Chapter 224 Cultivation Passerby A (End) Passerby A's combat power is maxed out...
After Xuan Mengzi's spirit and soul were destroyed, the souls of the thousands of Yuheng Sect disciples who had been sealed by him were released.
Not far away, the disciples guarding the back mountain still stood there, but the emptiness and blankness in their eyes were gradually being replaced by a glimmer of clarity. A young disciple in the late Foundation Establishment stage rubbed his eyes, looked around blankly, and murmured, "How...how did I get here?"
As soon as the disciple finished speaking, the surrounding disciples shook their heads and talked to each other with puzzled expressions.
"Yes! I clearly remember meditating and cultivating inside the room..."
"Could it be sleepwalking?"
"Are you stupid? One or two sleepwalking is one thing, but do you mean all of us are sleepwalking together?"
"That's right!"
Some of the disciples with slightly higher cultivation levels sensed something was amiss, their eyes scanning the area around the mountain gate. "I think this matter is unusual. Let's go and report to the elders first!"
“Yes, Senior Brother Mo is right! Ling Yun, Wen Xun, you two stay here and we will go with Senior Brother Mo to see the Elder in charge!”
"Yes, Senior Brother Zhao."
Several disciples hurried toward the elders' residence. The ancient trees on both sides of the mountain path swayed slightly in the wind, as if today were just an ordinary day.
Senior Brother Mo walked at the front, a strange unease rising in his heart. This unease slowly turned into terror as the group arrived at the Yi'an Zhenren Peak, the closest peak to the back mountain. There, he saw the Grand Elder Yi'an Zhenren and his personal disciple Chu Zhiyin sitting silently in the hall, as if in deep meditation.
"Senior brother... what happened to the Grand Elder and Senior Sister Chu?" The late Foundation Establishment disciple took a small step back, his voice trembling slightly.
Senior Brother Mo waved his hand, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully, "Disciple Mo Zhiyou of Siwen Peak has important matters to report to the Grand Elder."
A moment later, a slight noise came from inside the hall. Then, the First Elder, Master Yi'an, trembled and suddenly opened his eyes!
"What's the matter that you're in such a panic?" Master Yi'an asked in a deep voice, looking at the anxious disciples outside the hall.
Seeing the Grand Elder awaken from his meditation, all the disciples breathed a sigh of relief.
"Elder, something strange seems to have happened within the sect!" Mo Zhiyou quickly bowed again and recounted what had just occurred on the back mountain: "The disciples have all lost their senses for some reason, and upon waking, they are all bewildered and helpless, without exception. I suspect... that some villain has bewitched our minds, intending to infiltrate the Jade Balance Sect and commit evil deeds!"
Master Yi'an's expression hardened upon hearing this. He carefully examined the disciples before him and indeed found that their auras were disordered and their minds were unstable. He paused and said calmly, "This matter is of utmost importance. You should all return to your respective places first. I will immediately go to see the sect leader and the other elders to discuss this matter."
"Yes, Elder."
After Mo Zhiyou and his group left, Chu Zhiyin slowly opened her eyes in the hall and said softly, "Master, today's events are too strange. If what they said is true, then this matter could not have been accomplished by ordinary means."
"Yes!" Master Yi'an sighed. "It seems this matter must be investigated as soon as possible, otherwise the sect may be thrown into chaos! Zhiyin, quickly send a message to all the elders and tell them to go to the council hall immediately!"
Chu Zhiyin stood up and stood to the side. "Master, would you like me to go with you?"
"No need." Master Yi'an shook his head slightly. "You stay here. If there is any unusual activity, immediately send a message to your master!"
"Yes, Master."
After giving instructions, Master Yi'an disappeared from the hall in a flash.
At this moment, Wudao Zhenren, who had heard the news, was the first to arrive at the council hall. Looking at Yi'an Zhenren, whose face was solemn, he suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Senior Brother Yi'an, what urgent matter has occurred within the sect?"
Master Yi'an shook his head slightly and sighed, "Wu Dao, let's wait for those old guys to arrive before we talk about it!"
After a moment of silence, Master Wudao hummed in agreement and then sat down to the left of Master Yi'an.
Three breaths later, the six elders of the Jade Balance Sect gathered in the council hall. Master Yi'an glanced around at everyone, then frowned slightly, noticing with a hint of surprise, "Why aren't the Sect Leader and Cong Yun here?"
Master Wudao, being the most impatient of them all, was the first to stand up and speak: "The sect leader's cultivation is extraordinary; in my opinion, he must have gone into seclusion to cultivate. As for Congyun, he rarely pays attention to these mundane matters within the sect; he's probably staying on the peak diligently refining pills! Senior Brother Yi'an, you'd better tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"
Normally, they wouldn't come if they didn't want to, but with the sect in turmoil, Master Yi'an was somewhat uneasy. He suppressed his emotions and was about to rise and speak when a disciple's panicked voice suddenly came from outside the hall: "Elders, something terrible has happened! The sect leader's natal spirit tablet has shattered!"
"What did you say??"
The expressions of the elders in the council hall changed instantly. The Fifth Elder was the first to rush to the entrance of the hall and grab the arm of the disciple who had brought the news: "Tell me again! What happened to the sect leader's natal spirit tablet?"
The disciple turned pale with fright, and stammered, "Disciple...disciple was just ordered to inspect the Anming Pavilion, and discovered...discovered that the sect leader's natal spirit tablet has cracked at some point..."
"Impossible!" Elder Wudao took a half step back, exclaiming in disbelief, "Our sect leader's cultivation has reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, making him a powerful figure in the entire cultivation world. How could... how could something have happened to him?"
Master Yi'an suppressed the turmoil in his heart and said in a deep voice, "Let's go to Anming Pavilion!"
