Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

What they didn't know was that those things they collected and contributed from various places, including some that they had secretly kept and were later forced to bring out, were thousands of years old.

Even ancient spiritual roots and herbs containing faint fluctuations of laws would quietly disappear shortly after being registered in the Tianxing Sect's warehouse, silently taken away by the power of the Tiangang Disha Grand Array and transplanted to the corresponding star islands.

Standing on the core island, Ying Xuan watched as yet another "Ten Thousand Year Mystic Ice Lotus," radiating pale blue ice-elemental energy, was carefully transplanted into the island's spirit field, a field imbued with the cold attribute. Finally, a genuine and undisguised joy appeared on his face.

"Excellent, excellent... This is a truly valuable gain."

He clapped his hands and chuckled.

These spiritual roots, imbued with the laws of nature, are the most precious "seeds" for constructing, perfecting, and even enhancing the origin and diversity of laws of a world. In comparison, magical treasures and cultivation techniques become secondary.

He roughly estimated that in just the past few days, over a thousand spiritual roots and herbs, some over five thousand years old and brimming with spiritual energy, had been gathered into the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Array through various channels! Among them, nearly a hundred could be clearly sensed by the fluctuations of the laws! This had almost emptied half of the most precious spiritual herb reserves of the Southern Tian Cultivation World and the Mulan Grassland!
This achievement far exceeded his initial expectations.

"almost……"

Ying Xuan looked down at the Tianxing Mountains, which seemed bustling but were actually turbulent with undercurrents, his gaze gradually becoming deep and unfathomable.

"We've taken in almost everything that needed to be taken in. All that's left is that last bit of 'tail,' and... how to leave that kid Han Li a 'clean' mess."

The Tianxing Mountains were as bustling and noisy as ever, yet a sense of impending doom hung in the air. The shadow of the stolen treasure vault, the increasingly sharp conflict between Mulan and her old followers, and the anxious anticipation of the sect leader's impending departure weighed heavily on the hearts of every cultivator.

However, on this seemingly ordinary day...

Without any warning!

"Buzz—!!!"

A deep, resounding roar, seemingly from the ancient primordial era, exploded without warning above the Tianxing Mountains! Immediately afterward, a vast, boundless, star-studded phantom suddenly appeared with a speed beyond everyone's reaction time, and then crashed down like the sky collapsing!

The Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends Celestial Star Array was fully deployed, completely enveloping the area!
But this is not an attack; rather, it is an extremely precise extraction and transfer!

Within the mountains, all the carefully cultivated spiritual fields, paved with fine spiritual soil and planted with various spiritual herbs, were as if "dug" away from the earth by an invisible hand the moment the array's light swept across them!

Along with the complex and precise miniature spirit-gathering, soil-stabilizing, and moisture-regulating arrays beneath the spirit field, as well as all the plants growing in the spirit field, whether rare spiritual herbs or ordinary spiritual grains, they instantly vanished without a trace, leaving only abrupt, bare pits.

Next came the 108 main spiritual veins that Ying Xuan had modified with arrays and that ran through the underground of the mountain range! Under the guidance of the array's power, these spiritual veins connected to the earth veins at their "exits".

As if a floodgate had been opened, a massive amount of pure, almost liquefied spiritual energy from heaven and earth surged forth like a fountain, soaring into the sky. However, it was firmly bound by the star array that enveloped it, unable to dissipate, and quickly gathered into lakes of spiritual mist and liquid within the array space!
The concentration of spiritual energy in the entire Tianxing Mountain Range plummeted to freezing point the moment the spiritual veins were "uprooted," even lower than that of ordinary barren mountains!

All of this happened too fast, too suddenly. From the moment the great formation fell to the disappearance of the spiritual fields and veins, only a breath or two had passed. Most cultivators hadn't even had time to react to what had happened; they only felt a sudden tremor beneath their feet, and the surrounding spiritual energy instantly thinned to almost nothing, turning the familiar spiritual field landscape into an ugly crater.

"What's going on?!"

"Where is the Spirit Field? My Seven-Colored Lotus!"

"Spiritual energy...where did the spiritual energy go?!"

The cries of shock, panic, and disbelief had just begun—

"Silence!"

Ying Xuan's majestic, indifferent voice, which seemed to contain the will of heaven and earth, suddenly exploded in the deepest part of every cultivator's consciousness like thunder from the heavens!

Two simple words, yet they carried an unquestionable command and a suppressive force that reached straight to the soul! All the cultivators who were exclaiming, questioning, or even subconsciously wanting to summon their magic weapons to check the situation, regardless of their cultivation level, were shocked.

From Qi Refining to the peak of Nascent Soul, at this moment, they were all like ducks with their necks being choked. Their voices stopped abruptly, their souls trembled violently, their internal magical power stagnated, and they felt an absolute obedience and fear to the supreme being, which originated from their life instincts!

