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The two exclaimed in surprise and, without thinking, immediately attacked with all their might.
"Golden Light Curse!"
Zhang Zhiwei roared, and golden light surged around him. He used his incomparably pure Longhu Mountain Dao Qi as a guide to forcefully stabilize the external space that was about to be torn apart.
Zhang Yunyuan then stepped forward, standing behind the old Celestial Master, and placed his palms against his back.
That primordial chaos energy, which encompasses all things and devours all laws, surged forth without reservation, carefully seeping into the old Celestial Master's body, attempting to channel the violent energy that was surging wildly through his meridians and on the verge of exploding.
The three of them, master and disciples, thus began a long and perilous seclusion in the quiet room.
For nine whole days and nine nights, Zhang Yunyuan and Zhang Zhiwei almost exhausted all their mental strength and cultivation.
It wasn't until late on the ninth day that the violent fluctuations were finally suppressed with the combined efforts of the two.
The flickering light of the Celestial Master gradually returned to a steady state.
The terrifying pressure in the quiet room receded like the tide.
Zhang Zhiwei was the first to give in, collapsing to the ground with a thud. His face was as pale as paper, and he was panting heavily, his whole body soaked in sweat.
Zhang Yunyuan's vision blurred, and he was almost exhausted, barely managing to stay upright.
Fortunately, the old Celestial Master had been in a daze and had not noticed Zhang Yunyuan's strange method of Hunyuan Dao Qi.
"Cough cough..."
The old Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing coughed violently and slowly opened his eyes.
His face was equally pale, and his usually calm eyes were now filled with deep weariness and a lingering sense of horror from the depths of his soul.
"Master, what's wrong with you?"
Zhang Zhiwei asked hurriedly.
The old master looked at his two disciples and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Just now, I was in meditation..."
His voice was a little hoarse.
"The Celestial Master's lineage itself suddenly and violently vibrated without warning."
"It is as if it senses that a 'great cause' capable of shaking the very foundations of this world is forming."
"At the same time, an overwhelming force of 'evil consequences' and 'calamity' targeting my Longhu Mountain's thousand-year-old lineage has suddenly descended!"
A flicker of lingering fear flashed in the old master's eyes.
"I did not actively seek out the secrets of heaven, but rather passively endured this backlash."
"If it weren't for my decent cultivation level, and the timely arrival of the two of you protecting me with your pure Dao Qi..."
He didn't say anything more, but the consequences were self-evident.
"The Celestial Master's Lineage may be in danger of collapsing. At that time, the thousand-year-old lineage of Longhu Mountain may be shaken!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunyuan's body trembled violently.
He understood instantly.
That terrifying "cause" and that overwhelming "calamity" were caused by the earth-shattering event that Wugensheng and the Thirty-Six Thieves discovered the secret of the "Eight Extraordinary Techniques" in the Twenty-Four Seasonal Valley!
As the core of the Zhengyi Covenant, the Celestial Master's Degree is closely related to the chaos that is about to sweep across the world, and thus it reacts and backfires upon him.
"Master! Advisor! Junior Uncle!"
Zhang Zhiwei's eldest disciple, Zhang Qianhe, looked terrified and scrambled to the door of the meditation room. His voice was trembling with fear, almost choked with sobs:
"News has come from down the mountain! It's said that thirty-six disciples from prestigious sects... they... they actually secretly went to become sworn brothers with Wugensheng, the acting leader of the Quanxing Sect!"
"The list...the list was leaked by someone! It's spread throughout the entire world of supernatural beings! Every sect and faction is in an uproar!"
"All the sects and factions gathered in the guest hall, wanting to see the advisor and ask about the solution!"
Zhang Qianhe was clearly unable to bear such a horrifying event; he felt as if the sky was about to collapse and was trembling with fear.
"They were all furious and vowed to clean house and kill the traitors!"
The earth-shattering news caused Zhang Zhiwei and the old master, who had just caught their breath, to change their expressions once again.
Upon hearing this news, Zhang Yunyuan simply stood quietly in place.
For the first time, that usually calm and composed face revealed a deep weariness and an indescribable sense of loss.
He protected his sect, his master, and the thousand-year-old heritage of Longhu Mountain.
But in the end, he still couldn't stop the prelude to chaos from being bloodily unveiled.
He missed the best opportunity.
"It is the will of Heaven..."
He murmured to himself, his voice carrying a hint of desolation that he himself was unaware of.
"Once the wheels of fate begin to turn, how can the power of a single person possibly stop them..."
Chapter 87 Meeting in the Guest Hall: Ordered to Descend the Mountain
Longhu Mountain, the guest hall of the Celestial Master's Mansion.
The air felt heavy and oppressive on everyone's hearts.
