"Junior Brother, is something troubling you?"
"Senior Brother..."
Zhou Yong said softly, "I want to talk to you about something."
Li Dalong's expression shifted as he looked at Zhou Yong, but he remained silent.
Zhou Yong took a deep breath and said to Li Dalong, "I want to cede the position of sect master to you, Senior Brother."
At this moment, even the air in the forbidden ground seemed to stall, and Li Dalong was taken aback.
Without waiting for Li Dalong to speak, Zhou Yong continued, "These past few days, I've been thinking. All these years as sect master, I've come to understand just how heavy this position is. High-ranking and powerful, seemingly majestic on the surface, it is actually utterly lonely and carries immense responsibility. Now that you have recovered your cultivation, Senior Brother, you taking over as sect master is far more fitting than me."
"Why?" Li Dalong finally spoke, his gaze carrying confusion and doubt.
"Because ever since we were children, Senior Brother has been stronger than me and better suited to lead the sect toward glory and fulfill Master's dying wish!" Zhou Yong said sincerely. "Senior Brother, I want to grow stronger. My abilities will only drag down the sect's development, and moreover, I hope Senior Brother can step out from this place."
Gazing at Li Dalong, Zhou Yong said, "Over the years, I've understood a great deal. The position of sect master is not about power, but responsibility. And this responsibility, I hope to see borne by someone more suited for it."
Zhou Yong smiled. "Now that Master is gone, it's just you and me left as a family, and I have also reached the late Nascent Soul Realm. I want Senior Brother to return to the sect, and I don't want to wait any longer."
Li Dalong fell into a long silence, then looked at Zhou Yong with a touch of gratification, saying to him, "It is good that you can think this way. It shows you have matured and truly possess the breadth of mind to be a competent sect master, capable of viewing matters from the perspective of the sect's development."
"Junior Brother, Master chose you and placed high hopes on you. You must earnestly carry forward the sect." Li Dalong looked straight at Zhou Yong as he spoke.
"As for everything else, do not overthink it. I, your Senior Brother, will support you in all things!"
With that, Li Dalong released the imposing aura of the late Out-of-Body stage.
Zhou Yong was suddenly stunned by Li Dalong's powerful aura, as if he were facing demons filling the skies. His senior brother, who always seemed so unremarkable whenever he looked at him, had suddenly revealed a cultivation realm of such profound depth that, with his own late Nascent Soul Realm cultivation, he could not see through Li Dalong at all.
"Senior Brother, you..." Zhou Yong stammered as he looked at Li Dalong.
Li Dalong did not answer. With a mere ripple of his spiritual energy, he instantly transformed into the appearance of the mysterious figure who had twice rescued the Righteous Qi Sect from peril.
"Ah!..." Zhou Yong's mouth gaped wide in utter astonishment, leaving him speechless.
"That's right, I am the mysterious senior of the sect you've all been searching for."
"Can you finally rest easy and be your sect master now?"
Li Dalong said to Zhou Yong with a smile.
Zhou Yong stared blankly at the Li Dalong before him, a tempest already raging within his heart. He had once thought he understood this senior brother who had been imprisoned for many years, but now he realized he didn't understand Li Dalong at all.
This senior brother whom Master had always kept on his mind, this former idol of his, this senior brother who had later flown into a rage and had his cultivation crippled-someone he thought would face an incomparably difficult path of cultivation from then on-had somehow already attained such unfathomable cultivation. His heart was filled with both confusion and reverence. A surge of joy welled up spontaneously: the senior brother who had once sheltered him from the wind and rain was back!
Ding-dong, would you like to begin sign-in?
Just as Li Dalong was smilingly looking at Zhou Yong, the system prompt suddenly rang out in his mind.
Sign in.
Li Dalong responded instinctively.
Sign-in successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Marrow-Cleansing Pill.