In that instant when the entire arena was deathly silent and all the cultivators were stunned,

The Star Array flashed once more.

An irresistible, gentle yet immense spatial transfer force enveloped everyone in the Tianxing Mountains except for the core area of ​​the Spirit Plant Hall and a few marked cultivators!

Nearly 100,000 cultivators! Including more than 600 Nascent Soul cultivators, thousands of Golden Core cultivators, tens of thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and many more Qi Refining disciples! Whether they were from the Mulan Grassland or from the original Yue Kingdom's Seven Sects and Nine Kingdoms Alliance, as long as they were not on Ying Xuan's pre-determined list of "Han Li's direct descendants of the Spirit Plant Hall," they were all enveloped by this power.

The light and shadow shift, and space is distorted.

Just a moment later, when the spatial teleportation power dissipated, all the cultivators who had been enveloped were horrified to find that they were no longer in the familiar Tianxing Mountains!
Beneath their feet lay a strange, hard, cold, metallic-sheen black ground, stretching endlessly. Above them were no sun, moon, or stars, only a hazy, seemingly eternal, chaotic void. A thin, ancient, and primal energy permeated the air, completely different from the familiar spiritual energy of heaven and earth!
The most terrifying thing is that their connection with the world they were born into has been completely severed! Here, they cannot easily draw spiritual energy from the world to restore their mana as they could in the outside world, and Nascent Soul cultivators have completely lost the possibility of mobilizing the "power of heaven and earth"!

Panic spread like a plague among the crowd, but no one dared to utter a sound. The lingering influence of the sect leader's "Silence!" still lingered, and the unfamiliar, deathly silence of this space instilled in them unparalleled oppression and unknown fear.

They stood there like a flock of lambs to the slaughter, bewildered and helpless, not even daring to communicate with each other, only looking around with terrified eyes.

The Tianxing Mountains instantly became incredibly vast and...clean.

The once bustling peaks and valleys, teeming with people and streaking with life, are now deserted by only a few hundred figures, mostly concentrated in and around the Spirit Plant Hall. These are the cultivators who had previously expressed their loyalty to Han Li through various means, or those whom Han Li deemed relatively reliable and incorporated into the Spirit Plant Hall system after his assessment.

They were also completely bewildered and horrified, staring at their fellow disciples who had vanished in an instant and the now barren mountains, their hearts pounding wildly.

The vast starry sky that enveloped the mountains, after completing all this, quickly shrank and faded, eventually transforming into a stream of light that flew back to Ying Xuan's waist, where he was now standing in mid-air atop the main peak, and disappeared into an ancient jade pendant he always wore.

Ying Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his divine sense sweeping across the now empty mountains below like mercury spilling across the ground. He then "introspected" the space behind the stone gate deep within his primordial spirit—there, nearly 100,000 cultivators in shock and fear were being temporarily separated and settled by his spatial power.

With such a vast number of beings being taken into the Stone Gate space at once, he carefully sensed the reactions of this world.

Calm and calm.

Apart from the local spiritual energy vacuum created by the extraction of spiritual veins from the Tianxing Mountains, which is being slowly filled by the surrounding world and causing some minor airflow disturbances, there are no abnormal fluctuations in the entire world, nor any signs of "divine punishment" or "rejection".

"As expected, this realm has a profound foundation. The 'disappearance' of a mere 100,000 low-level cultivators will not attract much attention from the consciousness of heaven and earth."

Ying Xuan's last lingering concern vanished.

He had previously worried that a large-scale relocation of living beings would trigger some deep-seated rules of this world, but now it seems that as long as it does not directly destroy or drastically change the landscape, such "disappearance" is insignificant to the vast天地 (heaven and earth).

His divine sense swept across the Tianxing Mountains once more. He confirmed that everything he wanted to take—the last stock of the treasure vault, the backup of the core jade slip in the library, the valuable array node materials in various halls, and even some rare minerals remaining in the earth veins—had already been plundered by the Tiangang Disha Grand Array during its earlier entanglement.

Today, apart from the buildings and the monks who remained, there is very little truly valuable "physical" wealth left in the mountains.

Ying Xuan's gaze fell on the hundreds of Lingzhi Hall cultivators in front of the main peak square, who were still in shock, and on Han Li, who was standing at the very front of them. Although he was equally shocked, his eyes had quickly become firm.

He spoke slowly, his voice no longer stern, but carrying a solemn, almost declarative quality that clearly echoed throughout the vast mountain range.

"I, Ying Xuan, hereby declare in the name of the founding leader of the Tianxing Sect that, effective immediately, Han Li, the Hall Master of the Spirit Plants Hall, shall be the second leader of the Tianxing Sect! He shall wield the leader's token and the inheritance artifact, and oversee all affairs of the Tianxing Sect!"