Inside the hall, representatives from various factions sat on either side, their faces either somber or filled with grief and indignation.
The finest pre-rain Longjing tea remains untouched, its steam dissipating silently in the stagnant heat.
Tian Jinzhong stood solemnly below the hall, his expression grave.
He understood that today's matter was of great importance, and his master and senior brother were in seclusion healing their injuries. He had to stabilize the situation before his master arrived.
Those gazes that converged upon us, filled with sorrow and solemnity, were like invisible mountains, pressing down on us and making it hard to breathe.
In the midst of this suffocating silence, three figures appeared at the entrance to the guest room.
Leading the group was none other than the old Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing.
He wore a simple blue Taoist robe, his steps were steady, and his usually calm eyes now carried a hint of impending storm.
Behind him followed Zhang Zhiwei, who was lazily yawning, and Zhang Yunyuan, whose expression was calm and whose eyes were clear.
The moment the three appeared, everyone in the hall focused their attention.
That invisible pressure seemed to have found an outlet, and surged towards the old master all at once.
Zhang Jingqing seemed oblivious, simply walking slowly to the head seat and sitting down, her gaze calmly sweeping across the entire room.
"I've kept you waiting for a long time."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority that instantly brought the almost explosive atmosphere in the hall to a standstill.
After a brief silence, an elder of the Shangqing School was the first to stand up. His hair and beard were all white, and his face was full of grief and indignation.
He bowed respectfully to Zhang Jingqing from afar, his voice trembling slightly with grief and indignation.
“Our disciple Zheng Zibu is a rare talent, one in a hundred years, and we place high hopes on him.”
"But now, he has actually joined forces with the Quanxing heretics, willingly degenerating himself! Our Shangqing Sect has failed our ancestor and lost all face!"
"This is an utter disgrace. We have come here today to discuss with our fellow practitioners how to handle this matter. Should each sect clean up its own mess, or should we, the righteous path, unite and issue a joint kill order?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the representative of the Wudang Sect also stood up, his face ashen.
“My Wudang disciples Zhou Sheng and Song Mian are also on the list.”
"These two have failed their master's teachings and abandoned the righteous path. They are a disgrace to Wudang!"
"This matter concerns the very foundation of the righteous path. We humbly request the Celestial Master to preside over the discussion and jointly address the overall situation!"
Immediately afterwards, the hot-tempered elder of Huode Sect slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.
"What are you discussing!"
His eyes were wide open and his voice was like a bell.
"In my opinion, a kill order should be issued immediately to exterminate these thirty-six scoundrels as a warning to others!"
"Feng Ping of my Huode Sect, who usually seems honest, has actually done such a despicable thing! I wish I could skin him alive with my own hands!"
Before he could finish speaking, a cold voice rang out.
"We, Xu Xin and Dong Chang, from the Tang Clan, will handle the internal affairs of our sect."
The one who spoke was a representative of the Tang Clan of Sichuan, a middle-aged man with a thin face and sharp eyes.
He had been sitting quietly the whole time, but now he finally spoke slowly, his tone devoid of any emotion.
"We have come here today only to ask one question: Should this pursuit and suppression be handled independently by each faction, or should we, the righteous path, join forces to encircle and suppress them? We urge the Celestial Master to set a plan."
Immediately, the hall was abuzz with discussion. The representative of Yanwu Hall slammed his fist on the table and angrily denounced Liu Deshui's insult, while the representative of the Zhuge family waved his feather fan, speaking calmly but with words that were sharp and incisive, directly pointing out the damage this incident had done to the order of the entire world of supernatural beings.
Although the other sects did not speak, the gazes that converged upon them were themselves the heaviest pressure.
Tian Jinzhong stood to the side, his fists clenched tightly in his sleeves, his palms covered in cold sweat.
He never imagined that his fellow disciples would bring such a terrible disaster to their sect.
Despite the immense pressure that could have crushed anyone, the old master's expression remained largely unchanged.
He listened quietly, letting everyone pour out their grief, anger, and doubts.
Only when the sounds in the hall gradually subsided did he slowly raise his eyes, and for the first time, a trace of empathetic weariness and sorrow appeared in his cloudy eyes.
"I understand your feelings."
His voice was soft, yet it carried a calming power.
"It is heartbreaking and infuriating that such a wicked person has emerged from our own sect. I wish I could personally cleanse the sect of this evil. This feeling is no different from yours."
His words, which began with empathy, instantly bridged the gap between him and the crowd, easing the tense atmosphere considerably.
"Gentlemen, please do not hide it. I know that among these thirty-six people, there is my disciple from Longhu Mountain, Zhang Huaiyi."
When the old master brought up the matter, everyone in the hall fell silent.
“My disciples from Longhu Mountain have committed a grave error, and I will never tolerate it.”