Chapter 428: "White-Bone Deathless Calamity-Subduing True Lord" Star-Picking Sect.
Crimson Radiance Island, Council Hall.
Outside the windows, waves murmured in steady surges; inside, sandalwood incense curled through the air.
Xu Zhouling sat upright behind a wooden table, his face still showing traces of travel-worn fatigue, and sipped tea from his cup.
The three courtyard masters, Wen Qingye, Lei Xiao, and Yi Nanping, sat beside the table, all rigidly upright and solemn.
Once he had finished his cup of tea,
Xu Zhouling slowly exhaled. The weariness on his face eased a little before he raised his eyes to Lei Xiao.
"Junior Brother Lei, tell me what happened in Guangwu Prefecture, from beginning to end. How many of our disciples were killed or injured?"
Lei Xiao wore a short black martial outfit, with a fresh band of white cloth still wrapped around his arm. His expression turned serious at the question, and he immediately cupped his hands to report.
From receiving the secret letter and racing through the night to reinforce them, to joining the other lineages of Guangwu Prefecture in killing the Demonic Path Astral Realm cultivators and driving out the Baleful Yin Sect's marauders, then to the Star-Picking Sect disciples' casualties, battle merits, and rewards—he recounted everything clearly, leaving nothing out.
After hearing him out, Xu Zhouling heaved a long sigh.
"Marquis Dong suffered grave injuries, and his cultivation fell... I fear he'll never open the gates to the Innate realm now. Most likely, he won't be able to retain the title of Marquis of Calming the Sea."
Yi Nanping nodded in agreement and added,
"Under Great Qi's ancestral laws, if a titled marquis dies or his cultivation collapses, his family may retain the marquisate for fifty years."
"If a direct descendant breaks through to the Innate realm within those