The sound echoed, creating a resounding echo in the valley.

Han Li's body trembled, and he suddenly looked up at the figure in the sky bathed in the faint light of the sky.

Ying Xuan continued, his voice drifting into the distance, as if speaking to the entire world.

"I have gathered all the necessary materials and will soon set off to delve into the void and search for the passage to the Spirit Realm. The road ahead is uncertain, but the Great Dao lies ahead, and we must proceed. I hope that under the leadership of the new sect leader, you will diligently cultivate and bring glory to our sect."

His gaze finally landed on Han Li, carrying a hint of unspeakable meaning.

"Han Li, manage things well. I hope that one day, we can see the banner of my Heavenly Star Sect again in the Spirit Realm."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ying Xuan said no more, and his figure slowly rose into the air. Colorful auspicious clouds appeared out of thin air beneath his feet, supporting him as he flew towards the seemingly endless heavens. His speed increased, and finally he transformed into a barely perceptible streak of light, disappearing completely into the horizon.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Sect Leader! May the Sect Leader find the passage soon, ascend to the Spirit Realm, and may the Great Dao prosper forever!"

Below, led by Han Li, all the hundreds of remaining cultivators knelt down in unison, facing the direction where Ying Xuan had disappeared, and loudly paid their respects. Their voices echoed exceptionally loudly in the empty mountains, yet they carried an indescribable complex emotion.

Apart from a few core members like Han Li, most people only fully understood what had happened at this moment.

The sect leader... actually took away all the cultivators who were unwilling to pledge allegiance to the new sect leader or who were not on the new sect leader's approved list! Using such inconceivable, almost divine methods!

Their gazes toward Han Li were filled with awe, but when they looked up at the sky, they couldn't help but reveal a deep sense of terror.

What will become of those fellow disciples who were taken away? The ascension passage is extremely dangerous; how could it possibly hold nearly 100,000 people? The sect leader would never take them with him! Their fate... it's terrifying to think about!
Some cultivators who initially harbored resentment towards Han Li, or who were merely temporarily allied with him, completely abandoned any such thoughts at this moment. The previous sect leader had cleared all obstacles for the new sect leader in such a ruthless and direct manner; the level of support he received was simply astonishing! Who would dare to provoke Han Li at this time?
Han Li knelt on the ground, listening to his fellow disciples' respectful farewells, his heart churning with a mix of emotion and enlightenment.

He understood! He understood everything!
The sect leader's promise to "leave you with a clean and tidy Tianxing Sect" wasn't actually about killing people, but rather... taking all those "unclean" and uncontrollable forces with him! This is more thorough and more... merciful than killing people?
At least for those who were taken away, there might still be a glimmer of hope. For the Tianxing Sect and for Han Li, this is undoubtedly the most perfect and trouble-free solution!
The sect leader didn't even leave behind any "one of his own" who might oppose him or cause him trouble. This support and trust was so heavy that it almost suffocated him.

He stood up, took a deep breath, and suppressed the turbulent emotions in his heart. Turning his head to look at the kneeling cultivators behind him, his gaze swept over them and he keenly noticed that the eyes of a few of them flickered and their expressions were somewhat unnatural. It seemed that they had not yet fully recovered from the dramatic change, or that they still had doubts in their hearts.

But Han Li remained completely unmoved at that moment.

The previous sect leader had paved the way to this point, removing the biggest obstacle and handing over a "clean" sect—though empty, with a solid foundation—to him. If he still couldn't stabilize the situation and lead these people forward, then Han Li would truly be an incorrigible failure, unworthy of the sect leader's high expectations!
"Please rise, everyone."

Han Li's voice was calm yet powerful, carrying a composure beyond his years.

After everyone stood up, he looked around and said loudly.

"The previous sect leader has departed to pursue the Great Dao, entrusting the heavy responsibility of the Tianxing Sect to me, Han Li. I know that I am young and lack virtue, and my cultivation is shallow, but I am grateful that the sect leader did not abandon me and entrusted me with this important task. In the future, I hope that all my fellow practitioners will lend their full support to overcome the difficulties together, glorify the Tianxing Sect, and live up to the earnest expectations of the previous sect leader!"

He paused, then his tone turned stern.

"Now that the sect has suffered such a drastic change and its strength has been greatly diminished, there are likely outsiders who covet it. From this day forward, no one is allowed to leave the sect without permission. Everyone should perform their duties and strengthen security. The disciples of the Spirit Planting Hall should prioritize restoring the core spirit fields and cultivating urgently needed spiritual herbs. The rest of you should clean up all halls and pavilions, inventory the remaining resources, and repair the damaged formations!" (End of this chapter)