I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

With a flick of his wrist, Li Hanshan sheathed the broken sword.

The movement was clean and swift, without the slightest hesitation. The sound of the sword sheathing was extremely soft, yet in this desolate, lifeless mountain, it was so clear that everyone could hear it. It was as if a door had gently closed.

He glanced around, his gaze calmly sweeping over the faces of the seven elders, finally settling on the corpse in the center of the room, and spoke softly:

"Now, my feud with the Heavenly Demon Sect is over."

"Elders—"

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

The seven elders all paused for a moment.

This question was asked too quickly and too smoothly. Following the Jianghu rule of "settling scores" and the Second Elder's earlier admission that it was "beneficial to the sect," it directly blocked the word "punishment" from everyone's throats.

According to the agreement just reached—if the enemy seeks revenge, life and death are left to fate; if he dies, the blood debt will be settled.

He's not dead now, and he's won.

Then... what else is there to say?

On the desolate mountain, the wind, carrying lingering demonic energy, swept through the rocks, whistling softly. No one spoke. The elders, who had been so aggressive just moments before, now seemed to have their throats grabbed, their words swirling on their tongues, yet unable to utter a single syllable—for any suggestion of "punishment" seemed laughable in the face of that single sword strike.

"Since there's nothing more to say," Li Hanshan turned around, his gaze suddenly shifting to the gray-robed figure in the crowd, "then it's my turn to speak."

"Ninth Elder."

The Ninth Elder's eyelids twitched.

"The elders just said they wanted to get to the bottom of my 'secret alliance with the Immortal Alliance'," Li Hanshan said calmly as he walked over. "Very well, then today, let's settle this score from beginning to end."

"Back then, when a new Dao-Merging cultivator emerged in the Immortal Alliance, the three major Demonic Sects discussed sending one disciple each to infiltrate the Immortal Alliance—to investigate troop deployments, the strengths and weaknesses of each sect, and to uncover the origins and weaknesses of the new Dao-Merging cultivator."

"This task was overseen by the Ninth Elder."

"Drawing lots. A container of ebony and driftwood."

"Does Ninth Elder still remember what material that divination stick container was made of?" Li Hanshan smiled. "Black gold agarwood that even a Void Refinement cultivator's divine sense couldn't penetrate. All the Nascent Soul disciples in the hall were in fear, each divination stick determining their life or death—only I, with a single reach, pulled out that red stick."

"Ninth Elder, tell me, was this lot drawn cleanly?"

The Ninth Elder's expression changed slightly.

"Let's talk about the Immortal Alliance again." Li Hanshan's tone softened. "After joining the Immortal Alliance, I concealed my cultivation, proceeded cautiously step by step, and spent several years working towards reaching the core of the Immortal Alliance."

"As a result—my identity was leaked from within the Immortal Alliance."

"With a charge of 'spy for the Demonic Sect' attached, the Immortal Alliance's Enforcement Hall arrested him overnight."

"Ninth Elder, the number of people in the sect who know that I was sent to the Immortal Alliance can be counted on one hand."

"I joined the alliance, and the next thing I knew, someone betrayed me—what else could this be but an attempt to kill me?"

The Ninth Elder's expression changed abruptly.

"You—you're spouting nonsense!" he roared. "When did I—"

"Ninth Elder, don't be in such a hurry." Li Hanshan smiled. "I haven't even said it was you yet."

He changed the subject: "I'm just curious—you were the one who presided over the drawing of lots in the hall that day; you were also the one in charge of the External Affairs Hall and handling the list of disciples. How many people could know my whereabouts and also benefit from it?"

"Of course we'll investigate."

"But rather than investigating, I'd like to ask Elder Ninth something else—"

Li Hanshan stopped ten paces away from him, his gaze sharp as a knife:

"I killed Chen Jie."

"Over the years, Ninth Elder has been openly and secretly plotting revenge for him, hasn't he?"

The square fell silent instantly.