Oh? A Marrow-Cleansing Pill? Li Dalong's heart stirred, and he used his mental will to command the system to check the efficacy of the Marrow-Cleansing Pill. Marrow-cleansing pill: washes the marrow and purifies the bones. It can balance yin and yang, harmonize qi and blood, dredge the meridians, and repair and clear away hidden injuries and impurities left in the body from cultivation or combat. For a cultivator, it is an extremely important foundational medicinal pill, yet an incomparably precious one; ordinary people go their entire lives without obtaining even a single one.
Good stuff! Li Dalong thought to himself.
Since he possessed the Innate Spirit Body, the Marrow-Cleansing Pill was already useless to him. It would be perfect to give to his junior brother to improve his constitution, which would be of immense benefit to his future cultivation.
While Li Dalong was signing in and checking his system reward, Zhou Yong stood up and bowed respectfully to Li Dalong, saying, "Senior Brother, it turns out that you were the one who repeatedly saved the sect from danger and has been guarding us from the shadows all along! Many thanks, Senior Brother!"
"Alright, we are fellow apprentice brothers, and the Righteous Qi Sect is also the place where I grew up. We are all family, no need for this," Li Dalong said, waving his hand at Zhou Yong.
"Alright, Senior Brother, I'll listen to you. With Senior Brother here, my Righteous Qi Sect need fear no one."
"Do not belittle yourself, nor be timid and bound by hesitation. Cultivate with peace of mind, manage the sect well, and work on accelerating the improvement of the elders' and disciples' cultivation!"
"I bestow upon you a sword formula equivalent to the full-strength strike of a late Out-of-Body stage cultivator. I hope it can help vanquish demons in moments of crisis!"
"I further bestow upon you a Marrow-Cleansing Pill. Take it as soon as you return to wash your marrow and purify your bones, elevating your cultivation aptitude, and go back to intensify your cultivation."
"The spiritual qi of heaven and earth is undergoing massive changes right now, and the Cultivation World is about to usher in a drastic upheaval. Therefore, you must not slack off in your cultivation!"
"Well, the wine for today ends here. You should head back!"
"Also, do not reveal my identity to anyone for the time being."
Li Dalong instructed Zhou Yong.
"Understood, Senior Brother!"
"This junior brother takes his leave!"
Zhou Yong said to Li Dalong with lingering reluctance.
Then, he turned and walked toward the outside of the forbidden ground. As he stepped across the entrance, the restriction sealing the ground immediately restored itself. Li Dalong watched Zhou Yong's turning and departing figure, falling into deep thought.
In the Cultivation World at this time, ever since Li Dalong used a single sword strike to annihilate the majority of the Blood Devil Race's forces, although minor conflicts between various sects and factions had continued, they had all maintained restraint and preserved a facade of peace and tranquility. However, hidden beneath that calm exterior was a new dark force that had suddenly emerged, altering the landscape of the Cultivation World and shattering the brief peace, plunging the Cultivation World into chaos in an instant. This was the appearance of the Demon Race.
The Demon Race was a species possessing formidable spiritual power who had long lurked in the depths of the Demon Beast Forest, eyeing the Cultivation World like a tiger eyeing its prey. Their emergence triggered massive turmoil across the Cultivation World. Faced with the threat of the Demon Race, the Cultivation World found itself entirely helpless, and the Righteous Qi Sect bore the brunt of it above all others.
The Righteous Qi Sect, one of the most prominent sects in the Cultivation World, was targeted by the Demon Race as their number one arch-rival. However, the strength of the Demon Race seemed far more formidable than imagined; their powerful magic and skills plunged the Righteous Qi Sect into unprecedented trouble.
The outbreak of conflict occurred on a tranquil night. The Spirit Monkey Demon Sage led the ten Demon Emperors of the Demon Race along with high-end Golden Core Realm combat power from the Demon Race to suddenly launch an attack on the Righteous Qi Sect, intending to destroy this most prominent sect of the Cultivation World to establish their dominance and strike a blow at the morale of the Cultivation World.
Before you continue