41: Master, is he mentally ill?

The voices of discussion grew louder and louder, with some sighing at the Formation Breaking Sect's bad luck and others mocking the absurdity of the two Elders.

Others secretly speculated if there was a hidden motive behind it all. Amidst the clamor, even the Cultivators passing by the teahouse couldn't help but stop and prick up their ears to listen to this fresh news.

It turned out that last night, Gu Changge's Divine Sense had already shrouded the perimeter of the Formation Breaking Sect so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.

As Yan Cangyun crouched and sneaked into the Formation Breaking Sect's mountain-protecting array, Gu Changge lightly traced a finger across the Void Realm, and pale green spiritual energy entangled the formation runes like spider silk.

In an instant, the scene before Yan Cangyun's eyes distorted slightly.

He clearly saw Mo Lingzi, the Grand Elder of the Myriad Law Pavilion, standing in front of the Scripture Pavilion with the Sect Leader of the Formation Breaking Sect.

On the scroll unfurled in their hands, the distribution of the Burning Heaven Palace's mineral veins was clearly visible.

The low-voiced conversation between the two drifted over with the wind: "Our two Sects will join forces to seize all of Burning Heaven Palace's mineral veins, and then trample over the Burning Heaven Palace's gates..."

At the same time, Mo Lingzi, who had just avoided the patrolling Disciples, also fell into an illusion.

He saw Yan Cangyun holding a token engraved with the Formation Breaking Sect's emblem, grinning cruelly at a confidant: "The defense maps of the Myriad Law Pavilion are in hand. Tonight, we burn their Scripture Pavilion..."

Seeing this scene before their eyes, both were consumed by a burning rage.

A gust of wind blew past, and the masks of both men fell off simultaneously.

When rivals meet, their eyes burn with special hatred.

"Scoundrel! Give me your life!"

Yan Cangyun's eyes nearly split with rage as the Burning Heaven Fire Flag suddenly unfurled, and fire crows filled the sky, lunging at Mo Lingzi with a heatwave like molten lava.

"You're looking for death!" Mo Lingzi roared. The moment his Jade Sword was unsheathed, Sword Qi slashed toward Yan Cangyun like a waterfall.

The two traded blows in the illusion, every move aimed at the other's vital points.

Both believed that the Formation Breaking Sect was the other's ally.

Their movements were as coordinated as if pulled by invisible threads, specifically choosing the most critical locations of the Formation Breaking Sect to clash.

Yan Cangyun's fire crows ignited the ancient texts in the Scripture Pavilion, Yun Chen's Sword Qi split open the mountain-protecting array's core, and even the Stone Tablet in the Drill Grounds engraved with the Sect's history was crushed into gravel by their combined force.

It wasn't until Yan Cangyun was struck by Mo Lingzi's sword, coughing up blood from a heavy injury, that the Sun Flame Token in his robes erupted with golden light to protect him.

Yun Chen's beard was singed away by sparks, and only then did the two regain a bit of clarity through the sharp pain. However, they still firmly believed that the other had colluded with the Formation Breaking Sect to plot against them.

The battle grew even more intense, finally leaving behind only a ground full of yellow sand and burning ruins, as well as the dumbfounded faces of the Formation Breaking Sect Disciples.

Formation Breaking Sect, Sect Master's Hall.

Chen Tieshan slumped in a grandmaster's chair, staring out the window toward the charred Scripture Pavilion, the corner of his mouth twitching as if he’d had a stroke.

He clutched a Formation Plate shattered by Sword Qi, his knuckles turning white from the force. Suddenly, he slammed the table, causing the tea in the cup to splash out.

"Outrageous! Simply outrageous!"

He paced back and forth in anger, his round-collared Daoist robe pulled askew. His usually meticulously groomed beard was now a messy tangle, making him look like a tomcat with its fur standing on end.

"If you want to fight, then fight! If you want to snatch mineral veins, then snatch them! Why did you two lunatics have to come to my Formation Breaking Sect to tear the house down?!"

Chen Tieshan pointed outside, his voice trembling.

"Three crates of rare books in the Scripture Pavilion were burned! Seven thousand-year Pill Furnaces in the Pill Refining Room were shattered! Even the core of the mountain-protecting array was scorched until it emitted black smoke—who did I provoke?!"

The nearby Grand Elder clutched his forehead with a miserable expression.

"Sect Leader, the Old Ancestor was so enraged upon coming out of seclusion that he went right back in. Before leaving, he said... he said you must demand an explanation."

"Demand an explanation? From whom?"

