Chapter 303: Life and Death
Meteors penetrate the water, and the moon moves against the clouds.
As night fell, the thick darkness enveloped Danshan.
The elixir appreciation meeting temporarily held by the Dan Sect ended hastily, and countless uninvited disciples of the Immortal Sect were invited to Wanqiong Courtyard in the back mountain to rest.
The mountains then fell into a state of tranquility, with only the chirping of insects and birds between the gusts of mountain breeze.
This should have been a good night of sleep, as they should have dreamed of Hua Xu, but in reality, countless Danzong disciples who returned from the Dan Appreciation Meeting were filled with fear.
Then some of them began to pack their things to send back home, while others began to write letters to their loved ones by lamplight.
Everyone's face showed anxiety about tomorrow.
Hong Zhen, Wen Bin and other head masters were all sitting in the pavilion of the disciples' academy at this time, holding cups of cold medicinal tea, but their eyes were always looking at the rows of academies.
Under the dim lights, people were constantly moving around, coming and going, looking anxious. Even as the night deepened, no one fell asleep.
They all knew about Danzong's dark history, and they also knew what happened to the Danzong's captive alchemists.
Beating, water dungeon, sleepless alchemy...
They originally thought that it was just the history of their ancestors, which should be buried in the dust and remembered only as a lesson, but they never thought that one day they would face such a situation again.
"Have Master and the elders come out of the Yuheng Palace?"
"No."
"What can I do for you?"
“Neither do I.”
Hong Zhen was silent for a long time after hearing this: "Does the Master really want to meet them tomorrow?"
Wen Bin raised his eyes when he heard the voice: "The Kaiyang Palace has already begun to be decorated. I think Master will be there to receive the major immortal sects tomorrow."
"Master Master...will you refuse?"
"The headmaster will definitely refuse and will not give us away."
"That's right, the head teacher will not send us away. As long as he is firm, Danzong will be peaceful."
Lu Ze, one of the six disciples under the master, muttered something, and then echoed it with his own words, but after he finished speaking, there was endless silence.
The current situation will determine the survival and continuation of the Dan Sect. At this juncture, they have no idea whether the Sect Master will refuse or agree in the end.
At the same time, Yuan Caiwei was bathing in Danzong's medicine pool.
The medicinal soup with the scent of flowers flowed through the continuous curves, constantly washing the fair and delicate body.
However, she couldn't help but get up from the pool after washing for too long, changed into clean clothes, and walked back to her bamboo house.
Danzong is now facing disaster, and she is unable to calm down.
However, what surprised her was that when she returned to the courtyard, Ji You, who had been drinking tea just now, was no longer at the table, and the light was on in her boudoir.
"Where is Master Ji?"
Ji Yue was clearing the tea table. When she heard the voice, she looked into the room and said, "The son-in-law has gone into the young lady's room to rest..."
Yuan Caiwei was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly, blinked lightly and walked towards the small building, with a hint of fear in her eyes.
Qingyun Tianxia has always attached great importance to offspring, because passing on the family line is the foundation for the continuation and development of the family, and no one can escape this.
Although he said that it was okay, he must have felt a little disappointed knowing that he was not pregnant. So even though Danzong was facing a disaster and the timing was not very good, it was reasonable for him to want to try again.
The daughter of Danzong gently pushed open the door while thinking about it, then her brows were stunned, and a trace of confusion appeared in her expression.
The room was very quiet, with only the sound of even breathing.
Ji You didn't even take off his clothes and shoes, but he had already fallen asleep on her bed.
Immortal cultivators do not need to sleep for long periods of time. Even if they need to sleep, they will not even have time to take off their clothes.
The daughter of Danzong stared at him for a long while, then gently stretched out two fingers and placed them on Ji You's wrist, and her long and curly eyelashes trembled.
The spiritual energy in Ji You's body was empty, and his spiritual power was extremely weak. It seemed that he had gone through a period of intense consumption.
Thinking of this, she suddenly remembered what he said during their casual chat in the evening, which was so casual that she ignored it: "I am practicing in Zhongzhou, and I rushed here as soon as I received the letter."
There is an entire state between Zhongzhou and Danzong.
After a long silence, Yuan Caiwei suddenly noticed a note left on the table with some things written on it. Ji You asked him to prepare it.
The daughter of Danzong read it carefully, then stood up and went out of the building.
In the silent night, the stars and the moon rotate until the moon sets and the sun rises.
Some people sleep soundly, while others have restless nights.
Until the first ray of morning light passed over the floating sea of clouds, illuminating several peaks of Danzong with golden light.
The immortal cultivators who stayed at Wanqiongyuan last night went out early and all gathered at Danxiaping.
