After the Rewards at Phoenix Forest, Worries Remain; a Mountain Council Sets a New Course

Three days later, in Pingrong County, on the edge of the Cold Crow Mountain Range, at Phoenix Forest Mountain.

The sect leader said, "The Pingrong has just ended, but Elder Jiang Qing has been captured and is now missing. The entire sect is worried about this. Now, You Wenrui from Phoenix Forest Mountain is brave and resolute. Protect him and bring him back to camp, so that the sect will not lose a powerful ally."

Now, in recognition of merit and reward, I hereby bestow upon him one hundred mid-grade Spirit Stone, one bottle of Second-Tier Upper-Grade Marrow-Cleansing Pill, and two Foundation Establishment Pills. He will be promoted to the rank of Tanggu, and each generation of the You Household will be granted the honor of having one member enter the Chongming Sect as a cultivator, with all his privileges matching those of True Disciple, continuing for three generations.

Zhu Yunsheng, who was chosen by a group of teachers to present the award, did not speak with much warmth. Compared to when he came here to give guidance in the past, his expression was much colder.

His words were clearly very enthusiastic, but when his gaze swept over them, none of the people dared to look him directly in the eye.

A wisp of mist, carried by a gentle breeze, enveloped the heads of You Xiaobao and his son You Wenrui. A few specks of water hung between their temples, it was hard to tell whether they were sweat or dew.

As soon as Zhu Yunsheng put down the Jade Slip, two larks, without needing to be urged, immediately placed the jade plate filled with spiritual treasures on their left and right sides and gracefully landed on the You Household's incense table.

Before the members of the You Household could rise to receive their orders, Duan Anle, who had been silent all along, stepped forward to You Wenrui, took out a brand-new, jingling Storage Bag, and handed it over.

"Aside from what the sect bestowed upon us, these were all contributed by my fellow disciples and I, as a token of our gratitude for your aid."

Before Duan Anle could react, You Wenrui, standing right in front of him, had time to react You Xiaobao, standing beside him, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed again.

"Without the sect, my father and I would be dead somewhere in the mountains. We have only done our duty and are already ashamed to receive such generous gifts from the sect. How could we possibly accept the elder's treasures? We are truly unworthy of such honors."

"Take it," Duan Anle said. He had no impression of You Xiaobao and was not interested in his excuses, which he didn't know were true or false. He simply raised his finger and the Storage Bag was on You Wenrui's belt.

After speaking, Duan Anle, who never made promises lightly, continued, "If the You family of Fenglin encounters any trouble in the future, I, a disciple of Chongming, will certainly bear the responsibility without hesitation."

Upon hearing this, the You Household father and son were both delighted and surprised, bowing repeatedly.

Duan Anle disregarded such formalities, merely glancing at the withered vegetation on Phoenix Forest Mountain, and sighed inwardly:

"Pingrong is no longer a good place for cultivation. The sect's General Affairs Hall still has several shops in Xuanwei City that are unclaimed. If You Household is interested, you can use my order to find the manager and rent them out, so you can do some business."

"Thank you, Elder Duan!"

"Thank you both very much," Duan Anle bowed again, then said to the You Household members, "There are many matters to attend to at the sect, and Junior Brother Zhu and I cannot stay long. We will come to express our gratitude with the rest of the disciples when we have more free time in the future."

You Xiaobao and his son readily agreed. Seeing the two of them disappear into the air on the spirit bird, You Xiaobao, whose robes were already soaked, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Among the crowd was a close relative of You Xiaobao, who had a fat head and big ears.

At this moment, as he looked at the glittering treasures on the incense table, his gaze could hardly be described as mere envy. From the moment Duan and Zhu turned around, he had already prepared a lot of eloquent words, fearing that someone would seize the opportunity first.

He finally got to the right moment, hurriedly stood up, stepped forward, and slowly moved to You Xiaobao's side, bowing and saying, "Congratulations, Uncle."

Congratulations, Mother!

The big-eared cultivator was taken aback by the barrage of insults. He mustered his courage and looked up, only to realize that You Xiaobao's resentment was not directed at him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the next moment, he saw You Xiaobao not even glance at the rare treasures on the table or the valuable items in the bag, but instead took a step forward and landed in front of You Wenrui, raising his hand and waving.

"Smack!"

The loud noise startled the big-eared cultivator, and all his flattery fell out with him.

"Father," You Wenrui's eyes widened in shock, half of his face instantly swelled up like a cup, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and several broken teeth rolled down into his stomach along with the blood.

The members of the You Household exchanged bewildered glances, wondering why You Xiaobao was acting this way. Then they heard him point a finger and shout, "You son of a bitch, how dare you!!"

You Wenrui was about to argue, but when he saw his father's angry face, he immediately deflated, enduring the beatings and scoldings without uttering a word.

