Gathering

With these words, Heavenly Lord Fiery Thorn exploded as well. Even his Nascent Soul was annihilated! At the same time, the oppressive aura from the coffin retreated a bit. Mysterious symbols on its surface once again lit up, and the storm clouds in the sky dispersed as well. Even the domain disappeared, almost as if it wasn't there in the first place.

Just in time! Ouyang Li was still shivering, as the boy heaved the sigh of relief. Although the world's eye was still directed at their Golden Fields Continent, it has already lost track of its target.

What a mysterious formation! He marveled while looking at the glowing casket. It was the first time he saw something reacting almost as quickly as his Mysterious Bead.

A women's cheerful laugh resounded in the sky. It was their Heavenly Lord, Taoist Frozen Sky! She was the first of the four Patriarchs to bow toward the coffin. The other purple-robed seniors quickly followed suit.

'This junior greets Tao Ancestor! May your light shine eternally! We thank you for resolving this crisis!'

The patriarchs didn't wait for others to bow. Instead, one of them emanated a terrifying pressure. It forcefully pushed sect disciples and Stewards, Elders, and even Grand Elders to the ground! Each and every one of them was facing the coffin.

Ouyang Li also found himself turned and on his fours. His head was painfully burring itself in the ground.

'It is unacceptable what happened during my absence!' A strong, male voice once again sounded from the casket. 'Patriarchs and Eremites, gather at the Ancestral Peak!'

Then, the casket floated down and disappeared into the mist that surrounded the mountains. Only after an incense stick of time passed did others dare to rise back on their feet.

Ouyang Li couldn't get over his own stupidity. The enemies got destroyed so easily. Yet, he still died here! If he was a typical cultivator, there would be no coming back.

'Well, at least there is no need for revenge now…' He murmured. He was a little bit disappointed in his heart. On the other hand, he was also relieved. After all, who knew what trump cards a demonic Nascent Soul cultivator had and how fast he progressed.

'Never mind! I should hurry back to my cave and lock myself, quickly starting secluded cultivation. Otherwise, who knows what these seniors would demand of me next.'

As if in response to his words, a silver-clad Elder emerged from the ruined building right next to him.

'You, there! Yes, the one standing in the daze. You will mourn later. Right now, you need to come with, helping to move and treat the wounded.'

'But the Great Formation Array…' Ouyang Li weakly pointed toward the node behind him.

'It's only exhausted your Shen, not Qi. Besides, it's not important to maintain it now. Others will take care of it. Now, move!'

All in all, Ouyang Li could only ruefully shake his head and comply. Perhaps, it wouldn't be such a bad thing to become an Elder, would it?

He made a decision in his heart. As soon as this cheap master of his provides him with some cover, he would immediately make his cultivation base display the middle of the Immortal Foundation Realm. Well, he had to advance first but it shouldn't pose much of a problem.

***

At the same time, seven Nascent Soul Patriarchs gathered in the Central Hall of the Ancestral Peak. That's right, not four, but seven! Furthermore, there were at least three black-robed half-a-step Heavenly Lords. Those were also some of the most capable Eremites.

One might wonder why there were no golden-clad Grand Elders here. After all, they were peak Golden Core cultivators.

Actually, becoming a Grand Elder was a consolation prize for those too old to ever advance further. Accepting golden robes was also typical for those who had already exhausted their potential. This way, they could enjoy power and prestige while dealing with some cumbersome administrative matters.

'Has everyone arrived at the peak?' A powerful voice resounded in their minds. 'I'm afraid I don't have much time.'

'Yes, esteemed Ancestor. Except for an Eremite who's at the critical stage of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm, everyone else is already here.'

'Good! I've already activated the restrictions, so you can speak freely now. What are your thoughts on this attack?'

'Clearly, this was just a simple probing. They were checking our defenses. Still, they invested many Heavenly Lords, and it looks like we managed to outsmart them.'

