211: Chapter 211 How can you say that?

Tongbao City, the Tianyang Sect base.

Meng Li and the other two only returned in the dead of night, four days after the conflict with the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce.

Of the two Late Foundation Establishment Stage Elders who had been sent from the Sect, one had his right arm wrapped below the elbow in blood-stanching Talisman cloth, while the other was in even worse condition; his Crimson Flame Armor was mostly shattered, several ribs in his chest were broken, and blood-flecked foam escaped the corners of his mouth with every cough. Both were being supported by Meng Li as they entered.

Half of an earth spike was still embedded in Meng Li's own calf, which he hadn't had time to pull out; the muscle around the wound had already swollen into a bruised purple.

The two Qi Refining Stage Disciples on night watch at the base turned pale with fright upon seeing this miserable scene.

"Don't just stand there, keep a good watch on the door. I'll kill anyone who blabs about tonight," Meng Li said as he returned to his own quarters. He then placed the person on his shoulder onto the couch and sat down on the floor with a thud, finally freeing his hands to deal with the wound on his calf.

He gripped the broken end of the earth spike and pulled it out with a forceful tug through gritted teeth.

A stream of dark red blood flowed down his calf. Meng Li fished the last healing pill out of his Storage Pouch and popped it into his mouth; only after the medicinal effects took hold did the bleeding from the wound slowly stop.

Each of the three leaned against a corner, circulating their power and adjusting their breathing for nearly an hour. Their injuries were barely suppressed, enough to prevent them from worsening further.

Meng Li was the first to stand up, glancing toward the secret room.

The base's communication artifact was inside. The three of them dragged their injured legs to the door of the secret room, but no one stepped inside first.

The bronze mirror was just three steps away. Infusing spiritual energy into it to connect the Array Inscriptionss would only take a few breaths.

But the weight of those few breaths kept the three of them standing before the threshold for a long time.

Ten against five, and seven died—how could they say this?

But not reporting it was even worse.

The soul lamps of every Foundation Establishment Elder hung in the main hall of the Tianyang Sect's mountain gate. With seven lamps going out simultaneously, it wasn't just likely that the Sect Master had received the warning—he definitely had.

The moment the seven soul lamps were extinguished, Qin She should have known something had happened.

"Sigh, I'll do it," Meng Li said as he walked into the secret room.

The bronze mirror sat in the center of the stone platform. The crimson halo on its surface was flashing on and off, its rhythm urgent and persistent—it was a signal that the Sect was repeatedly trying to establish a connection.

It had taken them nearly four days to escape back to Tongbao City from the tunnel. Including the hour spent adjusting their breathing, this bronze mirror had likely been flashing at an empty room for four days and three nights.

The Qi Refining Stage Disciples stationed at the base did not have the authority to enter the secret room, let alone dare to touch the communication artifact.

The red light flickered on and off, on and off, making Meng Li's expression look increasingly grim.

He sat down before the bronze mirror and stared at the constantly flashing crimson light for a few breaths.

The Sect Master had been waiting for four days. Every flash was a question, an inquiry, a fury that had been suppressed for four days without a response.

Meng Li swallowed hard, injected spiritual energy into the mirror's surface, and connected the Array Inscriptionss.

The red light on the bronze mirror suddenly brightened and then stabilized, turning into a steady crimson halo.

The moment the connection was established, Qin She's gnashing voice came from the mirror.

"Seven? Seven dead?"

"Ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators to ambush a merchant caravan Guard of five Foundation Establishment Cultivators and a group of Qi Refining disciples, and you're telling me seven died?"

"Meng Li, did you leave your brain in Qinghe Prefecture?!"

Meng Li's lips moved, but he made no sound.

The message continued. Qin She's speech rate grew faster and faster, until it was no longer scolding but a low roar suppressed to the extreme.

"Look at what you've done! Those eight Elders were people I transferred from the Sect, more than half of Songyang Peak's combat strength! How am I supposed to explain these seven lives to the Old Ancestor? Can you, Meng Li, give an explanation?!"

As the last sentence crashed down, the crimson light of the bronze mirror flared violently, and a fine crack appeared on its surface.

Qin She's spiritual energy had spiraled out of control while sending the message.

