I only want immortality.

The sun hangs high in the sky.

Inside Chun Jun Gate, however, there was a heavy, deathly silence.

Inside the hall belonging to Elder Zhao Yuanxiao of the Chun Jun Sect, a violent cough and suppressed sobs could be heard.

Li Pinghe sat in front of Zhao Yuanxiao's bed, looking at his junior apprentice who had become emaciated in just ten days, and for a moment he didn't know where to begin.

"Chen Xu... Chen Xu, that kid, I told him not to bother you, cough cough cough... but he still... invited you here."

Zhao Yuanxiao leaned against the headboard, his face so thin that only a layer of skin covered his skin. He managed a weak smile, holding Li Pinghe's hand. He paused several times between sentences, and his body was often hunched over due to coughing.

Chen Xu turned his head away from Li Pinghe, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, nodding in agreement but unable to utter a single word.

Li Pinghe simply held Zhao Yuanxiao's hand gently and whispered:

"Rest well and don't speak."

Zhao Yuanxiao shook his head, coughing incessantly until tears streamed down his face. Finally, overwhelmed with grief, he embraced Li Pinghe's arm, gasping for breath:

"...Master Uncle, from now on, I will no longer be able to kowtow to you and pay my respects during the Lantern Festival."

Li Pinghe was used to seeing life and death, but upon hearing these words, his heart still trembled. Countless memories flooded his mind, and a wave of sorrow washed over him. He could only force himself to suppress it, and gently placed his other hand on the back of Zhao Yuanxiao's hand.

"Stop talking."

Zhao Yuanxiao still shook his head:

"If I don't say it now, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to say it again..."

He tried to sit up, but slumped weakly against the headboard, his face flushed with a sickly redness. He stared intently at Li Pinghe, his thin, claw-like hands gripping his arm tightly.

"Master Uncle has returned; he must have a plan... The Sect Leader is kind, but also a victim. If Master Uncle can save him... I hope you will not kill him..."

Li Pinghe remained silent upon hearing this, and instead of responding, he asked in a low voice:

Is it worth it?

Zhao Yuanxiao was stunned. He lay back on the bed, his pupils gradually dilating, and he murmured:

Is it worth it?

Is it worth it?

The past years have quietly passed before my eyes. As a lonely young man, he was taken in by his master and entered the sect. He made many fellow disciples and grew up carefree under the protection of his elders. Chun Jun Sect is not a sect, nor is it one of the Seven Sects of Song Kingdom... It is his home.

Is it worth it?

Is it worth dying for this family?

He didn't know, and never used, this as a measure.

But some answers are self-evident.

"worth!"

"Because...this is my way!"

As you hear the news, you can die in the evening.

In the silent hall, sporadic sobs could be heard, then they were no longer concealed or suppressed...

"Master Uncle".

Outside the hall, on the steps, Chen Xu's face still held a trace of sorrow as he presented a crescent-shaped blade wheel to Li Pinghe and whispered:

"Senior Brother Zhao has no Daoist partner or children, and this is the only magical artifact he possesses. He left a message beforehand, instructing that this treasure be offered to the sect."

Upon hearing this, Li Pinghe was stunned into thought. Then he reached out and slowly stroked the magical artifact. The artifact seemed to know that its master was gone, and it trembled and cried out in grief.

He suddenly said:

"Give it to me."

Chen Xu was taken aback, knowing that a mere first-grade magic artifact was not worthy of his master's attention and was probably just something to keep as a memento. He sighed inwardly and handed the magic artifact to Li Pinghe without saying anything more.

Li Pinghe gently stroked it, then directly put it into the green gourd in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Perhaps sensing Li Pinghe's current state of mind, the bronze bell inside the green gourd did not cause any trouble, allowing this mere Qi-refining artifact to fall beside the bronze bell...

"Master Uncle, 'that person' is currently in the main hall..."

Bai Butong, another elder who often sang with Zhao Yuanxiao, whispered a reminder, the bruises on both sides of his face still clearly visible.

Upon hearing this, Li Pinghe's gaze swept across the steps, where faces, whether young or old, were filled with intense grief and indignation.

Suddenly, he spoke up:

"You all stay here and do not move."

After saying this, he went to the main hall alone, leaving everyone to exchange glances. One person, without saying a word, followed him.