The swords that had been taken off had been tied back to their waists, and some of the people who had worn casual clothes when going up the mountain also changed into the robes of their respective sects.
Looking down from the high slope, there are the Wendao Sect, Lingjian Mountain, Shanhai Pavilion... one after another, revealing an invisible sense of oppression.
Yesterday we took a leisurely stroll to enjoy the scenery, but in order to ease the atmosphere, I wanted the Dan Sect leader to put himself in his shoes and think carefully about the pros and cons.
They don't want to break up the Dan Sect, they just want to bring back a dozen or twenty alchemists at the upper fifth level each. This will not really hurt the foundation of the Dan Sect. It is obvious what to choose.
Today, what they want is the result that Danzong has planned, so they naturally need to be tough.
This gathering lasted until noon, when the doors of Kaiyang Palace were opened and all the disciples of the immortal sect were invited into the palace.
More than fifty elders of the Dan Sect appeared at this time, standing on both sides of the hall, arranged in a figure eight shape.
Also standing by were the Dan Sect's fifth-level alchemists, on both sides of the hall.
As for Yuan Li, who had been bedridden due to illness, he now changed into the immortal robes of the headmaster, sat on the throne in the hall, and quietly waited for all the visitors from the immortal sects to enter the hall.
"Master Yuan, are you feeling well?"
"Thank you for your concern, but I am already old and cannot resist the erosion of time. I am sorry that I was not able to come out to see you the first time."
The elder of the Daodao Sect laughed softly upon hearing this: "The headmaster is very busy and exhausted. My headmaster also said that he can understand it."
Yuan Li smiled faintly and nodded: "Did you all enjoy the alchemy party yesterday?"
"The Dan Sect's alchemy skills are the best in the world. It really opens our eyes."
"What about the rest?"
"I had a good rest. The aroma of yam filled my nose. Just smelling it all night made me feel clear-headed."
The major immortal sects did not start their speeches in an aggressive manner, and their responses were quite appropriate.
So after the greetings, Yuan Li waved gently towards the back, and then he saw several disciples coming out from the back hall, all holding medicine boxes in their hands, and came in front of these immortal sect disciples.
Realizing that it seemed to be a gift, everyone reached out to take the medicine box, and then they heard Yuan Li's voice ringing out in the hall.
"My Dan Sect has recently produced a batch of elixirs with excellent effects. They can make the soul clear and enhance gratitude. This is a farewell gift for you all."
Yuan Li waved gently with a faint smile on his face.
Hearing this, the people from the five major immortal sects couldn't help but look at each other.
The former Dan Sect was always mysterious and the elixirs they refined were priceless and hard to find in the world.
Even if you are a disciple of the Immortal Sect, you can't find a way to get medicine privately.
Who would have thought that today, they would be sent out in a hurry.
But unfortunately, this was not their intention.
Huo Yu, the elder of Shanhai Pavilion, stepped forward, stroked his long beard and said, "You are really polite, Master. However, we are not here to ask for elixirs, but to invite the disciples of Dan Sect to visit our sect. I wonder what you think."
Yuan Li gently held the armrest of the imperial chair and said, "Our Dan Sect has a long-standing ancestral precept that we cannot lend our disciples to outsiders. Your invitation really makes it difficult for me."
"Master Yuan, our seven major immortal sects have always been in harmony. Even if your sect's disciples go to my temple, they will be treated with courtesy. Master, there is actually no need to worry."
"I understand what Elder Huo said, but the ancestral precepts are the ancestral precepts, how can they be changed because of me? If you want any elixir, just tell me."
After Yuan Li finished speaking, he smiled softly and said, "It just so happens that the 800th anniversary of my Dan Sect is approaching, so it's fine to give it to you as a return gift, but I'd better forget about borrowing Dan Sect disciples."
The seven major immortal sects were all founded by sages thousands of years ago. Logically speaking, they should have been established more than a thousand years ago.
But the only difference is Danzong.
Because the Danzong had a history of more than 200 years, almost all of which was spent in slavery and existed in name only.
It was not until the alchemist was almost extinct that the other six major immortal sects woke up from their dreams and restored his freedom.
Therefore, the history of Danzong is only 800 years.
When Yuan Li mentioned the 800th anniversary of Zong Qing in public, he was actually alluding to this matter.
As soon as the words fell, the faces of the immortal cultivators from the major immortal sects instantly turned gloomy.
"Real person..."
"I have considered this matter carefully. There is no need to discuss it further. Please understand."
After hearing these words, Kaiyang Palace suddenly fell into silence.
Then the elders of the immortal sects bowed slightly and left the hall with their accompanying disciples, walking out without saying a word.
