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

The next day, before dawn.

To the east of the Hehuan Sect's mountain gate, a dark blue-green ancient pagoda has stood silently for thousands of years. Atop the pagoda hangs a bronze bell taller than a person, its surface covered in the patina of time, with faint patterns of divine power flowing across its surface. Over the millennia, it has witnessed the rise and fall of countless sects.

A figure stepped through the air and landed on the top of the tower.

Li Hanshan looked up at the giant bell in front of him and clicked his tongue.

"Good heavens, so this is the Summoning Bell? It truly lives up to its reputation."

However, today is not the time to study this.

He recalled the incantation that Ye Shuanghua had taught him, made hand seals, and channeled his spiritual energy along a mysterious path, converging at his fingertips.

"rise."

clang--!!

The first chime exploded with a deafening roar.

The bell's sound doesn't travel through the air—it resounds directly deep within the consciousness of every disciple of the Joyful Union Sect. Whether you are in seclusion, refining pills, or sleeping, the bell's sound is like thunder, striking heavily within your soul.

clang--!!

Second tone.

Third tone.

……

Ninth tone.

The entire Hehuan Sect has been completely awakened.

-

The Elders' Hall.

The seven powerful auras opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

"Zhong?!"

The Ninth Elder abruptly stood up, his expression changing drastically: "Why is the summoning bell ringing?! Nine times... no, it's still ringing—"

clang--!!

The tenth tone.

"Twelve rings..." The Third Elder's face darkened. "Someone is summoning the entire sect."

The Ninth Elder's divine sense suddenly expanded, sweeping towards the ancient tower on the east side. In the next instant, his face turned from white to red, and then from red to purple.

"Li Hanshan!!"

"It's that little beast! Only the sect leader and the elders can activate the summoning bell, where did he get the incantation?!"

"It was given by the sect leader." The Third Elder said, his face grim, enunciating each word clearly, "Who else could it be?"

The Ninth Elder's chest heaved violently a few times. He raised his foot to rush out—but stopped abruptly at the palace gate. He remembered the punch he had received in the square, the Sixth Elder who was still buried in the pit and hadn't climbed out yet, and the Divine Soul Sword that even the First Elder feared... His foot hovered over the threshold for three breaths, but in the end, he didn't dare to step out.

"How dare you!"

The Third Elder slammed his hand on the table, his beard and hair standing on end: "As expected of the Sect Leader! She's only just broken through, and she can't wait to establish her authority! Ringing the summons bell, calling a sect-wide meeting—she really treats the Elders' Council like a mere decoration!"

"We're not going!"

"Hmph, let her put on a one-woman show in the square! Without the elders present at the clan assembly, how will this assembly even get going!"

"I'm afraid it's beyond our control."

An aged voice slowly echoed from the depths of the hall.

The First Elder, Nie Hongyuan, had opened his eyes at some point. He sat in the main seat, his cloudy gaze fixed on the sky outside the palace gates, his voice calm and unhurried:

"The summoning bell tolls twelve times; it's an ironclad rule set by the patriarch—when the bell tolls twelve times, the entire sect must be present; those who are absent are considered traitors. This isn't just a rule for the sect leader, it's the patriarch's rule. Anyone who doesn't go is a traitor. Don't you understand this principle?"

The hall fell silent.

"Elder!" the Third Elder exclaimed urgently, "She's clearly using this as an excuse! The Yinquan Sect is already struggling to hold on, and the Immortal Alliance's forces are poised to strike our sect. At this critical moment, instead of focusing on defending against the enemy, she's instigating internal strife—"

"That's why we have to go." Nie Hongyuan slowly stood up, dressed in hemp clothing and straw sandals, his hands behind his back. "The Yinquan Sect hasn't been destroyed yet, and the threat from the Immortal Alliance is still looming. At this time, confronting her head-on is neither reasonable nor advantageous."

"Oh?" The Second Elder leaned back in his chair, his voice, half-male and half-female, softly rang out, "The First Elder is in a good mood today."

"I simply don't want to waste my energy on unnecessary things."

He paused, then suddenly said:

Do you all think that I have been sitting here for over a thousand years in vain?

The elders were taken aback.

"A while ago, on the front lines, when we were attacking the Immortal Alliance's turtle shell," Nie Hongyuan's voice remained calm, but every word struck like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's hearts, "by chance, a glimmer of opportunity was triggered."

"I am now... at the third level of the Dao of Separation and Union, only one step away from reaching the next level."

boom.

The eyes of all the elders in the hall lit up simultaneously.

"Elder! Is this true?!" The Sixth Elder was the first to jump up.

"Absolutely true." Nie Hongyuan nodded. "It will take me anywhere from a few months to a year to take that step."

"That's wonderful!" The Ninth Elder's face flushed with excitement. "Once the First Elder reaches the third level of the Dao Integration Realm—and the Sect Leader is only at the first level! There are two minor realms in between. How can she possibly compete with you?!"

"Unlike now, you're only one level ahead of her. She's the sect leader and holds several secret techniques passed down through the sect. If things really come to a head, you might not come out on top," the Third Elder continued, speaking rapidly. "But once you break through to the third level of the Dao Integration Realm—the Dao Integration Realm—each step is a new level! At that time, even if she has secret techniques, she'll be no match for you!"

"The power to make decisions within the Hehuan Sect should return to the Elders' Council!"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly changed. The elders, who had just been gloomy, now had a gleam on their faces—as long as the Grand Elder took another step forward, the Elders Council could suppress the Sect Leader for hundreds of years, and for hundreds more years to come!

"Keep it down, everyone."

Nie Hongyuan spoke calmly, quelling the restlessness of the crowd.

"Before I break through, I should not act rashly. She is now at the Dao Integration stage, holding the moral high ground, and has just established her authority—it would be the most foolish thing to do to confront her head-on at this time."

"If she wants to hold a clan meeting, then let her."

"She wants to establish her authority, so let's give her that face first."

He looked around and finally said:

"Let's go."

"Let's go to the square first and see what she's really up to."