332: fall

"Jing Chen, Xiuqin!"

Master Qing Xuan let out a faint sigh, his gaze heavily falling upon the two of them, his tone grave: "You two should cultivate peacefully within the Sect, diligently temper your Dao foundations, and do not be overly sorrowful. In the future, the gateway of Tianlian Peak will ultimately rely on you two to uphold."

After comforting the Juniors for a few words, Master Qing Xuan no longer lingered on the matter of Chu Haotian.

At present, the situation was critical; every moment of delay could lead to disaster. He turned and strode directly towards the Sect Main Hall.

Currently, Yaoshi City was still struggling against the Yao Race army, the flames of war spreading across the land without cease. Although they had previously rooted out the traitor from the Demon Suppressing Tower and eliminated the hidden threat, this only prevented the situation from worsening further—far from being a turning point.

The battle situation remained severe, with no room for optimism.

It must be known that whenever the Yao Race launched a large-scale invasion, in such chaotic times, there was no absolute safety; no one dared assert they could survive to the end. In the past, Tianque Sect had once encountered its most brutal battle, where four Peak Masters fell on the battlefield, their bones lost, and even the Sect Master fought to the death without retreating, only being rescued by Disciples after exhausting his strength. Fortunately, the Sect's foundation remained, and talents emerged generation after generation, allowing it to recuperate over twenty years and gradually restore its Origin Qi.

As his thoughts surged, Master Qing Xuan had already stepped into the Sect Main Hall.

He stood on the white jade steps before the Sect Master's seat, his posture upright like a pine tree, issuing commands in a deep voice to the Disciples bowing below:

"Immediately send word to the Tower Revered Masters of the second, fourth, and fifth Demon Suppressing Towers to dispatch strong reinforcements to Yaoshi City with all haste, ensuring they join the defending troops as soon as possible!"

"Yes!" the Disciples responded in unison.

Master Qing Xuan shifted his tone: "Additionally, where is the Discipline Elder at this moment?"

A Disciple in green robes quickly stepped forward from the side of the hall, bowing to report: "Elder, according to urgent messages received yesterday, a great Yao has been wreaking havoc within Rain God Continent, specifically targeting second-rate Sects. Three Sects, including Qinglan Sect and Luoxia Valley, have already suffered total annihilation, with no Disciples surviving. Upon hearing the news, the Discipline Elder and the Mountain Protecting Elder have led Disciples to handle this matter."

Master Qing Xuan frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and quickly realized it must be the work of that Scholar.

That great Yao was likely the Void Refining Realm beast imprisoned in the ninth Demon Suppressing Tower!

"The situation is more severe than anticipated."

Master Qing Xuan muttered to himself in a low voice, his gaze growing even more somber, and immediately continued issuing orders: "Order the Sect Registrar to immediately remove the name of Wei Ling, Tower Revered Master of the ninth Demon Suppressing Tower, from the Sect's genealogy, annotating it as 'defected to the Yao Race, colluded with external enemies'!"

"Furthermore, order the entire Sect's Law Enforcement Hall to mobilize, arresting all relatives, Disciples, and subordinates related to Wei Ling, imprisoning them in the Celestial Prison for rigorous interrogation. Ensure all details of his collusion with the Yao Race are uncovered, leaving no trace of evidence!"

"Disciples obey!"

Master Qing Xuan pondered briefly, then added: "Also, send someone to the Library to search through all ancient texts and records, ensuring any information about 'Chaos Void Jade' is found, even if it's just a few words, and report it truthfully!"

Although Chu Haotian's fate was likely grim, after this great battle concluded,

they still had to find a way to inquire; they couldn't just leave it unresolved without clarity.

"Disciples res..."

"No need to investigate."

A clear voice suddenly came from outside the hall, abruptly interrupting the Disciple's reply.

Master Qing Xuan shuddered, sharply looking up to see a familiar figure slowly entering the hall's entrance, accompanied by two Disciples.

That person's dark robes were stained with blood, his hair disheveled, yet it was precisely Chu Haotian, who had been captured by that mysterious girl.

"Hao... Haotian?"

