The Fate Arts Masters gazed toward the mountains, longing rising in their hearts.
What immense power that Patriarch Xiao had possessed—after a thousand years, the mountains still stood as witnesses.
The Heaven's Mandate Sect disciples remained silent.
They did not even dare accuse Li Qingxian of pretending to be ghosts and gods.
Xiang Xinglong drew a deep breath and slowly said, "The patriarchs' great achievements shook heaven and earth. We descendants are incompetent; we cannot speak of blazing new trails or creating new methods, but we have more than sufficed in preserving what was handed down over these years. Though we and our descendants may be unworthy, we have kept the Heaven's Mandate Sect from falling for a thousand years. May our ancestors bear witness from heaven. Idle Prince, what is the meaning of these words? If you seek to use the patriarchs' names to throw my Heaven's Mandate Sect into disorder, then all of us in the Heaven's Mandate Sect shall share a common hatred for the enemy and swear to defend the sect's thousand-year good name to the death!"
Li Qingxian sighed. "When you joined Great Qi's court in bringing disaster upon the Fate Realm and claimed supremacy over one region, you did not defend that thousand-year good name. When you merged with the Devil Sect, you did not defend that thousand-year good name. When you ignored the Demon Race and incited the kings into fighting among themselves, you did not defend that thousand-year good name. When criminals spread the Dead Devil Lands and massacred the people of the Divine Land, you did not defend that thousand-year good name. Now that Patriarch Xiao has personally spoken these words, you wish to defend that thousand-year good name?"
Xiang Xinglong's brow creased faintly as he said decisively, "This third rite