Meng Li lowered his head and listened to everything without saying a word.

Heavy breathing came from the bronze mirror, lasting intermittently for over a dozen breaths before slowly calming down.

After another long while, when Qin She spoke again, his voice was somewhat hoarse, and his speaking speed had slowed.

"Speak. Tell me clearly exactly what happened!"

Trembling, Meng Li began to recount the events from start to finish.

He started from the ambush in the tunnel, spoke of Su Chengyuan's supreme grade Magical Artifacts and Talismans, and mentioned those two types of Medicinal Pills—one that caused the spiritual energy of over a dozen Qi Refining Guards to surge to the Qi Refining Peak, and another that directly raised the cultivation of the opponent's four Foundation Establishment Cultivators by a minor stage.

When he mentioned Li Shi's spiritual energy surging straight to the Foundation Establishment Peak after taking a spirit burst pill and shattering the Crimson Flame Armor with a single Vajra Seal, there was a long silence from the other side of the bronze mirror.

"You say that pill can directly raise a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's cultivation by a minor stage?" Qin She's voice carried clear disbelief.

"I saw it with my own eyes," Meng Li replied. "It wasn't the kind of forced stimulation where spiritual energy runs wild; it was a solid increase in Realm. Their moves were very stable, with no sign of losing control."

Another silence followed from the bronze mirror.

"How are the three of you? Are you injured?" Qin She began to ask about the condition of Meng Li and the others.

"I have a puncture wound in my calf; it will take half a month to recover. As for the other two Elders, one lost his right arm and the other has several broken ribs; both need to recuperate."

After hearing this, Qin She didn't scold them further; scolding was useless.

The fact that seven had died was a reality, and the remaining three could not be allowed to have anything else happen to them.

The Tianyang Sect's foundation wasn't deep to begin with. If these three were also lost, the foothold the Sect had finally established in Canglan Prefecture would be shaken once again.

Moreover, from beginning to end, it was he, Qin She, who had given the orders.

He was the one who transferred the people, he was the one who arranged the interception, and he was the one who made the decision to deploy ten against five.

Meng Li had failed to execute the order and deserved to be scolded and punished.

But he knew in his heart that it wasn't entirely Meng Li's responsibility.

He had been too full of hate, too hasty.

"Recover in Tongbao City first," Qin She's voice was very gloomy, filled with helplessness.

"Once your injuries are healed, return to the Sect to see me. This matter... I need to discuss it with the three Old Ancestors."

The halo of the bronze mirror dimmed, and the secret room fell back into silence.

Meng Li sat before the bronze mirror for a long time before turning to the two people at the door and saying, "The Sect Master wants us to recover first. Once our injuries are healed, we are to return and ask for punishment."

"Just that?" the two asked, their voices incredibly dry.

"One more thing," Meng Li paused. "He said he would personally go and discuss it with the three Old Ancestors."

The two didn't speak again. Three Old Ancestors—those were three Golden Core True Persons.

The loss of seven Foundation Establishment Cultivators would be a crippling blow to any Golden Core Sect. The Tianyang Sect had only been established in Canglan Prefecture for a few years, and its foundation wasn't deep; this was equivalent to having a chunk of flesh carved out.

What was even more deadly wasn't the loss itself, but the chain reaction it would bring.

The people from the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce had escaped, and the news would surely travel back to Tianlan Province City and Qinghe Prefecture.

Once the secret that the Tianyang Sect was formerly the Blazing Fire Sect was leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Back then, the Blazing Fire Sect had been forced by the Four Sect Alliance and the four Sects of Pingling Prefecture to detonate its own mountain gate and flee over two hundred thousand li. It was only by changing its identity that it had managed to gain a foothold in Canglan Prefecture.

If the people of Qinghe Prefecture learned that the Tianyang Sect was the Blazing Fire Sect, whether they would pursue them across prefectures was one thing, but the attitudes of the Five Great Sects of Canglan Prefecture alone would likely change drastically upon hearing this news.

Who would want to be neighbors with a stray dog that had been driven out of its old nest, especially one that wanted a share of their own territory? Wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to cooperate with Qinghe Prefecture to eradicate the Tianyang Sect?