Seeing this scene, the elders standing at the bottom of the hall all looked at Yuan Li, but the head of the Dan Sect did not say anything more. Instead, he stood up from the throne and walked out of Kaiyang Hall.
As the hall gradually became empty, all the disciples in the hall breathed a sigh of relief.
Because they were really afraid that the headmaster would agree to this and send them out, but fortunately, this did not happen.
Thus, the tension from last night was gradually erased from his heart.
However, what they did not expect was that not long after the meeting in Kaiyang Hall ended, the imperial edict written by the headmaster himself began to be sent to various halls.
The content of the imperial order is that all female alchemists in the Dan Sect must move to the Yaoguang Palace and the ancestral temple and are not allowed to leave at will.
Hong Zhen, Wen Bin, Yuan Bingqing, Lu Ze and others also attended the meeting in Kaiyang Palace and were now walking towards the back mountain.
The disciples at the foot of the mountain were not mistaken, Ji You from Tianshu Academy really came.
They just saw Ji You's figure in Kaiyang Palace and discovered that he was following behind those disciples of the Immortal Sect.
After the head teacher refused to lend out disciples, Ji You followed the disciples of the immortal sect and left quietly.
"The Heavenly Academy was out of consideration for their relationship and didn't want to give people a chance to criticize them, so they only sent him here."
Hong Zhen said as he walked, "But he was smart. He didn't speak up on behalf of the Heavenly Academy, but followed the other immortal sects and planned to reap the benefits. But they probably didn't expect that the headmaster would refuse so directly."
Wen Bin looked up at this time: "Cai Wei should wake up..."
"Yes, except for our own people in Danzong, some people are unreliable no matter how good their promises are. Tianshuyuan is a lesson for us."
As they were talking, they had already seen the small building hidden among the bamboo forest from afar, so they clenched their fists lightly.
When they arranged for the Immortal Sect's disciples to stay last night, they specifically asked them to keep an eye on Ji You's whereabouts.
As a result, the disciple who came back to report said that Ji You did not stay in Wanqiongyuan.
Then they discovered something that made them sad, that is, Ji You spent the night in Yuan Caiwei's bamboo house.
They came here this time just to persuade their Saint Sister to be more sober.
Today, things are different from the past.
At the beginning, the head teacher felt that Tianshu Academy was reliable, so he allowed the disciples in the sect to interact with the disciples of Tianshu Academy.
But this incident has already shown that Tianshuyuan is also unreliable.
So they came here to persuade Yuan Caiwei not to harbor any more illusions.
When those disciples of the Immortal Sect leave, their Dan Sect should raise a large protective formation and completely withdraw from the world. From then on, only their own people can be relied upon.
Among the six people, there are two female disciples, Yuan Bingqing and Dai Lu.
The former is Yuan Caiwei's cousin, and the latter grew up with her, and they have a very good relationship with each other.
They had heard Yuan Chen talk about the encounter between Yuan Caiwei and Ji You in Qiling before, and they were originally quite happy about it, but after seeing Ji You appear in Kaiyang Palace today, they couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
Arriving at the bamboo courtyard, Yuan Bingqing followed the instructions of several senior brothers and pushed the door open.
At this time, Ji You was the only one in the courtyard, looking carefully at a large painting that was ten feet wide.
The large picture was hung on the tree by its horns, so they could see it clearly.
There are undulating mountains, Danxiaping, Yaoguang Palace, and a circle of densely packed dotted lines, with many line segments intersecting and overlapping with the undulating line segments of the mountains.
After just a few seconds of silence, Hong Zhen suddenly realized what it was.
This is the Dan Sect’s mountain protection formation diagram…
Just as he opened his eyes wide and was about to yell at the thief, he heard a noisy sound of footsteps coming from the back mountain.
"Bingqing, Dai Lu, why are you still here?"
"Senior Sister Luoying?"
The alchemist named Luoying came hurriedly and asked: "Why are you here? Didn't you receive any message from the sect?"
Yuan Bingqing and Dai Lu opened their mouths and said, "We didn't return to the courtyard after leaving Kaiyang Palace. What message?"
"The headmaster has issued an order that all female alchemists should bring their Blood Dove Pills and move into the Yaoguang Palace before 3 p.m."
"?"
As soon as the words fell, the faces of the six disciples turned pale instantly.
The Dan Sect can refine poisons, but never sell them to outsiders. They only keep them for self-defense. The Blood Dove Pill is the most toxic among them, and it can take a person's life just by touching it.
But Luoying's eyes told them that this pill was not for poisoning people, but for herself to eat.
This reminded them of what happened in the dark history of Danzong...
