26: Myriad tokens, a heart returning to the heavens!

The night was deep, and Listening to the Waves Pavilion was quiet and silent.

The black jade chess piece between Chu Xuanjin's fingers shimmered with a cold, ghostly light under the moonlight.

The flustered back of Yun Tianqing as he departed flashed through his mind.

"A subordinate Sect must have some rules," he muttered to himself.

If the Qingyun Sword Sect could submit today, it might not necessarily mean they wouldn't harbor ulterior motives tomorrow.

The human heart is the hardest thing to fathom.

He thought of the tiger tallies of mortal Dynasties, and the tokens that large Sects used to distinguish insiders from outsiders and to display status.

"System." A thought stirred in his mind.

"Does my Myriad Dao Divine Sect have anything like identity tokens?"

【Ding! Detected Host's Sect management requirement, unlocking the 【myriad dao token】 module!】

【【myriad dao token】: The Host can use willpower to consume a small amount of Divine Soul power to manifest identity tokens of different Ranks.】

A curtain of light unfolded before Chu Xuanjin's eyes.

【disciple token】: A symbol of a Sect Disciple's identity, with "Myriad Dao Divine Sect" engraved on the front and the Disciple's relevant information on the back.

【Elder token】: A symbol of a Sect Elder's identity, with "Myriad Dao Divine Sect" engraved on the front and the Elder's position and contribution points on the back.

【Sect token】: A symbol of a subordinate Sect Master's identity, with "Myriad Dao Divine Sect" engraved on the front and their Sect's relevant information on the back.

Chu Xuanjin's gaze fell upon the last line of small text.

【Special effect: All tokens require a drop of blood to recognize their Revered Master and are bound to the Divine Soul. Once bound, they are connected to the Myriad Dao Divine Sect's Luck, and one may never betray it for life. If one harbors ulterior motives, their Divine Soul will be burned by the Myriad Dao Karmic Fire, leading to death and the dissipation of their Dao.】

Seeing this, the corners of Chu Xuanjin's mouth finally curled up.

This was exactly what he wanted.

Using profit to entice them or using intimidation to deter them was not as secure as directly cutting off future troubles at the root like this.

He moved his mind.

Three simple, square jade tokens appeared silently in his palm.

The jade tokens were made of green jade, with flowing cloud patterns carved on the four corners and faint, shimmering starlight patterns circling the edges, as if the Spiritual Qi of the entire firmament were condensed within that square inch.

"Ye Chenfeng." He spoke.

In the corner, Ye Chenfeng, who had blended into the night, opened his eyes, flashed his figure, and appeared before the table.

"Revered Master."

Almost simultaneously, the doors to Su Linger's and Wang Duojin's rooms opened.

The two walked out quickly and bowed in greeting.

"This is the Myriad Dao Divine Sect disciple token."

Chu Xuanjin flicked the three jade tokens toward the three of them respectively.

"Drop your blood to recognize the Revered Master."

The three dared not delay and immediately forced out a drop of essence blood, dripping it onto the jade tokens.

The blood was instantly absorbed, the jade token flashed with light, and a feeling of Bloodline connection arose in their hearts.

On the back of the jade tokens, their names and identities appeared.

"Myriad Dao Divine Sect First Disciple, Ye Chenfeng."

"Myriad Dao Divine Sect Second Disciple, Su Linger."

"Myriad Dao Divine Sect Third Disciple, Wang Duojin."

"With this token, no matter where you are, you can teleport back to the Sect at any time. If a great war occurs, you can ignore Realm and block a fatal blow," Chu Xuanjin explained calmly.

Upon hearing this, the three were shocked in their hearts and hurriedly tucked the jade tokens, which possessed supreme Divine Power, into their robes.

...

Meanwhile, at the Qingyun Sword Sect, in the Sect Master Hall.

The atmosphere was so heavy it almost crushed the air.

"I do not agree!"

An old man with white hair and beard slammed the table, his eyes wide with fury.

"Sect Master! My Qingyun Sword Sect has a Legacy spanning a thousand years; how can we become someone else's vassal overnight! Handing over the Ancestral Master's Legacy on a silver platter—I, Zhang Daoxuan, cannot do it!"

He was the Sword Tomb Elder, Zhang Daoxuan, who had gone with the Law Enforcement Elder that day.

Inside the hall, nearly half of the Elders wore expressions of indignation.

Yun Tianqing sat upright on the throne, his face pale, but his eyes were incredibly firm.

"Elder Zhang, do you think we still have a choice?"

His voice was hoarse.

"Before that Senior, our thousand-year foundation, which we are so proud of, is nothing but an ant that could be extinguished with a wave of a hand!"

"That still doesn't mean we should kneel!" Zhang Daoxuan was so agitated his face turned red. "We Sword Cultivators should have a Sword Bone that would rather break than bend! At worst, we die; why cherish this body so much!"

