Comprehension against the sky, creating the Five Thunders in the real world

Xu Fang said this, but did not reveal the whole truth.

While the master's serious injury was one factor, the main reason was the sinister intentions of Gongyang Bing and his son.

Many disciples were watching the commotion from a distance.

Those who were usually arrogant and haughty were now looking like clowns in a sorry state. This stark contrast made many Yin-Yang Dao disciples secretly delighted, and all sorts of thoughts began to surface in their minds.

"I never thought they'd end up like this."

"The days ahead are probably going to be tough. It's just like the old saying goes, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river.' Fortune turns, and our good days are just around the corner."

That's what some people said.

Some people pretended not to understand and asked:

"What do you mean? Has something unexpected happened that I'm unaware of?"

"Tell me quickly, what exactly happened? Sigh, you're all so cold-hearted. Didn't you see that Junior Sister Xu Lan is almost in tears? Can you really bear to watch her suffer like this?"

"Hehe, don't play dumb here."

"Is there anyone here who doesn't know what happened in the Yin-Yang Path?"

"Oh, I see. I knew it. How could anyone not know about the changes here?"

As the saying goes, when a wall falls, everyone pushes it down; when a tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

The Yin-Yang Dao of today is no longer an era that Xu Gu can control.

However, the Yin-Yang Way is indeed nearing its end, and the moral climate at all levels has deteriorated to such an extent.

To say that if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked as well seems inappropriate—after all, Xu Gu has always been a righteous and awe-inspiring senior.

But if we really want to say that, it's not entirely wrong. After all, those who truly controlled the Yin-Yang Way were probably Gongyang Bing and his son long ago. It's not hard to understand why the Yin-Yang Way has fallen to this state.

"I know you don't like me, so let me go check on Master. You can leave Junior Sister here; I don't want to drag her into danger." Even the most obtuse person could guess what had happened, and Xia You was no exception.

The discussions among the onlookers not far away have already revealed much of the truth.

"You know the truth."

"It's not that I have a problem with you, and I was originally planning to protect you, but your actions just now were really excessive." Xu Fang sneered, a faint stinging pain still emanating from his right arm.

If Xia You hadn't bitten him rashly, he wouldn't have resorted to such a heavy blow. After all, their years of brotherhood still existed.

"I have no interest in your sect's internal strife. Just take a few people with you, and I won't interfere anymore," Lin Beichen said bluntly. He was too lazy to play games with these people; a direct approach was the best way to deal with them.

Without sufficient strength to intimidate, coming here is tantamount to walking into a trap. But as long as enough power is demonstrated, these people will naturally be wary.

"Okay, who do you want to take with you?"

Gongyang Liu was about to rebuke the other party for "outrageous" and question their right to issue orders here when his father, Gongyang Bing, nodded in agreement before he could speak.

Based on his years of experience in judging people, Gongyang Bing concluded that the young man before him was no ordinary person—neither in terms of background nor personal ability. Making an enemy of this man would bring nothing but harm, and he was unwilling to take the risk.

In any case, Yin-Yang Dao is now under his control.

He had a general idea of ​​the requirements Lin Beichen had made.

They just wanted to take that dying old man away.

That's fine. Even if I don't do anything, that old man won't live for more than a few days anyway.

"Since we can discuss this properly, there's no need to make a big fuss." Lin Beichen gave Gongyang Bing a "you know what's good for you" look, which secretly annoyed Gongyang Bing.

But who was Gongyang Bing?

He could still endure this humiliation.

"I also have a condition. If you don't agree, then we'll have no choice but to fight to the death."

Gongyang Bing suddenly spoke up.

Lin Beichen hesitated for a moment before replying, "Please feel free to speak. If it's within my acceptable range, I can consider it."

"Alright, young man, you're straightforward! I'll be frank: I hope you'll keep silent about what you saw and heard in the Yin-Yang Path today. Regardless of what you heard or didn't, I want you and the people you took away to promise to keep all the secrets of the Yin-Yang Path. Are you up to this responsibility?"

"Okay, I promise you."

The two sides quickly reached a verbal agreement.

Lin Beichen knew exactly what the other party was referring to—they were worried about the news of the Yin-Yang Path's attempt to cooperate with the Onmyoji of the Sakura Kingdom leaking out. It was best not to say anything, since the Yin-Yang Path no longer had the opportunity to collude with those Onmyoji. Those high-ranking members had already been purged by Lin Beichen and Yu Feng, and all the inherited treasures and scriptures had been confiscated by him; Lin Beichen simply didn't intend to reveal it.