"Senior Brother Duan, when You Wenrui first escorted Martial Uncle Jiang to the sect, Martial Uncle He used the Heart-Questioning Talisman to discover that he harbored treacherous intentions. The Sect Leader was already extremely merciful by not punishing the You Household after learning of this; how... how can they possibly bestow such a generous reward upon them?!"

On the way back, Zhu Yunsheng's words were full of confusion, but compared to the former, who was still indignant, Duan Anle's expression was very calm:

"My Martial Uncle Jiang was indeed helped by this boy when he was in danger. Not only did he not harbor any greed or attempt to harm him, but he also personally escorted him back to the sect. That is enough."

Seeing that Zhu Yunsheng was still puzzled by these words, Duan Anle spoke again:

"In the past, not only my fellow disciples thought that our master was too lenient, but also all the other masters in the sect and my master's wife thought so."

A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. But now that Martial Uncle Jiang has returned to the sect safely, all the benevolent policies that Master implemented over the past century while suppressing his fellow disciples are worthwhile.

These words were perhaps a bit too lofty for Zhu Yunsheng, who only gained his status by becoming a disciple of Sun Fu. Duan Anle, however, disregarded the thoughtful expression on the former's pale face and simply added:

"Junior Brother Jin is still in the clinic being looked after by Alchemist. He'll be stationed at Jia-Chou Military Stronghold and won't be able to return for a while. Junior Brother Zhu, you'll be in charge of relocating the more than four hundred families in Cold Crow Mountain."

Having reached this point, the crucial moment arrived. Duan Anle's face hardened, and he solemnly stated:

"The Nine Heavens Mountain-Suppressing Grand Formation has suffered heavy casualties both inside and outside the formation. Almost every one of the more than four hundred families on Cold Crow Mountain is in mourning. The methods used are extremely cruel. This matter is not urgent. Once the senior officers have some free time and have sorted out the distribution of rewards and compensation, then Junior Brother Zhu, your task will be easier to carry out."

Now that the matter was serious, Zhu Yunsheng dared not be negligent in the slightest. He instantly put aside those superfluous thoughts and bowed deeply, saying, "Junior brother understands, thank you for your guidance, senior brother."

"Yes, Yang Xun, the head of the Yang Household, Ming Hun, the head of the Ming Household He Degong, the head of the He Household, and Shan Shijie, the head of the Shan Household, will come to help you. Take it slow and don't make any mistakes."

The immortal families of the thirteen counties and the more than four hundred households of Cold Crow Mountain were not born willing to serve my Chongming Sect. You must understand the importance of this matter.

After speaking, Duan Anle didn't wait for Zhu Yunsheng's reaction. He then pointed at the Golden-Feathered Owl beneath his feet and headed towards Little Ring Mountain.

As the Golden-Feathered Owl flapped its wings in mid-air, it lost the lightness it used to traverse the spiritual energy—it seemed to sense the depletion of the surrounding spiritual power, and each time its wings landed, it was sluggish. Finally, it slowly folded its wings at the foot of Little Ring Mountain, and its claws sank half an inch into the cracked earth. There was not even a trace of spiritual energy in the dust it raised.

Duan Anle rolled over and landed, her fingertips first touching a wisp of wind. The wind no longer carried the freshness of the rice blossoms, but only the dryness of withered grass and trees, mixed with the lingering smell of burnt wood from afar, which made her nose feel tight.

He looked up at the former sacred field, and his heart sank.

The hundred acres of spiritual fields that once reflected the glow of the sunset are now a cracked wasteland. The cracks in the soil are wide enough to fit half a hand. The rice stalks that once bore spiritual ears of grain are now withered and black as charcoal. They crumble into dust with the wind and are scattered on the ground without leaving a trace.

The grand formation that Sect Leader Kang Da had spent a fortune to acquire was already causing headaches about how to dismantle without being used, leaving Wei Gu, who had just come down from the battlefield, scratching his head in frustration.

The two brothers were busy with many things. Wei Gu bowed once and, without exchanging pleasantries, immediately led a group of array masters, carrying compasses and moving around non-stop.

Duan Anle simply nodded without saying a word. Further up the mountain lay the Chongming Sect's cave abode palace, which was even more shocking to behold.

The once radiant palaces are now mostly ruins.

Half of the roof of the Artifact Hall had collapsed, and half a piece of molten black iron was still hanging from the broken beam. Several unforged magic Law Artifact blanks were scattered on the ground, and the spirit patterns on the blanks had long since faded.

The stone door to the Alchemy Chamber was askew, and the Pill Furnace inside had a large crack. At the bottom of the furnace, there were still charred medicinal dregs, which were pills that had not been collected during the great battle and had now turned to ash.

