214: Uh... why are you kneeling? I don't know!

"How is it? Have those Demonic Cultivators been captured?" Ye Qingyin asked with concern.

Dugu Litian shook his head and slowly said, "Those few must have used a secret technique that came at a great cost, disappearing directly from my perception. I couldn't find them. However, I later captured thirteen Mahayana Demonic Cultivators, whom we can bring back for interrogation."

"Good, good, good! Litian, you are truly amazing!" Ye Qingyin said with a smile.

"Heh heh, this is nothing. Compared to Senior Brother, I'm still far behind. If he had acted this time, not a single person would have escaped."

"Senior Brother is a Heavenly Immortal Reincarnation. It's normal for him to cultivate quickly. You're not a Great Master Reincarnation, yet you're already very powerful!"

...

"Alright, let's go see the Heaven Sword Sect members first. Being trapped here for so long, they must be feeling quite distressed."

"Okay!"

It was strange; Lu Hao's barrier disappeared after the Demonic Cultivators left, transforming back into a beam of light and retracting into Elder Lin Ao's statue.

These were Lu Hao's methods, and they were not something they could fathom for the time being. Perhaps only Mu Siyuan would be able to discern some insight.

The Three Thousand Clear Mystery Sect Disciples, led by Dugu Litian, slowly descended into the Heaven Sword Sect.

When the numerous Heaven Sword Sect Disciples saw their saviors arrive, a burst of cheers erupted!

The entire Heaven Sword Sect became incredibly noisy, filled with excited roars and shouts!

"We're saved!! We're saved!!! Thank you, Fellow Daoists of the Qingxuan Sect! Thank you! You are our saviors!!!"

"Our benefactors, thank you so much!"

"Benefactors! Please accept my bow! From now on, should you ever have any needs, as long as I can help, if I so much as frown, may I be struck by lightning!"

...

Excited voices reached Dugu Litian's ears. He smiled and nodded at the Disciples, signaling them to be quiet.

Rong Yuanliang, filled with immense excitement, rushed directly to Dugu Litian.

The Elders followed closely behind.

They looked at each other, then uniformly knelt down, excitedly saying,

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoists of the Qingxuan Sect, many thanks! You have twice saved my Heaven Sword Sect from dire straits!"

"From this day forward, my Heaven Sword Sect is willing to be a subordinate Sect of the Qingxuan Sect, at the command of the Upper Sect. We shall have no complaints whatsoever!"

They truly had no other way to express their heartfelt gratitude.

Especially the great joy after great sorrow, which made it impossible for them to control their emotions.

They discussed it and realized that the Heaven Sword Sect's strength was now nowhere near that of the Qingxuan Sect. It would be better to seize this opportunity and directly acknowledge the Qingxuan Sect as their Upper Sect!

If they could ally with the Qingxuan Sect, it would likely be a very clear decision...

However, Dugu Litian's expression was greatly astonished. He felt a pressure even greater than the previous battle.

How could this be?

Rong Yuanliang was his master's close friend. If he were to take his Sect as a subordinate Sect, how could he explain it to his master?

Furthermore, it was reasonable for the Elders to kneel; he could accept their gratitude for saving their lives. But how could Rong Yuanliang kneel to him!!! Wouldn't that mess up the seniority?

No, no, absolutely not!

He hadn't paid attention for a moment and failed to stop Rong Yuanliang from kneeling. Now his mind was racing, trying to figure out what he should do.

Soon, he thought of a solution.

"Thud!"

Dugu Litian also knelt directly towards Rong Yuanliang...

His action completely bewildered the people around him. One by one, they widened their eyes as if they had seen a ghost...

What is this? This... how could a Cultivator at the Undergoing Tribulation stage kneel?

The Three Thousand Clear Mystery Sect Disciples looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

The quickest to react was Ye Qingyin. The moment she saw Dugu Litian kneel, after only a slight delay, she also knelt down...

Although she didn't know the reason, why bother with so many details?

Dugu Litian wouldn't do anything strange. Since he knelt, she would follow suit.

The Three Thousand Disciples, seeing Ye Qingyin kneel, all knelt down in unison...

This time, Dugu Litian was also flustered... No, he knelt because the person in front of him was his master's closest friend.

His master was the most important person in his life; how could he possibly disrespect his master's seniority?

He could even address Rong Yuanliang as Junior Martial Uncle.

Ye Qingyin's life was saved by Lu Hao, so it was fine for her to kneel.

But what are you three thousand people doing?

The Heaven Sword Sect has nothing to do with you! Many of you are not direct Disciples of my Qing Xuan Prefecture...

Uh... Is it because of Lu Hao's cultivation of them? If you put it that way, it's somewhat understandable.

Of course, what was even more speechless were the Heaven Sword Sect members...

Their heads were spinning. No, aren't this group of people their saviors? Why did they all kneel to the Sect Master?

Forget it, never mind. They all knelt. Standing here seems a bit out of place, doesn't it???

So, perhaps I should kneel too...

Thus, one by one, the Heaven Sword Sect Disciples also knelt. Some of the slower-witted people around, who hadn't figured out what was happening, suddenly found themselves the only one standing in a small circle around them.

So, in this strange atmosphere, they also knelt with a thud...

And so, a very bizarre scene appeared throughout the Heaven Sword Sect: no one was standing; everyone was kneeling.

The atmosphere within the entire Heaven Sword Sect was exceptionally awkward and strange. The joy of having just returned from the gates of hell instantly vanished without a trace.

Rong Yuanliang was speechless inside...

You, a Cultivator at the Undergoing Tribulation stage, who saved the lives of my entire Sect's one hundred thousand people, why are you kneeling to me?

Now what do I do...? Get up? No, no, the saviors are still kneeling. So, should I continue kneeling?

Uh... I guess I'll just keep kneeling...

Dugu Litian was also frantically complaining internally, What to do, what to do? Should I get up?

If I get up, wouldn't that be disrespectful to Sect Master Rong?

Then? Don't get up? When will this end...

Ye Qingyin didn't think that much. As long as Dugu Litian kept kneeling, she definitely wouldn't get up.

The Three Thousand Disciples were the same. If Dugu Litian didn't get up, they wouldn't dare to get up. Although they didn't know why they were kneeling, since they had already knelt, they couldn't be the first to get up, could they?

The Heaven Sword Sect Disciples, meanwhile, were thinking:

"The Sect Master hasn't gotten up yet? How dare I get up? I don't want to be the one to stick out..."

And so, the people here fell into a dead loop...

"Achoo!"

A Cultivator suddenly sneezed. It was very quiet here, so the sound was heard by everyone in the Heaven Sword Sect.

Dugu Litian heard the sound and rejoiced internally, taking the opportunity to stand up.

Unexpectedly, Rong Yuanliang had the same idea, and both stood up almost simultaneously.

They exchanged an awkward glance and simultaneously said,

"Which Fellow Daoist has a cold? Please go back and rest quickly."

"It's cold outside. The Fellow Daoist who sneezed, please go back quickly so you don't catch a chill!"

Seeing the two of them stand up, everyone else quickly stood up as well.

After standing up, the people from both Sects looked at each other, then suddenly burst into loud laughter together.

Their laughter shook the heavens, carrying for dozens of miles.