Master Qing Xuan's pupils contracted sharply, the composure on his face instantly replaced by extreme astonishment. He subconsciously took two steps forward, his voice trembling: "You... actually... it's wonderful. I thought I'd be drinking alone from now on."

He steadied himself, urgently pressing: "What exactly happened? How did you escape from that girl wearing the wide-brimmed hat? Her cultivation base is unfathomable; you shouldn't have been able to resist her!"

Chu Haotian forced a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, "This is all thanks to that Fellow Daoist Chen."

"If he hadn't intervened to save me, I truly wouldn't know where that girl would have taken and imprisoned me."

Behind Chu Haotian, Lin Xiuqin's eyes were red, her face filled with the joy of recovery, tears welling in her eyes but stubbornly held back from falling.

Beside her, Zhao Jingchen was the same. Earlier, upon hearing the dire news about his Revered Master in the Sect Square, he felt dazed and blank-minded. Yet, unexpectedly, the next moment, his Revered Master suddenly returned to the Sect from outside.

"Fellow Daoist Chen?"

Master Qing Xuan frowned deeply, growing even more puzzled. Although that Fellow Daoist Chen had publicly slain the Sect Master of Chusheng Sect with two sword strikes, his strength was certainly not to be underestimated.

But... the methods that wide-brimmed hat girl displayed at the time, effortlessly suppressing and killing that Scholar and Red Pine Daoist with a wave of her hand, undoubtedly indicated a cultivation base of the Integration Realm, far beyond what ordinary Cultivators could withstand.

He pondered and guessed: "Could it be that other strong experts from Dao Seeking Sect arrived in time and jointly forced that girl to retreat?"

"Not so."

Chu Haotian gently shook his head, explaining, "Although I don't know the specifics, that Fellow Daoist Chen seems to have been concealing his cultivation Realm. From what I saw, he is at least an Integration Realm expert!"

"Perhaps even higher, possibly above the Integration Realm."

As these words were spoken!

The hall immediately fell into dead silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Lin Xiuqin looked up at her Revered Master, seeing the barely concealed admiration in his eyes when discussing that Fellow Daoist Chen, and couldn't help but feel a ripple in her heart—it was the first time she had seen her Revered Master hold someone in such high regard.

She couldn't help but recall the scene when she first met that Man in White Robes. Back then, she thought he was just lucky to have taken Li Pingan and the other as Disciples, considered 'a Revered Master honored by his Disciples.' But now it seemed her initial guess was too shallow; he was likely far more than he appeared on the surface.

Zhao Jingchen suddenly had an Epiphany—no wonder Young Master Li had been so calm and composed earlier, without a hint of worry.

An Integration Realm expert... even the Sect Master of their own Tianque Sect, or the other two major Sects, had never had such a Realm powerhouse overseeing them.

Master Qing Xuan stood frozen in place, stunned for a long time before slowly suppressing the storm of shock in his heart, letting out a long sigh:

"So that's how it is!"

"Truly unexpected. Who knows what kind of force this Dao Seeking Sect is, to have such a figure."

As soon as the words fell, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall, followed by a Disciple rushing in with a panicked expression, bowing urgently to Master Qing Xuan and Chu Haotian:

"Two Elders, something terrible has happened!"

"Just received a Flying Sword message from Yaoshi City: Yaoshi City... Yaoshi City has already been breached! The Yao Race army is advancing triumphantly, having now invaded Rain God Continent. Several towns along the way have already suffered disasters, with countless Cultivators and commoners slaughtered!"

"What?!"

Chu Haotian shuddered, the fatigue that had just faded from his face instantly replaced by extreme shock.

"Say that again? Yaoshi City has been breached? How is that possible! Yaoshi City's defenses are solid, with defending troops fighting desperately and reinforcements from the Demon Suppressing Tower. How could it be breached so quickly?!"

He simply couldn't believe this news!

"Re... reporting, Elder, the Flying Sword message says that the Grand Elder of Chusheng Sect, seeing the Sect Master killed and the Sect destroyed with no way back, turned to join the Yao Race, collaborating from within. That's why..."