Better to Believe It Exists

Li Mofan pressed his hand down, continuing in a deep voice.

"The Law Enforcement team investigated the traces at the valley battlefield and confirmed the report."

"Just an hour ago, six outer sect disciples were out on a trial when they were surrounded and ambushed by disciples of the Ghost Fire Sect."

"Fortunately, they were saved by a passing expert."

"Only then were the six disciples able to preserve their lives and return by luck to report the news."

"If not for this person's intervention, we would still be kept in the dark."

"We would have no idea that the Ghost Fire Sect has dared to openly step into the heart of our Azure Cloud Sect territory to hunt our sect members!"

As these words fell, every elder and deacon in the hall felt their anger surge, all of them filled with righteous indignation.

A white-haired Law Enforcement elder on the right slammed his hand onto his chair's armrest and spoke in a furious voice.

"Insolent! Simply too insolent!"

"These remnants of the Devil Dao have been silent for a hundred years, and now they are starting to stir up trouble again!"

"That great war between the righteous and the devil a century ago clearly didn't strike enough fear into them!"

"We should have slaughtered every last remnant of the Ghost Fire Sect back then; leaving them alive was a mistake!"

Another internal affairs elder, his face ashen, chimed in with a deep voice.

"They hid for a hundred years, living in peace for a hundred years."

"Now their courage has grown, and they dare to come to the very doorstep of our Azure Cloud Sect to kill!"

"This is no longer a minor skirmish; it is a blatant provocation!"

"In my opinion, we should immediately dispatch the elite of the Law Enforcement Hall to scour the mountains!"

"Thoroughly investigate the entire territory! Any Ghost Fire Sect member who has infiltrated must be executed without exception! We must crush their spirit!"

The people in the hall nodded one after another, filled with rage.

Righteous sects value their reputation and the lives of their disciples above all else.

Having disciples slaughtered by the Devil Dao within their own borders was a profound humiliation.

Li Mofan watched the agitated crowd, but he did not relax in the slightest.

His eyes grew increasingly deep as he spoke to suppress the clamor of the crowd.

"Everyone, please calm your anger."

"This matter is likely not as simple as you think."

Everyone fell silent instantly, all eyes turning toward the Sect Master in the main seat.

Li Mofan took a deep breath and delivered news that caused the hearts of everyone present to sink completely.

"I have just received a cross-province transmission."

"Across the entire neighboring Nether Province, Devil Dao sects have begun large-scale, proactive invasions."

"Small sects in the Nether Province are being destroyed one after another, territories are falling, and countless disciples have been killed or wounded."

"The situation in the Nether Province has completely deteriorated."

"And it is not just the Nether Province."

"The other seven provinces are all reporting unusual movements."

"The frequency of Devil Dao sects venturing out, fighting, provoking, and plundering has surged several times over in recent days."

The pupils of everyone in the hall constricted; the anger on their faces vanished instantly, replaced by gravity.

Li Mofan swept his gaze over them, his words heavy.

"Therefore, I have sufficient reason to suspect."

"The Ghost Fire Sect's infiltration into our Azure Cloud Sect territory and their targeted hunting of our disciples is no isolated incident."

"This is not just a small move by the Ghost Fire Sect alone."

"It is a sign that the entire Devil Dao of the Nine Provinces is preparing for a full-scale resurgence and a comeback!"

This sentence struck everyone's ears like a thunderclap.

The great hall fell into instant silence.

Every elder and deacon turned pale, a chill rising from the depths of their hearts.

The great war between the righteous and the devil a century ago was a shadow cast over the heart of every righteous cultivator.

The flames of war had spread across the land, and the Nine Provinces had been turned upside down.

Hundreds of sects were destroyed, and over a hundred thousand cultivators died in battle.

The righteous path had paid a devastating price to barely suppress the Devil Dao, forcing all their sects into desperation and sealing them away in the mountains and forests.

A full century of recuperation.

Now... was the Demonic Path about to wage war once again?

An elder of extreme seniority spoke in a trembling, low voice.

"Sect Master... could it be... that the righteous-demonic war from a century ago is about to repeat itself?"

Everyone in the hall held their breath, waiting for the answer.

Li Mofan shook his head slightly, his expression complex, his eyes filled with worry.

"There is no concrete evidence at the moment, so I cannot draw a conclusion."

"For now, there are no signs of an all-out war."

