The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

As dawn broke, the disciples of the academy began to rise one after another, washing up, practicing their skills, and preparing for the earthquake...

earthquake!

First, the ground shook, then the wooden basin, cups, and table clattered and shook. People standing on the ground felt unsteady and dizzy.

The shaking became increasingly severe, and the new students could no longer stand steadily.

He calmed himself down, first stabilizing his lower body, and then rushed into the dormitories and classrooms to drag people away.

Others simply put their hands on their hips, raised their heads to the sky, and roared, "The earth dragon is turning over! Run!"

The sound echoed throughout the academy, even waking those who had been slacking off. Everyone scrambled to get to an open space.

The academy's headmaster and teachers all ascended into the air, leaving only two to watch over the students. The rest split in two, with one half rushing towards the Cliff of Contemplation and the other half rushing down the mountain.

What kind of earthquake is this?!

The barrier has been removed; it's the great demon from below the Cliff of Repentance that's making its move!
They need to evacuate the people from the town as soon as possible!

In Shangqing Town, inside the Celestial Master's Mansion, the moment after the earthquake, many people were suddenly thrown into the air. Those whose cultivation was not yet sufficient rushed out of their rooms and, together with those flying in mid-air, rushed towards the academy.

Something has changed at the Cliff of Contemplation!
With a flick of his sleeve mid-air, he sent the person on the ground, who was using light-footed skills, flying: "Go protect the people! Send the children of the clan away!"

"Notify all Taoist temples in the land!"

"Make that bastard Wang Feiyin come out quickly! The great demon Sanqing Mountain, which is located at the foot of Longhu Mountain, also deserves a share!"

The sound faded behind them as they rushed into the mountains, bumping right into the gentlemen of the courtyard who were coming down the mountain.

The two sides exchanged a glance before heading off to their respective battlefields.

They rushed up the Cliff of Contemplation and saw their patriarch standing at the top, using the barrier formation of Longhu Mountain to slow down the earthquake.

The elders' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "Daoist Master, what are you doing?"

"You've got it backwards! At this moment, you should be using the power of the formation to suppress the great demon, not dispelling the formation's barrier to cushion the earthquake! The great demon is about to break free of the formation!"

"Form ranks quickly!"

"This great demon was about to gain spiritual energy and break free from its suppression. At this time, you still dare to withdraw the barrier array... Who would be willing to sacrifice themselves to devour the spirit array!"

"No, if the Soul Devouring Array is activated, the entire Dragon Tiger Mountain will become a death trap!"

"You choose: the death of a mountain or the death of the entire prefecture!"

"Fools, haven't you realized yet? This is a deliberate setup; the Celestial Master has betrayed us!"

"Nonsense! How could the Celestial Master betray us!"

"Liu Zhen, you're being foolish—"

"Have you been practicing some kind of evil magic? Don't believe that old monster!"

"Report to the Records Office immediately: Zhang Liuzhen has rebelled. We request the imperial court to quell the rebellion—"

"No, we, the Taoist sect, will handle our own affairs."

"He has a seal and a sword; whoever is capable should go first—"

Pan Yun, who was watching the great demon break free of its chains from the bottom of the cliff, heard the screams coming from the top of the cliff one after another. He couldn't help but say to the great demon who was still pulling on the chains, "I've set up the formation for you. Pull it gently and leave the formation quietly. I'll put the blame on you if a house is damaged."

The great demon paused, its claws gripping the iron chains: ...

Although unwilling, it slowed down its movements. There was nothing it could do; it hadn't been around for a hundred years and had no money in this world.

Pan Yun ran up to see what was going on.

The three of them, Yin Song and his disciples, were reminiscing about the past in the cave. It was mainly Yin Song and Wang Cong who were reminiscing. Yin Qingjun was particularly well-behaved when he was in school and was one of the few disciples in Sanqing Mountain who had never been to the Cliff of Contemplation.

