117: The sect's decision was neither merit nor demerit.

One month later.

Early December, the twenty-fourth year of the lunar calendar.

"Still not working?"

Inside the mysterious void space, Yu Xuzi's Divine Soul phantom stood before the bronze pavilion, looking disappointedly at the motionless jade platform in front of him.

On it was only the phantom of a cyan Jade Slip.

"The Biography of the Immortal True Monarch Taihe of the Taihe Precious Light and Gangyang"

This was information about True Monarch Taihe that Yu Xuzi had collected from various sources since joining the Taihe Sect.

Unlike the collective destiny record "Chronicles of the Taihe Sect" he had written before, this scroll only contained the record of True Monarch Taihe alone.

Beginning the pursuit of the Dao in Qi Refining, first gaining fame at the Dao Foundation.

Then becoming a Young Lord and shaking the world, founding the Taihe Sect and truly soaring to become a top titan of the Cangmang Realm.

Over a thousand years of time were condensed into these three hundred thousand words.

Unfortunately, there was still no reward!

Obtaining rewards for individual destiny records was still a bit too difficult.

It required not just recording history, but also a certain amount of "personal experience," and perhaps even waiting until the conclusion.

Yu Xuzi's current hidden cultivation within the Taihe Sect was a form of personal experience.

As for True Monarch Taihe's ending?

In his view, it was nothing more than two possibilities.

Either defying the heavens all the way and successfully achieving Ascension to the Middle Thousand World!

Or... "Hmm?"

"The Restriction outside the Immortal Cave has been triggered?"

Yu Xuzi's Divine Soul phantom vanished from the bronze pavilion, and his consciousness returned to his body.

He walked out of the Immortal Cave with a frown and opened the Restriction, only to find an unexpected figure.

"Someone from the Hall of Penalties?"

"Greetings, Senior Brother Qiu. This is the Hall of Penalties's final judgment regarding Senior Brother's last Sect mission. If Senior Brother has any objections to the ruling, you may choose to appeal!"

The visitor was an outer Sect Qi Refining Disciple on duty at the Hall of Penalties. Upon seeing Yu Xuzi, he hurriedly handed over a Jade Slip and bowed.

"There won't be more punishment, will there?"

"Although it's normal for people to leave and tea to cool, or for monkeys to scatter when the tree falls, hasn't True Person Qinglian just fallen? Could it be that Shen Feiyang can't even cover for such a small matter?"

Yu Xuzi wondered to himself.

He reached out to take the Jade Slip and sent his Divine Sense into it. After a few breaths, his brow relaxed.

Fortunately, it wasn't the extreme situation he had speculated.

[Inner Sect Qingmu Peak Disciple Qiu Dao failed in the mission to guard the Qinglin Spirit Stone Mine Vein, causing the Sect to suffer a significant loss of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones!

According to Sect laws, this should be severely punished. However, this Hall has investigated the circumstances; the situation at the time was critical and beyond your ability to handle. Escaping with your life was already a feat in itself.

Therefore, the Hall of Penalties has made the following judgment:

Neither credit nor fault; the matter is dismissed!

If dissatisfied, you may apply for an appeal and a re-judgment!

Thus concludes the ruling!]

"Neither credit nor fault. This handling is fair enough."

Yu Xuzi nodded, looked up at the Disciple who brought the message, and asked casually, "Do you know how the Hall of Penalties handled Shi Jian, who fled the battlefield while on the mission with me?"

"Senior Brother Qiu may not know, but that traitor Shi Jian's soul lamp shattered long ago. He was likely captured and killed by the scoundrels of the Xuan Yin Palace, so the Sect has no further judgment for him."

"I see."

"This Junior Brother takes his leave."

Shortly after that Hall of Penalties Disciple left, Yu Xuzi's Immortal Cave was disturbed again.

This time, the messenger was a Disciple from the Pill Cauldron Hall.

The content was a requirement that the Medicinal Pills Yu Xuzi submits for Sect missions must henceforth be Rank Two Medicinal Pills.

If he could not regularly refine Rank Two Medicinal Pills for the Sect, he would be dispatched to the front lines.

For an ordinary person, requiring them to become a Rank Two Alchemist only two or three years after breaking through to the Dao Foundation Stage would be quite demanding.

However, for Yu Xuzi, it was no difficulty at all.