Ye Shuanghua immediately responded, her clear, cold voice resounding: "The Elders' Council wants to act according to the rules, fine—the words 'private alliance with the Immortal Alliance' are just empty words. But framing fellow disciples and settling personal scores, which sect rule applies to that?"

"Settling personal scores?" The Ninth Elder laughed angrily. "Fine, fine!"

"Li Hanshan, let me ask you this: have you completed your infiltration mission?!"

"The sect sent you to the Immortal Alliance to gather intelligence on their troop deployment and the origins and weaknesses of that newly formed Daoist! And what was the result? You disappeared without a trace, and years have passed—not a single piece of information has been sent back! Which mission did you accomplish?!"

"You failed in your mission, but you've certainly shown some skill—leading the Immortal Alliance's army to annihilate my demonic allies!"

"If this isn't a secret alliance with the Immortal Alliance, what is it?!"

These words resonated deeply, and the elders nodded in agreement: "What Ninth Brother says makes sense."

Li Hanshan laughed after hearing this.

"The mission wasn't completed?"

"The defenses of the three immortal islands of the Immortal Alliance, the teleportation array system, and the strength and weakness of the various sects' forces—I've figured all of this out." He spoke slowly and deliberately. "If someone hadn't betrayed me, exposing my identity, this information would have been on the sect's desk three years ago."

"The mission wasn't completed because someone didn't want it to be."

"Ninth Elder, who do you think this person could be?"

The Ninth Elder's face turned pale, then red.

"Insolence!" he roared, his beard and hair bristling. "I am an elder, how dare you two juniors slander me!"

"False accusation?" Li Hanshan raised an eyebrow. "Then how about this?"

"It just so happens that the entire sect is here today." His gaze swept across the dense crowd several miles away. "In front of thousands of fellow disciples, in front of all the elders—"

He raised his hand and pointed to the empty space in the field where blood had just been spilled.

"If the Ninth Elder feels that I have falsely accused you—"

"Let's have a one-on-one duel."

"Life and death are determined by fate."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd several miles away erupted in a buzz.

Challenge the elder!

Disciple, challenge the elder in public!

The Hehuan Sect has existed for tens of thousands of years, and it's not that no one has ever tried such a thing—but not a single one has succeeded. Rules, seniority, and cultivation level—three mountains weigh down on them; who would dare?

Today, someone dared to do it.

The Ninth Elder froze on the spot.

Should we accept the challenge?

What will he use to fight back?!

Others might not understand that sword strike, but how could an elder at the second level of the Void Refinement stage not understand it?! That sword strike didn't sever the physical body, but the soul! The Ninth Elder considered himself to be of considerable cultivation, but he asked himself honestly—he couldn't withstand that sword strike.

But it shouldn't be like this...

In front of thousands of disciples and seven elders, he was challenged by a junior and dared not accept the challenge—

"What?" Li Hanshan looked at him with a smile, "Ninth Elder, you dare not?"

"Fine, I understand."

"Being a coward isn't shameful."

"Oh, right." Li Hanshan seemed to remember something, "If Ninth Elder doesn't dare to accept the challenge, that's simple too."

"Count out all the little tricks you've played on me over the years in front of everyone."

"Once you've counted them all, you can turn the page."

"you--!!"

The Ninth Elder trembled with rage, his spiritual energy exploded, and the rocks beneath his feet shattered inch by inch, but he ultimately did not take that step.

A soft laugh suddenly rang out from the crowd.

It is the Fifth Elder.

She crossed her arms, watching the scene with great interest, and added with a smile, "Ninth Brother, the younger generation has practically offered you a way out, and you're still too scared to take it?"

The Ninth Elder's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

Li Hanshan looked at him and suddenly felt a strange sensation.

For a time, the name Ninth Elder was a sword hanging over his head. He was weak, insignificant, and his life was as worthless as grass. He was terrified that one day he would make a wrong move and die at the hands of this elder.