The Anming Pavilion is located in a three-story hall on the west side of the sect. It houses the life tablets of all the elders and disciples of the entire Yuheng Sect. Once a tablet is broken, it means that its owner has perished and there is no possibility of survival.
At this moment, on the high platform in the very center of the Anming Pavilion, a spirit tablet that was originally as white as jade was shattered into several pieces, and the life spirit on it had also dissipated completely.
The elders remained silent for a long time upon seeing this scene. Master Yi'an took a deep breath and looked at Cong Yun's natal spirit tablet. He found that although the tablet was dim and lacked luster, it was at least intact.
“Elders, just now a disciple from the back mountain reported that thousands of disciples in our Jade Balance Sect have simultaneously lost their minds, and after waking up, they have no idea of the reasons... I observed that those disciples' auras were disordered and their minds were unstable, which is definitely not something that could be done by ordinary means.”
As soon as Master Yi'an said this, Anming Pavilion fell silent.
"This matter is strange. I originally wanted to ask the sect leader to make a decision, but now that the sect leader has been harmed by villains, we must calm down and discuss countermeasures together."
A moment later, Master Wudao clapped his hands and said loudly, "I'll trouble Senior Brother Yi'an to activate the Nine Heavens Life-Guiding Formation. We can't let our sect leader die without knowing why!"
Master Yi'an nodded slightly. He held his breath and concentrated, his withered hands forming a complex and strange hand seal, and he forced nine drops of his heart's blood from his chest. In a short while, golden mist rose from his body, and the illusory figure within the mist gradually became clearer with the enhancement of the heart's blood—
Late last night, some strangers came here and met the sect leader! Moreover, they went all the way to Cong Yun's residence and never came out again.
"It's Yun? Let's go!!"
Master Wudao's face was filled with rage. Before he could finish speaking, he had already darted out of Anming Pavilion. Several elders hurriedly followed, startling the birds in the forest into fluttering into the sky.
"Cong Yun! Get out here right now!"
Master Wudao rushed into the courtyard first, then suddenly stopped in his tracks—sitting facing the gate, his body still in an upright posture, but his usually gentle face was now stiff.
Not far from Cong Yun, a man in a blue robe sat on a futon. He lowered his eyes and made hand seals, a faint blue aura surrounding him. In an instant, the aura faintly swirled around the young man, then gradually coalesced into a gate leading to an unknown place.
"Boy! You're the one who killed my Jade Balance Sect's Sect Master and Elders? Prepare to die!"
Master Wudao roared and drew his longsword. In the next second, the sword instantly grew to over ten feet in length, slashing towards Song Ce with a sharp whistling sound!
Song Ce didn't even raise his head, simply raising his hand to block the attack when the longsword was three feet away from him. In an instant, an irresistible pressure unique to high-level cultivators surged towards Wudao Zhenren!
To the astonishment of the elders, Wudao Zhenren's signature move, Linghai Yidao, was shattered into several pieces by Song Ce!
"Good, such strong cultivation."
Master Yi'an's pupils contracted slightly. This person's move just now seemed casual, but his cultivation level was definitely at least two major levels higher than everyone present! He suppressed the shock in his heart, took half a step forward, and said in a deep voice, "Sir, Wudao is impulsive and belligerent. Please show mercy."
Song Ce glanced at everyone indifferently, then withdrew the oppressive aura emanating from Wudao Zhenren.
"Who...who are you? Why have you come to my Jade Balance Sect to commit violence?"
"Attack? If I were to lay a hand on him, he would probably have already attained enlightenment and transcended life and death by now. How could he still be standing here unharmed?"
Although these words were harsh, they silenced the elders.
Master Yi'an's throat bobbed. In the cultivation world, strength was paramount, and even if he was angry, he could only swallow it down. He stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "You visited me late last night, and then the sect leader and Elder Congyun both met with misfortune. You... should give my Jade Balance Sect an explanation."
Song Ce smiled faintly and tossed a recording stone to each of them, saying, "See for yourselves, don't bother me."
Master Yi'an gazed at the recording stone in his palm, pondered for a moment, and then activated the spiritual power in his dantian. Immediately, a screen of light slowly rose from the stone into the air, displaying everything that had happened the previous night before the elders…
After a long while, Yi An Zhenren put away the recording stone with trembling hands, and her gaze fell on Song Ce with a more complicated expression.
Just then, the gate to the Cycle of Reincarnation slowly opened under Song Ce's pressure. He turned his head, glanced at the soul that had fallen into a deep sleep, and said softly, "Master, it's time for you to go where you're supposed to go."
As she finished speaking, a glimmer of blue light suddenly appeared between Yun's eyebrows.
"Keep walking, and don't look back."
Following the guidance, Yun's soul drifted towards the Gate of Reincarnation, her figure growing fainter and fainter. As a pale golden light entered the gate, the Gate of Reincarnation, which Song Ce had forcibly opened, slowly closed, eventually disappearing into specks of light.
Song Ce sat quietly for a moment before slowly getting up and walking down the mountain step by step.
"Your Excellency..." Master Yi'an took two quick steps, then hesitated before speaking, "Just now, when we saw the scene in the recording stone, it seemed that you were a disciple of Elder Yun?"
Song Ce did not answer directly, but said softly, "Now that this matter is settled, I should be leaving."
"Wait!" Master Yi'an quickly blocked his path and said sincerely, "Your cultivation is profound, and you have a master-disciple relationship with Cong Yun. The Jade Balance Sect is currently in need of talent. I wonder if you would be willing to stay in the sect? We are willing to appoint you as the sect leader. What do you think?"
Song Ce shook his head, and instantly transformed into a streak of azure light, flying towards a more distant place.
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Author's Note: My good master must be reincarnated; he'll be a hero again in eighteen years. [shrug]
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