'Well, I'm not even sure if this can even be considered a victory. So many seedlings died. I've just received a report that three Heir Disciples were lost! And we already disclosed one of our triumph cards!'

'How come? Even the Inner Sect was supposed to be protected. We've only exposed the Outer Peak, and it was a good choice. We've actually managed to coax to enter! I still can't believe that they even dared to enter.'

'Well, it seems that we have to warn our personal disciples. Or we should limit their movement. One of those who died had high-grade Spiritual Roots. It's really a terrible loss. We can't have them wandering the sect during a crisis.'

'Agreed. Let's leave this for later, though. Right now, we have another matter to discuss. Due to the current circumstances, the Mystic Realm Opening must be brought forward.'

'Seconded. My sworn brother from the Blue Pond Valley already disclosed that they opened their sacred grounds. We can't fall behind.'

'It is the same in the Fire Mountain Sect. The Eternal Flame Grotto Heaven has long been opened. It's just that they paid a heavy price to cover the fluctuations.'

'Still, doesn't that worry you that the Demonic Tao chose us to evaluate the Righteous Tao? We are neither the most powerful nor the weakest sect, at least on the surface. Fortunately, our cover still stands, all due to the actions of our esteemed Ancestor.'

''Well, I say that's exactly why they came here. They wanted to test our average strength. It's good that none of the invaders survived. Unfortunately, is still far from enough…'

At this moment, the powerful voice spoke for the second time.

'You all know that's I can't make another move. Not in the current environment. So, unless our Gentle Wind Valley faces absolute destruction, don't even think of waking me up again.'

'We don't dare, Ancestor.' It was Taoist Frozen Sky who answered him. Everyone acknowledged that she was the most familiar with this old powerhouse. 'It's just that this time, the Devilish Tao caught us completely unguarded. Who would have thought that they could get a foothold on the Great Archipelago? After all, it was once a barren place.' She sighed ruefully.

'Don't try these tricks on me, granddaughter!' The man spoke directly into her mind. 'It's not that I don't want to help, it's just that the situation here…'

Here, the Ancestor stopped. Then, he once again spoke to everyone gathered in the hall.

'All of you, there is no point in keeping this thing a secret. The suppression of the world is as strong as it used to be when the Heavenly Court fell. I know you have high hopes, but I really have no means to assist you. However, I can still sense that the one in the Seven Desires Grotto could. That is if he was allowed into Mount Eternal most sacred grounds…'

'With all due respect, esteemed Ancestor, but this is impossible! We all know that these old fogies would never allow outsiders to get close to THAT remnant, not to mention leasing the precious treasure to others. I'm willing to bet that they won't bend even if they face their destruction!'

'Well, perhaps we could test that assumption… Even though I cannot make my move directly, I'm still at the highest level. In the end, I do have some means. But we must open the Mystic Realm first!'

'It will be as you command, Tao Ancestor. I will get Grand Elders to make an announcement.' One Heavenly Lord habitually closed his eyes to send a message. Only after a moment did he realize that they were isolated from the outside world.'

'And I will open the Sect Treasury for you. The one where the real deal is. I think this time, we should allow entry to both youngsters and seniors.'

'That's right. Unreconciled Rock died, and so we needed to show some strength. Now, it's time for the juniors. We should be relatively stable now. Everyone should know now. Despite the Heavenly Lord's fall, our Gentle Wind Valley still has four other powerful Patriarchs. Not three, as they assumed before that!'

'That's right! Besides, thanks to Unreconciled Rock's sacrifice, we gathered critical information. And now that we know that their weakness is still there...'

'Well, I say we take some Spiritual and Transcendent grade Heavenly Lightning artifacts and mold a few promising disciples as our blades. There is no need to withhold our wealth at this juncture.'

'Agreed.' The old Ancestor accepted. Then, his attention switched to the silent Eremites. 'Free your constrains and let this thread of my Divine Consciousness inspect you.. It is time for me to decide on the type of panacea you need.'