect ease!"
Meanwhile,
Elsewhere,
Changchunzi, the Quanzhen Sect's leader, stood with several others beside a fire that still held a little warmth, his expression angry.
Feng Qi, the Quanzhen Sect's Senior Disciple Brother, had been killed. Changchunzi had every reason to be furious. His death was not merely the loss of a life—it was a provocation, even a declaration of war against the Quanzhen Sect.
Who had done it?
"The Celestial Master Temple?" someone speculated. After all, they had just clashed with the temple over seizing its Spiritual Land, and Feng Qi had provoked them so brazenly. It was hard not to make the connection.
"The wound was made by a blade, and the killing intent was intense. The Celestial Master Temple has no sword art like that." An elder calmly analyzed the scene, concluding that the temple wasn't responsible.
"Wangwu Mountain may look like it's dominated by a few of our factions, but ever since word of the Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao spread online, plenty of people have already slipped into various places, waiting for their chance."
"Exactly. Molting Beasts lie in wait among the mountains and waters, and many demonic cultivators have made their preparations too. Who knows where they're hiding?"
"This blade wound clearly wasn't inflicted by the Celestial Master Temple. Perhaps someone with ulterior motives wants to provoke a conflict between us, muddy the waters of Wangwu Mountain, and profit from the chaos."
Not everyone in the Quanzhen Sect agreed with Changchunzi's approach. The Celestial Master Temple had helped the Quanzhen Sect greatly, and the two had been neighbors for years. To seize the temple's grounds despite that bond was utterly shameless.
Changchunzi said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on Feng Qi's mutilated body, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Just then, a voice rang out.
"Provoke a conflict? Come on. We've already made it clear that we intend to seize the Celestial Master Temple's grounds. With a conflict like that between us, why would an outsider need to stir up trouble? If you ask me, the Celestial Master Temple definitely did this!"
Everyone looked over. The Wang family head, Wang Mingshou, approached surrounded by several others. He was vigorous and square-faced, and his naturally imposing air spoke of a man accustomed to wielding power.
Changchunzi's gaze met Wang Mingshou's. Each could see what the other was thinking.
Feng Qi was dead. If the murderer had been right in front of them, that would have been one thing; but if they didn't know who it was, there was no need to waste time investigating. Their urgent priority was to seize the Celestial Master Temple's grounds—and claim the Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao, which was about to appear.
The plan to seize the temple's grounds had already been somewhat dishonorable. Now that this had happened, hadn't they been handed the perfect excuse to make their actions seem justified?
Changchunzi's eyes flickered. He suspected the Wang family had done it. They had devised similar plans before, but Changchunzi had rejected them. A staged sacrifice was a simple, crude scheme, but it required a truly ruthless heart.
An elder who understood what was at stake also spoke up. "I agree that the Celestial Master Temple did it. It's only a blade wound—easy enough to imitate!"
"Exactly. We only have a major conflict with the Celestial Master Temple. If it wasn't them, who else could it be?"
"Let's go to the Celestial Master Temple and avenge Senior Brother Feng Qi!"
"Right! To the Celestial Master Temple!"
The Quanzhen Sect and the Wang family weren't about to abandon their plans just because a few people objected.
They had originally agreed to go to the temple in three days, but Feng Qi's death had moved their plans forward.
In no time, the Quanzhen Sect and the Wang family gathered a large number of disciples and clansmen and marched toward the Celestial Master Temple in a fearsome procession, using revenge as a pretext for their despicable scheme.
Their murderous air startled birds in the forest, while black clouds gathered across the open sky.
Along the way, supernatural beings, lone cultivators, and many smaller factions realized that something major was about to happen. News spread quickly, drawing everyone's attention.
"Wait, what's going on with the Quanzhen Sect and the Wang family? Weren't they supposed to wait three days? It's only been a day!"
"I heard the Celestial Master Temple killed Feng Qi of the Quanzhen Sect and several elders."
The Quanzhen Sect had already spread the news of Feng Qi's death, giving itself a justification for its actions.
"Really?"
"Feng Qi really is dead."
"The Celestial Master Temple is in trouble. The Quanzhen Sect is bad enough, but the Wang family, with its technological power, is even harder to deal with."
"This whole thing reeks of a conspiracy."
"Heh, there's definitely something fishy going on. With the future uncertain, who wouldn't want to secure more cards to play? The Celestial Master Temple's grounds are rich in spiritual energy, yet the temple itself is in decline. A calamity is bound to befall it."
The Celestial Master Temple received the news as well.
Hasty, disordered footsteps echoed through the temple.
The Sect Leader Celestial Master and all the elders appeared at the temple gates at once, their expressions solemn as they awaited the visitors.
A moment later, Xue Ding arrived with his sword in hand. Disciples followed behind him. Though tense, not one of them retreated.
The Sect Leader Celestial Master did not turn around. His voice rang out:
"Today, calamity has come to the Celestial Master Temple. None of us knows whether we'll live or die. Those unwilling to fight may leave on their own. Even ants cling to life; it's only human nature."
A disciple raised his arm and shouted, "I swear to stand with the Celestial Master Temple to the bitter end!"
"The Celestial Master raises me up and carries me into the clouds!"
"Not one step back! Not one step back! We will never retreat!"
"May the heavens be clear and bright; may our Dao flourish day by day!"
"May the heavens be clear and bright; may our Dao flourish day by day!"
"May the heavens be clear and bright; may our Dao flourish day by day!"
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