Before coming here, he did consider reselling these items to the Yin-Yang Dao.

But the actions of this group of people in front of him were truly disappointing.

While trading with these people could certainly bring in a fortune, Lin Beichen disdained such a thing.

"I am truly ashamed that the Yin-Yang Sect has produced such an unworthy disciple. I apologize for making you laugh, young friend." Xu Gu was filled with helplessness. He had not wished for outsiders to witness such a disgraceful state of his sect, but things had come to this point, and concealing it was futile. He no longer intended to deceive himself.

Since this young man was a disciple of an old friend, yet he was being forced to witness such a scene, Xu Gu felt a pang of guilt. He couldn't even remember the young man's teacher, yet this man claimed to have met him once before, a fact he had no recollection of. He couldn't help but ask, "May I ask who your master is? How has he been lately?"

Before he could finish speaking, he broke into a violent cough.

This alone shows that his physical condition was extremely poor.

No wonder those people dared to be so unscrupulous; it turns out that this senior Xu Gu was already a candle flickering in the wind.

"Is your body still holding up, senior? If you don't take proper care of yourself, I'm afraid..." Lin Beichen frowned. He could sense a faint black aura emanating from the other person, a rather strange phenomenon.

Logically speaking, Xu Gu, as a cultivator, should have been aware of this.

But he seemed completely unaware.

His physical condition has deteriorated to this extent, which is probably not just a simple recurrence of old injuries.

There must be something else hidden behind this.

"Please excuse my poor friend, this is an old ailment. I don't expect it to be cured, but what I find hardest to let go of is the current state of the Yin-Yang Dao." His eyes were full of bitterness, mixed with four parts resentment, and with a touch of helplessness.

There was even a hint of self-mockery in his voice. The Yin-Yang Dao had fallen to this state under his leadership.

Regardless, this was a dereliction of duty on his part as the leader.

"No, your health condition is probably not that simple."

Lin Beichen said it casually.

He does not intend to discuss this matter in detail here.

We'll discuss the details after we leave the Yin-Yang Path.

Walls have ears, and he always felt that this matter was inextricably linked to the Yin-Yang Path. After all, this was Yin-Yang Path territory, and Lin Beichen did not intend to let them know his true intentions.

As long as Xu Gu is taken away from here in time, he is confident that he can heal his injuries. The most urgent task at present is to take away the people Xu Gu values ​​most in the Yin-Yang Dao as well. Lin Beichen does not believe that the entire Yin-Yang Dao is of such low quality, but the Yin-Yang Dao has indeed become a joke, existing in name only, and its spiritual heritage has long been destroyed.

He then inquired about the relevant situation from Xu Gu.

Xu Gu named three people without hesitation—his granddaughter and two disciples. He had actually wanted to take more people with him, but considering their attitude towards him, he ultimately abandoned the idea. Even if he went to ask them to leave, they might not appreciate it.

Disappointment had accumulated too much.

He had completely lost hope in the Yin-Yang Dao.

If the founder of Yin-Yang Dao knew the current situation, he would probably be heartbroken.

Xu Gu thought to himself. He found it hard to imagine how the ancestor would react upon learning of these events. Of course, this was purely wishful thinking on his part. The Yin-Yang Dao ancestor was currently in dire straits himself, and the entire Yin-Yang Dao had completely fallen into the control of Gongyang Bing and his son. Moreover, this wasn't a forced submission; all the disciples willingly followed them. The Yin-Yang Dao's stance had become utterly skewed.

The transition period between harvests is not a terrible thing.

The loss of tradition is nothing to fear.

The most terrifying thing is that they have not inherited the spirit and integrity of their predecessors.

Instead, it has fostered some unhealthy trends and practices that should not exist.

Who would have thought that they would try to cooperate with Japanese Onmyoji under the guise of preserving tradition? Without needing to investigate further, Lin Beichen was 99% certain that this group of people had something wrong with them.

Even if not everyone has a problem.

But at least Gongyang Bing and his son are definitely not immune to the consequences.

Lin Beichen didn't intend to openly confront the other party for the time being, partly because he wanted to play the long game. It would be too early to alert them; if he were to act, he needed to do so swiftly and decisively. Only in this way could he completely root out the rats within the Yin-Yang Path.

As for the others, even if they are not traitors, they are no longer worthy of being called members of the Yin-Yang Dao sect.

“My two disciples and my granddaughter are the true inheritors of the Yin-Yang Dao.”

"Since the tradition still exists, the true Yin-Yang Dao will not be extinguished. Senior, please rest assured, everything will be alright."