"Lin Yang! What are you doing!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Yang turned her head, her single eye filled with hatred and cold arrogance:

"My grandmaster has already left Chun Jun's school, yet he is still willing to sacrifice his life. Why should I be afraid?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xu gritted his teeth and said:

"Wait, I'll go with you!"

They caught up immediately.

Bai Butong looked conflicted, but seeing Chen Xu and Lin Yang walk away, he finally shouted:

"Count me in too."

After saying that, he quickly followed.

The group headed straight for the main hall. There were no guards in front of the hall, and Li Pinghe had already entered the hall, but he did not hear any movement inside.

The dark palace gates resembled a gaping maw of an abyss, waiting for them to enter.

They exchanged a glance, and Lin Yang was the first to step forward, but Chen Xu stopped her. Glancing sideways, Chen Xu silently shook his head and mouthed:

"Wait first!"

Lin Yang looked thoughtful before giving up.

at the same time.

Contrary to what Chen Xu, Lin Yang, and the others had expected, the hall was surprisingly quiet.

Murong Xian sat on the throne, with spirit birds flying around his arms and even his head. Even when Li Pinghe entered the hall, he paid no attention to him, preening his bright feathers as large swaths of feather dust filled the sunlight shining down from the top of the hall.

He kept his head down, examining his own hands, and even as Li Pinghe approached, he didn't look up, only saying casually:

"Didn't our Grandmaster Uncle go to Baiyun Mountain? Why did he suddenly decide to come back?"

Li Pinghe slowly moved the chairs from both sides of the hall to the middle of the steps, sat down, then looked up at Murong Xian and said calmly:

"I'm getting old, and after much thought, I still want to return to Chun Jun Sect to retire."

"oh--"

Murong Xian trailed off, finally raising his head. The sunlight made the surroundings appear even darker, and his eyes, hidden in the darkness, gleamed with a cold light as he stared at Li Pinghe, chuckling softly:

"Grandmaster is at the height of his power, how can he be retiring now? Our Chun Jun Sect still needs to rely on you to survive."

Li Pinghe replied calmly:

"Sect Master, you flatter me. With your strong foundation, what need is there for an old man like me, several elders, or three thousand disciples in the sect?"

Murong Xian's eyes narrowed, his expression suddenly darkened, and his voice became increasingly sinister:

"Grandmaster's words sound like he's blaming me... Oh, is Grandmaster standing up for that disloyal and unjust Zhao Yuanxiao?"

Li Pinghe's expression remained unchanged: "Disloyal and unjust?"

"Hmph, repeatedly refuting my decisions, showing no respect for Your Majesty, is disloyal! Embezzling from the treasury for personal gain, is unjust!"

Murong Xian reached out and gently stroked the back of a spirit chicken's neck, sneering, "Am I wrong?"

Li Pinghe slowly shook his head and asked in return:

"Then, in the sect leader's view, am I not a disloyal and unjust person?"

Murong Xian's gaze was icy, chilling to the bone, as he said softly:

"That depends on what Grandmaster Uncle chooses."

"If they obey my orders without question, they are naturally loyal and righteous. But if they are arrogant and rebellious like Zhao Yuanxiao, well…!"

Li Pinghe shook his head again and said calmly, "I'm afraid that will disappoint Sect Leader Murong. Although I care about Chun Jun Sect, I am no longer a member of Chun Jun Sect. I am a free spirit and cannot do the kind of loyal and righteous things that Yuan Xiao did."

Upon hearing this, Murong Xian not only did not get angry, but instead burst into laughter, his voice sharp like the cry of a celestial bird:

"I knew you old codgers were all stubborn fools! Did you come here today to seek death?"

In an instant, the birds took flight, fluttering about in a flurry, their colorful feathers falling to the ground.

Li Pinghe sat on the steps, unmoved, and asked, word by word:

"Are you still Murong Xian?"

"So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?"

Murong Xian leaned forward, his face bathed in sunlight, revealing feathers sprouting from his cheeks, and his cold, distant eyes filled with unfamiliarity.

"Are you the Taoist of Horned Pot?"

Li Pinghe asked again.

"You're not stupid."

The "Horned Pot Taoist" laughed heartily, and then suddenly reached out to Li Pinghe.

The hand, bathed in sunlight, was clearly covered in feathers.

In an instant, it seemed as if thousands of birds were swooping down around Li Pinghe, but they were suddenly blocked by a dark blue water shield that emerged from his sleeve.

"magic weapon?"

The cold eyes of the "Horned Pot Daoist" narrowed slightly: "No wonder you, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, dared to come here. It's a pity you underestimated the Dao Foundation too much."