Even the main hall where the sect's patriarch's statue was enshrined had a corner collapsed. Patriarch Zhang was enshrined in the main seat, suffered a major misfortune. Half of his face was cracked by a falling golden tile and could not be repaired for the time being. Only a few True Cultivator were sent over to work together to use illusion magic to cover it up.

As long as you don't look too closely, you're not losing face for the time being.

With a shortage of manpower available, a few children from the Nurturing Qilin Hall were carrying wooden beams, trying to move the collapsed tiles. Their movements were slow, and they would stop from time to time to catch their breath.

In this place devoid of spiritual energy, even spiritual power is difficult to mobilize; moving a piece of wood is three times more strenuous than usual.

The heads of each hall clearly had a lot of things to do, but with so many things to deal with, they didn't know where to start, so they all worked on their own and were busy in a daze.

This matter was difficult to resolve in a short time. Duan Anle didn't say much, but simply asked a few questions before rushing off to report to Sect Leader Kang Da.

At this moment, the sect leader's room was filled with the fragrance of medicine. Yuan Jin, who had just sent Attendant Luan, picked out the suitable spirit medicine and urged Chen Zihang, Gun Fangmu, and Qi Ke to work together to prepare an auxiliary elixir so that Jiang Qing could take the medicine Attendant Luan as soon as possible.

The Sect Leader Kang Da, remained silent to the side. Although Luan Attendant Luan had just said that Jiang Qing was fine, his brows were still tightly furrowed.

The medicinal fragrance in the room couldn't mask the stench of blood. Jiang Qing lay on the bed, her chest rising and falling so faintly it was almost invisible.

His original black robes had been ripped open by Attendant Luan with a single finger, revealing a horrific wound on his left chest.

If we consider the Third Tier Alchemist supported by the Fei Household, it's remarkable that Jiang Qing, a mere True Cultivator, survived a full-force attack from Wei Guze, a late-stage advanced cultivator. This is a testament to his Chongming Sect.

Not to mention that, with enough resources, there's a good chance the injury can be fully recovered.

Seeing that Duan Anle was returning, Kang Dabao and Yuan Jin realized that there was no point in staying in the cloud room, so they also went into the courtyard. Duan Anle first explained the events of the trip, Kang Dabao nodded for a while without saying a word.

Whether the Fenglin You family is rewarded or executed is a minor matter and doesn't require his concern. After hearing the news, he put the matter aside.

Now that Duan Anle has returned, the important discussion on the Chongming Sect can proceed.

Fortunately, the council bell at the other end of the bell tower was not broken. Sect Leader Kang Da, who was standing in the courtyard of the sect leader, stretched out his finger and waved it lightly. The wind from his finger pushed the bell hammer, and the bell sounded as clear and melodious as usual, which summoned all the sect leaders to put down their important matters and come together.

In just a short while, the Chongming Sect leader's courtyard, which had been quiet for so long, became packed with people again.

When He Wanying was lagging behind, rode her golden donkey into the courtyard, the sight of the Sect Leader Kang Da was momentarily dazed, as if he remembered the time when the Yuan Household brothers played chess here.

"Senior Brother?"

"Ah," Kang Dabao glanced around the courtyard and saw that many people were injured. His expression softened, and he said gently, "This place is cramped, and there isn't even a decent place to sit. It's truly unfair."

As soon as he finished speaking, a yellow leaf fell from the old banyan tree in the courtyard.

As Kang Dabao formed a mysterious hand seal and spiritual light emanated, a stream of clear dew rippled from the well water, touching each yellow leaf with the spiritual light and transforming them into brocade cushions that landed right behind the cultivators.

"Thank you, Sect Leader."

After Kang Dabao and Yuan Jin set an example by disregarding etiquette and sitting down cross-legged, the other disciples in the courtyard still sat down properly according to their seniority and rank.

The only one remaining in the courtyard Ye Zhengwen, his eyes red-rimmed. After the Sect Leader Kang Da nodded, the one-eyed giant held the Jade Slip and began to read aloud the numbers he had long since memorized:

"In the battle to Pingrong, we lost three Pill Masters, sixty-one True Cultivator, and over two thousand eight hundred Qi Refinement. Countless others perished or were wounded."

Ye Zhengwen paused here, and the already quiet courtyard became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Although the disciples in the academy knew that most of the deaths were among the disciples of various families within their jurisdiction, the number of the Chongming Sect's own disciples who lost their lives, even though it only accounted for one-forty percent, was still alarming.

After the three battles of marching out of Xian Prefecture, defeating Huo Prefecture, and defending Cloud Horn Prefecture, these Chongming Sect may not know how much they have captured, but they can see that every household in the thirteen counties of Cloud Horn Prefecture is in mourning, and more than four hundred households in Cold Crow Mountain are holding funerals.

Then they realized that the capital that Sect Leader Kang Da had been building up for so long had dwindled considerably, not to mention the disciples who came from the Nurturing Qilin Hall —when would they ever be able to replenish it?!