That is, among the enslaved alchemists, female alchemists are more popular than male alchemists.
Because male alchemists are bound to have second thoughts, it is difficult for anything to make them truly work for you wholeheartedly.
But it’s different for female alchemists, because as long as they give birth to a son, they will be considered to have a son, so the first thing that the captured female alchemists face is...
Hong Zhen looked at Luo Ying: "What happened?"
Luo Ying pursed her lips and said, "After being rejected, those immortal sect disciples did not leave the mountain."
"Are they going to arrest people by force..."
"This is the order from the headmaster. I don't know the details."
Hong Zhen and others looked at each other, entrusted Yuan Bingqing and Dai Lu to Luoying, and then went in the direction they came from.
As a large group of people went in all directions, Ji You turned around and looked outside the door, frowning slightly.
Dan Zong's reaction was more intense than he had imagined, and he even thought about committing suicide.
It seems that that period of history is even more tragic than what others have told us.
However, Yuan Li did not believe that the Dan Sect's disciples would be treated with courtesy after being borrowed, so there might be other problems with the precious material.
Ji You thought for a long time, then took back the battle formation diagram on the tree, then jumped into the air and landed halfway up the West Mountain. He reached out and touched a mossy stone.
Then he flew westward and landed in front of a spring from which water was bubbling.
Then to the south, there is a stone bridge standing in a remote mountain forest.
At the same time, Hong Zhen, Wen Bin, Lu Ze and others had arrived in front of the mountain and confirmed that the disciples of the Immortal Sect had indeed not left, so they immediately headed towards the bedroom of the head teacher.
When they arrived, they found that all the brothers and sisters in the sect had gathered there.
The feeling of impending storm made them feel heavy-hearted, so they pushed through the crowd and headed towards the palace.
Yuan Li was standing in the main hall at this time. When he saw his disciples coming over, he sighed softly.
"Master, are they really going to take action?"
"good."
Hong Zhen opened his eyes wide after hearing this and said in disbelief: "Do they still remember the Qingyun Immortal Rules?"
Yuan Li stroked his long beard and said, "They were the ones who made the immortal rules, and for thousands of years, they have been like this, not giving up until they achieve their goals."
Wen Bin swallowed his saliva and said, "We just arrived at Wanqiongyuan and found it relatively peaceful. Did Master misunderstand?"
"I'm just trying to save face. It's not the right time yet."
Practitioners of Taoism need a stable environment to attain enlightenment, hence the Qingyun Immortal Rules that restrict the four directions.
Even if the five major immortal sects wanted to destroy the immortal rules now, they would not do so in broad daylight.
Yuan Li knew that they were waiting for the dark moon and the strong wind, and for the dead of night.
When their vision is blurred and their heads and faces are covered, whether it is killing or arresting people, they can say that it was not done by them after the sun rises.
In the future, all that will be left in Qingyun’s historical records is a sentence that the Dan Sect was attacked on a dark and windy night.
Yuan Li looked at his disciples and said, "I have just told your brothers and sisters that half of them will join forces with our Dan Sect's in-laws to fight the enemy. As for you, go to Yaoguang Palace to guard your sisters and sisters."
Hong Zhen suddenly spoke up at this time: "Master, did Caiwei take the diagram of the protective formation?"
"How do you know?"
"I just went to the bamboo house to look for Caiwei, but I didn't see her, I only saw the picture."
After hearing this, Yuan Li sighed slightly: "She probably wants to find some way to save my Dan Sect, but those immortal sect disciples are inside the formation, so the formation is useless."
Hong Zhen actually wanted to say that Yuan Caiwei had handed the formation diagram to Ji You, but thinking that Danzong was now facing a great catastrophe and his master was already exhausted, he finally swallowed his words.
Afterwards, Hong Zhen and his fellow disciples left the master's bedroom and headed towards the Yaoguang Palace.
Yuan Li clenched his right hand in his sleeve as he watched his disciple go away. He then walked to the ancestral hall behind the bedroom.
The ancestral hall was very quiet, but there were bursts of smoke in the air.
Dan Yangzi, Dan Chenzi and other elders were kneeling in front of the tablet. When they saw Yuan Li coming, they all stood up.
"Brother, everything has been arranged."
"Then wait."
Dan Yangzi couldn't help but raise his head slightly after hearing the answer: "Maybe we reacted too strongly, and the matter may not be that serious."
Yuan Li pulled out three sticks of sandalwood from the table and asked, "Why do you think they must borrow my Dan Sect disciples to go to their place instead of sending the things to them?"
(It’s the beginning of the month, I’m begging for monthly tickets so I can participate in the lucky draw)
(End of this chapter)
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