"Master will be alright, he will be alright."

Xia You couldn't help but mutter to himself, his palms sweating.

Despite his attempts to reassure himself, the current situation forced him to harbor doubts.

Is Master truly safe and sound at this moment?
Senior Brother Xu Fang's behavior was very unusual. Although he hadn't particularly liked him in the past, he would never have gone to such lengths. On the surface, he was disobeying Master's past teachings, but there seemed to be more to it than met the eye. At first, Xia You didn't notice anything amiss, but after observing the attitudes of the other Yin-Yang Dao disciples, he immediately understood.

Sure enough, the facts were almost exactly as he had predicted.

Xu Fang did this to protect his junior brothers and sisters, as only in this way could they survive in the current environment of the Yin-Yang Sect. Therefore, he had no choice but to feign allegiance to Gongyang Bing and his son. This was purely a temporary measure, a move born of desperation.

He planned to wait until the time was right before leaving the Yin-Yang Path with his junior brothers and sisters.

He hardened his heart and refused to visit his master, fearing he would lose control of his emotions upon seeing him. If he were to burst into tears on the spot, all his pretense would be in vain. His feigned betrayal could lower the guard of Gongyang Bing and his son; if they saw through his act, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! Isn't this Xu Gu's most valued disciple back then?"

"Now he seems like nothing more than a treacherous villain. We used to respectfully call him 'Senior Brother,' but he doesn't deserve it at all! If I were his master, I would have been driven to my death by anger." The onlookers mocked him. Once upon a time, they were extremely respectful to Xu Fang, genuinely revering him as their Senior Brother.

But things are different now. They derive a twisted pleasure from it. Watching their once high and mighty senior brother fall to such a state, they feel both excited and satisfied. It turns out that their once untouchable senior brother is nothing more than this, even inferior to them, who actually betrayed his own mentor.

"These bastards are absolutely despicable!"

Xia You gritted her teeth, feeling extremely resentful of these people's sarcastic remarks.

Seeing his junior brother's reaction, Xu Fang was taken aback at first, then suddenly understood. He lowered his voice and said to Xia You, "You'd better continue to pretend you know nothing. In their eyes, I'm a traitor who betrayed our sect. Do you understand what I mean?"

Without needing to say more, he had already guessed that Xia You had seen through his disguise.

He thought his performance was flawless, but his junior brother still saw through it. But thinking about it, it wasn't surprising. They'd been together for so many years; it was only natural he'd see through the truth. Just like his junior sister Xu Lan, no matter how he played the villain, she always believed he had his own reasons.

Thinking of Xu Lan's complicated expression, Xu Fang felt a pang of sorrow. He would never have resorted to such a desperate measure if he hadn't been driven to desperation. Having received his senior brother's hint, Xia You understood immediately and adjusted his attitude.

He understood that his senior brother was putting on an act. If he didn't cooperate, his senior brother's hard work would be in vain.

Although he didn't know the specifics of his senior brother's plan, he must have his reasons for doing so. Judging from the current atmosphere within the Yin-Yang Path, their master was likely in grave danger. If their master were to meet with misfortune, how would he and his junior sister cope? Perhaps his senior brother was considering this very point, which was why he was willing to ruin his reputation to protect them.

On the surface, the senior brother had sided with the other side, using himself and his junior sister as bargaining chips; in reality, he was protecting them in this extreme way. For the safety of his junior brothers and sisters, he completely disregarded his personal reputation.

Thinking about this, Xia You was deeply shocked.

I was too young; it's only now that I've seen through all of this.

Xu Fang, meanwhile, was secretly amazed by his junior brother's insight. To be able to see through his true intentions in such a short time was truly remarkable; it completely exceeded his expectations.

"Senior brother, you traitor! Why did you betray Master?"

"Why won't you let me and my junior sister see Master? What happened? Why have you become like this? You seem like a completely different person now, I'm so scared!"

Xia You put on a pitiful look, her eyes reddening and glistening with tears.

It must be said that his performance was quite good.

However, Xu Fang felt that while the acting was passable, it was somewhat exaggerated. Calling it abstract performance wouldn't be an exaggeration. But as long as it fooled the onlookers, that was enough.

"It seems I underestimated you, Senior Brother." Xu Fang sighed in a low voice. "If I had known that Junior Brother had such acting skills, I shouldn't have kept it from you in the first place. Otherwise, I would have been bitten hard by you."

Hearing her senior brother's whispers, Xia You felt a pang of shame upon hearing Xu Fang's words, yet she still uttered those cathartic remarks. (End of Chapter)