Standing here now, looking at this elder who was furious, embarrassed, and outwardly fierce but inwardly weak, he suddenly felt—

That's all there is to it.

It's not that the Ninth Elder has become weaker.

He's standing too high.

Strength truly determines everything that the eyes can see.

The person he used to have to crane his neck to see, he can now simply look at with his eyelids down.

It's that simple.

"Fine, very well!" The Ninth Elder gritted his teeth, then suddenly changed his tone, his voice rising sharply, "Li Hanshan! Even if you have a sharp tongue, you can't change the ironclad facts!"

"The Immortal Alliance army is currently attacking the Yin Quan Sect! Once the Yin Quan Sect is destroyed, my He Huan Sect will be next! And you—you have deep ties with the Immortal Alliance. Who knows if you are a pawn or an inside agent planted by the Immortal Alliance in my He Huan Sect?!"

"In my opinion, not only should this person be punished, but he should not be allowed to set foot in our sect's gates at all! He should be confined outside and strictly guarded, just in case!"

Upon hearing this, the elders all nodded in agreement.

"What Ninth Elder says makes sense," Fourth Elder stroked his beard. "It's better to be overly cautious than not cautious at all."

"Yes, how can we sleep soundly with a disciple so deeply connected to the Immortal Alliance in our sect?"

"What if he tampered with the protective formation, allowing the Immortal Alliance to storm in—who will be held responsible?!"

Li Hanshan listened and suddenly laughed.

"The army of the Immortal Alliance is nothing to fear."

"Arrogant!" The Sixth Elder was the first to scoff. "With three Dao Integration Realm experts in command and their forces at their peak, what is there to fear?"

"Because—" Li Hanshan looked around at the elders, enunciating each word clearly, "as long as our sect leader breaks through to the Dao Integration stage, our Hehuan Sect will have two Dao Integration masters."

"At that time, if we join forces with the Yin Quan Sect, what is there to fear from the three Dao Integration Realm experts of the Immortal Alliance?"

The Sixth Elder laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world: "Reaching the Dao? Hahahaha—if reaching the Dao were that easy, why would there only be a handful of people achieving it in the Central Continent over thousands of years?!"

"Yes," the Seventh Elder shook his head, "the Sect Leader has been stuck at the peak of the Void Refinement stage for hundreds of years. Is this step so easy to take?"

"If things were going well, why would we have waited until today?"

"For hundreds of years, countless brilliant talents in our demonic path have been stuck at this hurdle." The Second Elder shook his head, his half-male, half-female voice laced with sarcasm. "Breaking through to the Dao Integration stage has never relied on any supreme treasure, but on painstaking effort and fate."

The elders echoed this sentiment, shaking their heads and scoffing.

Li Hanshan stopped laughing.

He slowly raised his hand, and an invisible barrier spread out from his body like ripples, enveloping the sect leader, Ye Shuanghua, and the seven elders.

Soundproof enclosure.

The sounds from the outside world were instantly shut out.

The elders' expressions changed slightly—this barrier technique was executed with effortless ease, clearly displaying a hint of the Dao-aligning realm!

"Elders," Li Hanshan's voice rang out within the barrier, clear and calm.

"I destroyed the Heavenly Demon Sect, and the Immortal Alliance will reward those who contributed to my victory."

"I obtained a supreme treasure from the Immortal Alliance."

"This treasure is just what can help our sect leader break through the barrier between the Refinement of Emptiness and the Integration of the Dao."

Everyone present was astonished.

The seven elders all paused in their breathing.

Helping the sect leader break through to the Dao Integration Realm?!

These four words struck them even more shockingly than Li Hanshan's sword strike.

All eyes were fixed on the sect leader.

The sect leader's eyelids twitched violently.

Li Hanshan turned around, looked at the figure in the black cloak, and spoke solemnly, enunciating each word clearly:

"Master."

If you believe me—

"Let me help you."