Even Miaozhen and her two companions, who went to school with Pan Yun, were once sent to the Cliff of Repentance for causing trouble while Pan Yun was away from the academy. Why didn't they cause trouble when Pan Yun was there?

Naturally, it's because she was the root of all trouble when Pan Yun was around, so the academy should just punish Pan Yun.

So it was Yin Song and Wang Cong who recalled the events, while Yin Qingjun was forced to listen to his master and senior brother's recollections.

He didn't really want to know how they were going to dig a hole to solve their cycle of food while they were locked in the cave, so as soon as the whole cliff shook, he immediately suggested going up to help.

But before they could go up, a large number of elders from the Celestial Master's Mansion flew down from above.

Before they could even go up and say hello, a commotion broke out upstairs.

So when Pan Jun went up to the top of the cliff, the three of them were quietly clinging to the edge of the cliff, peeking out half their heads and eyes under the cover of a clump of short grass, watching the show with great interest.

Pan Jun appeared on the cliff top in a flash. Yin Song then coughed lightly and, with his two apprentices, leaped up to the top of the cliff.

When the elders saw Pan Yun suddenly appear, they were like ducks whose necks had been suddenly grabbed.

Upon seeing Yin Song and the other two climb back up, they all shut their mouths and scanned the four of them with their eyes.

Like Zhang Ziwang, their first thought was: ...Holy crap, Pan Yun has such audacity, Sanqing Mountain is so bold, daring to fake ascension to deceive all living beings.

[Wait, now that we know the secret, will we even be able to leave here alive?]

Even if she didn't ascend to immortality, she's still the most powerful cultivator in the world! Crushing them is as easy as crushing ants...

The people from the Celestial Master's Mansion who flew up all looked at their patriarch with hopeful eyes. Surely the Celestial Master would protect them?

Zhang Liuzhen remained calm.

Pan Yun stared at them with a bewildered expression. Unable to bear the atmosphere, she turned to Zhang Liuzhen and said, "The people of Longhu Mountain are quite lively, much more so than when I was in school."

Pan Yun sighed, "Back then, I never had the chance to see so many elders!"

Zhang Liuzhen: "You've beaten them all, and half of the people standing on this mountain are my peers."

Upon hearing this, Pan Yun immediately turned to stare at them.

Zhang Liuzhen smiled and said, "They've just grown up."

Pan Yun: ...She hasn't changed.

Zhang Liuzhen continued to smile: "Just because you haven't changed doesn't mean others have the same level of cultivation."

Pan Jun touched her nose, unable to recall when she had hit them. She felt weak for a moment, then thought again that those she had beaten must have done something bad or wronged her.

So she became righteous again, glanced at them, and asked, "What do they say about you betraying us? Whom did you betray?"

Zhang Liuzhen continued to hold a sword in one hand and a seal in the other, continuously inputting Yuan energy to control the formation. Upon hearing this, he casually said, "Betray humanity. They probably think I've been bewitched by demons and betrayed humanity."

An elder, his face flushed, asked, "Didn't the Imperial Preceptor ascend to heaven?"

Unfortunately, Zhang Ziwang, who knew the truth, ran down the mountain to evacuate the people the moment the earthquake struck, while Lin Jingle was in the academy protecting the students and maintaining order.

Therefore, none of the people who came to the Cliff of Contemplation, whether from the town or the academy, knew that Pan Yun had returned from the outside world.

Pan Yun stepped forward, placed a hand on Zhang Liuzhen, and sent a wisp of immortal power into his body. It immediately gathered into a powerful force and was sent to the Celestial Master Sword and Celestial Master Seal. The mountain that had been shaking slowly stopped shaking.

She replied casually, "I'm back again. Didn't Zhang Ziwang, that big mouth, tell you?"

"Heh, heh," the elder chuckled stiffly, "Can someone who ascends to immortality really come back?"

"Of course, as long as your cultivation level is high enough, you can do it anytime."

Everyone was skeptical, or even mostly doubtful, but none of them could defeat Pan Yun, so they dared not speak out. (End of Chapter)