Jiang Bo, the leader of the Heaven-Viewing Saint Sect, remained silent.
The sect leader of the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
He looked at the other two.
Their reactions were no different from Jiang Bo's; the two of them remained silent, gripping the Heaven-Gazing Token tightly in their hands, showing no intention of letting go.
At that moment, Qi Zhengliu, the leader of the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect, suddenly realized something.
His face darkened.
"Fellow Daoists, what does this mean?"
This remark did elicit a reaction from Jiang Bo.
But he only glanced over indifferently, his lips barely moving as he squeezed out two words.
"Wait for someone."
"Waiting for someone?!"
Qi Zhengliu narrowed his eyes, a bad premonition flashing through his mind.
Almost at that moment, a dark cloud suddenly swept across the horizon, vast and majestic, with flying boats pressing in.
Upon seeing this, Qi Zhengliu was startled.
This is...
Not only him, but everyone else was also extremely surprised when they saw this scene.
Someone squinted at the symbol on the flying boat in the sky, and after seeing it clearly, their eyes widened in surprise.
"It's the Purple Firmament Palace!"
"The symbol of the Purple Firmament Palace!"
Purple Firmament Palace.
At this moment, the slight sense of unease in Qi Zhengliu's heart finally settled, turning into a real feeling of anxiety.
A sentence inexplicably flashed through his mind.
'This day has finally come...'
The Purple Firmament Palace was an existence that was completely undetectable ten thousand years ago.
Even thousands of years ago, almost no one knew about it.
It was merely a small sect within the Heaven-Gazing Domain, which had only risen to prominence and shown signs of flourishing in the last thousand years.
After its rise, it is unknown what magical elixir the Purple Firmament Palace consumed, but in just a few thousand years, its growth has been rapid.
Nowadays, the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect is declining more and more, to the point that the Purple Firmament Palace is vaguely showing signs of wanting to overtake the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect!
No.
It cannot be simply said that it surpassed it.
Within the Heaven-Gazing Domain, there are only four major sects.
The ten Heaven-Gazing Token determined the important status of the four major sects.
None of the four major sects would allow a fifth major sect to emerge and seize the Heaven-Gazing Token from them.
Therefore, it was not crushed.
The only solution is to replace it!
After figuring everything out, Qi Zhengliu's face turned dark and extremely ugly, and everyone in the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect, including him, looked very grim.
Moreover, the relationship between the Purple Firmament Palace and Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect has not been good in recent years.
Although they didn't completely break off relations, there were still constant frictions behind the scenes.
After all, if Purple Firmament Palace wants to expand its territory, it will inevitably encroach on the resources owned by the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect.
This was inevitable.
On the lead flying boat of the Purple Firmament Palace, a figure landed, a red light flashed, and like a gust of wind, instantly appeared near the altar.
The newcomer was an extremely robust man, with a burly appearance and long, messy hair that looked like it was on fire. He laughed heartily, seemingly oblivious to Qi Zhengliu's unpleasant expression, and raised his hand to bow to the four people on the altar.
"Four fellow Daoists, it's been a long time! It's been a long time! Hahaha!"
This person was none other than Lei Mingzi, the head of the Purple Firmament Palace, who was known as the Divine Thunder Master.
The rules for opening the Heaven-Gazing Secret Realm have long been accepted as established norms.
Ten directions, ten tokens, the four major sects open the altar, each with priority in choosing.
Only after the members of the four major sects have entered can the rest of the people enter the altar; no one should try to be the first to enter.
Therefore, before the people from the four major sects enter the altar, no one will approach the altar at all, so as not to be misunderstood.
At this moment, the leader of the Purple Firmament Palace landed directly on the edge of the altar!
He was just one step away from reaching the altar!
What does this mean?
"These visitors are up to no good. It seems Purple Firmament Palace has some grand ambitions this time."
"Hiss... Will the situation in the Heaven-Gazing Domain change from four major sects to five major sects in the future?!"
"Where did we get the rule of five major sects in the Heaven-Gazing Domain? Here, there are only four major sects, and only four major sects. Otherwise, the people from the Azure Soaring Daoist Sect, the Divine Nether Sect, and the Heaven-Viewing Saint Sect would not agree!"
"That's true... I was wrong. So, does that mean the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect will no longer exist among the four major sects?"
"Hehe, it should have been done a long time ago! The Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect has been in decline for a long time, and its position as the fourth largest sect is completely undeserved. Kicking it out is well-deserved and justified."
"Yes, I completely agree. A thousand years ago, when the Heaven-Gazing Secret Realm last opened, it was said that the gale-force winds within the realm weren't very strong anymore. However, the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect held back, causing the Spiritual Power of the entire Heaven-Gazing Domain to barely increase in the last five hundred years, remaining far weaker than before..."
"The reason why the Four Great Sects are the Four Great Sects is not only because of their strength, but also because they are the cornerstone of our Heaven-Gazing Domain. Every thousand years, they can give back to the Heaven-Gazing Domain. This is what the Four Great Sects should do. If any sect is too weak to shoulder this responsibility, it is absolutely reasonable to remove it from the ranks of the Four Great Sects. There is no objection to this."
"I agree. The Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect has long since lost its right to represent our Heaven-Gazing Domain."
" The Purple Firmament Palace is indeed capable, and Purple Firmament Palace strength is not inferior. It's just that it has only risen to prominence for a thousand years, which has led to the Purple Firmament Palace being underestimated."
The discussions were made openly, without any attempt to hide them from anyone.
The Peak Master and elders of the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect all heard these remarks, and their expressions immediately turned ugly.
Qi Zhengliu, standing on the altar, had the worst complexion.
He nearly lost control of his anger, gritted his teeth, glared coldly at the other three, and began to question them.
"What do you mean by this?"
This is a blatant offense against the Purple Firmament Palace!
However, apart from themselves, none of the three of them spoke up to warn the other party, nor did they drive them away, seemingly acquiescing to the situation.
What does this mean exactly?
Qi Zhengliu wasn't stupid; of course he understood what they meant. But the more they did, the angrier he became, and the more he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
After a brief silence, Jiang Bo, the sect leader of the Heaven-Viewing Saint Sect, finally broke free from his wooden demeanor, pondered for a moment, and slowly spoke.
" Qi Zhengliu, your Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect has consistently been at the bottom and dragging everyone down... This is not slander from your sect master, but a fact you yourself cannot deny. I only ask you, is it true or not?"
Qi Zhengliu remained silent and did not speak.
This is indeed the truth.
Jiang Bo did not insist that Qi Zhengliu speak.
Or rather, he didn't care what Qi Zhengliu said; he just continued talking to himself.
"Last time, your Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect couldn't even climb the Thirty step, which not only caused a shortage of Spiritual Qi in the area where your Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect is located, but also reduced the Spiritual Qi of the entire Heaven-Gazing Domain."
"Given your situation and strength, after evaluation by our other three major sects, your Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect is truly unsuitable to enter Heaven-Gazing Ridge with us any longer."