Reaching out again, a phantom image resembling an eagle's claw emerged from the feathered arm, slashing down towards Li Pinghe's head.

The main hall remained motionless, yet in that instant, Li Pinghe felt himself suddenly become insignificant, like a wild rabbit under an eagle's claws, with a sense of inescapable danger!

Under the eagle's claws, the water shield formed by the True Water Bowl was easily broken without any hindrance.

The 'Horned Pot Taoist' sneered, but at the moment the water shield was split open, he did not see Li Pinghe show the slightest fear. Instead, he saw Li Pinghe holding a mirror with a faint blue light. Caught off guard, he was illuminated by the mirror and felt his soul tremble and his whole body freeze!

"Another magic weapon?!"

The "Horned Pot Taoist" was shocked and dared not be negligent. He struggled desperately, but how could Li Pinghe, who had been preparing for this opportunity for a long time, miss it? He reached out and grabbed at the Taoist's sea of ​​consciousness!

He was not originally skilled in the secret arts of the soul, but recently he has been studying "Silent Thoughts Concealing the Soul". Although he is far from mastering this supernatural power, his understanding of the soul is progressing by leaps and bounds.

However, this grab only managed to extract a remnant soul before the 'Horned Pot Taoist' immediately broke free, his eyes blazing with fury, and he slapped down at Li Pinghe with his palm!

"So fast?"

Li Pinghe was filled with surprise and doubt, but he remained calm and unmoved. Using it as the core of the formation, countless array patterns appeared in the void, rapidly condensing and drawing them down to the earth below...

Before the grand formation could be activated, the main hall suddenly cracked open, and a great light shone forth!

The crimson flames surged and roared!

Li Pinghe heard the angry and startled voice of the "Horned Pot Taoist" and saw him looking across at the opposite side with deep fear in his eyes, surrounded by a flock of birds.

Turning my head, I saw a figure in ochre robes standing in mid-air, with crimson clouds rolling behind him.

Li Pinghe was taken aback:

"Brother Xianyu?"

Xianyu Qiong looked haggard, but upon hearing Li Pinghe's voice, she still smiled faintly and replied from afar:

"You, Li Pinghe, don't often ask for favors. Now that I've promised you, how could I go back on my word?"

After saying this, he was greeted by "Jiaohu Daoren," leaving Li Pinghe momentarily stunned.

After a brief silence, he looked down at his palm. The lingering soul there was dark and murky, its spirit dull. He could vaguely make out the features within it, and it was not Murong Xian, but a strange man with a hairy face and an eagle's beak.

"Not Murong Xian?!"

Li Pinghe suddenly looked up at the "Horned Pot Taoist" fighting with Xianyu Qiong. At that moment, all the doubts he had in mind suddenly came together.

Since it is a case of possession, it is essentially a substitution of one person for another. It is not enough to conceal the truth from others, so how could it be easily exposed to others?

Even if it's a case of possession, there's no prior enmity, so why would they deliberately make things difficult for the elders and disciples of the sect?

If it was a case of possession, why didn't Murong Xian's soul lamp go out?

Unless, in the end, Murong Xian was never possessed, and the so-called possession was merely an illusion to indulge his narrow-minded hatred!

Thinking of this, even though Li Pinghe had long since become indifferent to worldly affairs, a fire still ignited in his heart. He stepped into the air and shouted:

"Murong Xian!"

The "Horned Pot Taoist" originally achieved his cultivation through the method of consuming elixirs. According to the theory, his cultivation was incomplete and his strength was far inferior to that of ordinary Taoist practitioners. However, at this moment, he was only slightly inferior to Xianyu Qiong, which was because he was restrained by Xianyu Qiong.

Hearing Li Pinghe's angry shout, he instinctively turned to look, but his eyes held a hint of evasion: "I... how could I be a fool like Murong Xian!"

His tone and demeanor were nothing like Murong Xian's, but Li Pinghe still saw through that moment of evasion and guilt, leaving him with no further doubts.

A wave of sorrow washed over me.

Zhao Yuanxiao's death was utterly worthless!

Chun Jun Sect, despite being managed by two generations, ultimately fell to Murong Xian, a man with an incomplete mind and narrow-mindedness.

It's laughable that he and his ancestor Murong Xiao both harbored illusions, placed too much importance on the Dao Foundation, and were too blindly obedient.