"Death?" Yun Tianqing gave a miserable laugh. "You think that if he wanted to, we wouldn't even have the qualification to die!"

He remembered the fear in Listening to the Waves Pavilion when his Divine Soul was dragged into boundless Chaos.

That was not death.

That was eternal nothingness, a thousand times more terrifying than death.

"Sect Master, this matter still needs to be discussed at length!" Another Elder stood up.

Yun Tianqing slowly shook his head.

"There is no time."

He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the faces of every Elder below.

"The Senior only gave me three days."

"My mind is made up."

He looked at Zhang Daoxuan, a trace of heartache flashing in his eyes.

"Junior Martial Uncle Zhang, if you are unwilling, Tianqing... will not force you."

Zhang Daoxuan's body trembled violently.

He looked at Yun Tianqing's resolute eyes, then looked at the silent majority around him.

He knew the situation was lost.

"Good... good! A fine Yun Tianqing!"

He pointed at Yun Tianqing, his fingers trembling.

"You are leading my Qingyun Sword Sect into a place of eternal damnation!"

He suddenly unhooked his Elder token from his waist and slammed it onto the ground.

"I, Zhang Daoxuan, today, withdraw from the Qingyun Sword Sect!"

"From now on, I have no more ties with you all!"

After speaking, he flicked his large sleeves and walked out of the hall without looking back.

"Senior Brother Zhang!"

Several Elders who were on good terms with him hurriedly followed.

Inside the hall, it instantly became much emptier.

Yun Tianqing watched their departing backs and slowly closed his eyes, yet there was not a trace of wavering on his face.

...

Three days later, early morning.

Qingyun Hall.

Yun Tianqing led the remaining dozens of Elders, waiting with solemn expressions.

When Chu Xuanjin brought his three Disciples and walked into the hall as if taking a leisurely stroll, everyone held their breath.

"Qingyun Sword Sect, Yun Tianqing, leading thirty-six Sect Elders, pays respects to Senior Chu!"

Yun Tianqing stepped forward and performed a full kowtow to Chu Xuanjin.

Behind him, all the Elders knelt down in unison.

"We are willing to lead the Qingyun Sword Sect to merge into the Myriad Dao Divine Sect, to be a vassal forever, and to obey your commands!"

The voice echoed endlessly in the hall.

Chu Xuanjin's gaze swept over them calmly.

He raised his hand.

A token, made of a material completely different from the disciple token, forged entirely from purple gold and shimmering with a mysterious halo, appeared out of thin air and floated slowly toward Yun Tianqing.

"This is the Myriad Dao Divine Sect Sect token. Refine it."

Yun Tianqing held the token with trembling hands, and without the slightest hesitation, forced out a mouthful of essence blood from his heart and sprayed it onto it.

Hum—

The token shone brilliantly, and a vast amount of information surged into his mind.

Yun Tianqing's body shook violently.

He felt the various wondrous uses of the token, and even more so, the terrifying Restriction connected to his Divine Soul, which would lead to eternal damnation if he ever betrayed them.

There was no longer any trace of Luck in his heart, only the purest sense of belonging.

Chu Xuanjin watched his reaction, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"Since you have entered my Sect, you should see what the Myriad Dao Divine Sect is."

As his voice fell, he waved his large sleeves.

The space of the entire Qingyun Hall began to twist and fold violently.

Yun Tianqing and all the Elders behind him only felt an irresistible, great power enveloping them.

Their vision blurred.

In the next instant, they were already in a completely unfamiliar world.

That materialized Spiritual Qi surged into their limbs and bones like sweet rain, making their cultivation Bottlenecks, which had been stagnant for many years, show signs of loosening.

They looked up.

They saw that supreme Divine Hall shrouded in purple Qi, as if standing at the end of the long river of time.

They saw that towering Divine Tree rooted in the source of the Spiritual Vein, every leaf shimmering with the true meaning of the Dao.

They saw immortal cranes dancing in the sea of clouds and spirit deer running in the mountains.

"This... this is..."

An Elder's legs went weak, and he knelt directly on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"Fairyland! This is the true Holy Land of the immortals!"

"I... I can feel the existence of the Dao! So clear!"

Yun Tianqing stared blankly at all of this; he felt his heart was about to stop beating.

He finally understood how insignificant his little foundation was in the eyes of that Senior.

He turned suddenly and kowtowed heavily to Chu Xuanjin again.

This time, his voice was no longer awe, no longer fear.

But the fanaticism and piety from the depths of his Soul.

"Qingyun Sword Sect, pays respects to the Sect Master!"

Behind him, all the Elders, as if waking from a dream, kowtowed in unison, their voices shaking the clouds.

"We pay respects to the Sect Master!"