Chen Tieshan flopped back down and grabbed a spiritual fruit from the table, taking a savage bite as the juice dribbled down the corner of his mouth.

"From the Burning Heaven Palace? Or the Myriad Law Pavilion? Those two old fogies probably still think they're in the right, firmly believing that my Formation Breaking Sect colluded with the other side!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He suddenly slapped his thigh.

"I see it clearly now! They did this on purpose! They know our Formation Breaking Sect is easy to bully, so they used us as their battlefield! Once I've repaired the array, I'll make them taste the power of the 'Thousand Mechanisms God-Trapping Formation'!"

Despite his words, as he gazed at the devastated Sect, he ultimately let out a long sigh, a deep sense of helplessness welling up in his eyes.

Who told the Formation Breaking Sect to be less powerful than the Burning Heaven Palace and the Myriad Law Pavilion?

This bitter pill would likely have to be swallowed for now.

Meanwhile, Azure Profound Sect, Sect Master's Hall.

Xuan Yangzi held the recently received Message Jade Slip. Seeing the words "Formation Breaking Sect suffered heavy losses, Chen Tieshan is in tears" on it, he first coughed twice before finally being unable to hold it in, let out a "pfft" and started laughing.

Shi Wanshan leaned over and snatched the Jade Slip. The more he read, the brighter his eyes became. Finally, he slapped the table and laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight.

"Hahaha! That old boy Chen Tieshan! That's what he gets for stealing our Spiritual Plants last time! Now look at him! Half his Sect was torn apart by two madmen. Serves him right!"

Dan Ding Peak Lord Li Muran stroked his beard, a smile playing on his lips.

"It is strange, though. Yan Cangyun and Mo Lingzi have fought for so many years; why did they choose to fight at the Formation Breaking Sect of all places? And they specifically targeted their Scripture Pavilion and Pill Refining Room. It's as if... someone gave them a push from behind."

Xuan Yangzi picked up his teacup, hiding the sharp glint in his eyes as he said slowly, "Who knows? Perhaps it was the will of heaven."

Causing the Burning Heaven Palace and the Myriad Law Pavilion to become mortal enemies, while also screwing over the Formation Breaking Sect to avenge the previous theft of Spiritual Plants, all while allowing the Azure Profound Sect to watch safely from the sidelines... It really was... ingenious.

Shi Wanshan was still making a racket.

"I say, this is retribution! Let him spend all day plotting to reap the benefits while others do the work; now he's become someone else's stepping stone! Next time I see him, I'll have to ask if those three crates of rare books hurt when they burned!"

The various Peak Lords burst into laughter. The atmosphere in the discussion hall was more relaxed than ever before.

On Bamboo Peak, the shadows of the bamboo swayed.

Gu Changge leaned back in his bamboo chair, his Divine Sense taking in both the laughter from the Azure Profound Sect's hall and the gloom over the Formation Breaking Sect.

When he heard Chen Tieshan's line, "Who did I provoke?", he finally couldn't help but let out a low chuckle.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves and fell on his face, illuminating that smile with a hint of craftiness, like a child who had hidden some candy.

"Master?"

Xiao Ruobai had just finished practicing the Nine Battle Heaven Styles, his forehead still beaded with light sweat. Seeing Gu Changge laughing with his eyes closed, he couldn't help but be stunned.

"What's been going on with Master lately? He often bursts out laughing for no reason."

"Master hasn't gone mentally unstable from staying on Zizhu Peak for too long, has he?"

Xiao Ruobai muttered to himself, but his footsteps involuntarily moved closer. Looking at the unrestrained smile on Gu Changge's face, the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

Ever since Master had taken him as a Disciple, he would occasionally space out and laugh.

The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. He couldn't help but speak up tentatively: "Master, have you... encountered some Bottleneck in your Cultivation and suffered a Qi Deviation?"

Gu Changge was still relishing Chen Tieshan's tearless misery when he heard this, nearly choking on his own saliva.

He opened his eyes and saw the sincere worry on his Disciple's face. The craftiness in his eyes instantly turned into helplessness.

"What on earth is going on in that head of yours all day?"

Gu Changge flicked his forehead.

"Your Master is perfectly fine, far more normal than a kid like you who can trip even while practicing punches."

Xiao Ruobai clutched his forehead but let out a sigh of relief, grinning. "That's good. I thought... I thought you'd been on Zizhu Peak for so long that you'd developed some mental burden from the boredom."

Could it be that my talent is so good that Master is just too happy? Xiao Ruobai thought narcissistically.