"It seems they won't be sending me to the front lines for a while!"

Yu Xuzi feigned a heavy expression as he saw off the Disciple from the Pill Cauldron Hall.

Upon returning to his Immortal Cave and closing the Restriction, the heaviness on his face vanished, and he regained his composure.

Over the past month, he had a feeling that the Taihe Sect's sense of urgency regarding the front lines seemed to have eased considerably.

There was no evidence!

It was just an intuition sensed from the Sect's various actions and subtle clues lately.

For instance, Yu Xuzi had originally thought that after the Qinglin Spirit Stone Mine Vein matter was settled, he would likely be dispatched to the front lines again.

He hadn't expected this.

But it was just as well; in the blink of an eye, it had been nearly four years since he arrived in the Cangmang Realm.

Since he wouldn't be going to the front lines anytime soon, he planned to find some time to return to the Qingyuan Realm and Fei Chen Realm to take a look.

He was still thinking about the treasures of the Qingyuan Sect... January 1st, the twenty-fifth year of the lunar calendar.

It was the turn of the year again.

Yu Xuzi had already left the Cangmang Realm, while the war on the Xuan Yin Continent continued, growing even more intense.

The southern edge of the Baitu Hills.

The vast sky seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, revealing a scorched battlefield.

The Taihe Sect's main camp was shrouded in a Fourth-grade Low Grade Grand Formation. Its heavy, pale-gold light screen was like a giant overturned glass bowl, sheltering all the mountains and hills within a hundred-mile radius.

Complex and mysterious runes flowed across the Formation's light screen, drawing from the Spiritual Veins deep within the earth to sustain its operation.

Originally, there had been a Third-grade High Grade Spiritual Vein here.

However, after the Fourth-grade Grand Formation was set up, it drew from the Spiritual Vein day and night. Coupled with the activities of nearly two hundred thousand Cultivators here, the grade of the Spiritual Vein had dropped to Third-grade Low Grade.

Nowadays, the Taihe Sect had to consume a massive amount of Spirit Stones every day for the Cultivators' needs and to maintain the defensive Formation.

In particular, the Formation had to endure unprecedentedly violent bombardments every day!

Outside the Formation, over three hundred thousand Cultivators affiliated with the Xuan Yin Palace swarmed like locusts, a dense black mass stretching beyond the horizon.

Besides the densely packed Qi Refining and Dao Foundation Cultivators, there were more than sixty Xuantai True Persons presiding, surrounding the Formation from all directions.

They did not strike lightly, but the terrifying pressure they radiated had already left countless people trembling with fear.

Shrouded in dazzling spheres of light, they were like stars hanging high in the sky, every movement triggering surges in the Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence like tides.

In mid-air, countless flying boats and Magic Treasures were arranged in dense Formations, blotting out half the sky like oppressive dark clouds.

There were massive flying boats over a hundred feet long shaped like giant birds, with hideous beast heads carved on their prows that continuously spat out dazzling beams of Daoist techniques.

Densely packed Escape Lights of Cultivators darted through the clouds like fish, raining down Spells and Talismans from all directions.

There were even giant Magic Treasure tower ships as towering as mountains, with Third-grade attack formations arranged along their sides, pouring down bolts of lightning, pillars of fire, and storms of wind blades, making the world tremble.

"Boom—Boom—Boom—!!!"

Earth-shaking roars echoed incessantly.

It was as if never-ending thunder was exploding in one's ears.

Various colored Spells exploded against the Formation's light screen, bursting with blinding brilliance.

Scorching fireballs crashed into the screen, exploding into a sky full of flowing fire; bone-chilling icicles fell like a torrential downpour, condensing layers of frost on the surface of the light screen.

Lightning snakes coiled and darted, and countless peerlessly sharp Sword Qi and blade glints struck the same spot like a violent storm, attempting to tear through this final line of defense by breaking a single point.

The Taihe Sect's side had completely lost the ability to engage in open field battles and was forced to retreat and hold their ground inside the Formation.

Only when the Formation was on the verge of collapsing would they dare to venture out to face the enemy under the protection of several Fourth-grade Low Grade Magic Treasures like the Tiangang Treasure Boat, buying time to restore the Formation.

After all, the Xuan Yin Palace had even more Fourth-grade Low Grade Magic Treasures that could be activated by Xuantai True Persons.