Only then did Zhou Yong and the surviving elders of the Righteous Qi Sect come to their senses. The mysterious senior had saved their sect again. Zhou Yong stepped past the elders and approached Li Dalong, leading them all in a deep bow. "Thank you, Senior!"
Li Dalong ignored them. His divine sense locked onto the elders of the five great sects who were at the nascent soul realm or above. With a wave of his hand, he commanded the Azure Cloud Sword and slew them all. He left the remaining golden core realm cultivators alone. With everyone at the nascent soul realm or above slaughtered, the golden core realm traitors no longer posed a threat to the Righteous Qi Sect; its elders could deal with them. Then he flashed out of the Righteous Qi Hall and returned to the forbidden grounds in the rear mountains. With his out-of-body realm cultivation, no one in the Righteous Qi Sect could detect his movements.
"Senior!"
"Senior!"
Seeing Li Dalong fly away again, Zhou Yong and the others hurriedly called out.
After calling several times without any response from the mysterious senior, Zhou Yong promptly ordered the elders to wipe out the remaining remnants of the five great sects. Before long, they had killed every traitor who had failed to escape in time.
Once Zhou Yong had put the sect's affairs in order, he rushed to Dongfang Leng's side and supported him. An elder immediately found an undamaged stool, and Zhou Yong gently helped Dongfang Leng sit down. With tears in his eyes, he looked at his master. "Master, how are you feeling? How could you use that secret art?"
Dongfang Leng sat on the stool, his face pale and his lips trembling slightly. Tears glimmered in his eyes as he looked at Zhou Yong and struggled to speak. "Zhou Yong, my dear disciple, I... I won't last much longer."
Tears instantly streamed down Zhou Yong's face. He clasped Dongfang Leng's hand and sobbed, "Master, you'll be all right! I'll try every possible way to save you!"
Dongfang Leng shook his head slightly and gave a bitter smile. "It's no use anymore. I had little lifespan left to begin with, and the secret art's backlash... the backlash is too severe. Don't waste your strength." He paused suddenly, drew a labored breath, and continued, "My only lingering worry is your eldest senior brother. Bring him to see me. I want to see him one more time before I go."
"Don't worry, Master. I'll go fetch Eldest Senior Brother right now."
Zhou Yong released Dongfang Leng's hand and instructed the elders staying behind to take good care of him. Then he rose into the air and flew toward the forbidden grounds in the rear mountains. Before he even reached the entrance, he contacted Li Dalong through his divine sense. "Eldest Senior Brother, come with me to see Master, quickly! He's dying, and he wants to see you!"
Li Dalong's heart clenched, and tears covered his face. He had already noticed that his master was near death, but back in the Righteous Qi Hall, he had not wanted to expose his identity, so he had forced himself not to acknowledge Dongfang Leng as his master. Now, hearing Zhou Yong's divine-sense transmission, he could no longer stay put. He replied, "Junior Brother, take me to Master, quickly!"
"Now still isn't the time to reveal my cultivation. Carry me there!"
Upon hearing Li Dalong's reply, Zhou Yong immediately enveloped him in spiritual energy and hurried back to the Righteous Qi Hall.
Once they reached the Righteous Qi Hall, Zhou Yong withdrew his spiritual energy. Li Dalong hurried forward a few steps and dropped to his knees before Dongfang Leng, weeping. "Master, I've come to see you!"
A trace of warmth flashed through Dongfang Leng's eyes as he looked at Li Dalong. He extended a trembling hand, wanting to pat him.
Li Dalong hurriedly shuffled forward on his knees so that Dongfang Leng could pat his head. When that cold hand touched his head, he felt as though he had returned to his youth. Whenever his cultivation advanced, Dongfang Leng would happily pat his head and praise him. Back then, his master's hand had felt so warm, but today it was so weak and cold.
"My disciple, do you hate me?"
"Master, how could I hate you?"
"Back then, it wasn't that I didn't want to avenge your second junior brother. It was just... the sect faced troubles within and threats without, and we weren't ready for an all-out war with the Rising Sun Sect. That was why I swallowed my anger."
"I simply never expected you to be so impulsive."
"I raised all three of you from childhood. How could anyone not cherish his own children?"
"Master, I truly don't blame you!"
"You don't blame me... Then I can rest easy. Soon, I'll be reunited with your second junior brother."
"You must cultivate diligently too. Make up for the years you wasted, and support your third junior brother well. Then I can close my eyes in peace."
He spoke those words haltingly, then slowly closed his eyes.
Li Dalong held Dongfang Leng's hand tightly, his heart filled with grief. Though he had spent little time with the dying old man before him, the lingering attachment of his body's former owner made him feel that sorrow as his own-a deep devotion to his master carved into his very bones. He drew a deep breath and bit his lip hard, keeping himself from sobbing aloud.
Zhou Yong wept silently beside him. Gazing at Dongfang Leng's pale, peaceful face, he felt waves of anguish wash through his heart. He silently vowed to fulfill Dongfang Leng's final wish and restore the sect to its former glory.
Li Dalong and Zhou Yong kept a silent vigil in the Righteous Qi Hall, leaving the elders to arrange Dongfang Leng's funeral. After Dongfang Leng was laid to rest, Zhou Yong took Li Dalong back to the forbidden grounds.
Though their hearts were heavy with grief, they could not let those feelings interfere with their cultivation. They knew that only through tireless cultivation could they help the Righteous Qi Sect grow strong. Only by becoming powerful themselves could they live safely and fulfill Dongfang Leng's final wish.
In the days that followed, Li Dalong and Zhou Yong set everything else aside and cultivated day and night. The Righteous Qi Sect's elders and disciples also erupted with enthusiasm for cultivation. Casting off their former indolence, they trained diligently, and the disciples' cultivation improved by the day.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye. Since his master Dongfang Leng's death, Zhou Yong had matured considerably and gained a deeper understanding of the importance of strength. Setting aside the sect's affairs, he spent those three years cultivating bitterly and successfully broke through to the late nascent soul realm. Li Dalong's life was even more tedious and monotonous: cultivate, study formations, cultivate, study formations. His cultivation progressed at astonishing speed. Though he remained in the late out-of-body realm, his overall combat strength far surpassed what it had been a few years earlier. All he lacked to reach the spirit transformation realm was the right opportunity.
One day, Zhou Yong brought food and wine to the forbidden grounds again.
"Senior Brother, I've brought food and wine to visit you." Grinning, Zhou Yong opened the restriction and stepped through the gates of the forbidden grounds.
"Junior Brother, you've come to see me again!"
Li Dalong smiled when he saw Zhou Yong arrive.
"Senior Brother, I suddenly felt like drinking today, so I prepared some food and wine and came to share a cup with you."
With that, Zhou Yong walked to Li Dalong's cave abode and laid the food and wine on the table outside.
"Junior Brother, then I'll have a good drink with you today."
"Here, Senior Brother. These are all dishes you used to love."
"Mmm, they're as delicious as ever!"
After three rounds of wine, Li Dalong set down his cup and spoke to Zhou Yong.
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