But in the cultivation world, ability is indeed the key to success in many situations.

Chun Jun Sect seems to have a choice, but in the end, they have no choice. Or perhaps, no matter what they choose, the result will not be much different.

boom!

Murong Xian had only been in the Dao Foundation for a short time, and his skills were still rudimentary. In front of Xianyu Qiong, a veteran who had experienced battles with opponents of the same level, he was quickly defeated and fell to the ground in a sorry state.

Birds surrounded it, but were quickly set ablaze by the crimson flames, their mournful cries fading as they were consumed by the fire.

Xianyu Qiong landed, and a Crimson Flame Pearl slowly rotated, covering Murong Xian's head, ready to annihilate him at any moment.

At this moment, Murong Xian's eyes suddenly cleared a bit, as if he had just woken from a dream. He looked around blankly at Li Pinghe and the surrounding cultivators, and only then did he belatedly realize what was happening. He hurriedly said:

"Grandmaster Uncle? How did I get here? I think I had a long dream just now, where someone took my body..."

Xianyu Qiong frowned slightly and looked at Li Pinghe.

"It's the sect leader! The sect leader is still alive!"

Chen Xu, Bai Butong, and the others were both surprised and delighted upon seeing this, and quickly looked at Li Pinghe:

"Grandmaster Uncle, it's the Sect Master! The Sect Master is still alive!"

Li Pinghe stepped forward slowly, but was stopped by Xianyu Qiong, who shook his head and said:

"It must have been the person who possessed his body who deliberately released him, intending to find an opportunity to escape."

Li Pinghe nodded, and through the firelight, slowly stretched out his hand, where a crescent-shaped blade wheel lay quietly.

Murong Xian, standing beneath the Crimson Flame Pearl, looked bewildered: "This...this is Elder Zhao's magic weapon, how did it end up in your hands, Grandmaster Uncle?"

Li Pinghe said calmly, "This was an item that Elder Zhao presented to Chun Jun Sect. Since he had nothing else at home, he offered this treasure instead..."

Murong Xian was taken aback upon hearing this, his expression becoming somewhat unnatural: "Elder Zhao, Elder Zhao..."

"He died at your hands, Sect Leader."

"I?!"

Murong Xian's expression changed, and then he burst into tears:

"I...I didn't lay a hand on Elder Zhao...No, there must be something wrong with that pill! Someone inside the pill tampered with it!"

Li Pinghe slowly shook his head, raising a wisp of remnant soul in his hand: "The sect leader's soul is here, already tattered and broken. Jiaohu Daoist, how long are you going to keep up this act?"

Upon seeing this wisp of soul, Murong Xian's expression changed drastically. He finally realized something and struggled violently, shouting:

"I am Murong Xian! I am Murong Xian! I am not Jiao Hu!"

"Master Chen!"

"Elder Bai, it's me! I'm Murong Xian!"

However, upon witnessing this scene, Chen Xu, Bai Butong, and the others only glanced at Li Pinghe before unhesitatingly choosing to believe Li Pinghe.

"The sorcerer Jiao Hu harmed Murong Xian, the sect leader of Chun Jun Sect, and Elder Zhao Yuanxiao. He should be executed immediately!"

"Brother Xianyu, thank you for your trouble."

Li Pinghe presented the crescent-shaped blade wheel. Xianyu Qiong gave Li Pinghe a deep look, then suddenly smiled, took the crescent-shaped blade wheel, and activated the Crimson Flame Pearl.

The flames roared, obscuring the view, and for a moment only the 'Horned Pot Taoist' could be heard wailing and rambling. At times he claimed that he had deceived everyone, that he was actually Murong Xian; at other times he claimed that he had achieved the Great Dao of Celestial Immortals, free and unrestrained; and at still other times he claimed that he knew many secrets of the Jianwei Kingdom...

However, apart from Li Pinghe, no one believed what he said. As his voice gradually faded away, Xianyu Qiong summoned the crescent-shaped blade wheel. When the blade wheel flew back, it brought with it a head.

The body of the Dao Foundation cultivator was imbued with the Dao, making him no longer an ordinary being. Although the flesh of his head was charred and rotten, one could still discern some resemblance to Murong Xian. However, he was now completely silent.

"Not completely dead yet."

Xianyu Qiong smiled, and as the firelight seeped into the skull, a scream rang out from within.

The next moment, a phantom image of Murong Xian appeared above, his face full of resentment, but it eventually slowly dissipated...