Truly a man of iron will with a tender heart, Ye Zhengwen remained silent for a long time before finally hardening his heart to speak again, "The Spirit Vein in the county have dried up, and it is difficult to save them. All departments and halls should step forward and clearly report their respective matters so that the sect leader can make a decision."

At this moment, Duan Anle from the Beast Garden led the way and respectfully replied, "There are still twenty-one Second Tier spirit beasts of various grades and over a thousand First Tier spirit beasts in the Beast Garden."

The Sect Leader Kang Da's heart sank upon hearing this. At its current scale, it was likely no match for Duan Anle when he had only recently Foundation Establishment sixty years ago. It should be noted that the Chongming Sect's Beast Garden had been in operation for a long time, and Duan Anle was quite capable.

In terms of income generation, the Beast Garden has always been second only to the various levels of spirit fields managed by Zhou Yixiu and Kang Rongquan, the uncle and nephew. It is considered a major and stable source of income for the Chongming Sect besides collecting Storage Bag.

I want to recover my strength after this, but I don't know how much effort it will take.

Duan Anle stepped back to his seat after speaking, and Kang Rongquan, understanding the situation, took his place.

"The Spirit Vein are depleted, and the earth's energy is exhausted. In Pingrong County, along with some Jin County, eight or nine out of Second Tier spiritual fields have collapsed and are difficult to repair; all three hundred and twenty-three hectares of first-grade spiritual fields have been destroyed, along with all the Spirit Plant on them."

Fortunately, the Glazed Treasure Tree had twelve Fortune and Prosperity Vine that provided the Seven Treasures Qi, and it also benefited from Master Zhou's urging of his disciples to diligently collect the Great Sun Dawnlight and the Cold Moon Refreshing Qi to condense into dew and irrigate it every ten days. Only then was it spared from being damaged by this great calamity.

The Three Origins Vine is Higher Vehicle Spirit Root transplanted from the Ying Prefecture Fei Household. Although it has suffered some damage to its vital energy, it is no longer a major problem. It is currently being kept alive by nine kinds of spiritual springs, and transplanting it will not be difficult once the time is right.

Sect Leader Kang Da naturally knew that the Three Origins Vine was planted by Kang Rongquan himself, and seeing that he did not take credit, he felt quite relieved. However, upon hearing that all his hard work in cultivating Pingrong County over the years had been in vain, a hint of pain flashed across his face.

Following Kang Rongquan was He Yuanyi. This Chongming Sect array master had indeed learned some of the ruthlessness of his master, Yuan Jin. Having just taken the lives of several people of the same rank from the Nine Heavens Mountain-Suppressing Grand Formation, he still had internal injuries. As he moved forward, his face showed unbearable pain, but when he spoke, his voice was strong and clear:

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, Senior Uncle, the Artifact Hall..."

"Alchemy Hall."

"Talisman-Making Pavilion"

All the disciples stepped forward and explained everything clearly, which Kang Dabao memorized. After the white-haired old woman, He Wanying, slowly returned to her seat, Kang Dabao pondered for a moment before speaking:

"You've all worked hard."

"Just doing one's duty, without any hardship."

Duan Anle led his fellow disciples in responding.

After sighing publicly, Kang Dabao looked up and said, "The ancestral land of Pingrong can no longer be preserved, nor can the burial grounds of our ancestral masters be preserved."

Upon hearing this, all the disciples lowered their heads and remained silent.

"The Duke's government has issued a decree granting our Chongming Sect permission to rest and recuperate temporarily, and has also Foundation Establishment Pill us one hundred Foundation Establishment Pills, one hundred Second Tier Spirit Artifact of various grades, one thousand stacks of various second -Second Tier talismans, one thousand bottles of various Second Tier spiritual pills, and three thousand Enlisted Army Talisman," Sect Leader Kang Da said, turning to Ye Zhengwen and whispering instructions.

"The Enlisted Army Talisman will be temporarily withheld, and half of the remaining items will be kept. The other half will be distributed among the families according to their merits and relationships. After accounting for the difference, we can probably pay off most of the outstanding rewards and compensation."

"Yes," Ye Zhengwen bowed and accepted the order. Kang Dabao continued his instructions, then turned to face the Double Brightness cultivators, his tone filled with dejection. "My disciples, it's time to set off again with me. Are you not afraid of the hardships ahead?"

"Of course I'm not afraid!"

"Alright, let's take stock of our belongings and then move to Third Tier spiritual land for cultivation! Once we reach a new world outside, I refuse to believe that this ancestral land is truly beyond saving."

"Promise!"

Sect Leader Kang Da encouraged his disciples without resorting to excessive methods. After receiving their orders, the disciples went to perform their respective duties. Kang Dabao then summoned Yuan Jin and asked softly, "Have you obtained the formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill?"