172: Tell me honestly, what level are you at now?

He wasn't a fool.

Shangguan Jing's death and True Lord Jian Chen's demise had already proven the enemy's terrifying power!

That Gray-robed Elder was like an insurmountable mountain, pressing heavily on everyone's hearts!

He forcibly suppressed the turbulent Qi and blood in his heart, and his face, twisted by rage, gradually regained the calmness and prestige of a Vice Sect Master.

However, beneath that calmness lay an even deeper solemnity.

Slowly, he returned to his seat on the main dais.

His entire Aura, as if transforming from a drawn sword of fury into a volcano about to erupt, appeared tranquil on the outside, yet accumulated power capable of burning the heavens and destroying the earth within.

"Fellow Daoist Ye..."

True Lord Chi Yun's voice became hoarse and low.

"In your opinion..."

"How should this matter be resolved?"

This question indicated that he had temporarily put aside the thought of immediate revenge, placing Ye Feiyan on an equal footing with himself, or even higher in terms of strategy!

Inside the main hall, all the Elders held their breath, uniformly turning their gaze towards that elegant and ethereal figure.

Ye Feiyan met everyone's gaze, her red lips slightly parted, and slowly uttered a single word.

"Wait."

"Wait?"

True Lord Chi Yun's brows furrowed into a knot again.

This answer was clearly not what he wanted to hear.

"That's right, just wait."

Ye Feiyan's voice was utterly calm; her clear phoenix eyes swept across the hall, taking in everyone's expressions.

"Wait for Senior Martial Uncle Qing Yun and Junior Martial Uncle Bai Yun to finish their secluded cultivation."

"Wait for my cultivation to advance further."

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts tightened.

Immortal Master Qing Yun, Immortal Master Bai Yun!

These were the other two Grand Elders in the Sect, besides the Sect Master, who were at the Mid Nascent Soul Stage!

However, they had been in secluded death-cultivation for many years, attempting to break through the Late Nascent Soul Stage Bottleneck, and had not appeared for centuries, to the point that many had almost forgotten their existence!

"But..."

An impatient Elder couldn't help but speak, "Jia Wenmo has wolfish ambitions, and that Black Dragon remnant soul is also eager to recover. The longer we wait, the stronger they become!"

"So what?"

Ye Feiyan countered coldly.

"Can we really contend with them with our current strength?"

She extended her slender, jade-like finger; her tone was calm, but every word she spoke was like a heavy hammer, striking hard at everyone's hearts.

"Let's calculate the strength of both sides."

"My Beast Taming Sect currently only has the two of us with Nascent Soul combat power."

"On Myriad Spirits Manor's side, True Lord Jian Chen has fallen, leaving only Daoist Myriad Swords, who is also severely injured, with less than one-tenth of his combat power remaining."

"Combining both Sects, at most, we have two and a half Nascent Soul Cultivators."

"But what about our enemies?"

Ye Feiyan's gaze suddenly became sharp!

"Jia Wenmo, of mysterious origin, comes from the unfathomable 'Ancient God Court'. Who knows how many trump cards he still has?"

"That Black Dragon, even if only a remnant soul, was once an existence that stepped into the Spirit Transformation Realm! Once it finds a suitable body for Rebirth, its recovery speed will far exceed what you and I can imagine!"

"Not to mention..."

She paused, her voice dropping even lower and colder.

"...that Gray-robed Elder who could instantly obliterate the Sect Master's Nascent Soul!"

"Such an existence, let alone the two of us, even if Senior Martial Uncle Qing Yun and Junior Martial Uncle Bai Yun emerge from seclusion, plus ten Daoist Myriad Swords, would they be enough for him to crush with a single finger?!"

Silence!

A deathly silence!

Every word Ye Feiyan spoke was like a basin of bone-chilling ice water, dousing the last shred of luck and impulse in everyone's hearts from head to toe!

That's right!

That Gray-robed Elder!

That was truly a despair-inducing existence!

In the face of absolute power, all anger and schemes seemed so pale and powerless!

True Lord Chi Yun sat on the main dais, clenching his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, drawing drops of blood, yet he was completely unaware.

Humiliation!

Unwillingness!

And... a deep sense of powerlessness!

As the Vice Sect Master of the Beast Taming Sect, when had he ever suffered such indignity?

The Sect Master had died tragically, and a Fellow Daoist had fallen, yet he didn't even have the ability to avenge them, not even daring to utter a single harsh word!

But he was, after all, a Sect Master.

He understood that what Ye Feiyan said was a bloody reality!

Rushing forward now wasn't revenge, it was courting death! It was dragging the entire Beast Taming Sect into an abyss of eternal damnation!

After a long while.

He seemed to have used all his strength just to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth.

"...Alright."

"It shall be as you say."

"Issue my command: effective immediately, the Sect will seal its mountains for a hundred years! No Disciple is permitted to leave! Fully... prepare for war!"

This decision was incredibly difficult.

But he had to make it.

The meeting thus concluded.

The Elders dispersed, their hearts heavy with solemnity and unwillingness.

The entire Sect Master's main hall was left with only endless oppression and sorrow... Green Bamboo Peak, Small Courtyard.

Ye Feiyan returned to this peaceful place with Mysterious Ink.

The Spiritual Qi in the courtyard remained, and bamboo shadows swayed, creating a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of the Sect Master's main hall, as if they were two different worlds.

Ye Feiyan said nothing, simply walking to the edge of the pond and quietly gazing at her reflection in the water.

Mysterious Ink jumped from her arms, slowly crawled onto a green stone, and lazily yawned.

"Girl, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm wondering how strong our biggest trump card truly is."

Ye Feiyan turned around, her clear phoenix eyes more serious than ever, staring directly at Mysterious Ink.

"Mysterious Ink."

"Honestly tell me."

"What Realm are you in now?"

Mysterious Ink's small, green bean-like eyes blinked, seemingly surprised.

It slowly stretched, a faint glimmer flashing across the golden patterns on its scales.

"Oh, honestly, why are girls so curious?"

It complained, but no longer concealed its strength.

A profound and unfathomable Aura, like a deep pool or a towering mountain, flashed and then disappeared from its tiny body.

"Fourth Tier Late Stage."

Just four simple words, yet they seemed to contain immeasurable weight.

Fourth Tier Late Stage!

That was an existence comparable to a human Cultivator in the Late Nascent Soul Realm!

Even though she had been mentally prepared, Ye Feiyan's breathing still hitched slightly.

The next second.

She gave Mysterious Ink a huge, fierce eye-roll!

"I knew it!"

She knew this guy always seemed much stronger than he let on!

This fellow had been pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger from the very beginning!

"Hehe."

Mysterious Ink chuckled smugly.

Ye Feiyan, however, quickly composed herself, her expression becoming incredibly serious.

"Mysterious Ink, listen."

"From today onwards, without my permission, you are absolutely forbidden from revealing your true cultivation."

"You are my biggest trump card, and our only hope for a comeback in the future!"

She was well aware that Mysterious Ink's power wasn't just in its Realm.

It was even more so in its Primordial Black Dragon Bloodline and its Heaven-Defying innate Divine Ability!

—The Profound Black Domain!

!