"However, all the omens are far too similar."

"A century of dormancy, a century of gathering strength."

"The Demonic Path is, in all likelihood, planning a complete comeback."

"It is better to believe it exists than to assume it does not."

He commanded in a deep voice.

"Next, I will immediately send word to the four great sects of Spirit Province."

"We must share intelligence and coordinate our defenses."

"At the same time, I will contact the major sects of every province to link our intelligence and watch over one another."

"I only hope that I am overthinking this."

As his voice faded.

The atmosphere in the great hall became stiflingly oppressive.

Everyone knew in their hearts that the Sect Master was likely not overthinking it at all.

A chaotic era, it seemed, was truly upon them.

A moment later.

Li Mofan composed his thoughts, suppressing the worry in his heart, his gaze becoming sharp and decisive.

With a chaotic era approaching, the rules had to be tightened.

He began to issue the sect's highest directives one by one.

"First."

"Issue an order to the entire sect."

"Effective immediately, all outer and inner sect disciples are forbidden from leaving the sect for private training or descending the mountain."

"There are only two months left until the Sect Grand Competition."

"All disciples are to remain in seclusion to cultivate diligently and stabilize their cultivation."

Hearing this, everyone nodded in succession.

The Sect Grand Competition!

This was the most important event for the Azure Cloud Sect at the moment.

Li Mofan continued with a stern expression.

"This Sect Grand Competition is by no means an ordinary contest."

"The rankings will directly determine the entry quotas for the Magneto Secret Realm."

"The Magneto Secret Realm contains vast opportunities and rare treasures."

"The quotas are precious and must not be lost."

"Everyone is to remain within the sect for the time being and prepare for the competition!"

"I will not tolerate any more instances of disciples being attacked or suffering casualties while out!"

"The loss of any single disciple of the new generation is a loss for our Azure Cloud Sect!"

"Anyone who dares to leave without permission will be severely punished and disqualified from the competition!"

Immediately after, Li Mofan looked toward the Law Enforcement Hall elder below, his tone murderous.

"Second."

"The Law Enforcement Hall is to mobilize at once!"

"All members are to stand by; conduct a full-territory sweep!"

"Thoroughly investigate all lands, forests, canyons, and dark regions under the Azure Cloud Sect's jurisdiction!"

"Any Ghost Fire Sect cultivators found lurking, lingering, or spying are to be purged without exception!"

"Leave no survivors!"

"The territory of our Azure Cloud Sect shall not tolerate the insolence of demonic scum!"

"To dare hunt my Azure Cloud disciples right under my nose!"

"Since you dared to come, then stay here forever!"

The Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall stood up and cupped his hands, his voice booming like a bell.

"We obey the Sect Master's decree!"

"The Law Enforcement Hall shall commence a full-territory purge immediately!"

Once the Sect Master's prohibition was issued, it spread in an instant to every corner of the Azure Cloud Sect's outer and inner sect grounds.

In a mere half-hour, the entire Azure Cloud Sect was in an uproar.

All the outer sect disciples were completely bewildered.

The content of the prohibition was simple and brutal: without special permission, all disciples were strictly forbidden from descending the mountain, leaving the sect, or going out on missions.

For the hundreds and thousands of low-level outer sect disciples, this order effectively cut off their primary source of resources.

The monthly stipend for outer sect disciples was meager.

Relying solely on the few low-grade spirit stones issued by the sect each month, they could barely scrape by for their daily cultivation, let alone save anything.

If they wanted spirit stones, contribution points, to exchange for cultivation techniques or pills, or to improve their foundation, the only way out was to accept sect missions, go out for experience, gather materials, slay demonic beasts, and patrol the territory.

Doing missions was the only path for low-level disciples to rise in status.

Now, it had all been brought to a complete halt.

For a time, the training grounds and tree-lined paths were filled with disciples gathered in groups, whispering to one another.

Anxiety rippled through the crowd, and the discussions grew clamorous.

"What's going on? Why would they suddenly lock down the entire sect for no reason?"

"If they won't let us leave the sect, how are we supposed to do missions? Without contribution points, we won't even be able to exchange for next month's resources!"

"I still have two missions left unfinished; are they just going to rot in my hands now?"

"The sect has never issued such a strict prohibition before; something big must have happened!"

Most of the low-level outer sect disciples were confused and filled with incomprehension, left with nothing but agitation.