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

Meanwhile, in the Hall of Elders of the Hehuan Sect.

With all seven elders gathered, the atmosphere inside the hall was so oppressive it felt like water could drip from it.

"The investigation is complete," the Ninth Elder said slowly. "The Sect Leader and Li Hanshan disappeared three days ago. They haven't been found anywhere in the sect. I believe—they went to the Myriad Spirits Secret Realm."

"The Myriad Spirits Secret Realm?" The Third Elder frowned. "The secret realm has been sealed for over four hundred years. How can we enter?"

"The sect leader possesses the key to the secret realm."

The hall fell silent.

"Hmph, quite clever." The Second Elder said in a sinister tone, "The boundary of the Myriad Spirits Secret Realm is sturdy. Hiding inside can indeed conceal the movement, but Sect Leader, if you really attempt to break through to the Dao Integration Realm inside, the three Dao Integration Realm experts from the Immortal Alliance will definitely notice once your aura is activated."

He abruptly changed the subject: "Even if the boundary barrier is incredibly strong, three Dao Integration Realm cultivators working together could force their way in. In that case, the Myriad Spirits Secret Realm would become her burial ground!"

The Seventh Elder, who hadn't spoken much until now, said, "What if she breaks through soon?"

The Ninth Elder said coldly, "Is the Dao Integration stage so easy to break through? In the past few thousand years, how many old monsters have been stuck at the peak of the Void Refinement stage? How many have actually crossed over? I assert—this time, she will definitely not succeed."

"Indeed." The Third Elder nodded. "Attempting to break through to the Dao Integration Realm almost always results in death and the dissipation of one's Dao. If she fails..."

"If we fail," the Fifth Elder suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but the hall fell silent, "if the Sect Leader cannot break through to the Dao Integration stage—everyone, when the Immortal Alliance attacks, what will we use to defend ourselves?"

The Ninth Elder paused.

The hall was deathly silent.

This was precisely the thorn in everyone's side. Having suppressed the sect leader's lineage for so many years, they knew better than anyone what they were doing—but now, with the Immortal Alliance army pressing in, the Yinquan Sect suffering repeated defeats, and the Hehuan Sect struggling to hold on alone, the sect needed a second Dao-Merging cultivator.

What they least wanted to see was their sect leader becoming the one who achieved Dao.

The contradictions were like two nooses, suffocating everyone. They both hoped for her failure—once she achieved Dao, the sect leader's lineage would rise again, and the Elders' Council's centuries of efforts would vanish into thin air; yet they also feared her failure most—if she failed, when the Immortal Alliance crushed the Joyful Union Sect, the Elders' Council would still be like an egg in a destroyed nest, forced to cower within the mountain gate. Outside the mountain gate, spirit fields, mines, markets, affiliated sects… everything would be devoured by the Immortal Alliance bit by bit.

The Grand Elder, who had kept his eyes closed, finally opened them slowly.

"Shut up, all of you."

The hall was completely silent.

"No interference," the Grand Elder said calmly. "No one is allowed to make a move. Success or failure is up to fate."

After a dozen or so breaths of silence, the Ninth Elder asked, "The Yinquan Sect has repeatedly requested our assistance. What should we do?"

The Grand Elder said, "Tell the Yin Quan Sect that I am still in seclusion. The Yin Quan Sect is a large and powerful family; how could they be so easily defeated? Let the Immortal Alliance wear them down first."

The elders exchanged glances and responded in unison.

No one noticed that before the Grand Elder closed his eyes, a deep sense of irritation flashed across them.

He knew better than anyone the falsity of the Ninth Elder's words. He had witnessed the talent of the Hehuan Sect Leader firsthand—if she hadn't been held back for a thousand years by the sect leader's broken cultivation method that clung to her primordial yin, she probably would have broken through to the Dao Integration stage long ago.

That's precisely why we can't let her succeed.

If a Dao-Merging expert emerges from the sect leader's lineage, even if he himself is a Dao-Merging expert, the Elders' Council will no longer be able to suppress the sect leader's lineage. At that time, many elders' past actions may be investigated and punished.

But he could only think these words to himself.

The Immortal Alliance has a knife to their throats; at this point, the Joyful Union Sect needs to survive first. As for what happens after the sect leader's breakthrough—whether they'll survive is still uncertain.

The elder closed his eyes again, as if he had truly entered a meditative state.